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CYCLOPEDIA 


OP 


MORAL    AND    RELIGIOUS 

ANECDOTES:     , 


A  COLLECTION   OF 


SEVERAL  THOUSAND  FACTS,  INCIDENTS,  NARMmES 
EXAMPLES,  AND  TESTIMONIES,  ^,? 


EMBRACmG   THE 


BEST  OF  THE  KIND  IN  MOST  FORMER  COLLECTIONS,  AND  SOME  HUNDREDS 
IN  ADDITION.  ORIGINAL  AND  SELECTED. 


THE  WHOLE  ARRANGED  AND  CLASSIFIED  ON  A  NEW  PLAN 


WITH  COPIOUS   TOPICAL  AND   SCRIPTURAL  INDEXES. 


PASTOR   OF   THE   PROVIDENCE    CHURCH,   NEW-YORK. 


BY  REV.  E.  ^RVINE,  A.M., 

PROVIDENCE    CHUB 


I 


WITH  AN  INTRODUCTION,  BY'  REV.  GEORGE  B.  CHEEVER,  D.D^ 


JNEW-YORK: 

LEAVITT,  TROW  &  COMPANY,  191  BROADWAY. 

1848. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1848, 

By  LEAVITT,  TROW  &  COMPANY, 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  for  the  Southern  District  of  New-YorK. 


♦         .  *    / 


i- 


INTKODUCTION 


(The  importance  of  illustration  fcrthe  purpose  of  enforcing  truth  is  so  obviouS;  ^ 
that  it  seenis  a  worlr  of  supererogation  to  say  one  word  concerning  it.  Much  has 
been  said  in  books  of  rhetoric  in  regard  to  the  use  of  figures,  tropes,  metaphors, 
and  so  forth,  to  add  animation  to  style,  and  vigor  and  beauty  to  eloquence.  But 
the  best  rhetorical  rules  will  be  insensibly  discovered  and  adopted  by  the  mind 
itself,  in  familiarity  with  the  most  thoughtful,  suggestive,  and  illustrative  writers. 

Principal  Campbell,  in  his  Philosophy  of  Rhetoric,  observes,  that  the  senator 
and  the  lawyer,  in  the  matter  of  eloquence,  have  the  advantage  of  the  preacher, 
because,  their  subject  is  generally  persons,  while  his  is  mainly  things.  A 
j)reacher  ought,  therefore,  to  endeavor  to  personify,  as  far  as  possible,  the  things 
of  his  argument,  the  truths  he  is  called  to  announce  ;  putting  them  in  the  shape 
of  persons,  and  showing  them  in  action.  Interesting  relations  of  fact,  will  some- 
times accomplish  this  object  with  great  power  and  success. 

In  the  selection  and  use  of  such  facts,  there  is  need  of  judgment.  A  greater 
benefit  can  hardly  be  bestowed  upon  the  cause  of  truth,  than  a  good  collection 
of  authentic  and  interesting  points  in  the  current  of  man's  life  and  God's  pro- 
vidence. Such  an  encyclopedia  may  be  a  book  of  reference,  in  which  a  man 
may  often  find  materials  to  enliven  and  render  attractive  a  discourse  which 
might  otherwise  have  proved  very  dull,  or  to  fasten  on  the  conscience  a  truth 
or  a  warning,  which  otherwise  would  have  fallen  on  the  ear  unnoticed,  and 
glided  past  the  mind  unfelt.^>  It  is  not  enough  that  truth  be  pointed,  like  a  straight, 
smooth  piece  of  steel ;  it  needs  aide  points,  as  a  dart,  that  it  may  not  draw  out, 
when  it  effects  an  entrance.  ''  Sometimes,  a  discourse  may  be  so  smooth,  so  ^ 
polished,  and  pointed  so  finely,  that  it  may  go  quite  through  the  understanding 
and  the^ Heart,  without  stopping  in  it,  or  leaving  any  trace  of  its  passage*  It  is  a 
great  mistake  to  have  truth  go  through  its  mark,  and  fall  out  and  be  I6st  on  the 
other  side. 

Barbed  arrows  are  good,  not  for  the  purpose  of  inflicting  unnecessary  pain, 
but  drcompelling  notice ;  they  may  be  barbed  with  anecdote  and  illustration,  in 
such  a  way,  that  it  shall  be  hardly  possible  for  them  to  fail.  But  barbs  alone 
are  useless.  An  archer  would  be  poorly  off,  if  he  had  nothing  in  his  quiver  but 
arrow-heads  or  feathers.  For  an  illustration  to  be  useful  or  successful,  there 
must  be  something  to  be  illustrated.  A  sermon  made  up  of  anecdotes  and 
flowers,  is  quite  as  deficient  as  a  sermon  of  the  driest  abstractions. 

Anecdotes  and  illustrations,  may  not  only  illustrate  a  point,  and  make  an 
audience  see  and  feel  the  argument,  but  they  may  themselves  add  to  the  argu- 
ment; they  may  be  at  once  a  part  of  the  reasoning,  and  an  elucidation  of  it. 
Indeed,  a  just  figure  always  adds  power  to  a  chain  of  logic,  and  increases  the  .  ' 
amount  of  truth  conveyed.  It  is  also  of  great  use  in  relieving  the  attention  ;  as 
a  stopping  place  where  the  mind  is  rested,  and  prepared  to  resume  the  reasoning 
without  fatigue,  without  loss.  Almost  any  expedient,  which  decorum  permits/ 
may  be  justified  in  order  to  prevent  drowsiness,  keep  the  mind  awake,  and  fiiTf' 
the  attention  of  an  audience.  Nevertheless,  such  attention,  however  it  may 
be  gained  by  extraordinary  expedients,  cannot  be  kept  but  by  truth  worth  illus- 
trating. 

We  have  heard  of  an  eccentric  preacher,  who  had  a  church  member  named 
Mark,  in  the  habit  of  sleeping  under  the  discourses  of  his  pastor.  One  day,  in 
the  midst  of  his  sermon,  the  preacher,  being  about  to  enunciate  an  important 


INTRODUCTION. 


text,  raised  his  voice,  exclaiming,  "  Mark  !  Mark  !  Mark  !"     The  unfortunate 

church  dreamer,  taken  suddenly  in  the  depths  of  a  profound  nap,  started  bolt  up- 

\    right,  in  the  midst  of  the  congregation,  at  the  call,  when  the  preacher  continued, 

"  Mark  the  perfect  man,  and  behold  the  upright^  for  the  end  of  that  man  is 

,         peace !" 

.         Now  a  forcible  illustration,  a  vivid,  or  pathetic,  or  exciting  apologue,  or  in- 
;  -Jt'  cident,  or  fact,  answers  all  the  purpose  of  such  eccentricities,  in  waking  the 
mind  from  its  slumbers.     The  hearer  feels  as  if  he  were  addressed  by  name, 
when  the  preacher  sen<fe4he  truth,  thus  clothed,  thus  armed,  home  upon  him. 
Dr.  Abercrombie  speaks  of  the  importance  of  illustrations  and  analogies,  for 
assisting  and  training  the  memory  of  children.     The  same  discipline  is  equally 
i^''^  necessary  for  the  hearers  of  sermons.     Although  they  may  have  forgotten  the 
textj  the  subject,  and  almost  the  whole  design  of  the  preacher;  they  will  not  un- 
J       frequently  carry  away  the  illustrations,  and  every  thing  in  the  train  of  thought 
\    \  lying  immediately  in  their  neighborhood.     And,  indeed,  a  single  illustration  will 
';  J^«  sometimes  flash  the  meaning  of  a  whole  sermon  upon  minds  that  otherwise  would 
•^  \    have  departed  scarcely  knowing  the  application  of  a  sentence. 
f^         Unfortunately,  some  men  are  so  habitually  destitute  of  any  thing  approximat- 
1        ing  to  the  nature  of  illustration,  so  neglectful  of  it,  so  monotonous  in  the  abstract 
*»     mould  of  their  discourses,  that  the  unexpected  introduction  of  a  story  or  even  a 
pointed   comparison    or    incident,    would    rouse    the    congregation,    almost   as 
thoroughly,  as  if  the  preacher  were  to  carry  a  loaded  pistol  into  the  pulpit,  and 
fire    it   off  at  the  third    head  of  his  discourse.      How  is  it    possible  for   an 
audience  to  be  interested  or  stirred,  even  by  the  most  important  truth,  if  pre- 
sented so  monotonously,  and  in  mere  generalities  ? 

The  hearers  of  the  gospel,  are  like  poor  men  coming  to  be  clothed  from  a 
public  charity.  If  you  give  them  cloth  in  the  piece,  they  will  dispose  of  it  as 
they  can,  and  keep  their  own  rags.  But  if  you  have  it  made  up,  and  give  them 
plain,  well-fitting  garments,  they  will  be  likely  to  put  them  on  and  wear  them. 
The  truths  of  the  gospel  should,  as  much  as  possible,  come  saying,  thou  art  the 
man.  It  is  not  necessary  for  this  purpose  to  add,  thou  David,  or  thou  Mark, 
unless  it  be  by  private  expostulation,  where  this  is  needed.  An  authentic  in- 
cident, a  forcible  illustration,  a  striking  analogy,  a  recorded  case,  will  often  so 
point  the  moral,  that  the  consciences  of  all  may  apply  it,  without  being  afraid 
lest  others  should  see  them  putting  on  the  coat. 

Illustrations  from  Divine  Providence,  especially  in  Christian  biography,  but 
also  in  history,  in  particular  interpositions,  and  in  marked  steps  in  all  men's 
lives,  are  a  great  help  in  fastening  Divine  truth.  If  a  preacher  merely  say,  I 
will  tell  you  what  such  or  such  a  person  said  to  me,  even  that  may  fasten  a  ser- 
mon. It  is  like  driving  a  nail  into  the  mind,  and  hanging  up  the  lesson  upon  it. 
*'  The  words  of  the  wise  are  as  goads,  and  as  nails  fastened  by  the  masters  of  as- 
semblies." Cecil  records  the  effect  of  a  few  such  words  driven  unexpectedly 
into  his  own  mind,  by  a  plain  man  from  the  country,  who  said  to  him  one  day, 
as  he  was  coming  out  of  the  church,  that  men  might  cheer  themselves  in  the 
morning,  and  they  might  pass  on  tolerably  well,  perhaps,  without  God  at  noon ; 
hut  the  cool  of  the  day  was  coming,  when  God  would  come  down  to  talk  with  them. 
Cecil  says  that  he  had  himself  been  some  time  in  a  dry,  fruitless  frame,  but  per- 
suading himself  that  all  was  going  on  well,  when  it  pleased  God  to  shoot  an 
arrow,  by  the  hand  of  this  simple  but  weak  minister,  into  his  heart.  It  was  a 
message  from  God ;  he  felt  as  though  God  had  descended  into  the  church,  and 
was  about  to  call  him  to  his  account. 

Now  this  was  a  goad,  a  nail,  unconsciously  driven  by  one  of  his  hearers,  into 
the  conscience  of  the  master  of  the  assembly  himself  The  hearer  gave  the 
preacher  an  illustration  that  fastened  his  own  sermon.  And  how  much  good 
Cecil  himself  may  have  afterwards  accofnplished,  simply  by  repeating  that  same 
message,  none  can  tell.     Sometimes,  when  we  come  upon  such  landing-places 


INTRODUCTION. 


in  the  midst  of  a  sermon,  it  is  like  anchoring  at  a  verdant  island,  after  a  some- 
what tiresome  sail.  You  remember  the  lake  itself  more  by  the  island  in  the 
midst  of  it,  and  by  what  happened  there,  than  by  the  smooth  expanse  of  water. 
We  once  heard  the  preaching  of  Rev.  Christopher  Anderson  of  Edinburgh, 
author  of  of  the  Annals  of  the  English  Bible,  and  other  works.  Although  the 
whole  sermon  was  deeply  interesting,  we  cannot  now  recall  but  one  thing  in  it, 
and  that  was  a  striking  saying  of  the  eminent  and  excellent  Andrew  Fuller, 
which  Mr.  Anderson  gave,  as  spoken  by  Mr.  Fuller  to  himself.  Ah,  dear  bro- 
ther, said  that  man  of  God,  there  was  never  but  one  being  in  this  world,  who 
could  say,  when  he  died.  It  is  finished  !  We  have  to  leave  all  our  works  un- 
finished. But  we  must  work  on,  and  do  what  we  can,  while  the  day  lasts,  and 
then  we  shall  know  all. 

Every  one  must  have  observed  the  effect  of  the  introduction  of  such  lights  and 
illustralions; -upon  an  audience.     The  whole  assembly  may  have  appeared  up  to  \  / 
that  point  uninterested,  listless,  even  oppressed  with  stupor.     But  the  moment 
the  preacher  says,  I  will  illustrate  this  point,  by  a  relation  of  what  took  place  in 
the  life  of  such  or  such  a  person,  an  entire  change  comes  on  the  whole  congre- 
gation.    E<^ry  countenance  is  lighted  up  with  expectation,  every  mind  is  on  the    Jfa. 
alert,  every  ear  is  open  and  attentive.     Even  if  the  preacher  simply  says.  We 
wiTi  suppose  a  case,  for  the  purpose  of  illustration;  we  will  suppose  a  man 
placed  in  such  or  such  a  position,  involved  in  such  or  such  an  emergency,  or 
iiaving  committed  such  or  such  a  crime.     Even  then,  the  attention  of  the  hearers 
is  at  once  aroused.     The  presentation  of  actual  facts,  or  cases  of  interest  in  point, 
is  so  attractive,  that  if  real  incidents  are  not  at  hand,  it  were  better  to  suppose 
them,  than  leave  the  subject  without  such  illustration,  in  instances  where  it  ad- 
mits of  it.     Accordingly,  in  the  Scriptures,  and  in  the  discourses  of  our  blessed  \   , 
Lord,  it  is  evident  that  suncositions  are  made,  and  fables  are  related,  to  illustrate   )  '" 
and  enforce  truth,  to  give  ii  life  and  action. 

This  constituted  a  powerful  charm  in  our  Savior's  preaching,  even  for  those  \/ 
who  cared  nothing  for  the  spiritual  lessons  he  was  enforcing.  The  beauty  and 
exceeding  aptness  of  his  cases  and  illustrations,  may  have  caught  many  a  care-  ,^^ 
less  soul,  when  the  bare,  dry  truth,  would  have  failed  to  touch  the  heart. 
The  truth  that  a  man  is  miserable,  who  layeth  up  treas-ure  for  himself,  and  is  not 
rich  towards  God,  might  have  been  stated  in  ever  so  forcible  language,  without 
reaching  the  conscience  of  the  hearers.  But  when  our  Lord  proceeded  to  say, 
The  ground  of  a  certain  rich  man  brought  forth  plentifully ;  with  the  solemn  close 
of  the  apologue,  Thou  fool !  this  night  thy  soul  shall  be  required  of  thee !  what 
conscience  could  remain  unmoved  ?  Jf  may  have  been  under  some  such 
application,  that  Joseph  of  Arimathea  himself  was  arrested  and  brought  to  re- 
pentance. 

The  hearers  of  our  blessed  Lo^  were  so  deeply  interested  and  absorbed  in 
such  narratives,  that  sometime;?  they  seem  to  have  forgotten  that  they  were 
merely  illustrative  relations  ;  and  interrupted  him,  carried  away  by  their  feelings, 
or  desiring  the  thread  of  the  narrative  to  unwind  differently ;  as  in  the  case 
when  they  broke  in  upon  odQ  of  his  parables  with  the  declaration.  Lord,  he  hath 
ten  pounds  already  !  Oiie  can  see  the  company,  their  interest,  their  eagerness, 
the  truth  taking  hold  upon  them  ;  we  can  hear  their  exclamations,  as  if  a  drama 
of  real  life  were  enacting  before  them.  And  it  wasXi'iQ,  taken  out  of  the  form 
of  abstract  truth,  and  dramatized  for  tlieir  life,  their  instruction. 

Much  depends,  we  might  almost  say  every  thing  depends,  upon  the  manner, 
the  feeling,  the  purpose,  with  which  the  parable,  or  illustration,  or  incident,  is 
introduced  and  told.     If  it  grows  out  of  the  subject  and  heart  together,  it  makes 
a  powerful  impression.     To  use  a  familiar  phrase,  it  tells.     If  well  told  it  tells,  v 
and  it  is  well  told  when  it  comes  warm  from  the  heart ;  and  in  that  way,  al-    |  ]/ 
though  gained  from  abroad,  becomes  like  the  mind's  own  creation,  like  an  origi-  / 
nal  part  of  the  argument  or  persuasTon  d^  a  mind. .glowing  under  the  excitement/ 

7 


INTRODUCTION. 


of  truth,  and  intent  on  fastening  it  upon  others.  Illustrations,  incidents,  ex- 
periences, which  have  deeply  impressed  ourselves,  will  make  a  deep  impression 
upon  others,  if  related  in  the  simplicity  and  solemnity  of  the  same  feeling  with 
which  the  Spirit  and  the  providence  of  God  invested  them  in  our  own  consciousness. 
Old  things  become  new ;  tame  and  common  things  become  inexplicably  and 
unexpectedly  charged  with  life  and  interest ;  truisms  become  mighty  discoveries, 
issuing  from  the  mint  of  personal  and  deep  feeling.  And  the  feeling,  in  such  a 
case,  is  the  best  guide  of  the  manner  and  the  judgment. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  preachers  ever  heard  in  England,  was  old  Hugh 
Latimer,  the  venerable  martyr  of  the  early  Reformation.  No  man,  with  such 
a  funcf "of  native  humor  and  satire,  ever  went  so  deep  and  so  familiarly  into 
men's  consciences.  He  owed  not  a  little  of  his  power  to  the  use  he  made  of 
anecdote  and  incident.  He  was  like  a  master,  converting  the  Scriptures  them- 
selves into  a  pictorial  story-book  for  his  children,  and  studying  it  with  them. 
Sometimes  his  preaching  consisted  very  much  in  personal  recollections  and  ex- 
periences, with  accounts  of  the  dealings  of  God  with  individual  consciences;  so 
that  some  of  the  most  interesting  notices  of  the  English  Reformation,  are  now  to 
be  derived  from  his  sermons.  He  knew  how  to  seize  hold  of  occurrences  that 
were  exciting  interest  among  the  people,  and  to  turn  them  to  their  profit  in  the 
gospel. 

John  Bradford,  Latimer's  interesting  convert,  a  child  of  God  by  some  years 
after  him,  but  a  martyr  by  some  months  before  him,  was  another  remarkable 
preacher,  of  great  power  in  dealing  with  the  conscience  and  the  heart.  He  was 
full  of  penitence  and  prayer ;  and  as  it  was  Latimer's  searching  and  personal 
appeals  to  the  conscience,  that  were  blest  of  God  for  his  conversion,  the  mantle 
of  his  spiritual  father  seemed  to  have  descended  on  the  son ;  and  in  a  still  loftier 
style,  but  with  much  of  Latimer's  power  of  illustption,  especially  from  the 
Scriptures,  he  poured  the  truth  burning  upon  men's  minds.  One  of  his  contem- 
poraries tells  us,  that  "  he  used  to  make  unto  himself  a  journal,  in  which  he  used 
to  write  all  such  notable  things  as  either  he  did  see  or  hear  each  day  thai 
passed ;  but  whatever  he  did  hear  or  see,  he  did  so  pen  it,  that  a  man  might  see 
in  that  book  the  signs  of  his  smitten  heart ;  for  if  he  did  see  or  hear  any  good 
in  any  man,  by  that  sight  he  found  and  noted  the  want  thereof  in  himself,  and 
added  a  short  prayer,  craving  mercy  and  grace  to  amend.  If  he  did  hear  or 
see  any  plague  or  misery,  he  noted  it  as  a  thing  procured  by  his  own  sins,  and 
still  added,  Lord  have  mercy  upon  me."  Now,  in  this  habit  of  close  dealing 
with  himself,  and  noting  and  applying  the  ways  of  God's  providence  and  man's 
guilt,  we  see  the  secret  of  his  power  over  others,  and  of  his  happy  faculty  in 
apt  and  quick  Christian  reproof,  which,  ssays  one  who  knew  him,  he  used  with 
such  Divine  grace  and  Christian  majesty,  that  ever  he  stopped  the  mouths  of 
gainsayers ;  speaking  with  such  power,  and  yet  so  sweetly,  that  they  might 
see  their  evil  to  be  evil,  and  his  good  to  be  good. 

In  modern  times,  one  of  the  most  eminent  examples  of  power  in  the  use  of 
incident,  in  illustrating  and  enforcing  Divine  truth>  is  that  of  WhIteiieMrv  He 
drew  thousands  upon  thousands  to  hear  him,  who  probably  never  would  have 
come  to  listen,  or  never  stayed  a  sermon  through,  but  for  his  wonderful  fertility 
and  quickness  in  the  dramatic  applications  of  his  subject.  He  was  master  of 
such  pathos  and  naturalness,  in  describing  events  illustrative  of  the  grace  of  God, 
the  solemnity  of  Divine  Providence,  the  power  of  conscience,  and  the  nearness 
of  eternal  realities,  that  his  facts  seemed  to  come  flaming  from  the  fire  of  his 
feelings,  by  which  he  burnt  them  in  upon  the  soul,  and  the  truths  of  his  subject 
along  with  them.  An  old  fact  put  on  a  startling  aspect  in  his  hands ;  he  galva- 
nized every  incident,  and  then  threw  it,  in  an  electric  stream,  upon  the  conscience. 

He  had  a  most  inimitable  ease  and  happiness  in  the  introduction  of  occur- 
rences into  his  sermon,  that  had  fiillen  under  his  own  observation,  or  had  been 
related  to  him  by  others.  He  brought  out  the  meaning  of  them,  and  traced 
8 


INTRODUCTION. 


their  application,  with  such  natural  art,  and  spontaneous  deep  feeling,  that  they 
seemed  a  new  revelation  of  truth,  even  to  the  original  narrator  of  them.  A 
clergyman  of  this  country  states,  that  he  once  told  an  affecting  occurrence  to  Mr. 
Whitefield,  relating  it,  however,  with  but  the  ordinary  feeling  and  brevity  of  a 
passing  conversation ;  when  afterwardsj  on  hearing  Mr.  Whitefield  preach,  up 
came  his  own  story,  narrated  by  the  preacher  in  the  pulpit,  with  such  nature, 
pathos,  and  power,  that.the  clergyman  himself,  who  had  furnished  Whitefield 
with  the  dry  bones  of  the  illustration,  found  himself  weeping  like  a  child.  The 
tones  of  the  soul  possess  an  intensity  and  penetrating  depth  of  feeling  to  subdue 
the  soul ;  and  Whitefield,  amidst  all  the  thunder  of  a  voice  that  could  be  heard 
to  an  incredible  distance,  spake  with  the  tones  of  the  soul;  and  his  gestures 
were  impelled  by  the  same  spontaneous,  magic  influence,  that  made  them,  as 
well  as  his  words,  seem  part  of  the  soul.  According  to  the  common  saying, 
so  common  that  we  forget  the  depth  of  meaning  it  covers  up,  he  threw  his  soul 
into  them. 

.And  yet  it  _is  said  that  Whitefield,  when  a  boy,  had., been  taught  to  ridicule  -J 
this  way..Qf  preaching  in  others.  There  was  an  excellent,  familiar,  plain  minis- 
ter named  Cole,  whose  manner  would  seem  to  have  been  in  some  way  so  original 
as  to  excite  notice,  but  whose  method  of  story-telling  drew  young  Whitefield's  con- 
tempt. One  of  the  congregation,  asked  the  lad  one  day,  what  business  he 
intended  to  pursue  ?  He  said  he  meant  to  be  a  minister ;  but  he  would  take  care 
never  to  tell  stories  in  the  pulpit,  like  old  Cole.  About  twelve  years  afterwards, 
when  Whitefield  had  begun  his  career  of  flame,  this  old  gentleman  heard  him 
preach,  illustrating,  in  his  own  powerful  way,  the  application  of  his  subject  by 
some  interesting  narrative.  "  I  find,"  said  he,  "  that  young  Whitefield  can  now 
tell  stories,  as  well  as  ojd  Cole."  Some  of  young  Whitefield's  stories  may  have 
been,"indeed,.  the  very  same  as  old  Cole's  ;  but  they  had  a  new  power,  because 
they  came  from  the  young  man's  soul,  and  not  from  the  mere  lumber-room 
of  the  memory. 

This  alchemy  of  fervent  love  to  Christ  and  to  souls,  this  power  of  intense'^-^ 
religi6irs~1eeTing,  turns  all  things  into  gold,  creates  out  of  all  knowledges,  arts, 
stories  in   the   memory,  all  scenes  of  observation,   all  experiences,  inward  and 
external,  the  means  and  materials  of  a  vivid  eloquence.     But  there  must  be  dis- 
cipline of  mind,  to  save  even  religious  feeling  from  being  wasted,  and  the  stores    \ 
of  the  memory  wantoned  away.     There  may  be  an  idle  habit  of  profuse  story-     \ 
telling,  that,  as  we  have  hinted,  is  almost  worse  than  no  illustration  at  all.     It  is  a..,.-' 
poor  resort  to  drag  in  stories  merely  to  help  out  a  sermon,  or  to  conceal  the  want 
of  thought.    It  is  like  our  city  milkmen  stopping  at  the  last  pump,  and  filling  their 
cans  with  water,  when  the  milk  threatens  to  give  out.     There  must  be  thought  ; 
and  true  religious  feeling,  in  a  well  disciplined  mind,  produces  thought,  more 
than  all  things  else  together ;  and  then  illustrations  will  be  used,  not  for  mere 
amusement,  but  to  convey  thought,  and  make  it  suggestive  and  productive.     Ha- 
bits of  close  attention,  Cowper  says  : 

Habits  of  close  attention,  thinking  heads. 
Become  more  rare,  as  dissipation  spreads. 
Till  authors  hear  at  length  one  general  cry, 
Tickle  and  entertain  us,  or  we  die. 

The  desire  to  be  tickled  is  not  confined  to  the  dissipated  readers  of  a  trifling 
literature.  Sometimes,  the  preacher  becomes  to  the  congregation  "as  a  very 
lovely  song  of  one  that  hath  a  pleasant  voice,  and  can  play  well  upon  an  instru- 
ment ;"  and  they  go  to  church  mainly  to  hear  the  music,  and  be  amused.  In- 
stead of  going  to  muse  upon  the  things  of  God,  they  go  to  be  a-mused,  and  drawn 
away  from  them.  In  this  case,  if  the  fault  be  in  the  preacher,  there  is,  as  John 
Randolph  once  said,  both  a  lyre  and  a  liar  in  the  pulpit ;  and  the  preacher  is  a 
liar,  because  he  is  merely  a  lyre,  to  play  them  a  pleasant  tune. 

A  man  must  have  the  magnificent  anatomy  of  the  doctrines  of  the  gospel,  to  be 

9 


INTRODUCTION. 


clothed  upon  with  his  illustrations  and  feelings,  or  else  he  might  as  well  be  con- 
structing a  balloon.  When  those  great  doctrines  occupy  and  absorb  the  soul, 
being  doctrines  of  life,  and  not  speculation  merely,  illustration  and  intense  feeling 
will  grow  out  of  them,  and  grow  upon  them,  and  that  is  the  perfection  of 
yieloquence.  The  trite  old  rhetorical  maxim,  Ars  est  celare  arlerriy  is  only  a  piece 
y  of  rhetorical  foolery  or  hypocrisy,  having  no  place,  where  there  is  real,  deep, 
heavenly  interest  in  the  subject,  where  the  mind  is  kindled  upon  it.  And  illus- 
tration, to  quote  again  a  few  lines  from  our  sweet  English  Christian  Poet,  with 
the  change  of  a  word  : 

For  illustration,  choose  what  theme  we  may, 

And  chiefly  when  religion  leads  the  way, 

Should  flow  like  waters  afi;er  summer  showers, 

Not  as  if  raised  by  mere  mechanic  powers. 

This  is  the  secret  of  familiar,  life-giving  instruction  with  children.  To  attract 
them,  we  must,  in  a  measure,  be  their  playmates,  and  draw  them  on,  and  draw 
out  their  minds  in  companionship  with  our  own,  in  illustrations  that  shall  seem 
to  delight  us  as  much  as  them. 

And  here  we  come  upon  another  great  use  of  the  excellent  and  import- 
ant volume,  to  which  these  thoughts  are  introductory,  that  of  interest  and 
instruction  in  Sabbath  schools.  A  fund  of  authentic  stories  and  anecdotes,  moral, 
^  providential,  religious,  is  to  Sabbath  school  teachers  invaluable.  And  such 
should  know  how  to  apply  them.  They  should  be  at  pains  to  gather  and  select 
them  for  their  purpose.  One  or  two  little  stories  happily  told,  or  the  simplest 
anecdotes  or  incidents  dwelt  upon  with  interest,  and  bringing  the  lesson  home  to 
the  heart,  may  make  each  exercise  an  enjoyment  instead  of  a  task,  a  delight 
instead  of  a  mere  duty.  The  teacher  may  present  apples  of  gold  in  baskets  of 
silver,  and  every  youthful  mind  will  take  home  a  part  of  the  fruit,  and  keep  it. 
The  truth  so  presented,  the  lesson  so  inculcated,  will  stay  in  the  memory,  will 
circulate  in  the  understanding,  as  the  air  does  in  a  room,  instead  of  knocking  at 
/  the  door  in  vain  for  admittance.  A  child  receives  truth  into  the  mind,  presented 
"  in  lively  and  interesting  incident,  as  a  quiet  unruffled  lake  receives  into  its  bosom 
the  reflection  of  the  sky  and  the  clouds  above  it,  or  the  trees  and  flowers  upon  its 
margin.  There  is  nothing  so  susceptible  of  impression  as  a  child's  mind  to 
Divine  truth,  when  it  comes  in  the  shape  of  a  story  or  a  life,  told  in  a  winning, 
familiar,  affectionate  manner. 

Here  it  is  that  teachers  are  often  extremely  deficient ;  and  here  is  the  reason 
why  the  pupils  of  one  class  will  sometimes  be  charmed  with  their  Sabbath  exer- 
cises, so  that  the  Sabbath  shall  be  the  day  to  which,  perhaps,  they  look  forward 
with  more  pleasure  than  to  any  other  in  the  week ;  while  those  of  another  find 
the  same  lessons  tiresome,  and  the  Sabbath  without  delight.  One  teacher  en^^ 
livens  the  exercise  with  anecdote,  drawing  from  the  Scriptures  and  from  real 
life,  a  variety  of  beautiful  proof  and  illustration  ;  the  other  merely  presents  the 
truth  in  the  abstract,  dry  form  of  question  and  answer,  without  life,  without 
incident.  A  teacher  had  better,  eveiy  Sabbath,  tell  something  to  awaken  an 
interest,  even  if  disconnected  from  the  lesson,  than  leave  his  little  class  without 
such  attraction.  A  volume  which  provides  the  materials  of  such  interest,  is  a 
great  and  important  gift,  to  the  Sabbath  school,  the  social  circle,  and  the  family 
fireside. 

The  use  of  the  pictorialy  whether  in  words  or  engravings,  is  an  element  of 
^indispensable  importance  and  incalculable  power.  The  enemies  of  God,  of  the 
r  truth,  and  of  the  soul,  employ  it  with  dreadful  art  and  energy  for  the  destruction 
vM  of  men  in  sin,  for  awakening  and  depraving  the  passions,  and  then  supplying 
j  them  with  pernicious  gratifications  and  fiery  stimulants.  Let  good  men  take  the 
1  art  of  illustration,  and  use  it  for  God,  for  heaven,  for  the  salvation  of  the  soul. 
L  GEORGE  B.  CHEEVER. 

New-Yorki  January  26,  1848. 
10 


PREFACE. 


Origin  and  Design  of  the  Work. — One  of  the  best  meai^  which  I  have  found  to      Y\ 
fasten  moral  and  rehgious  truths  on  the  popular  mind,  is  to  present  them  clothed  in  tangible      ■ 
forms,  as  in  anecdotes,  historical  sketches,  and  kindred  illustrations.     They  do  much,  when     / 
rigUly  used,  to  enlist  attention,  convince  the  judgment,  and  persuade  the  heart.     I  have  -^ 
often  seen  the  truth  of  the  proverb,  "  One  fact  is  worth  a  ship-load  of  arguments."     As  we 
might  naturally  suppose,  an  example  of  virtue  is  more  forcible  than  a  precept,  because  men 
are  more  ready  to  imitate  than  they  are  to  obey.     And  citing  an  instance  of  the  effects  of 
sin,  often  tells  more  loudly  than  a  lecture  against  it;  because  men  more  readily  imagine        ^ 
fallacy  in  our  logic  than  falsehood  in  our  statements,  and  give  more  deference  to  the  doings 
of  God  than  to  the  sayings  of  man.     Besides,  in  most  men,  the  perceptive  predominate  over 
the  reflective  faculties ;  hence,  fact  and  incident  which  strike  the  former,  are  more  easily 
remembered  than  trains  of  reasoning  which  appeal  to  the  latter. 

The  great  moral  uses  of  such  illustrations  in  the  family  and  social  circle,  in  the  Sabbath 
scnool  and  the  pulpit,  have  not  only  been  proved  in  my  own  experience,  but  I  find  that  the 
experience  of  many  others  is  similar  to  mine.  To  supply,  therefore,  their  wants  and  my 
own,  r  have  devoted  much  time  and  pains  for  two  or  three  years  past,  to  the  preparation  of 
the  present  work. 

Character  of  the  Work. — The  anecdotes,  incidents,  and  historical  sketches,  here 
assembled,  are  moral  and  religious  ;  a  wider  range  of  subjects  would  have  made  the  work 
too  costly  and  cumbersome.  A  large  and  interesting  class  of  materials,  embracing  anecdotes 
used  in  the  way  of  simile  or  comparison,  striking  analogies,  parables,  and  the  like,  have 
been  omitted  on  the  same  account :  I  intend  before  long  to  publish  them  in  a  separate 
volume. 

Many  of  the  anecdotes  here  presented,  are,  of  course,  adapted  rather  to  the  fireside,  the 
Sabbath  school,  and  the  platform,  than  to  the  pulpit :  what  are  adapted  to  the  latter,  and 
what  are  not,  the  preacher  qualified  for  his  office, is  qualified  to  decide. 

A  large  portion  of  the  anecdotes  of  this  volume  have  been  more  or  less  abridged,  and 
many  partly  or  wholly  re-written  ;  thus,  the  number  embraced  in  such  a  volume  is  far  more 
extensive,  and  the  trutlia,,  they  prove  or  exemplify,  are,  I  trust,  rendered  more  clear  and  -'C, 
distinct  to  the  mind.  (^1  strictly  sectarian  anecdotes  have  been  avoided.  The  writer  has  ffel 
introduced  no  anecdotes  which  he  considered  of  doubtful  or  apocryphal  character.  But  in 
most  cases  he  has  not  deemed  it  important  to  give  the  original  authorities.  As  a  general 
thing,  anecdotes  rather  secure  credence  by  being  true  to  nature,  than  by  being  vouched 
for  by  this  or  that  witness,  unless  he  be  a  person  whom  we  greatly  confide  in. 

Sources  and  Extent  of  the  Work. — In  preparing  this  volume,  I  have  gone  over  / 
nearly  all  former  collections  published  in  this  country  and  Great  Britain,  (amounting  to  \/ 
scores  of  volumes,)  and  have  taken  from  them  all  the  moral  and  religious  portions  of  much 
interest  or  value.  To  the  twelve  volumes  pubUshed_  byJheLondon  Religious  Tract  Society, 
I^am,  however,  as  much  indebted  as  to  all  the  rest.  This  excellent  series  was  edited  by  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Belcher,  now  pastor  of  a  church  in  Philadelphia  ;  and  I  may  gratefully  add  that  I 
have  received  from  him  some  valuable  suggestions  and  friendly  encouragement  in  the  pre 
paration  of  this  work. 

17 


PREFACE. 


In  addition  to  the  above  collections,  I  have  examined  the  files  of  the  religious  journals  of 
our  more  prominent  evangelical  denominations ;  such  as  the  New-York  Observer,  New-York 
Evangelist,  Christian  Advocate  and  Journal,  Churchman,  Protestant  Churchman,  Christian 
Intelligencer,  Boston  Recorder,  Christian  Watchman,  Christian  Reflector,  Millennial  Har- 
binger, and  others  which  it  is  needless  to  mention.  Magazines,  biographies,  and  similar 
works  have  likewise  been  consulted.  New  anecdotes  ha^•e  also  been  furnished  by  clergy- 
men and  others. 

This  work,  therefore,  contains  nearly  all  the  best  anecdotes  of  the  kind  to  be  found  in  pre- 
vious  collections,  and  several  hundred  others,  original  and  selected. 

Arrangement,  Classification,  and  Indexes. — All  anecdotal  works  which  I  have 
met  with,  two  or  three  excepted,  are  of  a  very  miscellaneous  and  jumbled  character,  and 
very  deficient  in  their  indexes.  Thus  they  are  of  very  little  use  as  books  of  reference. 
Unless  a  person  has  a  very  tenacious  memory,  and  has  read  them  carefully,  it  often  costs 
more  time  to  find  some  half-forgotten  anecdote  than  it  is  worth.  One  great  effort  of  the 
writer  in  this  work  has  been  to  obviate  these  difficulties ;  to  prepare  a  book  which  could 
be  referred  to  with  the  greatest  possible  facility,  in  the  illustration  and  pointing  of  truth. 

Accordingly,  the  main  topics  or  subjects  follow  each  other  in  alphabetical  order ;  and 
when  the  subject  is  extensive,  and  the  facts  numerous,  they  are  placed  under  those  analy- 
tical divisions  and  subdivisions  of  the  subject  which  they  illustrate.  In  addition  to  this, 
copious  topical  and  Scriptural  indexes  will  be  found  at  the  end  of  the  work.  Each  division 
of  anecdotes  is  numbered,  1,  2,  3,  &c. ;  and  each  anecdote  is  marked  by  the  letters  of  the 
alphabet,  (a),  (b),  (c),  &c.  In  the  Index,  anecdotes  are  referred  to  in  whole  classes,  by 
the  above-mentioned  figures,  or  a  particular  anecdote  is  referred  to  by  joining  both  figure 
and  letter ;  thus,  20a,  30b,  40d,  &c.  With  a  little  practice,  therefore,  it  will  be  easy  for 
one  but  partially  acquainted  with  the  contents  of  the  book,  to  find  facts  in  a  moment  on  any 
topic  or  Scripture,  which  the  facts  can  illustrate. 

In  closing,  I  would  very  gratefully  acknowledge  my  obligations  to  the  Rev.  Francis 
Smith,  of  Providence,  R.  I.,  and  the  Rev.  O.  B.  Judd,  of  this  city,  for  the  valuable  assistance 
which  I  have  received  from  them  in  the  prosecution  of  my  labors. 

K.  ARVINE. 

Nevj'York,  January  14,  1848. 


CYCLOPEDIA 


OF 


MORAL  AND  RELIGIOUS  ANECDOTES, 


ABSTINENCE,  TOTAL,  FROM  INTOXICATING  DRINKS. 


1.    The  Pecuniary  Advantage  of   Total 
Abstinence. 

(a)  "  THERE  GOES  A  TEETO- 
TALER !" — A  drunkard  assailed  a 
Washingtonian,  but  could  only  say, 
"  There  goes  a  teetotaler  !"  The  gentle- 
man waited  until  the  crowd  had  collected, 
and  then,  turning  upon  the  drunkard, 
said,  "  There  stands  a  drunkard  ! — 
Three  years  ago  he  had  a  sum  of  $800, 
now  he  cannot  produce  a  penny.  I 
know  he  cannot.  I  challenge  him  to  do 
it,  for  if  he  had  a  penny  he  would  be  at 
a  public  house.  There  stands  a  drunk- 
ard, and  here  stands  a  teetotaler,  with  a 
purse  full  of  money,  honestly  earned 
and  carefully  kept.  There  stands  a 
drunkard  ! — Three  years  ago  he  had  a 
watch,  a  coat,  shoes,  and  decent  clothes ; 
now  he  has  nothing  but  rags  upon  him, 
his  watch  is  gone,  and  his  shoes  afford 
free  passage  to  the  water.  There  stands 
a  drunkard  :  and  here  stands  a  teetotaler, 
with  a  good  hat,  good  shoes,  good  clothes, 
and  a  good  watch,  all  paid  for.  Yes, 
here  stands  a  teetotaler !  And  now,  my 
friends,  which  has  the  best  of  it  ?"  The 
bystanders  testified  their  approval  of  the 
teetotaler  by  loud  shouts,  while  the  crest- 
fallen drunkard  slunk  away,  happy  to 
escape  further  castigation. 

(h)  A  SAVING  OF  FIVEPENCE  A 
DAY. — At  a  meeting,  in  Birmingham,  of 


a  total  abstinence  society,  the  following 
statement  was  made  by  a  working  coach 
painter,  who  was  called  on  in  his  turn 
to  speak  on  the  subject  of  temperance. 
He  said  he  had  made  a  few  calculations 
which  he  wished  to  communicate,  with 
the  view  of  showing  the  pecuniary  bene- 
fit he  had  derived  during  the  four  years 
he  had  been  a  teetotal  member.  Pre- 
vious to  that  time  he  had  been  in  the 
practice  of  spending,  on  an  average,  in 
intoxicating  drink,  fivepence  per  day,  or 
£7  12s.  Id.  per  annum,  and  which  in 
four  years  would  amount  to  £30  8s.  4d. 
He  would  noAv  show  how  this  sum  had 
been  expended  during  the  four  years  he 
had  abstained  from  all  intoxicating 
drinks.  First,  it  had  enabled  him  to 
allow  an  aged  father  £3  5s.  per  annum 
towards  rent,  or  in  four  years,  £13. 
Secondly,  he  had  entered  a  benefit  so- 
ciety, and  paid  one  shilling  and  seven- 
pence  per  week,  or  £4  2s.  4d.  per  an- 
num, or  £16  9s.  4d.  for  the  four  years. 
For  this  payment  he  secured  the  follow- 
ing advantages  :  in  case  of  his  being  dis- 
abled from  doing  his  accustomed  work  by 
illness  or  accident,  the  society  will  pay 
him  eighteen  shillings  per  week,  until 
restored  to  health  :  in  case  of  death,  his 
widow  or  rightful  heir  is  entitled  to  a 
bonus  of  £9,  besides  half  the  amount 
paid  into  the  society  by  the  deceased  up 
to  the  time  of  his  death,  with  the  inter 
13 


ABSTINENCE,  TOTAL,  FROM  INTOXICATING  DRINKS. 


est  due  thereon.  Thirdly,  it  left  him 
four  shillings  and  ninepence  per  annum, 
or  nineteen  shillings  for  the  four  years, 
to  be  expended  in  temperance  periodi- 
cals. It  might  further  be  added,  that 
when  the  sum  of  £54  had  been  paid 
into  the  society's  funds,  no  further  pay- 
ment would  be  required,  and  the  con- 
tributor would  be  entitled  to  all  the 
benefits  before  enumerated ;  medicine 
and  medical  attendance  were  included 
in  the  arrangement.  Reader,  how  much 
may  be  done  with  fivepence  a  day ! 

(c)  THE  BAD  LUMP.— The  follow- 
ing  incident  we  relate  on  the  author- 
ity of  the  old  sailor,  who  delivered  a 
temperance  lecture  on  board  a  steam- 
boat running  between  New  York  and 
New  Haven. 

Having  found  a  man  who  was  divest- 
ed of  all  decent  clothing,  and  in  a 
wretched  state  of  health  in  consequence 
of  drinking,  he  induced  him,  amidst 
the  discouragements  of  the  tavern-keep- 
er, at  whose  house  he  had  found  him,  to 
sign  the  temperance  pledge  for  one 
year.  The  landlord  prophesied  that 
he  would  not  keep  the  pledge  a  year,  or 
that  if  he  did  he  would  never  renew  it. 
As  the  year  was  coming  to  a  close, 
the  old  sailor  called  upon  the  man, 
and  secured  his  signature  again.  He 
signed  it  for  999  years,  with  the  privi- 
lege of  a  life  lease  afterward  !  When 
the  day  arrived  upon  which  his  first 
pledge  expired,  he  roguishly  went  to  visit 
his  old  friend  the  tavern-keeper.  "  There 
he  comes,"  (said  the  eager  rum-seller,) 
"  he  will  have  a  great  spree  now  to  pay 
for  his  long  abstinence."  When  he 
arrived  at  the  tavern,  he  complained  of 
a  bad  feeling  at  his  stomach,  and  of  va- 
rious evils,  among  which  was  a  bad 
lump  on  one  side,  which  had  been  grow- 
ing for  a  number  of  months.  "  Ah," 
said  the  landlord,  "  did  I  not  tell  you  it 
would  kill  you  to  break  off*  drinking  so 
suddenly  ?  I  wonder  you  have  lived  as 
long  as  you  have. — Come,  what  will 
you  take  ?"  and  suiting  the  action  to 
the  word,  he  placed  a  decanter  before 
him. 

"  But,"  said  the  visitor,  "  I  have  sign- 
ed the  pledge  again  for  999  years,  with 
the  privilege  of  a  life  lease  after  it !" 

"  What  a  fool !"  said  the  landlord  ; 
14 


"  if  you  go  on  as  you  have  done,  you 
will  not  live  another  year." 

"  Do  you  really  think  so,  landlord  ?"  ' 

"  Certainly.  Come,  what  will  you 
take  ?" 

"  Oh  no,  landlord  ;  I  have  signed  the 
pledge  again,  and  then  this  terrible  lump 
on  my  side.  I  do  not  believe  that  drink- 
ing will  make  it  any  better." 

"  It  is  all,"  said  the  landlord,  "  be- 
cause you  left  off*  drinking.  You  will 
have  a  bigger  lump  than  that  on  the 
other  side  before  long,  if  you  continue 
another  year  as  the  last." 

"  Do  you  think  I  will  ?  Well,  then  so 
be  it.  I  will  not  violate  my  pledge,  for 
look  here,  landlord,  (pulling  out  a  great 
purse,with  a  hundred  dollars  in  silver 
shining  through  the  interstices,)  that  is 
my  lump  which  has  been  growing  for  so 
many  months,  and,  as  you  say,  is  all ' 
in  consequence  of  signing  the  pledged 
This  is  what  you  would  have  had,  if  I 
had  not  signed  it ;  and  if  I  have  a  big- 
ger one  than  that  for  999  years,  I  will 
not  go  to  drinking  again  !" 

(d)  THE  WAY  TO  PAY  RENT. 
— A  blacksmith  in  the  city  of  Philadel- 
phia, was  complaining  to  his  iron  mer- 
chant that  such  was  the  scarcity  of  money 
that  he  could  not  pay  his  rent.  The  mer- 
chant then  asked  him  how  much  rum  he 
used  in  his  family,  in  the  course  of  the 
day.  Upon  his  answering  this  question, 
the  merchant  made  a  calculation,  and 
showed  him  that  his  rum  amounted  to 
more  money  in  the  year  than  his  house- 
rent.  The  calculation  so  astonished  the 
mechanic,  that  he  determined  from  that 
day  to  buy  and  drink  no  spirits  of  any 
kind.  In  the  course  of  the  ensuing 
year  he  paid  his  rent  and  bought  a  new 
suit  of  clothes  out  of  the  savings  of  his 
temperance.  He  persisted  in  it  through 
the  course  of  his  life,  and  the  conse- 
quence was  competence  and  respecta- 
bility. 

I  Total  Abstinence  the  only  Safe  Ground. 

(a)  THE  LAST  OF  THE  MOHE- 

GANS. — The  Mohegans  were  an  ex- 
cellent tribe  of  Indians,  who  lived  about 
Norwich,  Ct.  They  had  a  long  line 
of  kings  in  the  family  of  Uncas.  One 
of  the  last  was  Zachary ;  but  he  was  a 


THE  ONLY  SAFE  GROUND. 


3 


great  drunkard.  But  a  sense  of  the 
dignity  of  his  office  came  over  him,  and 
he  resolved  he  would  drink  no  more. 
.Tust  before  the  annual  election,  he  was 
accustomed  to  go  every  year  to  Leba- 
non, and  dine  with  his  brother  Gover- 
nor, the  first  Gov.  Trumbull.  One 
of  the  Governor's  boys  had  heard 
old  Zachary's  story,  and  thought  he 
would  try  him,  and  see  if  he  would 
stick  to  his  cold  water.  So  at  table 
he  said  to  the  old  chief: — "  Zachary, 
this  beer  is  excellent ;  will  you  taste  it  ?" 

The  old  man  dropped  his  knife,  lean- 
ed forward  with  stern  intensity  of  ex- 
pression, his  black  eye  sparkling  with 
indignation,  was  fixed  on  him  :  "  John," 
said  he,  "  you  do  not  know  what  you 
are  doing.  You  are  serving  the  devil, 
boy  !  I  tell  you  that  I  am  an  Indian  ! 
I  tell  you  that  I  am  ;  and  that  if  I  should 
but  taste  your  beer,  I  could  not  stop  un- 
til I  got  to  ruin,  and  become  again  the 
drunken,  contemptible  wretch  your  fa- 
ther remembers  me  to  have  been.  John, 
while  you  live,  never  tempt  a  man  to 
break  a  good  resolution." 

This  story  the  venerable  Col.  Trum- 
bull tells  of  himself  Let  all  our  read- 
ers remember  it,  and  never  tempt  a 
man  to  break  a  good  resolution. 

(b)  THE  FATAL  TEMPTATION. 
— An  intemperate  man,  and  one  of  the 
most  brilliant  gems  of  the  age,  made  a 
desperate  effort  to  reform.  For  three 
months,  he  promised  and  confined  him- 
self to  drinks  no  more  stimulating  than 
tea  and  coffee.  The  hopes  of  his  friends 
and  his  country  were  much  excited ; 
but  in  an  evil  hour  he  was  induced  to 
take  a  little  beer  and  water.  The 
slight  intoxicating  quality  contained  in 
this  liquor,  lighted  up  the  latent  fires 
within  him.  Desire  was  again  renew- 
ed ;  resolution  weakened  ;  he  relapsed, 
and  went  from  beer  to  wine,  from  wine 
to  brandy,  until  reason  was  dethroned, 
and  he  became  a  madman. 

(c)  DRINKING  MODERATELY. 
^' — A  gentleman,  of  the  most  amiable  dis- 
positions, had  contracted  confirmed  ha- 
bits of  intemperance.  His  friends  per- 
suaded him  to  come  under  a  written 
engagement,  that  he  would  not  drink, 
except  moderately,  in  his  own  house,  or 
the  house  of  a  friej^d.     In  a  few  days 


he  was  brought  home  in  a  state  of 
bestial  intoxication.  His  apology  to  a 
gentleman,  a  short  time  after,  was,  that 
had  the  engagement  allowed  no  intoxi- 
cating liquor  whatever,  he  was  safe ; 
"but  if,"  said  he,  "I  take  the  half-full 
of  a  thimble,  I  have  no  power  over  my- 
self at  all."  He  practised  entire  ab- 
stinence aflerwards,  and  was  strong 
and  well. 

(d)  ORIGIN  OF  MAHOMET'S 
PROHIBITION  OF  WINE.— "Ma- 
homet is  said  to  have  been  led  to  put 
the  prohibition  against  the  use  of  wine, 
in  the  Koran,  by  an  incident  which 
occurred  to  himself  Passing  through 
a  village  one  day,  he  was  delighted  at 
the  merriment  of  a  crowd  of  persons 
enjoying  themselves  with  drinking  at  a 
wedding  party — but  being  obliged  to 
return  by  the  same  way  next  morning, 
he  was  shocked  to  see  the  ground,  where 
they  had  been,  drenched  with  blood, 
and,  asking  the  cause,  he  was  told  that 
the  company  had  drunk  to  excess,  and, 
getting  into  a  brawl,  fell  to  slaughtering 
each  other.  From  that  day  his  mind 
was  made  up, — the  mandate  went  forth 
from  Allah,  that  no  child  of  the  faithful 
should  touch  wine,  on  pain  of  being 
shut  out  from  the  joys  of  Paradise.  The 
simple  truth  we  suppose  to  be,  that 
Mahomet  foresaw  there  would  be  no 
stability  to  the  religion  and  empire  he 
was  building  up,  if  the  use  of  ardent 
spirits  was  permitted  to  his  followers." 

(e)  A  CHANGE  AND  CONTRAST. 
— On  an  extreme  cold  night,  shivering 
by  the  stove  in  a  grog-shop  in  Cincin- 
nati, sat  a  young  man  about  twenty-five 
years  of  age,  (although  he  appeared 
much  older,)  who  was  evidently  the 
victim  of  a  depraved  appetite.  His  eye, 
though  swollen  and  bloodshot,  had  not 
entirely  lost  the  power  of  its  expression, 
and  a  careful  observer  could  discover 
that  he  once  possessed  a  bright  intellect 
and  a  commanding  genius.  He  gazed 
on  vacancy,  reflecting  perhaps  upon  the 
misery  he  had  brought  upon  himself 
and  relatives,  in  consequence  of  his 
dissipation.  He  was  thinly  clad,  and 
seemed  to  be  laboring  under  some  hor- 
rible  sensation. 

Those  who  came  and  went,  looked 
with  disgust  upon  him,  and  then  passed 
15 


ABSTINENCE,  TOTAL,  FROM  INTOXICATING  DRINKS. 


on.  At  length,  one  entered  who  was 
acquainted  with  him,  and  after  looking 
at  him  for  a  moment  turned  upon  his 
heel  and  said  to  the  bar-tender : 

"  Brown,  why  do  you  let  such  loafers 
,  as  that  sit  here,  to  the  annoyance  of 
*  respectable  people?"  This  last  speaker, 
whom  we  will  call  Somers,  was  also  a 
young  man,  respectably  clad,  and  be- 
longed to  the  same  mechanical  business, 
as  did  the  one  whom  he  was  pleased  to 
term  "  loafer."  He  was  a  moderate 
drinker,  the  other  a  drunkard!  The 
bar-tender  replied  : 

"  I  have  told  him  a  number  of  times 
to  keep  away  from  the  place,  and  am 
determined  that  if  he  comes  here  again 
drunk,  I  will  send  him,  head  and  heels, 
into  the  street." 

This  rebuke  cut  poor  William  H — , 
(for  that  was  his  name,)  to  the  very 
quick.  He  was  not  so  drunk  but  that 
he  could  see  and  understand — nor  had 
,  rum  entirely  obliterated  that  manly 
pride  which  once  burned  brightly  with- 
in his  bosom.  Although  he  was  degra- 
ded, 

* he  had  one  virtue  left ; 

That  true  shoot  which  precept  doth  inculcate, 

And  keep  the  root  and  trunk  alive, — 

One  virtue — Manhood  !" 

He  rose  and  left  the  place  to  go — he 
knew  not  whither.      *         *         *       * 

Two  years  passed  away,  and  William 

H had   become   a   Washingtonian, 

and  a  highly  respectable  member  of 
society — surrounded  by  innumerable 
friends,  who  placed  the  most  implicit 
confidence  in  his  integrity  as  a  man  and 
a  citizen,  and  was  doing  a  prosperous 
business.  One  morning,  as  he  took  up 
the  daily  paper,  his  eye  fell  upon  that 
department  devoted  to  "Coroner's  in- 
quests " — and,  to  his  utter  astonishment 
and  grief,  he  read  that  George  Somers 
had  died  on  the  previous  day  at  the 
Alms  House  from  the  effects  of  intem- 
perance ! 

(f)  WESLEY  AND  THE  DYS- 
PEPTIC  CLERGYMAN.— When  sta- 
tioned in  the  city  of  Bath,  says  Rev. 
Mr.  Towle,  I  was  introduced  into  the 
company  of  an  aged  man,  whom  I  un- 
derstood to  have  been  intimate  with 
Mr.  Wesley,  and  once  a  useful  local 
preacher.  We  entered  into  conversation 
16 


about  Mr.  Wesley's  times,  when  among 
other  things  he  observed, — "  On  one 
occasion,  when  Mr.  Wesley  dined  with 
me,  after  dinner,  as  usual,  I  prepared 
a  liiile  brandy  and  water.  On  perceiv- 
ing this,  with  an  air  of  surprise  he  cried, 
— 'What!  my  brother,  what's  that?' 
'  It's  brandy,'  said  I ;  '  my  digestion  is  so 
bad,  I  am  obliged  to  take  a  little  afte.* 
dinner.'  '  Flow  much  do  you  take  V  said 
he,  '  let  me  see.'  ^  Only  about  a  table- 
spoonful.'  '  Truly,'  said  he,  '  that  is  not 
much ;  but  one  table-spoonful  will  soon 
lose  its  effect,  and  then  you  will  take 
two ;  from  two  you  will  get  to  a  full 
glass ;  and  that,  in  like  manner,  by 
habituating  yourself  to  it,  will  lose  its 
effect,  and  then  you  will  take  two 
glasses,  and  so  on,  till  in  the  end,  per- 
haps  you  will  become  a  drunkard.  O 
my  brother,  take  care  what  you  do !'  " 
Happy  had  it  been  for  that  man,  if 
he  had  taken  the  timely  warning  of  his 
good  friend  Wesley.  But  alas !  he 
trifled  with  his  lUtJe  drops,  until  he 
actually  did  become  a  drunkard,  ruined 
his  reputation,  and  at  the  very  time  I 
had  an  interview  with  him,  he  was  a 
poor,  old,  miserable  backslider,  appa- 
rently within  a  few  steps  of  the  grave. 

t  Only  those  who  totally  abstain  exert  a 
good  influence  over  the  Intemperate,  or 
command  respect  as  Christians. 

(a)  A  DISTILLER  HOOKED.— A 

Washingtonian  in  Pennsylvania  says, 
"  I  went  to  see  a  distiller  and^ffered  him 
the  pledge  to  sign.  '  No,  sir,'  said  he, 
'  I  manufacture  the  article,  and  do  you 
suppose  I  would  sign  ?  I'll  tell  you 
what  I'll  do,'  said  he  ;  '  I  have  a  son,  and 
I  should  be  right  glad  if  you  could  get 
him  to  sign  ;  and  you  may  tell  him  if 
he  will,  there  are  five  hundred  dollars 
in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Taylor,  and  the 
home  farm,  and  he  shall  have  them  both 
if  he  signs  it.'  Like  many  a  father  he 
was  willing  to  give  any  thing  but  the 
influence  of  example.  So  off*  I  went  in 
search  of  the  son.  I  told  him  what  his 
father  said.  '  Well  now,'  said  he,  '  how 
can  you  expect  me  to  trot,  when  daddy 
and  mammy  both  paces  !'  I  turned 
round,  and  went  right  off*  after  the  old 
man — now,  said  I,  what  do  you  say  to 


INFLUENCE  AND  RESPECT. 


that  ?  "  Well,  sir,  "  said  he,  "  I  pledge 
you  my  word  I  never  saw  it  in  that  light 
before  ;  and  I  never  will  drink  or  man- 
ufacture another  drop  as  long  as  I  live  ;" 
and  he  put  down  his  name  upon  the  spot. 
I  took  the  pledge  to  the  young  man  with 
his  father's  name  to  it,  and  he  signed  it 
directly. 

(b)  WILLIAM  LADD  AND  HIS 
WINE. — William  Ladd  was  a  man  al- 
ways ready  for  every  good  work.  He 
early  enlisted  in  the  cause  of  Temper- 
ance. He  had  seen  so  much  of  the 
awful  effects  of  the  vice  against  which 
we  contend,  that  he  gladly  heard  and 
obeyed  the  call  to  be  up  and  doing  what 
he  could  to  suppress  it.  But,  as  he  told 
me,  he  for  a  long  while  opposed  only 
the  use  of  distilled  spirits,  and  continued 
himself  to  drink  wine  daily  and  freely. 
To  be  consistent,  however,  he  took  pains 
to  send  all  the  way  to  New- York  to  pro- 
cure wine  that  was  not  infused  with 
brandy.  And  you  know,  sir,  that  article 
can  be  readily  obtained  in  that  city  or 
our  own  ;  for  there  are  kind,  accommo- 
dating merchants,  who  wish  to  suit 
their  purchasers  so  much,  that  they  can 
draw  you  wine  with  alcohol,  or  wine 
without  alcohol,  from  the  same  cask. 
Well,  sir,  Mr.  Ladd  obtained  his  pure 
wine  at  a  considerable  additional  ex- 
pense, had  it  conveyed  down  to  Minot, 
and  carefully  bestowed  in  his  cellar,  and 
continued  to  regale  himself  as  he  saw  fit 
with  his  unadulterated  juice  of  the  grape, 
even  while  he  was  going  about  preach- 
ing the  doctrine  of  total  abstinence.  Of 
this  he  made  no  secret,  for  he  was  too 
good  a  man  to  do  that  in  private  which 
he  was  ashamed  to  acknowledge  before 
all  men.  Indeed  he  did  not  perceive, 
he  did  not  suspect  his  inconsistency. 
But,  on  a  great  occasion,  at  a  large 
county  meeting,  he  exerted  himself  more 
than  ever,  and,  as  he  told  me,  with  great 
success.  "  I  never,"  said  he,  with  his 
wonted  frankness,  "  I  never  made  so 
good  a  temperance  speech  in  my  life. 
I  used  up  the  objections  of  the  oppose rs 
of  our  cause.  I  thought  nobody  could 
get  away  from  my  arguments.  I  sat 
down,"  said  he,  "  thinking  that  he  who 
could  withstand  the  appeal  that  I  had 
made  must  be  a  hard  one  indeed,  when 
a  little  crusty-looking  man  got  up  in  a 
2 


distant  part  of  the  house,  and  merely 
said,  '  Ha,  if  the  squire  '11  give  us  some 
of  his  good  wine,  we  won't  drink  the  nas- 
ty rum  no  more.'  "  This  was  too  much 
for  Mr.  Ladd.  It  revealed  to  him,  as 
with  a  flash,  to  what  little  purpose  he 
had  labored.  He  rose  at  once  before 
the  assembly,  acknowledged  his  incon- 
sistency, renounced  from  that  moment 
the  use  of  any  and  every  kind  of  in- 
toxicating drink,  resolving,  in  the  spirit 
of  the  apostle,  that  he  would  not  drink 
wine  nor  any  other  thing  whereby 
his  fellow  man  might  be  led  to  offend. 
This,  sir,  is  the  true  spirit  of  our  great 
reform.  For  the  sake  of  ourselves,  and 
for  the  sake  of  others,  we  must  abstain 
wholly  from  the  use  of  intoxicating 
drinks  of  every  sort.  We  must  show 
our  faith  bv  our  practice. 

(c)  TIMING  IT.— A  minister  in  the 
Highlands  of  Scotland,  found  one  of  his 
parishioners  intoxicated.  The  next  day 
he  called  to  reprove  him  for  it. 

"  It  is  very  wrong  to  get  drunk,"  said 
the  parson. 

"  I  ken  that,"  said  the  guilty  person, 
"  but  then  I  dinna  drink  as  meikle  as 
you  do !" 

'•What,  sir!  How  is  that?" 

"  Why,  gin  it  please  ye,  dinna  ye  aye 
take  a  glass  o'  whisky  and  water  afler 
dinner  ?" 

"  Why  yes.  Jemmy,  surely  I  take 'a 
little  whisky  after  dinner  merely  to  aid 
digestion." 

"  An  dinna  ye  take  a  glass  o'  whisky 
toddy  every  night  before  ye  gang  to  bed  V 

"Yes,  to  be  sure,  I  just  take  a  little 
toddy  at  night  to  help  me  sleep !" 

"  Weel,"  continued  the  parishioner, 
"  that's  jist  fourteen  glasses  a  week,  an 
about  sixty  every  month.  I  only  get 
paid  off  once  a  month,  an  then  if  I'd 
take  sixty  glasses,  it  wad  make  me  dead 
drunk  for  a  week  ; — now  ye  see  the 
only  difference  is,  ye  ti7ne  it  better  than 
I  do!" 

This  is  pretty  much  the  view  most 
people  take  of  this  matter ;  a  moderate 
drinking  clergyman  may  talk  to  his 
drunken  parishioner  till  doomsday,  but 
he  will  never  make  him  a  sober  man  so 
long  as  he  drinks  himself. 

(d)  A  CONVERT  CHARGED 
WITH  HYPOCRISY. 

17 


-It  is  a  fact,  of 


ABSTINENCE,  TOTAL,  FROM  INTOXICATING  DRINKS. 


which  I  have  been  but  recently  con- 
vinced, (says  a  writer  in  the  N.  Y. 
Evangelist,)  that  the  world  in  general, 
those  who  have  no  religion,  and  even 
opposers,  consider  the  conversion  -of 
those  persons  to  religion  as  spurious  and 
hypocritical,  who  do  not  approve  of  and 
practice  total  abstinence  from  ardent 
spirits. 

In  a  town  where  there  has  been  a  re- 
vival the  past  winter,  there  is  a  person 
who  has  been  from  a  child  in  the  habit 
of  drinking  ardent  spirit  freely,  perhaps 
almost  to  excess ;  and  who,  until  re- 
cently, seldom  attended  a  religious 
meeting.  This  individual  became  a 
hopeful  subject  of  renewing  grace,  and 
professed  his  faith  in  Christ.  So  changed, 
so  exemplary  was  his  walk  and  conver- 
sation, that  even  the  enemies  of  religion 
could  have  nothing  to  say  against  him. 
After  a  while,  this  person  had  occasion 
to  purchase\Some  whisky  for  medicinal 
purposes,  and  then  the  cry  was  raised 
egainst  him  by  opposers,  that  he  had  no 
religion,  and  that  the  purchase  of  the 
whisky  proved  his  hypocrisy  ! 

(e)  DEACON  BARNES  AND  THE 
DRUNKARD.— A  man  once  addicted 
to  intemperance,  but  who  for  some 
months  had  entirely  abstained,  though 
he  had  not  joined  the  Temperance  Soci- 
ety, took  occasion  not  long  since  to  re- 
late, in  a  temperance  meeting,  his  expe- 
rience in  regard  to  the  influence  of  tem- 
perate drinkers  of  respectable  standing  in 
society,  upon  the  habits  of  the  drunkard. 
"  Many  a  time,"  said  he,  "  have  I  gone 
to  Captain  .Johnson's  tavern  and  waited 
for  half  an  hour,  or  an  hour,  for  some 
respectable  man  to  come  in  and  go  to 
the  bar  and  call  for  liquor.  After  a 
while.  Deacon  Barnes  would  come  in 
and  call  for  some  spirit  and  water.  Then 
I  could  get  up  to  the  bar  and  do  as  he  did." 

Deacon  Barnes  hearing  of  this,  asked 
him  if  it  was  so. 

"  It  is,"  said  the  man. 

"Well,"  rejoined  the  deacon,  "you 
.shall  hang  on  me  no  longer.  I  joined 
the  Temperance  Society  yesterday." 

"  Did  you  ?" 

-"  Yes." 

"  Well,  then  I  will  join  to-day,  for  I 
•can  do  without  liquor  as  long  as  Deacon 
Barnes  can." 

18 


He  did  join,  and  remained  a  consis- 
tent temperance  man  afterwards. 

4.  Illustrious  Examples  of  Total  Absti- 
nence. 

(a)  REFUSING  TO  DRINK  WINE 
WITH  WASHINGTON.  — Towards 
the  close  of  the  revolutionary  war,  says 
Dr.  Cox,  an  officer  in  the  army  had 
occasion  to  transact  some  business  with 
General  Washington,  and  repaired  to 
Philadelphia  for  that  purpose.  Before 
leaving,  he  received  an  invitation  to  dine 
with  the  General,  which  was  accepted, 
and  upon  entering  the  room  he  found 
himself  in  the  company  of  a  large  num- 
ber of  ladies  and  gentlemen.  As  they 
were  mostly  strangers  to  him,  and  he 
was  of  a  naturally  modest  and  unassum- 
ing disposition,  he  took  a  seat  near  the 
foot  of  the  table,  and  refrained  from 
taking  an  active  part  in  the  conversa- 
tion. Just  before  the  dinner  was  con- 
cluded. General  Washington  called  him 
by  name  and  requested  him  to  drink  a 
glass  of  wine  with  him. 

"  You  will  have  the  goodness  to  ex- 
cuse me.  General,"  was  the  reply,  "  as 
I  have  made  it  a  rule  not  to  take  wine." 

All  eyes  were  instantly  turned  upon 
the  young  officer,  and  a  murmur  of  sur- 
prise and  horror  ran  around  thg  room. 
That  a  person  should  be  so  unsocial  and 
so  jnean  as  to  never  drink  wine,  was  re- 
ally too  bad  ;  but  that  he  should  abstain 
from  it  on  an  occasion  like  that,  and 
even  when  offered  to  him  by  Washing- 
ton himself,  was  perfectly  intolerable  ! 
Washington  saw  at  once  the  feelings  of 
his  guests,  and  promptly  addressed 
them  : — "  Gentlemen,"  said  he,   "  Mr. 

is  right.    I  do  not  wish  any  of  my 

guests  to  partake  of  any  thing  against 
their  inclination,  and  I  certainly  do  not 
wish  them  to  violate  any  established 
principle  in  their  social  intercourse  with 
me.  I  honor  Mr. tor  his  frank- 
ness, for  his  consistency  in  thus  adher- 
ing to  an  established  rule  which  can 
never  do  him  harm,  and  for  the  adoption 
of  which,  I  have  no  doubt;  he  has  good 
and  sufficient  reasons." 

{h)  REV.  JOSEPH  WOLF  AND 
THE  RECHABITES.— The  Rev.  Jo- 
seph Wolf  says  : — On  my  arrival  in 


ILLUSTRIOUS  EXAMPLES. 


Mesopotamia,  some  Jews  that  I  saw 
there,  pointed  me  to  one  of  the  ancient 
RechabitGs.  He  stood  before  me,  wild, 
like  an  Arab^holding  the  bridle  of  his 
horse  in  his  hand.  I  showed  him  the 
Bible  in  Hebrew  and  Arabic,  which  he 
was  much  rejoiced  to  see,  as  he  could 
read  both  languages,  but  had  no  know- 
ledge of  the  New  Testament.  After 
having  proclaimed  to  him  the  tidings  of 
salvation,  and  made  him  a  present  of  the 
Hebrew  and  Arabic  Bibles  and  Testa- 
ments, I  asked  him, — ''  Whose  descend- 
ant are  you  ?" 

"  Mousa,"  said  he,  boisterously,  "  is 
my  name,  and  I  will  show  you  who 
were  my  ancestors  ;"  on  which  he  im- 
mediately began  to  read  from  the  fifth 
to  the  eleventh  verse  of  Jeremiah  xxxv, 

"  Where  do  you  reside  ?"  said  I. 

Turning  to  Genesis  x.  27,  he  replied, 
"  At  Hadoram,  now  called  Simar  by  the 
Arabs :  at  Uzal,  now  called  Sanan  by 
che  Arabs;"  and  again  referring  to  the 
same  chapter,  verse  30th,  he  continued, 
•'  At  Mesha,  now  called  Mecca,  in  the 
deserts  around  those  places.  We  drink 
no  wine,  and  plant  no  vineyard,  and 
sow  no  seed  ;  and  live  in  tents,  as  Jona- 
dab,  our  father,  commanded  us :  Hobab 
was  our  father  too.  Come  to  us,  and 
you  will  find  us  sixty  thousand  in  num- 
ber ;  and  you  see  thus  the  prophecy  has 
been  fulfilled,  '  Therefore,  thus  saith  the 
Lord  of  Hosts,  the  God  of  Israel,  Jona- 
dab,  the  son  of  Rechab,  shall  not  want 
a  man  to  stand  before  me  forever;'" 
and  saying  this,  Mousa,  the  Rechabite, 
mounted  his  horse  and  fled  away,  and 
lefl  behind  a  host  of  evidence  in  favor  of 
sacred  writ. 

(c)  GOOD  EXAMPLE  OF  A  KING. 
— A  heathen  king,  who  had  been  for 
years  confirmed  in  the  sin  of  drunken- 
ness, by  the  evil  practices  of  white  men 
on  tlie  Sandwich  Islands,  had  been  led 
to  forsake  the  dreadful  habit.  He  said 
lately  to  a  missionary,  "  Suppose  you 
put  four  thousand  dollars  in  one  hand, 
and  a  glass  of  rum  in  the  other,  you  say 
you  drink  this  rum  I  give  you  four  thou- 
sand dollars,  I  no  drink  it ;  you  say  you 
kill  me,  I  no  drink  it." 

(d)  AN  EXAMPLE  FOR  YOUTH. 
— A  little  boy  in  destitute  circumstances 
was  put  out  as  an  apprentice  to  a  me- 


chanic. For  some  time  he  was  the 
youngest  apprentice,  and  of  course  had 
to  go  upon  errands  for  the  apprentices, 
and  not  unfrequently  to  procure  for  them 
ardent  spirits,  of  which  all,  except  him- 
self, partook,  because,  as  they  said,  it 
did  them  good.  He  however  used  none  ; 
and,  in  consequence  of  it,  was  often  the 
object  of  severe  ridicule  from  the  older 
apprentices,'  because,  as  they  said,  he 
had  not  sufficient  manhood  to  drink  rum. 
And  as  they  were  reveling  over  their 
poison,  he,  under  their  insults  and  cruel- 
ty, often  retired  and  vented  his  grief  in 
tears.  But  now  every  one  of  the  older 
apprentices,  we  are  informed,  is  a  drunk- 
ard, or  in  the  drunkard's  grave  ;  and 
this  youngest  apprentice,  at  whom  they 
used  to  scoff,  is  sober  and  respectable, 
and  worth  a  hundred  thousand  dollars. 
In  his  employment  are  about  one  hun- 
dred men,  who  do  not  use  ardent  spirits  ; 
and  he  is  exerting  upon  many  thousands 
an  influence  in  the  highest  dejiree  salu- 
tary,  which  may  be  transmitted  by  them 
to  future  generations,  and  be  the  means, 
through  grace,  of  preparing  multitudes 
not  only  for  usefulness  and  respectability 
on  earth,  but  for  an  exceeding  and  eter- 
nal weifjht  of  glorv. 

(^0  A  PATRIOT'S  RESOLVE.— An 
old  man  of  more  than  fourscore  years, 
afflicted  with  a  bodily  infirmity,  for 
which  he  had  been  advised  by  a  phy- 
sician to  use  ardent  spirit  as  a  medicine, 
was  presented  with  the  total  abstinence 
pledge.     After  reading  it  he  said, 

''  That  is  the  thing  that  will  save  our 
country — I  will  sign  it !" 

"  No,"  said  one,  "  you  must  not  sign 
it,  because  ardent  spirit  is  necessary  foi 
you  as  a  medicine." 

"  1  know,"  said  he,  "  I  have  used  it, 
but  if  something  is  not  done,  our  coun- 
try will  be  ruined,  and  I  will  not  be  ac- 
cessory to  its  ruin.     I  will  sign  it!" 

"  Then,"  says  another,  "  you  will 
die." 

"  Well,  "  said  the  old  man,  in  the  true 
spirit  of  '76,  "  for  my  country  I  can  die" 
— and  he  signed  the  pledge,  gave  up 
his  medicine,  and  his  disease  fled  away. 

It  was  the  remedy  that   kept  up  the 

disease,  and  whan  he  had  renounced  the 

one,  he  was  relieved  of  the  other.     So 

it  probably  would  be  in  nine  cases  out 

19 


5 


ABSTINENCE,  TOTAL,  FROM  INTOXICATING  DRINKS. 


of  ten  where  this  poison  is  used  as  a 
medicine. 

(f)  NOT  OLD  ENOUGH  TO 
NEED  IT.— When  the  subject  of  form- 
ing a  Temperance  Society  began  to  be 

agitated  in  the  town  of  W ,  it  met 

with  strong  opposition  from  a  class  of 
temperate  drinkers.  The  number,  how- 
ever, who  were  ready  to  join  a  Society, 
was  considerable,  and  their  character 
and  standing  in  the  community,  respect- 
able. Among  this  number  was  a  gen- 
tleman who  had  attained  the  great  age 
of  ninety-one  years.  When  it  became 
known  that  this  hoary  veteran  of  other 
days  was  thinking  of  becoming  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Temperance  Society,  some 
of  his  drinking  and  compassionate  neigh- 
bors expostulated  with  him  in  this  man- 
ner : — "  You  have  occasionally  drank  a 
little  spirit  during  your  whole  life,  and 
it  has  not  injured  you ;  surely  it  would 
be  folly  for  you  to  deny  yourself  of  this 
beverage  for  the  little  remnant  of  your 
days.  Besides,  old  people,  as  their 
corporeal  powers  decay,  need  a  little 
ardent  spirit  to  sustain  them."  The  old 
man,  whose  head  was  whitened  with 
the  frosts  of  91  winters,  replied — "  I  do 
not  know  but  old  people  need  ardent 
spirit ;  but  I  am  not  old  enough  yet  to 
need  it." 

5.  Lessons  from  the  Brntes. 

(a)  THE  MONKEY  AND  THE 
DRUNKARD.— Mr.  Pollard  states  that 
in  his  drinking  days  he  was  the  com- 
panion of  a  man  in  Arundel  Co.,  Mary- 
land, who  had  a  monkey  which  he 
valued  at  a  thousand  dollars.  "  We 
always  took  him  out  on  our  chesnut 
parties.  He  shook  off  all  our  chesnuts 
for  us,  and  when  he  could  not  shake 
them  off,  he  would  go  to  the  very  end 
of  the  limb  and  knock  them  off  with 
his  fist.  One  day,  we  stopped  at  a 
tavern  and  drank  freely.  About  half 
a  glass  of  whisky  was  left,  and  Jack 
took  the  glass,  and  drank  it  all  up. 
Soon  he  was  merry,  skipped,  hopped, 
and  danced,  and  set  us  all  in  a  roar  of 
laughter.     Jack  was  drunk. 

"  We  all  agreed,  six  of  us,  that  we 
would  come  to  the  tavern  next  day,  and 
get  Jack  drunk  again,  and  have  sport 
20 


all  day.  I  called  at  my  friend's  housu 
next  morning,  and  we  went  out  for  Jack. 
Instead  of  being  as  usual  on  his  box,  he 
was  not  to  be  seen.  We  looked  inside, 
and  he  was  crouched  up  in  a  heap. 
*  Come  out  here,'  said  his  master.  Jack 
came  out  on  three  legs ;  his  fore-paw 
was  upon  his  head.  Jack  had  the  head- 
ache ;  I  knew  what  was  the  matter 
with  him.  He  felt  just  as  I  felt,  many 
a  morning.  Jack  was  sick  and  couldn't 
go.  So  we  wailed  three  days.  We 
then  went,  and  while  drinking,  a  glass 
was  provided  for  Jack.  But  where  was 
he  ?  Skulking  behind  the  chairs.  '  Come 
here  Jack,  and  drink,'  said  his  master, 
holding  out  the  glass  to  him.  Jack  re- 
treated, and  as  the  door  was  opened, 
slipped  out  and  in  a  moment  was  on  top 
of  the  house.  His  master  went  out  to 
call  him  down,  but  he  would  not  come. 
He  got  a  cow-skin  and  shook  it  at  him. 
Jack  sat  on  the  ridge-pole  and  refused 
to  obey.  His  master  got  a  gun  and 
pointed  it  at  him.  A  monkey  is  much 
afraid  of  a  gun.  Jack  slipped  over  the 
backside  of  the  house.  His  master 
then  got  two  guns,  and  had  one  pointed 
each  side  of  the  house,  when  the  monkey 
seeing  his  bad  predicament,  at  once 
whipped  up  on  the  chimney  and  got  down 
in  one  of  the  flues,  holding  on  by  his 
fore-paws !  The  master  was  beaten. 
The  man  kept  that  monkey  twelve  years, 
but  could  never  persuade  him  to  taste 
another  drop  of  whisky.  The  beast 
had  more  sense  than  a  man  who  has  an 
immortal  soul,  and  thinks  himself  the 
first  and  best  of  God's  creatures  on 
earth." 

(h)  AS  DRUNK  AS  A  BEAST.— 
While  Dr.  Patton  was  dining  in  Lon- 
don with  a  number  of  the  clergy,  one 
of  them  remarked,  after  turning  otT  his 
glass  of  wine,  "I  do  not  think  I  am 
called  upon  to  give  up  my  glass  of  wine 
because  some  mm,  by  using  it  to  excess, 
make  beasts  of  themselves."  The  Doc- 
tor replied,  he  thought  great  injustice 
was  done  to  the  beasts  by  the  compari- 
son— that  quadrupeds  might  be  taken 
in  once  by  strong  drink,  but  very  rarely 
the  second  time.  It  was  left  to  intelli- 
gent man  to  follow  up  the  habit  until 
overtaken  by  destruction.  He  instanced 
the  case  of  a  goat,  whose  habit  was  to 


LESSONS  FROM  THE  BRUTES. 


follow  his  master  to  a  beer  shop,  where 
he  would  sleep  under  the  table  while 
his  master  was  drinking ;  on  one  oc- 
casion, either  by  fair  or  foul  means,  one 
of  the  waiters  made  the  poor  goat  drunk 
on  vile  beer — but  from  that  time  he 
Would,  as  usual,  follow  his  master  to  his 
drinking  haunts,  but  could  never  again 
be  tempted  to  enter,  but  would  wait  the 
movement  of  his  master  outside  the 
door. 

(c)  "DOTH  NOT  EVEN  NA- 
TURE HERSELF  TEACH?"— -A 
clergyman  in  one  of  the  towns  in  the 
State  of  New- York,  at  the  time  when 
the  protests  against  the  use  of  liquors 
became  somewhat  earnest  from  the  pul- 
pit, one  Sabbath  delivered  to  his  con- 
gregation a  thorough  discourse  on  the 
subject.  On  their  way  home,  some  of  his 
hearers  inquired  of  each  other,  "  What 
does  all  this  mean  ?"  One  gentleman, 
who  professed  some  shrewdness  of  guess- 
ing, said,  "  I  will  tell  you,  gentlemen, 
what  is  the  difficulty ;  we  have  none  of 

us  sent  Mr. any  thing  to  replenish 

his  decanter  lately.  And  my  advice  is 
that  we  attend  to  the  matter."  Accord- 
ingly, on  Monday,  a  full-sized  demijohn 
of  "  old  spirits,"  or  "  cogniac,"  was  sent 

to  Rev.  Mr. ,  accompanied  with  a 

very  polite  note  requesting  his  accept- 
ance of  it,  from  a  few  friends,  as  a 
testimony  of  their  regard. 

Our  worthy  clergyman  felt  himself 
at  first  in  somewhat  of  a  dilemma.  But 
wit,  invention,  and  a  good  conscience, 
are  sometimes  found  in  close  companion- 
ship ;  and  they  met  in  the  present  in- 
stance to  help  our  good  minister  to 
"  back  out  "  of  the  difficulty.  He  took 
the  demijohn  to  the  watering  trough  of 
his  stable,  and  poured  some  of  the 
liquor  in,  and  brought  his  horse  to  it. 
Pony  expanded  his  nostrils  and  snorted 
and  ijlowed  at  it,  as  though  he  thought 
it  rather  too  hot,  and  seemed  to  say, 
"What's  this?"  Next  he  drove  his 
cow  to  the  trough,  to  see  if  she  liked  it 
any  better.  The  cow  snuffi^d  at  it,  and 
shook  her  horns,  and  went  her  way, 
with  no  fondness  for  such  a  "  villanous 

potation."     Mr. then    carried   his 

demijohn  to  the  pig-stye,  and  called  his 
pig  out  of  his  bed-room,  to  taste.  Piggy 
grunted  and  snuffed,  dipped  his  nose  in 


and  coughed,  and  went  back  again  to 
finish  his  nap  in  his  straw. 

Mr. then  returned  to  his  study, 

and  penned,  in  substance,  the  following 
note  to  the  present-makers,  with  which 
he  returned  the  demijohn  and  its  con- 
tents : 

"  Gentlemen — With  due  acknowledg- 
ments for  your  present,  received  this 
morning,  permit  me  to  say,  that  I  have 
offered  some  of  it  to  my  horse,  my  cow, 
and  my  swine,  and  neither  of  them  will 
drink  it.  That  which  neither  horses, 
cattle,  nor  hogs  will  drink,  I  cannot 
think  to  be  either  useful  or  safe  for  man 
to  drink.  I  beg  you  to  excuse  me  there- 
fore for  returning  the  demijohn  and  its 
contents ;  and  believe  me,  gentlemen, 
your  most  obedient,  &c." 

{d)  THE  REFORMED  CROWS.— 
Colonel  B.  had  one  of  the  best  farms 
on  the  Illinois  river.  About  one  hun- 
dred acres  of  it  were  covered  with 
waving  corn.  When  it  came  up  in  the 
spring,  the  crows  seemed  determined  on 
its  entire  destruction.  When  one  was 
killed,  it  seemed  as  though  a  dozen  came 
to  its  funeral  ;  and  though  the  sharp 
crack  of  the  rifle  often  drove  them  away, 
they  always  returned  with  its  echo. 
The  Colonel  at  length  became  weary  of 
throwing  grass,  and  resolved  on  trying 
the  virtue  of  stones.  He  sent  to  the 
druggist's  for  a  gallon  of  alcohol,  in 
whicii  he  soaked  a  ^qw  quarts  of  corn, 
and  scattered  it  over  his  field.  The 
blacklegs  came  and  partook  with  their 
usual  relish,  and,  as  usual,  they  were 
pretty  well  "  corned  ;"  and  such  a  coo- 
ing and  cackling — such  strutting  and 
swaggering !  When  the  boys  attempted 
to  catch  them,  they  were  not  a  little 
amused  at  their  staggering  gait  and  their 
zigzag  way  through  the  air.  At  length 
they  gained  the  edge  of  the  woods,  and 
there  being  joined  by  a  new  recruit 
which  happened  to  be  sober,  they  united 
at  the  top  of  their  voices  in  haw-haw- 
hawking,  and  shouting  either  praises  or 
curses  of  alcohol,  it  was  difficult  to  tell 
which,  as  they  rattled  away  without 
rhyme  or  reason.  But  the  Colonel 
saved  his  corn.  As  soon  as  they  be- 
came sober,  they  set  their  faces  stead- 
fastly  against  alcohol.  Not  another 
kernel  would  they  touch  in  his  field. 
21 


ACTORS. 


6.  ACTORS. 


(a)  WORKING  LIKE  A  FOOL 
TO  PLEASE  FOOLS.  — The  late 
Rev.  Samuel  Lowell,  of  Bristol,  being 
once  at  Brighton,  expressed  a  wish  to 
walk  on  the  Steyne,  and  to  have  the 
public  cnaracters  pointed  out  to  him. 
Amongst  the  rest,  a  celebrated  comedian 
was  noticed.    "  Ah,"  said  Mr.  L.,  "  is 

that ,  my  old  school-fellow  ?     I'll 

speak  to  him."  He  accosted  him,  and 
the  following  conversation  took  place. 

Lmnell.  Sir,  I  believe  I  have  the 
pleasure  of  addressing  Mr. . 

Player.    Yes,  sir,  my  name  is ; 

but  I  have  not  the  pleasure  of  being 
acquainted  with  you. 

L.  What !  not  know  your  old  school- 
fellow, Samuel  Lowell  ? 

P.  Wliat !  are  you  Samuel  Lowell  ? 

L.    Yes,  I  am. 

P.  Well,  I  am  very  glad  to  see  you  ; 
now  tell  me  your  histor}'-  in  five  minutes. 

L.  First,  my  name  is  Samuel  Low- 
ell ;  I  am  a  dissenting  minister  at  Bris- 
tol, where  I  have  lived  upwards  of 
twenty  years ;  I  have  a  large  family. 

P.  So,  you  are  a  dissenting  minister ; 
well,  you  are  a  happy  man,  for  you  go 
to  your  work  with  pleasure,  and  perform 
it  with  pleasure  :  you  are  a  happy  man. 
I  go  to  my  work  like  a  fool,  to  jjlease 
fools :  I  am  not  a  happy  man. 

(b)  CARLINI  AND  HIS  PHYSI- 
CIAN.— A  French  physician  was  once 
consulted  by  a  person  who  was  subject 
to  the  most  gloomy  fits  of  melancholy. 
He  advised  his  patient  to  mix  in  scenes 
of  gayety,  and  particularly  to  frequent 
the  Italian  theatre  ;  and  added,  "  If  Car- 
lini  does  not  dispel  your  gloomy  com- 
plaint, your  case  must  be  desperate 
indeed."  The  reply  of  the  patient  is 
worthy  the  attention  of  those  who  fre- 
quent such  places  in  search  of  happi- 
ness, as  it  shows  the  emptiness  and  in- 
sufficiency of  these  amusements.  "Alas, 
sir,  1  am  Carlini ;  and  while  I  divert  all 
Paris  with  mirth,  and  make  them  almost 
die  with  laughter,  I  myself  am  dying 
with  melancholy  and  chagrin. — A  simi- 
lar anecdote  is  related  of  a  well-known 
English  buffoon,  who  consulted  an  Eng- 

22 


lish  physician,  celebrated  for  eccentric 
advice. 

(c)  DEATH  OF  PETERSON.— 
The  death  of  Joseph  Peterson,  an  actor 
long  attached  to  the  Norwich  company, 
(Eng.,)  was  somewhat  remarkable.  In 
October,  1758,  he  was  performing  the 
Duke,  in  "  Measure  for  Measure."  Mr. 
Moody  was  the  Claudio,  and  in  the  third 
act,  where,  as  the  friar,  he  was  prepar- 
ing  Claudio  for  execution  next  morning, 
at  these  words  : — 

" Reason  thus  with  life  : 


If  I  do  lose  thee,  I  do  lose  a  thing 

That  none  but  fools  would  keep  :  a  breath 

Thou  art." 

Here  he  dropped  into  Mr.  Moody's  arms, 
and  never  spake  more. 

(d)  THE  ACTOR  STABBING 
HIMSELF. — A  number  of  young  men 
were  once  engaged  in  acting  the  tragedy 
of  "  Bertram,  or  the  Castle  of  St.  Aldo- 
brand,"  at  Nashville.  Mr.  J.  J.  Mc- 
LaUghlin,  formerly  of  Hopkinsville,  Ky., 
was  engaged  to  act  the  part  of  Bertram, 
wliose  part  it  was  during  the  progress 
of  the  play  to  feign  to  stab  himself.  For 
this  purpose  he  had  provided  himself 
with  a  Spanish  knife.  "  As  the  tragedy 
wore  to  its  denouement  his  excitement 
increased,  and  the  gloomy  spirit  of  the 
play  was  upon  him  with  a  power  that 
made  a  strong  impression  of  reality  upon 
the  hearers,  and  made  them  shudder  as 
he  pronounced  the  following,  accompa- 
nied by  the  plunge  of  the  dagger  that 
brought  him  to  his  death  : — 

'  Bertram  hath  but  one  fatal  foe  on  earth, 
And  he  is  here*     [Stabs  himself.] 

It  was  at  this  moment  that  he  plunged 
the  weapon  to  his  heart.  It  was  doubt- 
less the  result  of  the  excited  feelings 
of  the  actor,  who  had  too  absorbingly 
entered  into  the  dreadful  spirit  of  his 
hero.  We  charitably  suppose  that  he 
had  no  premeditated  design  of  ending 
his  life  with  the  play  ;  but  his  complete 
identification  of  feeling  with  the  part  he 
acted,  led  him  to  suicide  as  a  natural 
consequence. 

"  The  hallucination,  if  such  we  may 
call  it,  did  not  end  with  the  plunge  of 


AFFECTION,  CONJUGAL. 


the  dagger.  His  feelings  bore  him 
along  yet  further.  There  was  still,  after 
some  exclamations  of  surprise  from  the 
tragic  monks,  a  dying  sentence  for  him 
to  repeat.  He  went  through  it  with  a 
startling  effect : — 
[  With  a  burst  of  exultation,'] 

'  I  died  no  felon's  death — 
A  warrior's  weapon  freed  a  warrior's  soul.' 


While  he  was  pronouncing  these,  the 
last  words  of  the  tragedy,  his  eye  and 
manner  were  fearfully  wild  ;  the  blood 
was  falling  from  his  bosom  upon  the 
young  gentleman  who  had  personated 
the  then  lifeless  lady  Imogene  !  As  soon 
as  the  last  words  were  pronounced,  he 
fell — to  rise  no  more." 


AFFECTION. 


7.  Affection,  Conjugal. 

[a)  MAGNANIMOUS  HUSBAND. 

— Philip,  surnamed  the  Good,  the  foun- 
der of  that  greatness  to  which  the 
House  of  Burgundy  latterly  attained, 
was,  at  an  early  age,  married  to  the 
Princess  Michelea,  sister  to  Charles  the 
Dauphin.  The  father  of  Philip  was 
afterwards  slain  through  the  villany  and 
perfidiousness  of  Charles  ;  and  on  the 
news  being  brought  to  Philip,  full  of 
grief  and  anger,  he  rushed  into  the 
chamber  of  his  wife:  "Alas!"  said 
he,  "  my  Michelea,  thy  brother  has 
murdered  my  father."  The  Princess, 
who  loved  her  husband  most  tenderly, 
broke  out  into  the  most  affecting  cries 
and  lamentations  ;  and  fearful  lest  this 
accident  should  lose  her  the  affections 
of  her  spouse,  refused  all  comfort. 
Philip,  the  good  Philip,  however,  as- 
sured her  that  she  should  not  be  the  less 
dear  to  him  on  that  account ;  that  the 
deed  was  her  brother's  and  none  of  hers. 
"  Take  courage,  my  life,"  said  he, 
"and  seekcomfort  in  a  husband  that  will 
be  faithful  and  constant  to  thee  forever." 
Michelea  was  revived  by  these  tender 
assurances  ;  nor  during  the  three  years 
longer  which  she  lived,  had  she  occa- 
sion to  suspect  the  smallest  diminution 
of  Philip's  affection  and  respect. 

{h)  A  WIFE  ON  THE  BATTLE 
FIELD.— The  following  heroic  conduct 
of  a  Hindoo  woman  was  attested  by  one 
of  the  Baptist  missionaries  in  India  : — 

Our  friend  Mrs.  W.,  who  invited  our 
missionaries  to  preach  at  her  house, 
made  us  a  visit  yesterday  with  some 
others,  for  the  first  time.  I  was  much 
gratified  by  the  zealous  spirit  which  she 


evinced,  as  well  as  by  her  anxiety-to 
join  the  church.  She  had  hitherto 
waited  to  see  if  the  Lord  would  bless 
her  endeavors  to  draw  her  husband  into 
the  right  way.  See  what  a  blessing 
this  native  woman  aims  to  be  to  her 
European  husband.  She  was  a  Hindoo, 
before  he  took  her  as  a  slave,  of  the 
vilest  description.  This  man  was 
sergeant  of  artillery  in  the  late  war,  un- 
der Lord  Lake,  and  had  an  active  part 
in  most  of  the  bloody  conflicts  of  the 
time.  This  woman's  attachment  to  her 
partner  was  so  strong,  that  she  accom- 
panied him  in  the  heat  of  every  battle, 
and  often  lent  him  a  hand  when  exhaust- 
ed, and  supplied  his  place  at  the  guns. 
In  one  of  these  scenes  Mr.  W.  received 
a  musket-ball  "above  the  temples,  which 
penetrated  nearly  through  his  skull, 
carrying  a  part  of  the  brass  hoop  of  his 
hat  along  with  it,  and  instantly  dropped 
down,  to  all  appearance  dead.  She 
however  neither  lost  her  fortitude  nor 
her  affection  :  even  in  this  trying  mo- 
ment, when,  in  addition  to  the  situation 
of  her  partner,  the  shots  were  falling 
like  hailstones  about  her  own  head,  she 
took  him  upon  her  back,  with  the  intent 
of  performing  the  last  friendly  office  of 
burying  him,  and  carried  him  out  of 
the  scene  of  action  ! 

(c)  THE  MOTTO  ON  THE  BRI- 
DAL  ring. — A  young  gentleman  of 
fine  intellect,  of  a  noble  heart,  and  one 
well  known  to  many  of  our  readers, 
(says  the  Hartford  Courant,)  was  sud- 
denly snatched  by  the  hand  of  death 
from  all  the  endearments  of  life.  Sur- 
rounded by  every  thing  that  could  make 
existence  pleasant  and  happy — a  wife 
that  idolized  him — children  that  loved 
23 


AFFECTION. 


him  as  they  only  can  love,  and  friends 
devoted  to  him  ;  ihe  summons  came,  and 
he  lay  upon  the  bed  of  death.  But 
a  few  short  years  ago,  she  to  whom  he 
was  wedded,  placed  a  bridal  ring  upon 
his  finger,  upon  the  inside  of  which  he 
had  a  few  words  privately  engraven. 
The  husband  would  never  permit  the 
giver  to  read  them,  telling  her  that  the 
day  would  come  when  her  wish  should 
be  gratified,  and  she  should  know  the 
secret.  Seven  years  glided  away,  and 
a  day  or  two  since,  when  conscious  that 
he  must  soon  leave  his  wife  forever,  he 
called  her  to  his  bedside,  and  with  his 
dying  accents  told  her  that  the  hour  had 
at  last  come  when  she  should  see  the 
words  upon  the  ring  she  had  given  him. 
The  young  mother  took  it  from  his  cold 
finger,  and  though  heart-stricken  with 
grief,  eagerly  read  the  words  :  "  I  have 
LOVED  Thee  on  Earth — I  will  meet 
Thee  in  Heaven." 

(d)  THE  COUNTESS'  JOURNEY. 
— I  cannot  refrain,  says  Sir  Wm.  Jones, 
from  giving  one  beautiful  illustration  of 
devoted  duty  and  affection  in  the  in- 
stance of  the  Countess  Confalonieri. 
The  moment  she  heard  that  the  count 
was  condemned  to  death,  she  flew  to 
Vienna,  but  the  courier  had  already  set 
out  with  the  fatal  mandate.  It  was 
midnight,  but  her  agonies  of  mind  plead- 
ed for  instant  admission  to  the  empress. 
The  same  passionate  despair  which  won 
the  attendants,  wrought  its  effect  on  their 
royal  mistress.  She  hastencjd  that  mo- 
ment to  the  emperor,  and  having  suc- 
ceeded, returned  to  the  unhappy  lady 
with  a  commutation  of  the  sentence : 
her  husband's  life  was  spared.  But  the 
death-warrant  was  on  its  way  ; — could 
she  overtake  the  courier  ?  Throwinsf 
herself  into  a  conveyance,  and  paying 
four  times  the  amount  for  relays  of 
horses,  she  never,  it  is  stated,  stopped 
or  tasted  food  till  she  reached  the  city 
of  Milan.  The  count  was  preparing  to 
be  led  to  the  scaffold  :  but  she  was  in 
time — she  had  saved  him.  During  her 
painful  journey,  she  had  rested  her 
throbbing  brow  upon  a  small  pillow, 
which  she  bathed  with  her  tears ;  in 
the  conflict  of  mingled  terror  and  hope, 
lest  all  might  be  over.  This  interesting 
memorial  of  conjugal  tenderness  and 
24 


truth  in  so  fearful  a  moment,  was  sent 
by  his  judges  to  the  count,  to  show  their 
sense  of  his  wife's  admirable  conduct. 

(e)  THE  LOST  HUSBAND 
FOUND. — During  a  very  heavy  fall 
of  snow  in  the  winter  of  1784,  two 
gentlemen  rode  on  horseback  from  Ber- 
wick to  Kelso,  regardless  of  the  remon- 
strances of  many,  who  insisted  that  the 
roads  were  impassable  :  and,  in  truth, 
it  was  an  act  of  hardihood  and  folly,  as 
the  congealed  flakes  were  drifted  by  the 
blast,  and  beat  violently  against  their 
eyes  and  teeth.  At  every  step  the  jaded 
animals  were  more  than  knee-deep,  and 
may  be  rather  said  to  have  plunged 
onward  than  otherwise.  When  they 
arrived,  with  much  difficulty,  at  a  lone- 
ly ale-house,  near  Tweezle,  on  the  river 
Till,  they  found  an  inhabitant  of  Kelso, 
who  had  been  detained  in  this  thatched 
hovel  two  days  by  the  inclement  season : 
he  sat  in  a  contracted  state,  inclining 
over  the  embers  on  the  hearth,  like  the 
personification  of  the  ague.  When  he 
recognised  them,  his  features  assumed 
their  wonted  firmness,  and,  gathering 
intrepidity  from  example,  he  resolved 
to  accompany  them,  although  the  roads 
and  ditches  were  so  filled  up  that  the 
vast  face  of  the  country  seemed  an  un- 
broken white  expanse.  On  their  arrival 
in  the  middle  of  a  heath,  which  they  did 
not  accomplish  until  the  approaches  of 
night,  they  faintly  discovered  a  female 
form  wading  and  floundering  irregular- 
ly towards  them,  in  the  trackless  snow  : 
her  attire  was  so  loose,  and  involved  so 
much  of  the  simplicity  of  a  villager, 
that  she  appeared  as  if  habited  merely 
to  pass  from  one  neighbor's  house  to 
another.  Viewing  her  through  the 
misty  atmosphere,  they  hesitated  to 
pronounce  her  as  human  ;  the  contour 
of  her  body  was  so  softened  by  the  inter- 
mediate vapors,  that  she  seemed  aerial. 
On  their  coming  nearer,  they  ascertain- 
ed her,  with  extreme  astonishment,  to 
be  the  wife  of  their  companion  :  she 
had  been  wandering  in  a  spirit  of  des- 
peration, thirteen  miles  from  her  home 
and  her  infants,  in  that  bleak  day,  to 
fmd  the  remains  of  her  beloved  Willy ; 
believing  him,  fi*om  his  unusual  and 
alarming  absence,  to  have  perished  in 
the  hard  weather.     Upon  the  instanta- 


AFFECTION,  FILIAL— EXEMPLIFIED. 


8 


neous  assurance  that  she  beheld  her 
husband  once  more,  she  issued  a  loud 
and  piercing  shriek,  and  sank  motion- 
less in  the  snow.  When  they  had  chafed 
her  temples,  and  imperfectly  recovered 
her,  she  clasped  her  hands,  in  all  the 
fervor  of  piety,  and  raising  her  eyes  to 
heaven,  blessed  her  God  for  her  deli- 
verance from  trouble.  At  the  conclusion 
of  her  prayer,  they  placed  the  shivering 
amiable  woman  on  the  ablest  horse,  and 
conveyed  her  to  Coldstream,  overpower- 
ed by  the  sensations  of  an  excessive  joy, 
succeeding  the  conflicts  of  severe  duty 
and  agonizing  woe !  What  an  inspiring 
instance  of  conjugal  tenderness ! — Could 
Cornelia  or  Portia  have  done  more  ? 

(f)  THE  INDIAN  AND  HIS 
FAMISHING  WIFE.— In  the  year 
1762,  (says  the  Rev.  Mr.  Heckwelder,) 
I  was  witness  to  a  remarkable  instance 
of  the  disposition  of  the  Indians  to  in- 
dulge their  wives.  There  was  a  famine 
in  the  land,  and  a  sick  Indian  woman 
expressed  a  great  desire  for  a  mess  of 
Indian  corn.  Her  husband  having  heard 
that  a  trader  at  lower  Sandusky  had  a 
little,  set  off  on  horseback  for  that  place, 
one  hundred  miles  distant,  and  returned 
with  as  much  corn  as  filled  the  crown 
of  his  hat,  for  which  he  gave  his  horse 
m  exchange,  and  came  home  on  foot, 
bringing  his  saddle  back  with  him. 

(g)  THE  SHAWNEE'S  LOVE 
TO  HER  HUSBAND.— A  married 
woman  of  the  Shawnee  Indians,  made 
this  beautiful  reply  to  a  man  whom  she 
met  in  the  woods,  and  who  implored 
her  to  love  and  look  on  him.  "  Oulman, 
my  husband,"  said  she,  "  who  is  for- 
ever before  my  eyes,  hinders  me  from 
seeing  you  or  any  other  person." 

(A)  A  GOOD  WIFE— The  Rev. 
William  Jay,  of  Bath  (Eng.),  on  the 
fiftieth  anniversary  of  his  ordination, 
gave  his  wife  the  following  noble  com- 
pliment. Being  presented  by  the  ladies 
of  his  congregation  with  a  purse  con- 
taining £650,  after  a  few  remarks  he 
turned  to  Mr§.  Jay,  and  said  :  "  I  take 
this  purse,  and  present  it  to  you,  madam 
— to  you,  madam,  who  have  always 
kept  my  purse,  and  therefore  it  is  that 
it  has  been  so  well  kept.  Consid- 
er it  entirely  sacred — for  your  plea- 
sure,  your    use,   your    service,    your 


comfort.  I  feel  this  to  be  unexpected 
by  you,  but  it  is  perfectly  deserved. 
Mr.  Chairman,  and  Christian  friends,  I 
am  sure  there  is  not  one  here  but  would 
acquiesce  in  this,  if  he  knew  the  value 
of  this  female,  as  a  wife,  for  more  than 
fifty  years.  I  must  mention  the  obli- 
gation the  public  are  under  to  her  (if  I 
have  been  enabled  to  serve  my  genera- 
tion), and  how  much  she  has  raised  her 
sex  in  my  estimation;  how  much  my 
church  and  congregation  owe  to  her 
watchings  over  their  pastor's  health, 
whom  she  has  cheered  under  all  his 
trials,  and  reminded  of  his  duties,  while 
she  animated  him  in  their  performance  ; 
how  often  has  she  wiped  the  evening 
dews  from  his  forehead,  and  freed  him 
from  interruptions  and  embarrassments, 
that  he  might  be  free  for  his  work. 
How  much,  also,  do  my  family  owe  to 
her ;  and  what  reason  have  they  to  call 
her  blessed  !  She  is,  too,  the  mother  of 
another  mother  in  America,  who  has 
reared  thirteen  children,  all  of  whom 
are  walking  A\ith  her  in  the  way  ever- 
lasting." 

8.  Affection,  Filial— Exemplified. 

(a)  ALEXANDER  AND  HIS  MO- 
THER. — Olympias,  the  mother  of 
Alexander,  was  of  so  very  unhappy 
and  morose  a  disposition,  that  he  could 
not  employ  her  in  any  of  the  afTairs  of 
government.  She,  however,  narrowly 
inspected  the  conduct  of  others,  and 
made  many  complaints  to  her  son, 
which  he  always  bore  with  patience. 
Antipater,  Alexander's  deputy  in  Eu- 
rope, once  wrote  a  long  letter  to  him, 
complaining  of  her  conduct ;  to  whom 
Alexander  returned  this  answer : 
"  Knowest  thou  not  that  one  tear  of  my 
mother's  will  blot  out  a  thousand  such 
letters  ?" 

{b)  QUINTUS  AND  HIS  SON.— 
Among  the  multitude  of  persons  who 
were  proscribed  under  the  second  tri- 
umvirate of  Rome,  were  the 'celebrated 
orator  Cicero  and  his  brother  Quintus. 
The  latter  took  means  to  conceal  him- 
self so  effectually  at  home,  that  the 
soldiers  could  not  find  him.  Enraged 
at  their  disappointment,  they  put  his 
son  to  the  torture,  in  order  to  make  him 
25 


AFFECTION. 


discover  the  place  of  his  father's  con- 
cealment :  but  filial  affection  was  proof 
against  the  most  exquisite  torments. 
An  involuntary  sigh,  and  sometimes  a 
deep  groan,  were  all  that  could  be 
extorted  from  the  youth.  His  agonies 
were  increased ;  but,  with  amazing 
fortitude,  he  still  persisted  in  his  resolu- 
tion of  not  betraying  his  father.  Quin- 
tus  was  not  far  off;  and  it  may  be 
imagined,  better  than  can  be  expressed, 
how  his  heart  must  have  been  affected 
with  the  sighs  and  groans  of  a  son  ex- 
piring in  torture  to  save  his  life.  He 
could  bear  it  no  longer ;  but,  quitting 
the  place  of  his  concealment,  he  pre- 
sented himself  to  the  assassins,  begging 
of  them  to  put  him  to  death,  and  dismiss 
the  innocent  youth.  But  the  inhuman 
monsters,  without  being  the  least  affect- 
ed with  the  tears  either  of  the  father  or 
the  son,  answered  that  they  must  both 
die ;  the  father  because  he  was  pro- 
scribed, and  the  son  because  he  had 
concealed  the  father.  Then  a  new 
contest  of  tenderness  arose  who  should 
die  first ;  but  this  the  assassins  soon 
decided,  by  beheading  them  both  at  the 
same  time. 

(c)  AFFECTION'S  CHOICE 
TREASURES.— Ancient  history  re- 
cords, that  a  certain  city  was  besieged, 
and  at  length  obliged  to  surrender.  In 
the  city  there  were  two  brothers,  who 
had,  in  some  way,  obliged  the  conquer- 
ing general ;  and  in  consequence  of 
this,  received  permission  to  leave  the 
city  before  it  was  set  on  fire,  taking 
with  them  as  much  of  their  property  as 
each  could  carry  about  his  person. 
Accordingly  the  two  generous  youths 
appeared  at  the  gates  of  the  city,  one 
of  them  carrying  their  father,  and  the 
other  their  mother. 

(d)  PRISONER  RESCUED  BY 
HIS  DAUGHTER.— M.  Delleglaie 
being  ordered  from  a  dungeon  at  Lyons, 
to  the  Conciergerie,  departed  thither. 
His  daughter,  who  had  not  quitted  him, 
asked  to  be  admitted  into  the  same 
vehicle,  but  was  refused.  The  heart, 
however,  knows  no  obstacles ;  though 
she  was  of  a  very  delicate  constitution, 
she  performed  the  journey  on  foot ;  and 
followed  for  more  than  a  hundred 
leagues  the  carriage  in  which  her  father 
26 


was  drawn,  and  only  left  it  to  go  into 
some  town  and  prepare  his  food  ;  and 
in  the  evening,  to  procure  some  cover- 
ing to  facilitate  his  repose  in  the  different 
dungeons  which  received  him.  She 
ceased  not  for  a  moment  to  accompany 
him,  and  watch  over  his  wants,  till  the 
Conciergerie  separated  them.  Accus* 
tomed  to  encounter  jailers,  she  did  not 
despair  of  disarming  oppressors.  Dur- 
ing three  months,  she  every  morning 
implored  the  most  influential  members 
of  the  committee  of  public  safety,  and 
finished,  by  overcoming  their  refusals. 
She  reconducted  her  father  to  Lyons, 
happy  in  having  rescued  him.  She  fell 
ill  on  the  road,  overcome  by  the  excess 
of  fatigue  she  had  undergone,  and, 
while  she  had  preserved  her  beloved 
parent's  life,  she  lost  her  own. 

(e)  HENRY  HOCK  AND  HIS  FA- 
THER. — A  few  years  ago,  five  Dutch 
gentlemen  set  out  from  Rotterdam,  to 
travel  on  skates  to  Amsterdam.  They 
had  passed  over  about  twelve  miles  of 
the  waste  of  inland  waters  which  extends 
between  the  two  cities,  and  were,  with 
the  exception  of  one  of  the  party,  who 
kept  apart,  skating  with  great  velocity, 
in  close  files,  and  hands  linked,  in  the 
Dutch  manner,  and  were  striking  out 
far  from  the  shore,  when  at  once,  the 
whole  file  was  precipitated  through  the 
ice,  and  two  out  of  the  four  were  hardly 
seen  to  rise  again.  The  other  two  were 
father  and  son,  both  remarkably  fine 
men,  and  the  father  an  expert  swimmer, 
which  enabled  him  to  support  himself, 
and  his  son  too,  for  a  considerable  time, 
during  which  he  was  so  collected  as  to 
give  directions  to  the  only  one  of  the 
party  who  had  not  fallen  in,  how  he 
should  conduct  himself  to  afford  assist- 
ance ;  but  at  length  he  gave  utterance 
to  the  thought,  that  his  son's  continuing 
to  hold  Him  would  be  the  death  of  both. 
The  son  immediately  kissed  the  fiither, 
and,  with  the  familiar  and  endearing 
expression  he  was  accustomed  to,  bade 
him  "  good  nignt,"  loosed  his  hold,  and 
deliberately  lesigned  himself  to  death. 
The  father  lived ;  and  the  name,  at 
least,  of  Henry  Hock,  the  son,  must 
live  also. 

(/)  THE  BEST  PRESENT.— 
The  three  sons  of  an  eastern  lady  were 


AFFECTION,  FILIAL— REWARDED. 


9 


invited  to  furnish  her  with  an  expression 
of  their  love,  befc#e  she  went  a  long 
journey.  One  brought  a  marble  tablet, 
with  the  inscription  of  her  name ;  ano- 
ther presented  her  with  a  rich  garland 
of  fragrant  flowers ;  the  third  entered 
her  presence  and  thus  accosted  her: 
"  Mother,  I  have  neither  marble  tablet 
nor  fragrant  nosegay,  but  I  have  a 
heart:  here  your  name  is  engraved, 
here  your  memory  is  precious,  and  this 
heart  full  of  affection  will  follow  you 
wherever  you  travel,  and  remain  with 
you  wherever  you  repose." 

is)  ARCHBISHOP  TILLOTSOxN'S 
AFFECTION.— There  are  some  chil- 
dren who  are  almost  ashamed  to  own 
their  parents,  because  they  are  poor,  or 
in  a  low  situation  of  life.  We  will, 
therefore,  give  an  example  of  the  con- 
trary, as  displayed  by  the  Dean  of 
Canterbury,  afterwards  Archbishop  Til- 
lotson.  His  father,  who  was  a  plain 
Yorkshireman,  perhaps  something  like 
those  we  now  call  "  Friends,"  approach- 
ed the  house  where  his  son  resided,  and 
inquired  whether  "  John  Tillotson  was 
at  home."  The  servant,  indignant  at 
what  he  thought  his  insolence,  drove 
him  from  the  door :  but  the  dean,  who 
was  within,  hearing  the  voice  of  his 
father,  instead  of  embracing  the  oppor- 
tunity afforded  him,  of  going  out  and 
bringing  in  his  father  in  a  more  private 
manner,  came  running  out,  exclaiming, 
in  the  presence  of  his  astonished  ser- 
vants, "  It  is  my  beloved  father;"  and 
falling  down  on  his  knees,  asked  for  his 
blessing. 

{h)  THE  HAPPY  MEETING.— 
Some  years  ago,  a  pious  widow  in 
America,  who  was  reduced  to  great 
poverty,  had  just  placed  the  last  smoked 
herring  on  her  table,  to  supply  her 
hunger  and  that  of  her  children,  when  a 
rap  was  heard  at  the  door,  and  a  stran- 
ger solicited  a  lodging  and  a  morsel  of 
food,  saying,  that  he  had  not  tasted 
bread  for  twenty-four  hours.  The 
widow  did  not  hesitate,  but  offered  a 
share  to  the  stranger,  saying,  "  We 
shall  not  be  forsaken,  or  suffer  deeper 
for  an  act  of  charity." 

The  traveller  drew  near  to  the  table  ; 
but  when  he  saw  the  scanty  fare,  filled 
with   astonishment,  he   said,  "  And   is 


this  all  your  store  ?  And  do  you  offer 
a  share  to  one  you  do  not  know  ?  Then 
I  never  saw  charity  before  !  But,  ma- 
dam, do  you  not  wrong  your  children, 
by  giving  a  part  of  your  last  morsel  to 
a  stranger  ?"  "  Ah,"  said  the  widow, 
weeping,  "  I  have  a  boy,  a  darling  son, 
somewhere  on  the  face  of  the  wide 
world,  unless  Heaven  has  taken  him 
away ;  and  I  only  act  towards  you  as 
I  would  that  others  should  act  towards 
him.  God,  who  sent  manna  from  hea- 
ven, can  provide  for  us  as  he  did  for 
Israel ;  and  how  should  I  this  night 
offend  him,  if  my  son  should  be  a 
wanderer,  destitute  as  you,  and  he 
should  have  provided  for  him  a  home, 
even  as  poor  as  this,  were  I  to  turn  you 
unrelieved  away !" 

The  widow  stopped,  and  the  stranger, 
springing  from  his  seat,  clasped  her  in 
his  arms ;  "  God,  indeed,  has  provided 
just  such  a  home  for  your  wandering 
son,  and  has  given  him  wealth  to  re- 
ward the  goodness  of  his  benefactress. 
My  mother !     O  my  mother  V 

It  was  indeed  her  long  lost  son, 
returned  from  India.  He  had  chosen 
this  Avay  to  surprise  his  family,  and 
certainly  not  very  wisely  ;  but  never 
was  surprise  more  complete,  or  more 
joyful.  He  was  able  to  make  the  family 
comfortable,  which  he  immediately  did : 
the  mother  living  for  some  years  longer, 
in  the  enjoyment  of  plenty. 

9.  Affection,  Filial— Rewarded. 

(a)  THE  PRISONER  AND  HER 
DAUGHTER.— Valerius  Maximus  re- 
lates, that  a  woman  of  distinction  having 
been  condemned  to  be  strangled,  was 
delivered  to  the  triumvir,  who  caused 
her  to  be  carried  to  prison  in  order  to 
be  put  to  death.  The  gaoler  who  was 
ordered  to  execute  her  was  struck  with 
compunction,  and  could  not  resolve  to 
kill  her.  He  chose,  however,  to  let  hei 
die  with  hunger  ;  but  meanwhile  suffer- 
ing her  daughter  to  visit  her  in  prison, 
taking  care  that  she  brought  her  nothing 
to  eat.  Many  days  passed  over  in  this 
manner,  when  the  gaoler  at  length, 
surprised  that  the  prisoner  lived  so  long 
without  food,  took  means  of  secretly  ob- 
serving their  interviews.  He  then  dis- 
27 


9 


AFFECTION. 


covered  that  the  affectionate  daughter 
had  all  the  while  been  nourishing  her 
mother  with  her  own  milk.  Amazed  at 
so  tender,  and  at  the  same  time  so  inge- 
nious an  artifice,  he  related  it  to  the 
tJ-iumvir,  and  the  triumvir  to  the  praetor, 
who  thought  the  fact  merited  stating  in 
the  assembly  of  the  people.  This  pro- 
duced the  happiest  effects ;  the  criminal 
was  pardoned,  and  a  decree  passed  that 
the  mother  and  daughter  should  be  main- 
tained  for  the  remainder  of  their  lives, 
at  the  expense  of  the  public ;  and  that  a 
temple,  sacred  to  filial  piety,  should  be 
erected  near  the  prison. 

(b)  TITUS  MANLIUS  AND  HIS 
FATHER. — A  certain  Roman,  in  the 
days  of  paganism,  called  Titus  Manlius, 
was  treated  extremely  ill  by  his  father, 
for  no  other  reason  than  a  defect  in  his 
speech.  A  tribune  of  the  people  brought 
an  accusation  against  his  father  before 
the  people,  who  hated  him  for  his  impe- 
rious conduct,  and  were  determined  to 
punish  him  with  severity.  The  young 
man  hearing  this,  went  one  morning 
very  early  from  his  father's  country 
farm,  where  he  was  forced  to  live  like 
a  slave,  and  finding  out  the  house  of  the 
tribune  who  had  impeached  his  father, 
entreated  that  he  would  immediately 
drop  the  prosecution.  The  tribune  de- 
clared before  the  people  that  he  with- 
drew his  charge  against  old  Manlius, 
because  his  son  Titus  had  obliged  him 
to  promise  upon  oath  that  he  would 
carry  it  no  farther.  The  people, 
charmed  with  the  filial  piety  of  Titus, 
shown  to  so  unnatural  a  father,  not  only 
forgave  the  old  man,  but  the  next  year 
advanced  his  generous  son  to  the  su- 
preme honors  of  the  state. 

(c)  THE  JUDGE  OFFERING  TO 
DIE  WITH  THE  CRIMINAL.— 
While  Octavius  was  at  Samos,  after  the 
battle  of  Actium,  which  made  him  mas- 
ter of  the  universe,  he  held  a  council  to 
examine  the  prisoners  who  had  been 
engaged  in  Antony's  party.  Among 
the  rest,  there  was  brought  before  him 
an  old  man,  Metellus,  oppressed  with 
years  and  infirmities,  disfigured  with  a 
long  beard,  a  neglected  head  of  hair, 
and  tattered  clothes.  The  son  of  this 
Metellus  was  one  of  the  judges ;  but  it 
was  with  great  difficulty  he  knew  his 

28 


father  in  the  deplbrable  condition  in 
which  he  saw  him.  At  last,  however, 
having  recollected  his  features,  instead 
of  being  ashamed  to  own  him,  he  ran  to 
embrace  him.  Then  turning  towards 
the  tribunal,  he  said :  "  Caesar,  my  father 
has  been  your  enemy,  and  I  your  offi- 
cer ;  he  deserves  to  be  punished,  and  I 
to  be  rewarded.  One  favor  I  desire  of 
you  ;  it  is,  either  to  save  him  on  my 
account,  or  order  me  to  be  put  to  death' 
with  him."  All  the  judges  were  touch- 
ed with  compassion  at  this  affecting 
scene ;  Octavius  himself  relented,  and 
granted  to  old  Metellus  his  life  and 
liberty. 

(d)  EFFORT  TO  RANSOM  A 
FATHER.  —  Montesquieu,  being  at 
Marseilles,  hired  a  boat,  with  an  inten- 
tion of  sailing  for  pleasure.  He  entered 
into  conversation  with  the  two  young 
boatmen,  and  learned,  to  his  surprise, 
that  they  were  silversmiths  by  trade, 
and  had  agreed  to  employ  themselves 
thus  as  watermen,  only  that  they  might 
increase  their  earnings.  On  expressing 
his  surprise,  and  his  fears,  that  this  must 
arise  only  from  an  avaricious  disposition, 
"  Oh,  sir,"  said  one  of  them,  "  if  you 
knew  our  reasons,  you  would  not  think 
so.  Our  father,  anxious  to  assist  his 
family,  scraped  together  all  he  was 
worth,  and  purchased  a  vessel,  for  the 
purpose  of  trading  to  the  coast  of  Bar- 
bary ;  but  was  unfortunately  taken  by 
a  pirate,  carried  to  Tripoli,  and  sold  for 
a  slave.  He  writes  that  he  has  happily 
fallen  into  the  hands  of  a  master  who 
uses  him  well,  but  that  the  sum  de- 
manded for  his  ransom  is  so  exorbitant, 
that  it  will  be  impossible  for  him  ever 
to  raise  it,  and  says  we  must  therefore 
relinquish  all  hope  of  .ever  seeing  him, 
and  be  contented.  With  the  hope  of  re- 
storing to  his  family  a  beloved  father, 
we  are  striving,  by  every  means  in  our 
power,  to  collect  the  sum  necessary  for 
his  ransom  ;  and  for  such  a  purpose,  we 
are  not  ashamed  to  employ  ourselves  in 
this  occupation  of  watermen." 

Montesquieu  was  struck  with  this  ac- 
count, and  on  his  departure  made  them 
a  handsome  present.  Some  months 
afterwards,  the  two  brothers,  being  at 
work  in  their  shop,  were  greatly  sur- 
prised at  seeing  their  father  enter :  he 


AFFECTION,  FILIAL— REWARDED. 


threw  himself  into  their  arms,  exclaim- 
ing, that  he  was  fearful  they  had  taken 
some  unjust  method  to  raise  the  money 
that  procured  his  ransom.  They  pro- 
fessed their  ignorance  of  the  whole 
affair,  and  could  only  attribute  their 
father's  release  to  that  stranger,  to 
whose  generosity  they  had  been  before 
so  much  indebted. 

(e)  A  COURAGEOUS  SON.— At  the 
siege  of  Knaresborough,  by  the  Parlia- 
ment's army,  under  the  command  of 
Colonel  Lilburn,  a  young  man  who  re- 
sided in  the  town,  and  whose  father  was 
one  of  the  garrison,  had,  several  times, 
at  the  hazard  of  his  life,  conveyed 
provisions  to  him,  which  he  effected  in 
the  night  by  getting  into  the  moat,  which 
was  dry,  climbing  up  the  glacis,  and 
putting  the  provisions  into  a  hole,  where 
his  father  was  ready  to  receive  them. 
Being  at  last  discovered  by  the  guard 
belonging  to  the  besiegers,  they  fired 
but  missed  him.  He  was,  however,  taken 
prisoner,  and,  having  made  a  full  con- 
fession of  his  conduct,  was  sentenced  to 
be  hanged  the  next  day,  in  the  sight  of 
the  besieged,  to  deter  others  from  giving 
them  the  least  assistance.  The  sentence 
was  about  to  be  carried  into  execu- 
tion, when  a  lady,  whose  name  was 
Wincup,  with  several  others,  petitioned 
the  commander  to  pardon-  the  unhappy 
youth.  They  succeeded  so  far  as  to 
have  him  respited  ;  and  when  the  troops 
left  the  place,  he  was  set  at  liberty. 

(  f)  FREDERIC  AND  HIS  PAGE. 
— Frederic,  King  of  Prussia,  day  one 
rung  his  bell,  and  nobody  answering, 
he  opened  his  door,  and  found  his  page 
fast  asleep  in  an  elbow-chair.  He  ad- 
vanced towards  him,  and  was  going  to 
awaken  him,  when  he  perceived  part 
of  a  letter  hanging  out  of  his  pocket. 
His  curiosity  prompting  him  to  know 
what  it  was,  he  took  it  out  and  read  it. 
It  was  a  letter  from  this  young  man's  mo- 
ther, in  which  she  thanked  him  for  having 
sent  her  a  part  of  his  wages  to  relieve  her 
misery  ;  and  finished  with  telling  him, 
that  God  would  reward  him  for  his  duti- 
ful affection.  The  king,  after  reading 
it,  went  back  softly  into  his  chamber, 
took  a  bag  full  of  ducats,  and  slipped  it 
with  the  letter  into  the  page's  pocket. 
Returning  to  the  chamber,  he  rang  the 


bell  so  loudly,  that  it  awakened  the  page, 
who  instantly  made  his  appearance. 
"  You  have  had  a  sound  sleep,"  said 
the  king.  The  page  was  at  a  loss  how 
to  excuse  himself;  and  putting  his  hand 
into  his  pocket  by  chance,  to  his  utter 
astonishment,  he  there  found  a  purse 
of  ducats.  He  took  it  out,  turned  pale, 
and  looking  at  the  king,  shed  a  torrent 
of  tears  without  being  able  to  utter  a 
single  word.  "What  is  that?"  said 
the  king.  "  What  is  the  matter  ?" 
"  Ah !  sire,"  said  the  young  man, 
throwing  himself  on  his  knees,  "  some- 
body seeks  my  ruin  !  I  know  nothing  of 
this  money  which  I  have  just  found  in 
my  pocket !"  "  My  young  friend,"  re- 
plied Frederic,  "  God  often  does  great 
things  for  us,  even  in  our  sleep.  Send 
that  to  your  mother ;  salute  her  on  my 
part,  and  assure  her  that  I  will  take 
care  of  both  her  and  you." 

(g)  THE  SWEDISH  PRISONER'S 
SON  —  A  gentleman  of  Sweden  was 
condemned  to  suffer  death,  as  a  punish- 
ment for  certain  offences  committed  by 
him  in  the  discharge  of  an  important 
public  office,  which  he  had  filled  for  a 
number  of  years  with  an  integrity  that 
had  never  before  undergone  either  suspi- 
cion or  impeachment.  His  son,  a  youth 
about  eighteen  years  of  age,  was  no 
sooner  apprised  of  the  affecting  situation 
to  which  his  father  was  reduced,  than 
he  flew  to  the  judge  who  had  pronounced 
the  fatal  decree,  and,  throwing  himself 
at  his  feet,  prayed  that  he  might  be  al- 
lowed to  suffer  in  the  room  of  a  father 
whom  he  loved,  and  whose  loss  he 
thought  it  was  impossible  for  him  to 
survive.  The  magistrate  was  amazed 
at  this  extraordinary  procedure  in  the 
son,  and  would  hardly  be  persuaded 
that  he  was  sincere  in  it.  Being  at 
length  satisfied,  however,  that  the  young 
man  actually  wished  to  save  his  father's 
life  at  the  expense  of  his  own,  he  wrote 
an  account  of  the  whole  affair  to  the 
king ;  and  his  majesty  immediately 
sent  orders  to  grant  a  free  pardon  to 
the  father,  and  to  confer  a  title  of  honor 
on  his  son.  The  last  mark  of  royal 
favor,  however,  the  youth  begged  leave 
with  all  humility  to  decline ;  and  the 
motive  for  the  refusal  of  it  was  not  less 
noble  than  the  conduct  by  which  he  had 
29 


AFFECTION. 


deserved  it  was  generous  and  disinter- 
ested. "Of  what  avail,"  exclaimed 
he,  "  could  the  most  exalted  title  be  to 
me,  humbled  as  my  family  already  is 
in  the  dust  ?  Alas !  would  it  not  serve 
but  as  a  monument  to  perpetuate  in  the 
minds  of  my  countrymen  the  remem- 
brance of  an  unhappy  father's  shame  !" 
His  majesty,  the  king  of  Sweden,  ac- 
tually shed  tears  when  this  magnanimous 
speech  was  reported  to  him  ;  and,  send- 
ing for  the  heroic  youth  to  court,  he 
appointed  him  to  a  confidential  office. 

(/i)  FREDERIC  AND  HIS  POME- 
RANIAN  SERVANT.— Frederic  the 
Great,  of  Prussia,  during  his  last  illness, 
endured  many  restless  nights,  which  he 
endeavored  to  soothe  by  conversing  with 
the  servant  who  sat  up  with  him.  On 
one  of  these  occasions,  he  inquired  of  a 
young  Pomeranian  from  whence  he 
came.  "  From  a  little  village  in  Pome- 
rania."  "  Are  your  parents  living  ?" 
"An  aged  mother."  "How  does  she 
maintain  herself?"  "By  spinning." 
"  How  much  does  she  gain  daily  by  it  ?" 
"  Sixpence."  "  But  she  cannot  live 
well  on  that  ?"  "  In  Pomerania  it  is 
cheap  living."  "Did  you  never  send 
her  any  thing  ?"  "  O  yes,  I  have  sent 
her,  at  different  times,  a  few  dollars." 
"  That  was  bravely  done  ;  you  are  a 
good  boy.  You  have  a  deal  of  trouble 
with  me.  Have  patience  :  I  shall  en- 
deavor to  lay  something  by  for  you,  if 
you  behave  well."  The  monarch  kept 
his  word ;  for,  a  few  nights  after,  the 
Pomeranian,  being  again  in  attendance, 
received  several  pieces  of  gold  ;  and 
heard,  to  his  great  joy  and  surprise,  that 
one  hundred  rix  dollars  had  been  settled 
on  his  mother  during  her  life. 

(i)  THE  HAUGHTY  CREDITOR 
AND  HIS  POOR  DEBTOR'S  SON. 
— A  shopkeeper,  who  resided  two  or 
three  days'  journey  from  Paris,  pre- 
served his  good  conduct  and  integrity 
for  many  years.  At  last,  by  some  per- 
sons taking  undue  credit,  and  keeping 
him  too  long  out  of  his  money,  he  was 
obliged  to  take  a  journey  to  Paris,  to 
desire  two  things  of  his  creditors  :  the 
one  was  a  lengthening  out  their  forbear- 
ance ;  and  the  other  was,  to  be  furnish- 
ed with  a  fresh  assortment  of  goods,  that 
he  might  keep  open  his  shop  with  credit. 
30 


They  were  so  pleased  with  the  honesty 
and  frankness  jf  the  man,  that  they  all 
agreed  to  grant  his  request,  except  one  ; 
this  was  his  chief  creditor,  a  proud  and 
haughty  merchant,  who  had  never  felt 
any  adversity,  and  knew  not  how  to 
sympathize  with  the  afflicted.  "  So," 
said  he,  "  I  find,  by  your  asking  for  a 
prolongation/  of  credit,  and  a  further  in- 
dulgence of  goods,  that  you  are  going 
down  hill  ;  and  therefore  I  am  resolved 
to  have  my  money."  Accordingly,  he 
sent  immediately  for  an  officer,  who  ar- 
rested the  poor  man  and  carried  him  to 
jail.  In  this  distressing  situation,  he 
wrote  home  to  his  wife,  who  communi- 
cated the  news  to  her  six  child;*en  :  they 
were  all  overwhelmed  in  sorrow.  What 
could  be  done  ?  To  sit  still  in  despair, 
was  the  ready  way  to  ruin.  After  a 
deliberate  conversation  with  her  eldest 
son,  a  young  man  of  fine  sense  and  ex- 
cellent virtue,  about  nineteen  years  of 
age,  he  resolved  to  fly  to  Paris,  with  a 
view  to  soften  this  cruel  creditor.  After 
a  short  interview  with  his  father,  he 
went  to  the  house  of  the  merchant,  sent 
in  his  name,  and  desired  an  audience. 
The  cruel  and  haughty  man,  thinking 
he  had  come  to  pay  him,  admitted  him 
into  his  presence  ;  but  he  soon  found 
that  his  first  request  was,  that  he  should 
release  his  father  from  jail,  to  go  home 
and  comfort  his  mother,  and  keep  up  the 
credit  of  the  shop.  The  merchant,  be- 
ing disappointed  in  his  expectation,  flew 
into  a  violent  passion,  and  declared  he 
would  have  the  money  or  the  bones  of 
his  father.  The  young  man,  finding 
him  inexorable,  fell  down  on  his  knees, 
and  with  uplifted  hands  and  tears  roll- 
ing down  his  cheeks,  he  addressed  him- 
self to  the  merchant  in  this  manner  : — 
"  Sir,"  said  he,  "  if  I  go  home  without 
my  father,  I  shall  see  my  mother  die 
with  a  broken  heart,  the  credit  of  the 
shop  will  be  entirely  ruined,  and  we, 
the  poor  children,  must  be  turned  as 
vagabonds  and  beggars  into  the  open 
street.  I  have  this  one,  this  last  request 
to  make — let  me  be  sent  to  jail  in  the 
room  of  my  father,  and  keep  me  there 
until  all  demands  are  satisfied."  The 
merchant  walked  backwards  and  for- 
wards in  the  room  with  great  emotion. 
The  young  man  continued  his  cries  and 


AFFECTION,  FILIAL— REWARDED. 


9 


entreaties  on.  his  knees.  At  last  the 
merchant  flew  to  him  with  great  tender- 
ness and  took  hold  of  his  hand.  "  Rise, 
young  man,"  said  he  :  "  I  have  but  one 
daughter  in  the  world,  for  whose  happi- 
ness I  am  concerned  ;  I'll  give  thee  my 
daughter  —she  must  be  happy  with  a 
fellow  of  thy  virtue  ;  I'll  settle  upon 
you  all  my  fortune ;  I'll  release  your 
father  out  of  prison,  and  make  you  all 
happy  togethei'."  And  he  was  as  good 
as  his  word. 

(j)  LOVE  FOR  AN  UNNATU- 
RAL MOTHER.  — The  Rev.  James 
Churchill  relates,  in  his  "  Analecta," 
that  a  widowed  mother  lived  to  see  her 
youngest  son,  who  was  a  babe  at  her 
husband's  death,  grow  up  to  manhood 
in  the  esteem  of  all  but  herself.  His 
temper  was  mild,  and  his  manners  affa- 
ble ;  yet  it  is  said  that  when  he  had  at- 
tained the  age  of  twenty,  he  had  never 
known  what  the  affection  of  a  mother 
was  towards  him  ;  nay,  nor  had  ever 
received  a  single  kind  word  from  her. 
Blessed,  however,  by  Providence,  he 
flourished  greatly  in  conducting  his  late 
father's  business,  employing  a  number 
of  men.  He  took  his  mother  under  his 
own  roof,  settled  upon  her  a  liberal  an- 
nuity, and  studied  to  make  her  happy. 
It  was  all  in  vain.  She  murmured,  re- 
proached him,  and,  on  one  occasion, 
rushed  into  the  manufactory  and  abused 
him  violently  before  all  the  men. 
The  people  were  shocked  at  her  con- 
duct ;  and  the  son  withdrew,  over- 
whelmed with  grief.  But  worse  events 
were  yet  in  reserve  for  him.  She  im- 
mediately commenced  legal  proceedings 
against  him  for  an  assault !  The  men 
offered  readily  to  appear  on  their  mas- 
ter's behalf.  Their  master  thanked 
them,  but  chose  rather  to  be  accounted 
guilty,  and  suffer  judgment  to  go  by 
default,  than  to  appear  against  his  own 
motiier  :  and  though  he  had  a  fine  to 
pay,  this  made  no  alteration  in  his  con- 
duct towards  her.  About  three  months 
after  this,  she  was  found  dead  in  her 
bed,  with  marks  of  violence  about  her 
body.  The  coroner's  verdict  was,  wil- 
ful murder,  against  her  son.  The  poor 
youth  was  confined  some  months  in  pri- 
son, among  the  vilest  of  characters,  to 
await  his  trial.    His  mind  was  at  times 


distressed  to  a  very  great  degree  ;  re. 
fleeting  that  his  character  was  ruined, 
his  business  nearly  lost,  and  his  prospect 
that  of  ending  his  days  at  a  gallows  : 
but  what  harrowed  his  heart  most  was, 
that  all  this  was  brought  about  by  his 
own  mother  !  Still  his  confidence  in 
that  Providence  which  watches  over  all, 
did  not  entirely  fail  him.  He  could  ex- 
ercise hope  ;  and  that  hope  was  sus- 
tained not  in  vain.  For  as  the  time  for 
his  trial  drew  near,  two  of  the  men  who 
had  worked  in  his  manufactory  were 
taken  up,  on  the  charge  of  having  com- 
mitted some  petty  depredations ;  and, 
feeling  the  torments  of  a  conscience  bur- 
dened with  guilt,  these  wretched  crea- 
tures voluntarily  confessed  to  a  magis- 
trate, that  they  could  no  longer  endure 
the  thought  that  so  innocent  and  so  wor- 
thy a  master  should  lie  under  the  vile 
imputation  ;  that  they  were  the  murder- 
ers of  Mrs. ;  and  that  the  idea  of 

getting  her  money  and  jewels  had  in- 
duced them  to  strangle  her  one  night 
while  in  her  sleep !  The  prison  doors 
were  soon  thrown  open  to  the  suffering 
young  man  ;  joy  was  diffused  through 
the  town  ;  his  character  shone  out  with 
a  greater  lustre  ;  God  prospered  his  re- 
viving business  ;  his  family  increased  ; 
and  his  children  and  grandchildren 
treated  him  with  the  respect  and  tender- 
ness which  he  always  manifested  to  his 
mother. 

(k)  GUSTAVUS  AND  THE  PEA- 
SANT  GIRL.— Gustavus  III.,  King  of 
Sweden,  passing  one  morning  on  horse- 
back through  a  village  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  his  capital,  observed  a  young 
peasant  girl,  of  interesting  appearance, 
drawing  water  at  a  fountain  by  the  way- 
side. He  went  up  to  her  and  asked  her 
for  a  draught.  Without  delay  she  lifted 
up  her  pitcher,  and  with  artless  simpli- 
city put  it  to  the  lips  of  the  monarch. 
Having  satisfied  his  thirst,  and  courte- 
ously thanked  his  benefactress,  he  said, 
"  My  girl,  if  you  would  accompany 
me  to  Stockholm,  I  would  endeavor  to 
fix  you  in  a  more  agreeable  situa- 
tion." 

"Ah,  sir,"  replied  the  girl,  "  I  cannot 

accept  your  proposal.    I  am  not  anxious 

to  rise  above  the  state  of  life  in  which 

the  providence  of  God  has  placed  me  ; 

31 


AFFECTION. 


but,  even  if  I  were,  I  could  not  for  an 
instant  hesitate." 

"  And  why  ?"  rejoined  the  king, 
somewhat  surprised. 

"  Because,"  answered  the  girl,  color- 
ing, "  my  mother  is  poor  and  sickly,  and 
has  no  one  but  me  to  assist  or  comfort 
her  under  her  many  afflictions :  and  no 
earthly  bribe  could  induce  me  to  leave 
her,  or  to  neglect  the  duties  which  affec- 
tion requires  from  me." 

"  Where  is  your  mother  ?"  asked  the 
monarch. 

"  In  that  little  cabin,"  replied  the 
girl,  pointing  to  a  wretched  hovel  beside 
her. 

The  king,  whose  feelings  were  inte- 
rested in  favor  of  his  companion,  went 
in,  and  beheld  stretched  on  a  bedstead, 
whose  only  covering  was  a  little  straw, 
an  aged  female,  weighed  down  with 
years,  and  sinking  under  infirmities. 
Moved  at  the  sight,  the  monarch  ad- 
dressed her :  "  I  am  sorry,  my  poor 
woman,  to  find  you  in  so  destitute  and 
afflicted  a  condition." 

"  Alas,  sir,"  answered  the  venerable 
sufferer,  "  I  should  be  indeed  to  be 
pitied,  had  I  not  that  kind  and  attentive 
girl,  who  labors  to  support  me,  and 
omits  nothing  she  thinks  can  afford  me 
relief.  May  a  gracious  God  remember 
it  to  her  for  good,"  she  addedy  wiping 
away  a  tear. 

Never,  perhaps,  was  Gustavus  more 
sensible  than  at  that  moment,  of  the 
pleasure  of  occupying  an  exalted  station. 
The  gratification  arising  from  the  con- 
sciousness of  having  it  in  his  power  to 
assist  a  suffering  fellow-creature,  almost 
overpowered  him  ;  and  putting  a  purse 
into  the  hand  of  the  young  villager,  he 
could  only  say,  "  Continue  to  take  care 
of  your  mother ;  I  shall  soon  enable  you 
to  do  so  more  effectually.  Good-bye, 
my  amiable  girl,  you  may  depend  on 
the  promise  of  your  king." 

On  his  return  to  Stockholm,  Gustavus 
settled  a  pension  for  life  on  the  mother, 
with  the  reversion  to  her  daughter  at 
her  death. 

(I)  THE  CLERK'S  DYING  RE- 
GRET. — A  young  man,  who  was  clerk 
to  Mr.  Cuthbert,  a  merchant  in  the  East 
Indies,  being  taken  very  ill,  became  un- 
usually thoughtful  and  melancholy. 
32 


Mr.  Cuthbert  inquired  the  cause  of  his 
uneasiness.  The  young  man  replied, 
that  he  was  not  afraid  to  die ;  but  he 
had  a  mother,  and  two  sisters,  in  En- 
gland, to  whom  he  had  been  accustomed 
to  send  £100  every  year  ;  and  his  only 
regret  at  dying,  was,  that  they  would 
be  left  destitute.  Mr-  Cuthbert  begged 
him  to  make  his  mind  perfectly  easy 
on  that  account,  as  he  would  take  care 
of  his  mother  and  sisters.  He  was  as 
good  as  his  word,  for  he  instantly  went 
to  his  attorney,  and  executed  a  deed, 
granting  an  annuity  of  JCIOO  a  year, 
in  favor  of  the  mother  and  her  two 
daughters,  during  their  joint  lives  ;  and 
with  the  benefit  of  survivorship.  He 
then  sent  the  bond  to  his  clerk,  who, 
clasping  it  in  his  hands,  exclaimed, 
"  Now  I  can  die  in  peace  ;  my  mother 
and  sisters  are  saved ;"  and  almost  in- 
stantly expired. 

(m)  TH'E  INSOLVENT  NEGRO. 
— A  negro  of  one  of  the  kingdoms  on 
the  African  coast,  who  had  become  in- 
solvent, surrendered  himself  to  his  cred- 
itor, who,  according  to  the  established 
custom  of  the  country,  sold  him  to  the 
Danes.  This  affected  his  son  so  much 
that  he  came  and  reproached  his  father 
for  not  selling  his  children  to  pay  his 
debts  ;  and  after  much  entreaty,  he  pre- 
vailed on  the  captain  to  accept  him,  and 
liberate  his  father.  The  son  was  put  in 
chains,  and  on  the  point  of  sailing  to 
the  West  Indies;  when  the  circum- 
stance coming  to  the  knowledge  of  the 
governor,  through  the  means  of  Mr. 
Isert,  he  sent  for  the  owner  of  the  slaves, 
paid  the  money  that  he  had  given  for 
the  old  man,  and  restored  the  son  to  his 
father. 

(n)  THE  INVALID  AND  HIS 
DAUGHTERS.— In  the  year  1773, 
Peter  Burrell,  Esq.  of  Beckenham,  in 
Kent,  whose  health  was  rapidly  declin- 
ing, was  advised  by  his  physicians  to 
go  to  Spa  for  the  recovery  of  his  health. 
His  daughters  feared  that  those  who  had 
only  motives  entirely  mercenary,  would 
not  pay  him  that  attention  which  he 
might  expect  from  those  who,  from  duty 
and  affection  united,  would  feel  the 
greatest  pleasure  in  ministering  to  his 
ease  and  comfort ;  they,  therefore,  re- 
solved to  accompany  him.  They  proved 


AFFECTION,  FRATERNAL. 


9,10 


that  it  was  not  a  spirit  of  dissipation  and 
gayety  that  led  them  to  Spa,  for  they 
were  not  to  be  seen  in  any  of  the  gay 
and  fashionable  circles  ;  they  were  nev- 
er out  of  their  father's  company,  and 
never  stirred  from  home  except  to  at- 
tend him,  either  to  take  the  air  or  drink 
the  waters;  in  a  word,  they  lived  a 
most  recluse  life  in  the  midst  of  a  town 
then  the  rescrt  of  the  most  illustrious 
and  fashionable  personages  of  Europe. 
This  exemplary  attention  to  their 
father  procured  these  three  amiable  sis- 
ters the  admiration  of  all  the  English 
at  Spa,  and  was  the  cause  of  their  ele- 
vation to  that  rank  in  life,  to  which  their 
merits  gave  them  so  just  a  title.  They 
all  were  married  to  noblemen  :  one  to  the 
Earl  of  Beverly ;  another  to  the  Duke 
of  Hamilton,  and  afterwards  to  the  Mar- 
quess of  Exeter ;  and  a  third  to  the 
Duke  of  Northumberland.  And  it  is 
justice  to  them  to  say,  that  they  reflect- 
ed honor  on  their  rank,  rather  than  de- 
rived any  from  it. 

(o)  THE  POOR  SERVANT  AND 
HER  AFFLICTED  PARENTS.— 
A  female  servant,  who  was  past  the 
prime  of  life,  in  an  inferior  station,  but 
much  respected  for  her  piety  and  integ- 
rity, had  saved  a  little  money  from 
her  wages,  which,  as  her  health  was 
evidently  on  the  decline,  would  proba- 
bly soon  be  required  for  her  own  relief. 
Hearing  that  her  aged  parents  were, 
by  unavoidable  calamity,  reduced  to 
extreme  indigence,  and  having  reason 
to  fear  they  were  strangers  to  the  com- 
forts of  religion,  she  obtained  leave  to 
visit  them  ;  shared  with  them  the  little 
she  had,  and  used  her  utmost  endeav- 
ors to  make  them  acquainted  with  the 
consolations  and  supports  of  the  gospel, 
apparently  not  without  success.  Being 
reminded  by  an  acquaintance  that,  in 
all  probability,  she  would  soon  stand  in 
need  of  what  she  had  saved,  she  replied, 
"  that  she  could  not  think  it  her  duty  to 
see  her  aged  parents  pining  in  want, 
while  she  had  more  than  was  needful 
for  her  present  use,  and  that  she  trusted 
God  would  find  her  some  friend,  if  he 
saw  good  to  disable  her  for  service." 
Having  continued  to  assist  her  parents 
till  their  death,  she  was  soon  after  de- 
prived of  health,  so  as  to  become  inca- 


pable of  labor.  God,  in  a  wonderful 
manner,  however,  raised  her  up  friends 
where  she  least  expected  them.  For 
years  she  was  comfortably  supported, 
and  circumstances  were  at  length  so 
ordered,  that  her  maintenance  to  the 
end  of  life  was  almost  as  much  insured, 
as  any  thing  can  be  in  this  uncertain 
world. 

(p)  WASHINGTON'S  REGARD 
FOR  HIS  MOTHER.— General  George 
Washington,  when  quite  young,  was 
about  to  go  to  sea  as  a  midshipman  ; 
every  thing  was  arranged,  the  vessel 
lay  opposite  his  father's  house,  the  little 
boat  had  come  on  shore  to  take  him  off, 
and  his  whole  heart  was  bent  on  going. 
After  his  trunk  had  been  carried  down 
to  the  boat,  he  went  to  bid  his  mother 
farewell,  and  saw  the  tears  bursting 
from  her  eyes.  However,  he  said  no- 
thing to  her ;  but  he  saw  that  his  mother 
would  be  distressed  if  he  went,  and 
perhaps  never  be  happy  again.  He 
just  turned  round  to  the  servant  and 
said,  "  Go  and  tell  them  to  fetch  my 
trunk  back.  I  will  not  go  away  to 
break  my  mother's  heart."  His  mother 
was  struck  with  his  decision,  and  she 
said  to  him,  "  George,  God  has  promised 
to  bless  the  children  that  honor  their 
parents,  and  I  believe  he  will  bless  you." 

10.  Affection,  Fraternal, 

(a)  TIMOLEON  AND  HIS 
WOUNDED  BROTHER.— Timoleon, 
the  Corinthian,  was  a  noble  pattern  of 
fraternal  love.  Being  in  battle  with 
the  Argives,  and  seeing  his  brother  fall 
by  the  wounds  he  had  received,  he 
instantly  leaped  over  his  dead  body, 
and  with  his  shield  protected  it  from 
insult  and  plunder  ;  and  though  severe- 
ly wounded  in  the  generous  enterprise, 
he  would  not  on  any  account  retreat  to 
a  place  of  safety,  till  he  had  seen  the 
corpse  carried  off  the  field  by  his  friends. 
(b)  THE  WATER-BEARER  AND 
HIS  BROTHER.— As  one  of  the  water- 
bearers  at  the  fountain  of  the  Fauxbourg 
St.  Germain,  in  Paris,  was  at  his  usual 
labors,  in  August,  1766,  he  was  taken 
away  by  a  gentleman  in  a  splendid 
coach,  who  proved  to  be  his  own  brother, 
and  who,  at  the  age  of  three  years,  had 
S3 


10,11 


AFFECTION. 


been  carried  to  India,  where  he  made  a 
considerable  fortune.  On  his  return  to 
France,  he  made  inquiry  respecting  his 
family ;  and  hearing  that  he  had  only 
one  brother  alive,  and  that  he  was  in 
the  humble  condition  of  a  water-bearer, 
he  sought  him  out,  embraced  him  with 
great  affection,  and  brought  him  to  his 
house^  where  he  gave  him  bills  for  up- 
wards of  a  thousand  crowns  per  annum, 
(c)  THE  BROTHERS  AND  THE 
SNOW-STORM.— In  the  year  1804, 
some  young  men  of  the  Morayshire  and 
Inverness-shire  militia,  being  quartered 
at  Edinburgh,  obtained  a  short  furlough. 
They  were  seven  in  number,  two  of 
them  being  brothers,  named  Forsythe. 
They  had  to  walk,  in  the  very  depth  of 
winter,  one  hundred  and  thirty  miles. 
As  they  proceeded,  they  were  over- 
taken by  one  of  those  sudden  snow- 
storms which  are  usual  in  the  moun- 
tains. And  now  the  night  began  to 
close  in  around  them,  while  the  snow 
and  the  wind  still  grew  thicker  and 
stronger.  At  last,  being  bewildered  by 
the  shade  of  the  evening,  which  was 
rendered  yet  more  dismal  by  the  inces- 
sant snow-drift,  they  strayed,  as  might 
be  expected,  from  the  light  path,  and 
exhausted  their  strength.  They  could 
just  see  one  another  ;  but  the  storm  was 
so  violent,  they  could  not  converse. 
Thus  struggling  onward,  and  scarcely 
knowing  where  they  went,  one  of  them 
-sank  in  a  hollow  in  the  rock,  and  was 
buried.  The  others  passed  on,  uncon- 
scious of  his  loss.  Soon  after,  the 
younger  Forsythe  also  dropped  down, 
being  quite  spent.  His  body  lay  in  the 
pathway  of  the  rest,  but  being  much 
weakened  themselves,  they,  without 
helping  him,  stepped  on  ;  all  did  so  but 
one.  This  one  was  the  elder  Forsythe, 
who,  knowing  that  he  had  a  brother 
amongst  the  party,  stooped  when  he 
came  up  to  him,  and  felt  his  features. 
Having  in  this  manner  assured  himself 
that  it  was  his  own  brother,  he,  without 
hesitation,  took  him  up,  and  placed  him 
on  his  back.  And  now  the  number 
rapidly  diminished;  one  after  another 
perished,  being  frozen  to  death.  Forsythe 
yet  went  on,  bearmg  his  burden,  which 
neither  his  fatigue,  nor  the  difficulties 
of  the  way,  could  induce  him  to  cast  off 
84 


As  long  as  he  had  any  strength,  he  per- 
severed, holding  his  brother  on  his  back, 
until  at  length,  his  powers  giving  way 
before  his  affection,  he  sank  beneath  the 
weight,  and  immediately  expired.  Be- 
fore, however,  he  thus  died,  it  appeared 
that  he  had  succeeded  in  saving  his 
brother,  though  he  lost  himself:  for  the 
younger  Forsythe  had  been  gradually 
reanimated  by  the  warmth  of  his  broth- 
er's body  ;  and,  when  he  dropped,  was 
so  thoroughly  aroused,  that  he  was  en- 
abled to  reach  his  home,  having  escaped 
death  by  his  brother's  generous  sacri- 
fice of  himself,  and  had  the  melancholy 
duty  imposed  upon  him  of  attending  his 
kind  brother's  funeral. 


11.  Affection,  Maternal. 

(a)  A  MOTHER'S  SACRIFICE.— 
Joanna  Martin,  the  wife  of  a  day-labor- 
er at  Huntspill,  in  the  northern  part  of 
Somersetshire,  England,  was  left  a  wi- 
dow with  six  young  children,  and  not  a 
shilling  in  the  world  to  feed  them  with. 
The  parish  officers  had  no  objection  to 
receive  the  children  into  the  poor-house  ; 
but  the  good  mother  would  not  part 
with  them,  determining  to  depend,  under 
Providence,  on  her  activity  for  their  sup- 
port. 

"  For  many  a  long  month,"  said  she, 
"  have  I  risen  daily  at  two  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  done  what  was  needful  for 
the  children  ;  gone  eight  or  ten  miles  on 
foot,  to  a  market,  with  a  large  load  of 
pottery-ware  on  my  head,  sold  it,  and  re- 
turned with  the  profits  before  noon." 

By  this  hard  labor,  in  the  course  of  a 
year,  she  saved  a  guinea  and  a  half; 
when,  being  under  the  necessity  of 
leaving  her  cottage,  she  determined  to 
erect  one  for  herself.  She  did  much  of 
the  labor  with  her  own  hands ;  and  told 
some  gentlemen,  some  years  afterwards, 
"  Well,  with  the  assistance  of  a  gracious 
God,  I  was  able  to  finish  nriy  cottage  ; 
which,  though  I  say  it  myself,  is  a  very 
tight  little  place." 

She  afterwards  bought  a  cart  and 
pony,  travelled  still  to  market,  brought 
up  her  family,  and,  without  either  beg- 
ging, or  seeking  relief  from  the  parish, 
obtained  a  living. 

To  what  labor  and  privation  will  pa- 


AFFECTION,  MATERNAL. 


11 


rental  affection  animate  the  heart !  How 
much  may  be  done  by  a  person  under 
the  influence  of  industry,  temperance, 
and  piety ! 

(b)  THE  FISHERMAN'S  WIFE. 
— One  of  the  small  islands  in  Boston 
Bay  was  inhabited  by  a  single  poor 
family.  The  father  was  taken  suddenly 
ill.  There  was  no  physician.  The 
wife,  on  whom  every  labor  for  the 
household  devolved,  was  sleepless  in 
care  and  tenderness  by  the  bedside  of 
her  suffering  husband.  Every  remedy 
in  her  power  to  procure  was  adminis- 
tered, but  the  disease  was  acute,  and 
he  died.  Seven  young  children  mourned 
around  the  lifeless  corpse.  They  were 
the  sole  beings  upon  that  desolate  spot. 
Did  the  mother  indulge  the  grief  of  her 
spirit,  and  sit  down  in  despair  ?  No : 
she  entered  upon  the  arduous  and  sa- 
cred duties  of  her  station.  She  felt  that 
tliere  was  no  hand  to  assist  her  in  bury- 
ing her  dead.  Providing,  as  far  as 
possible,  for  the  comfort  of  her  little 
ones,  she  put  her  babe  into  the  arms  of 
the  oldest,  and  charged  the  two  next  in 
age  to  watch  the  corpse  of  their  father. 
She  unmoored  her  husband's  fishing 
boat,  which,  but  two  days  before  he  had 
guided  over  the  seas,  to  obtain  food  for 
his  family.  She  dared  not  yield  to 
those  tender  recollections,  which  might 
have  unnerved  her  arm.  The  nearest 
island  was  at  the  distance  of  three  miles. 
Strong  winds  lashed  the  waters  to  foam. 
Over  the  loud  billows,  that  wearied  and 
sorrowful  woman  rowed,  and  was  pre- 
served. She  reached  the  next  island, 
and  obtained  necessary  aid.  With  such 
energy  did  her  dut}^  to  her  desolate 
babes  inspire  her,  that  the  voyage, 
which  depended  on  her  individual  effort, 
was  performed  in  a  shorter  time  than 
the  returning  one,  when  the  oars  were 
managed  by  two  men,  who  went  to  as- 
sist in  the  last  offices  to  the  dead. 

(c)  THESE  ARE  MY  JEWELS. 
— A  Campanian  lady,  who  was  very 
rich,  and  fond  of  pomp  and  show,  being 
on  a  visit  to  Cornelia,  the  illustrious 
mother  of  the  Gracchi,  displayed  the  dia- 
monds and  jewels  she  possessed,  with 
some  ostentation,  and  then  requested 
Cornelia  to  permit  her  to  see  her  jewels. 
This  eminent  woman  dextrously  con- 


trived to  turn  the  conversation  to  ano- 
ther subject,  till  her  sons  returned  from 
one  of  the  public  schools;  when  she 
introduced  them,  saying,  "  These  are 
my  jewels." 

(d)  THE  SLAVE  MOTHER 
CROSSING  THE  OHIO.— We  re- 
member, says  a  writer  in  the  True 
American,  the  story  of  a  cruel  master, 
who,  without  cause,  had  determined  to 
sever  a  slave  mother,  and  her  only 
child.  She  had  been  faithful  under  the 
very  worst  usage,  and  she  determined 
to  remain  so,  until  he  told  her,  that  on 
the  morrow,  her  child  must  be  borne  to 
New  Orleans  to  be  sold  there  in  the 
slave  mart.  It  was  mid-winter.  The 
earth  was  frosted  with  a  hard  crust,  yet 
at  midnight  she  started  for  the  Ohio, 
determined,  if  she  could,  to  live  and  die 
with  her  child.  She  reached  its  banks 
as  the  pursuers  rose  on  the  hill  beyond 
— no  boat  was  near — masses  of  broken 
ice  were  sluggishly  drifting  along — • 
what  was  she  to  do  ?  Trusting  to  hea- 
ven, she  put  her  feet  on  the  treacherous 
element,  and  with  it  bending  and  break- 
ing beneath  her,  (spectators  on  either 
side  expecting  to  see  her  and  her  child 
sink  at  every  moment,)  she  boldly 
pushed  on  from  cake  to  cake,  until  she 
landed  safely  on  the  Ohio  shore.  Five 
minutes  sooner  and  she  must  have 
perished — two  minutes  later  and  she 
would  have  met  with  a  watery  grave, 
for  before  she  had  proceeded  twenty 
steps  the  ice  behind  her,  close  on  the 
Kentucky  side,  had  broken  and  was 
scattered  ere  she  reached  the  mid  river. 
"  Thank  God  you  and  your  child  are 
safe,"  exclaimed  the  hard-hearted  mas- 
ter, as  he  saw  her  land,  rejoiced  that  he 
had  escaped  the  responsibility  of  their 
death.  "  Brave  woman,"  said  a  Ken- 
tuckian  who  had  wittnessed  her  escape 
and  met  her  at  the  landing,  "  you  have 
won  your  freedom  and  shall  have  it." 
The  mother  and  the  child  were  kept 
together,  and  liberty  and  love  is  now 
their  lot  in  their  humble  but  happy 
home.  Was  there  not  true  heroism 
here,  and  is  not  the  scene  worthy  the 
sweetest  song  of  poetry  or  the  holiest 
praise  of  man  ? 

(e)  "  THE  MOTHER'S  ROCK."— 
Humboldt,  in  his  celebrated  travels,  tells 
35 


11,12 


AFFECTION. 


us,  that  after  he  had  left  the  abodes  of 
civilization  far  behind,  in  the  wilds  of 
South  America,  he  found,  near  the  con- 
fluence of  the  Atabapo  and  Rio  Ternie 
rivers,  a  high  rock — called  the  "  Moth- 
er's Rock."  The  circumstances  which 
gave  this  remarkable  name  to  the  rock, 
were  these  : 

In  1799,  a  Roman  Catholic  Mission- 
ary led  his  half-civilized  Indians  out  on 
one  of  those  hostile  excursions,  which 
they  often  made  to  kidnap  slaves  for  the 
Christians.  They  found  a  Guahiba 
woman  in  a  solitary  hut,  with  three 
children — two  of  whom  were  infants. 
The  father,  with  the  older  children,  had 
gone  out  to  fish,  and  the  mother  in  vain 
tried  to  fly  with  her  babes.  She  was 
seized  by  these  man-hunters,  hurried 
into  a  boat,  and  carried  away  to  a  mis- 
sionary station  at  San  Fernando. 

She  was  now  far  from  her  home  ;  but 
she  had  left  children  there  who  had  gone 
with  their  father.  She  repeatedly  took 
her  three  babes  and  tried  to  escape,  but 
was  as  often  seized,  brought  back,  and 
most  unmercifully  beaten  with  whips. 
At  length  the  missionary  determined  to 
separate  this  mother  from  her  three 
children  ;  and  for  this  purpose,  sent  her 
in  a  boat  up  the  Atabapo  River,  to  the 
missions  of  the  Rio  Negro,  at  a  station 
called  Javita.  Seated  in  the  bow  of  the 
boat,  the  mother  knew  not  where  she  was 
going,  or  what  fate  awaited  her.  She 
was  bound  solitary  and  alone  in  the  bow 
of  the  long-boat ;  but  she  judged  from 
the  direction  of  the  sun,  that  she  was 
going  away  from  her  children.  By  a 
sudden  efibrt  she  broke  her  bonds,  plung- 
ed into  the  river,  swam  to  the  left  bank 
of  the  Atabapo,  and  landed  upon  a 
Rock. 

She  was  pursued,  and  at  evening  re- 
taken, and  brought  back  to  the  rock, 
where  she  was  scourged  till  her  blood 
reddened  the  rock, — calling  for  her 
children  !  and  the  rock  has  ever  since 
been  called,  "  The  Mother's  Rock  !" 
Her  hands  were  then  tied  upon  her  back, 
still  bleeding  from  the  manatee  thongs 
of  leather.  She  was  then  dragged  to 
the  mission  at  Javita,  and  thrown  into  a 
kind  of  stable.  The  night  was  pro- 
foundly dark,  and  it  was  in  the  midst  of 
the  rainy  season.     She  was  now   full 


seventy-five  miles  from  her  three  chil- 
dren in  a  straight  line.  Between  her 
and  them  lay  Ibrests  never  penetrated 
by  human  footsteps  ;  swamps  and  mo- 
rasses, and  rivers,  never  crossed  by 
man.  But  her  children  are  at  San  Fer- 
nando ; — and  what  can  quench  a  moth- 
er's love !  Though  her  arms  were 
wounded,  she  succeeded  in  biting  her 
bonds  with  her  teeth,  and  in  the  morn- 
ing she  was  not  to  be  found  !-  At  the 
fourth  rising  sun  she  had  passed 
through  the  forests,  swam  the  rivers, 
and  all  bleeding  and  worn  out,  was 
seen  hovering  round  the  little  cottage  in 
which  her  babes  were  sleeping ! 

She  was  seized  once  more  ;  and  before 
her  wounds  were  healed,  she  was  torn 
again  from  her  children,  and  sent  away 
to  the  missions  on  the  upper  Oroonoko 
River,  where  she  drooped,  and  shortly 
died,  refusing  all  kinds  of  nourishment 
— died  of  a  broken  heart  at  being  torn 
from  her  children  !  Such  is  the  history 
of  the  "  Mother's  Rock  !" 

This  fact  might  be  employed  to  show 
the  pernicious  tendency  of  slavery,  even 
when  engaged  in  by  those  who  profesa 
Christianity ;  but  it  is  cited  here  to 
show  the  strength  of  maternal  affection. 
Wherever  you  find  woman,  whether  ex- 
alted to  her  place  by  the  Gospel,  reduced 
to  a  mere  animal  by  Mohammedanism, 
or  sunk  still  lower  by  Paganism,  you 
find  this  same  unquenchable  love  for 
her  children  ! 


12.  Affection,  Paternal. 

{a)  THE  WARRIOR  PLAYING 
WITH  HIS  CHILDREN.— The  war- 
like  Agesilaus  was,  within  the  walls  of 
his  own  house,  one  of  the  most  tender 
and  playful  of  men.  He  used  to  join 
with  his  children  in  all  their  innocent 
gambols,  and  was  once  discovered  by  a 
friend  showing  them  how  to  ride  upon  a 
hobby-horse.  When  his  friend  express- 
ed some  surprise  at  beholding  the  great 
Agesilaus  so  employed.  Wait,"  said  the 
hero,  "  till  you  are  yourself  a  father, 
and  if  you  then  blame  me,  I  give  you 
liberty  to  proclaim  this  act  of  mine  to 
all  the  world." 

{h)  SOCRATES'  REPLY  TO 
ALCIBIADES. — Socrates    was    once 


BENEFITS  OF  AFFLICTION. 


12,13 


surprised  by  Alcibiades,  playing  with  his 
children.  The  gay  patrician  rather 
scoffed  at  him  for  joining  in  such  sports, 
to  which  the  philosopher  replied,  "  You 
have  not  such  reason  as  you  imagine  to 
laugh  so  at  a  father  playing  with  his 
child.  You  know  nothing  of  that  af- 
fection which  parents  have  to  their  chil- 
dren ;  restrain  your  mirth  till  you  have 
children  of  your  own,  when  you  will, 
perhaps,  be  found  as  ridiculous  as  I  now 
seem  to  you  to  be." 

(c)  THE  FATHER'S  DILEM- 
MA,— History  informs  us,  that  a  father 
went  to  the  agents  of  a  tyrant  to  en- 
deavor to  redeem  his  two  sons,  military 
men,  who,  with  some  other  captives  of 
war,  were  appointed  to  die.  He  offered 
as  a  ransom  to  surrender  his  own  life 
and  a  large  sum  of  money.  The  soldiers 
who  had  it  in  charge  to  put  them  to 
death,  informed  him  that  this  equivalent 
■would  be  accepted  for  one  of  his  sons, 
and  for  one  only,  because  they  should 
be  accountable  for  the  execution  of  two 
persons :  he  might  therefore  choose 
which  he  would  redeem.  Anxious  to 
save  even  one  of  them,  thus,  at  the  ex- 
pense of  his  own  life,  he  yet  was  utterly 
unable  to  decide  which  should  die,  and 


remained  in  the  agony  of  his  dilemma 
so  long,  that  his  sons  were  both  slain. 

(d)  FATHER,  WHIP  ME  BUT 
DON'T  CRY.— A  pious  father  had  de: 
voted  very  great  attention  to  the  mora? 
and  religious  education  of  his  son,  who 
had  maintained  an  unblemished  reputa- 
tion for  veracity  until  the  age  of  four- 
teen, when  he  was  detected  in  a  de- 
liberate falsehood.  The  father's  grief 
was  great,  and  he  determined  to  punish 
the  offender  severely.  He  made  the 
subject  one  of  prayer ;  for  it  was  too 
important,  in  his  esteem,  to  be  passed 
over  as  a  common  occurrence  of  the 
day.  He  then  called  his  son,  and  pre- 
pared to  inflict  the  punishment.  But 
the  fountain  of  the  father's  heart  was 
broken  up.  He  wept  aloud.  For  a 
moment  the  lad  seemed  confused.  He 
saw  the  struggle  between  love  and  jus- 
tice in  his  parent's  bosom,  and  broke 
out  with  all  his  usual  ingenuousness, 
'^  Father,  father,  whip  me  as  much  as 
you  please  ;  but  don't  cry."  The  point 
was  gained.  The  father  saw  that  the 
lad's  character  was  sensibly  affected  by 
this  incident.  H^  grew  up,  and  be- 
came one  of  the  most  distinguished 
Christians  of  America. 


AFFLICTION. 


U,  Benefits  of  Affliction. 

(a)  CECIL  AND  THE  BOOKSEL- 
LER.— Many  years  ago,  a  pious  and 
devoted  clergyman  entered  the  shop  of 
a  prosperous  London  bookseller,  with 
whom  he  was  on  terms  of  intimate  and 
Christian  friendship.  He  inquired  for 
his  friend,  and  when  told  that  he  was 
at  home,  but  particularly  engaged,  sent 
a  messenger  to  him  to  the  effect  that  he 
wanted  an  interview  with  him,  if  but 
for  a  few  minutes.  This  message  being 
delivered,  the  clergyman  was  invited  to 
walk  up  stairs,  into  the  bookseller's 
sitting  room.  He  entered  the  room, 
and  found  his  friend  sitting  by  his 
child's  cot.  The  child  was  dying,  but, 
with  affection  strong  in  death,  it  had 
clasped  its  father's  hand,  and  was  hold- 
ing it  with  a  convulsive  grasp. 


"  You  are  a  father,"  said  the  afflicted 
parent,  "  or  I  should  not  have  allowed 
you  to  witness  such  a  scene." 

^'  Thank  God,  thank  God,"  fervently 
exclaimed  the  minister,  as  he  instinc- 
tively comprehended  at  a  glance  the 
situation  of  his  friend:  "thank  God. 
He  has  not  forgotten  you  !  I  have  been 
much  troubled  on  your  account,  my 
dear  sir.  I  have  thought  much  about 
you  lately.  I  have  been  much  afraid 
for  you.  Things  have  gone  on  so  well 
with  you  for  so  long  a  time,  you  have 
been  so  prosperous,  that  I  have  been 
almost  afraid  that  God  had  forgotten 
you.  But  I  said  to  myself,  surely  God 
will  not  forsake  such  a  man  as  this ; 
will  not  suffer  him  to  go  on  in  prosperity, 
without  some  check,  some  reverse  ? 
And  I  see  he  has  not.  No ;  God  has 
not  forgotten  you." 
37 


13 


AFFLICTION. 


These  were  the  sentiments  of  Rich- 
ard Cecil  on  the  design  of  affliction ; 
and  his  friend,  Thomas  Williams,  thank- 
'fully  and  joyfully  responded  to  them. 
Within  three  weeks  of  his  death,  he 
related  the  incident,  as  it  is  related  here, 
and  the  feeling  of  his  heart  was,  "  He 
hath  done  all  things  well." 

(b)  MR.  DOD  AND  HIS  PERSE- 
CUTIONS.—While  the  eminent  Puri- 
tan minister,  Mr.  Dod,  resided  at  Han- 
well,  (Eng.)  he  was  the  subject  of  much 
persecution  and  sorrow.  Going  once 
to  see  his  relative,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Green- 
ham,  of  Diy-Dpiyton,  and  lamenting 
the  state  of  his  mind  to  him,  the  worthy 
minister  replied,  "  Son,  son,  when  afflic- 
tion lieth  heavy,  sin  lieth  light."  This 
saying  conveyed  great  comfort  to  Mr. 
Dod,  who  rejoiced  that  God  could  make 
affliction  the  means  of  his  sanctification  ; 
and  used  afterwards  to  say,  that,  "  sancti- 
fied afflictions  are  spiritual  promotions." 

(e)  NOW  HAVE  I  KEPT  THY 
WORD. — Sarah  Howard,  a  poor  old 
widow  who  had  been  bedridden  fourteen 
years,  when  visited  by  her  minister,  thus 
spoke  of  her  afflictions : — "  I  can  set  to 
my  seal,  that '  the  Lord  has  chastened  me 
sore,  but  he  hath  not  given  me  over  un- 
to death,'  Psalm  cxviii.  19.  I  have 
been  chastened  in  my  person,  and  am 
quite  helpless,  by  long  and  severe  ill- 
ness ;  I  have  been  chastened  in  my  cir- 
cumstances ever  since  I  was  left  a  wi- 
dow  ;  yes,  I  know  what  oppressing  a 
widow,  what  bad  debts,  and  hard  cre- 
ditors are :  I  have  been  chastened  in 
my  family,  by  a  son,  whom  I  was  do- 
tingly  fond  of,  running  away  and  going 
to  sea.  Besides  all  these,  1  have  been 
chastened  in  mind,  '  walking  in  dark- 
ness and  having  no  light :'  yet  after  all, 
I  trust  I  can  say  with  David,  '  Before  I 
was  afflicted  I  went  astray,  but  now  have 
I  kept  thy  word.'  And  I  hope  I  can 
say  that  I  am  now  returned  to  the  Shep- 
her(i  and  Bishop  of  souls,"  1  Pet,  ii.  25. 

(d)  SAVED  BY  A  DISEASED 
LIMB. — A  young  man,  who  had  been 
long  confined  with  a  diseased  limb,  and 
was  near  his  dissolution,  was  attended 
by  a  friend,  who  requested  that  the 
wound  might  be  uncovered.  When  this 
was  done,  "  There,"  said  the  young  man, 
"  there  it  is,  and  a  precious  treasure  it 
38 


has  been  to  me  ;  it  saved  me  from  the 
folly  and  vanity  of  youth  ;  it  made  me 
cleave  to  God  as  my  only  portion,  and 
to  eternal  glory  as  my  only  hope  :  and 
I  think  it  has  now  brought  me  very  near 
to  my  Father's  house." 

(d)  THE  SICK  CHRISTIAN  USE- 
FUL.— Ann  Meiglo,  a  poor  distressed 
woman  in  the  parish  of  Portmoak,  when 
visited  by  Mr.  Ebenezer  Erskine,  said 
to  him,  "  O,  sir,  I  am  just  lying  here  a 
poor  useless  creature."  "  Think  you  ?" 
said  he.  "  I  think,  sir,  what  is  true,  if  I 
were  away  to  heaven,  I  would  be  of 
some  use  to  glorify  God  without  sin." — 
"  Indeed,  Annie,"  said  Mr.  Erskine,  "  I 
think  you  are  glorifying  God  by  your 
resignation  and  submission  to  his  will, 
and  that  in  the  face  of  many  difficulties 
and  under  many  distresses.  In  heaven 
the  saints  have  no  burdens  to  groan  un- 
der ;  your  praises,  burdened  as  you  are, 
are  more  wonderful  to  me,  and  I  trust 
acceptable  to  God." 

if)  OWEN  ON  FORGIVENESS.— 
The  orign  of  Dr.  Owen's  great  practi- 
cal work  on  the  Forgiveness  of  Sin,  or 
Psalm  130,  was  related  by  the  doctor  in 
the  following  circumstances  : 

A  young  man,  who  afterwards  became 
a  minister,  being  under  serious  impres- 
sions, came  to  him  for  counsel.  In  the 
course  of  conversation  the  doctor  asked, 
"  Pray,  in  what  manner  do  you  think  to 
go  to  God  '?"  "  Through  the  Mediator, 
sir,"  said  the  young  man.  To  which  Dr. 
Owen  replied, "  That  is  easily  said  ;  but 
it  is  another  thing  to  go  to  God  through 
the  Mediator  ^than  what  many  who  use 
the  expression  are  aware  of.  I  myself 
preached  some  years  when  I  had  but 
very  little  if  any  experimental  acquaint- 
ance with  access  to  God  through  Christ, 
until  the  Lord  was  pleased  to  visit  me 
with  sore  affliction,  by  which  I  was 
brought  to  the  mouth  of  the  grave,  and 
under  which  my  soul  was  oppressed 
with  horror  and  darkness.  But  God 
graciously  relieved  my  spirit  by  a  pow- 
erful application  of  Psalm  cxxx.  4, 
'  There  is  forgiveness  with  thee  that 
thou  mayest  be  feared  ;'  from  whence  I 
received  special  instruction,  peace  and 
comfort  in  drawing  near  to  God  through 
the  Mediator,  and  I  preached  thereupon 
after  my  recovery." 


BENEFITS  OF  AFFLICTION. 


13 


None  who  seriously  and  prayerfully 
read  this  treatise  will  fail  to  discover 
the  grounds  and  the  appropriateness 
of  the  above  appeal  to  an  inquiring 
youth,  the  rich  sources  from  which  the 
author  has  drawn  divine  instruction, 
and  its  adaptation  to  the  wants  of  every 
perishing  soul. 

(g)  THE  STUDENT'S  SICK- 
NESS. — A  New  England  divine,  who 
was  preaching  on  the  benefit  derived 
from  affliction,  said  :  I  once  knew  a 
young  man,  who  was  a  student  in  one 
of  our  universities,  who,  by  reading  Dr. 
Combe's  works  and  others,  had  become 
very  skeptical  on  some  important  points 
— the  doctrine  of  prayer,  total  depravi- 
ty, regeneration,  and  the  special  influ- 
ences of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Though  he 
professed  religion  and  was  studying  for 
the  ministry,  he  had  lost  all  religious 
enjoyment,  and  was  fast  going  down  an 
inclined  plane  into  the  abyss  of  infidelity. 
During  a  vacation  in  midwinter,  he  was 
travellinfj  on  business  amonij  the  Ger- 
mans  in  the  interior  of  Pennsylvania, 
when  he  was  prostrated  on  his  bed  with 
a  dangerous  disease — hundreds  of  miles 
from  home,  "  a  stranger  in  a  strange 
land."  When  he  began  to  think  of  dy- 
ing, he  found  himself  all  unprepared. 
His  new  sentiments  hovered  like  dismal 
clouds  around  his  sick-bed,  that  not  a 
star  of  hope  shone  through.  There  was 
little  time  for  logic  then :  but  one  spe. 
cies  of  short-hand  logic  swept  away  his 
skeptical  notions  like  chafi.  He  rea- 
soned from  effect  to  cause.  "  Embrac- 
ing these  new  sentiments  has  evidently 
brought  my  mind  into  this  wretched  con- 
dition ;  and  as  the  fruit  is  bad,  the  tree 
must  be  bad  also.  '  He  that  followeth 
me,'  says  Christ,  '  shall  not  walk  in 
darkness;'  therefore,  as  I  am  walking 
in  darkness,  it  must  be  because  I  have 
been  led  astray  from  him.  These  new 
opinions  must,  therefore,  be  erroneous, 
and  I  will  renounce  them  forever,  em- 
brace, in  all  humility  and  simplicity, 
the  truths  of  the  Gospel,  as  I  embraced 
them  at  the  first."  Right  speedily  did 
he  put  his  resolve  into  action  ;  and  he 
soon  found  his  way  back  to  the  fold  of 
Christ,  to  the  Shepherd  and  Bishop  of 
souls.  He  recovered  from  his  sickness 
and  returned  honre,  rejoicing  to  tell  his 


friends  what  God  had  done  for  his  soul. 
And  that  young  man,  my  hearers,  is 
preaching  to  you  to-day  !  I  have  many 
blessings  for  which  to  thank  God,  for  He 
has  strown  my  way  with  the  gifts  of 
His  providence  ;  but  for  the  blessing  of 
that  afflicting  illness,  I  sometimes  feel 
as  if  I  ought  to  praise  and  thank  Him 
most.  And  if  I  am  ever  so  happy  as  to 
get  home  to  heaven,  I  know  I  shall  re- 
member that  affliction  with  gratitude 
still !  It  will  be  a  theme  on  which  I 
shall  love  to  linger,  one  which  shall 
prompt  many  anthems  of  my  rejoicing 
there. 

(h)  THE  BACKSLIDER  BE- 
REAVED AND  RESTORED.  — A 
young  lady,  who  belonged  to  a  church 
in  the  city  of  New-York,  married  a 
young  man  who  was  not  a  Christian. 
He  was  a  merchant,  engaged  in  a  lucra- 
tive business,  and  the  golden  stream  of 
wealth  flowed  in  upon  him  till  he  had 
amassed  a  large  fortune.  He  accord- 
ingly retired  from  business  and  went 
into  the  country.  He  purchased  a  splen- 
did residence  ;  fine  trees  waved  their 
luxuriant  foliage  around  it ;  here  was  a 
lake  filled  with  fish,  and  there  a  garden 
full  of  rare  shrubbery  and  flowers. 
Their  house  was  fashionably  and  ex- 
pensi\  ely  furnished  ;  and  they  seemed 
to  possess  all  of  earth  that  mortal  could 
desire.  Thus  prospered,  and  plied  with 
an  interchange  of  civilities  among  her 
gay  and  fashionable  neighbors,  the  piety 
of  the  lady  declined,  and  her  heart  be- 
came wedded  to  the  world.  And  it  is 
not  to  be  wondered  at,  that  her  three 
children,  as  they  grew  up,  imbibed  her 
spirit  and  copied  her  example. 

"  A  severe  disease,"  it  is  said,  "  de- 
mands a  severe  remedy,"  and  that  God 
soon  applied.  One  morning  intelligence 
came  that  her  little  son  had  fallen  into 
the  fish-lake  and  was  drowned.  The 
mother's  heart  was  pierced  with  the 
affliction,  and  she  wept  and  murmured 
against  the  providence  of  God.  Soon 
after,  her  only  daughter,  a  blooming  girl 
of  sixteen,  was  taken  sick  of  a  fever  and 
died.  It  seemed  then  as  if  the  mother's 
heart  would  have  broken.  But  this  new 
stroke  of  the  rod  of  a  chastening  Father 
seemed  but  to  increase  her  displeasure 
against  his  will. 

39 


13 


AFFLICTION. 


The  only  remaining  child,  her  oldest 
son,  who  had  come  home  from  college 
to  attend  his  sister's  funeral,  wont  out 
into  the  fields  soon  after,  for  the  purpose 
of  hunting.  In  getting  over  a  fence,  he 
put  his  gun  over  first  to  assist  himself 
in  springing  to  the  ground,  when  it  ac- 
cidentally discharged  itself  and  killed 


hh 


What  then  were  that  mother's 


feelings  ?  In  the  extravagance  of  her 
grief,  she  fell  down,  tore  her  hair,  and 
raved  like  a  maniac  against  the  provi- 
dence of  God.  The  father,  whose  grief 
was  already  almost  insupportable,  when 
he  looked  upon  the  shocking  spectacle 
and  heard  her  frenzied  ravings,  could 
endure  his  misery  no  longer.  The  iron 
entered  into  his  soul,  and  he  fell  a  speedy 
victim  to  his  accumulated  afflictions. 
From  the  wife  and  motlier  her  husband 
and  all  her  children  were  now  taken 
away.  Reason  returned,  and  she  was 
led  to  reflection.  She  saw  her  dreadful 
backslidings,  her  pride,  her  rebellion  ; 
and  she  wept  with  the  tears  of  a  deep 
tepentance.  Peace  was  restored  to  her 
soul.  Then  would  she  lift  her  hands  to 
heaven,  exclaiming,  "  1  thank  thee,  O 
Father  !  The  Lord  hath  given,  the 
Lord  hath  taken  away,  and  blessed  be 
the  name  of  the  Lord."  Thus  did  her 
afflictions  yield  the  peaceable  fruit  of 
righteousness,  and  her  heavenly  Father 
chasten  her,  "  not  for  His  pleasure,  but 
for  her  profit,  that  she  might  become 
partaker  of  His  holiness." 

(z)  SAVED  FROM  A  ROBBER 
BY  RAIN. — A  merchant  was  one  day 
returning  from  market.  He  was  on  | 
horseback,  and  behind  him  was  a  valise 
filled  with  money.  The  rain  fell  with 
violence,  and  the  good  old  man  was  wet 
to  his  skin.  At  this  he  was  vexed,  and 
murmured  because  God  had  given  him 
such  bad  weather  for  his  journey. 

He  soon  reached  the  borders  of  a 
thick  forest.  What  was  his  terror  on 
beholding  on  one  side  of  the  road  a 
robber,  with  levelled  gun,  aiming  at  him 
and  attempting  to  fire  !  But  the  powder 
being  wet  by  the  rain,  the  gun  did  not 
go  off,  and  the  merchant,  giving  spurs 
to  his  horse,  fortunately  had  time  to 
escape. 

As  soon  as  he  found  himself  safe,  he 
said  to  himself:  "How  wrong  was  I, 
40 


not  to  endure  the  rain  patiently  as  sent 
by  Providence.  If  the  weather  had 
been  dry  and  fliir,  I  should  not,  probably, 
have  been  alive  at  this  hour,  and  my 
little  children  would  have  expected  my 
return  in  vain.  The  rain  which  caused 
me  to  murmur,  came  at  a  fortunate  mo- 
ment, to  save  my  life  and  preserve  my 
property."  And  thus  it  is  with  a  mul- 
titude of  our  afflictions  ;  by  causing  us 
slight  and  short  sufferings,  they  preserve 
us  from  others  far  greater,  and  of  longer 
duration. 

( j)  A  CHAIN  OF  CALAMITIES. 
— A  Christian  whom  God  had  prospered 
in  his  outward  estate,  and  who  lived  in 
ease  and  plenty  on  his  farm,  suffered 
the  world  to  encroach  so  much  upon  his 
affections,  as  sensibly  to  diminish  the 
ardor  of  his  piety.  The  disease  was 
dangerous,  and  the  Lord  adopted  severe 
measures  for  its  cure.  First,  his  wife 
was  removed  by  death  ;  but  he  still  re- 
mained worldly-minded.  Then  a  be- 
loved son  ;  but,  although  the  remedy 
operated  favoralsly,  it  did  not  effect  a 
cure.  Then  his  crops  failed  and  his 
cattle  died ;  still  his  grasp  on  the  world 
was  not  unloosed.  Then.  God  touched 
his  person,  and  brought  on  him  a  lin- 
gering, fatal  disease  ;  the  world,  how- 
ever,  occupied  still  too  much  of  his 
thoughts.  His  house  finally  took  fire  ; 
and  as  he  was  carried  out  of  the  burn- 
ing building,  he  exclaimed  :  "  Blessed 
be  God,  I  am  cured  at  last."  He 
shortly  after  died  happy  in  the  antici- 
pation of  a  heavenly  inheritance. 

(k)  DIVINITY  TAUGHT  BY 
AFFLICTION.— A  minister  was  re- 
covering  of  a  dangerous  illness,  when 
one  of  his  friends  addressed  him  thus  : 
"Sir,  though  God  seems  to  be  bringing 
you  up  from  the  gates  of  death,  yet  it 
will  he  a  long  time  before  you  will  suf- 
ficiently retrieve  your  strength,  and  re- 
gain vigor  enough  of  mind  to  preach  as 
usual."  The  good  man  answered : — 
"  You  are  mistaken,  my  friend  ;  for  this 
six  weeks'  illness  has  taught  me  more 
divinity  than  all  my  past  studies  and  all 
my  ten  years'  ministry  put  together." 
(I)  EFFECT  OF  ILLNESS  ON 
DR.  CHANDLER.— It  used  to  be  said 
of  Dr.  Chandler,  that,  after  an  illness, 
he  always  preached  in  a  more  evangeli- 


GRATITUDE  FOR  AFFLICTION. 


13,14 


cal  strain  than  usual.  A  gentleman 
who  occasionally  heard  him  said  to  one 
of  his  constant  auditors :  "  Pray,  has 
not  the  doctor  been  ill  lately  V  "  Why 
do  you  think  so?"  "Because  the  ser- 
mon was  more  evangelical  than  he 
usually  preaches  when  he  is  in  full 
health." 

{?n)  GOD  MEANT  IT  FOR  GOOD. 
— A  few  years  since,  says  a  writer  in 
the  Pastor's  Journal,  I  was  engaged  in 
a  wholesale  mercantile  business  in  the 
city  of  New- York  ;  but  ill  health  and 
other  circumstances  compelled  me  to 
close  it  and  remove  to  the  country.  My 
young  men  were  most  of  them  from 
pious  families ;  some  were  warm-heart- 
ed Christians,  and  all  of  them  succeeded 
in  finding  eligible  situations  but  one. 
S.  was  my  youngest  clerk  ;  his  talents 
were  respectable  ;  his  conduct,  as  far 
as  I  could  judge,  was  irreproachable  ; 
but  my  best  efforts,  and  those  of  his 
friends,  could  not  secure  him  a  situation. 
After  months  spent  in  vain  endeavors  to 
find  an  opening  in  the  business  of  his 
choice,  and  a  year  occupied  on  a  foreign 
voyage  without  success,  he  returned  to 
the  country  and  engaged  reluctantly  in 
a  mechanical  business,  which  his  father 
followed,  near  the  place  where  I  had 
settled.  I  saw  him  but  seldom  ;  but 
when  I  met  him  as  his  friend,  I  was 
treated  with  marked  coldness.  I  was 
at  a  loss  to  account  for  it,  and  at  length 
demanded  an  explanation,  when  I  found 
the  whole  family  considered  me  culpa- 
hhj  to  blame  in  not  procuring  him  a 
situation  in  New-York,  after  I  had  no 
longer  occasion  for  his  services.  It  was 
indeed  a  mystery  even  to  myself,  that 
the  path  to  manhood  chosen  by  S.  and 
his  friends,  should  be  so  hedged  up  as 
to  compel  him  to  walk  in  another.  S. 
however  continued  his  mechanical  pur- 
suits, and,  in  the  providence  of  God,  was 
directed  to  the  neighborhood  of  a  pro- 
tracted meeting.  He  was  the  child  of 
many  prayers,  and  had  more  than  once 
lived  through  an  awakening  unchanged, 
though  not  unaffected.  He  was  now 
drawn,  by  an  impulse  he  could  not  re- 
sist, to  attend  this  meeting,  feeling  that 
it  might  be  .the  last  strivings  of  the 
Spirit.  With  trembling  he  took  his 
place  on  the  anxious  seat,  and,  over- 


whelmed with  emotion,  he  retired  from 
the  meeting  to  a  field,  where  he  gave 
himself  away  to  his  Savior,  and  the 
Spirit  spake  peace  to  his  soul.  It  was 
but  a  few  days  after  this  happy  event, 
S.  returned  to  our  village,  (where  his 
parents  still  reside,)  and  the  humble, 
meek,  and  gentle  air  which  his  manly 
countenance  had  assumed,  in  place  of 
the  haughty,  discontented  form,  was  ap- 
parent to  every  one.  I  was  confined  to 
my  house  by  indisposition,  and  was  de- 
lighted to  welcome  him  who  had  scarce- 
ly entered  my  dwelling  since  his  return 
from  the  city.  He  modestly  gave  me 
an  account  of  the  change  in  his  feelings 
and  happiness,  in  presence  of  some 
members  of  my  family,  and  solicited  a 
private  interview.  On  retiring  with 
him,  he  said  to  me,  with  tears  in  his 
eyes :  "  My  mind  has  been  sorely  troubled 
by  the  recollection  of  some  things  I  did 
in  your  store.  I  was  tempted  to  take 
sundry  small  articles,  for  my  own  use, 
without  your  knowledge  or  consent,  a- 
mouniing,  I  should  think,  to  jive  dollars, 
and  I  cannot  rest  until  I  have  paid  you 
for  them  f .'"  A  crowd  of  reflections 
rushed  into  my  mind.  I  felt  over- 
whelmed for  a  moment  with  a  sense  of 
the  goodness  of  God,  in  so  counteracting 
all  his  plans  as  to  save  him  from  the 
vortex  which  was  opening  before  him. 
He  had  begun  to  rob  his  employer,  and, 
as  the  progress  in  vice  is  rapid  down- 
ward, had  not  a  kind  Providence  inter- 
posed, S.  would,  in  all  probability,  have 
become,  ere  this,  a  tenant  of  the  state 
prison,  and  brought  down  the  gray  hairs 
of  his  parents  with  sorrow  to  the  grave. 
I  pointed  out  to  him,  as  I  trust,  faithfully 
and  profitably,  the  finger  of  God  in  his 
rescue,  and  encouraged  him  to  persevere 
unto  the  end.  It  is  now  nearly  two 
years  since  this  interview,  and  S.  has 
continued  to  give  evidence  of  the  since- 
rity of  the  change,  and  bids  fair  to  be- 
come an  ornament  to  society  and  a  pil- 
lar in  the  church  of  Christ. 


14.  Gratitude  for  Affliction. 

.a)    GRATITUDE      FOR     SLA- 
VERY.— In  the  Southern  section  of  the 
United  States,  an  African  slave,  whose 
name  was  Jenny,  was  observed  to  fail  in 
41 


14 


AFFLICTION. 


her  labor,  and  indications  of  some  dis- 
tress were  visible  in  her  countenance. 
She  was  asked  for  the  cause  ;  she  re- 
plied, "  Jenny's  heart  is  sick."  She 
was  sent  from  the  field,  to  the  house,  to 
obtain  relief;  but  none  was  gained. 
She  spent  her  days  in  silence  ;  only  say- 
ing, "Jenny's  heart  is  sick."  One  day 
she  met  her  mistress,  who  was  very 
anxious  for  her  case,  in  the  yard,  and 
cried  out,  "  O  mistress,  Jenny  is  going 
to  die,  and  be  lost.  Who  will  take 
care  of  Jenny's  baby  when  she  is  gone  ?" 
Such  waj;  her  distress  at  that  moment, 
that  she  sunk  under  its  weight  motion- 
less at  her  mistress's  feet,  who  had  her 
taken  kindly  to  her  house,  and  attended 
with  care.  Thus  she  continued  for 
some  days,  scarcely  able  to  walk.  But 
one  day,  having  got  a  short  distance  in- 
to a  forest,  she  there  cried  to  God  in  her 
distress,  and  God  graciously  heard  her 
mourning  voice,  and  poured  into  her 
sick  heart  the  balm  of  Gilead,  which 
gave  her  immediate  relief.  On  this 
occasion,  when  the  light  broke  in  on  her 
afflicted  soul,  and  the  pardoning  love  of 
God  in  Christ  was  seen  by  faith,  she 
said,  "  All  the  trees  around  cry,  Glory  ! 
and  all  the  angels  cry.  Glory  !  and  Jen- 
ny cry  Glory,  too  !"  She  now  said, 
when  Jenny  was  in  her  native  country, 
she  had  no  God,  she  knew  no  God  !  But 
in  America,  Jenny  has  learned  there  is 
a  God,  and  that  he  is  hers.  In  Africa, 
Jenny  had  no  Jesus,  she  had  no  one  to 
tell  her  of  Jesus.  But  she  thanks  God 
that  she  was  ever  brought  to  America 
to  hear  of  a  Savior.  In  Africa,  Jenny 
was  ignorant  of  sin,  and  the  wrath  of 
God ;  but  in  this  favored  land  she  has 
been  made  acquainted  with  her  sinful 
and  dangerous  state,  and  the  way  of 
salvation  through  a  precious  Redeemer. 
Now  Jenny  lived,  and  sung,  and  looked 
forward  to  the  hope  of  glory,  as  the  end 
of  sorrows,  and  certain  reward  of  all 
who,  through  faith  and  patience,  wait 
for  the  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  unto 
eternal  life.  Happy  affliction  !  Blessed 
African  ! 

(h)  BLINDNESS  A  BLESSING.— 
Mary  had  learned  to  read,  and  at  an 
early  age  took  great  delight  in  her  Bi- 
ble ;  but  before  she  was  eighteen  years 
old,  her  sight  began  to  fail  her,  and  in  a 
42 


very  short  time  she  became  totally  blind. 
This,  it  will  be  thought,  must  have  been 
a  severe  trial,  at  such  an  age,  under  any 
circumstances,  but  more  especially  to 
one  who  had  always  derived  her  chief 
pleasure  and  enjoyment  from  her  little 
stock  of  books.  Mary,  however,  had 
learned  from  her  Bible,  that  "  God  doth 
not  afflict  willingly,  nor  grieve  the  chil- 
dren of  men  ;"  and  she  felt  assured  that 
he  would,  in  some  way  or  other,  make 
this  affliction  tend  to  her  eternal  good. 
"  Many  people  pity  me,"  she  said  one 
day,  to  a  lady  who  was  talking  with  her, 
"  and  say,  it  is  hard  to  be  blind  ;  but  I 
don't  think  it  at  all  hard.  Perhaps,  if 
I  had  not  lost  my  sight,  I  should  have 
grown  proud.  I  was  very  fond  of  read- 
ing, and  I  should  perhaps  have  thought 
too  much  of  knowledge  ;  I  might  have 
been  puffed  up,  and  therefore  the  temp- 
tation was  mercifully  taken  from  me. 
The  Lord  knew  that  I  needed  some 
trial,  and  he  chose  this  for  me.  I  am 
glad  he  did,  for  I  should  not  have  known 
what  to  have  chosen  for  myself;  I  am 
sure  I  should  not  have  chosen  this. 
What,  be  blind  !  No ;  for  then  I  should 
not  be  able  to  read,  or  to  go  about.  1 
should  not  have  chosen  any  thing  that 
was  painful.  I  sometimes  think,"  she 
continued,  "  how  many  trials  this  keeps 
me  from,  which  I  should  not  have  known 
how  to  bear !" 

(c)  THANKFUL  FOR  BLIND- 
NESS. — A  blind  boy,  who  belonged  to 
the  Institution  in  Dublin,  when  dying, 
assured  a  correspondent  of  the  Tract 
Magazine  that  he  considered  it  as  one 
of  the  greatest  mercies  of  Heaven  that 
he  had  been  deprived  of  his  sight ;  be- 
cause this  was  the  means  the  Lord  em- 
ployed to  bring  him  under  the  sound  of 
the  gospel,  which  was  now  the  joy  and 
rejoicing  of  his  soul.  So  much  wisdom 
and  truth  is  there  in  the  beautiful  lan- 
guage of  the  poet : — 

"  Good,  when  he  gives,  supremely  good. 
Nor  less  when  he  denies  ; 
E'en  crosses,  from  his  sovereign  hand. 
Are  blessings  in  disguise." 

(d)  MARTIN  LUTHER'S  WILL. 

— In  the  last  will  and  testament  of  this 
eminent  reformer  occurs  the  following 
remarkable  passage  : — "  Lord  God,  1 
thank  thee,  that  thou  hast  been  pleased  to 


CONVERSION  OF  THE  AGED. 


14,  15 


make  me  a  'poor  and  indigent  man  upon 
earth.  I  have  neither  house,  nor  land, 
nor  money,  to  leave  behind  me.  Thou 
hast  given  me  wife  and  children,  whom 
I  now  restore  to  thee.  Lord,  nourish, 
teach,  and  preserve  them,  as  thou  hast 
me." 

{e)  A  TOKEN  OF  GOD'S  FA- 
VOR.— Mr.  Newton  had  a  very  happy 
talent  of  administering  reproof.  Hear- 
ing that  a  person,  in  whose  welfare  he 
was  greatly  interested,  had  met  with 
peculiar  success  in  business,  and  was 
deeply  immersed  in  worldly  engage- 
ments, the  first  time  he  caUed  on  him, 
which  was  usually  once  a  month,  he 
took  him  by  the  hand,  and  drawing  him 
on  one  side,  into  the  counting-house,  told 
him  his  apprehensions  of  his  spiritual 
welfare.  His  friend,  without  making 
any  reply,  called  down  his  partner  in 
life,  who  came  with  her  eyes  suffused 
with  tears,  and  unable  to  speak.  In- 
quiring the  cause,  he  was  told  she  had 
just  been  sent  for  to  oneof  her  children, 
that  was  out  at  nurse,  and  supposed  to 
be  in  dying  circumstances.  Clasping 
her  hands  immediately  in  his,  Mr.  N. 
cried,  "  God  be  thanked,  he  has  not  for- 
saken you  !  1  do  not  wish  your  babe  to 
suffer,  but  I  am  happy  to  find  he  gives 
you  this  token  of  his  favor." 

if)  KISSING  THE^  OPPRES- 
SOR'S  HANDS.— It  is  related  of  one, 
who,  under  great  severity,  had  fled 
from  the  worst  of  masters  to  the  best, 
{I  mean  he  had  sought  rest  in  the  bosom 
of  Jesus  Christ,  the  common  friend  of 


the  weary  and  the  heavy  laden,)  that 
he  was  so  impressed  with  a  sense  of  the 
benefit  he  had  derive-d  from  his  afflic- 
tions, that  lying  on  his  death-bed  and 
seeing  his  master  stand  by,  he  eagerly 
caught  the  hands  of  his  oppressor,  and 
kissing  them,  said,  "  These  hands  have 
brought  me  to  heaven."  Thus  many 
have  had  reason  to  bless  God  for  afflic- 
tions, as  being  the  instruments  in  his 
hands  of  promoting  the  v/elfare  of  their 
immortal  souls. 

(g)  THE  ROAD  TO  HEAVEN.— 
Mr.  Benn,  of  Highgate,  had  long  been 
the  subject  of  a  severe  affliction,  which 
at  length  terminated  his  valuable  life, 
before  he  had,  to  human  appearance, 
reached  its  meridian.  The  evening  be- 
fore his  departure,  he  desired  all  his 
children  to  come  into  his  chamber  ;  and, 
placing  them  around  his  dying  bed,  thus 
addressed  them  :  "  You  all  know  that  I 
am  soon  going  to  be  removed  from  this 
world  to  a  better  ;  and  I  trust  that  you 
'are  walking  the  same  road,  and  will 
soon  follow  me." 

To  his  eldest  son  he  observed,  "  When 
you  go  into  the  world,  and  are  exposed 
to  persons  who,  perhaps,  will  ridicule 
the  Savior's  name  and  the  Bible,  do 
not  listen  to  them.  Seek  that  society 
which  will  help  you  to  practise  your 
Bible ;  this  book  will  provide  comfort 
for  you  when  friends  forsake  you. — 
Every  other  comfort  in  this  world  has 
its  drawback,  and  is  transitory.  When 
you  are  in  pain  or  suffering,  write  upon 
it,  '  The  road  to  Heaven.'  " 


AGED,  THE. 


15.  Conversion  of  the  Aged. 

{a)    THE  YOUNG  CONVERT 
AND  HIS  AGED  MOTHER.— At  a 

village,  in  the  Hastings  circuit,  (says 
the  Wesleyan  Methodist  Magazine,) 
where  the  Gospel  was  introduced  by 
the  Methodist  preachers,  a  poor  laboring 
man  was  induced  to  hear  the  Gospel. 
By  the  blessing  of  God  it  proved  effec- 
tual to  his  salvation.  Having  felt  the 
power  of  divine  grace  himself,  he  was 
anxiously   concerned  for  the   spiritual 


welfare  of  others.  One  of  the  first  ob- 
jects of  his  solicitude,  was  his  mother. 
She  was  upwards  of  ninety  years  of 
age ;  deaf,  dim-sighted,  and  very  in- 
firm ;  totally  in  the  dark  as  to  the  nature 
of  true  religion,  and  altogether  uncon- 
cerned about  her  best  interests.  The 
preaching  was  removed  to  her  son's 
cottage,  which  was  situated  about  a  mile 
from  his  mother's  residence  ;  he  wished 
to  bring  her  under  the  sound  of  the 
Gospel ;  but  her  infirmities,  and  his 
poverty,  presented  considerable  difficul- 
43 


15,  16 


AGED— REVERENCE  FOR  THE. 


ties.  Slie  could  not  walk  ; — he  had  no 
conveyance,  and  could  not  afford  to  hire 
one.  His  intense  desire  for  her  salva- 
tion, however,  surmounted  all  hindran- 
ces. He  borrowed  a  cart ;  put  himself 
in  the  place  of  a  horse  ;  and  regularly 
drew  her  to  his  house  on  the  Sabbath 
morning,  and  back  again  to  her  home 
in  the  evening,  when  the  weather  would 
permit.  Being  thus  brought  to  hear 
the  word  of  reconciliation,  divine  light 
shone  into  her  mind;  her  conscience 
was  awakened,  after  a  slumber  of  ninety 
years ;  and  she  began  to  "  call  upon 
the  name  of  the  Lord."  The  God  of 
all  grace  hearkened  to  her  cry ;  lifted 
upon  her  the  light  of  his  countenance  ; 
and  made  her  happy  in  the  enjoyment 
of  his  salvation.  It  is  a  singular  fact, 
that  the  great  change  wrought  in  her 
mind  was  the  occasion  of  producing 
such  a  change  in  her  appearance,  that 
she  looked  several  years  younger  than 
she  did  a  few  months  before. 

{b)  CONVERTED  AT  FOUR- 
SCORE.— The  son  of  a  wealthy  gra- 
zier, in  Rutlandshire,  England,  was 
providentially  led  to  a  place  of  worship, 
where  he  was  deeply  and  savingly  im- 
pressed with  the  love  of  God.  After- 
wards he  became  a  frequent  attendant, 
though  living  at  the  distance  of  twenty 
miles.  The  old  man,  his  father,  just 
then  fourscore,  perceived  the  change 
which  had  taken  place  in  his  son,  who, 
on  inquiry,  told  him  all  the  circumstan- 
ces, and  the  signal  blessings  which  had 
attended  the  preaching  he  had  heard. 
"  Son,"  said  the  old  man,  "  I  wish  I 
could  hear  the  man  myself;  do  you 
think  I  can  ride  as  far '?"  "  Father," 
said  he,  "  if  you  will  go  to  cousin  W.'s 
over-night,  I  think  you  could."  The 
horses  were  saddled,  and  off  went  father 
and  son  on  Saturday  night.  On  Sunday 
they  both  went  to  church,  and  the  Lord 
blessed  the  very  first  discourse  to  the 
old  man's  heart,  and  from  that  day  he 
began  to  confess  Jesus  Christ  as  his 
strength  and  Redeemer.  During  two 
summers  he  attended  at  the  same  place 
of  worship  ;  but  infirmities  confining 
him  to  his  bed,  he  requested  the  clergy- 
man to  visit  him  at  his  own  house, 
where  he  found  him  with  tears  running 
down  his  cheeks,  whilst  he  spoke  of  the 
44 


hardness  of  his  heart,  though  it  seemej 
tender  as  that  of  a  little  child.  "  Mr. 
C,"  said  the  minister,  "  how  old  are 
you  ?"  "  Little  more,"  said  he,  "  than 
two  years  old ;  for  I  can  only  reckon 
my  life  from  the  time  I  knew  the  Lord 
Jesus ;  the  fourscore  years  before  were 
but  a  life  of  death."  At  eighty-four  he 
departed,  full  of  faith  and  hope,  and  en- 
tered, at  the  eleventh  hour,  into  the  joy 
of  his  Lord. 

(c)  CONVERSION  OF  THE 
AGED  RARE. — In  a  sermon  to  young 
men,  delivered  at  the  request  of  the 
Philadelphia  Institute,  Dr.  Bedell  said  : 
"  I  have  now  been  nearly  twenty  years 
in  the  ministry  of  the  gospel,  and  I  here 
publicly  state  to  you,  that  I  do  not  be- 
lieve I  could  enumerate  three  persons, 
over  fifty  years  of  age,  whom  I  have 
ever  heard  ask  the  solemn  and  eternally 
momentous  question,  '  What  shall  I  do 
to  be  saved?'" 


16.  Reverence  for  the  Aged. 

(a)  THE  CHILD'S  INQUIRY.— 
A  certain  farmer  in  Connecticut,  pos- 
sessing a  small  estate,  was  persuaded 
by  his  only  son,  (who  was  married  and 
lived  with  his  father,)  to  give  him  a 
deed  of  the  propert}'.  It  was  according- 
ly executed.  Soon  the  father  began  to 
find  himself  neglected  ;  next  removed 
from  the  common  table,  to  a  block  in 
the  chimney  corner,  to  take  the  morsel 
of  food  reluctantly  given  him.  At  last 
the  unnatural  son  resolved  one  day,  to 
try  to  break  the  afflicted  heart  of  his 
sire.  He  procured  a  block  and  began 
to  hollow  it.  While  at  work,  he  was 
questioned  by  one  of  his  own  children, 
what  he  was  doino;.  "  I  am  makinfj  a 
trough  for  your  grandfather  to  eat  out 
of,"  was  the  reply.  "Ah,"  says  the 
child,  "  and  when  you  are  as  old  as 
grandfather,  shall  I  have  to  make  a 
trough  for  you  to  eat  out  of?"  The  in- 
strument he  was  using  fell  from  his 
hand.  The  block  was  cast  on  the  fire  ; 
the  old  man's  forgiveness  asked,  and  he 
was  restored  to  the  situation  to  which 
his  age  and  worth  entitled  him. 

{h)  THE  OLD  WOMAN'S  BLESS- 
ING. — A  gentleman  was  once  passing 
through  a  village,  and  happened  to  see 


AGENTS  OF  BENEVOLENT  SOCIETIES. 


16,  IT 


a  poor,  feeble  old  woman  let  her  stick 
fall,  and  stand  a  moment  in  perplexity, 
not  knowing  whether  she  dared  to  stoop 
to  pick  it  up  or  attempt  to  reach  her 
home  without  it.  Just  by  the  spot  where 
the  accident  happened,  a  group  of  boys 
were  playing  at  marbles;  some  of  them 
took  no  notice,  others  rudely  marked 
the  poor  old  woman's  distress ;  but  one 
kind-hearted  lad  threw  down  his  mar- 
bles, ran  to  her  assistance,  and  helped 
her  into  her  house.  She  thanked  him, 
and  said,  "  God  Almighty's  blessing  be 
upon  you,  for  your  kindness  to  a  poor 
old  woman  !"  The  gentleman  saw  and 
heard  the  whole,  and  made  inquiry 
after  the  lad,  in  whom  he  felt  deeply 
interested.  He  found  that  he  was  al- 
ready in  the  Sunday  school,  and,  in  all 
probability,  had  there  learnt  the  Scrip- 
tures, that  inculcate  reverence  to  the 
aged.  From  that  time  he  had  him  in- 
structed in  writing  and  accounts  at  an 
evening  school ;  when  old  enough,  he 
assisted  in  apprenticing  him,  and  in 
course  of  time  had  the  satisfaction  of 
seeing  him  a  respectable  and  flourishing 
tradesman. 

(c)  THE  UNKIND  SON  REBUK- 
ED.— There  was  once  a  man  who  had 
an  only  son,  to  whom  he  was  very  kind, 
and  gave  every  thing  that  he  had. 
When  his  son  grew  up  and  got  a  house, 
he  was  very  unkind  to  his  poor  old  fa- 
ther, whom  he  refused  to  support,  and 
turned  out  of  the  house.  The  old  man 
said  to  his  grandson,  "  Go  and  fetch  the 
covering  from  my  bed,  that  I  may  go 
and  sit  by  the  way-side  and  beg."  The 
child  burst  into  tears,  and  ran  for  the 
covering.     He  met  his  father,  to  whom 


he  said,  "  I  am  going  to  fetch  the  rug 
from  my  grandfather's  bed,  that  he  may 
wrap  it  round  him  and  go  a-begging  !" 
Tommy  went  for  the  rug,  and  brought 
it  to  his  father,  and  said  to  him,  "  Pray, 
father,  cut  it  in  two,  the  half  of  it  will 
be  large  enough  for  grandfather,  and 
perhaps  you  may  want  the  other  half 
when  I  grow  a  man  and  turn  you  out 
of  doors."  The  words  of  the  child 
struck  him  so  forcibly,  that  he  imme- 
diately ran  to  his  father,  and  asked 
forgiveness,  and  was  very  kind  to  him 
till  he  died. 

{d)  THE  RUSSIAN  PRINCESS.— 
A  Russian  princess  of  great  beauty,  in 
company  with  her  father,  and  a  young 
French  marquis,  visited  a  celebrated 
Swiss  doctor  of  the  eighteenth  century, 
Michael  Scuppack ;  when  the  marquis 
began  to  pass  one  of  his  jokes  upon  the 
long  white  beard  of  one  of  the  doctor's 
neighbors  who  was  present.  He  offered 
to  bet  twelve  louis  d'ors  that  no  lady 
present  would  dare  to  kiss  the  dirty  old 
fellow  !  The  Russian  princess  ordered 
her  attendant  to  bring  a  plate,  and  de- 
posited twelve  louis  d'ors,  and  sent  it  to 
the  marquis,  who  was  too  polite  to  de- 
cline his  stake. 

The  fair  Russian  then  approached 
the  peasant,  saying,  "  Permit  me,  vene- 
rable father,  to  salute  you  after  the 
manner  of  my  country,"  and  embracing, 
gave  him  a  kiss.  She  then  presented 
him  the  gold  which  was  on  the  plate, 
saying,  "  Take  this  as  a  remembrance 
of  me,  and  as  a  sign  that  the  Russian 
girls  think  it  their  duty  to  honor  old 
age." 


17.  AGENTS  OF  BENEVOLENT  SOCIETIES, 


(a)  THE  SCOFFER  CONFOUND. 
ED.  —  When  the  late  Rev.  Joseph 
Hughes,  A.  M.,  was  once  travelling  in 
the  service  of  the  Bible  Society,  he 
found  by  his  side,  upon  the  coach,  a 
grave  and  respectable  looking  person. 
In  conversing  on  topics  of  general  atten- 
tion, they  soon  came  to  the  Bible  Socie- 
ty. His  companion  launched  forth,  in 
vituperative  terms,  on  its  Utopian  char- 


acter, and  especially  on  its  lavish  ex- 
penditure ;  noticing,  in  a  marked  way, 
the  needless  and  extravagant  travelling 
expenses  of  its  vaunted  secretaries,  aa 
well  as  their  enormous  salaries.  No 
one,  from  Mr.  Hughes's  countenance 
and  manner,  could  have  conjectured 
that  he  was  a  party  concerned.  "But 
what,"  he  mildly  expostulated,  "  would 
be  your  conclusion,  were  you  informed 
45 


17,  18 


AMBITION. 


that  their  services  were  gratuitous  ;  and 
that,  w  ith  a  view  of  curtailing  as  much 
as  possible  the  expense  of  travelling, 
they  usually,  even  in  very  inclement 
seasons,  fix  on  the  outside,  as,"  he  ad- 
ded, "  one  of  them  is  now  doing  before 
your  eyes  ?"  Need  it  be  added,  that 
both  the  fact  and  the  tone  in  which  it 
was  announced,  with  the  friendly  con- 
versation that  ensued,  converted  an  ene- 
my into  a  friend  ? 

(b)  ROBERT  HALL  AS  AN  A- 
GENT.— The  late  Rev.  Robert  Hall 
of  Bristol  was  much  grieved  with  the 
want  of  economy  in  managing  the  fi- 
nances of  some  of  our  public  institutions. 
*'  When  you  consider,  sir,"  said  he, 
"  the  sources  from  which  these  monies 


are  derived,  and  the  objects  to  which 
they  are  intended  to  be  appropriated, 
there  ought  to  be  no  improvident  expen- 
diture of  any  kind.  I  know  Mr.  — 
who  is  employed  in  travelling  and  col- 
lecting for  the  Bible  Society ;  he  puts 
up  at  the  principal  inn  in  the  place 
where  he  happens  to  visit,  and  rather 
than  exert  himself  to  rise  early  and 
travel  in  the  stage  coach,  I  have  heard 
that  he  takes  a  post-chaise  at  the  expense 
of  the  society.  These  things  ought 
not  to  be  countenanced.  1  invariably 
endeavor  to  travel  on  such  occasions, 
sir,  outside  of  the  coach,  and  when, 
from  indisposition,  I  am  compelled  to 
hire  a  post-chaise,  I  pay  the  extra  ex- 
pense out  of  my  own  pocket." 


18.  AMBITION. 


(a)  THE  WRESTLER'S  RE- 
FLECTION.—Philip,  king  of  Mace- 
don,  as  he  was  wrestling  at  the  Olympic 
games,  fell  down  in  the  sand ;  and  when 
he  rose  again,  observing  the  print  of  his 
body  in  the  sand,  cried  out,  "  O  how 
little  a  parcel  of  earth  will  hold  us, 
when  we  are  dead,  who  are  ambitiously 
seeking  after  the  whole  world  whilst  we 
are  living !" 

(b)  PYRRHUS  AND  THE  PHILO- 
SOPHER.—When  Pyrrhus,  king  of 
Epirus,  was  making  great  preparations 
for  his  intended  expedition  into  Italy, 
Cineas,  the  philosopher,  took  a  favorable 
opportunity  of  addressing  him  thus  : — 
"  The  Romans,  sir,  are  reported  to  be  a 
warlike  and  victorious  people ;  but  if 
God  permit  us  to  overcome  them,  what 
use  shall  we  make  of  the  victory  ?" 
"  Thou  askest,"  said  Pyrrhus,  "  a  thing 
that  is  self-evident.  The  Romans  once 
conquered,  no  city  will  resist  us ;  we 
shall  then  be  masters  of  all  Italy." 
Cineas  added,  "And  having  subdued 
Italy,  what  shall  we  do  next  ?"  Pyrrhus, 
not  yet  aware  of  his  intentioas,  replied, 
"  Sicily  next  stretches  out  her  arms  to 
receive  us."  "  That  is  very  probable," 
said  Cineas,  "  but  will  the  possession  of 
Sicily  put  an  end  to  the  war  ?"  "God 
grant  us  success  in  that,"  answered 
Pyrrhus,    "and  we  shall   make  these 

46 


only  the  forerunners  of  greater  things  , 
for  then  Lybia  and  Carthage  will  soon 
be  ours  :  and  these  things  being  com- 
pleted, none  of  our  enemies  can  offer 
any  farther  resistance."  "  Very  true," 
added  Cineas,  "  for  then  we  may  easily 
regain  Macedon,  and  make  an  absolute 
conquest  of  Greece;  and,  when  all  these 
are  in  our  possession,  what  shall  we  do 
then  ?"  Pyrrhus,  smiling,  answered, 
"  Why  then,  my  dear  friend,  we  will 
live  at  our  ease,  drink  all  day  long,  and 
amuse  ourselves  with  cheerful  conver- 
sation." "  Well,  sir,"  said  Cineas, 
"  and  why  may  we  not  do  all  this  now, 
and  without  the  labor  and  hazard  of  an 
enterprise  so  laborious  and  uncertain?'* 
Pyrrhus,  however,  unwilling  to  take  the 
advice  of  the  philosopher,  ardently  en- 
gaged in  these  ambitious  pursuits,  and 
at  last  perished  in  them. 

(c)  HIGH  HOPES  OF  BONA- 
PARTE.— Bonaparte,  referring  to  the 
siege  of  Acre,  says :  "  I  see  that  this 
paltry  town  has  cost  me  many  men,  and 
occupies  much  time ;  but  things  have 
gone  too  far  not  to  risk  a  last  effort.  If 
we  succeed,  it  is  to  be  hoped  we  shall 
find  in  that  place  the  treasures  of  the  pa- 
sha, and  arms  for  three  hundred  thousand 
men.  I  will  raise  and  arm  the  whole 
of  Syria,  which  is  already  greatly  exas- 
perated by  the  cruelty  of  Djezzar,  for 


AMBITION. 


IS 


whose  fall  you  have  seen  the  people 
supplicate  Heaven  at  every  assault.  I 
advance  upon  Damascus  and  Aleppo  ; 
I  recruit  my  army  by  marching  into 
every  country  where  discontent  pre- 
vails ;  I  announce  to  the  people  the 
abolition  of  slavery,  and  of  the  tyranni- 
cal government  of  the  pashas  ;  I  arrive 
at  Constantinople  with  armed  masses  ;  I 
overturn  the  dominion  of  the  Mussul- 
man ;  I  found  in  the  East  a  new  and 
mighty  empire,  which  shall  fix  my  po- 
sition with  posterity ;  and  perhaps  I 
return  to  Paris  by  Adrianople  or  Vien- 
na, having  annihilated  the  house  of 
Austria."  What  a  wide  difference  be- 
tween what  he  then  anticipated  and 
what  he  subsequently  experienced  ! 

{d)  NAPOLEON  AND  THE  PEA- 
SANT  BOY.— When  Napoleon  re- 
turned to  his  palace,  immediately  after 
his  defeat  at  Waterloo,  he  continued 
many  hours  without  taking  any  refresh- 
ment. One  of  the  grooms  of  the  cham- 
ber ventured  to  serve  up  some  coffee,  in 
his  cabinet,  by  the  hands  of  a  child, 
whom  Napoleon  had  occasionally  dis- 
tinguished by  his  notice.  The  emperor 
sat  motionless,  with  his  hands  spread 
over  his  eyes.  The  page  stood  pa- 
tiently before  him,  gazing  with  infantine 
curiosity  on  an  image  which  presented 
so  strong  a  contrast  to  his  own  figure  of 
simplicity  and  peace ;  at  last  the  little 
attendant  presented  his  tray,  exclaiming, 
in  the  familiarity  of  an  age  which  knows 
so  little  distinctions,  "  Eat,  sire  ;  it  will 
do  you  good."  The  emperor  looked  at 
him,  and  asked,  "  Do  you  not  belong  to 
Gonesse  ?"  (a  village  near  Paris.) 

"  No,  sire,  I  come  from  Pierrefite." 

"  Where  your  parents  have  a  cottage 
and  some  acres  of  land  ?" 

"  Yes,  sire."  "  There  is  happiness," 
replied  the  man  who  was  still  the  em- 
peror of  France  and  king  of  Italy. 

(e)  NAPOLEON  'AND  THE 
CHURCH  CLOCK.— It  is  said  of  Na- 
poleon  Bonaparte,  that  at  that  period 
of  his  life,  when  the  consequences  of 
his  infatuated  conduct  had  fully  de- 
veloped themselves  in  unforeseen  re- 
verses, being  driven  to  the  necessity  of 
defending  himself  within  his  own  king- 
dom v/ith  the  shattered  remnant  of  his 
army,  he  had  taken  up  a  position  at 


Brienne,  the  very  spot  where  he  had 
received  the  rudiments  of  his  education ; 
when,  unexpectedly,  and  while  he  was 
anxiously  employed  in  a  practical  appli- 
cation of  those  military  principles  which 
first  exercised  the  energies  of  his  young 
mind  in  the  college  of  Brienne,  his  at- 
tention was  arrested  by  the  sound  of  the 
church  clock.  The  pomp  of  his  impe- 
rial court,  and  even  the  glories  of  Ma- 
rengo and  of  Austerlitz,  faded  for  a 
moment  from  his  regard,  and  almost 
from  his  recollection.  Fixed  for  a  while 
to  the  spot  on  which  he  stood,  in  motion- 
less attention  to  the  well-known  sound, 
he  at  length  gave  utterance  to  his  feel- 
ings ;  and  condemned  the  tenor  of  all 
his  subsequent  life,  by  confessing  that 
the  hours,  then  brought  back  to  his  re- 
collection, were  happier  than  any  he 
had  experienced  throughout  the  whole 
course  of  his  tempestuous  career. 

(/)  THE  ACCUSER'S  FALL.— 
One  of  Artaxerxes'  favorites,  ambitious 
of  getting  a  place  possessed  by  one  of 
the  king's  best  officers,  endeavored  to 
make  the  king  suspect  that  officer's  fi- 
delity ;  and  to  that  end,  sent  information 
to  court  full  of  calumnies  against  him, 
persuading  himself  that  the  king,  from 
the  great  credit  he  had  with  his  majes- 
ty, would  believe  the  thing  upon  his 
bare  word,  without  further  examination. 
Such  is  the  general  character  of  calum- 
niators. The  oflicer  was  imprisoned  ; 
but  he  desired  of  the  king  before  he 
was  condemned,  that  his  cause  might 
be  heard,  and  his  accusers  ordered  to 
produce  their  evidence  against  him. 
The  king  did  so ;  and  as  there  was  no 
proof  of  his  guilt  but  the  letters  which 
his  enemy  had  written  against  him,  he 
was  cleared,  and  his  innocence  fully 
confirmed  by  the  three  commissioners 
who  sat  upon  his  trial.  All  the  king's 
indignation  fell  upon  the  perfidious  ac- 
cuser, who  had  thus  attempted  to  abuse 
the  confidence  and  favor  of  his  royal 
master. 

{^)  A  YOUNG  LAWYER'S  EX- 
PERIENCE.—A  correspondent  of  the 
New- York  Evangelist,  says :  I  was  ac- 
quainted with  a  young  man  who  knew 
what  ambition  is  in  all  its  madness.  He 
sought  to  be  great,  and  he  sought  for 
nothing  else.  For  years  he  thought  and 
47 


IS 


AMBITION. 


felt  and  dreamed  about  nothing  else. 
For  that  he  labored  and  'prayed :  yes, 
though  an  infidel,  he  believed  in  the  ex- 
istence of  a  God,  and  he  used  to  pray  to 
him  that  he  would  grant  him  the  object  of 
his  desires.  Often  at  midnight,  when 
the  world  was  lost  in  sleep,  he  would 
pause  from  those  mental  labors  which 
were  destroying  the  energies  of  his 
youth  and  wasting  away  his  life,  and 
pray  that  God  would  give  him  intellec- 
tual powers — that  he  would  give  him 
might  of  mind  which  would  enable  him 
to  move  and  shake  the  world.  He  used 
to  tell  God  that  he  might  deny  him  any 
thing  else  if  he  would  grant  him  only 
this.  And  he  was  willing  to  pay  any 
price  for  it ;  he  was  willing  to  do  any 
thing,  or  suffer  any  thing,  or  sacrifice 
any  thing  in  order  to  gain  it.  And  he 
would  promise  if  God  would  give  him 
power  of  intellect  that  he  would  exer- 
cise it  on  the  side  of  right  and  in  oppo- 
sition to  wrong.  With  such  feelings  he 
labored  ten  long  years,  and  oh,  how  he 
labored !  He  toiled  night  and  day.  For 
weeks  he  would  not  retire  to  rest  till 
three  or  four  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
and  then  not  to  sleep.  His  mind  and 
nervous  system  were  in  such  a  state  that 
he  could  not  sleep.  He  would  lay  two 
or  three  hours  in  a  dreaming,  half-con- 
scious state,  and  then  he  would  rise  and 
commence  his  work  again.  And  lest 
the  appetites  and  indolence  of  the  body 
might  hinder  him  in  his  work  if  he 
should  live  with  other  people,  and 
live  as  they  did,  he  lived  alone, 
upon  bread  and  water,  and  had  no 
bed  in  his  room ;  only  a  blanket  in 
which  he  would  wrap  himself  and  lie 
down  upon  the  floor,  with  a  large  book 
under  his  head  for  a  pillow.  He  hated 
every  thing  calculated  to  draw  him  a 
moment  from  his  studies.  Even  the 
kind  voice  of  his  poor  old  mother,  en- 
treating him  with  tears  to  take  some  rest 
or  a  little  food,  he  hated,  and  he  would 
scowl  upon  her  and  turn  madly  away. 

Thus  he  lived  for  many  years  until  a 
mighty  change  came  over  him.  In  a 
book  he  was  one  day  reading,  occurred 
these  words :    "  When    all   is   gained, 


how  little  then  is  won  !  And  yet  to  gain 
that  little  how  much  is  lost !"  The  words 
arrested  his  attention  ;  they  sunk  deep 
into  his  heart,  like  the  voice  of  a  spirit ! 
The  whole  truth  flashed  like  lightning 
across  his  soul.  He  now  beheld  the 
fame  he  had  toiled  for,  as  absolutely 
WORTHLESS.  "  When  all  is  gained,  how 
little  then  is  won  !"  said  he.  "  Yes, 
how  little  !  O,  what  is  it  ?  It  is  nothing. 
Fame,  O,  what  is  it  ?  The  breath  of 
fools  and  devils.  That  is  the  object  on 
which  I  have  set  my  whole  heart,  and 
for  which  I  have  been  laboring.  When 
all  is  gained,  how  little  then  is  won! 
And  yet  to  gain  that  little  how  much  is 
lost !  Yes,  How  much  is  lost  !  O, 
how  I  have  been  laboring  and  suffering 
for  it ;  I  have  given  all  for  it ;  all  of 
this  world,  and  all  of  the  next." 

His  whole  frame  shook  under  the 
emotions  such  thoughts  awakened — his 
hard  heart  broke,  and  he  wept !  Yes, 
he  who  from  childhood  up  had  never 
shed  a  tear.  He  wept  burning  tears  of 
agony — wept  as  a  man,  perhaps,  never 
weeps  but  once.  Rage  succeeded  to 
sorrow.  "  Oh,  what  a  fool  I  have  been," 
said  he  ;  "  what  a  wretched  fool — the 
fool  of  fools — the  greatest  fool  in  the 
world!"  He  looked  round  upon  his 
books  and  papers,  (for  he  was  at  this 
time  a  lawyer,)  and  said,  "This  busi- 
ness I  have  followed  for  honor,  and 
here  it  ends."  And  he  seized  his  books 
and  papers  and  threw  them  upon  the 
floor  and  stamped  upon  them.  "  Here 
ENDS  THIS  business,"  said  he.  And 
he  went  to  his  trunk  and  took  out  his 
law  diploma,  and  tore  it  in  pieces — 
seized  his  axe,  knocked  down  his  sign 
and  split  it  in  pieces,  and  carried  them 
to  the  middle  of  the  street,  and  trampled 
them  in  the  mud.  He  now  felt  that  he 
had  nothing  to  live  for.  He  thought 
there  might  probably  be  something  in 
the  Christian  religion.  He  examined 
its  evidences,  was  convinced  and  con- 
verted. And  now  the  ambitious  infidel 
lives  to  preach  the  gospel  of*  Christ. 
Let  young  men  read  this  and  learn  a 
lesson.  I  would  say  to  them,  dread 
ambition  as  you  would  a  demon. 


48 


ANCESTRY. 


19 


19.  ANCESTRY. 


{a)  GEORGE  III.  AND  THE 
PEERAGE. — It  is  remembered  as  one 
of  the  liberal  axioms  of  George  III.  that 
"  no  British  subject  is  by  necessity  ex- 
cluded from  the  Peerage."  Consistent- 
ly with  this  sentiment,  he  once  checked 
a  man  of  high  rank,  who  lamented 
that  a  very  good  speaker  in  the  court  of 
aldermen  was  of  a  mean  trade,  by  say- 
ing, with  his  characteristic  quickness, 
"  VVhat  signifies  a  man's  trade  1  A 
man  of  any  honest  trade  may  make 
himself  respectable  if  he  will." 

(b)  LORD  TENTERDEN'S  RE- 
TORT.—The  obscurity  of  Lord  Tent- 
erden's  birth  is  well  known,  but  he  had 
too  much  good  sense  to  feel  any  false 
shame  on  that  account.  We  have  heard 
it  related  of  him,  that  when  in  an  early 
period  of  his  professional  career,  a  bro- 
ther barrister,  with  whom  he  happened 
to  have  a  quarrel,  had  the  bad  taste  to 
twit  him  on  his  origin,  his  manly  and 
severe  answer  was,  "  Yes,  sir,  I  am 
the  son  of  a  barber ;  if  you  had  been 
the  son  of  a  barber,  you  would  have 
been  a  barber  yourself." 

(c)  CICERO'S  RETORT.— This 
Roman  orator  was  one  day  sneered  at 
by  one  of  his  opponents,  a  mean  man  of 
noble  lineage,  on  account  of  his  low  pa- 
rentage. "  You  are  the  Jirst  of  your 
line,"  said  the  railer  ;  "  and  you,"  re- 
joined Cicero.  "  are  the  last  of  yours." 

(d)  DISTINGUISHED  MEN  OF 
OBSCURE  BIRTH.  — "Euripides," 
says  the  Cabinet  de  Terture  of  Paris, 
"  wa^  the  son  of  a  fruiterer,  Virgil  of  a 
baker,  Horace  of  a  freed  slave,  Anayot 
of  a  currier,  Voiture  of  a  tax-gatherer, 
Lamothe  of  a  hatter,  Sixtus  the  Fifth 
of  a  swineherd,  Fletcher  of  a  chandler, 
Masillon  of  a  turner,  Tamerlane  of  a 
shepherd,  Greinault  of  a  journeyman 
baker,  Rollin  of  a  herdsman,  Molliere 
of  an  upholsterer,  J.  J.  Rousseau  of  a 
watchmaker.  Sir  Samuel  Romily  of  a 
goldsmith,  Ben  Jonson  of  a  mason, 
Shakspere  of  a  butcher,  Sir  Thomas 
Lawrence  of  a  custom-house  officer, 
Collins  of  a  hatter,  Gray  of  a  notary, 
Beatlie  of  a  farmer,  Sir  Edward  Sug- 


den  of  a  barber,  Thomas  Moore  of  a 
grocer,  Rembrandt  of  a  miller.  These 
men  of  genius  were  not  men  of  leisure  ; 
none  of  them  enjoyed  a  patrimony  ;  and 
under  the  regime  of  our  liberal  laws, 
scarcely  one  amongst  them,  being  nei- 
ther eligible  nor  even  an  elector,  could 
sit  in  our  Chamber  of  Deputies. 

(e)  THE  NOBLEMAN  AND  THE 
LION. — Crantz,  in  his  Saxon  History, 
tells  us  of  an  Earl  of  Alsatia,  surnamed 
Iron  on  account  of  his  great  strength, 
who  was  a  great  favorite  with  Edward 
the  Third  of  England,  and  much  envied, 
as  favorites  are  always  sure  to  be,  by 
the  rest  of  the  courtiers.  On  one  occa- 
sion, when  the  king  was  absent,  some 
noblemen  maliciously  instigated  the 
queen  to  make  trial  of  the  noble  blood 
of  the  favorite,  by  causing  a  lion  to  be 
let  loose  upon  him,  saying,  according  to 
the  popular  belief,  that,  "  if  the  earl  was 
truly  noble,  the  lion  would  not  touch 
him."  It  being  customary  with  the 
earl  to  rise  at  break  of  day,  before  any 
other  person  in  the  palace  was  stirring, 
a  lion  was  let  loose  during  the  night, 
and  turned  into  the  lower  court.  When 
the  earl  came  down  in  the  morning, 
with  no  more  than  a  night-gown  cast 
over  his  shirt,  he  was  met  by  the  lion 
bristling  his  hair,  and  growling  destruc- 
tion  between  his  teeth.  The  earl,  not  in 
the  least  daunted,  called  out  with  a  stout 
voice,  "  Stand,  you  dog."  At  these 
words  the  lion  couched  at  his  feet,  to 
the  great  amazement  of  the  courtiers, 
who  were  peeping  out  at  every  window 
to  see  the  issue  of  their  ungenerous- 
project.  The  earl  laid  hold  of  the  lion 
by  the  mane,  turned  him  into  his  cage, 
and  placing  his  night-cap  on  the  lion's 
back,  came  forth  without  ever  casting 
a  look  behind  him.  "  Now,"  said  the 
earl,  calling  out  to  the  courtiers,  whose' 
presence  at  the  windows  instantly  con- 
vinced him  of  the  share  they  had  in  this- 
trial  of  his  courage,  "  Let  him  amongst 
you  all,  that  standeth  most  upon  his 
pedigree,  go  and  fetch  my  night-cap." 

(/)  JAMES  I.  AND  THE  EARL'S 
GENEALOGY.— King  James  I.,  in  his 
49 


20 


ANGER— INDULGED. 


progress  into  England,  was  entertained 
at  Lumley  Castle,  the  seat  of  the  Earl 
of  Scarborough.  A  relative  of  the  no- 
ble earl  was  very  proud  in  showing  and 
explaining  to  his  majesty  an  immensely 
large  genealogical  line  of  the  family  ; 


the  pedigree  he  carried  back  rather  far- 
ther than  the  greatest  strength  of  credu- 
lity  would  allow.  "  In  gude  faith,  man,'' 
says  the  king,  "  it  may  be  they  are  very 
true,  but  I  did  na'  ken  before  that 
Adam's  name  was  Lumley." 


ANGER./ 


20.  Anger  Indulged. 


(a)  ALEXANDER  AND  CLITUS. 

— The  folly  and  danger  of  anger  is  seen 
in  the  conduct  of  Alexander.  Clitus 
was  a  person  whom  Alexander  held  very 
dear,  as  being  the  son  of  his  nurse,  and 
one  who  had  been  educated  together 
with  himself.  He  had  saved  the  life  of 
Alexander  at  the  battle  near  the  river 
Granicus,  and  by  him  was  made  Prefect 
of  a  province.  But  he  could  not  flatter. 
At  a  feast  with  the  king,  when  both  were 
doubtle^  affected  by  wine,  Clitus  spoke 
in  high  terms  of  the  actions  of  Philip, 
preferring  them  to  those  of  his  son. 
Alexander,  transported  with  anger, 
seized  a  javelin  and  slew  him  on  the 
spot.  But  when  he  became  sober  and 
his  passion  cooled,  he  was  with  difliculty 
restrained  from  killing  himself,  for  that 
fault  which  his  sudden  fury  had  led  him 
to  commit.  He  seemed  smitten  with 
remorse  for  the  murder,  and  inconsola- 
ble for  the  loss  of  his  friend. 

(b)  VIOLENCE  OF  HEROD.— 
The  effect  of  indulging  in  anger  is  seen 
in  the  case  of  Herod,  the  Tetrarch  of 
Judea.  He  had  so  little  command  over 
his  passion,  that  upon  every  slight  occa- 
sion his  anger  would  transport  him  to 
absolute  madness.  Sometimes  he  would 
be  sorry  and  repent  of  the  injuries  which 
he  had  done  when  anger  clouded  his 
understanding,  and  soon  after  commit 
the  same  outrages  ;  so  that  none  about 
him  were  secure  of  their  lives  a  mo- 
ment. 

(c)  THE  BOYS  AND  THE  BALL- 
CLUB. —  There  were  two  brothers; 
Alvah  twelve,  Michael  nine  years  old. 
They  generally  lived  together  as  hap- 
pily as  most  brothers  do.  But  some- 
times they  would  quarrel ;  and  when 
they  did  get  angry  with  each  other  they 

50 


were  very  furious  and  reckless  of  each 
other's  limbs  and  lives.  Their  parents 
were  very  uneasy  at  times,  lest  in  a  fit 
of  anger  one  should  kill  the  other. 
Much  they  talked  to  them,  and  warned 
them  against  anger,  and  against  striking 
each  other  with  fists  and  clubs,  and 
throwing  stones  at  each  other.  The 
boys,  when  not  in  anger,  appeared  lov- 
ing and  kind,  and  would  promise  not  to 
strike  and  throw  stones  at  each  other. 

One  day  they  were  earnestly  engaged 
in  a  game  of  ball.  Michael  had  the 
clui),  and  had  just  knocked  the  ball. 
Alvah  caught  it — at  least,  he  said  he 
did,  and  declared  it  was  his  turn  to 
knock  it.  Michael  said  he  did  not  catch 
it,  but  that  he  wanted  to  cheat,  and 
should  not  have  the  club.  Alvah  said 
he  would  have  it.  They  grew  angry, 
struggling  for  the  club.  Then  Michael 
started  to  run  with  it.  Alvah  caught  a 
stone  and  threw  it  at  him.  The  stone 
flew  as  if  winged  with  the  wrath  and 
fury  of  him  who  threw  it,  and  struck 
Michael  on  the  knee.  It  cut  a  deep 
hole  right  on  the  joint.  In  a  little  while 
the  wound  became  painfully  sore,  and 
Michael  soon  lost  the  use  of  his  leg.  In 
time,  it  turned  to  a  white  swelling ;  and 
the  leg  had  to  be  cut  off  above  the  knee 
to  save  his  life. 

All  this  pain  and  suffering,  and  maim- 
ing for  life,  merely  to  decide  who  should 
knock  a  ball  !  Michael  lost  his  leg  to 
defend  his  right  to  keep  a  ball-club  ! 
For  this  trivial  cause,  Alvah  inflicted 
on  his  dear  brother  unspeakable  suffer- 
ing, and  made  him  a  helpless  cripple 
for  life.  This  was  a  costly  fight,  and 
for  a  worthless  object.  Anger  often 
produces  like  results. 

(d)  AN  EYE  FOR  A  PIN.— Two 
boys,  named  Abel  and  Asa,  were  at  the 
same  school  in  New-York,  each  about 


ANGER  SUBDUED. 


21 


ten  years  old  ;  not  brothers,  but  school- 
mates and  class-mates.  Both  of  them 
had  irritable  tempers,  and  had  been 
taught  to  think  they  must  resent  injuries 
and  defend  their  rights  at  all  hazards. 
Playing  pin  was  a  common  amusement 
in  the  school.  They  played  in  this  way : 
Two  boys  would  take  a  hat  and  set  it 
down  between  them,  crown  upward. 
Then  each  boy  would  lay  a  pin  on  top 
of  the  crown,  and  then  knock  it— first 
one,  and  then  the  other.  The  one  that 
could  knock  the  pins  so  that  they  would 
lie  across  each  other,  had  them  both. 
During  recess,  one  day,  Abel  and  Asa 
were  playing  pin.  They  knocked  the 
pins  about  some  time.  Both  became 
much  excited  in  the  game.  Finally, 
Abel  knocked  the  pins  so  that,  as  he 
said,  one  lay  across  the  point  of  the  other. 
Asa  denied  it.  Abel  declared  they  did, 
and  snatched  up  both  pins.  Asa's  anger 
flashed  in  a  moment,  and  he  struck  Abel 
in  the  face  with  his  list.  This  excited 
Abel's  wrath.  They  began  to  figRt — 
the  other  boys  clustering  around,  not  to 
part  them,  but  to  urge  them  on.  Some 
cried,  "  Hit  him,  Abel  !"  and  some, 
"  Give  it  to  him,  Asa  !"  thus  stimulating 
them  to  quarrel.  The  boys  seized  each 
other,  and  finally  came  tumbling  to  the 
ground,  Abel  on  top.  Then  Abel,  in 
his  fury,  went  to  beating  Asa  in  his 
face,  till  the  blood  spouted  from  his  nose 
and  mouth,  and  till  Asa  lay  like  one 
dead.  Then  the  boys  pulled  Abel  off. 
But  Asa  could  not  get  up.  The  boys 
began  to  be  alarmed.  They  were  afraid 
Abel  had  killed  him.  The  teacher  was 
called.  He  carried  Asa  in,  washed  the 
blood  from  his  face,  and  recovered  him 
from  his  stupor.  He  examined  his  face 
and  head,  and  found  them  bruised  in  a 
shocking  manner.  One  of  his  eyes  was 
so  hurt  and  swollen  he  could  not  open 
it.  And  from  that  day  the  sight  of  it 
grew  more  and  more  dim,  till  it  went 
out  in  total  darkness.  So  Asa  lost  an 
eye,  and  Abel  put  it  out,  merely  for 
a  pin  ! 

(e)  THE  LITTLE  MURDERER. 
— Two  boys  in  a  southern  city,  named 
Augustus  and  Eugene,  were  playing 
top.  They  had  but  one  top,  which  they 
spun  alternately.  At  first  they  played 
very  pleasantly,  but  soon  became  angry 


and  began  to  speak  unkindly'.  Eugene 
said,  "  It  is  my  turn  to  whirl  the  top." 
"  No,  it  is  not ;  it  is  mine,"  said  Augus* 
tus.  They  grew  very  angry  about  it. 
Augustus  at  length  said  to  Eugene, 
"  You  lie.'"  Eugene  struck  him.  Au* 
gustus  struck  back  again.  They  seized 
each  other  in  a  great  rage  ;  and  in  the 
scuffle  Eugene  took  a  long,  sharp  knife 
from  his  pocket,  and  stabbed  Augustus 
so  that  he  died  in  a  few  moments.  Au- 
gustus lost  his  life  and  Eugene  became 
a  murderer,  merely  to  decide  whose  turn 
it  was  to  spin  a  top  ! 

U.  Anger  Snbdued. 

(a)  JOHN  AND  NICETAS.— John, 
patriarch  of  Alexandria,  had  a  contro- 
versy with  Nicetas,  a  chief  man  of  that 
city,  which  was  to  be  decided  in  a  court 
of  justice.  John  defended  the  cause  of 
the  poor,  and  Nicetas  refused  to  part 
with  his  money.  A  private  meeting  was 
held,  to  see  if  the  affair  could  be  adjust- 
ed, but  in  vain  ;  angry  words  prevailed, 
and  both  parties  were  so  obstinate  that 
they  separated  more  offended  with  each 
other  than  before.  When  Nicetas  was 
gone,  John  began  to  reflect  on  his  own 
pertinacity,  and  although  his  cause  was 
good,  "Yet,"  said  he,  "  can  I  think  that 
God  will  be  pleased  with  this  anger  and 
stubbornness  ?  The  nigtit  draweth  on, 
and  shall  I  suffer  the  sun  to  go  down 
upon  my  wrath  ?  This  is  impious,  and 
opposed  to  the  apostle's  advice."  He 
therefore  sent  some  respectable  friends 
to  Nicetas,  and  charged  them  to  deliver 
this  message  to  him,  and' no  more  :  "  O 
sir,  the  sun  is  going  down  !"  Nicetas 
was  much  affected,  his  eyes  were  filled 
with  tears ;  he  hastened  to  the  patriarch, 
and,  saluting  him  in  the  most  gentle 
manner,  exclaimed,  "  Father,  I  will  be 
ruled  by  you  in  this  or  any  other  mat- 
ter." They  embraced  each  other  af- 
fectionately, and  settled  the  dispute  in- 
stantly. 

(b)  THE  SUN  IS  ALMOST 
DOWN. — Two  good  men  on  some  oc- 
casion had  a  warm  dispute ;  and  remem- 
bering the  exhortation  of  the  apostle, 
"  Let  not  the  sun  go  down  upon  your 
wrath,"  just  before  sunset  one  of  them 
went  to  the  other,  and  knocking  at  the 

51 


«1,  32 


ANNIHILATION, 


door,  his  offended  friend  came  and  open- 
ed it,  and  seeing  who  it  was,  started 
back  in  astonishment  and  surprise  ;  the 
other,  at  the  same  time,  cried  out,  "  The 
sun  is  almost  down."  This  unexpected 
salutation  softened  the  heart  of  his  friend 
into  affection,  and  he  returned  for  an- 
swer, "  Come  in,  brother,  come  in." 
What  a  happy  method  of  conciliating 
matters,  of  redressing  grievances,  and 
of  reconciling  brethren  ! 

(c)  REV.  MR.  CLARKE'S  WAY 
TO  DISPOSE  OF  ANGER.  — It  is 
said  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Clarke,  of  Chesham 
Bois,  that  when  one  observed  to  him 
"  there  was  a  good  deal  in  a  person's 
natural  disposition,"  he  made  this  an- 
swer :    "  Natural  disposition  !    Why,  I 

^m  naturally  as  irritable  as  any  ;  but 
when  I  find  anger,  or  passion,  or  any 
other  evil  temper  arise  in  my  mind,  im- 
mediately I  go  to  my  Redeemer,  and, 
confessing  my  sins,  I  give  myself  up  to 
be  managed  by  Him.  This  is  the  way 
that  I  have  taken  to  get  the  mastery  of 
my  passions." 

(d)  XAVIER'S  EXAMPLE.— Fran- 
cis  Xavier  sometimes  received,  in  the 
prosecution  of  his  zealous  labors,  the 
most  mortifying  treatment.  As  he  was 
preaching  in  one  of  the  cities  of  Japan, 


some  of  the  multitude  made  sport  of 
him.  One,  more  wanton  than  the  rest, 
went  to  him  while  he  addressed  the 
people,  feigning  that  he  had  something 
to  communicate  in  private.  Upon  his 
approach,  Xavier  leaned  his  head  to 
learn  what  he  had  to  say.  The  scorner 
thus  gained  his  object,  which  was  to 
spit  freely  upon  the  face  of  the  devoted 
missionary,  and  thus  insult  him  in  the 
most  public  manner.  The  father,  with- 
out speaking  a  word,  or  making  the 
least  sign  of  anger  or  emotion,  took  out 
his  handkerchief,  wiped  his  face,  and 
continued  his  discourse,  as  if  nothing 
had  occurred. 

By  such  a  heroic  control  of  his  pas- 
sions, the  scorn  of  the  audience  was 
turned  into  admiration.  The  most 
learned  doctor  of  the  city,  who  happen- 
ed to  be  present,  said  to  himself,  that  a 
law  which  taught  men  such  virtue,  in- 
spired men  with  such  unshaken  courage, 
and  gave  them  so  perfect  a  victory  over 
themselves,  could  not  but  be  from  God. 
Afterwards  he  desired  baptism,  and  his 
example  was  followed  by  many  others- 
So  effectually  did  the  meekness  of  the 
missionary  promote  the  success  of  hi» 
work. 


22.  ANNIHILATIOIV. 


(a)  A  TERRIBLE  DOCTRINE 
FOR  THE  DYING.— A  writer  in  the 
Connecticut  Evangelical  Magazine, 
states  that  a  man  of  uncommon  sagacity 
and  intellect  of  his  acquaintance,  was 
for  a  long  time  affected  with  an  appa- 
rent debility.  But  the  writer  found  by 
conversing  with  him  that  he  was  under 
conviction.  He  urged  him  to  repent ; 
but  he  replied  that  he  could  not  now 
part  with  his  worldly  schemes.  After 
much  solemn  conversation  they  parted. 
A  year  after  they  met,  and  the  writer 
soon  saw  in  the  temper  and  language 
of  the  man,  that  his  seriousness  had  de- 
parted, and  that  his  conscience  was 
seared.  He  now  believed  his  former 
state  to  have  been  hypochondriac,  and 
said,  "  Within  one  week  after  I  detect- 
ed my  folly  in  being  thus  anxious  for 
52 


another  world,  I  became  well  and  hap- 
py, and  have  so  continued.  1  now  think 
that  all  the  notions  I  had  concerning 
the  holiness  of  God,  and  the  rewards 
of  another  world,  are  false.  As  to 
sin,  it  is  evident  there  can  be  no  such 
thing ;  nor  shall  I  exist  after  this  body 
dies,  any  more  than  the  trees  before  us 
will  exist,  and  be  happy  or  miserable." 
"  But,"  said  I,  •'  is  it  not  a  gloomy 
thought  that  your  existence  will  cease 
when  your  body  dies  ?"  "  As  for  that," 
he  answered,  "  I  cannot  help  it,  we 
must  make  the  most  of  what  we  have." 
He  seemed  determined  not  to  think  lest 
he  should  be  unhappy,  and  I  lefl  him, 
having  in  vain  attempted  to  induce  a 
review  of  his  decision. 

His  life,  for  years,    was  what  might 
be  expected  from  his  belief.    He  seemed 


ANTINOMIANISM. 


583 


io  endeavor  to  erase  from  his  mind  all 
thought  of  a  hereafter.  In  this  state, 
an  awful  accident,  in  a  moment,  placed 
before  him  an  eternity,  into  which  he 
must  very  soon  enter.  The  powers  of 
his  reason  were  in  full  strength.  And 
now  his  beloved  scheme  of  ceasing  to 
exist  at  death,  became  his  terror,  "  And 
have  I,"  said  he,  "  done  with  existence  ? 
shall  I  presently  cease  to  think,  to  see, 
to  feel  ?  Am  I  to  exist  for  a  few  mo- 
ments filled  with  pain,  and  then  lie  down 
to  be  nothing  forever  ?  I  am  pained  for 
the  fruits  of  my  labor;  I  have  labored 
for  nothing ;  I  cannot  bid  farewell  to 
ihe  earnings  of  so  many  years," 


On  being  told  by  one  who  did  not 
know  his  previous  opinions,  that  he 
certainly  should  exist ;  and  that  the 
future  being  of  men  was  indicated  by 
nature,  and  made  sure  by  Scriptural 
evidence,  an  aspect  of  still  greater  hor- 
ror settled  on  his  countenance ;  and, 
after  a  pause  of  a  minute,  he  replied : 
"  If  those  Scriptures  are  true,  eternity 
will  be  more  dreadful  to  me  than  the 
loss  of  being.  I  will  not  believe  them  ; 
yet  how  dreadful  the  idea  of  sinking 
into  eternal,  thoughtless  night!"  He 
soon  opened  his  eyes  on  the  realities  of 
another  world. 


23.  ANTINOMIANISM. 


(a)  EFFECT  OF  ANTINOMIAN- 
ISM   ON    A    YOUNG    LADY.— A 

young  lady,  of  high  family,  was  called 
by  grace,  under  the  ministry  of  a  pious 
clergyman  of  the  church  of  England. 
The  change  upon  her  heart  soon  be- 
came visible.  In  every  good  work  she 
was  actively  engaged.  Bible  Societies, 
Missionary  Societies,  visiting  and  re- 
lieving the  sick,  teaching  a  large  Sun- 
day School,  which  her  exertions  had 
raised,  constituted  her  constant  employ- 
ment. The  floating  money  she  passess- 
€d,  which  had  before  this  been  appro- 
priated to  dress  and  worldly  amuse- 
ments, was  now  consecrated  to  God,  and 
devoted  to  carry  forward  the  objects  her 
piety  had  formed.  She  was  humble, 
zealous,  modest;  and  lived  in  the  ad- 
miration of  all  who  knew  her.  Henry 
and  Scott  were  her  favorite  commenta- 
tors, and  the  Bible  her  constant  com- 
panion :  in  eveiy  part  of  Biblical  know- 
ledge she  made  considerable  progress. 
But  mark  the  deadly  effects  of  error 
upon  her  mind  !  Some  clergymen,  for 
whom  she  possessed  a  high  esteem,  and 
to  whom  she  looked  with  implicit  confi- 
dence, ran  from  one  error  to  another ; 
and  she  as  implicitly  followed  them,  and 
soon  became  entirely  imbued  with  the 
Antinomian  leaven.  Her  spirituality 
of  mind,  tenderness  of  conscience,  and 
every  truly  pious  feeling,  rapidly  de- 


clined ;  and  her  exertions  to  promote  \ 
the  cause  of  God,  and  the  welfare  of    ■ 
her  fellow-creatures  gradually  declined 
also.     No   books   could  she  read,  but    . 
such  as  were  of  the  Antinomian  cast ;    i 
and  no  preachers  could  she  hear,  either  / 
of  the  established  church  or  dissenters,  / 
but  those  of  the  strongest  Antinomian 
sentiments.     In  this  state  she  called  on 
a  dissenting  minister,  for  whom,  in  her 
better  days,  she  had  felt  a  great  vene- 
ration.   He  affectionately  inquired  after 
the  state  of  her  mind,  and  what  were 
the  advantages  she  had  derived  from 
the  sentiments  she  had  embraced.     She 
replied,    with    all   the   confidence   and 
positiveness  that  conceit  could  inspire, 
^'  That  she  was  as  safe,  as  to  her  eter- 
nal state,  as  a  saint  in  heaven."    "  But," 
said  he,.!^  madnm,  do  you-iWl- yourself 
as  happy  and    as  spiritual  in  your  de-V 
votional  exercises,  as  you  used  to  do  V 
She    replied,    "I  have   learned   to  live 
without  them."     "  But  do  you  not  pray 
in    your  closet  ?"     "  Pray,"   said  she, 
"  What  can  I   pray  for?"     Shocked  at 
her  reply,  he  rejoined,    "Do  you   not 
pray  to  be  favored  with  a  sense  of  par- 
doning mercy,  and  for  grace  to  resist 
sin  ?"     "  Such  prayers,"  answered  she, 
"  in  my  view,  would  be  perfectly  ab- 
surd ;    for   my   sins   were  imputed    to 
Christ,  and  pardoned  from  all  eternity  ; 
and  as  to  mv  being  kept  from  sin,  I  am 
53 


23,2^ 


ANTIQUITY. 


sure  God  never  designed  that  I  should. 
I  am  complete  in  Christ,  and  there  I 
rest :  all  is  finished." 

Every  argument  used,  elicited  simi- 
lar replies.  She  proceeded  on  in  this 
course  from  bad  to  worse,  and  retaining 
her  creed,  plunged  again  into  the  gaye- 
ties  of  the  world.  In  this  state  of  pro- 
fessing  religion  without   religion,   she 

/  remained  some  years,  until  God  laid 
her  upon  the  bed  of  severe  affliction. 
Light  broke  in  again  upon  her  mind  ; 
she  saw  she  was  destitute  of  every 
pious  feeling ;  the  errors  of  her  creed 
appeared  in  all  their  fallacy,  nor  could 
she  derive  from  it  one  ray  of  hope,  nor 

*y  discover  one  Scriptural  evidence  of  her 
interest  in  Christ.  The  injury  she 
had  done  to  others,  by  the  dissemination 
of  error,  the  prejudice  thiit  had  been 
excited  by  her  conduct  against  religion, 
both  in  the  members  of  her  family  and 
others,  bore  with  terrific  weight  upon 
her  conscience.  But  the  Lord  spared 
her  life,  and  mercifully  delivered  her 
from  the  appalling  delusion.  In  this 
state,  she  wrote  a  most  afTecting  peni- 
tential letter  to  the  minister  already 
referred   to,   saying   she   could    never 


forgive  herself  for  the  reproach  she  had 
brought  on  Christ  and  his  cause,  can- 
didly acknowledging,  that  the  senti- 
ments she  had  imbibed  had  destroyed 
all  sense  of  moral  obligation  in  her 
mind  ;  and  had  deprived  her  of  all  holy 
and  spiritual  enjoyment  in  religion. 

(b)  HILL  AND  THE  ANTINO- 
MIAN. — Rowland  Hill  would  have 
tried  the  critical  sagacity  of  the  most 
erudite.  His  eccentricities  are  of  great 
notoriety.  With  many  strong  points 
of  character,  he  combined  notions  pro- 
digiously odd.  One  of  those  restless 
infesters  of  places  of  worship,  common- 
ly called  Antinomians^  one  day  called 
on  Rowland  Hill,  to  bring  him  to  ac- 
count for  his  too  severe  and  legal  gospel. 
"  Do  you,  sir,"  asked  Rowland,  "  hold 
the  ten  commandments  to  be  a  rule  of 
Me  to  Christians?"  "Certainly  not," 
replied  the  visitor.  The  minister  rang 
the  bell,  and  on  the  servant  making  his 
appearance,  he  quietly  added,  "  John, 
show  that  man  the  door,  and  keep  your 
eye  on  him  until  he  is  beyond  the  reach 
of  every  article  of  wearing  apparel,  or 
other  property  in  the  hall !" 


24.  ANTIQUITY. 


(a)  PRETENSIONS  OF  THE  CHI- 
NESE.— It  is  well  known  that  the  Chi- 
nese pretend  to  an  excessive  antiquity. 
Their  chronology  exceeds  all  bounds 
of  probability :  and,  could  their  preten- 
sions be  verified,  the  Mosaic  account  of 
the  creation  must  necessarily  be  dis- 
credited. But  we  have  a  singular  fact  to 
state,  which  will  prove  that  their  boasted 
antiquity  really  falls  within  the  limits  of 
the  Mosaic  chronology.  For  the  evi- 
dence we  are  about  to  produce,  we  are 
iadebted  to  the  discoveries  of  modern 
astronomy.  The  Chinese  have  ever 
made  a  point  of  inserting  in  their  calen- 
dar remarkable  eclipses,  or  conjunctions 
of  the  planets,  together  with  the  name 
of  that  emperor  in  whose  reign  they 
were  observed.  To  these  events  they 
have  also  affixed  their  own  dates.  There 
is  a  very  singular  conjunction  of  the 
54 


s-un,  moon,  and  several  planets,  rec^)rd- 
ed  in  their  annals,  as  having  taken  place 
almost  at  the  very  commencement  of 
their  remote  history.  The  far-famed 
Cassini,  to  ascertain  the  fact,  calculated 
back,  and  decidedly  proved,  that  such 
an  extraordinary  conjunction  actually 
did  take  place  in  China,  February  26th, 
1812  years  before  Christ.  This  falls 
four  hundred  years  after  the  flood,  an(i 
a  little  afler  the  birth  of  Abraham. 
Here  are  two  important  facts  ascertain- 
ed. The  one  is,  that  the  Chinese  are  a 
very  ancient  nation  ;  and  the  other,  that 
their  pretensions  to  antiquity  beyond 
that  of  Moses  are  unfounded ;  because 
this  event,  which  they  themselves  re- 
present as  happening  near  the  beginning 
of  their  immense  calculations,  falls  far 
within  the  history  and  clironology  of  the 
Scriptui'es. 


APOLOGIES— APOSTACY. 


25,26 


52.  APOLOGIES. 


(a)  SWIFT  AND  THE  LADY'S 
DINNER.— A  lady  invited  Dean  Swift 
to  a  most  sumptuous  dinner.  She  said, 
"  Dear  Dean,  this  fish  is  not  as  good  as 
I  could  wish,  though  I  sent  for  it  half 
across  the  kingdom,  and  it  cost  me  so 
much,''  naming  an  incredible  price. 
"  And  this  thing  is  not  such  as  I  ought 
to  have  for  such  a  guest,  though  it  came 
from  such  a  place,  and  cost  such  a  sum." 
Thus  she  went  on,  decrying  and  under- 
rating every  article  of  her  expensive 
and  ostentatious  dinner,  and  teazing  her 
distinguislied  guest  with  apologies,  only 
to  find  a  chance  to  display  her  vanity  in 
bringing  her  trouble  and  expense  inta 
view,  until  she  exhausted  his  patience. 
Fie  is  reported  to  have  risen  in  a  passion, 
and  to  have  said,  "  True,  madam,  it  is 
a  miserable  dinner ;  and  I  will  not  eat 
it,  but  go  home  and  dine  upon  sixpence 
worth  of  herring." 

(h)  A  SENSIBLE  HOST.— Lord 
Carteret,  while  Lord  Lieutenant  of  Ire- 
land, went  one  day  unattended  to  Dr. 


Delany,  and  told  him  he  was  come  to 
dine  with  him.  He  thanked  his  excel- 
lency for  the  honor  conferred  on  him. 
The  dinner  was  soon  in  readiness.  It 
was  a  siinple  meal,  such  as  was  suitable 
for  Dr.  D.  and  his  mother.  The  old  lady 
did  the  honors  of  the  table.  The  host 
mad^  no  apology  for  the  entertainment, 
but  said  to  Lord  C, 

"  To  stomachs  cloyed  with  costly  fare 

Simplicity  alone  is  rare." 

Lord  C.  was  highly  pleased  ;  for  though 
a  courtier,  he  hated  ceremony  when  he 
sought  pleasure.  At  the  close  of  the 
meal,  his  excellency  told  Dr.  D.  that 
he  had  always  thought  him  a  well-bred 
man,  but  had  never  had  so  good  a  proof 
before.  "  Others,"  said  he,  "on  whom 
I  have  tried  the  same  experiment,  have 
met  me  with  as  much  confusion,  as  if 
I  had  come  to  arrest  them  for  high 
treason  ;  nay,  deprived  me  of  their  con- 
versation, by  undue  attention  to  the  din- 
ner, and  then  spoiled  my  meal  by  ful- 
some apologies  or  needless  profusion." 


26.  APOSTACY. 


(a)    APOSTACY    AND    INTEM- 
PERANCE.—Mr.   was   blessed 

with  a  worthy  parentage.  All  that 
I'leart  could  desire  was  lavished  upon 
him,  and  especial  regard  was  had  to  the 
cultivation  of  his  intellectual  powers, 
which,  by  nature,  were  of  a  superior 
order.  He  received  a  college  educa- 
tion, and  in  early  life  was  supposed  to 
be  the  subject  of  a  gracious  visitation 
of  the  Spirit  of  God.  His  early  Chris- 
tian experience  and  deportment  gave 
the  cheering  promise,  that  ere  long  he 
would  be  a  "  burning  and  a  shining 
light ;"  but  an  awful  disappointment 
followed.  Instead  of  devoting  himself 
and  all  his  powers  to  the  work  of  the 
ministry,  he  chose  the  profession  of  the 
law.  However  unpropitious  that  pro- 
f(  ssion  may  be  to  the  growth  and  energy 
of  true  piety,  the  experience  of  his  wor- 
thy father,  as  well  as  the  lives  of  seve- 


ral eminent  Christian  lawyers,  were  a 
sufficient  guarantee  that  he  too  might 
have  served  God  in  the  profession  of  his 
choice,  if  his  heart  had  been  right.  But, 
alas  !  the  fire  of  devotion  had  gone  out. 
Not  only  was  the  holy  calling  of  the 
Christian  abandoned,  not  merely  the 
power  of  godliness  lost,  but  even  the 
form  of  religion  was  in  a  great  measure 
relinquished,  and  he  became  a  votary 
of  pleasure,  and  attached  to  the  bottle. 
The  subject  of  this  melancholy  pic- 
ture had  many  engaging  qualities  ;  and, 
in  intervalsof  correct  moral  deportment. 
Was  capable  of  affording  much  pleasure 
to  the  social  circle.  At  times,  too,  when- 
conscience  raised  her  voice  and  lashed, 
him  with  the  stings  of  remorse,  he  could 
chide  his  wanderings,  and  cover  himself 
with  reproaches.  But  his,  alas!  was- 
no  the  sorrow  that  worketh  repentance 
unto  life  ;  it  was  the  keen  remorse,  the 
55 


APOSTACY. 


gnawing  anguish  of  a  victim  of  despair. 

Mr. entered  the  married  state,  and 

although  the  partner  of  his  bosom  did 
not  long  continue  with  him,  she  left  be- 
hind her  a  child,  whose  tender  age,  it 
might  have  been  supposed,  would  have 
induced  the  unhappy  man  to  pause  in 
his  ruinous  course.  But,  alas  !  the  en- 
dearing relation  of  father  had  no  charm 
to  break  the  fatal  spell  which  the  god 
of  this  world  had  cast  upon  his  soul.  In 
a  little  while  his  own  father  was  stretch- 
ed upon  his  dying  couch  ;  and  his  last 
moments  were  rendered  bitter,  not  by 
his  own  prospects,  for  he  had  hope  in 
Christ,  but  by  the  character  of  his  un- 
godly son. 

These  trying  dispensations  of  Provi- 
dence had  no  effect  to  rouse  the  unhappy 
man  from  the  awful  lethargy  into  which 
he  was  sunk,  and  yet  his  friends  were 
unwilling  to  give  him  up  for  lost.  His 
old  companions,  some  of  whom  were 
eminent  as  preachers  of  righteousness, 
expostulated  with  him.  Very  many 
solemn  letters  were  addressed  to  him. 
One,  who  never  exchanged  a  word  with 
him,  drew  a  faithful  likeness  of  his  cha- 
racter ;  the  deluded  victim  saw  it  in 
print,  and  though  not  a  little  enraged  at 
the  exposure,  confessed  that  the  pic- 
ture was  true.  In  spite  of  all  this, 
however,  he  still  continued  addicted  to 
spirituous  liquors,  and  seemed  to  place 
his  chief  delight  in  them. 

He  became,  at  length,  united  to  an 
amiable  woman,  in  whose  society .  he 
might  have  shared  many  happy  hours, 
and  days,  and  years,  if  strong  drink 
had  not  been  dearer  to  him  than  all  other 
objects.  For  a  short  time  he  appeared 
to  conduct  himself  with  propriety  ;  but 
old  habits  prevailed,  and  he  became 
their  victim  with  more  devotedness  than 
ever.  Now  and  then  he  would  express 
his  deep  regret  for  the  wicked  course 
he  was  pursuing,  and  appear  to  desire 
earnestly  that  he  might  be  delivered 
from  the  horrid  temptation  ;  but  all  his 
seeming  goodness  was  as  the  morning 
cloud,  and  as  the  early  dew. 

Not  many  weeks  previous  to  the  close 
of  this  unhappy  man's  career,  he  entered 
into  conversation  with  an  old  friend,  re- 
specting his  wicked  course  of  life,  and 
remarked  that  he  desired,  above  all 
56 


things,  one  circumstance  to  mark  hia 
dying  hour :  "  It  is,"  said  he,  "  that  I 
may  not  possess  my  reason."  '.'  What," 
rejoined  the  friend,  "  to  die  in  a  state  of 

derangement,  Mr. !    Is.it   possible 

that  can  be  your  desire  ?"  "  It  is,"  re- 
plied the  victim  of  despair.  "  I  know 
what  has  been  my  past  life  ;  that  I 
have  professed  religion  and  apostatized  ; 
that  I  have  become  an  abandoned 
wretch,  lost  to  all  shame  and  propriety ; 
and  I  am  sure,  that  if  I  were  to  have 
my  reason  in  my  last  moments,  the  re- 
trospect of  life  would  fill  me  with  such 
insupportable  remorse,  that  I  should  be 
a  terror  to  my  friends  and  to  mysew.  I 
know  that  I  am  not,  and  never  shall  be, 
prepared  for  heaven,  and  I  therefore 
shall  be  damned  ;  and  I  wish  that  these 
things  may  not  be  in  my  thoughts  in 
my  last  moments,  but  that  I  may  be  in- 
sensible." 

At  a  time  not  very  distant  from  the 
period  when  he  uttered  the  strange  re- 
marks above  quoted,  he  told  his  wife,  in 
a  very  grave  manner,  that  he  should  not 
long  be  with  her.  To  others  of  his 
family  he  made  the  same  or  similar 
statements ;  in  all  of  which  he  named 
the  day  on  which  he  would  cease  to 
exist.  For  a  few  days  after  this  he 
appeared  to  do  pretty  well,  but  soon  re- 
lapsed, and  engaging  in  mirth  and  fes- 
tivity, his  thoughts  of  death  were  all 
forgotten.  Whenever  he  did  speak  of 
death,  however,  he  expressed  his  horror 
of  dying,  associating  with  it,  as  he  al- 
ways did,  the  prospect  of  bitter  remorse 
for  his  past  wickedness.  He  was  at 
length  attacked  by  violent  illness,  which 
brought  on  convulsions  of  the  whole 
frame,  long  continued,  and  often  re- 
peated for  several  days,  during  the 
whole  of  which  he  was  deranged,  and 
died  as  senseless  as  the  brutes. 

(b)  COMPANIONS  OF  J.  A.  JAMES. 
— The  Rev.  J.  A.  James  relates  in  his 
"  Anxious  Inquirer  after  Salvation 
DIRECTED  AND  ENCOURAGED,"  that  he  be- 
gan his  own  religious  course  with  three 
companions,  one  of  whom  was  materi- 
ally serviceable,  in  some  particulars,  to 
him  ;  but  he  soon  proved  that  his  religion 
was  nothing  more  than  transient  devo- 
tion. A  second  returned  to  his  sin, 
"  like  a  dog  to  his  vomit,  and  a  sow  tha' 


APOSTACY. 


26 


is  washed  to  her  wallowing  in  the  mire." 
The  third,  who  was  for  some  time  his 
intimate  friend,  inbibed  the  principles 
of  infidelity  ;  and  so  great  was  his  zeal 
for  his  new  creed,  that  he  sat  up  at 
night  to  copy  Paine 's  "  Age  of  Reason." 
After  a  while  he  was  seized  with  a  dan- 
gerous disease  :  his  conscience  awoke  ; 
the  convictions  of  his  mind  were  agoni- 
zing ;  his  remorse  was  horrible.  He  or- 
dered all  his  infidel  extracts,  the  copying 
out  of  which  had  cost  him  so  many 
nights,  to  be  burnt  before  his  face  ;  and 
if  not  in  words,  yet  in  spirit — 

"  Burn,  burn,"   he  cried,  in  sacred  rage, 
"  Hell  is  the  due  of  every  page." 

His  infidel  companions  and  his  infidel 
principles  forsook  him  at  once,  and  in 
the  hearing  of  a  pious  friend,  who  visit- 
ed him^  and  to  whom  he  confessed  with 
tears  and  lamentations  his  backsliding, 
he  uttered  his  confessions  of  sin,  and 
his  vows  of  repentance.  He  recovered  ; 
but,  painful  to  relate,  it  was  only  to  re- 
lapse again,  if  not  into  infidelity,  yet, 
at  any  rate,  into  an  utter  disregard  to 
religion. 

(c)  APOSTACY  AND  SUTCIDE.— 
John  Child,  of  Bedford,  England,  in  early 
life  professed  religion,  and  was  for  some 
years  zealous  in  its  extension,  both  by 
preaching  and  writing.  But  yielding 
to  temptation,  and  indulging  a  spirit  of 
pride,  he  became  the  avowed  enemy  of 
the  gospel,  and  wrote  a  book  against  the 
truths  he  had  professed  to  love.  After 
this,  he  was  brought  into  a  very  awful 
state  of  mind,  absolutely  despairing  of 
the  mercy  of  God  being  extended  to  him. 
He  was  visited  by  several  ministers  and 
others,  but  without  any  good  effect,  and 
at  last  committed  suicide,  by  hanging 
himself  in  his  own  house,  in  the  year 
1G84. 

{d)  SPIRA'S  DEATH-BED.— Fran- 
cis Spira,  an  Italian  lawyer,  embraced 
Christianity,  discovered  great  zeal  in  its 
diffusion,  and  was  distinguished  for  his 
extensive  knowledge  of  the  gospel. 
When  he  found  that  he  was  likely  to 
suffer  for  the  sake  of  Christ,  he  publicly 
recanted  ;  and  soon  after  being  seized 
with  illness,  and  having  the  prospect  of 
death  before  him,  he  was  visited  by 
several  eminent  Christians,  who    con- 


versed and  prayed  with  him,  but  with- 
out avail.  He  died  in  a  state  of  the 
most  awful  despaii*,  declaring  the  im- 
possibility of  his  finding  mercy  at  the 
hands  of  God. 

(e)  THE  APOSTATE  BURNED. 
— Richard  Denton,  a  blacksmith,  re- 
siding in  Cambridgeshire,  was  a  profes- 
sor of  religion,  and  the  means  of  con- 
verting the  martyr  William  Woolsey. 
When  told  by  that  holy  man  that  he 
wondered  he  had  not  followed  him  to 
prison,  Denton  replied,  that  he  could 
not  burn  in  the  cause  of  Christ.  Not 
long  after,  his  house  being  on  fire,  he 
ran  in  to  save  some  of  his  goods,  and 
was  burnt  to  death. 

(/)  CRANMER'S  UNWORTHY 
HAND. — In  the  bloody  reign  of  Queen 
Mary  of  England,  Archbishop  Cran- 
mer  became  obnoxious  to  her  persecuting 
spirit.  She  was  determined  to  bring 
him  to  the  stake  ;  but  previously  em- 
ployed emissaries  to  persuade  him,  by 
means  of  flattery  and  false  promises,  to 
renounce  his  faith.  The  good  man  was 
overcome,  and  subscribed  to  the  errors 
of  the  Church  of  Rome.  His  conscience 
smote  him  ;  he  returned  to  his  former 
persuasion ;  and,  when  brought  to  the 
stake,  he  stretched  forth  the  hand  that 
had  made  the  unhappy  signature,  and 
held  it  in  the  flames  till  it  was  en- 
tirely consumed,  frequently  exclaiming, 
"  That  unworthy  hand :"  after  which 
he  patiently  suffered  martyrdom,  and 
ascended  to  receive  its  reward. 

(^)  APOSTACY  DESTROYS  THE 
CONFIDENCE  OF  WORLDLY 
MEN. — It  is  well  known  that  Freder- 
ick  the  Great  took  pride  in  having  his 
soldiers  well  disciplined;  and  was  there- 
fore particularly  attentive  to  the  con- 
duct of  the  subalterns.  It  is  perhaps 
not  so  well  known,  that  he  sometimes 
manifested  a  real  respect  for  religious 
people  ;  for  few  men  could  more  clear- 
ly discern  the  excellence  of  the  conduct 
produced  by  holy  principles.  While, 
therefore,  he  sneered  at  Christianity,  he 
sometimes  promoted  to  offices  of  trust 
those  who  consistently  maintained  it. 

A  sergeant,  of  the  name  of  Thomas, 

who  was  very  successful    in   training 

his  men,  and  whose  whole  deportment 

pleased  the  king,  was  often  noticed  by 

57 


36 


APOSTACY. 


him.  He  inquired  respecting  the  place 
of  the  sergeant's  birth,  his  parents,  his 
religious  creed,  and  the  place  of  wor- 
ship which  he  frequented.  On  being 
informed  that  he  was  united  with  the 
Moravians,  and  attended  their  chapel 
in  William-street,  he  exclaimed,  "  Oh  ! 
Oh  !  you  are  a  fanatic,  are  you  ?  Well, 
well ;  only  take  care  to  do  your  duty, 
and  improve  your  men." 

The  king's  common  salutation  after 
this,  was,  "  Well,  how  do  you  do  ?  how 
are  you  going  on  in  William-street  ?" 
His  majesty  at  length,  in  conversation 
with  Thomas's  colonel,  mentioned  his 
intention  of  promoting  the  sergeant  to 
an  office  in  the  commissariat  depart- 
ment, upon  the  death  of  an  aged  man 
who  then  filled  it. 

The  colonel,  in  order  to  encourage 
Thomas,  told  him  of  the  king's  design. 
Unhappily*  this  had  an  injurious  effect 
upon  the  mind  of  the  sergeant ;  for, 
alas !  such  is  the  depravity  of  the  hu- 
man heart,  that  few  can  endure  the 
temptation  of  prosperity  without  sus- 
taining spiritual  loss.  Thomas  began 
to  forsake  the  assemblies  of  his  Christian 
brethren ;  and  when  reproved  by  his 
minister,  he  said,  "  his  heart  was  with 
him,  but  he  was  afraid  of  offending  the 
king."  The  minister  told  him  to  take 
good  heed  that  his  heart  did  not  deceive 
him.  Soon  after  the  sergeant's  religious 
declension,  he  was  again  accosted  by 
the  king,  with  "  Well,  how  do  you  do  ? 
how  are  your  friends  in  William- 
street?"  '*I  do  not  know,  please  your 
majesty,"  was  the  reply.  "  Not  know  ! 
not  know  !"  answered  the  king  ;  "  have 
I  you  been  ill  ?"  "  No,  please  your  ma- 
jesty," rejoined  the  sergeant;  "but  I 
do  not  see  it  necessary  to  attend  there 
so  often  as  I  used  to  do."  "  Then  you 
are  not  so  great  a  fanatic  as  I  thought 
you  ;"  was  the  royal  answer. 

In  a  short  time  the  aged  officer  died, 
and  the  colonel  waited  upon  his  majesty 
to  inform  him  of  the  vacancy,  and  to 
remind  him  of  his  intention  to  raise  ser- 
geant Thomas  to  the  situation.  "  No, 
no  !"  said  the  king,  "  he  shall  not  have 
it ;  he  does  not  go  so  often  to  Wil- 
liam-street as  he  used  to  do."  Surprised 
with  this  peremptory  refusal,  the  colonel 
withdrew,  and  on  his  return  found  his 
58 


sergeant  waiting  for  the  confirmation 
of  his  appointment.  "  I  do  not  know 
what  is  the  matter  with  the  king  to- 
day," said  the  cononel,  "  but  he  will 
not  give  you  the  situation.  He  says 
you  do  not  go  so  often  to  William-street 
as  you  used  to  do.  1  do  not  know  what 
he  means ;  but  I  suppose  you  do." 
Struck  in  a  moment  with  the  awful 
impropriety  of  his  conduct,  he  bowed  to 
the  colonel,  and  departed  to  humble 
himself  before  God.  He  ever  after 
adored  the  Divine  mercy,  which  did  not 
leave  him  fully  to  realize  the  Scriptural 
threatening,  "  The  prosperity  of  fools 
shall  destroy  them."  W 

(h)  A  BACKSLIDER'S  WRETCH- 
EDNESS.—Dr.  Doddridge  was  once 
preaching  on  the  calling  and  the  glorious 
hopes  of  the  Christian.  One  of  his 
hearers,  after  the  sermon,  addressed  him 
in  the  following  terms :  "  You  have 
made  an  excellent  and  encouraging  dis- 
course ;  but  these  privileges  do  not  be- 
long to  me,  nor  shall  I  ever  have  the 
least  interest  in  them."  "  What  reason 
have  you  for  so  saying  ?"  asked  the 
doctor ;  "  Jesus  is  able  to  save  to  the 
uttermost."  "  I  will  tell  you  my  cir- 
cumstances," the  man  replied,  "  and 
then  you  will  not  be  surprised.  I  once 
made  a  profession  of  religion,  which  I 
supported  with  great  regularity  and  de- 
corum for  several  years.  1  was  very 
strict  in  the  performance  of  the  duties 
required  by  the  Christian  system.  None 
could  charge  me  with  immorality  of 
conduct,  or  the  neglect  of  positive  com- 
mands ;  but  in  the  course  of  time  my 
zeal  departed  from  me,  and  I  became 
careless  and  remiss  in  my  walk  and 
conversation.  I  felt  no  satisfaction  aris- 
ing from  the  performance  of  spiritual 
duties,  and  gradually  declined  my  cus- 
tomary observance  of  them.  Instead 
of  praying  twice  or  thrice  a  day,  I  only 
prayed  once  ;  the  same  with  respect  to 
family  religion ;  and  at  last  these  sa- 
cred engagements  were  entirely  omitted, 
which  soon  discovered  itself  by  my  out- 
ward conduct.  Ungodly  company,  and 
the  gratification  of  sense,  became  my 
only  enjoyments,  in  which  I  could  in- 
dulge free  from  those  strong  convictions 
of  guilt  and  dreadful  apprehension  of 
future   misery,  which   retirement    anO 


APPLAUSE. 


26,  2T 


calm  reflection  impose  upon  the  mind. 
Soon  after  this  change  took  place,  I  was 
left  guardian  to  a  young  lady,  whose 
fortune  was  committed  to  my  care ;  but 
I  expended  her  money,  and  ruined  her 
reputation.  Still  I  was  sensible  how 
far  preferable  a  virtuous  life  was  to  a 
wicked  one,  and  I  was  careful  to  in- 
struct my  children  in  the  principles  of 
religion.  When  I  returned,  one  evening, 
from  my  sinful  pursuits,  I  asked  them, 
as  usual,  if  they  could  repeat  their  les- 
son. 'Yes,'  said  the  youngest,  'and  I 
have  a  lesson  for  you  too,  papa ;'  she 
then  read  Ezek.  xxiv.  13  : — '  Because 
I  have  purged  thee,  and  thou  wast  not 
purged,  thou  shalt  not  be  purged  from 
thy  filthiness  any  more,  till  I  have 
caused  my  fury  to  rest  upon  thee.'  This 
I  considered  was  to  seal  my  doom,  and 
I  now  have  nothing  but  a  fearful  looking 
for  of  judgment." 

(i)  SECURITY  AGAINST  APOS- 
TACY. — "  I  well  remember,"  says  an 
eminent  minister  in  North  Wales,  "  that 
when  the  Spirit  of  God  first  convinced 
me  of  my  sin,  guilt,  and  danger,  and  of 
the  many  difficulties  and  enemies  I  must 
encounter,  if  ever  I  intended  setting  out 
for  heaven,  I  was  often  to  the  last  degree 
frightened  ;  the  prospect  of  those  many 
strong  temptations  and  vain  allurements 
to  which  my  youthful  years  would  una- 


j  voidably  expose  me,  greatly  discouraged 

j  me.     And  I  often  used  to  tell  an  aged 

j  soldier   of  Christ,   the   first   and   only 

I  Christian  friend  I  had  any  acquaintance 

with  for  several  years,  that  I  wished  1 

had  borne  the  burden  and  heat  of  the 

day  like  hwi.     His  usual  reply  was — 

'  That  so   long  as  I  feared,  and  was 

humbly  dependent  upon  God,  I  should 

never  fall,  but  certainly  prevail.'      1 

have   tbund  it  so.      O,  blessed  be  the 

Lord,  that  I  can  now  raise  up  my  Ebe- 

nezer,  and  say,  '  Hitherto  hath  the  Lord 

upheld  me.'" 

( j)  FIVE  YEARS  OF  MISERY.— 
It  is  said  of  a  Mr.  G.,  that  he  lay  lan- 
guishing in  distress  of  mind  for  five 
years, — during  which  he  took  no  com- 
fort in  meat  or  drink,  nor  any  pleasure 
in  life ;  being  under  a  sense  of  backsli- 
ding, he  was  distressed  as  if  he  had 
been  in  the  pit  of  hell.  If  he  ate  his 
food,  it  was  not  from  any  appetite,  but 
with  a  view  to  defer  his  damnation, 
thinking  within  himself  that  he  must 
needs  be  lost  so  soon  as  his  breath  was 
out  of  his  body.  Yet,  after  all  this,  he 
was  set  at  liberty,  received  great  conso- 
lation, and  afterwards  lived  altogether  a 
heavenly  life.  Let  not  the  tempted  be- 
liever then  despond,  nor  the  returning 
backslider  fear  lest  he  should  be  re- 
jected. 


27.  APPLAUSE. 


(a)  A  CLERGYMAN'S   DREAM. 

The  Imperial  Magazine  contains  an 
account  of  a  remarkable  dream  related 
by  Rev.  R.  Bowden,  of  Darwen,  in 
England,  who  committed  it  to  writing 
from  the  lips  of  the  clergyman  to  whom 
it  happened.  The  dream  suggests  a 
most  solemn  and  affecting  admonition. 

A  minister  of  evangelical  principles, 
whose  name,  from  the  circumstances 
that  occurred,  it  will  be  necessary  to 
conceal,  being  much  fatigued  at  the  con- 
clusion of  the  afternoon  service,  retired 
to  his  apartment  in  order  to  take  a  little 
rest.  He  had  not  long  reclined  upon 
his  couch  before  he  fell  asleep  and  began 
to  dream.  He  dreamed  that  on  walking 
into  his  garden,  he  entered  a  bower  that 


had  been  erected  in  it,  where  he  sat 
down  to  read  and  meditate.  While  thus 
employed  he  thought  he  heard  some  one 
enter  the  garden  ;  and  leaving  his  bow- 
er, he  immediately  hastened  toward  the 
spot  whence  the  sound  seemed  to  come, 
in  order  to  discover  who  it  was  that  had 
entered.  He  had  not  proceeded  far  be- 
fore he  observed  a  particular  friend  of 
his,  a  clergyman  of  considerable  talents, 
who  had  rendered  himself  very  popular 
by  his  zealous  and  unwearied  exertions 
in  the  cause  of  Christ.  On  approach- 
ing his  friend,  he  was  surprised  to  find 
that  his  countenance  was  covered  with 
a  gloom  which  it  had  not  been  accus- 
tomed to  wear,  and  that  it  strongly  in- 
dicated a  violent  agitation  of  mind  ap- 
59 


jjy,  98 


ATONlixMSNT. 


parently  arising  from  conscious  remorse. 
After  the  usual  salutations  had  passed, 
his  friend  asked  the  relator  the  time  of 
the  day  ;  to  which  he  replied,  "  Twen- 
ty-five minutes  after  four."  On  hearing 
this,  the  stranger  said,  "  It  is  only  one 
hour  since  I  died,  and  now  I  am  damn- 
ed." "  Damned  !  for  what  ?"  inquired 
the  minister.  "  It  is  not,"  said  he, 
"  because  I  have  not  preached  the  gos- 
pel, neither  is  it  because  I  have  not  been 
rendered  useful,  for  I  have  many  souls 
as  seals  to  my  ministry,  who  can  bear 
testimony  to  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus, 
which  they  have  received  from  my  lips  ; 
but  it  is  because  I  have  been  seeking 
the  applause  of  men  more  than  the  honor 
which  Cometh  from  above,  and  verily,  I 
have  my  reward  !"  Having  uttered 
hese  expressions  he  hastily  disappeared, 
and  was  seen  no  more. 

The  minister  awaking  shortly  after- 
ward, with  the  dream  deeply  graven  on 
his  memory,  proceeded,  overwhelmed 
with    serious    reflections,    towards  his 


chapel,  in  order  to  conduct  his  evening 
service.  On  his  way  thither  he  was 
accosted  by  a  friend,  who  inquired 
whether  he  had  heard  of  the  severe  loss 
the  church  had  sustained  in  the  death 
of  their  able  minister.  He  replied, 
"  No  ;"  but  being  much  affected  at  this 
singular  intelligence,  he  inquired  of  him 
the  day  and  the  time  of  the  day  when 
his  departure  took  place.  To  this  his 
friend  replied,  "  This  afternoon,  at 
twenty-five  minutes  after  three  o'clock." 
(b)  PARMENIDES'  AUDIENCE. 
— To  a  really  wise  man,  the  well 
weighed  approbation  of  a  single  judi- 
cious character  gives  more  heartfelt  sat- 
isfaction than  all  the  noisy  applauses  of 
ten  thousand  ignorant  though  enthusias- 
tic admirers.  Parmenides,  upon  read- 
ing  a  philosophical  discourse  before  a 
public  assembly  at  Athens,  and  observ- 
ing that,  except  Plato,  the  whole  compa- 
ny had  left  him,  continued,  notwith-  -J 
standing,  to  read  on,  and  said  that  Plato 
alone  was  audience  sufficient  for  him. 


28.  ATONEMENT. 


(a)  ATONEMENT  FUNDAMEN- 
TAL.—The  late  Thomas,  Earl  of  Kin- 
noul,  a  short  time  before  his  death,  in  a 
long  and  serious  conversation  with  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Kemp,  of  Edinburgh,  thus 
expressed  himself: — "  I  have  always 
considered  the  atonement  the  characteris- 
tic of  the  gospel  :  as  a  system  of  religion, 
strip  it  of  that  doctrine,  and  you  reduce 
it  to  a  scheme  of  morality,  excellent, 
indeed,  and  such  as  the  world  never 
saw ;  but,  to  man,  in  the  present  state 
of  his  faculties,  absolutely  impractica- 
ble. 

"  The  atonement  of  Christ,  and  the 
truths  immediately  connected  with  that 
fundamental  principle,  provide  a  reme- 
dy for  all  the  wants  and  weaknesses  of 
our  nature.  Those  who  strive  to  re- 
move those  precious  doctrines  from  the 
word  of  God,  do  an  irreparable  injury 
to  the  grand  and  beautiful  system  of  re- 
ligion which  it  contains,  as  well  as  to 
the  comforts  dnd  hopes  of  man.  For 
my  own  part,  I  am  now  an  old  man,  and 
have  experienced  the  infirmities  of  ad- 
60 


vanced  years.  Of  late,  in  the  course 
of  a  severe  and  dangerous  illness,  1  have 
been  repeatedly  brought  to  the  gates  of 
death.  My  time  in  this  world  cannot 
now  be  long,  but  with  truth  I  can  de- 
clare that,  in  the  midst  of  all  my  past 
afflictions,  my  heart  was  supported  and 
comforted  by  a  firm  reliance  upon  the 
merits  and  atonement  of  my  Savior ; 
and  now,  in  the  prospect  of  entering 
upon  an  eternal  world,  this  is  the  only 
foundation  of  my  confidence  and  hope." 
(b)  "  THIS  IS  WIIATl  WANT." 
— A  certain  man,  on  the  Malabar  coast, 
had  inquired  of  various  devotees  and 
priests,  how  he  might  make  atonement 
for  his  sins;  and  he  was  directed  to 
drive  iron  spikes,  sufficiently  blunted, 
through  his  sandals ;  and  on  these 
spikes,  he  was  directed  to  place  his  na- 
ked feet,  and  to  walk  about  four  hun- 
dred and  eighty  miles.  If  through  loss 
of  blood,  or  weakness  of  body,  he  was 
obliged  to  halt,  he  might  wait  for  heal- 
ing and  strength.  He  undertook  the 
journey,  and  while  he  halted   under  a 


ATONEMENT. 


28 


large  shady  tree,  where  the  gospel  was 
sometimes  preached,  one  of  the  mission- 
aries came  and  preached  in  his  hearing 
from  these  words,  "  The  blood  of  Jesus 
Christ  cleanseth  from  all  sin."  While 
he  was  preaching,  the  man  rose  up, 
threw  off  his  torturing  sandals,  and  cried 
out  aloud,  "  This  is  what  1  want ;"  and 
he  became  a  lively  witness,  that  the 
blood  of  Jesus  Christ  does  cleanse  from 
all  sin  indeed. 

(c)  DOCTRINE  FIT  FOR  OLD 
WOMEN. — The  first  sermon  preached 
by  the  late  Rev.  Robert  Hall  at  Cam- 
bridge, after  he  had  become  the  pastor 
of  the  congregation  there,  was  on  the  doc- 
trine of  the  atonement,  and  its  practical 
tendencies.  One  of  the  congregation, 
vvho  had  embraced  very  erroneous  views 
of  the  gospel,  said  to  him,  "  Mr.  Hall,  this 
preaching  won't  do  for  us,  it  will  only 
suit  a  congregation  of  old  women." 
"  Do  you  mean  my  sermon,  sir ;  or  the 
doctrine  ?"  "  Your  doctrine."  "  Why 
is  it  that  the  doctrine  is  fit  only  for  old 
women  ?"  "  Because  it  may  suit  the 
musings  of  people  tottering  upon  the 
brink  of  the  grave,  and  who  are  eager- 
ly seeking  comfort."  "  Thank  you, 
sir  ;  for  your  concession.  The  doctrine 
will  not  suit  people  of  any  age,  unless 
it  be  true  ;  and,  if  it  be  true,  it  is  not 
fitted  for  old  women  alone,  but  is  equal- 
ly important  at  every  age." 

{d)  GOD'S  LOVE  WONDERFUL. 
— A  missionary,  addressing  a  pious  ne- 
gro woman,  said,  "  Mary,  is  not  the  love 
of  God  wonderful  ?"  and  then  enlarging 
on  its  manifestation  in  the  atonement  of 
Christ,  he  made  the  appeal,  "  Is  it  not 
wonderful?"  Mary  simply,  but  we 
may  add,  sublimely,  replied,  "  Massa, 
massa,  me  no  tink  it  so  wonderful, 
'cause  it  is  just  like  Him." 

(e)  THE  SCHOLAR'S  COMFORT. 
— "  I  have  taken  much  pains,"  says  the 
learned  Selden,  "  to  know  every  thing 
that  was  esteemed '  worth  knowing 
amongst  men  ;  but  with  all  my  disquisi- 
tions and  reading,  nothing  now  remains 
with  me  to  comfort  me,  at  the  close  of 
life,  but  this  passage  of  St.  Paul,  '  It  is 
a  faithful  saying,  and  worthy  of  all  ac- 
ceptation, that  Jesus  Christ  came  into 
the  world  to  save  sinners  :'  to  this  I 
cleave,  and  herein  I  find  rest." 


(/)  COMMITTING  A  MILLION 
SOULS  TO  CHRIST.— Rev.  Mr.  H. 

was  for  many  years  co-pastor  with  the 
Rev.  Matthew  Wilks,  of  the  congrega- 
tions at  the  Tabernacle  and  Tottenham- 
court  chapel,  London.  His  venerable 
colleague,  who  called  upon  him  a  few 
hours  before  his  death,  in  a  characteris- 
tic conversation,  said,  "  Is  all  right  for 
another  world  ?" 

"  I  am  very  happy,"  said  Mr.  H. 

"  Have  you  made  your  will  ?" 

Mistaking  the  question  — "  The  will 
of  the  Lord  be  done,"  said  the  dying 
Christian. 

"  Shall  I  pray  with  you  ?" 

"  Yes,  if  you  can  ;"  alluding  to  Mr. 
Wilks's  feelings,  at  that  moment  con- 
siderably excited. 

After  prayer,  "  Well,  my  brother,  if 
you  had  a  hundred  souls,  could  you 
commit  them  all  to  Christ  now  ?"  allud- 
ing to  an  expression  Mr.  H.  frequently 
used  in  the  pulpit. 

With  a  mighty  and  convulsive  effort, 
he  replied,  "  A  million  !" 

{g)  COWPER'S  EXPERIENCE.— 
Cowper,  the  poet,  speaking  of  his  reli- 
gious experience,  says :  "  But  the  happy 
period  which  was  to  shake  off  my  fettera 
and  afford  me  a  clear  opening  of  the 
free  mercy  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus,  was 
now  arrived.  I  flung  myself  into  a 
chair  near  the  window,  and  seeing  a 
Bible  there,  ventured  once  more  to  apply 
to  it  for  comfort  and  instruction.  The 
first  verse  I  saw  was  the  25th  of  the 
third  of  Romans  ;  '  Whom  God  hath  set 
forth  to  be  a  propitiation  through  faith 
in  his  blood,  to  declare  his  righteousness 
for  the  remission  of  sins  that  are  past, 
through  the  forbearance  of  God.'  Im- 
mediately I  received  strength  to  believe, 
and  the  full  beams  of  the  Sun  of  Righte- 
ousness shone  upon  me.  I  saw  the  suf- 
ficiency of  the  atonement  he  had  made, 
my  pardon  sealed  in  his  blood,  and  all 
the  fulness  and  completeness  of  his  jus- 
tification. In  a  moment  I  believed  and 
received  the  gospel." 

(h)  DES  BARREAUX'S  POEM.— . 
Des  Barreaux,  a  foreigner  of  eminent 
station,  had  been  a  great  profligate,  and 
afterwards  became  a  great  penitent. 
He  composed  a  piece  of  poetry  after  his 
conversion,  the  leading  sentiment  of 
61 


2§,  2D 


AVARICE. 


which  was  to  the  following  effect : — 
"Great  God,  t.by  judgments  are  full  of 
righteousness ;  thou  takest  pleasure  in 
the  exercise  of  mercy  :  but  I  have  sin- 
ned to  such  a  height  that  justice  de- 
mands my  destruction,  and  mercy  itself 
seems  to  solicit  my  perdition.  Disdain 
my  tears,  strike  the  blow,  and  execute 
thy  judgments.  I  am  willing  to  submit 
and  adore,  even  in  perishing,  the  equity 
of  thy  procedure.  But  on  what  place 
will  the  stroke  fall  that  is  not  covered 
with  the  blood  of  Christ  ?" 

(0  REV.  MR.  INNES  AND  THE 
INFIDEL.  —  In  a  conversation  which 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Innes  had  with  an  infidel 
on  his  sick-bed,  he  told  him  that  when 
he  was  taken  ill  he  thought  he  would 
rely  on  the  general  mercy  of  God  ;  that 
as  he  had  never  done  any  thing  very 
bad,  he  hoped  all  would  be  well.  "  But 
as  my  weakness  increased,"  he  added, 


"  I  began  to  think,  is  not  God  a  just  be- 
ing, as  well  as  merciful  ?  Now  what 
reason  have  1  to  think  he  will  treat  me 
with  mercy  and  not  with  justice?  and 
if  I  am  treated  with  justice,"  he  said, 
with  much  emotion,  "  where  am  I  ?" 

"  I  showed  him,"  says  Mr.  Innes, 
"  that  this  was  the  very  difficulty  the 
gospel  was  sent  to  remove,  as  it  showed 
how  mercy  could  be  exercised  in  perfect 
consistency  with  the  strictest  demands 
of  justice,  while  it  was  bestowed  through 
the  atonement  made  by  Jesus  Christ. 
After  explaining  this  doctrine  and  press- 
ing it  on  his  attention  and  acceptance, 
one  of  the  last  things  he  said  to  me  be- 
fore leaving  him,  was,  "  Well,  I  believe 
it  must  come  to  this.  I  confess  I  see 
here  a  solid  footing  to  rest  on,  which, 
on  my  former  principles  I  could  never 
find." 


29.  AVARICE. 


(a)  A  MOTHER  MURDERING 
HER  SON.— Two  young  men  of  Vir- 
gmia,  who  served  in  the  American  army 
during  the  war,  having  regularly  got 
their  discharge,  went  home  to  their 
friends.  One  had  only  a  mother  living 
when  he  left  home  ;  when  they  had  got 
near  home,  they  fell  into  a  conversation 
on  the  length  of  time  they  had  been 
away,  and  concluded  to  try  whether 
their  parents  would  know  them  ;  with 
this  impression,  each  took  the  nearest 
.  path  home.  The  one  who  had  only  a 
mother,  came  in ;  and,  finding  his  mother 
did  not  know  him,  he  asked  for  lodging ; 
to  whom  she  replied,  she  could  not  lodge 
him  ;  that  there  was  a  tavern  not  far 
from  the  place  where  he  might  get  lodg- 
ing,  &c.  He  importuned,  but  she  re- 
fused, till  at  last  he  told  her  he  had  a 
little  monf  y,  and  he  was  afraid  to  lodge 
in  a  tavern,  lest  some  person  should  rob 
him.  He  took  out  his  purse  and  offered 
It  to  her  keeping.  She,  struck  with  the 
mammon,  consented  immediately  to  his 
staying  ;  accordingly  he  did,  had  sup- 
per, and  still  never  discovered  himself 
to  his  mother  or  any  of  the  family.  He 
was  directed  to  a  bed  once  more  in  the 
62 


chamber  of  her  who  conceived  him. 
How  safe  he  must  have  thought  himself 
then,  compared  to  the  field  of  battle. 
But  she  summoned  a  negro  man,  told 
him  the  scheme  she  had  planned,  hired 
him  to  aid  her  to  the  stranger's  apart- 
ment, where  they  murdered  him  in  his 
bed.  Next  day  his  fellow-soldier  came 
to  see  his  friend;  but,  on  asking  for  the' 
stranger,  could  hear  nothing  of  him.  He 
thought  it  was  a  trick  to  plague  him, 
that  the  old  woman  denied  it,  till,  hear- 
ing  her  affirm  that  no  stranger  had  come 
there  the  last  evening,  nor  any  man,  he 
asked  her  if  she  had  not  a  son  who  went 
to  the  war.  She  said  she  had.  "  Well," 
said  he,  "  I  left  him  within  a  few  miles 
of  this  house  last  evening,  and  he  came 
here ;  and  he  told  me  he  would  not 
make  himself  known  to  you,  to  see  if 
you  had  forgotten  his  looks.  He  must 
be  here."  The  cruel  mother  fainted 
at  the  sentence,  confessed  her  wicked- 
ness, and  showed  her  murdered  son, 
crammed  in  a  closet  of  the  house  ! ! 
Oh,  the  love  of  money,  what  has  it  not 
done  ;  what  will  it  yet  do  ! 

{h)  THE  RICH  MAN'S  VICTORY. 
— "  I  could  mention  the  name  of  a  late 


AVARICE. 


dO 


very  opulent  and  very  valuable  person," 
says  a  writer  in  the  Gospel  Magazine, 
"  who,  though  naturally  avaricious  in 
the  extreme,  was  liberal  and  beneficent 
to  a  proverb.  He  was  aware  of  his  con- 
stitutional sin,  and  God  gave  him  victory 
over  it,  by  enabling  him  to  run  away 
from  it.  Lest  the  dormant  love  of  mo- 
ney should  awake  and  stir  in  his  heart, 
he  would  not,  for  many  years  before  his 
death,  trust  himself  with  the  sight  of  his 
revenues.  He  kept,  indeed,  his  accounts 
as  clearly  and  exactly  as  any  man  in 
the  world  ;  but  he  dared  not  receive, 
because  he  dared  not  look  at  that  gold, 
which  he  feared  would  prove  a  snare  to 
his  affections.  His  stewards  received 
all,  and  retained  all  in  their  own  hands 
till  they  received  orders  how  to  dispose 
of  it." 

(c)  A  LARGE  OFFER  FOR  A 
FORTNIGHT.  — A  person  who  pos- 
sessed a  speculative  acquaintance  with 
divine  truth,  had,  by  unremitting  indus- 
try, and  carefully  watching  every  op- 
portunity of  increasing  his  wealth,  ac- 
cumulated the  sum  of  twenty-five  thou- 
sand pounds.  But  alas !  he  became 
engrossed  and  entangled  with  the  world, 
and  to  its  acquisitions  he  appears  to  have 
sacrificed  infinitely  higher  interests.  A 
dangerous  sickness,  that  brought  death 
near  to  his  view,  awakened  his  fears. 
Conscience  reminded  him  of  his  neglect 
of  eternal  concerns,  and  filled  him  with 
awful  forebodings  of  future  misery. 
A  little  before  he  expired  he  was  heard 
to  say,  "  My  possessions  amount  to 
twenty-five  thousand  pounds.  One  half 
of  this  my  property  I  would  give,  so 
that  I  might  live  one  fortnight  longer,  to 
repent  and  seek  salvation." 

[d)  THE  MERCHANT  AND  THE 
PEASANT. — A  peasant  once  entered 
the  hall  of  justice  at  Florence,  at  the 
time  that  Alexander,  duke  of  Tuscany, 
was  presiding.  He  stated  that  he  had 
the  good  fortune  to  find  a  purse  of  sixty 
ducats ;  and  learning  that  it  belonged 
to  Friuli  the  merchant,  who  offered  a 
reward  of  ten  ducats  to  the  finder,  he 
restored  it  to  him,  but  that  he  had  re- 
fused the  promised  reward.  The  duke 
instantly  ordered  Friuli  to  be  summon- 
ed into  his  presence,  and  questioned  why 
he  refused  the  reward.     The  merchant 


replied,  "  that  he  conceived  the  peasant 
had  paid  himself;  for  although,  when 
he  gave  notice  of  his  loss,  he  said  this 
purse  only  contained  sixty  ducats,  it  in 
fact  had  seventy  in  it."  The  duke  in- 
quired if  this  mistake  was  discovered 
before  the  purse  was  found.  Friuli 
answered  in  the  negative.  "  Then,'' 
said  the  duke,  "  as  I  have  a  very  high 
opinion  of  the  honesty  of  this  peasant, 
I  am  induced  to  believe  that  there  is  in- 
deed a  mistake  in  this  transaction ;  for 
as  the  purse  you  lost  had  in  it  seventy 
ducats,  and  this  which  he  found  contains 
sixty  only,  it  is  impossible  that  it  can  be 
the  same."  He  then  gave  the  purse  to 
the  peasant,  and  promised  to  protect  him 
against  all  future  claimants. 

(e)  SEVERAL  AVARICIOUS 
CHARACTERS.— The  greatest  en- 
dowments of  the  mind,  the  greatest 
abilities  in  a  profession,  and  even  the 
quiet  possession  of  an  immense  treasure, 
will  never  prevail  against  avarice.  My 
Lord  Chancellor  Hardwick,  says  Dr. 
King,  when  worth  eight  hundred  thou- 
sand pounds,  set  the  same  value  on  half 
a  crown  then  as  when  he  was  worth 
only  one  hundred  pounds.  That  great 
captain,  the  Duke  of  Marlborough,  when 
he  was  in  the  last  stage  of  life  and  very 
infirm, would  walk  from  the  public  rooms 
in  Bath  to  his  lodgings,  in  a  cold,  dark 
night,  to  save  sixpence  in  chair-hire. 
He  died  worth  more  than  a  million  and 
a  half  sterling,  which  was  inherited  by 
a  grandson  of  Lord  Trevor's,  who  had 
been  one  of  his  enemies.  Sir  James 
Lowther,  after  changing  a  piece  of  sil- 
ver, and  paying  twopence  for  a  dish  of 
coffee  in  George's  cofTee-house,  was 
helped  into  his  chariot  (for  he  was  then 
very  lame  and  infirm),  and  went  home  ; 
some  little  lime  after  he  returned  to  the 
same  coffee-house  on  purpose  to  acquaint 
the  woman  who  kept  it  that  she  had 
given  him  a  bad  halfpenny,  and  de- 
manded another  in  exchange  for  it.  Sir 
James  had  about  forty  thousand  pounds 
per  annum,  and  was  at  loss  whom  to 
appoint  his  heir.  I  knew  one  Sir 
Thomas  Colby,  who  lived  at  Kensing- 
ton,  and  was,  I  think,  a  commissioner 
in  the  victualling  office ;  he  killed  him- 
self by  rising  in  the  night  when  he 
was  under  the  effect  of  a  sudorific,  and 
63 


29 


AVARICE. 


going  down  stairs  to  look  for  the  key  of 
his  cellar,  which  he  had  inadvertently 
left  on  a  table  in  his  parlor;  he  was 
appre-hensive  his  servants  might  seize  the 
key  and  deprive  him  of  a  bottle  of  wine. 
This  man  died  intestate,  and  left  more 
than  two  hundred  thousands  pounds  in 
the  funds,  which  was  shared  among  five 
or  six-day  laborers,  who  were  his  nearest 
relatives. 

(/)  A  POOR  GUARD.—  A  court-' 
ier  busily  occupied  in  ministerial  em- 
ployments,  and  a  member  of  the  cham- 
ber of  deputies,  received  from  one  of 
"our  excellencies"  some  secret  in- 
struction with  regard  to  certain  parlia- 
mentary consciences,  which  it  was 
thought  might  be  easily  purchased. 

The  minister  happened  to  mention  the 

name  of  Mr.  X .     "  Oh,  as  to  that 

one,"  hastily  interrupted  the  political 
Mercury,  I  cannot  answer  for  him.  I 
have  already  sounded  him,  and  he 
seems  to  be  inaccessible." 

"  But  did  you  try  it  with  a  good  bank 
note  in  hand  ?" 

"  He  is  said  to  be  wholly  incorrupt!- 
ble."  . 

"  Agreed — but  a  good  sum  " — 

"  He  is  conscientious — is  virtuous." 

"  But  he  loves  money  very  much.  I 
am  assured  that  he  is  avaricious." 

"  That  is  true." 

"  Very  well — very  well,  my  dear  sir. 
Keep  on — follow  him  up.  When  virtue 
is  guarded  by  vice,  it  is  easy  to  corrupt 
the  sentinel." 

(g)  THE  JEWISH  MOTHER.— One 
of  the  nights  when  Mrs.  Siddons  first  per- 
formed  atj^rury  Lane,  a  .Few  boy,  in 
his  eagerness  to  get  the  first  row  in  the 
shilling  gallery,  fell  over  into  the  pit, 
and  was  dangerously  hurt.  The  manager 
of  the  theatre  ordered  the  lad  to  be 
conveyed  to  a  lodging,  where  he  was 
attended  by  their  own  physician  ;  but, 
notwithstanding  all  their  attention,  he 
died,  and  was  decently  buried,  at  the 
expense  of  the  theatre.  The  mother 
came  to  the  play-house  to  thank  the 
managers,  and  they  gave  her  his  clothes 
and  five  guineas,  for  which  she  returned 
a  courtesy,  but,  with  some  hesitation,  ad- 
ded that  they  had  forgotten  to  return  her 
the  shilling  which  Abraham  had  paid 
for  coming  in ! 

64 


(h)  THE  MISER  IN  THE  WELL. 
— An  old  bachelor,  possessed  of  a  for- 
tune of  $50,000,  meeting  a  friend  onr 
day  began  to  harangue  him  very  learn 
ediy  upon  the  detestable  sin  of  avarice, 
and  gave  the  following  instance  of  it ; 
"  About  three  years  ago,"  said  he,  "  by 
a  very  odd  accident  I  fell  into  a  well, 
and  was  absolutely  within  a  very  few 
minutes  of  perishing  before  I  could  pre- 
vail upon  an  unconscious  dog  of  a  labor- 
er, who  happened  to  be  within  hearing 
of  my  cries,  to  help  me  out  for  a  shil- 
ling. The  fellow  was  so  rapacious  as 
to  insist  upon  having  twenty-five  cents, 
for  above  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  and  I 
verily  believe  he  would  not  have  abated 
me  a  single  farthing  if  he  had  not  seen 
me  at  the  last  gasp  ;  and  I  determined 
rather  to  die  than  submit  to  his  extor- 
tion !" 

(0  A  LITTLE  MORE.—"  When  I 
was  a  lad,"  says  one,  "  an  old  gentle- 
man took  some  trouble  to  teach  me  some 
little  knowledge  of  the  world.  With 
this  view  I  remember  he  once  asked  me 
when  a  man  was  rich  enough  ?  I  re- 
plied, when  he  has  a  thousand  pounds. 
He  said.  No. — Two  thousand  ?  No. — 
Ten  thousand?  No. — Twenty  thousand? 
No. — A  hundred  thousand  ?  which  I 
thought  would  settle  the  business  ;  but 
he  still  continuing  to  say  No,  I  gave  it 
up,  and  confessed  I  could  not  tell,  but 
begged  he  would  inform  me.  He 
gravely  said,  When  he  has  a  little  more 
than  he  has,  and  that  is  never !  If  he 
acquires  one  thousand,  he  wishes  to  have 
two  thousand  ;  then  five,  then  ten,  then 
twenty,  then  fifty ;  from  that  his  riches 
would  amount  to  a  hundred  thousand, 
and  so  on  till  he  had  grasped  the  whole 
world ;  after  which  he  would  look 
about  him,  like  Alexander,  for  other 
worlds  to  possess." 

(j)  THE  LONG  CREDIT.— A 
wealthy  but  niggardly  gentleman  was 
waited  on  by  the  advocates  of  a  chari- 
table institution,  for  which  they  solicited 
his  aid,  reminding  him  of  the  Divine 
declaration,  Prov.  xix.  17,  "  He  that 
hath  pity  on  the  poor,  lendeth  unto  the 
Lord  ;  and  that  which  he  hath  given 
will  he  pay  him  again."  To  this  he 
profanely  replied,  "  The  security,  no 
doubt,  is  good,  and  the  interest  liberal  • 


BALLS,  &c.— INCOMPATIBLE  WITH  PRAYER. 


29,30 


but  I  cannot  give  such  long  credit." 
Poor  rich  man  f  the  day  of  payment 
was  much  nearer  than  he  anticipated. 
Not  a  fortnight  had  elapsed  from  his 
refusing  to  honor  this  claim  of  God 
upon  his  substance,  before  he  received  a 
summons  with  which  he  could  not  re- 
fuse to  comply.  It  was,  "  This  night 
thy  soul  shall  be  required  of  thee  ;  then 
whose  shall  those  things  be  which  thou 
hast  provided  ?" 

(k)  THE  BROKEN  VOW.— Some 
years  ago,  a  poor  lad  came  to  London, 
in  search  of  a  situation  as  errand-boy  ; 
he  made  many  unsuccessful  applica- 
tions, and  was  on  the  eve  of  returning 
to  his  parents,  when  a  gentleman,  being 
prepossessed  by  his  appearance,  took 
him  into  his  employment,  and  after  a 
few  months,  bound  him  apprentice.  He 
so  conducted  himself  during  his  appren- 
ticeship, as  to  gain  the  esteem  of  every 
one  who  knew  him  ;  and  after  he  had 
served  his  time,  his  master  advanced  a 
capital  for  him  to  commence  business. 
He  retired  to  his  closet  with  a  heart  glow- 
ing with  gratitude  to  his  Maker  for  his 
goodness,  and  there  solemnly  vowed  that 
he  would  devote  a  tenth  part  of  his  an- 
nual income  to  the  service  of  God. 
The  first  year  his  donation  amounted 
to  ten  pounds,  which  he  gave  cheerfully, 
and  continued  to  do  so  till  it  amounted 
to  500/.  He  then  thought  that  was  a 
great  deal  of  money  to  give,  and  that 
he  need  not  be  so  particular  as  to  the 
exact  amount :  that  year  he  lost  a  ship 
and  cargo  to  the  value  of  15,000/.  by  a 
storm  !  This  caused  him  to  repent,  and 
he  again  commenced  his  contributions 


with  a  resolution  never  to  retract ;  he 
was  more  successful  every  year,  and  at 
length  retired.  He  then  devoted  a  tenth 
part  of  his  annual  income  for  several 
years,  till  he  became  acquainted  with 
a  party  of  worldly  men,  who  by  degrees 
drew  him  aside  from  God:  he  discon- 
tinued his  donations,  made  large  specu- 
lations, lost  every  thing,  and  became  al- 
most as  poor  as  when  he  first  arrived 
in  London  as  an  errand-boy.  "  There 
is, "  saith  Solomon,  "  that  scattereth,  and 
yet  increaseth ;  and  there  is  that  with- 
holdeth  more  than  is  meet,  but  it  tendeth 
to  poverty. " 

(/)    "GIVE    ME    MY    PORTION 

HERE."— A  merchant  of ,  en- 

gaged  in  a  lucrative  trade,  was  con- 
vinced by  the  Spirit  of  God  that  he  was 
an  heir  of  hell,  but  might,  by  repentance 
and  faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  become  an  heir 
of  heaven.  The  "god  of  this  world" 
tempted  him  with  much  earthly  gain, 
and  God,  in  the  person  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  ofiered  him  durable  riches  and 
righteousness.  He  was  fully  convinced, 
as  he  said,  that  the  riches  of  earth  and 
the  riches  of  heaven  were  set  before 
him,  and  that  he  could  not  obtain  both, 
but  might  have  his  choice.  He  glanced 
at  heaven's  durable  riches,  and  then 
settled  his  covetous  gaze  upon  earth's 
glittering  gold.  He  paused,  feeling  his 
choice  was  for  eternity,  but  strangely, 
madly  said,  "  Give  me  my  portion 
here."  His  prayer  was  answered.  His 
riches  were  multiplied.  But,  said  he, 
"  I  know  that  to  gain  the  world,  I  have 
lost  my  soul." 


BALLS,  OR  PUBLIC  DANCES. 


SO.  They  arc  Incompatible  with  Prayer. 

(a)  THE  BALL  AND  THE  MIN- 
ISTER.— A  pastor  was  in  the  frequent 
habit,  during  the  tours  he  made  in  his 
extensive  parish,  of  stopping  for  the 
night  in  a  village  inn,  and  continued  his 
journey  the  next  day.  On  one  occasion 
he  found  the  principal  apartment  con- 
verted into  a  ball-room.  The  host  apol- 
ogized for  his  not  being  able  to  accom- 


modate him  as  comfortably  as  usual ; 
but  the  pastor,  without  being  discon- 
certed, asked  him  to  have  his  supper 
served  to  him  in  a  corner  of  the  room. 
When  it  was  ready,  he  begged  the  as- 
sembly to  grant  him  a  few  moments 
silence,  that  he  might,  according  to  his 
practice,  make  an  audible  prayer  before 
partaking  of  the  meal.  He  accordingly 
commenced  praying,  but  before  he  had 
finished,  the  dancers  had  disappeared. 
65 


30 


BAL 


OH  PUCLIC  DANCES. 


(b)  THE  DEVIL  CHEATED.— 
"  Father  Hull,"  now  deceased,  was  a 
preacher  of  the  old  school,  S.  C.  Confer- 
ence. Passing  along  the  highway  one 
evening,  in  a  strange,  wicked  country, 
he  called  at  a  good  looking  house  for 
lodgings.  Weary  and  faint,  he  sat  him 
down  by  the  fireside.  After  a  while, 
as  night  began  to  close  in,  companies  of 
well-dressed  gentlemen  and  ladies  flock- 
ed into  his  room.  One  drew  out  his  vio- 
lin and  commenced  playing.  Away 
scampered  the  youngsters,  hopping  and 
leaping.  It  was  "  a  ball !"  Here  sat 
the  stranger  looking  silently  on.  At 
length  a  partner  was  wanted,  and  one 
ventured  up  and  asked  Mr.  Hull  if  he 
would  take  the  floor.  '•  Certainly, 
madam !"  said  he,  rising  and  walk- 
ing out  on  the  floor  as  he  spoke ; 
"  but  I  have  long  made  it  a  rule  never 
to  commence  any  business  till  I  have 
asked  the  direction  of  the  Lord,  and  his 
blessing  upon  it.  Will  you  all  join  in 
prayer  with  me  ?"  As  he  spoke  these 
words,  he  fell  on  his  knees  and  began  to 
pray.  Some  kneeled,  others  stood,  all 
petrified  with  astonishment.  In  the 
mean  time,  being  a  holy,  faithful  man, 
and  peculiarly  powerful  in  prayer,  he 
seemed  to  draw  the  very  heavens  and 
earth  together.  Some  groaned,  some 
shrieked  aloud,  and  many  fell  prostrate, 
like  dead  men,  on  the  floor.  Truly  the 
place  was  sweet  and  awful  on  account 
of  the  divine  presence.  In  short,  the 
dance  was  turned  into  a  religious  meet- 
ing, from  which  many  dated  their  con- 
viction and  conversion,  and  the  com- 
mencement of  a  powerful  revival.  "  Be- 
hold what  a  great  matter  a  little  fire 
kindleth  !"  O,  had  we  more  faith  and 
intrepidity,  what  good  we  might  do ! 
How  glorious  to  attack  and  drive  the 
devil  from  his  own  strong  holds. 

(c)  PRAYER  AT  A  PUBLIC 
DANCE. — Though  somewhat  eccentric 
in  his  manners,  Mr.  Byne  was  never- 
theless a  fearless  and  faithful  servant  of 
the  Lord.  Not  long  after  he  joined  the 
church,  he  was  invited  by  some  of  his 
former  companions  in  sin  to  attend  a 
dancing  party,  which  he  agreed  to  do 
on  condition,  expressly  understood,  that 
he  should  give  direction  to  all  the  exer- 
cises of  the  evening.  When  the  com- 
66 


pany  had  collected,  (among  whom  were 
Mr.  Byne  and  his  wife,)  a  young  lady 
stepped  forward  and  invited  the  preacher 
to  dance.  He  accepted  her  invitation 
so  far  as  to  walk  out  on  the  floor  with 
her,  when  the  violin  struck  up  a  lively 
air.  Mr.  Byne  claimed  his  right  to 
give  directions,  sung  a  spiritual  song,  in 
which  he  was  joined  by  several  of  the 
party — kneeled  down  and  offered  up  a 
fervent  and  affecting  prayer.  By  the 
time  he  concluded  his  second  spiritual 
song,  tears  were  overflowing  from  many 
eyes — the  dance  was  converted  into  a 
prayer-meeting,  and  this  was  the  last 
frolic  ever  attempted  to  be  held  at  that 
house. 

[d)  THE  METHODIST  AND  THE 
DINNER  PARTY.— In  the  district 
which  I  once  travelled,  says  a  writer  in 
the  Christian  Advocate,  on  Easter  Mon- 
day, 1825,  a  gentleman  invited  a  num- 
ber of  his  neighbors  to  dine  with  him ; 
and  among  the  rest  a  good  Methodist 
lady  was  invited.  She  accepted  the 
invitation,  and  attended,  without  the 
most  distant  thought  that  any  thing  con- 
trary to  her  profession  would  be  intro- 
duced. In  this,  however,  she  was  dis- 
appointed. For,  after  dinner,  the  fiddle 
was  brought  in  ;  the  company  rose  to 
play  and  amuse  themselves  by  dancing. 
At  length  one,  with  a  spirit  more  daring 
than  the  rest,  approached  her,  and  asked 
her  to  dance.  Without  a  verbal  reply, 
she  rose  from  her  seat  and  accompanied 
him  on  the  floor.  The  company  was 
arranged,  the  fiddler  sitting  with  lifted 
heel  and  elbow  sprung,  and  no  doubt, 
the  devil  laughing  in  his  sleeve,  and 
saying,  "  Another  Methodist  safe  in  my 
trap."  But  the  good  angel  whispered, 
"  Not  yet,  sir."  She  paused,  and  then 
said,  "It  is  my  custom  to  sing  some 
first ;"  and  standing  there,  she  gave 
out  some  verse  and  sang.  She  then 
said,  "  It  is  my  custom  to  pray  some 
first,"  and  dropped  upon  her  knees  and 
prayed  ;  and  no  doubt  her  prayer  was 
the  legitimate  ofi*spring  of  a  warm  heart. 
Some  of  the  company  remained,  some 
ran  away,  and  some  trembled  and  wept. 
The  dance  was  broken  up,  the  fiddler 
disappointed,  the  devil  defeated,  and  the 
good  Methodist  lady  victorious. 


THEY  DEADEN  NATURAL  SENSIBILITY. 


31 


(e)  THE  YOUNG  CONVERT'S 
PRAYER  IN  THE  BALL-ROOM.— 
In  one  of  the  interior  counties  of  Penn- 
sylvania a  young  man  whom,  for  the 

sake  of  distinction,  we  shall  call  B , 

was  convicted  of  sin  and  led  to  inquire 
anxiously  the  wav  to  be  saved.  He 
was  the  son  of  one  of  the  most  res- 
pectable and  wealthy  inhabitants  of  that 
region  of  country,  but  his  father  was 
unhappily  a  bitter  opposer  of  the  religion 
of  Christ.  Perceiving  the  state  of  his 
son's  mind,  he  determined  to  leave  no 
means  untried  to  divert  his  mind  from 
tlie  subject.  He  hurried  him  from 
business  to  pleasure,  and  from  pleasure 
to  business,  with  strong  hopes  that  his 
serious  impressions  might  be  driven 
away,  or,  at  least,  that  he  might  be  pre- 
vented making  any  public  profession  of 
tlie  change  of  his  views.  But  all  these 
efforts  were  vain.  The  Spirit  of  God 
had  laid  hold  on  his  soul,  and  did  not 
desert  him.  He  was  brought  to  the 
dust  in  submission,  and  found  peace  in 
believing  in  Christ. 

About  this  time  a  splendid  hall  was 
got  up,  with  every  possible  attempt  at 
display,  and  the  youth  of  the  village 
and  surrounding  country  were  all  ex- 
citement for   the  festive  hall.     B 

was  invited.  He  at  once  declined  at- 
tending, but  his  father  insisted  that  he 
should  go.  Here  was  a  struggle  for  the 
young  convert.  On  the  one  hand  were 
the  convictions  of  his  own  conscience, 
as  well  as  the  desires  of  his  heart.  On 
the  other,  the  command  of  a  father  whom 
he  was  still  bound  to  obey.  The  strug- 
gle was  long  and  anxious.  At  length  it 
was  decided — he  determined  to  go.  His 
father  rejoiced  at  his  decision.  ,  His 
friends  congratulated  him  on  having 
abandoned  his  new  notions  and  become 
a  man  again. 

The  evening  at  last  arrived.  The 
gay  party  were  gathered  in  the  spa- 
cious hall.  There  was  beauty,  and 
wealth,  and  fashion.  The  world  was 
there.  Every  heart  seeemed  full  of 
gladness,  every  voice  was  one  of  joy. 

B appeared  among  the  rest,  with  a 

brow  that  spoke  the  purpose  of  a  deter- 
mined soul.  He  was  the  first  on  the 
floor  to  lead  off  the  dance.  A  cotillion 
Was  formed,  and  as  the  circle  stood  in 


the  centre  of  the  room,  with  every  eye 
fixed  on  them,  what  was  the  astonish- 
ment of  the  company  when  B raised 

his  hands  and  said,  "  LET  US  PRAY." 
The  assembly  was  awe-struck.  Not  a 
word  was  uttered.     It  was  as  silent  as 

the  grave,  while  B poured  out  his 

heart  to  God  in  behalf  of  his  young 
companions,  his  parents,  and  the  place 
in  which  they  lived.  With  perfect 
composure  he  concluded  his  prayer,  and 
all  had  left  the  room  silently,  but  one.  A 
young  lady  whom  he  had  led  upon  the 
floor  as  his  partner,  stood  near  him  bathed 
in  tears.  They  left  the  room  together, 
and  not  long  afterwards,  she  was  led  to 
the  foot  of  the  cross,  having  been  first 
awakened  by  her  partner's  prayer  on 
the  hall-room  floor.  They  were  soon 
married,  and  are  still  living,  active,  de- 
voted members  of  the  body  of  Christ. 

B is  an  elder  in  one  of  the  churches 

near  the  city  of  New- York. 

%\,  They  Deaden  IVatnral  Sensibility,     L^ 

(a)  A  CORPSE  CARRIED  TO  A  /^ 
BALL. — A  writer  in  the  New-York 
Observer,  states  that  in  the  place  where 
he  resided,  in  1840,  there  was  a  New 
Year  bail.  Invitations  were  widely  ex- 
tended ;  and  a  great  gathering  of  the 
young,  gay,  and  thoughtless,  was  anti- 
cipated. Notwithstanding  the  intense 
cold,  many  came  from  a  great  distance 
in  the  country  round.  There  was  one 
couple  that  set  out  for  the  ball,  with 
merry  hearts,  to  ride  some  twenty  miles. 
The  lady  was  young  and  gay,  and  her 
charms  of  youth  and  beauty  were  never 
lovelier  than  when  dressed  for  that  new- 
year  ball.  Clad  too  thinly,  of  course, 
for  the  season,  and  especially  for  that 
dreadful  day,  she  had  not  gone  far  be- 
fore she  complained  of  being  cold,  very 
cold  ;  but  their  anxiety  to  reach  the  end  • 
of  the  ride  in  time  to  be  present  at  the 
opening  of  the  dance,  induced  them  to 
hurry  on  without  stopping  by  the  way. 
Not  long  after  this  complaining,  she  said 
she  felt  perfectly  comfortable,  was  now 
quite  warm,  and  that  there  was  no  ne- 
cessity of  delay  on  her  account.  They 
reached  at  length  the  house  where  the 
company  was  gathering  :  the  young 
man  jumped  from  the  sleigh  and  ex- 
67 


31,32 


BALLS,  OR  PUBLIC  DANCES. 


tended  his  hand  to  assist  her  out ;  but 
she  did  not  offer  hers.  He  spoke  to  her, 
but  she  answered  not.  She  was  dead — 
Stone  dead — frozen  stiff* — a  corpse  on 
the  way  to  a  ball ! 

But  the  most  shocking  part  of  the  tale 
remains  to  be  told.  The  ball  went 
ON  !  The  dance  was  as  gay,  and  the 
music  as  merry,  as  if  death  had  never 
qome  to  their  door. 

(h)  THE  CARD-PLAYERS  AND 
THEIR  DEAD  COMPANION.— Dur- 
ing  the  progress  of  a  ball  in  one  of  the 
towns  of  New  Hampshire,  four  of  the 
young  men  retired  to  play  cards. 
While  at  their  game,  one  of  their  num- 
ber fell  down  in  a  fit  and  expired.  But 
the  others  rolled  his  dead  body  under 
the  table,  covered  it  up  with  cloaks, 
and  said  nothing  about  it  till  the  ball 
was  over.  How  do  such  amusements 
petrify  the  better  feelings,  and  make 
man's  heart  more  hard  than  that  of 
some  of  the  brutes !  For  some  of  the 
brutes  would  have  shown  more  sym- 
pathy for  a  dying  companion  than  was 
exhibited  in  the  case  before  us. 

(c)  DEATH  BUT  NO  ADJOURN- 
MENT.— A  writer  in  the  New- York 
Observer  says  :  In  the  village  in  which 
I  lived  for  many  years,  there  was  a 
ball  but  a  few  steps  from  my  house, 
and  one  of  the  young  ladies  who  was 
to  be  there,  died  suddenly  on  the  very 
day  of  the  ball.  It  was  proposed  by 
one  of  the  managers  to  postpone  the 
dance  ;  but  the  others  would  not  con- 
sent ;  and  on  it  went,  although  the 
corpse  lay  directly  in  front  of  the  ball- 
room, and  the  dim  light  in  the  room 
where  it  lay  could  be  seen  by  every 
dancej",  and  the  sound  of  the  music 
and  dancing  disturbed  the  melancholy 
watchers.  Who  can  doubt  but  that 
such  amusements  blunt  the  finer  senti- 
ments of  our  nature,  and  weaken  even 
the  humane  feelings  of  their  votaries, 
lo  say  nothing  of  their  irreligious  char- 
acter and  tendency  ?  Congress  will 
adjourn  at  the  announcement  of  the 
death  of  one  of  their  number;  but  a 
similar  announcement  procures  not  the 
adjournment  of  a  ball. 

{d)  DANCING  DURING  A  MAS- 
SACRE. — The  tragical  scenes  which 
came  under  Mr.  Fisk's  observation  while 
68 


in  Greece,  had  become  so  common,  that 
they  began  to  be  regarded  with  indif- 
ference by  many  classes  of  people. 
Parties  of  pleasure  and  vain  amuse- 
ments were  revived  and  engaged  in,  as 
though  all  were  peace.  Thousands 
had  fled  for  their  lives,  and  the  streets 
of  Smyrna  were  crimsoned  with  Grecian 
blood.  It  was  estimated  that  2000  had 
been  massacred,  and  heavy  exactions 
of  money  were  demanded  of  others  for 
the  privilege  of  living.  The  bodies  of 
the  slain  were  frequently  seen  floating 
in  the  bay.  In  a  word,  exactions,  im- 
prisonment, or  death,  met  the  defence- 
less Greeks  in  every  direction  ; — and 
yet,  strange  to  tell,  multitudes,  only  be- 
cause they  were  better  protected  from 
Turkish  violence,  went  thoughtlessly 
to  the  assembly-room  and  the  dance,  as 
though  all  were  peace  and  security. 
While  the  countenance  of  many  gather- 
ed blackness  through  fear,  that  of  others 
exhibited  only  the  expression  of  a 
thoughtless,  ill-timed  levity. 

(e)  DANCING  OVER  A  FLOOD. 
— During  the  month  of  December,  1847, 
in  the  great  rise  of  the  Ohio  river,  a 
large  portion  of  Cincinnati  was  over- 
flowed by  the  water.  Multitudes  of  the 
inhabitants  were  driven  from  their  houses 
in  the  lower  part  of  the  city.  Many 
were  subjected  to  great  privations  and 
losses,  and  many  lives  lost.  In  the 
midst  of  these  scenes  of  extraordinary 
and  wide-spread  wretchedness,  SheriflT 
Weaver,  during  his  charitable  tour 
through  the  flooded  portions  of  the  city, 
heard  music  proceeding  from  a  house, 
of  which  the  upper  story  and  roof  only 
were  above  the  water,  and  several  skiffs 
were  hitched  to  the  windows.  Upon 
rowing  up  it  was  discovered  that  the 
hall  was  in  fall  blaze,  and  the  waltz  in 
giddy  whirl  to  merry  music,  male  and 
female  participating.  This  jolly  party 
seemed  unconscious  of  the  danger  that 
threatened  themselves,  and  indifferent 
to  the  distress  which  surrounded  them. 


%l.  They  prevent  Conversion  and  Ruin  the 
Soul. 

(a)  THE  INQUIRY  MEETING 
AND  THE  BALL-ROOM.— A  most 
interesting  work  of  grace  once  occur- 


THEY  PREVENT  CONVERSION  AND  RUIN  THE  SOUL. 


red  in  the  Houston-street  Presbyterian 
church,  of  the  city  of  New-York.  Many 
anxiously  inquired  what  they  should  do 
to  be  saved.  And  many  made  choice 
of  that  good  part  which  shall  never  be 
taken  from  them.  Among  the  number 
who  sought  the  instruction  and  prayers 
of  the  people  of  God,  was  the  young 
lady  who  is  the  subject  of  the  following 
sketch. 

She  listened  to  the  voice  of  truth,  and 
was  troubled.  Conscience  spoke  "within 
her,  and  would  not  be  utterly  silenced. 
She  felt  that  the  claims  of  God  must 
be  met,  that  she  must  not  delay  the 
work  of  her  salvation.  Personally  and 
solemnly  was  she  urged  to  settle  the 
controversy,  to  renounce  the  pleasures 
of  sin,  and  trust  in  the  merits  of  a  cru- 
cified Savior.  She  knew  her  duty,  but 
she  did  it  not.  The  next  night  the 
^'  Boz  Ball  "  was  to  be  held,  and  from 
this  scene  of  awful  solemnity,  away  she 
hurries  to  the  chamber  of  mirth,  and 
joins  in  the  giddy  dance.  By  the  sound 
of  the  viol  and  the  voice  of  melody  she 
aims  to  drown  the  admonitions  of  con- 
science, and  she  may  have  succeeded 
for  the  moment.  Amid  the  display  of 
fashion,  the  glare  of  lights,  and  the  in- 
toxication of  the  scene,  conscience  may 
have  slumbered  at  her  post,  and  suffered 
the  gay  transgressor  to  revel  undisturb- 
ed in  forbidden  pleasure.  But  she 
only  seemed  to  sleep.  The  voice  of  ad- 
monition and  warning  came — it  came, 
though  the  voice  of  the  living  preacher 
was  silent.  Again  she  felt,  and  again 
is  she  seen  in  the  meeting  for  conversa- 
tion and  prayer.  Her  heart  is  the  seat 
of  ten  thousand  painful  and  conflicting 
emotions.  The  claims  of  truth  and  duty 
are  urged.  She  would  yield,  she  would 
follow  Jesus,  but  the  world — the  theatre 
— the  ball-room — her  gay  companions 
— how  can  she  give  them  up  ?  Unfor- 
tunately she  was  solicited  to  attend 
another  ball.  Satan,  as  an  angel  of  light, 
sheds  a  deceptive  radiance  over  that 
scene,  and  suggests  that  such  amuse- 
ments are  innocent,  that  her  seriousness 
is  melancholy,  that  there  is  time  enough 
yet.  She  triumphed  over  conscience, 
yielded  to  the  temptation,  and  went. 

She    was    permitted    to    return    to 
her  dwellinsf,   but  only  to  die ;  to  die, 


too,  as  she  had  lived,  without  God  or 
hope. 

Mark  the  facts  that  fill  the  last  page 
of  her  history.  On  one  evening  she  is 
in  the  meeting  for  inquiry,  the  next  in 
the  ball-room,  gayest  among  the  gay, 
and  almost  the  next  in  her  coffin  !  One 
week,  with  a  heart  as  light  as  air,  she 
goes  to  a  store  to  purchase  trimmings 
for  a  ball  dress;  on  the  next,  her 
friends  go  to  the  same  store  to  purchase 
her  shroud  ! 

Thus  ended  the  career  of  one  who 
loved  pleasure  more  than  she  loved 
God.  There  was  no  hope  in  her  death  ! 
No  light  to  cheer  her  in  the  last  sad 
hour! 

{h)  LOSING  THE  SOUL  FOR  A 
BALL.  —  I    was  once  called,  says  a 

venerable  clergyman  in  B ,  to  visit 

a  young  lady,  who  was  said  to  be  in 
despair.  She  had,  at  some  time  previ- 
ous, been  serious,  and  had,  it  was  hoped, 
resolutely  set  her  face  Zion-ward.  In 
an  evil  hour  some  of  her  former  associ- 
ates, gay,  pleasure-loving  young  ladies, 
called  on  her  to  accompany  them  to  a 
ball.  She  refused  to  go.  The  occasion, 
the  company,  the  parade  and  gayety 
were  all  utterly  dissonant  with  her  pre- 
sent feelings.  With  characteristic  levity 
and  thoughtlessness,  they  urged  her — 
ridiculed  her  "  methodism,"  railed  at 
the  cant  and  hypocrisy  of  her  spiritual 
guides  ;  and  finally  so  far  prevailed, 
that  with  a  desperate  effort  to  shake  off 
her  convictions  and  regain  her  former 
carnal  security,^  she  exclaimed,  '^  Well.^ 
I  will  go  if  I  am  damned  for  it." 

God  took  her  at  her  word.  The  bless- 
ed Spirit  immediately  withdrew  His  in- 
fluences, and  instead  of  the  anxious  sigh 
and  longing  desire  to  be  freed  from  the 
body  of  sin  and  death,  succeeded  by 
turns  the  calmness  and  horrors  of  des- 
pair. 

The  wretched  victim  knew  that  the 
Spirit  had  taken  his  final  leave  ;  no 
compunctions  for  sin,  no  tears  of  peni- 
tence, no  inquiries  after  God,  no  eager 
seeking  of  the  "  place  where  Christians 
love  to  meet,"  now  occupied  the  tedious 
hours. 

Instead  of  the  bloom  and  freshness  of 
health,  there  came  the  paleness  and 
haggardness  of  decay.  The  wan  and 
69 


33 


BALLS,  OR  PUBLIC  DANCES. 


sunken  cheek,  the  ghastly  glaring  eye, 
the  emaciated  limb,  the  sure  precursors 
of  approaching  dissolution,  were  there. 
The  caresses  of  friends,  the  suggestions 
of  affection,  all  were  unheeded.  The 
consolations  of  piety,  the  last  resource 
of  the  miserable,  were  to  her  but  the 
bitterness  of  death.  In  this  state  of 
mind,  I  was  called  to  visit  her.  When 
1  entered  the  room  where  she  was,  and 
beheld  her  pale  and  emaciated,  and  re- 
flected that  the  ravages  of  her  form  wiih- 
oul  but  faintly  shadowed  forth  the  wreck 
and  desolation  within,  1  was  almost  over- 
powered. Never  had  I  conceived  so 
vivid  an  idea  of  the  woe  and  misery  of 
those  who  have  "  quenched  the  Spirit." 
I  proposed  prayer.  The  word  threw 
her  into  an  agony.  She  utterly  refused. 
No  entreaties  of  friends,  no  arguments 
drawn  from  the  love  of  God  or  from  the 
freeness  and  fullness  of  atoning  blood, 
could  prevail  to  shake  her  resolution. 
I  left  her  without  having  been  able  to 
find  an  avenue  to  her  heart,  or  to  dart  a 
ray  of  comfort  into  her  dark  bosom. 
Never  shall  I  forget  the  dreadful  ex- 
pression of  that  ghastly  countenance — 
the  tones  of  that  despairing  voice.  The 
impression  is  as  vivid  as  though  it  had 
been  but  yesterday.  O  that  all  the 
young,  gay,  thoughtless  ones,  who  stifle 
the  convictions  of  conscience  and  repress 
the  rising  sigh  ;  who  dance  along  on  the 
brink  of  utter  reprobation  and  despair, 
would  read  and  lay  to  heart  the  warning 
which  the  last  hours  and  death  of  this 
young  lady  are  calculated  so  forcibly  to 

(c)  THE  FATAL  BALL.  — The 
subject  of  the  following  narrative  was 
the  idolized  daughter  of  a  gay  and 
worldly  father,  who,  in  spite  of  the  tears. 
and  expostulations  of  a  pious  mother,  to 
whom  such  an  act  seemed  little  short  of 
sacrilege,  led  her  to  the  altar  of  worldly 
folly — the  village  dancing-school.  She 
soon  excelled  all  competitors,  and  was 
considered  the  unrivalled  belle.  At 
this  crisis  her  father  died,  and  she  lent 
a  willing  ear  to  the  explanations  of  di- 
vine truth  from  her  mother,  which  satis- 
fied her  understanding  and  filled  her 
heart  with  pure  and  holy  emotions.  She 
was  on  the  point  of  making  a  public 
profession  of  her  fiiith  in  Christ,  when 
70 


the  village  in  which  she  lived  was  agi- 
tated with  preparations  for  a  splendid 
ball.  The  poor  widow  shuddered  as  she 
witnessed  the  progress  of  this  mucii 
dreaded  evil :  to  complete  her  uneasi- 
ness, a  brother  of  her  husband,  a  man 
of  the  world,  visiting  in  the  family,  de- 
clared that  he  would  be  at  the  expense 
of  equipping  her  daughter  as  his  own 
child,  and  that  she  should  eclipse  all  the 
women  of  rank  and  fashion  in  the  ball- 
room. 

The  poor  girl  was  at  first  unwilling 
to  lend  an  ear  to  these  follies ;  but  she 
had  always  delighted  in  dancing,  and 
on  this  occasion  suffered  her  better  judg- 
ment to  be  overruled.  "  'Tis  but  for 
once,  mother,"  said  she,  "  and  to  please 
my  uncle — nay,  to  avoid  giving  him  in- 
curable offence.  Believe  me,  I  shall 
not  suffer  my  head  to  be  turned  by  one 
night  of  gayety.  Pray  for  me,  mother,, 
that  this  compliance  with  the  will  of  my 
father's  brother  may  not  produce  evil 
consequences."  "  My  child,"  said  the 
distressed  mother,  "  1  dare  not  so  word 
my  supplication.  It  is  in  compliance 
with  your  own  will  that  you  thus  venture 
on  the  tempter's  ground,  and  in  this  open 
act  of  disobedience  to  your  heavenly 
Father,  I  cannot  lend  my  aid  to  excuse 
or  extenuate  your  guilt.  I  have  prayed, 
I  will  still  pray,  that  you  may  not  ven- 
ture farther  in  this  matter ;  but  if  you 
do,  the  responsibility  must  rest  with 
yourself."  "  But,  mother,  the  Scrip- 
tures say  themselves,  '  there  is  a  time  to 
dance.'  "  "  So  they  say,  in  the  same 
place,  '  there  is  a  time  to  make  war,  and 
a  time  to  hate.'  The  wise  man  means, 
that  all  sins  and  follies  will  have  their 
seasons ;  but  he  docs  not  therefore  ad- 
vocate sin  and  folly.  Oh,  beware,  my 
child,  and  let  the  same  Scriptures  teach 
you,  that  '  he  who  hardeneth  his  neck 
under  reproof  shall  be  destroyed,  and 
iliai  suddenly.^  These  are  fearful  words 
for  us  to  part  with,  my  child.  Oh,  heed 
my  reproof,  and  do  not  harden  your 
neck  !"  "  Mother,"  said  the  perplexed 
girl,  "  I  have  promised  my  uncle  to  go 
to  this  unlucky  ball,  and  I  cannot  break 
my  promise  without  incurring  his  re- 
sentment. He  has  been  so  kind,  that  it 
would  be  ungrateful  to  thwart  liim  in 
this  trifle."     "  Oh,  my  daughter,"  said 


THEY  PREVENT  CONVERSION  AND  RUIN  THE  SOUL. 


her 


the  widow,  holding 

let  me  not  hear 


hands  to  her 
ears,  "  let  me  not  hear  you  use  such 
awful  language  !  Can  it  be  you  who 
calls  this  sin  a  trifle  ?  Go,  if  you  will ; 
but  make  no  more  vain  attempts  to  per- 
vert right  reason,  lest  you  add  to  your 
Dwn  condemnation." 

It  was  indeed  with  reluctance  that  the 
affectionate  daughter  left  her  mother, 
under  such  circumstances  ;  but  she  had 
surrendered  her  better  judgment  for  the 
time,  and  created  q,n  imaginary  neces- 
sity, by  which  she  suffered  herself  to 
be  controlled.  Much  admired,  she  was 
so  often  solicited  to  dance  that  her 
blood  became  painfully  overlieated  ; 
and  finding  the  heat  of  the  ball-room 
too  oppressive,  her  partner  was  conduct- 
ing her  into  a  little  back  porch.  As 
she  swept  rapidly  along,  panting  with 
heat,  she  encountered  a  servant  enter- 
ing with  a  pitcher  of  water,  more  than 
half  intoxicated,  and  as  he  staggered  out 
of  her  way,  the  contents  of  the  pitcher 
were  discharged  full  in  her  panting  and 
overheated  bosom.  The  sudden  revul- 
sion of  physical  feeling  occasioned  by 
this  accident,  was  almost  instantly  fatal. 
A  violent  ague  terminated  in  convul- 
sions, and  before  the  dawn  of  day  this 
lovely  and  interesting  girl  expired  in 
the  arms  of  her  almost  distracted  mother, 
breathing  with  her  last  gasp  the  word 

^'  SUDDENLY  !" 

{d)  THE  LAST  CALL.— The  Rev. 

Mr.  Clark  states,  that  an  acquaintance 
of  his  was  called  on  to  attend  a  young 
man's  funeral,  of  whom  Mr.  C.  learned 
the  following  facts  : — Some  time  before 

his  death,  young  G had  regularly 

attended  the  narrator's  church,  and  the 
truths  of  religion  had  made  some  im- 
pression upon  his  mind.  His  pastor  ob- 
served this,  and  had  several  interviews 
with  him,  but  in  vain.  The  influences 
of  the  world  pressed  hard  upon  him — 
his  convictions  were  dissipated  ;  and  he 
seemed  to  gird  himself  up  to  tread,  with 
more  determined  step,  the  whole  round 
of  earthly  pleasure.  But,  in  the  midst 
of  gay  scenes  of  fashion  and  amusement, 
he  heard  a  new  note  of  alarm.  He 
was  suddenly  laid  upon  a  sick-bed,  and 
brought  to  the  very  Ijrink  of  the  grave ! 
He  was  now  overwhelmed  with  his  re- 
flections,  and  he  resolved  to  enter  at 


once  upon  a  religious  course  of  life. 
The  minister  before  referred  to  called, 
to  see  him  at  this  time,  faithfully  warned 

and  counselled  him  ;  and  young  G • 

faithfully  promised,  that  if  raised  up 
from  that  sick-bed,  the  Lord  should  be 
his  God.  He  was  spared,  raised  up, 
but  his  vow  was  not  kept.  But  a  few 
weeks  had  passed  by,  after  he  lefl  his 
sick-room,  before  he  was  again  im- 
mersed in  the  pleasures  and  follies  of 
the  world. 

Mr.    M ,   his  ministerial   friend, 

learning  his  conduct,  shortly  after  called 

to  pay  him  a  visit.     G had  made 

arrangements  to  spend  the  evening  of 
that  very  day  amid  a  scene  of  reckless 

gayety  and   dissipation.      Mr.    M , 

with  the  fearlessness  of  a  faithful  minis- 
ter of  Jesus  Christ,  told  G that  the 

course  he  was  taking  would  ruin  his 
soul — that  his  broken  vows  would  one 
day  rise  up  in  judgment  against  him — 
that  if  he  now  hesitated  to  repent,  this 
might  be  the  last  call  that  God  would 
ever  send  him. 

After    his   departure,    when    G 

found  himself  alone,  and  thought  of  all 
the  past,  he  could  not  refrain  from  tears, 
which  gushed  forth  amid  the  bitterness 
of  his  soul.  He  could  not  but  admit 
the  truth  of  all  that  had  been  said  to 
him  ;  still  he  was  undecided.  While 
absorbed  in  these  reflections,  and  still 
in  this  state  of  indecision,  it  was  an- 
nounced to  him  that  a  gentleman  was 
waiting  to  see  him.  It  was  one  of  his 
gay  companions.  He  had  called  to 
make  some  arrangements  in  reference 
to  the  anticipated  party.  They  had  not 
long  been  discussing  their  plans  before 
all  serious  impressions  were  effaced  from 

young   G 's  mind,  and   he  entered 

the  illuminated  festal  hall  that  evening 
with  a  light  and  bounding  heart.  But 
the  last  call  of  God  had  indeed  reached 
his  ear,  and  been  rejected,  and  now  he 
was  going  like  an  ox  to  the  slaughter. 
In  the  midst  of  that  intoxicating  scene 
of  pleasure,  where  the  splendid  and  gay 
costume  of  each  passing  group  was  re- 
flected from  a  hundred  brilliant  lamps, 
and  where  music  poured  forth  her  en- 
chanting strains,  in  the  very  act  of 
passing  through  the  varied  movements 

of  a  spirited  waltz,  young  G sud- 

71 


32 


BALLS,  OR  PUBLIC  DANCES. 


lifeless  to  the 


denly  drooped,  and 
'floor  ! 

(e)  THE  YOUNG  LADY'S 
CHOICE. — A  young  lady  residing  in 
Waterbury,  Ct.,  made  an  engagement 
to  attend  a  ball  in  a  neighboring  town. 
Before  the  time  arrived,  a  series  of  reli- 
gious meetings  were  held  in  W.,  and 
not  a  few  among  the  young  people  were 
led  to  reflection,  and  became  hopefully 
converted.  Miss  A.  was  at  that  time 
residing  in  the  minister's  family,  and 
was  very  deeply  impressed  with  the  ne- 
cessity of  becoming  a  Christian.  Her 
distress  by  day  and  night  was  so  great 
she  could  scarcely  eat  or  sleep.  She 
was  faithfully  conversed  and  prayed 
with ;  but  while  others  found  peace  in 
believing,  her  distress  continued.  Her 
friends,  who  were  aware  of  her  engage- 
ment, pressed  her  at  once  with  the  ques- 
tion, whether  she  was  willing  to  give 
up  the  ball  for  the  sake  of  an  interest  in 
Christ.  For  a  while  she  wavered  ;  she 
wished  very  much  to  be  saved,  and  was 
ready  to  surrender  every  thing  else  ; 
but  she  thought  so  much  of  the  ball,  and 
was  so  anxious  to  secure  the  regards  of 
the  young  man  who  had  invited  her,  she 
desired  exceedingly  to  go  this  once. 
Here  was  a  controversy  with  God  ;  a 
severe  struggle  between  motives  of  in- 
terest and  convictions  of  duty.  At 
length  she  fully  decided  to  go  to  the  ball. 
Her  serious  impressions  were  speedily 
dissipated  ;  all  anxiety  about  her  soul 
subsided,  and,  so  far  as  known,  never 
revived  again.  That  was  doubtless  the 
turning  point  in  her  history ;  and  that 
decision  sealed  her  ruin.  It  is  worthy 
of  remark  that  the  conduct  of  the  young 
man  towards  her  on  their  way  to  the 
ball,  led  her  to  a  painful  discovery  of 
his  corrupt  character,  destroyed  her 
happiness  at  the  ball,  and  broke  up  their 
correspondence  forever.  She  sold  her 
soul  for  an  apple  of  Sodom  :  it  tempted 
her  eyes, 

"  But  turned  to  ashes  on  the  lips." 

(/)  DIFFERENCE  BETWEEN 
AMUSEMENT    AND    PRAYER.— 

Mary  Ann  was  a  beautiful  girl,  eighteen 
or  nineteen  years  of  age,  of  an  esteemed 
and  intelligent  family.  Though  ac- 
knowledging some  regard  for  religion, 
72 


she  believed,  with  some  of  its  more 
worldly  professors,  that  it  was  right 
to  indulge  in  fashionable  amusements. 
She  was  very  fond  of  balls  and  dances. 

In  the  time  of  a  revival,  when  her 
young  friends  were  becoming  pious,  she 
was  urged  by  her  family  physician  to 
dedicate  her  soul  to  Christ. 

"  How  can  I  think,"  said  she,  "  of 
becoming  pious,  when,  in  doing  so,  I 
shall  debar  myself  of  the  privilege  of 
attending  balls  ?  Our  minister  says 
dancing   is  wrong.      If  the    Rev.  Mr. 

was  our  pastor,  I  think  I  would 

venture  to  be  pious,  for  he  allows  this 
innocent  amusement."  "  It  was  in  vain 
that  I  tried,"  says  the  physician,  "to 
convince  her  of  this  delusion,  and  so- 
lemnly reminded  her,  that  she  would 
yet  see  the  difference  between  a  life  of 
amusement  and  a  life  of  prayer.  She 
listened  respectfully,  and  not  without  a 
tear,  but  clung  still  to  her  favorite 
amusement." 

Ere  long  the  physician  was  sum- 
moned to  her  bed-side.  He  found  her 
dangerously  ill  with  the  typhus  fever. 
He  alluded  to  the  state  of  her  soul ;  but 
she  told  him  she  was  too  weak  then  to 
converse  with  him ;  yet  she  requested 
an  interest  in  his  prayers. 

After  an  absence  of  several  hours 
he  returned,  and  found  her  on  the  brink 
of  dissolution.  We  quote  her  physi- 
cian's words  for  the  remainder  of  the 
story. 

"  The  patient  had  fallen  into  a  state 
of  stupor,  so  fearfully  ominous  of  the 
fatal  termination  of  the  typhus  fever. 
The  tongue  and  lips  were  covered  with 
a  dark  tenacious  fur,  the  speech  was 
scarcely  intelligible,  and  the  eyes  were 
partially  closed.  A  sort  of  low  mur- 
mur or  moaning  was  heard  from  her 
half-opened  lips.  Yet,  when  called  by 
name,  she  would  open  her  eyes,  and 
seemed  to  recognize  those  around  her. 
She  continued  in  this  condition  for  seve- 
ral hours,  during  which  period  she  oc- 
casionally uttered  the  most  heart-touch- 
ing and  unearthly  groans  I  ever  heard 
from  a  mortal  being.  They  distressed 
me — they  distressed  us  all. 

"  At  last,  putting  my  mouth  to  her 
ear,  I  said — Mary  Ann,  do  tell  me  what 
mean  these  unearthly  groans  which  we 


BANKRUPTCY. 


SS 


hear  from  you  ? — What  is  the  matter, 
my  dear  child  ?  If  it  is  in  your  power 
to  tell  me,  do,  I  beseech  you.  And 
never  shall  I  forget  the  reply.  She 
opened  her  once  beautiful  eyes,  slowly 
raised  her  pale  and  attenuated  hand, 
and  fixing  on  me  a  look  that  made  my 
very  soul  ache — such  was  its  solemn  in- 
tensity— she  said,  with  an  audibleness 


of  her  voice  that  utterly  astonished  us 
all,  '  Doctor,  Doctor,  there  is  a  difference 
between  a  life  of  amusement  and  a  life  of 
prai/er.  O,  it  is  hard  to  die  without  an 
interest  in  Christ.'  She  closed  her  eyes, 
her  hand  fell,  and  all  was  silent.  And, 
my  soul,  what  a  silence  was  that !  Soon 
the  earthly  anguish  of  the  sufferer  was 
ended — she  spoke  not  again." 


33.  BANKRUPTCY. 


(a)  THE  HONEST  DEBTOR.— 
In  the  year  1805,  a  small  tradesman,  in 
a  country  town  in  Somersetshire,  became 
so  much  embarrassed,  that  he  thought 
it  no  more  than  an  honest  part  to  make 
known  the  situation  of  his  affairs  to  his 
creditors.  The  consequent  investiga-- 
tion  which  took  place,  terminated  in  an 
assignment  of  his  effects,  which,  when 
sold,  produced  a  dividend  of  nine  shil- 
lings and  fourpence  in  the  pound,  and 
he  received  a  discharge  from  all  further 
claims.  But,  although  thus  legally  ac- 
quitted, and  with  little  prospect  of  real- 
izing his  intention,  this  honest  man 
formed  the  honorable  resolution  of,  ,at 
least,  attempting  what  appeared  to  him 
the  obligations  of  unalterable  justice,  by 
making  up  the  deficiency  to  all  his  credi- 
tors. It  is  true,  the  sum  required  was 
small,  not  quite  ninety  pounds  ;  but  his 
means  were  proportion  ably  inadequate, 
having  now  nothing  but  his  daily  labor 
from  which  it  could  be  obtained,  after 
defraying  the  necessary  expenses  ;  and 
his  wages  were  discouragingly  low,  not 
averaging  more  than  twelve  shillings 
per  week.  Mean  accommodations  and 
clothing,  hard  fare  and  hard  work,  at 
length  enabled  him,  through  the  Divine 
blessing,  to  accomplish  his  purpose.  The 
creditors  were  all  paid  in  full,  and  they 
esteemed  his  integrity  so  highly,  that 
they  thought  proper  to  acknowledge 
their  sense  of  it  by  a  handsome  present. 

(h)  THE  INSOLVENT'S  QUERY. 
— I  was  made  acquainted,  says  a  writer 
in  the  Fathers'  Magazine,  with  one  case 
that  strongly  affected  me,  of  a  man  who 
had  been  many  weeks  under  the  awak- 
ening influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and 
at  length,  when  pressed  to  give  up  his 
heart  he  propounded  to  his  pastor  this 


question  :  If  one  had  been  involved  and 
had  failed,  and  paid  his  debts  by  means  of 
the  insolvent  act,  would  he,  on  becoming 
pious,  feel  constrained  to  pay  up  all  he 
owed  ?  He  was  answered,  as  he  should 
be,  in  the  affirmative.  But  it  was  per- 
ceived from  Uiat  moment  that  the  man 
was  more  than  ever  troubled,  till,  after 
a  conflict  of  several  days,  he  threw  oflT 
his  care  about  his  soul,  and  has  never 
been  disturbed  since.  And  there  was 
not  a  doubt  with  any  who  intimately 
knew  him,  but  that  those  dreadful  days 
secured  his  speedy  and  fearful  damna- 
tion. He  has  probably  gone  to  give  in 
his  account. 

(c)  THE  HONEST  INSOLVENT. 
— A  gentleman  of  Boston,  says  a  reli- 
gious journal,  who  was  unfortunate  in 
business  thirty  years  ago,  and  conse- 
quently unable  at  that  time  to  meet 
his  engagements  with  his  creditors,  after 
more  than  twenty  years  of  toil,  suc- 
ceeded in  paying  every  creditor,  (except 
one  whose  residence  could  not  be  ascer- 
tained,) the  whole  amount  due  them.' 
He  has  in  that  twenty  years  brought 
up  and  educated  a  large  family — but 
still  he  owed  one  of  his  former  creditors ; 
he  was  not  satisfied  to  keep  another's 
property ;  he  made  inquiry,  and  received 
information  that  the  party  had  died  some 
years  since.  He  again  pursued  his  in- 
quiry respecting  the  administrator,  and 
ascertained  his  name  and  residence, 
wrote  to  him,  acknowledged  the  debt, 
and  requested  him  to  inform  him  of  the 
manner  he  would  receive  the  money. 
A  {ew  days  since  he  remitted  the  whole 
amount,  principal  and  interest. 

(d)  FAILURE  OF  ROWLAND 
FULL  TO  PRACTISE  HIS  OWN 
ADVICE. — It  was   the  custom  of  this 

73 


33 


BANKRUPTCY. 


eminently  useful  minister,  at  tlie  com- 
mencement  of  a  new  year,  to  preach  an 
annual  sermon  for  the  "  Benevolent 
Society  of  Surrey  Chapel,  for  visiting 
and  relieving  the  Sick  Poor  at  their  own 
Habitations,"  selecting,  at  the  same 
time,  a  few  of  the  most  remarkable 
cases  to  read  to  his  congregation,  that 
had  been  visited  during  the  preceding 
year.  On  one  of  these  occasions,  he 
narrated  the  afflictive  circumstances  of 
a  lady,  formerly  of  property  and  respec- 
tability, who  had  been  plunged  into  the 
depths  of  poverty  and  want,  in  a  time 
of  sickness,  through  having  imprudent- 
ly become  security  for  some  relation  or 
friend  ;  and  Mr.  Hill  took  this  opportu- 
nity of  publicly  warning  and  entreating 
all  present  to  be  on  their  guard  against 
committing  so  fatal  an  error.  "  I  would 
advise  all  my  friends,"  said  he,  "  to  do 
the  same  as  I  do  myself,  when  any  re- 
quest of  this  kind  comes  to  me.  I  just 
walk  out  of  one  room  into  another,  and 
consider  what  I  can  afford  to  give,  and 
what  I  ought  to  give  to  the  applicant ; 
then  I  return  and  say,  '  Here,  my  friend, 
I  make  you  a  present  of  this  sum,  and 
if  you  can  get  a  few  others  to  help  you 
in  the  same  way,  perhaps  you  will  get 
over  your  difficulty.'  Then,"  said  Mr. 
Hill,  with  emphasis,  "  I  know  the  end 
of  it,  but  were  I  to  lend  my  name,  or  be- 
come surety,  I  know  not  how  that  might 
end." 

Strange  as  it  may  appear,  he  was 
waited  on  a  few  months  after  this,  by 
one  of  the  members  of  the  church,  so- 
liciting his  kind  assistance  in  procuring 
him  a  lucrative  situation,  then  vacant  in 
that  parish  and  district,  viz.,  a  collector 
of  the  king's  taxes  ;  the  person  urged 
that  it  would  be  the  making  of  him  and 
his  family,  but  that  he  must  have  two 
bondsmen  for  one  thousand  pounds  each. 
Mr.  Hill  said,  he  would  consider  of  it. 
This  petitioner  was  well  known  to  Mr. 
Hill ;  he  had  long  held  a  confidential 
situation  in  his  chapel,  and  was,  besides, 
in  a  good  trade  and  connection  of  busi- 
ness, with  his  friends.  There  was  no 
reason  to  doubt  his  integrity ;  and  he 
was  one  that  Mr.  Hill  was  desirous  to 


oblige.  The  result  was,  he  became  one 
of  his  securities  and  prevailed  on  a  gen- 
tleman ^^  Clapham  to  be  the  other  ;  and 
the  situation  was  obtained.  Alas  !  alas  I 
for  poor  Mr.  Hill  and  his  brother  bonds- 
man !  In  three  or  four  years,  the  col- 
lector was  a  defaulter  to  the  amount  of 
thousands.  The  securities  were  obliged 
to  pay. 

(e)  THE  BANKRUPT'S  ENTER- 
TAINMENT.—Dr.  Franklin  relates 
the  following  anecdote  of  Mr;  Denham, 
an  American  merchant,  with  whom  he 
once  went  a  passenger  to  England. 
"  He  had  formerly,"  he  says,  "  been 
in  business  at  Bristol,  had  failed,  in  debt 
to  a  number  of  people,  compounded,  and 
went  to  America  ;  there,  by  a  close  ap- 
plication to  business  as  a  merchant,  he 
acquired  a  plentiful  fortune  in  a  few 
years.  Returning  to  England  in  the 
ship  with  me,  he  invited  his  old  credi- 
tors to  an  entertainment,  at  which  he 
thanked  them  for  the  easy  compensation 
they  had  favored  him  with  ;  and  when 
they  expected  nothing  but  the  treat, 
every  man,  at  the  first  remove,  found 
under  his  plate  an  order  on  a  banker  for 
the  full  amount  of  the  unpaid  remainder, 
with  interest." 

(f)  THE  BANKRUPT  QUAKER. 
— A  person  of  the  Quaker  profession, 
says  a  London  paper,  having  through 
misfortune  become  insolvent,  and  not 
being  able  to  pay  more  than  lis.  to  the 
pound,  formed  a  resolution,  if  Providence 
smiled  on  his  future  endeavors,  to  pay 
the  whole  amount,  and  in  case  of  death 
he  ordered  his  sons  to  liquidate  his  debts 
by  their  joint  proportions.  It  pleased 
God,  however,  to  spare  his  life,  and  after 
struggling  with  a  variety  of  difficulties, 
(for  his  livelihood  chiefly  depended  on 
his  own  labor,)  he  at  length  saved  suf- 
ficient to  satisfy  every  demand.  One 
day  the  old  man  went  with  a  considera- 
ble sum  to  the  surviving  son  of  one  of 
his  creditors,  who  had  been  dead  thirty 
years,  and  insisted  on  paying  him  the 
money  he  owed  his  father,  which  he  aC". 
cordingly  did  with  heart-felt  satisfac- 
tion. 


74 


BEAUTY— BEGGARS— BEGGARY. 


34,  {I5 


34.  BEAUTY. 


(a)  THE  FATHER'S  ADVICE.— 

A  gentleman  had  two  children  :  the  one 
a  daughter,  who  was  considered  plain 
in  her  person  ;  the  other  a  son,  who 
was  reckoned  handsome.  One  day,  as 
they  were  playing  together,  they  saw 
their  faces  in  a  looking-glass.  The  boy 
was  charmed  with  his  beauty,  and  spoke 
of  it  to  his  sister,  who  considered  his 
remarks  as  so  many  reflections  on  her 
want  of  it.  She  told  her  father  of  the 
affair,  complaining  of  her  brother's 
rudeness  to  her.  The  father,  instead 
of  appearing  angry,  took  them  both  on 
his  knees,  and  with  much  affection  gave 
them  the  following  advice  : — "  I  would 
have  you  both  look  in  the  glass  every 
day  ;  you,  my  son,  that  you  may  be 
reminded  never  to  dishonor  the  beauty 
of  your  face  by  the  deformity  of  your 
actions ;  and  you,  my  daughter,  that  you 
may  take  care  to  hide  the  defect  of 
beauty  in  your  person  by  the  superior 
lustre  of  your  virtuous  and  amiable  con- 
duct." 

(b)  BEAUTY  IN  THE  GRAVE.— 

A  young  lady  in  A ,  N.  Y.,  was 

attacked  with  the  small-pox.  She  was 
gay  and  thoughtless,  and  had  been 
much  admired  for  her  comeliness  and 


beauty.  When  the  disease  made  its 
appearance,  she  became  distressed  at 
the  thought  of  losing  her  beauty,  and 
manifested  her  concern,  by  speak- 
ing frequently  of  such  a  dreadful  event. 
Her  mother,  with  deep  solicitude,  seemed 
to  sympathize  with  the  daughter  in  these 
fearful  apprehensions.  They  convers- 
ed on  the  subject,  and  spoke  of  the 
probable  influence  which  the  circum- 
stance would  have  upon  the  future 
prospects  of  the  unfortunate  young  lady. 
While  dwelling  in  her  mind  on  this 
gloomy  picture,  the  messenger  of  death 
suddenly  and  unexpectedly  stood  before 
her,  clothed  in  terrors.  He  bade  her 
silence  her  wicked  complainings,  and 
follow  him,  and  lay  her  beauty  down  in 
the  grave.  There  was  no  resisting  the 
mandate.  She  yielded  almost  instantly 
to  the  stern  command,  and  the  worms 
reveled  on  that  beauteous  brow,  whose 
fairness  she  would  so  sedulously  have 
preserved.  The  soul — that  seemed  not 
to  be  thought  of.  No  care  had  been 
taken  to  preserve  it  pure  and  spotless, 
or  to  cleanse  it  in  the  fountain  of  the 
Savior's  blood.  What  an  unsightly 
thing  is  beauty  in  the  grave  / 


35.  BEGGARS— BEGGARY. 


(a)  THE  QUAKER'S  CHARITY. 

— A  certain  benevolent  Quaker  in  New- 
York,  was  asked  by  a  poor  man  for 
money  as  charity,  or  for  work.  The 
Quaker  observed — "  Friend,  I  do  not 
know  what  I  can  give  thee  to  do  !  Let 
me  see ;  thou  mayst  take  my  wood  that 
Is  in  the  yard,  up  stairs,  and  I  will  give 
thee  half  a  dollar."  This  tlie  poor  man 
was  glad  to  do,  and  the  job  lasted  him 
till  about  noon,  when  he  came  and  told 
him  the  work  was  done,  and  asked  him 
if  he  had  any  more  to  do.  "Why 
friend,  let  me  consider,"  said  the  queer 
Quaker:  "Oh!  thou  mayst  take  the 
wood  down  again,  and  I  will  give  thee 
another  half  dollar." 


(b)  OBERLIN'S  METHOD.— The 
Rev.  John  Frederic  Oberlin  was  distin- 
guished by  his  charity  and  benevolence, 
and  though  scarcely  a  mendicant  was 
ever  seen  in  the  valley  of  the  Ban  de  la 
Roche,  where  he  resided,  sometimes  a 
pauper  from  the  neighboring  communes, 
attracted  by  the  well-known  disposition 
of  the  pastor  and  his  people,  wandered 
thither  to  implore  that  assistance  which, 
if  deserving,  he  never  failed  to  receive. 
"  Why  do  you  not  work  ?"  was  Ober- 
lin's  usual  interrogation.  "  Because 
no  ohe  will  employ  me,"  was  the  gene- 
ral reply.  "  Well,  then,  I  will  employ 
you.  There — carry  these  planks — • 
break  those  stones — fill  that  bucket  with 
75 


35,36 


BENEFICENCE, 


watei-j  and  I  will  repay  you  for  your 
trouble."  Such  was  his  usual  mode 
of  proceeding ;  and  idle  beggars  were 
taught  to  come  there  no  more. 

(c)  THE  MAYOR'S  OPINION.— 
At  a  meeting  held  in  London,  concern- 
ing the  houseless  poor,  the  Lord  Mayor 
remarked,  that  he  considered  that  one 
of  the  greatest  causes  of  vagrancy  was 
want  of  work.  For  the  purpose  of  pre- 
venting this  complaint,  he  would  advise 
the  adoption  of  a  plan,  which  an  old 
friend  of  his,  Mr.  Jackson,  one  of  the 
overseers  of  the  parish  of  St.  Catherine 
Cree,  had  tried.  He  would  provide 
work,  whether  that  work  proved  a  mat- 
ter of  pecuniary  advantage  or  not ;  and 
the  host  of  vagrants  who  hated  work 
would  soon  disappear,  as  they  had  done 
in  the  case  of  his  friend,  when  they 
found  that  without  working  for  it,  they 
could  get  nothing  to  eat.  The  case  to 
which  his  lordship  alluded  was  as  fol- 
lows :  Mr.  Jackson  was  considerably 
annoyed  while  he  was  overseer,  by  the 
solicitations  of  great  hulking  fellows  of 
the  parish,  who  always  said  they  could 
get  no  work.  "  Well,  my  poor  men," 
he  at  length  said  to  some  of  them,  "  I'll 
see  and  get  you  a  little  work."  He 
then  took  them  to  the  church-yard,  and 
ordered  them  to  pick  up  all  the  loose 
stones  that  were  laying  about  and  throw 
them  in  a  corner.  In  a  kw  hours  all 
but  one  got  tired,  and  skulked  off.  He 
who  remained  calculated  upon  the  con- 
trast between  his  conduct  and  that  of 
those  who  departed,  and  he  actually 
stayed  two  or  three  days,  which  greatly 
increased  his  strength.      He  collected 


all  the  small  stones  he  coul^  find,  in  a 
corner.  As  soon  as  he  had  done  so,  he 
went  off  to  Mr.  Jackson,  who  had  paid 
him  most  cheerfully,  and  said  he  was 
again  at  a  loss  for  work.  "  Say  you 
so,  my  poor  fellow  ?"  said  Mr.  Jackson; 
"  then  I  must  see  what  I  can  do  for 
you.  Let  me  see,  there  is  a  sack,  fill 
that  with  stones  from  the  corner,  and 
carry  them  off  to  Bethnal  Green,  and 
make  haste  back  for  another  sack." 

The  vagrant  proceeded  upon  his  new 
employment  with  a  very  ill  grace.  As 
soon  as  he  got  to  White  Chapel  Church, 
he  shot  the  contents  of  his  sack  into  the 
church-yard,  and  swearing  that  he 
would  never,  as  long  as  he  lived,  go 
into  a  church-yard  again,  walked  off 
with  the  sack,  and  was  never  again  seen 
by  Mr.  Jackson. 

The,  practice  has  been  found  an  in- 
fallible cure  for  vagrancy  in  the  parish 
of  St.  Catherine  Cree. 

The  celebrated  Cooke,  the  miser  of 
Petonville,  knew  the  disposition  of  beg-' 
gars  well,  and  drew  much  benefit  from 
the  knowledge.  When  any  beggar 
came  to  his  gate,  and  complained  of 
want  of  work,  Cooke  set  him  to  digging 
the  garden,  but  took  care  to  watch  from 
under  a  window,  lest  he  should  run  ofT 
with  the  spade.  After  an  hour  or  two's 
labor,  the  workman  stuck  his  spade 
into  the  earth  and  sneaked  off.  His 
place  was  soon  supplied  by  another, 
who  had  very  little  inclination  to  labor; 
and  thus  Cooke  managed  to  have  his 
garden  dug  entirely  over,  without  a 
farthing's  expense. 


BENEFICENCE. 


36.  Beneficence  in  Hazarding  Life. 

(a)  WRECK  OF  THE  BUTTON. 

— The  following  extract  of  a  letter,  writ- 
ten by  a  distinguished  naval  officer,  and 
published  in  the  "  United  Service  Jour- 
nal," very  forcibly  illustrates  his  bene- 
volent disposition  : 

"  Why  do  you  ask  me  to  relate  the 
wreck  of  the  Button  ?     Susan  (Lady 
Exmouth)  and  I  were  driving  to  a  dinner 
7« 


party  at  Plymouth,  when  we  saw  crowds 
running  to  the  Hoe ;  and  learning  it  was 
a  wreck,  I  left  the  carriage  to  take  her 
on,  and  joined  the  crowd,  I  saw  the 
loss  of  the  whole  five  or  six  hundred 
was  inevitable,  without  somebody  to  di- 
rect them  ;  for  the  last  officer  was  pulled 
ashore  as  I  reached  the  surf.  I  urged 
the  officers  to  return,  but  they  refused  ; 
upon  which  I  made  the  rope  fast  to  my- 
self,  and  was  hauled  through  the  surf 


BENEFICENCE  IN  HAZARDING  LIFE. 


36 


on  board,  established  order,  and  did  not 
leave  her  until  every  one  was  saved  but 
the  boatswain,  who  would  not  go  before 
me.  I  got  safe,  and  so  did  he  ;  and  the 
ship  went  all  to  pieces.  But  I  was  laid 
in  bed  for  a  week,  by  getting  under  the 
mainmast,  which  had  fallen  towards  the 
shore  ;  and  my  back  was  cured  by 
Lord  Spencer's  having  conveyed  to  me 
by  letter  his  majesty's  intention  to  dub 
me  a  baronet.  No  more  have  I  to  say, 
except  that  I  felt  more  pleasure  in  giv- 
ing to  a  mother's  arms  a  dear  little  in- 
fant, only  three  weeks  old,  than  I  ever 
felt  in  my  life ;  and  both  were  saved. 
The  struggle  she  had  to  intrust  me  with 
the  bantling,  was  a  scene  I  cannot  de- 
scribe ;  nor  need  you  ;  and,  conse- 
quently, you  will  never  let  this  be  visi- 
ble." 

We  are  informed  that  the  injunction 
just  referred  to,  was  scrupulously  re- 
garded till  death  removed  all  necessity 
for  secrecy. 

(b)  FRANCIS  II.  AND  HIS  FAM- 
ISHING  SUBJECTS.  —  One  arm  of 
the  Danube  separates  the  city  of  Vienna 
from  a  suburban  part  called  Leopold- 
stadt.  A  thaw  inundated  this  part,  and 
the  ice  carried  away  the  bridge  of  com- 
munication with  the  capital.  The  pop- 
ulation of  Leopold-stadt  began  to  be  in 
the  greatest  distress  for  want  of  provi- 
sions. A  number  of  boats  were  collected 
and  loaded  with  bread  :  but  no  one  felt 
hardy  enough  to  risk  the  passage,  which 
was  rendered  extremely  dangerous  by 
large  bodies  of  ice.  Francis  II.,  who 
was  then  emperor,  stood  at  the  water's 
edge  :  he  begged,  exhorted,  threatened, 
and  promised  the  highest  recompenses, 
but  all  in  vain  ;  whilst,  on  the  other 
shore,  his  subjects,  famishing  with  hun- 
ger, stretched  forth  their  hands,  and 
supplicated  relief.  The  monarch  imme- 
diately leaped  singly  into  a  boat  loaded 
with  bread,  and  applied  himself  to  the 
oars,  exclaiming,  "  Never  shall  it  be 
said  that  I  saw  those  perish,  without  an 
effort  to  save  them,  who  would  risk  their 
all  for  me."  The  example  of  the  sove- 
reign, sudden  as  electricity,  inflamed 
the  spectators,  who  threw  themselves  in 
crowds  into  the  boats.  They  encoun- 
tered the  sea  with  success,  and  gained 
the  suburbs  just  as  their  intrepid  mon- 


arch, with  the  tear  of  pity  in  his  eye, 
held  out  the  bread  he  had  conveyed 
across  the  water  at  the  risk  of  his 
life. 

(c)  THE  AROYLESHIRE  FISH- 
ERMAN.— Two  fishermen,  a  few  years 
ago,  were  mending  their  nets  on  board 
their  vessel  on  one  of  the  lakes  in  the 
interior  of  Argyleshire,  at  a  considera- 
ble distance  from  the  shore,  when  a 
sudden  squall  upset  their  boat.  One 
of  them  could  not  swim,  and  the  only 
oar  which  floated  was  caught  by  him 
that  could  swim.  His  sinking  compan- 
ion cried,  "  Ah,  my  poor  wife  and  chil- 
dren, they  must  starve  now!"  "Save 
yourself,  I  will  risk  my  life  for  their 
sakes!"  said  the  other,  thrusting  the  oar 
under  the  arm  of  the  drowning  man.  He 
committed  himself  instantly  to  the  deep, 
expecting  to  perish  for  the  safety  of  his 
companion.  That  moment  the  boat 
struck  the  bottom,  and  started  the  other 
oar  by  their  side,  and  thus  both  were 
enabled  to  keep  afloat  till  they  were 
picked  up. 

(d)  THE  HEROIC  PEASANT.— 
The  following  generous  instance  of 
heroism  in  a  peasant,  has  somewhat  even 
of  the  sublime  in  it.  A  great  inunda- 
tion having  taken  place  in  the  north  of 
Italy,  owing  to  an  excessive  fall  of  snow 
in  the  Alps,  followed  by  a  speedy  thaw, 
the  river  Adige  carried  off  a  bridge 
near  Verona,  except  the  middle  part, 
on  which  was  the  house  of  the  toll- 
gatherer,  who  with  his  whole  family 
thus  remained  imprisoned  by  the  waves, 
and  in  momentary  expectation  of  cer- 
tain destruction.  They  were  discovered 
from  the  banks,  stretching  forth  their 
hands,  screaming,  and  imploring  succor, 
while  fragments  of  this  only  remaining 
arch  were  continually  dropping  into  the 
impetuous  torrent.  In  thih  extreme 
danger,  the  Count  of  Pulverini,  who 
was  a  spectator,  held  out  a  purse  of  one 
hundred  sequins,  as  a  reward  to  any  ad- 
venturer who  would  take  a  boat  and 
save  this  unhappy  family.  But  the  risk 
of  being  borne  down  by  the  rapidity  of 
the  stream,  and  being  dashed  against 
the  fragment  of  the  bridge,  and  of  being 
crushed  by  the  falling  of  the  heavy 
stones,  was  so  great  that  not  one  of  the 
vast  number  of  lookers-on  had  courage 

77 


36 


BENEFICENCE. 


enough  to  attempt  such  an  exploit.  A 
peasant  passing  along  was  informed  of 
the  promised  reward.  Immediately 
jumping  into  a  boat,  he,  by  amazing 
strength  of  oars,  gained  the  middle  of 
the  river,  and  brought  the  boat  under 
the  pile,  when  the  whole  terrified  family 
safely  descended  into  it  by  means  of  a 
rope.  *'  Courage,*'  cried  he,  "  now  you 
are  safe !"  By  a  still  more  strenuous 
effort,  and  great  strength  of  arm,  he 
brought  the  boat  and  family  to  shore. 
"  Brave  fellow  !"  exclaimed  the  Count, 
handing  the  purse  to  him ;  "  here  is 
your  promised  recompense."  "I  shall 
never  expose  my  life  for  money,^^  an- 
swered the  peasant ;  *'  my  labor  af- 
fords a  sufficient  livelihood  for  myself, 
my  wife  and  my  children  ;  give  the 
purse  to  this  poor  family  who  has  lost 
its  all !" 

(e)  RESCUING  A  DROWNING 
BOY.— The  Rev.  Mr.  Kelly,  of  the 
town  of  Ayr,  once  preached  an  ex- 
cellent sermon  from  the  parable  of  the 
man  who  fell  among  thieves.  He  was 
particularly  severe  on  the  conduct  of 
the  priest,  who  saw  him,  and  ministered 
not  unto  him,  but  passed  by  on  the  other 
side ;  and,  in  an  animated  aad  pathetic 
flow  of  eloquence,  he  exclaimed,  "What ! 
not  even  the  servant  of  the  Almighty  ! 
he  whose  tongue  was  engaged  in  the 
work  of  charity,  whose  bosom  was  ap- 
pointed the  seat  of  brotherly  love,  whose 
heart  the  emblem  of  pity ;  did  he  re- 
fuse to  stretch  forth  his  hand,  and  to 
take  the  mantle  from  his  shoulders  to 
cover  the  nakedness  of  woe  ?  If  he 
refused,  if  the  shepherd  himself  went 
astray,  was  it  to  be  wondered  at  that 
the  flock  followed  ?"  Such  were  the 
precepts  of  the  preacher,  and  he  prac- 
tised what  he  preached.  The  next 
day,  when  Ihe  river  was  much  increased, 
a  boy  was  swept  overboard  from  a  small 
boat  by  the  force  of  the  current.  A  great 
concourse  of  people  were  assembled, 
but  none  of  them  attempted  to  save  the 
boy ;  when  Mr.  Kelly  threw  himself 
from  his  chamber  window  into  the  cur- 
rent, and  at  the  hazard  of  his  own  life 
saved  that  of  the  bov. 

(f)    MARTINEL'S    ACHIEVE- 
MENTS.—The  life  of  adjutant  Mar- 
tinel  is  full  of  the   most  striking  and 
78 


sublime  exhibitions  of  a  heroic  and  self- 
denying  benevolence. 

In  1820,  at  Strasburg,  a  soldier  fell 
into  the  river  111,  near  the  sluices  of  a 
mill ;  the  place  apparently  left  no  chance 
for  help.  Hearing  the  despairing  cries  of 
a  woman,  Martinel,  who  was  passing, 
threw  himself  in,  with  all  his  clothes  on, 
and  without  looking  to  see  if  there  was 
a  chance  for  his  life  or  not,  he  swam 
directly  towards  the  sluice  ;  and  there 
supporting  himself  by  one  hand  on  the 
post  of  the  water-gate,  he  attempted  to 
seize  with  the  other,  m  his  passage,  the 
unfortunate  being  whom  a  rapid  current 
carried  towards  the  wheel  of  the  mill. 
He  saw  him  coming,  already  sunk  se- 
veral feet  under  the  water ;  it  was 
necessary  to  quit  the  support  in  order 
to  seize  him,  by  which  action  he  would 
be  carried  away  himself.  He,  however, 
quitted  it,  seized  the  body,  passed  under 
the  mill-wheel  with  him,  carried  away 
by  the  rapidity  of  the  current,  and  soon 
reappeared  on  the  other  side  of  the 
sluice,  without  having  let  go  of  the  poor 
creature,  whom  he  carried  to  land,  and 
to  whom  life  was  restored. 

Another  time,  at  Strasburg,  he  threw 
himself  info  greater,  and  more  certain 
peril.  A  powder  magazine  was  on  fire, 
and  about  to  blow  up.  An  exalted 
sentiment  of  humanity  and  devotion  im- 
pelled him  on.  Immediately  above  the 
magazine,  (which  contained  a  barrel  of 
powder  and  a  thousand  packets  of  cart- 
ridges,) was  a  large  chamber,  used  as 
an  infirmary,  where  nine  of  his  poor 
comrades,  soldiers,  were  confined  to 
their  beds.  The  people  flew  on  all 
sides.  Martinel  engaged  several  men  to 
aid  the  invalids  with  him ;  and  he  mount- 
ed without  perceiving  that  the  increas- 
ing fire  had  prevented  his  companions 
from  follovving  him.  He  arrived  alone 
at  the  door  of  a  chamber  near  that  in 
which  the  cartridges  were  kept.  He 
found  that  by  a  fatality  this  door  was 
locked.  He  made  a  battering  ram  of 
a  bench,  and  burst  it  open ;  but,  as  he 
was  about  to  rush  in,  great  flames  re- 
pulsed him.  Then  his  resolution  tot- 
tered, he  recoiled,  and  was  about  to  re- 
descend.  Then  he  remembered  that 
the  fire  was  approaching  the  cartridges, 
and  that  if  his  resolution  failed  him,  his 


BENEFICENCE  IN  DYING  FOR  OTHERS. 


S7 


companions  were  about  to  be  blown  up. 
The  instinct  of  his  self-preservation  then 
no  longer  stopped  him ;  he  dashed  for- 
ward, closing  his  eyes,  across  the 
flames,  and  with  clothes,  hands,  hair, 
face,  blackened  and  burned,  he  found 
with  joy  that  the  cartridges  were  un- 
touched. He  pressed  onward,  and 
snatched  away  the  heaps  of  enveloping 
paper,  which  the  fire  was  on  the  point  of 
reaching.  He  appeared  at  a  window  ; 
he  cried  and  called,  "  Water  !  water  !" 
His  presence  in  the  pov^der  magazine,  re- 
assuring his  comrades  of  the  imminence 
of  the  peril,  they  mounted  ;  the  cham- 
ber of  cartridges  was  inundated,  and 
the  nine  unfortunate  invalids  were  saved. 


§7.  Beneficence  in  Dying  for  Others. 

(a)  THE  RUSSIAN  DRUMMER. 
— Many  years  ago,  the  Baschirs  revolt- 
ed. Near  Krasno-Uffimske,  in  the  go- 
vernment of  Perm,  they  had  cut  in  pieces 
some  companies  of  dragoons,  and  devised 
to  take  the  fortress  of  Atschitskaja,  by 
stratagem.  They  dressed  themselves 
in  the  uniforms  of  the  dragoons,  mounted 
their  horses,  and  marched  towards  the 
fortress.  To  keep  up  the  deception  of 
being  really  Russians,  they  had  spared 
a  drummer,  whom  they  ordered  to  play 
the  Russian  dragoon  march.  On  ap- 
proaching the  fortress,  the  gates  were 
thrown  open;  when  the  drummer,  in- 
stead of  the  march,  beat  the  alarm.  The 
garrison  then  perceived  the  treacherous 
artifice,  closed  the  gates,  and  prepared 
for  resistance.  As  the  Baschirs  could 
not  make  a  regular  attack,  they  were 
obliged  to  retreat,  when  they  cut  the 
poor  drummer  to  pieces.  His  fate  he 
had  foreseen,  and  therefore  his  voluntary 
sacrifice  was  the  more  striking  and 
praise-worthy. 

(b)  THE  HEROIC  NEGRO.— The 
captain  of  one  of  Commodore  Johnson's 
Dutch  prizes  related,  that  one  day  he 
went  out  of  his  own  ship,  to  dine  on 
board  another  ;  while  he  was  there,  a 
storm  arose,  which  in  a  short  time  made 
an  entire  wreck  of  his  own  ship,  to  which 
it  was  impossible  for  him  to  return.  He 
had  left  on  board  two  little  boys,  one 
four,  the  other  five  years  old,  under  the 
care  of  a  poor  black  servant.  The  people 


struggled  to  get  out  of  the  sinking  ship 
into  a  large  boat,  and  the  poor  black 
took  his  two  little  children,  tied  'them 
into  a  bag,  and  put  in  a  little  pot  of  sweet- 
meats for  them,  slung  them  across  his 
shoulder,  and  put  them  into  the  boat ; 
the  boat  by  this  time  was  quite  full ;  the 
black  was  stepping  into  it  himself,  but 
was  told  by  the  master  there  was  no 
room  for  him,  that  either  he  or  the 
children  must  perish,  for  the  weight  of 
both  would  sink  the  boat.  The  exalted, 
heroic  negro  did  not  hesitate  a  moment. 
"Very  well,"  said  he,  "give  my  duty  to 
my  master,  and  tell  him  I  beg  pardon 
for  all  my  faults;"  and  then  plunged 
to  the  bottom,  never  to  rise  again  till  the 
sea  shall  give  up  her  dead. 

(c)  A  SERVANT  DYING  FOR 
HIS  MASTER.— A  gentleman  was 
travelling,  with  his  valet  de  chambre, 
in  a  sledge,  through  one  of  the  extensive 
forests  of  Poland,  when  they  were  sud- 
denly attacked  by  a  number  of  wolves, 
which  leaped  furiously  at  the  carriage. 
The  servant,  who  instantly  perceived 
that  either  he  or  his  master  must  fall  a 
victim  to  their  fury,  exclaimed,  "  Pro- 
tect, my  wife  and  children;"  and  in- 
stantly rushing  into  the  midst  of  them, 
perished  in  a  moment,  and  by  this 
generous  act  saved  his  master,  wlio  fled 
from  the  danger,  by  driving  forward 
with  the  greatest  rapidity. 

(e)  THE  DEVOTED  NURSE.— 
The  Rev.  S.  W.  Hanna  says  :  On  the 
10th  of  .Tune,  1770,  the  town  of  Port- 
au-Prince,  in  Hayti,  was  utterly  over- 
thrown by  a  dreadful  earthquake.  From 
one  of  the  falling  houses  the  inmates 
had  fled,  except  a  negro  woman,  the 
nurse  of  her  master's  infant  child.  She 
would  not  desert  her  charge,  though 
the  walls  were  even  then  giving  way. 
Rushing  to  its  bed-side,  she  stretched 
forth  her  arms  to  enfold  it.  The  build- 
ing rocked  to  its  foundation  ; — the  roof 
fell  in.  Did  it  crush  the  hapless  pair  ? 
The  heavy  fragments  fell  indeed  upon 
the  woman,  but  the  infant  escaped  un- 
harmed ;  for  its  noble  protectress  ex- 
tended her  bended  form  across  the  body, 
and,  at  the  sacrifice  of  her  own  life, 
preserved  her  charge  from  destruction, 
(c)  CAIUS  GRACCHUS  AND 
HIS  TWO  FRIENDS.— Caius  Grac 
79 


3S 


BENEFICENCE. 


chus,  who  was  the  idol  of  the  Roman 
people,  and  having  carried  his  regard 
for  the  lower  orders  so  far  as  to  draw 
upon  himself  the  resentment  of  the  no- 
bility, an  open  rupture  ensued  ;  and  the 
two  extremities  of  Rome  resembled  two 
camps,  Opimius  the  consul  on  one  side, 
and  Gracchus  and  his  friend  Fulvius 
on  the  other.  A  battle  ensued,  in  \Vhich 
the  consul,  meeting  with  more  vigorous 
resistance  than  he  expected,  proclaimed 
an  amnesty  for  all  those  who  should  lay 
down  their  arms ;  and  at  the  same  time 
promised  to  pay  for  the  heads  of  Grac- 
chus and  Fulvius  their  weight  in  gold. 
This  proclamation  had  the  desired  effect. 
The  populace  deserted  their  leaders ; 
Fulvius  was  taken  and  beheaded,  and 
Gracchus,  at  the  advice  of  his  two  friends, 
Licinius  Crassus  his  brother-in-law,  and 
Pomponius  a  Roman  knight,  determined 
to  flee  from  the  city.  He  passed,  on  his 
way,  through  the  centre  of  the  city,  and 
reached  the  bridge  Sublicius,  where  his 
enemies,  who  pursued  him  close,  would 
have  overtaken  and  seized  him,  if  his 
two  friends  had  not  opposed  their  fury  ; 
but  they  saw  the  danger  he  was  in,  and 
they  determined  to  save  his  life  at  the 
expense  of  their  own.  They  defended 
the  bridge  against  all  the  consular  troops 
till  Gracchus  was  out  of  their  reach  ; 
but  at  length,  being  overpowered  by 
numbers  and  covered  with  wounds, 
they  both  expired  on  the  bridge  which 
they  had  so  valiantly  defended. 

J8.  Self-denying  Beneficence,  shown  by  the 
Rich. 

{a)  THE  CONSECRATED  FOR- 
TUNE.—  A  minister  of  the  gospel, 
conversing  with  Lady  Huntingdon  about 
the  wants  of  a  family  that  appeared  to 
be  in  distress,  her  ladyship  observed,  "  I 
can  do  for  them  but  very  little.  I  am 
obliged  to  be  a  spectator  of  miseries 
which  I  pity,  but  cannot  relieve :  for 
when  I  gave  myself  up  to  the  Lord,  I 
likewise  devoted  to  him  all  my  fortune, 
with  this  reserve,  that  I  would  take  with 
a  sparing  hand  what  might  be  necessary 
for  my  food  and  raiment,  and  for  the 
support  of  my  children,  should  they 
live  to  be  reduced.  I  was  led  to  this 
from  a  consideration  that  there  were 
80 


many  benevolent  persons,  who  had  no 
religion,  who  could  feel  for  the  tempo- 
ral miseries  of  others,  and  help  them  ; 
but  few,  even  among  professors,  who 
had  a  proper  concern  for  the  awful  con- 
dition of  ignorant  and  perishing  souls. 
What,  therefore,  I  can  save  for  a  while 
out  of  my  own  necessaries  I  will  give 
them ;  but  more  I  dare  not  take  with- 
out being  guilty  of  sacrilege." 

(h)  LADY  HUNTINGDON  AND 
THE  TRADESIVIAN.  — Lady  Hunt- 
ingdon, with  an  income  of  only  £l  200  a 
year,  did  much  for  the  cause  of  religion. 
She  maintained  the  college  she  had 
erected,  at  her  sole  expense  ;  she  erect- 
ed chapels  in  most  parts  of  the  kingdom, 
and  she  supported  ministers  who  were 
sent  to  preach  in  various  parts  of  the 
world.  A  minister  of  the  gospel,  and  a 
person  from  the  country,  once  called  on 
her  ladyship.  When  they  came  out, 
the  countryman  turned  his  eyes  towards 
the  house,  and,  after  a  short  pause,  ex- 
claimed, "  What  a  lesson  !  Can  a  per- 
son of  her  noble  birth,  nursed  in  the 
lap  of  grandeur,  live  in  such  a  house, 
so  meanly  furnished  —  and  shall  I,  a 
tradesman,  bo  surrounded  with  luxury 
and  elegance  ?  From  this  moment  I 
shall  hate  my  house,  my  furniture,  and 
myself,  for  spending  so  little  for  God. 
and  so  much  in  folly." 

(c)  MATTHEW  HALE  AND  THE 
POOR. — It  is  said  of  the  excellent  Lord 
Chief  Justice  Hale  that  he  frequently 
invited  his  poor  neighbors  to  dinner, 
and  made  them  sit  at  table  with  himself. 
If  any  of  them  were  sick,  so  that  they 
could  not  come,  he  would  send  provi- 
sions to  them  warm  from  his  own  table. 
He  did  not  confine  his  bounties  to  the 
poor  of  his  own  parish,  but  diffused 
supplies  to  the  neighboring  parishes  as 
occasion  required.  He  always  treated 
the  old,  the  needy,  and  the  sick,  with 
the  tenderness  and  familiarity  that  be- 
came one  who  considered  they  were  of 
the  same  nature  with  himself,  and  were 
reduced  to  no  other  necessities  but  such 
as  he  himself  might  be  brought  to. 
Common  beggars  he  considered  in  an- 
other view.  If  any  of  these  met  him 
in  his  walks,  or  came  to  his  door,  he 
would  ask  such  as  were  capable  of 
working,  why  they  went  about  so  idly. 


SELF-DENYING  BENEFICENCE— SHOWN  BY  THE  RICH. 


38 


If  they  answered,  it  was  because  they 
could  not  get  employ,  he  would  send 
them,  to  some  field,  to  gather  all  the 
stones  in  it,  and  lay  them  in  a  heap  ; 
and  then  paid  them  liberally  for  their 
trouble.  This  being  done,  he  used  to 
send  his  carts,  and  cause  them  to  be 
carried  to  such  places  of  the  highway  as 
needed  repair. 

(a)  PRINCESS  CHARLOTTE'S 
BENEVOLENCE.— It  is  related  of 
the  lamented  Princess  Charlotte,  that  in 
one  of  her  walks  with  Prince  Leopold, 
in  November,  1816,  she  addressed  a  de- 
cent looking  man,  who  was  employed 
as  a  day-laborer,  and  said,  "  My  good 
man,  you  appear  to  have  seen  better 
days."  "  I  have,  your  royal  highness,'' 
he  replied  :  "  I  have  rented  a  good  farm, 
but  the  change  in  the  times  has  ruined 
me."  At  this  reply  she  burst  into  tears, 
and  said  to  the  prince,  "  Let  us  be  grate- 
ful to  Providence  for  his  blessings,  and 
endeavor  to  fulfil  the  important  duties 
required  of  us,  to  make  all  our  laborers 
happy."  On  her  return  home,  she  de- 
sired the  steward  to  make  out  a  list  of 
all  the  deserving  families  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, with  the  particulars  of  their 
circumstances :  orders  were  given  to 
the  household  that  the  whole  of  the  su- 
perfluous food  should  be  carefully  distri- 
buted according  to  the  wants  of  the 
poor  :  and,  instead  of  the  usual  festivi- 
ties on  the  following  birth-days  of  the 
prince  and  princess,  £150  were  sent 
on  each  occasion  in  clothing  the 
poor. 

(e)  THE  DUCHESS  OF  VENTA- 
DOUR.  —  During  a  scarcity,  nearly 
approaching  to  famine,  which  prevailed 
in  France,  produced  by  the  dreadful 
severity  of  the  preceding  winter,  the 
Duchess  of  Ventadour,  who  had,  on  ac- 
count of  her  exemplary  character,  been 
appointed  governess  of  the  infant  king, 
Louis  XV.,  not  only  gave  away  all  her 
revenue,  but,  in  addition  to  this  borrow- 
ed 80,000  francs  to  relieve  the  poor. 
Her  steward  remonstrated  with  her, 
saying,  that  she  passed  all  the  bounds  of 
prudence ;  but  she  meekly  replied, 
"  Let  us  give  always,  and  even  borrow, 
while  it  is  necessary,  to  save  the  poor 
from  death ;  we  shall  never  want,  nei- 
ther 1  noi  my  family ;  in  mv  station 
6 


there  is  no  great  hardship  in  trusting  to 
Providence." 

(/)  EDWARD  COLSTON,  THE 
BRISTOL    MERCHANT.  —  Edward 

Colston,  at  the  age  of  forty  years,  be- 
came a  very  eminent  East  India  mer- 
chant, prior  to  the  incorporation  of  the 
East  India  Company,  and  had  forty  sail 
of  ships  of  his  own,  with  immense  riches 
flowing  in  upon  him.  He  still  remained 
uniform  in  his  charitable  disposition, 
distributing  many  thousand  pounds  to 
various  charities  in  and  about  London, 
besides  private  gifts  in  many  parts  of 
the  kingdom.  In  the  year  1708,  he  in- 
stituted a  very  magnificent  school  in  St. 
Augustine's- back,  in  Bristol,  which  cost 
him  £11,000  in  the  building,  and  endow- 
ed the  same  with  between  £1,700,  and 
£1,800  per  annum  forever.  He  like- 
wise gave  £10  for  apprenticing  every 
boy,  and  for  twelve  years  after  his 
death  £10  to  put  them  into  business.  It 
has  been  frequently  reported  that  his 
private  charities  far  exceeded  those  in 
public.  "  We  have  heard,"  says  the 
Bristol  (Eng.)  Journal,  "that  one  of  his 
ships  trading  to  the  East  Indies  had  been 
missing  upwards  of  three  years,  and 
was  supposed  to  be  destroyed  at  sea, 
but  at  length  she  arrived,  richly  laden. 
When  his  principal  clerk  brought  him 
the  report  of  her  arrival,  and  of  the 
riches  on  board,  he  said,  as  she  was  to- 
tally given  up  for  lost,  he  would  by  no 
means  claim  any  right  to  her ;  there- 
fore he  ordered  the  ship  and  merchan- 
dise to  be  sold,  and  the  produce  thereof 
to  be  applied  towards  the  relief  of  the 
needy,  which  directions  were  immedi- 
ately carried  into  execution.  Another 
singular  instance  of  his  tender  con- 
sciousness for  charity  was  at  the  age  of 
forty,  when  he  entertained  some  thoughts 
of  changing  his  condition.  He  paid  his 
addresses  to  a  lady,  but  being  very 
timorous  lest  he  should  be  hindered  in 
his  pious  and  charitable  designs,  he  was^ 
determined  to  make  a  Christian  trial  of 
her  temper  and  disposition,  and  therefore 
one  morning  filled  his  pockets  with  gold 
and  silver,  in  order  that,  if  any  object 
presented  itself  in  the  course  of  their 
tour  over  London  bridge,  he  might  satisfy 
his  intentions.  While  they  were  walk- 
ing near  St.  Magnus  Church,  a  woman 
81 


3§,  39 


BENEFICENCE. 


in  extreme  misery,  with  twins  in  her 
lap,  sat  begging  ;  and,  as  he  and  his 
intended  lady  were  arm-in-arm,  he  be- 
Iield  the  wretched  object,  put  his  hand 
in  his  pocket,  and  took  out  a  handful  of 
gold  and  silver,  casting  it  into  the  poor 
woman's  lap.  The  lady  being  greatly 
alarmed  at  such  profuse  generosity, 
colored  prodigiously  ;  so  that,  when 
they  were  gone  a  little  further  towards 
the  bridge-foot,  she  turned  to  him,  and 
said,  "  Sir,  do  you  know  what  you  did 
a  few  minutes  ago  ?"  "  Madam,"  re- 
plied Mr.  Colston,  "  I  never  let  my  right 
hand  know  what  my  left  hand  doeth." 
He  then  took  his  leave  of  her,  and  for 
this  reason  never  married  to  the  day  of 
his  death,  although  he  lived  to  the  age 
of  eighty-five. 

{g)  MRS.  HOWARD'S  SPEND- 
ING  MONEY.— The  benevolent  John 
Howard,  well  known  for  his  philanthro- 
py, especially  his  attention  to  prisoners, 
having  settled  his  accounts  at  the  close 
of  a  particular  year,  and  found  a  bal- 
ance in  his  favor,  proposed  to  his  wife 
to  make  use  of  it  in  a  journey  to  Lon- 
don, or  in  any  other  excursion  she  chose. 
"  What  a  pretty  cottage  for  a  poor  fami- 
ly it  would  build  !"  was  her  answer. 
This  charitable  hint  met  with  his  cor- 
dial approbation,  and  the  money  was 
laid  out  accordingly. 

{h)  WHERE  It  SHOULD  RE.— 
When  a  gentleman  who  had  been  ac- 
customed to  give  away  some  thousands 
was  supposed  to  be  at  the  point  of  death, 
his  presumptive  heir  inquired  where  his 
fortune  was  to  be  found.  To  whom  he 
answered,  "  that  it  was  in  the  pockets  of 
the  indigent." 

(0  A  BENEVOLENT  VICAR.— 
John  Baptist  Joseph  Languet,  vicar  of 
St.  Sulpice  at  Paris,  sometimes  dis- 
bursed '^he  sum  6f  a  million  of  livres  in 
charities  in  a  single  year.  When  there 
was  a  general  dearth  in  1725,  he  sold, 
in  order  to  relieve  the  poor,  his  house- 
hold goods,  his  pictures,  and  some  curi- 
ous pieces  of  furniture  that  he  had  pro- 
cured with  great  difficulty. 

29.  Self-denying  Beneficence,  shown  by  the 
Poor. 
{a)    PEGGY    AND    THE   ONE- 
POUND    NOTE.— Peggy    had    been 

82 


consigned  by  her  dying  mother  in  Ire- 
land to  the  care  of  an  individual,  who 
brought  her  up  as  her  servant,  bastow- 
ing  upon  her  only  clotiies  and  food  as 
her  wages.  Her  residence  with  this 
person  led  to  Peggy's  attendance  on  the 
ministry  of  the  gospel.  It  met,  in  her 
case,  with  a  heart  prepared  by  Divine 
influence  to  receive  it :  she  imbibed  it 
as  the  thirsty  earth  the  shower.  Her 
appearance  became  altered,  and  her 
whole  demeanour  highly  improved. 
Her  mistress,  finding  her  services  in- 
creasingly valuable,  and  fearing  that 
the  temptation  to  high  wages  might 
efiect  a  separation,  proffered,  of  her  own 
accord,  to  give  her  a  small  yearly 
salary.  For  this  she  was  truly  thank- 
ful, and  some  months  having  elapsed, 
she  came  to  me,  says  a  Christian  minis- 
ter in  London,  one  evening  after  service, 
apparently  with  great  joy,  and  slipped 
a  piece  of  paper  into  my  hand — it  was 
a  one-pound  note.  "  Peggy,"  said  I, 
"  what  is  this  ?"  "  Your  reverence," 
said  she,  "it  is  the  first  pound  that  I 
could  ever  call  my  own  since  I  was 
born.  And  what  will  I  do  with  it?  Ah ! 
will  I  forget  my  country  ? — No  : — it  is 
for  poor  Ireland — it  is  for  my  country- 
men to  have  the  blessed,  blessed  gospel 
preached  to  them."  I  admired  her  dis- 
interestedness, but  thought  the  sacrifice 
too  great,  as  I  knew  she  must  want 
such  a  sum  for  very  important  purposes. 


Pec 


said  I,  "it  is  too  much  for 


you  to  give  ;  I  cannot  take  it."  "  Oh, 
your  reverence,"  she  replied,  with  her 
characteristic  energy,  "  if  you  refuse  it, 
I  would  not  sleep  for  a  fortnight ;"  and 
she  went  away,  leaving  the  money  in 
my  hand,  and  exclaiming,  "  God  bless 
my  poor  country  with  the  ministry  of 
the  gospel." 

How  much  does  her  liberality  out- 
shine that  of  many ! 

{h)  THE  NEGRESS  AND  HER 
NURSEi. — A  young  lady,  a  visitor  of 
a  Bible  Association  in  New-York,  found 
her  way  to  an  obscure  cellar,  where 
she  discovered  a  colored  woman  far 
gone  in  a  consumption,  with  her  aged 
husband  sitting  by  her  bed-side,  and 
another  colored  woman,  about  the  age 
of  forty,  acting  in  the  capacity  of  nurse 
and  servant.   The  young  lady  told  them 


SELF-DFNYING  BENEFICENCE— SHOWN  BY  THE  POOR. 


^9 


tier  business.  When  the  sick  woman 
heard  that  she  came  on  an  errand  of 
mercy,  her  withered  and  sickly  coun- 
tenance assumed  an  unwonted  glow  and 
•brightness.  After  expressing  a  stead- 
fast hope  of  salvation  through  the  merits 
-of  the  Savior,  she  gave  the  following 
epitome  of  her  life.  But  a  few  years 
before  she  was  a  slave  in  New  Orleans: 
by  industry  and  economy,  she  and  her 
husband  were  enabled  to  purchase  their 
freedom ;  and  in  the  course  of  two  or 
three  years  to  lay  up  about  400  dollars. 
Sitting  at  the  door  of  a  cottage  one  morn- 
ing, she  heard  that  a  number  of  slaves 
were  to  be  sold  by  auction  that  day. 
She  determined  to  go  and  see  the  sale, 
and,  if  possible,  to  buy  one  of  the  fe- 
male captives,  and  restore  her  to  liberty. 
"  I  have  so  much  money,"  said  she, 
*'  and  if  I  can  make  it  the  instrument 
of  redeeming  one  of  my  fellow  beings 
from  slavery,  then  I  can  say  to  my 
soul,  depart  in  peace."  She  went  and 
purchased  one  for  250  dollai-s.  "  But 
now,"  said  she,  "  I  must  place  her  un- 
der the  ministry  of  the  gospel."  She 
took  a  passage  for  herself,  her  husband, 
and  her  liberated  friend,  for  New- York. 
When  they  landed,  she  said,  "  Now 
you  are  in  a  free  state,  where  the  pri- 
vileges of  the  gospel  are  enjoyed ;  all 
that  I  ask  for  my  kindness  to  you  is, 
that  you  endeavor  to  seek  the  favor  of 
God.  If  you  live  with  me,  and  with 
me  work  for  your  support,  I  shall  be 
rejoiced  ;  you  are  at  liberty  to  do  as 
you  please."  The  liberated  woman 
accepted  her  invitation,  and  was  found 
by  the  young  lady,  acting  as  her  de- 
liverer's nurse ;  and  enjoying  with 
her  the  privileges  of  that  heavenly  citi- 
izenship  in  which  there  is  neither  bond 
nor  free,  but  all  are  one  in  Christ  Jesus. 
Let  us  cease  to  eulogize  those  who  have 
contributed  of  their  abundance  for  the 
relief  of  the  wretched ;  here  was  an 
aged,  illiterate,  degraded  daughter  of 
Africa,  who  gave  her  all  to  promote 
the  salvation  of  one  soul. 

(b)  NOT  RICH  BUT  GENEROUS. 
— A  correspondent  of  the  Philadelphia 
Native  American,  writes  as  follows  : 

The  last  time  I  was  in  Boston,  in 
passing  down  Hanover,  below  Fleet- 
Btreet,  I  saw  a  son  of  Africa  sitting  on 


a  pile  of  wood  just  sawed,  and  eating, 
apparently  with  a  keen  relish,  some 
fragments  of  bread  which  had  just  been 
given  him  for  his  work.  I  should  pro- 
bably have  passed  him  without  further 
notice,  had  I  not  been  struck  with  the 
appearance  of  a  woman  who  was  stand- 
ing a  little  distance  from  him,  and 
watching  his  operations  with  eager  in- 
terest. She  was  a  white  woman,  dressed 
in  the  thin  garb  of  poverty,  who,  in  spite 
of  her  emaciated  and  care-worn  coun- 
tenance, looked  like  one  who  had  seen 
better  days.  Curious  to  know  what 
interest  she  could  take  in  his  movements, 
I  stopped  a  moment  to  watch  them. 

The  wood-sawyer,  noticing  her  fixed 
look,  asked  her  what  she  wanted. 

Pointing  to  his  meal,  spread  upon  the 
log,  she  replied,  "  I  have  not  eaten  so 
much  as  that  in  two  v/eeks." 

"  Well,  sit  down  here,  and  take  a 
bite,"  said  the  kind-hearted  negro; 
"  although  I  ain't  rich,  1  am  generous." 

With  tears  in  her  eyes,  that  seemed 
just  before  already  sealed  up  from  weep- 
ing, she  drew  near  the  humble  table. 
1  did  not  interfere  to  deprive  the  wood- 
sawyer  of  the  pleasure  of  completing 
his  generous  act  (for  generous  it  was  in 
him  to  share  his  only  meal  with  another), 
but  after  privately  slipping  a  piece  of 
money  into  the  poor  woman's  hand,  1 
continued  my  walk. 

But  I  could  not  shut  out  the  scene 
from  my  thoughts,  and  the  words  of  the 
African,  "  not  rich  but  generous,'^  kept 
ringing  in  my  ears.  If  riches  consist  in 
the  means  of  happiness,  what  a  fund  of 
wealth  has  a  man,  whom  God  has  blessed 
with  a  sympathizing  heart :  for  where 
is  there  greater  happiness  than  in  bless- 
ing another !  Many  a  man  that  prefaced 
his  sumptuous  dinner  with  a  long 
grace,  found  no  richer  blessings  at  his 
table,  that  day,  than  did  the  wood-saw- 
yer  upon  his  log. 

(d)  THE  SICK  MAN'S  GIFT.— 
The  Rev.  Mr.  Holmes,  at  a  Home  Mis- 
sionary meeting  in  New- York,  related' 
the  following  circumstance  : — 

Being  appointed  an  agent  of  this 
society,  I  visited  one  of  the  towns  of 
Massachusetts,  and  was  accompanied 
by  the  minister  to  a  wretched  hovel  at 
some  distance  from  the  village.  It  ap- 
83 


89 


HENEFICENCEI. 


peared  scarcely  habitable.  We  entered, 
and  my  name  and  message  were  an- 
nounced to  an  old  and  very  feeble  man, 
who  was  lying  on  a  bed  of  sickness, 
and,  as  it  proved,  of  death.  His  aged 
wife  was  also  bowing  down  over  the 
grave.  "  Before  you  speak  of  the 
agency/'  said  the  old  man,  "  I  wish  you 
to  pray  with  me  ;  for  I  am  very  feeble 
and  full  of  pain."  His  request  was 
granted,  and  the  agency  afterwards  in- 
troduced. *'  My  wife,"  said  the  aged 
Christian,  "  I  think  we  cannot  do  much, 
but  we  must  do  something  for  this  object. 
How  much  shall  we  give  ?"  The  fee-ble 
woman  replied,  "  I  shall  approve  of 
whatever  you  think  proper."  "  Then 
go,"  said  the  dying  saint,  "  and  bring 
ten  dollars."  She  went,  returned,  and 
stooping  down  over  the  wretched,  hard 
bed,  said,  "  Mr.  Well,  I've  brought  fif- 
teen  dollars,  and  there's  enough  left  to 
pay  for  the  flour  and  those  other  little 
things."  O  sir,  said  Mr.  Holmes,  that  I 
could  bring  the  hovel  and  the  bed,  and 
the  man  and  his  wife,  and  place  them 
here  before  the  eyes  of  this  vast  assem- 
bly, and  we  should  never  scarcely  need 
to  ask  for  more  nK>ney. 

(e)  THE  HOTTENTOT'S  GIFT. 
— In  the  year  1813-,  says  the  Rev.  J. 
Campbell,  after  having  visited  several 
nations  in  the  interior  of  Africa,  beyond 
the  colony  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
when  returning,  I  halted  at  the  town  of 
Paarl,  within  thirty-six  miles  of  Cape 
Town.  Here  I  was  requested  by  frierfds 
to  relate  publicly  the  state  of  the  nations 
in  the  interior  of  Africa.  About  one 
hundred  free  persons,  with  some  slaves, 
attended.  At  the  close,  several  hundred 
rixdollars  were  contributed  by  the  white 
friends  present  for  the  Missionary  So- 
ciety. 

After  the  whites  had  all  left  the  house, 
a  slave  woman  and  her  daughter  called 
upon  me,  and  said,  "  Sir,  will  you  take 
any  thing  from  a  poor  slave,  to  help  to 
send  the  gospel  to  the  poor  things  be-- 
yond  us  ?"  On  my  saying,  "  Most 
certainly  I  will,"  she  gave  me  eight- 
pence,  and  her  daughter  fourpence. 
Having  done  so,  they  hastily  went  out, 
clapping  their  hands,  and  ran  to  some 
slave  men  who  were  waiting  to  hear  the 
result.  On  hearing  from  her  that  I 
84 


cheerfully  took  subscriptions  from  slave'g=y 
they  rushed  into  my  room,  and  every 
one  threw  down  all  that  he  had,  to  send 
the  gospel  to  the  poor  things-  beyond 
them  ! 

The  immedifcte  cause  of  this  was — - 
their  masters  had  lately  built  a  place  of 
worship  for  them,  where  missionariesy 
when  they  happened  to  be  in  the  town, 
preached  to  them ;  and  some  of  their 
masters  would  at  tinges  read  a  sermon 
to  them.  These  tastes  of  instruction 
made  them  desirous  that  the  nations  be- 
yond should  be  favored  with  the  same 
advajitage* 

(/)  THE  INDIAN  BROOM-MA.^ 
KBR.— 'Mr.  Hooper,  one  of  the  assist- 
ant missionaries  to  the  Choctaw  Nation, 
relates  in  his  journal  the  following  af- 
fecting instance  of  benevolence  while 
at  Steubenville  : — ^'  What  most  of  all 
aflfected  our  hearts  was,  that  a  poor  Af- 
rican, who,  it  is  believed,  is'  a  devout 
servant  of  God,  came  forward,  and  gave 
a  coat,  obtained  by  making  brooms  after 
performing  his  task  in  the  field.  Mr. 
M^Curdy  inforn>ed  us,  that  both  that  man 
and  his  wife  are  praying  souls.  They 
are  slaves.  O!  is  it  not  truly  animating, 
is  it  not  enough  to  touch  the  tenderest 
sensibilities  of  the  soul,  to  see  an  Ethi- 
opian in  such  circumstances,  thus  moved 
at  hearing  the  Macedonian  cry,  and 
thus  extending  the  hand  of  charity  ? 
Should  every  professed  disciple  of  Christ 
make  such  sacrifices  as  did  this  poor 
African,  at  no  distant  period  would  the 
precious  gospel  be  preached  to  all  nations. 

(g)  THE  GREENLANDERS'  DO- 
NATION. — ^In  a  very  early  period  of 
the  Moravian  mission  in  Greenland,  the 
Christian  natives  of  that  country  were 
told  of  the  demolition  of  the  Indian  con- 
gregation at  Gnadenhutten,  in  Pennsyl- 
vania ;  they  wept  bitterly,  and  at  once 
commenced  efforts  for  their  relief  One 
said,  "  I  have  a  fine  reindeer  skin, 
which  I  will  give."  Another,  "  And  f 
a  pair  of  new  reindeer  boots,  which  I 
will  send."  "  And  I,"  said  a  third, 
"  will  send  them  a  seal,  that  they  may 
have  something  to  eat  and  to  burn." 
Their  contributions  were  accepted  and 
sent.  Their  hearts  had  been  shut  by- 
avarice,  but  the  grace  of  Christ  opened 
them. 


SELF-DENYING  BENEFICENCE— SHOWN  BY  THE  POOR. 


39 


(h)  THE  MINISTER'S  WIFE 
AND  THE  MONUMENT.— A  min- 
ister in  Illinois,  on  receiving  the  sad 
news  that  the  Ceylon  missionaries  had 
been  obliged,  in  consequence  of  the 
curtailment  of  funds,  to  dismiss  five 
thousand  scholars  from  their  schools, 
and  that  twenty-five  dollars  would  re- 
suscitate a  school,  resolved  to  try  and 
raise  that  sum  in  his  society. 

They  were  a  little  band,  and  had 
already  done  what  they  thought  they 
could  for  Foreign  Missions. 

He  went  before  his  people,  related  the 
melancholy  intelligence,  and  told  them 
that  he  would  give  five  dollars,  if  they 
could  raise  the  remaining  twenty.  The 
sum  was  contributed  in  a  few  minutes. 
He  then  went  home  and  inforaied  his 
partner  of  the  result.  He  found  that 
she,  too,  had  been  revolving  in  her  mind 
how  she  could  raise  a  similar  sum. 
"  Well,""  said  her  husband,  "  if  you 
will  give  up  one  gratification,  you  may." 
It  seems  they  had  recently  lost  a  child, 
and  had  sent  on  an  order  to  New-York 
for  a  tombstone,  which  would  cost  twen- 
ty-five dollars.  He  proposed  to  dispense 
with  it.  Trying  though  this  was  to  her 
maternal  feelings,  she  immediately  con- 
sented, saying  that  the  living  children 
demanded  her  money  more  than  the 
one  that  was  dead. 

The  order  was  countermanded,  and 
a  school  in  Ceylon  was,  of  course,  re- 
suscitated. 

(0  SKELTON  AND  HIS  BOOKS. 
— The  salary  of  the  Rev.  Philip  Skelton, 
an  Irish  clergyman,  arising  from  the 
discharge  of  his  ministerial  duties  and 
from  tuition,  was  very  small ;  and  yet 
he  gave  the  larger  part  of  it  away, 
scarcely  allowing  himself  to  appear  in 
decent  clothing.  Returning  one  Lord's 
day  from  public  worship,  he  came  to  a 
cal)in  where  an  awful  fire  had  occurred. 
Two  children  had  been  burnt  to  death, 
and  a  third  showed  but  faint  signs  of 
life.  Seeing  the  poor  people  had  no 
linen  with  which  to  dress  the  child's 
sores,  he  tore  his  linen  from  his  back 
piece  by  piece  for  their  use  ;  and  cheer- 
fully submitted  to  the  inconvenience  to 
which  it  exposed  him.  Some  time  after 
this,  when  a  scarcity  of  food  was  felt 
around  him,  he  sold  his  library,  though 


his  books  were  the  only  companions  of 
his  solitude,  and  spent  the  money  in  the 
purchase  of  provisions  for  the  poor. 
Some  ladies  hearing  of  this,  sent  him 
fifty  pounds,  that  he  might  again  obtain 
several  of  his  most  valued  works  ;  but 
while  he  gratefully  acknowledged  their 
kindness,  he  said  he  had  dedicated  the 
books  to  God,  and  then  applied  the  fift)' 
pounds  also  to  the  relief  of  the  jK)or. 

(j)  THE  DAUGHTER'S  POR- 
TION— The  Rev.  Mr.  Rogers,  of  this 
country,  attended  by  an  officer  of  the 
church,  called  one  morning  at  the 
house  of  an  excellent  woman,  a  wid- 
ow, who  had  recently  lost,  by  death, 
a  pious  and  beloved  daughter.  As  her 
circumstances  were  narrow,  little  was 
expected  from  her.  Indeed  they  called 
upon  her  chiefly  to  testify  their  respect, 
and  to  avoid  the  imputation  of  either 
forgetting  her  pe|son,  or  despising  her 
mite.  To  their  great  surprise,  however, 
when  their  errand  was  made  known,  she 
presented  to  them,  with  much  prompt- 
ness and  cordiality,  a  sum  which,  for 
her,  was  very  large — so  large,  indeed, 
ttiat  they  felt  and  expressed  some  scru- 
ples about  accepting  it  it.  She  put  an 
end  to  the  difficulty,  by  saying,  with 
much  decision,  "  You  must  take  it  all : 
I  had  laid  it  up  as  a  portion  for  my 
daughter ;  and  I  am  deteitnined  that  He 
who  has  my  daughter  shall  have  her 
portion  too." 

{k)  REV.  JOHN  WESLEY'S 
PLATE— HIS  BENEVOLENCE.— 
In  the  year  1776,  the  Rev.  John  Wesley 
received  the  following  letter,  in  conse- 
quence of  a  recent  resolution  of  the 
government,  that  circulars  should  be 
sent  to  all  persons  who  were  suspected 
of  having  plate,  on  which  they  had  not 
paid  duty : — 

"  Reverend  Sir, — As  the  commission- 
ers cannot  doubt  that  you  have  plate  for 
which  you  have  hitherto  neglected  to 
make  an  entry,  they  have  directed  me 
to  send  you  a  copy  of  the  lords'  order, 
and  to  inform  you  that  they  expect  that 
you  forthwith  make  the  entry  of  all 
your  plate,  such  entry  to  bear  date 
from  the  commencement  of  the  plate 
duty,  or  from  such  time  as  you  have 
owned,  used,  ha/d,  or  kept  any  quantity 
of  silver  plate,  chargeable  by  the  act 
85 


39 


BENEFICENCE. 


of  parliaiTient ;  as  in  default  thereof, 
the  board  will  be  obliged  to  signify  your 
refusal  to  their  lordships. 

"  N.  B.  An  immediate  answer  is  de- 
sired." 

Mr.  Wesley  replied  as  follows : — 

"  Sir, — I  have  two  silver  tea-spoons 
at  London,  and  two  at  Bristol :  this  is 
all  the  plate  which  I  have  at  present ; 
and  I  shall  not  buy  any  more  while  so 
mdU}'  around  me  want  bread.  I  am, 
sir,  your  most  humble  servant, 

"John  Wesley." 

Perhaps  there  never  was  a  more 
charitable  man  than  Mr.  Wesley.  His 
liberality  knew  no  bounds,  but  an  empty 
pocket.  He  gave  away  not  merely  a 
certain  part  of  his  income,  but  all  that 
he  had :  his  own  wants  being  provided 
for,  he  devoted  all  the  rest  to  the  neces- 
sities of  others.  He  entered  upon  this 
good  \york  at  a  very  <jfirly  period.  We 
are  told,  that  when  he  had  thirty  jx>unds 
a  year,  he  lived  on  twenty-eight,  and 
gave  away  forty  shillings.  The  next 
year,  receiving  sixty  pounds,  he  still  lived 
on  twenty-eight,  and  gave  away  two- 
and-thirty.  The  third  year  he  received 
ninety  pounds,  and  gave  away  sixty-two. 
The  fourth  year  he  received  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  pounds.  Still  he  lived 
on  twenty-eight,  and  gave  to  the  poor 
ninety-two.  During  the  rest  of  his  life 
he  lived  economically  ;  and,  in  the 
course  of  fifty  years,  it  has  been  sup- 
posed, he  gave  away  more  than  thirty 
thousand  pounds. 

{I)  LAVATER  HELPING  A 
POOR  WOMAN.— The  following  is 
an  extract  from  the  private  diaiy  of  the 
Rev.  J.  C.  Lavater,  of  Zurich,  in  Swit- 
zerland, dated  January  2d,  1769  : — 

My  wife  asked  me,  during  dinner, 
what  sentiment  I  had  chosen  for  the 
day.  "  Give  to  him  that  asketh  thee  ; 
and  from  him  that  would  borrow  turn 
not  thou  away."  "Pray,  how  is  this 
to  be  understood  ?"  said  she.  "  Liter- 
ally ;  we  must  take  the  words  as  if  we 
heard  Jesus  Christ  himself  pronounce 
them.  I  am  the  steward,  not  the  pro- 
prietor of  my  possessions." 

Just  as  1  arose  from  dinner,  a  widow 

desired  to  speak  to  me.      "  You  will 

excuse  me,  dear  sir,"  shid  she,  "  I  must 

pay   my   rent,    and   I    am  six   dollars 

86 


short.  I  have  been  ill  a  whole  months 
and  could  scarcely  keep  my  children 
from  starving.  I  have  laid  by  every 
penny,  but  I  am  six  dollars  short,  and 
must  have  them  to-day  or  to-morrow  ; 
pray  hear  me,  dear  sir."  Here  she 
presented  me  a  book  enchased  with  sil- 
ver. "  My  late  husband,"  said  she, 
"  gave  it  to  me  when  we  were  betrothed. 
I  part  with  it  with  reluctance,  and  know 
not  when  I  can  redeem  it.  O,  dear  sir, 
cannot  you  assist  me  ?"  "  My  poor 
woman,  indeed  I  cannot."  So  saying, 
I  put  my  hand  in  my  pocket,  and  touch- 
ed my  money :  it  was  about  two  dollars 
and  a  half.  "It  won't  do,"  said  I  to 
myself;  "and  if  it  would,  I  shall  want 
it."  "  Have  you  no  friend,  "  said  I,"  who 
would  give  you  such  a  trifle  ?"  "  No, 
not  a  soul  living ;  and  I  do  not  like  to 
go  from  house  to  house  ;  1  would  rather 
work  whole  nights.  I  have  been  told 
that  you  are  a  good-natured  gentleman  ; 
and  if  you  cannot  assist,  you  will,  I 
hope,  excuse  me  for  having  given  you 
so  much  trouble.  I  will  try  how  I  can 
extricate  myself;  God  has  never  for- 
saken me  ;  and  I  hope  he  will  not  begin 
to  turn  his  back  on  me  in  my  76tb 
year."  The  same  moment  my  wife 
entered  the  room. 

I  was — O  thou  traitorous  heart ! —  « 
I  was  angry,  ashamed,  and  should  have 
been  glad  if  I  could  have  sent  her  away 
under  some  pretext  or  other,  for  my 
conscience  whispered  to  me,  "  Give  to 
him  that  asketh  thee."  My  wife,  too, 
whispered  irresistibly  in  my  ear,  "  She 
is  a  pious,  honest  woman ;  she  has  cer- 
tainly been  ill ;  assist  her  if  you  can.'* 
"I  have  no  more  than  two  dollars," 
said  I,  "  and  she  wants  six ;  how,  there- 
fore, can  I  answer  her  demand  ?  I  will 
give  her  something,  and  send  her  away." 
My  wife  squeezed  my  hand  tendcly, 
smiling,  and  beseeching  me  by  he:  looks. 
She  then  said  aloud,  what  my  con- 
science had  whispered  to  me  before: 
"  Give  to  him  that  asketh  thee ;  and 
turn  not  away  from  him  who  would 
borrow  of  thee."  I  smiled,  and  asked 
her  whether  she  would  give  her  ring 
in  order  to  enable  me  to  do  it.  "  With 
great  pleasure,"  said  she,  pulling  oil* 
her  ring.  The  old  woman  was  either 
too  simple  to  observe  tliis,  or  too  modest 


BENEFICENCE  WITH  RULE  AND  SYSTEM. 


39,40 


to  take  advantage  of  it :  however,  when 
she  was  going,  my  wife  told  her  to  wait 
a  little  in  the  passage.  "  Were  you  in 
earnest,  my  dear,  when  you  offered  your 
ring  ?"  said  I,  as  soon  as  we  were  in 
private.  "  I  am  surprised  that  you  can 
ask  that  question  ;  do  you  think  I  sport 
with  charity  ?  Remember  what  you 
said  a  quarter  of  an  hour  ago.  You 
have  been  always  so  benevolent,  and 
why  are  you  now  backward  in  assisting 
that  poor  woman  ?  Why  did  you  not 
give  her  what  money  you  had  in  your 
purse  ?  Do  you  not  know  that  there 
are  six  dollars  in  your  bureau,  and  that 
it  will  be  quarter-day  in  ten  days  ?" 
I  pressed  my  wife  to  my  bosom,  and 
dropped  a  tear.  "  You  are  more  right- 
eous than  I !  Keep  your  ring ;  you 
have  made  me  blush  !"  I  then  went  k) 
the  bureau,  and  took  the  six  dollars. 
When  I  was  going  to  open  the  door,  to 
call  the  widow,  I  was  seized  with  hor- 
ror because  I  had  said,  "  I  cannot 
help  you." — O,  thou  traitorous  tongue  ! 
thou  deceitful  heart ! — "  There,  take 
the  money,"  said  I,  "  which  you  want." 
She  seemed  at  first  to  suppose  it  was 
only  a  small  contribution,  and  kissed 
my  hand.  But  when  she  saw  the  six 
dollars,  her  astonishment  was  so  great, 
that  for  a  moment  she  could  not  speak. 
She  then  said,  "  How  shall,  I  thank  you  ? 
I  cannot  repay  you  ;  I  have  got  notlnng 
but  this  poor  book,  and  it  is  old."  "  Keep 
your  book  and  the  money,"  said  I,  "  and 
thank  God,  and  not  me.  Indeed  I  do 
not  deserve  it,  because  T  have  hesitated 
so  long  to  assist  you.  Go,  and  say  not 
one  word  more." 

{m)  BENEVOLENCE  OF  JOHN 
FOX. — John  Fox,  the  celebrated  author 
of  the  "  Book  of  Martyrs,"  was  re- 
markable for  his  liberality  to  the  poor. 
What  was  sometimes  offered  him  by 
the  rich, '(for  he  was  himself  sometimes 
distressed,)  he  accepted,  but  immediate- 
ly gave  it  to  those  who  had  less  than 
himself.  So  entirely  did  he  give  of 
his  goods  to  the  poor,  that  when  he  died, 
he  possessed  no  ready  money.  This 
benevolence  was  maintained  by  a  sense 
of  the  love  of  Christ,  and  was  shown 
with  a  view  to  his  glo  y .  A  friend  once 
inquiring  of  him,  if  ne  recollected  a 
poor  man,  whom  he  was  accustomed  to 


relieve,  he  replied,  "  Yes,  I  remember 
him  well,  and  would  willingly  forget 
lords  and  ladies  to  remember  such  as 
him." 


40.  Beneficence  with  Rule  and  System. 

(a)  OBERLIN'S  PRACTICE.— 
John  Frederic  Oberlin,  a  minister  of 
the  Gospel  in  France,  happening  to 
read  one  day,  with  more  attention  than 
usual,  the  accounts  of  the  tithes  in  the 
Books  of  Moses,  was  so  struck  with 
some  of  them,  as  to  resolve  from  that 
moment  to  devote  three  tithes  of  all  he 
possessed  to  the  service  of  God  and  the 
poor.  The  resolution  was  no  sooner 
made  than  put  into  execution,  for  what- 
ever Oberlin  conceived  it  to  be  his  duty 
to  do,  he  conscientiously  and  without 
delay  set  about  it.  From  that  period 
till  the  end  of  his  life,  even  during  the 
most  calamitous  seasons  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, he  always  scrupulously  adhered 
to  the  plan,  and  often  said  that  he 
ahounded  in  wealth. 

(b)  MRS.  GRAHAM'S  PRACTICE. 
— Mrs.  Graham,  of  New- York,  made  it 
a  rule  to  appropriate  a  tenth  part  of  her 
earnings  to  be  expended  for  pious  and 
charitable  purposes  ;  she  had  taken  a 
lease  of  two  lots  of  ground,  in  Green- 
wich-street, from  the  Corporation  of  Tri- 
nity Church,  with  the  view  of  building 
a  house  on  them  for  her  own  accommo- 
dation :  the  building,  however,  she  never 
commenced :  by  a  sale  which  her  son- 
in-law,  Mr.  Bethune,  made  of  the  lease 
in  1795,  for  her,  she  got  an  advance  of 
one  thousand  pounds.  So  large  a  profit 
was  new  to  her.  "  Quick,  quick,"  said 
she,  '^  let  me  appropriate  the  tenth  be- 
fore my  heart  grows  hard."  What 
fidelity  in  duty  !  What  distrust  of  her- 
self!  Fift}'"  pounds  of  this  money  she 
sent  to  Mr.  Mason,  in  aid  of  the  funds 
he  was  collecting  for  the  establishment 
of  a  theological  seminary. 

(c)  MR.'  COBB'S  COVENANT.— 
Nathaniel  Ripley  Cobb,  of  Bo'ston,  dis- 
played ,  the  character  of  a  Christian 
merchant  in  all  its  varieties  of  excel- 
lence. He  was  one  of  the  few  noble- 
hearted  men  of  wealth  whose  aflluence 
is  constantly  proved  by  their  munifi- 
ence.    Yet  it  was  not  always  from  what 

87 


40 


BENEFICENCE. 


is  strictl}  denominated  affluence  that  he 
was  so  benevolent,  inasmuch  as  the 
vows  of  God  were  upon  him  that  he 
would  never  become  rich ;  and  he  re- 
deemed the  holy  pledge  which  he  had 
given,  by  consecrating  his  gains  to  the 
Lord.  In  November,  1821,  he  drew 
up  the  folloMiing  remarkable  docu- 
ment : — 

"  By  the  grace  of  God,  I  will  never 
be  worth  more  than  fifty  thousand  dol- 
lars. 

"By  the  grace  of  God  I  will  give 
one-fourth  of  the  nett  profits  of  my 
business  to  charitable  and  religious  uses. 
"  If  I  am  ever  worth  twenty  thou- 
sand dollars,  I  will  give  one  half  of  my 
nett  profits  ;  and  if  I  am  ever  worth 
thirty  thousand,  I  will  give  three- 
fourths  ;  and  the  whole  after  fifty  thou- 
sand dollars. 

"  So  help  me  God  ;  or  give  to  a  more 
faithful  steward,  and  set  me  aside.  N. 
R.  Cobb,  Nov.  1821." 

He  adhered  to  this  covenant  with 
strict  fidelity.  At  one  time,  finding  his 
property  had  increased  beyond  fifty 
thousand  dollars,  he  at  once  devoted  the 
surplus,  seven  thousand  five  hundred, 
as  a  foundation  for  a  professorship  in 
the  Newton  Institution  for  the  edu- 
cation of  Christian  ministers,  to  which, 
on  various  occasions  during  his  short 
life,  he  gave  al:  least  twice  that  amount. 
He  was  a  generous  friend  to  many 
young  men,  whom  he  assisted  in  estab- 
lishing themselves  in  business,  and  to 
many  who  were  unfortunate. 

(d)  DR.  WRIGHT'S  PRACTICE. 
— Of  Doctor  Samuel  Wright,  it  is  said, 
that  his  charity  was  conducted  upon 
rule ;  for  which  purpose  he  kept  a 
purse,  in  which  was  found  this  memo- 
randum :  "  Something  from  all  the  mo- 
ney I  receive  to  be  put  into  this  purse 
for  charitable  uses.  From  my  salary 
as  minister,  which  is  uncertain,  a  tenth 
part ;  from  occasional  and  extraordinary 
gifts,  which  are  more  uncertain,  a  twen- 
tieth part ;  from  copy  money  of  things 
I  print,  and  interest  of  my  estate,  a 
seventh  part." 

(e)  THE  BEE-HIVE  AND  THE 
WALNUT  TREE.— The  following 
account  is  related  by  Mr.  Charles 
Stokes  Dudley,  of  England : 

88 


At  one  of  the  meetings  for  the  circu- 
lation of  the  Scriptures,  held  in  Dorset- 
shire, in  1833,  a  clergyman,  from  a 
distant  county,  related  a  circumstance 
which  had  fallen  under  his  own  im- 
mediate observation.  A  young  farmer 
and  his  wife,  having  attended  a  meeting 
for  the  establishment  of  an  auxiliary 
society,  and  another  held  in  the  evening 
of  the  same  day  for  the  formation  of  a 
ladies'  association,  became  much  in- 
terested in  the  object.  On  returning 
home,  the  wife  expressed  her  earnest 
desire  to  subscribe  a  guinea  a  year  to 
the  female  branch  of  the  institution  ;  to 
which  her  husband  replied,  that  having 
become  himself  a  contributor  of  the 
same  sum  to  the  auxiliary  society,  he 
thought  they  could  scarcely  afford  two 
guineas  a  year.  His  wife  reminded 
him  that  he  had  given  her,  a  few  days 
before,  a  guinea  to  purchase  a  hive  of 
bees,  which  she  had  not  yet  bought ; 
and  that  she  should  much  prefer  giving 
the  money  to  the  Bible  Association.  Tc 
this  arrangement  he  consented.  On  the 
following  day,  a  swarm  of  bees  settlec 
on  a  tree  in  their  garden,  and  was  soon 
safel}''  hived.  Struck  with  the  circum- 
stance, they  immediately  determined 
that  the  entire  produce  of  those  bees, 
and  of  the  successive  swarms  from  the 
hive,  should  be  annually  contributed  to 
the  Bible  Society.  The  circumstance 
occurred  in  1829.  In  1830,  the  sum  of 
£2  was  contributed:  in  1831,  it  increas- 
ed to  £10  ;  last  year  it  was  £8  ;  and,  this 
year,  they  fully  expected  it  would  be 
J£10  again,  if  not  more. 

I  had  a  speedy  proof  that  the  relatior 
of  this  little  fact  was  not  in  vain.  A 
friend  of  ours  who  was  present,  and  un- 
der whose  hospitable  roof  I  was  staying^ 
observing  me,  on  the  following  morning, 
admiring  a  noble  walnut  tree  in  his 
garden,  whispered,  "  That  tree  belongs 
to  the  Bible  Society;  my  wife  and  I 
have  just  dedicated  it."  I  am  happy 
to  say,  I  never  saw  a  tree  better  laden 
in  my  life. 

(f)  FINLEY  AND  THE  AGENT. 
— "  It  is  true  I  have  but  little  to  give," 
said  Dr.  Finley  to  an  agent,  "  but  I  con- 
sider  it  a  privilege  and  an  honor,  so  far 
as  the  Lord  allows,  to  have  something, 
if  it  be  but  a  single  nail,  in  every  edifice 
that  is  going  up  for  Christ." 


BENEFICENCE  WITH  INDUSTRY  AND  FRUGALITY. 


41 


{g)  DOING  SOMETHING  EVERY 
"WHERE. — Atone  of  the  anniversaries 
in  London  Rev.  Richard  Knill  said  : 

When  I  used  to  travel  for  the  London 
Missionary  Society,  I  went  to  Peterbor- 
ough. A  farmer  there  had  read  the  re- 
port of  that  society.  He  found  that  we 
had  123  missionaries.  He  sent  to  Mr. 
Arundel  to  say,  "  I  have  a  great  desire  to 
hit  out  something  new."  I  question 
whether  any  member  of  Parliament 
would  have  hit  it.  He  said,  "  I  am  de- 
termined to  have  something  to  do  with 
every  tract  distributed,  every  sermon 
preached,  every  school  established  ;  and 
for  this  purpose  I  will  give  a  sovereign 
for  each  of  the  missionaries.  Here  is  a 
check  for  £123,  in  order  to  do  some- 
thing all  over  the  world."  That  is  what 
I  call  an  enlarged  idea.  But  in  the 
mean  time  another  report  came  out,  and 
stated  that  13  new  missionaries  had 
been  sent  forth.  "  Well,"  said  he,  "  I  am 
determined  to  keep  it  up  ;"  and  he  gave 
another  £13. 


41.  Beneficence  with  Industry  and  Fru- 
gality. 

{a)  THE  MISER  OF  MAR- 
SEILLES.— An  old  man,  of  the  name  | 
of  Guyot,  lived  and  died  in  the  town  of 
Marseilles,  in  France.  He  amassed  a 
large  fortune  by  the  most  laborious  indus- 
try, and  the  severest  habits  of  abstinence 
and  privation.  His  neighbors 'consid- 
ered him  a  miser,  and  thought  that  he 
was  hoarding  up  money  from  mean  and 
avaricious  motives.  The  populace  pur- 
sued him,  whenever  he  appeared,  with 
hootings  and  execrations,  and  the  boys 
sometimes  threw  stones  at  him.  He  at 
length  died,  and  in  his  will  were  found 
the  following  words  : — "  Having  observ- 
ed from  my  infancy  tliat  the  poor  of  Mar- 
seilles are  ill  supplied  with  water,  which 
can  only  be  purchased  at  a  great  price, 
I  have  cheerfully  labored  the  whole  of 
my  life  to  procure  for  them  this  great 
blessing  ;  and  I  direct  that  the  whole  of 
my  property  shall  be  laid  out  in  build- 
ing an  aqueduct  for  their  use." 

{h)  SAVING  A  PENNY  A  WEEK. 
—  My  monthly  missionary  meeting, 
writes  a  clergyman  in  the  Missionary 
Register  for  1817,  is,  indeed,  delightful. 


You  would  be  highly  gratified  at  wit- 
nessing the  earnest  prayers  that  are 
there  offered  up  in  behalf  of  the  poor 
heathen,  the  interest  produced  by  read- 
ing the  missionary  anecdotes,  and  the 
uncommon  readiness  and  willingness, 
in  the  poor  people,  to  contribute  their 
pence  towards  so  glorious  a  cause. 
One  of  the  poorest  women  (yet  one  of 
the  richest  in  the  true  sense)  in  the 
parish,  was  heard  to  say,  that  she  would 
give  her  penny  a  week,  if  she  took  it 
from  her  food  ;  and  she  has  literally 
been  as  good  as  her  word  ;  for  though 
tea  was  her  only  beverage,  and  often 
her  only  meal,  she  has  for  some  months 
deprived  herself  of  sugar,  in  order  to 
contribute  her  penny,  which  she  does 
with  great  regularity  every  week.  But 
not  content  with  this,  as  she  obtains  a 
livelihood  by  going  about  with  a  basket 
which  contains  needles,  cotton,  etc.,  she 
begged  me  to  write  a  few  lines  to  au- 
thorize her  to  receive  any  mite  which 
she  could  collect  in  her  daily  travels 
from  house  to  house,  that  she  might 
have  a  chance  of  getting  a  penny,  even 
where  she  could  not  sell  her  needles  ; 
and,  indeed,  I  think  I  may  safely  say 
that  she  is  not  more  gratified  when  she 
takes  sixpence  for  herself,  than  when 
she  receives  a  penny  for  the  missionary 
fund.  By  this  means  she  generally 
brings  in  about  three  shillings  every 
month,  in  addition  to  her  own  fourpence. 

Such  an  instance  shames  many. 
True  charity  begins  only  with  self- 
denial. 

(c)  I  WILL  SPIN  ONE  MORE 
HANK. — At  a  meeting  held  with  the 
view  of  forming  an  auxiliary  society  in 
aid  of  Christian  missions,  the  following 
anecdote  was  related  by  one  of  the 
speakers:  A  woman  of  Wakefield,  well 
known  to  be  in  very  needy  circumstan- 
ces, offered  to  subscribe  a  penny  a 
week  to  the  missionary  fund.  "  Surely 
you,"  said  one,  "  are  too  poor  to  afford 
this."  She  replied,  "  1  spin  so  many 
hanks  of  yarn  for  a  maintenance; 
I  will  spin  one  more,  and  that  will  be  a 
penny  for  the  society."  "  I  would 
rather,"  said  the  speaker,  "  see  that 
hank  suspended  in  the  poor  woman's 
cottagCj  a  token  of  her  zeal  for  the  tri- 
umph of  the  gospel,  than  military  tro- 
89 


41 


BKNEFICENCE. 


phies  in  the  halls  of  heroes,  the  proud 
memorials  of  victories  obtained  over 
the  physical  strength  of  men  !" 

(d)  A  REFORMED  DRUNK- 
ARD'SGIFT. — A  religious  society  in 
Yorkshire  (Eng.)  had  twenty  guineas 
brought  to  them  by  a  man  in  low  cir- 
cumstances of  life.  Doubting  whether 
it  was  consistent  with  his  duty  to  his 
family  and  the  world,  to  contribute  such 
a  sum,  they  hesitated  to  receive  it,  when 
he  answered  to  the  following  effect : — 
"  Before  I  knew  the  grace  of  our  Lord, 
I  was  a  poor  drunkard :  I  never  could 
save  a  shilling ;  my  family  were  in 
beggary  and  rags ;  but  since  it  has 
pleased  God  to  renew  me  by  his  grace, 
we  have  been  industrious  and  frugal ; 
we  have  not  spent  many  idle  shillings, 
and  we  have  been  enabled  to  put  some- 
thing into  the  bank,  and  this  I  freely 
offer  to  the  blessed  cause  of  our  Lord 
and  Saviour." — This  was  the  second 
donation  from  the  individual  to  the  same 
amount. 

(e)  THE  MOUNTAIN  FARMER. 
— An  agent  soliciting  funds  for  a  cer- 
tain benevolent  object,  called  upon  the 
minister  of  a  poor  country  town,  made 
known  his  object,  and  inquired  of  that 
minister,  whether  there  were  any  indi- 
viduals in  his  parish,  who  would  con- 
tribute for  that  object.  The  minister 
answered,  "  No."  Then,  checking  him- 
self, he  said,  "  We  have,  however,  one 
man  who  considers  himself  as  a  steward 
of  the  property  of  God.  Perhaps  he 
would  give  something.  You  will  find 
him  upon  the  mountain,  yonder."  The 
agent  toiled  up  the  steep  ascent,  and 
approached  his  dwelling.  It  was  built 
of  logs,  and  its  door  was  opened  by  a 
leather  string.  He  entered  and  made 
known  the  object  of  his  visit.  "  We 
have,"^said  the  benevolent  farmer,  "for 
several  years  considered  all  the  products 
©.'  our  farm,  above  what  is  necessary 
foi  the  supply  of  our  own  wants,  as  the 
Loid's  property ;  to  be  devoted  to  some 
good  object.  We  have  so  disposed  of 
the  whole  this  year,  excepting  one  ar- 
ticle, that  is  our  cheese.  It  may  be 
worth  twenty  or  twenty-five  dollars. 
We  had  not  determined  to  what  object 
to  devote  it.  We  will  give  you  that." 
This  man,  living  in  his  cabin  of  logs, 
90 


and  cultivating  a  small  firm  upon  the 
mountain,  was  accustomed  to  give  for 
purposes  of  benevolence,  about  three 
hundred  dollars  yearly. 

(/)  A  NUMEROUS  FAMILY.— 
A  pious  gentleman  in ,  was  en- 
gaged in  a  certain  branch  of  business 
by  which  he  was  rapidly  increasing  his 
wealth.       When    he   had    made    about 

$50,000,   Rev.  Mr. was  one  day 

conversing  with  him,  and  asked  if  he 
had  not  accumulated  property  enough 
for  his  family,  and  if  he  had  hot  now 
better  give  up  that  kind  of  business  ? 
"  Oh,"  said  he,  "  I  have  not  yet  made 
enough  to  give  each  of  my  children  a 
single  leaf  of  the  Catechism.^'  "  Why," 
inquired  the  clergyman,  "  how  large 
is  your  family  ?"  "  About  six  hundred 
millions,"  was  his  reply.  He  looks  on 
the  whole  family  of  man  as  his  own 
family,  and  he  is  laboring  for  the  salva- 
tion of  them  all. 

(g)  CROUMBIE'S  CARE  FOR  BUSI- 
NESS.—The  late  Mr.  John  Croumbie, 
of  Haddington  (Eng.),  some  time  before 
his  death,  calling  on  one  of  his  custom- 
ers, his  friend  said  unto  him,  "  I  am 
sure,  Mr.  Croumbie,  you  need  not  care 
for  business."    He  replied,  "  It  is  true, 

Mrs. ,  but  if  I  were  to  give  over 

business,  I  would  not  be  so  able  to  assist 
tlie  various  societies  that  are  formed  for 
dilFusing  the  knowledge  of  the  gospel 
throughout  the  world."  The  same  ex- 
cellent person,  in  his  last  illness,  after 
expressing  his  surprise  that  some  Chris- 
tians kept  back  from  the  support  of  these 
institutions,  said  with  peculiar  emphasis, 
"  O  how  I  pity  the  poor  heathen,  who 
have  nothing  to  support  their  minds  in 
the  prospect  of  eternity  .'"  His  feelings 
were  evidently  excited  by  his  own  situa- 
tion, and  a  conviction  of  the  misery  he 
would  feel,  if  his  mind  had  not  been 
supported  by  the  gospel  in  the  near 
prospect  of  entering  into  an  eternal 
state. 

(h)  THE  UNEXPECTED  DONA- 
TION.— When  the  money  to  build  Be- 
thlehem hospital  was  being  collected, 
those  who  were  employed  to  solicit 
donations,  went  to  a  small  house,  the 
door  of  which  being  half  opened,  they 
overheard  the  master,  an  old  man, 
scolding  his  female  servant  for  having 


BENEFICENCE  WITH  PROMPTITUDE. 


49 


thrown  away  a  match  without  using 
both  ends.  After  diverting  themselves 
some  time  with  the  dispute,  they  pre- 
sented themselves  before  the  old  gentle- 
man, and  stated  the  object  of  their  visit ; 
though,  from  what  had  just  passed,  they 
entertained  very  little  hope  of  success. 
The  supposed  miser,  however,  no  sooner 
understood  their  business  than  he  step- 
ped into  a  closet,  from  whence  he 
brought  a  bag,  and  counted  out  four 
hundred  guineas,  which  he  presented 
to  them.  No  astonishment  could  exceed 
that  of  the  collectors  at  this  unexpected 
occurrence  ;  they  expressed  their  sur- 
prise, and  told  the  old  gentleman  that 
they  had  overheard  his  quarrel  with  his 
servant.  "  Gentlemen,"  said  he,  "  your 
surprise  is  occasioned  by  a  thing  of  very 
little  consequence.  I  keep  house  and 
save  money  in  my  owii  way  ;  the  first 
furnishes  me  with  the  means  of  doing 
the  other.  With  regard  to  benevolent 
donations,  you  may  always  expect  most 
fi'om  prudent  people  who  keep  their 
own  accounts."  When  hi^  had  thus 
addressed  them,  he  requested  them  to 
withdraw  without  the  smallest  ceremony, 
to  prevent  which  he  shut  the  door,  not 
thinking,  probably,  so  much  of  the  four 
hundred  guineas  which  he  had  just 
given  away,  as  of  the  match  which  had 
been  carelessly  thrown  into  the  fire. 

42.  Beneficence  with  Promptitude. 

{a)  THORNTON  AND  THE 
POOR  CLERGYMAN.— The  late  Mr. 
Thornton  was  applied  to,  by  a  respect- 
able clergyman,  for  some  pecuniary  as- 
sistance. Mr.  Thornton  having  listened 
to  his  story,  immediately  gave  him  a 
draft  for  fifteen  pounds. 

Whilst  the  grateful  clergyman  was 
still  with  him,  the  post  letters  arrived, 
and  Mr.  Thornton  begged  him  not  to 
go  till  he  should  see  if  he  had  received 
any  news  which  might  interest  him. 
He  began,  accordingly,  to  read  one  of 
his  letters,  and,  after  a  considerable 
pause,  said  to  his  friend,  "  Here  is  a 
letter,  conveying  bad  news  indeed  ;  I 
have  lost  a  very  valuable  ship,  and  cer- 
tainly my  loss  cannot  be  less  than  £20,- 
000.  You  must  return  me  that  draft,  my 
dear  sir  ;  and  to  prove  that  I  do  not  de- 


ceive you,  read  the  letter  which  I  have 
just  received. 

What  could  the  poor  clergyman  do  ? 
He  recalled  to  mind  the  condition  of  his 
starving  and  sickly  wife  and  children, 
and  anticipated  the  grievous  disappoint- 
ment which  his  returning  from  Mr. 
Thornton  without  assistance  would  oc- 
casion. However,  with  a  heavy  heart 
he  handed  the  draft  back  to  Mr.  T., 
and  betook  himself  to  read  the  letter, 
by  way  of  concealing  his  distressed 
countenance.  He  soon  perceived  the 
loss  was  even  greater  than  Mr.  T.  had 
mentioned,  and  all  his  hopes  died  away. 

In  the  meantime  Mr.  Thornton  had 
been  writing,  and  when  the  letter  was 
returned  to  him,  he  said,  "  You  see,  my 
dear  sir,  how  unpleasantly  I  am  situ- 
ated ;  however  here  is  another  paper, 
which  I  desire  you  will  put  in  your 
pocket.  The  poor,  hopeless  clergyman 
took  it,  and  opening  it,  found  a  drafl 
for  fifty  pounds.  He  looked  at  Mr.  T., 
as  if  doubting  the  evidence  of  his  senses, 
but  Mr.  T.  replied,  "  My  dear  sir,  as 
the  Almighty  seems  determined  to  de- 
prive me  of  that  wealth  which  he  gave, 
and  which  he  has  so  good  a  right  to  take 
away,  I  must  be  speedy,  therefore,  to 
give  while  it  is  in  my  possession." 

(b)  LOSING,  BUT  LIBERAL.— A 
wealthy  merchant,  having  lost  by  one 
shipwreck,  to  the  value  of  £1500,  or- 
dered his  clerk  to  distribute  £100 
among  poor  ministers  and  people  ;  add- 
ing, that  if  his  fortune  was  going  by 
£1500  at  a  lump,  it  was  high  time  to 
make  sure  of  some  part  of  it  before  it 
was  gone. 

(c)  DR.  WILSON  AND  THE 
POOR  CLERGYMAN.— The  benevo- 
lent Dr.  Wilson  once  discovered  a  cler- 
gyman at  Bath,  who,  he  was  informed, 
was  sick,  poor,  and  had  a  numerous 
flimily.  In  the  evening  he  gave  a 
friend  fifly  pounds,  requesting  him  to 
deliver  it  in  the  most  delicate  manner, 
and  as  from  an  unknown  person.  The 
friend  said,  "  I  will  wait  upon  him  early 
in  the  morning."  "You  will  oblige  me, 
sir,  by  calling  directly.  Think  of  what 
importance  a  good  night's  rest  may  be 
to  that  poor  man." 

{d)    BAXTER'S    DELAY    AND 
LOSS.— When  Mr.  Baxter  lost  a  thou- 
91 


43 


BENEFICENCE. 


sand  pounds  which  he  had  laid  up  for 
the  erection  of  a  school,  he  used  fre- 
quently to  mention  the  misfortune  as  an 
incitement  to  be  charitable  whih  God 
gives  the  power  of  bestowing,  ana  con- 
sidered himself  as  culpable  in  some 
degree  for  having  so  long  delayed  the 
performance  of  a  good  action,  and  suf- 
fered his  benevolence  to  be  defeated 
for  a  want  of  quickness  and  diligence. 

it  Beneficence  to  Debtors  and  Robbers. 

(a)  REV.  JOHN  WESLEY  AND 
HIS  LIKENESS.— Mr.  Dudley  was 
one  evening  taking  tea  with  that  emi- 
nent artist,  Mr.  Culy,  when  he  asked  him 
whether  he  had  seen  his  gallery  of  busts. 
Mr.  Dudley  answering  in  the  negative, 
and  expressing  a  wish  to  be  gratified 
with  a  sight  of  it,  Mr.  Culy  conducted 
him  thither,  and  after  admiring  the 
busts  of  the  several  great  men  of  the 
day,  he  came  to  one  which  particularly 
attracted  his  notice,  and  on  inquiry 
found  it  was  the  likeness  of  the  Rev. 
John  Wesley.  "  This  bust,"  said  Culy, 
"  struck  Lord  Shel bourne  in  the  same 
manner  it  does  you,  and  there  is  a  re- 
markable fact  connected  with  it,  which, 
as  I  know  you  are  fond  of  anecdote,  I 
will  relate  to  you  precisely  in  the  same 
manner  and  words  that  I  did  to  him. 

*  My  lord,'  said  I,  '  perhaps  you  have 
heard  of  John  Wesley,  the  founder  of 
the  Methodists  V  '  Oh,  yes,'  he  re- 
plied ;  '  he — that  race  of  fanatics  V 
'  Well,  my  lord  ;  Mr.  Wesley  had  often 
been  urged  to  have  his  picture  taken, 
but  he  always  refused,  alleging  as  a 
reason  that  he  thought  it  nothing  but 
vanity  ;  indeed,  so  frequently  had  he 
been  pressed  on  this  point,  that  his 
friends  were  reluctantly  compelled  to 
give  up  the  idea.  One  day  he  called 
on  me  on  the  business  of  our  church. 
I  began  the  old  subject  of  entreating 
him  to  allow  me  to  take  off  his  likeness. 

*  Well,'  said  I,  '  knowing  you  value 
money  for  the  means  of  doing  good,  if 
you  will  grant  my  request,  I  will  en- 
gage to  give  you  ten  guineas  for  the 
first  ten  minutes  that  you  sit,  and  for 
every  minute  that  exceeds  that  time  you 
shall  receive  a  guinea.'  '  What !'  said 
Mr.  Wesley  ;    *  Do  I   understand   you 

92 


aright,  that  you  will  give  me  ten  guineas 
for  having  my  picture  taken  ?  Well,  I 
agree  to  it.'  He  then  stripped  ofT  his 
coat,  and  lay  on  the  sofa,  and  in  eight 
minutes  1  had  the  most  perfect  bust  I 
had  ever  taken.  He  then  washed  his 
face,  and  I  counted  to  him  ten  guineas 
into  his  hand.  '  Well,'  said  he,  turn- 
ing to  his  companion,  '  I  never  till  now- 
earned  money  so  speedily  ;  but  what 
shall  we  do  with  it?'  They  then 
wished  me  a  good-morning,  and  pro- 
ceeded over  Westminster  Bridge.  The 
first  object  that  presented  itself  to  their 
view  was  a  poor  woman  crying  bitterly, 
with  three  children  hanging  round  her, 
each  sobbing,  though  apparently  too 
young  to  understand  their  mother's 
grief.  On  inquiring  the  cause  of  her 
distress,  Mr.  Wesley  learned  that  the 
creditors  of  her  husband  were  dragging 
him  to  prison,  after  having  sold  their 
effects,  which  were  inadequate  to  pay 
the  debt  by  eighteen  shillings,  which  the 
creditors  declared  should  be  paid.  One 
guinea  made  her  happy !  They  then 
proceeded  on,  followed  by  the  blessings 
of  the  now  happy  mother.  On  Mr.  Wes- 
ley's inquiring  of  Mr.  Barton,  his  friend, 
where  their  charity  was  most  needed,  he 
replied  he  knew  of  no  place  where  his 
money  would  be  more  acceptable  than  in 
Giltspur-street  Compter.  They  accord- 
ingly repaired  thither,  and  on  asking 
the  turnkey  to  point  out  the  most  miser- 
able object  under  his  care,  he  answered, 
if  they  were  come  in  search  of  poverty, 
they  need  not  go  far.  The  first  ward 
they  entered  they  were  struck  with  the 
appearance  of  a  poor  wretch  who  was 
greedily  eating  some  potato  skins.  On 
being  questioned,  he  informed  them  that 
he  had  been  in  that  situation,  supported 
by  the  casual  alms  of  compassionate 
strangers,  for  several  months,  without 
any  hope  of  release,  and  that  he  was 
confined  for  the  debt  of  half  a  guinea. 
On  hearing  this,  Mr.  Wesley  gave  him 
a  guinea,  which  he  received  with  the 
utmost  gratitude,  and  he  had  the  plea- 
sure of  seeing  him  liberated  with  half 
a  guinea  in  his  pocket.  The  poor  man, 
on  leaving  his  place  of  confinement, 
said,  '  Gentlemen,  as  you  came  here  in 
search  of  poverty,  pray  go  up  stairs,  if 
it  be  not  too  late.'     They  instantly  pro- 


BENEFICENCE  TO  DEBTORS  AND  ROBBERS. 


43 


ceeded  thither,  and  beheld  a  sight  which 
called  forth  all  their  compassion.  On 
a  low  stool,  with  his  back  towards  them, 
sat  a  man,  or  rather  a  skeleton,  for  he 
was  literally  nothing  but  skin  and  bone  ; 
his  hand  supported  his  head,  and  his 
eyes  seemed  to  be  riveted  on  the  opposite 
corner  of  the  chamber,  where  lay 
stretched  out  on  a  pallet  of  straw  a 
young  woman,  in  the  last  stage  of  con- 
sumption, apparently  lifeless,  with  an 
infant  by  her  side,  which  was  quite 
dead.  Mr.  Wesley  immediately  sent 
for  medical  assistance,  but  it  was  too 
late  for  the  unfortunate  female,  who 
expired  a  few  hours  afterwards  from 
starvation,  as  the  doctor  declared.  You 
may  imagine,  my  lord,  that  the  remain- 
ing eight  guineas  would  not  go  far  in 
aiding  such  distress  as  this.  No  ex- 
pense was  spared  for  the  relief  of  the 
now  only  surviving  sufferer.  But  so  ex- 
treme was  the  weakness  to  which  he  was 
reduced,  that  six  weeks  elapsed  before 
he  could  speak  sufficiently  to  relate  his 
own  history.  It  appeared  that  he  had 
been  a  reputable  merchant,  and  had  mar- 
ried a  beautiful  young  lady,  eminently 
accomplished,  whom  he  almost  idolized. 
They  lived  happily  together  for  some 
time,  until,  by  failure  of  a  speculation 
in  which  his  whole  property  was  em- 
barked, he  was  completely  ruined.  No 
sooner  did  he  become  acquainted  with 
his  misfortune  than  he  called  all  his 
creditors  together,  and  laid  before  them 
the  state  of  his  affairs,  showing  them 
his  books,  which  were  in  the  most  per- 
fect order.  They  all  willingly  signed 
the  dividend  except  the  lawyer,  who 
owed  his  rise  in  the  world  to  this  mer- 
chant ;  the  sum  was  two  hundred  and 
fifty  pounds,  for  which  he  obstinately 
declared  he  should  be  sent  to  jail.  It 
was  in  vain  the  creditors  urged  him  to 
pity  his  forlorn  condition,  and  to  con- 
sider his  great  respectability  ;  that  feel- 
ing was  a  stranger  to  his  breast,  and  in 
spite  of  all  their  remonstrances,  he  was 
hurried  away  to  prison,  followed  by  his 
weeping  wife.  As  she  was  very  ac- 
complished, she  continued  to  maintain 
herself  and  her  husband  for  some  time 
solely  by  the  use  of  her  pencil,  in  paint- 
ing small  ornaments  on  cards ;  and  thus 
they  managed  to  put  a  little  aside  for 


the  time  of  her  confinement.  But  so 
long  an  illness  succeeded  this  event,  that 
she  was  completely  incapacitated  from 
exerting  herself  for  their  subsistence, 
and  their  scanty  savings  were  soon  ex- 
pended by  procuring  the  necessaries 
which  her  situation  then  required.  They 
were  driven  to  pawn  their  clothes,  and 
their  resources  failing,  they  found  them- 
selves at  last  reduced  to  absolute  star- 
vation. The  poor  infant  had  just  ex- 
pired from  want,  and  the  hapless  mother 
was  about  to  follow  it  to  the  grave  when 
Mr.  Wesley  and  his  friend  entered  ; 
and,  as  I  before  said,  the  husband  was 
so  reduced  from  the  same  cause,  that, 
without  the  utmost  care,  he  must  have 
fallen  a  sacrifice  ;  and  as  Mr.  Wesley, 
who  was  not  for  doing  things  by  halves, 
had  acquainted  himself  with  this  case 
of  extreme  misery,  he  went  to  the  cre- 
ditors and  informed  them  of  it.  They 
were  beyond  measure  astonished  to  learn 
what  he  had  to  name  to  them ;  for  so 
long  a  time  had  elapsed  without  hearing 
any  thing  of  the  merchant  or  his  family, 
some  supposed  him  to  be  dead,  and 
others  that  he  had  left  the  country. 
Among  the  rest  he  called  on  the  lawyer, 
and  painted  to  him,  in  the  most  glowing 
colors,  the  wretchedness  he  had  beheld, 
and  which  he  (the  lawyer)  had  been 
instrumental  in  causing  ;  but  even  this 
could  not  move  him  to  compassion.  He 
declared  the  merchant  should  not  leave 
the  prison  without  paying  him  every 
farthing !  Mr.  Wesley  repeated  his 
visit  to  the  other  creditors,  who,  con- 
sidering the  case  of  the  sufferer,  agreed 
to  raise  the  sum  and  release  him.  Some 
gave  one  hundred  pounds,  others  two 
hundred  pounds,  and  another  three  hun- 
dred pounds.  The  affairs  of  the  mer- 
chant took  a  different  turn :  God  seemed 
to  prosper  him,  and  in  the  second  year 
he  called  his  creditors  together,  thanked 
them  for  their  kindness,  and  paid  the 
sum  so  generously  obtained.  Success 
continuing  to  attend  him,  he  was  ena- 
bled to  pay  all  his  debts,  and  afterwards 
realized  considerable  property.  His 
afflictions  made  such  a  deep  impression 
upon  his  mind,  that  de  determined  to 
remove  the  possibility  of  others  suffer- 
ing from  the  same  cause,  and  for  this 
purpose  advanced  a  considerable  sum 
93 


43 


BENEFICENCE. 


as  a  foundation  fund  for  the  relief  of 
small  debtors.  And  the  very  first  per- 
son who  partook  of  the  same  was  the 
inexorable  laioyer .'" 

This  remarkable  fact  so  entirely  con- 
vinced Lord  Sliolbourne  of  the  mistaken 
opinion  he  had  formed  of  Mr.  Wesley, 
that  he  immediately  ordered  a  dozen 
of  busts  to  embellish  the  grounds  of  his 
beautiful  residence. 

{h)  WASHINGTON'S  DEBTOR.— 
One  Reuben  Rouzy,  of  Virginia,  owed 
the  general  about  one  thousand  pounds. 
While  President  of  the  United  States,  one 
of  his  agents  brought  an  action  for  the 
money ;  judgment  was  obtained,  and 
execution  issuedagainst  the  body  of  the 
defendant,  who  was  taken  to  jail.  He 
had  a  considerable  landed  estate,  but  this 
kind  of  property  cannot  be  sold  in  Vir- 
ginia for  debts  unless  at  the  discretion 
of  the  person.  He  had  a  large  family, 
and  for  the  sake  of  his  children  prefer- 
red lying  in  jail  to  selling  his  land.  A 
friend  hinted  to  him  that  probably  Gen- 
eral Washington  did  not  know  any  thing 
of  the  proceeding,  and  that  it  might  be 
well  to  send  him  a  petition,  with  a  state- 
ment of  the  circumstances.  He  did  so, 
and  the  very  next  post  from  Philadelphia 
after  the  arrival  of  his  petition  in  that 
city  brought  him  an  order  for  his  imme- 
diate release,  together  with  a  full  dis- 
charge, and  a  severe  reprimand  to  the 
agent  for  having  acted  in  such  a  man- 
ner. Poor  Rouzy  was,  in  consequence, 
restored  to  his  family,  who  never  laid 
down  their  heads  at  night  without  pre- 
senting prayers  to  Heaven  for  their 
"  beloved  Washington."  Providence 
smiled  upon  the  labors  of  the  grateful 
family,  and  in  a  ^ew  years  Rouzy  en- 
joyed the  exquisite  pleasure  of  being 
able  to  lay  the  one  thousand  pounds, 
with  the  int^est,  at  the  feet  of  this  truly 
great  man.  Washington  reminded  him 
that  the  debt  was  discharged  ;  Rouzy 
replied,  the  debt  of  his  family  to  the 
father  of  their  country  and  preserver  of 
their  parent  could  never  be  discharged  ; 
and  the  general,  to  avoid  the  pressing 
importunity  of  the  grateful  Virginian, 
who  would  not  be  denied,  accepted  the 
money,  only,  however,  to  divide  it 
among  Rouzy's  children,  which  he  im- 
mediately did. 

94 


(c)  M.  DeSALLO  and  the 
ROBBER.— In  the  year  1662,  when 
Paris  was  afflicted  with  a  long  and  se- 
vere famine,  Mons.eur  de  Sallo,  return- 
ing from  a  summer  evening's  walk  ac- 
companied with  only  a  page,  was  accost- 
ed by  a  man  who  presented  his  pistol, 
and,  in  a  manner  far  from  hardened 
resolution,  asked  him  for  his  money. 
M.  de  Sallo,  observing  that  he  came  to 
the  wrong  person,  and  that  he  could  ob- 
tain but  little  from  him,  added,  "  I  have 
but  three  pistoles,  which  are  not  worth 
a  scuffle,  so,  much  good  may  it  do  you 
with  them  ;  but,  like  a  friend,  let  me 
tell  you,  you  are  going  on  in  a  very 
bad  way."  The  robber  took  them,  and 
without  asking  him  for  more,  walked 
away  with  an  air  of  dejection  and  terror. 

The  fellow  was  no  sooner  gone  than 
M.  de  Sallo  ordered  his  page  to  follow 
the  robber,  to  observe  where  he  went, 
and  to  bring  him  an  account  of  all  he 
should  discover.  The  boy  obeyed, 
pursued  him  through  several  obscure 
streets,  and  at  length  saw  him  enter  a 
baker's  shop,  where  he  observed  him 
change  one  of  the  pistoles  and  buy  a 
large  brown  loaf;  with  this  salutary  pur- 
chase the  robber  went  a  few  doors  far- 
ther, and,  entering  an  alley,  ascended 
several  flights  of  stairs.  The  boy  crept 
up  after  him  to  the  topmost  story,  where 
he  saw  him  go  into  a  room  which  was 
no  otherwise  illuminated  than  by  the 
friendly  light  of  the  moon ;  and,  peep- 
ing through  a  crevice,  he  perceived  the 
wretched  man  cast  the  loaf  upon  the 
floor,  and,  bursting  into  tears,  cry  out, 
"  There,  eat  your  fill ;  this  is  the  dear- 
est loaf  I  ever  bought ;  I  have  robbed  a 
gentleman  of  three  pistoles ;  let  us  hus- 
band them  well,  and  let  me  have  no 
more  teazings ;  for,  soon  or  late,  these 
doings  must  bring  me  to  ruin."  His 
wife,  having  calmed  the  agony  of  his 
mind,  took  up  the  loaf,  and,  cutting  it, 
gave  four  pieces,  to  four  poor  starving 
children. 

The  page,  having  thus  performed  his 
commission,  returned  home  and  gave  his 
master  an  account  of  all  he  had  seen 
and  heard.  De  Sallo,  who  was  much 
moved  (what  Christian  breast  can  be 
unmoved  at  distress  like  this !),  com- 
manded the  boy  to  call  him  at  five  the 


BENEFICENCE  TO  DEBTORS  AND  ROBBERS. 


43 


next  morning.  He  rose  accordingly,  1 
and  took  his  boy  with  him  to  show  him 
the  way  :  he  inquired  of  his  neighbors 
the  character  of  a  man  who  lived  in 
such  a  garret,  with  a  wife  and  four 
children  ;  by  whom  he  was  informed 
that  he  was  a  very  industrious  man,  a 
tender  husband,  and  a  quiet  neighbor ; 
that  his  occupation  was  that  of  a  shoe- 
maker, and  that  he  was  a  neat  work- 
man ;  but  was  overburdened  with  a 
family,  and  struggled  hard  to  live  in 
such  dear  times.  Satisfied  with  this 
account,  M.  de  Sallo  ascended  to  the 
shoemaker's  lodging,  and,  knocking  at 
the  door,  it  was  opened  by^  the  unhappy 
man  himself;  who,  knowing  him  at 
first  sight  to  be  the  gentleman  whom  he 
had  robbed,  prostrated  himself  at  his  feet. 
M.  de  Sallo  desired  him  to  make  no 
noise,  assuring  him  he  had  not  the  least 
intention  to  hurt  him.  "  You  have  a 
good  character,"  said  he,  "  among  your 
neighbors,  but  you  must  expect  your 
life  will  be  cut  short  if  you  are  so  wick- 
ed as  to  continue  the  freedoms  you  took 
with  me.  Hold  your  hand  ;  here  are 
thirty  pistoles  to  buy  leather ;  husband 
it  well,  and  set  your  children  a  laudable 
example.  To  put  you  out  of  further 
temptations  to  commit  such  ruinous  and 
fatal  crimes,  I  will  encourage  your  in- 
dustry. I  hear  you  are  a  neat  workman  ; 
you  shall  therefore  now  take  measure 
of  me  and  my  lad  for  two  pairs  of  shoes 
each,  and  he  shall  call  upon  you  for 
them."  The  whole  family  seemed 
absorbed  in  joy  ;  amazement  and  grati- 
tude in  some  measure  deprived  them  of 
speech.  M.  de  Sallo  departed,  greatly 
moved,  and  with  a  mind  replete  with 
satisfaction  at  having  saved  a  man  from 
the  commission  of  guilt,  from  an  ignomin- 
ious death,  and,  perhaps,  from  everlast- 
ing misery. 

Never  was  a  day  much  better  begun ; 
the  consciousness  of  having  performed 
such  an  action,  whenever  it  recurs  to 
the  mind,  must  be  attended  with  pleas- 
ure, and  that  self-complacency  which  is 
more  desirable  than  gold  will  be  ever  the 
attendant  on  such  truly  Christian  charity 

(d)  A  ROBBER  BEFRIENDED. 
— A  young  man  was  stopped  in  a  little 
street  in  one  of  the  cities  of  France  ; 
his  purse  or  his  life  was  demanded.    A 


courageous  and  sensible  heart  soon  dis- 
tinguishes between  the  voice  of  the 
unfortunate  v/retch,  whom  misery  drags 
to  crime,  and  that  of  the  villain  whose 
wickedness  prompts  him  to  it.  The 
young  man  felt  that  it  was  an  unfortu- 
nate person  whom  he  ought  to  save. 
"  What  do  you  ask,  miserable  creature, 
what  do  you  ask  ?"  said  he  in  an  im- 
posing tone  to  his  aggressor. 

"  Nothing  sir,"  answered  a  sobbing 
voice  ;  "  I  ask  nothing  of  you." 

'•'  Who  are  you  ?  what  do  you  do  ?" 
"  I  am  a  poor  journeyman  shoemaker, 
without  the   means  of  supporting   my 
wife  and  four  children." 

"  I  do  not  know  whether  you  speak 
the  truth.     Where  do  you  live  ?  " 

"  In  such  a  street,  at  a  baker's 
house." 

"  We  shall  see,  lead  the  way." 
The  shoemaker  awed  by  his  firmness, 
led  him  to  his  abode  as  he  would  have 
led  him  to  the  bottom  of  a  dungeon. 
They  arrived  at  the  baker's.      There 
was   none    but  a  woman   in  the  shop. 
"  Madam,  do  you  know  this  man  ?" 
"  Yes,  sir,  he  is  a  poor  journeyman 
shoemaker  who  lives  in  the  fifth  story, 
and  who  has  much  difficulty  in  sustain- 
ing his  numerous  family." 
"  How  can  you  let  him  want  bread  ?" 
"  Sir,  we    are  young  people,  newly 
established  ;  we  cannot  give  much  ;  my 
husband  does  not  wish  me  to  give  more 
than   twenty-four   cents  credit   to  this 
man." 

"  Give  him  two  loaves  of  bread. 
Take  these  two  loaves,  and  mount  to 
your  room." 

The  shoemaker  obeys,  as  much- agi- 
tated as  if  he  were  about  to  commit  some 
crime,  but  in  a  very  different  kind  of 
trouble.  They  enter.  The  wife  and 
children  eagerly  take  the  food  which  is 
ofTered  them.  The  young  man  has 
seen  too  much.  He  goes  out,  after 
giving  two  louis  to  the  baker's  wife, 
with  orders  to  supply  the  family  with 
bread  according  to  their  wants.  Some 
days  after  he  returns  to  see  the  children, 
to  whom  he  has  given  a  second  life, 
and  he  tells  their  father  to  follow  him. 
He  conducts  his  poor  protege  into  a 
shop,  well  built  and  well  furnished  with 
tools,  and  all  the  necessary  materials 
95 


44 


BENEFICENCE. 


for  working  at  his  trade.  "  Would  you 
be  contented  and  happy  if  this  shop 
were  yours  ?" 

"  Ah  sir,  but  alas  !" 

"  What  ?" 

"I  have-  not  the  freeman's  right, 
and  it  costs"— 

"  Take  me  to  the  syndic  jury." 

The  license  was  bought,  and  the 
shoemaker  placed  in  the  shop. 

The  author  of  so  fine  an  act  of  hu- 
manity, was  a  young  man  about  twenty- 
seven  years  old.  It  is  calculated  that 
the  establishment  of  this  workman  cost 
him  from  three  to  four  thousand  livres. 
He  is  not  known,  and  useless  research- 
es have  been  made  to  discover  him. 

44.  Miscellaneous  Examples. 

(a)  BAYARD  AND  HIS  HOS- 
TESS.— When  Bresse  was  taken  by 
storm  from  the  Venetians,  the  Chevalier 
Bayard  saved  a  house  from  plunder 
whither  he  had  retired  to  have  a  dan- 
gerous wound  dressed  ;  and  he  secured 
the  mistress  of  the  family  and  her  two 
daughters  who  were  hid  in  it.  At  his 
departure  the  lady,  as  a  mark  of  her 
gratitude,  offered  him  a  casket,  contain- 
ing two  thousand  five  hundred  ducats, 
which  he  obstinately  refused  ;  but  ob- 
serving the  refusal  was  very  displeasing 
to  her,  and  not  caring  to  leave  her  dis- 
satisfied, he  consented  to  accept  of  her 
present ;  an4  calling  to  him  the  two 
young  ladies  to  take  leave  of  them,  he 
presented  each  of  them  with  a  thousand 
ducats,  to  be  added  to  their  marriage 
portion,  and  left  the  remaining  five 
hundred  to  be  distributed  among  the 
inhabitants  who  had  been  plundered. 

(b)  BENEFICENCE  OF  LUTH- 
ER. — Disinterestedness  was  a  leading 
feature  in  the  character  of  Luther : 
superior  to  all  selfish  considerations,  he 
left  the  honors  and  emoluments  of  this 
world  to  those  who  delighted  in  them. 
The  poverty  of  this  great  man  did  not 
arise  from  wanting  the  means  of  acquir- 
ing riches  ;  for  few  men  have  had  it  in 
their  power  more  easily  to  obtain  them. 
The  Elector  of  Saxony  ofTered  him  the 
produce  of  a  mine  at  Sneberg  ;  but  he 
nobly  refused  it ;  "  Lest,"  said  he,  "  I 
should  tempt  the  devil,  who  is  lord  of 

96 


these  subterraneous  treasures,  to  tempt 
me."  The  enemies  of  Luther  were  no 
strangers  to  his  contempt  for  gold.  When 
one  of  the  popes  asked  a  certain  car- 
dinal, why  they  did  no  stop  that  man's 
mouth  with  silver  and  gold ;  his  emi- 
nence replied,  "  That  German  beast 
regards  not  money !"  It  may  easily 
be  supposed,  that  the  liberality  of  such 
a  man  would  oflen  exceed  his  means. 
A  poor  student  once  telling  him  of  his 
poverty,  he  desired  his  wife  to  give  him 
a  sum  of  money ;  and  when  she  in- 
formed him  they  had  none  left,  he 
immediately  seized  a  cup  of  some  value, 
which  accidjentally  stood  within  his 
reach,  and  giving  it  to  the  poor  man, 
bade  him  go  and  sell  it,  and  keep  the 
money  to  supply  his  wants.  In  one  of 
his  epistles,  Luther  says,  "  I  have  re- 
ceived one  hundred  guilders  from  Tau- 
bereim ;  and  Schartts  has  given  me 
fifty ;  so  that  I  begin  to  fear,  lest  God 
should  reward  me  in  this  life.  But  I 
will  not  be  satisfied  with  it.  What  have 
I  to  do  with  so  much  money !  I  gave 
half  of  it  to  P.  Priorus,  and  made  the 
man  glad." 

(c)  SIR  PHILIP  SIDNEY.— This 
eminent  man  was  governor  of  Flushing, 
(Neth.)  and  general  of  the  horse,  under 
his  uncle,  the  Earl  of  Leicester.  His  va- 
lor, which  was  esteemed  great,  and  not 
exceeded  by  any  of  his  age,  was  at  least 
equalled  by  his  humanity.  After  he 
had  received  his  death  wound,  at  the 
battle  of  Zutphen,  and  was  overcome 
with  thirst  from  excessive  bleeding,  he 
called  for  drink,  which  was  soon  brought 
him.  At  the  same  time,  a  poor  soldier, 
dangerously  wounded,  was  carried 
along,  who  fixed  his  eager  eyes  upon 
the  bottle  just  as  Sir  Philip  was  lifting 
it  to  his  mouth.  Sir  Philip  immediately 
presented  it  to  him,  with  the  remark, 
"  Thy  necessity  is  greater  than  mine." 

(d)  GEORGE  III.  AND  THE 
POOR  MECHANIC— The  Rev.  A. 
Redford,  in  his  funeral  sermon  for  this 
benevolent  ■  monarch,  states  that  a  re- 
spectable mechanic,  who  had  the  honor 
and  happiness  to  be  personally  known 
to  his  majesty,  was,  through  affliction  in 
his  family,  brought  into  great  pecuniary 
straits.  He  was  advised  to  present  a 
petition  to  the  king,  stating  his  circum- 


MISCELLANEOUS  EXAMPLES. 


44 


stances.  He  did  so ;  and  his  majesty 
was  pleased  to  appoint  a  certain  hour 
on  the  next  morning,  when  he  was  or- 
dered to  be  in  waiting.  He  went  ac- 
cordingly to  the  gate  of  the  queen's 
lodge,  but  through  diffidence  did  not 
ring  for  admittance.  He  lingered  until 
the  appointed  time  was  past  by  a  few 
minutes,  when  the  king  came  out  with 
some  attendants.  He  instantly  observ- 
ed the  petitioner,  and  said  rather  sharp- 
ly, "I  desired  you  to  be  here  precisely 
at  such  an  hour ;  it  is  now  five  minutes 
past  the  time  ;  you  know  that  I  am 
punctual."  His  majesty  condescend- 
ingly turned  back,  saying,  "  Follow 
me."  He  proceeded  through  several 
rooms,  into  his  private  closet ;  and  hav- 
ing shut  the  door,  went  to  his  desk,  and 
took  out  a  purse  and  gave  it  to  the 
applicant,  and  said,  "  There  is  money 
to  pay  your  debts,  and  a  trifle  for  your- 
self." The  humble  petitioner,  over- 
whelmed with  the  king's  goodness,  drop- 
ped on  his  knees,  and  made  a  stammer- 
ing effort  to  thank  his  king,  but  a  flood 
of  tears  prevented  him.  His  majesty 
instantly  put  forth  his  hand,  and  with  con- 
siderable emotion  exclaimed,  "Get  up, 
get  up ;  thank  God  that  I  have  it  in  my 
power  to  help  an  honest  man." 

(e)  THE  DROWNING  SAILORS. 
— Two  boats,  some  time  ago,  were  sent 
out  from  Dover  to  relieve  a  vessel  in 
distress.  The  fury  of  the  tempest  over- 
set one  of  them,  which  contained  three 
sailors,  and  one  of  them  sunk.  The  two 
remaining  sailors  were  floating  on  the 
deep  ;  a  rope  was  thrown  to  one  of  them 
from  the  other  boat,  but  he  refused  it, 
crying  out,  "  Fling  it  to  Tom,  he  is  just 
ready  to  go  down  ;  I  can  last  some  time 
longer."  They  did  so;  Tom  was  drawn 
into  the  boat.  The  rope  was  then  flung 
to  the  generous  tar,  just  in  time  to  save 
him  from  drowning  also. 

(/)  SAVE  HIM  FIRST.-  An  ac- 
cident occurred  in  a  coal  pit  near  Bit- 
ton,  in  Gloucestershire,  when  six  lives 
were  lost.  At  the  moment  when  the 
iron  handle  of  the  cart,  in  which  the  un- 
fortunate men  were,  snapped  asunder,  a 
man  and  a  boy,  who  were  hanging  on  the 
rope  above,  made  a  sudden  spring,  and 
most  providentially  laid  hold  of  a  chain 
which  is  always  hanging  at  the  side  of 
7 


the  pit  as  a  guide.  As  soon  as  possible, 
after  the  accident  was  known  at  the  top 
of  the  pit,  and  it  was  ascertained  that 
some  one  was  clinging  to  the  side,  a 
man  was  sent  down  with  a  rope  and 
noose  to  render  assistance.  He  came 
first,  in  his  descent,  to  a  boy  named 
Daniel  Harding,  and  on  his  reaching 
him,  the  noble-minded  lad  instantly 
cried  out,  "  Don't  mind  me,  I  can  still 
hold  on  a  little  ;  but  Joseph  Bawn,  who 
is  a  little  lower  dov/n,  is  nearly  ex- 
hausted ;  save  him  first."  The  person 
went  on,  and  found  Joseph  Bawn,  as 
described  by  his  companion,  and,  after 
bringing  him  safely  up,  again  descended 
and  succeeded  in  restoring  the  gallant 
boy  to  light  and  safety.  When  we 
state  that  the  time  which  elapsed  from 
the  moment  of  the  accident  till  the  boy 
was  brought  up  was  from  fifteen  to 
twenty  minutes,  his  fortitude  and  hero- 
ism will  be  duly  appreciated. 

(g)  DR.  FOTHERGILL'S  GIFT.— 
Dr.  Fothergill,  the  botanist,  remarked, 
when  about  purchasing  a  property 
which  would  leave  a  poor  family  des- 
titute, that  nothing  could  afford  gratifi- 
cation to  him  which  entailed  misery 
upon  another ;  and  then  gave  the 
property  to  them. 

(A)  RESIGNING  A  LEGACY.— 
Dr.  Crow,  chaplain  to  Bishop  Gibson, 
bequeathed  him  two  thousand  five  hun- 
dred pounds;  but  the  bishop,  under- 
standing the  doctor  had  left  some  poor 
relations,  nobly  resigned  the  whole 
legacy  in  their  favor. 

(0  THE  AUTHOR  AND  HIS 
MANUSCRIPTS.— We  translate  the 
following  anecdote  from  the  Berlin 
Evangelische  Zeitung.  To  a  learned 
man,  particularly  if  he  is  much  of  a 
recluse,  nothing  among  all  earthly  pos- 
sessions lies  so  near  the  heart,  as  the 
manuscript  upon  which  he  has  spent 
the  flower  of  youth  and  the  strength  of 
manhood.  Regens,  a  venerable  Ger- 
man divine,  had,  in  the  year  1809,  a 
very  learned  manuscript  work  upon  the 
Prophets,  lying  in  his  cloister,  and  with 
it  many  costly  books,  which  he  had 
acquired  by  the  pains  and  sacrifices  of 
almost  a  whole  life.  In  another  part  of 
the  town  there  lay,  after  a  battle  which 
had  shortly  before  taken  place,  many 
97 


44^  45 


BENEFICENCE. 


persons  severely  wounded  and  dying, 
to  whom  Regcns  had  afforded  divine 
consohition  and  refreshment  for  the 
mind  as  well  as  the  body.  By  means  of  a 
heavy  bombardment,  the  town  was  set  on 
fire  in  different  quarters,  and  the  mon- 
astery, in  which  were  the  manuscripts 
and  books,  was  in  flames  at  one  and  the 
same  time  with  the  buildings  in  which 
lay  the  sick  and  dying.  While  others 
were  intent  on  their  own  safety  and  that 
of  their  property,  this  noble  disciple  of 
Christ  soon  decided  what  he  should  do ; 
he  let  his  manuscripts,  this  labor  of 
many  years,  and  the  costly  books,  burn, 
and  carried  the  sick  and  dying,  upon 
his  own  shoulders,  forth  from  the 
flames ! 

(j)  COWPER'S  BENEVOLENCE. 
— "Ifthereisa  good  man  on  earth," 
ILord  Thurlow  was  wont  to  say,  "  it  is 
William  Cowper."  From  his  child- 
hood, he  possessed  a  heart  of  the  most 
exquisite  tenderness  and  sensibility. 
His  life  was  ennobled  by  many  private 
acts  of  beneficence  ;  and  his  exemplary 
virtue  was  such,  tlmt  the  opulent  some- 
times delighted  to  make  him  their  al- 
moner. In  his  sequestered  life  at  Olney 
he  administered  abundantly  to  the  wants 
of  the  poor :  and  before  he  quitted  St. 
Alban's,  he  took  upon  himself  the 
charge  of  a  necessitous  child,  in  order 
to  extricate  him  from  the  perils  of  be- 
ing educated  by  very  profligate  parents ; 
this  child  he  educated,  and  afterwards 
had  him  settled  at  Oundle,  in  North- 
amptonshire. 

-45.    Beneficence  Rewarded   by  its  own 
Exercise. 

(a)  TESTIMONY   OF   CATO.— 

When  Cato  was  drawing  near  the  close 
of  his  life,  he  declared  to  his  friends, 
that  the  greatest  comfort  of  his  old  age, 
and  that  which  gave  him  the  highest 
satisfaction,  was  the  pleasing  remem- 
brance of  the  many  benefits  and  friendly 
offices  he  had  done  to  others.  To  see 
them  easy  and  happy  by  his  means 
made  him  truly  so. 

(b)  EXAMPLE  OF  JULIUS  C^- 
SAR. — It  was  a  common  saying  of 
Julius  Caesar,  that  no  music  was  so 
*  charming  to  his  ear  as  the  requests  of 

98 


his  friends  and  the  supplications  of  tho^ 
in  want  of  his  assistance. 

(c)  AURELIUS  AND  ANTONY. 
— Marcus  Aurelius  tells  us  that  ho 
could  not  relish  a  happiness  whicii  no- 
body  shared  in  but  himself.  Mark 
Antony,  when  depressed,  and  at  the  ebb 
of  fortune,  cried  out  "That  he  had  loMt 
all,  except  what  he  had  given  away." 

{d)  BURNET'S  PLEASURE.— 
One  of  Bishop  Burnet's  parishioners, 
being  in  great  distress,  applied  to  him 
for  assistance.  The  prelate  requested 
to  know  what  would  serve  him,  and 
reinstate  him  in  his  trade.  The  man 
named  the  sum,  and  Burnet  told  the  ser- 
vant to  give  it  to  him.  "  Sir,"  said  the 
servant,  "  it  is  all  that  we  have  in  the 
house."  "  Well,  give  it  to  this  poor 
man ;  you  do  not  know  the  pleasure 
there  is  in  making  a  man  glad." 

(e)  HOWE'S  TURN.— During  the 
days  of  the  commonwealth,  the  Rev. 
John  Howe,  one  of  Cromwell's  chaplains, 
was  frequently  applied  to  by  men  of  all 
parties  for  protection,  nor  did  he  refuse 
his  influence  to  any  an  account  of  dif- 
ference in  religious  opinions.  One  day^ 
the  Protector  said  to  him,  "  Mr.  Howe, 
you  have  asked  favors  for  every  body 
besides  yourself;  pray,  when  does  your 
turn  come  ?"  He  replied,  "  My  turn, 
my  Lord  Protector,  is  always  come 
when  I  can  serve  another." 

(/)  MORE  BLESSED  TO  GIVE 
THAN     RECEIVE.— A     gentleman 

called  on  Mr.  H ,  to  solicit  his  aid 

towards  the  erection  of  a  Sunday  school 
room  in  a  poor  and  populous  district. 
Mr.  H.  contributed,  and  the  gentleman 
began  to  thank  him  for  his  contribution, 
when  he  prevented  him  by  saying,  "  1 
beg  you  will  give  me  no  thanks :  1 
thank  you  for  giving  me  an  opportunity 
of  doing  what  is  good  for  myself.  I  am 
thankful  to  God  for  the  experience  I 
have  had,  that  '  it  is  more  blessed  to 
give  than  to  receive.'  " 

(g)  THE  EMPEROR  AND  THE* 
PEASANT.— Alexander,  the  late  Em- 
peror  of  Russia,  in  one  of  his  journeys, 
came  to  a  spot  where  they  had  just 
dragged  out  of  the  water  a  peasant,  who 
appeared  lifeless.  He  instantly  alighted, 
had  the  man  laid  on  the  side  of  the 
bank,   and   immediately   proceeded   to 


BENEFICENCE  REWARDED  BY  ITS  OWN  EXERCISE. 


45 


strip  him,  and  to  rub  his  temples,  wrists, 
\Sz;c.  Dr,  Wyllie,  his  majesty's  phy- 
sician, attempted  to  bleed  the  patient, 
but  in  vain;  and  after  three  hours' 
fruitless  attempts  to  recover  him,  the 
doctor  declared  that  it  was  useless  to 
proceed  any  farther.  The  emperor 
entreated  Dr.  Wyllie  to  persevere,  and 
make  another  attempt  to  bleed  him. 
The  doctor,  though  he  had  not  the 
slightest  hope  of  success,  proceeded  to 
obey  the  injunctions  of  his  majesty, 
who,  with  some  of  his  attendants,  made 
a  last  effort  at  rubbing.  At  length  the 
emperor  had  the  inexpressible  satisfac- 
tion of  seeing  the  blood  make  its  ap- 
pearance, while  the  poor  peasant  utter- 
ed a  feeble  groan.  His  majesty,  in  a 
transport  of  joy,  exclaimed  that  this  was 
the  brightest  day  of  his  life,  while  tears 
stole  involuntarily  down  his  cheek. 
Their  exertions  were  now  redoubled  : 
the  emperor  tore  his  handkerchief,  and 
bound  the  arm  of  the  patient,  nor  did  he 
leave  him  till  he  was  quite  recovered. 

(h)  THE  COURAGEOUS  NURSE. 
—The  typhas  fever,  in  its  alarming  and 
•contagious  form,  spread  in  a  certain 
village.  The  neighborhood  was  in  con- 
sternation, and  none  but  the  medical 
men  were  willing  to  venture  near  the 
patients.  *  Who  then  could  nurse  them  ? 
There  was  one  poor  woman  Mdio  was 
very  often  ridiculed  for  her  strict  reli- 
gious notions,  and  for  being  so  very 
particular  in  her  ways,  and  for  walking 
in  all  weathers  to  attend  Divine  worship, 
at  a  considerable  distance.  This  poor 
woman  alone  attended  the  suff*erers, 
leaving  her  own  children  in  the  care 
of  her  eldest  son.  She  nursed  and 
soothed  the  sick,  attended  their  dying 
beds,  and  performed  the  last  decent 
offices  for  those  who  expired.  At  this 
time  she  desired  to  attend  the  Lord's 
table,  and  her  minister  heard  from  her 
this  simple  statement,  made  with  much 
modesty.  She  wished  to  be  informed 
whether  the  principle  on  which  she 
acted  was  quite  right,  as  many  had 
blamed  her,  and  she  added,  "  Sir,  I 
cannot  be  happy  to  do  otherwise  ;  besides, 
I  can  speak  to  them  a  little  about  their 
souls."  Her  own  views  and  feelings 
were  those  of  a  sinner  humbled  before 
the  cross,  subdued  to  the  world,   and 


yielding  herself  and  all  she  loved  into 
the  hands  of  a  gracious  Savior. 

She  persevered  in  her  work  and  la- 
bor of  love  ;  she  caught  the  infection, 
suffered  severely,  and  but  just  escaped 
with  her  life  :  the  effects  of  the  disease 
remained,  and  her  once  comely  person 
was  much  altered.  Yet  with  joy  of 
heart  she  spoke  to  her  pastor  afterwards 
of  her  sufferings,  and  her  only  sorrow 
appeared  to  arise  from  the  sad  thought 
that  some  of  her  patients  had  expired 
without  any  apparent  change  of  heart ! 
God  mercifully  preserved  her  husband 
and  all  her  family  from  the  infection. 
This  humble  creature  did  not  display 
these  things  as  a  proof  that  she  had  faith, 
but  even  those  who  blamed  her  were 
constrained  to  notice  its  fruits.  The 
grace  of  God  evidently  spread  its  in- 
fluence in  that  village,  especially  among 
the  young  ;  and  even  those  who  despised 
her  holy  life  and  conversation,  which 
they  called  her  peculiarities,  were  con- 
strained to  say  that  she  had  shown  her 
faith  by  her  works. 

(i)  AN  OCCASION  OF  GRATI- 
TUDE.— Not  many  years  since,  (says 
a  correspondent  of  the  New- York  Evan- 
gelist, in  1830,)  I  had  occasion  to  solicit 
funds  to  aid  in  the  prosecution  of  a  work 
of  benevolence.  I  stepped  into  the 
office  of  a  Christian  brother,  with  whom 
I  had  a  partial  acquaintance,  and  inci- 
dentally mentioned  the  unpleasant  busi- 
ness before  me,  and  inquired  of  him  for 
the  residence  of  a  certain  benevolent 
individual,  and  added  that  I  hoped  to 
get  one  dollar  of  him.  After  receiving 
directions,  1  turned  to  go  out:  "But 
stop,"  said  this  brother,  "  suppose  you 
let  me  have  the  privilege  of  contributing 
a  little  of  the  money  which  the  Lord 
has  lent  me,  to  this  cause.  Put  down 
^100  for  me."  1  expressed  my  surprise 
that  he  should  contribute  so  liberally, 
and  remarked  that  I  should  feel  myself 
in  duty  bound  not  to  call  on  him  very 
soon  on  a  similar  errand.  "  Well  then," 
said  he,  "  my  brother,  I  think  you  will 
very  much  mistake  your  duty.  If  you 
knew  how  much  pleasure  it  gave  me  to 
contribute  of  my  substance  to  the  Lord, 
you  would  feel  no  reluctance  in  calling 
again.  And  now  let  me  charge  you, 
when  engaged  in  similar  business,  never 
99 


45,46 


BENEPICENCR 


to  pass  me  by.  Call,  and  I  think  I  shall 
be  able  to  do  something ;  and  if  not,  my 
prayers  shall  go  with  you." 

0)  FLETCHER'S  GRATITUDE. 
—The  Rev.  J.  W.  Fletcher,  of  Made- 
ley,  and  his  wife,  once  visited  Dublin  for 
a  few  weeks.  After  his  last  sermon,  he 
was  pressed  to  accept  a  sum  of  ratoney 
as  an  acknowledgment  for  his  impor- 
tant services.  He  firmly  refused  it,  but 
his  friend  continued  to  urge  it  upon 
him.  He  at  length  took  the  purse  in 
his  handy  and  said,  "Well,  do  you 
really  force  it  upon  me  ?  Must  I  accept 
of  it  ?  Is  it  entirely  mine  ?  And  may 
I  do  with  it  as  I  please  ?"  "  Yes^  yesy" 
was  the  reply.  "  God  be  praised,  then; 
God  be  praised,"  said  he,  casting  his 
brimful  eyes  to  heaven  ;  "  behold  what 
a  mercy  is  here !  Your  poor's  fund 
was  just  out  r  I  heard  some  of  you 
complaining  that  it  never  was  so  low 
before.  Take  this  purse ;  God  has  sent 
it  you,  raised  it  among  yourselves,  and 
bestowed  it  upon  your  poor.  It  is  sacred 
to  them,  God  be  praised !  I  thank  you, 
I  heartily  thank  you,  my  dear  kind 
brethren." 

(k)  BIBLE  SOCIETY  IN  SALIES. 
— The  church  of  Salies,  (Basses,  Py- 
renees,) had  been  without  collections 
for  the  poor,  or  those  which  had  been 
made  were  so  small  that  no  good  could 
be  done  with  their  produce.  A  Bible 
Society  was  established.  After  that 
time,  Christians  paid  more  attention  to 
their  Christian  duties;  the  poor's  box 
was  richly  replenished  ;  system  was  in- 
troduced into  the  distribution  of  alms 
during  the  rigor  of  winter ;  four  or  five 
families,  who  had  suffered  by  fire, 
were  aided  ;  wood  was  furnished  to  the 
poor,  food  to  the  aged,  clothing  to  those 
in  infancy,  bread  was  distributed,  <&;c. 
During  the  same  year,  the  number  of 
subscribers  to  the  Bible  Society  was 
raised  from  fifty  to  two  hundred  and 

FIFTY. 


46.  Beneficence  Rewarded  by  Gratitude 
and  Respect. 

(a)  CROMWELL  AND  THE  FLO- 
RENTINE    MERCHANT.— Francis 
Frescobald,  a  Florentine  merchant,  de- 
scended of  a  noble  family  in  Italy,  had 
100 


gained  a  plentiful  fortune,  of  which  he 
was  liberal-handed  to  all  in  necessity  ;• 
which  being  well  known  to  others,- 
though  concealed  by  hin>self^  a  young 
stranger  applied  to  him  for  charity.^ 
Signior  Frescobald,  seeing  sometliing  in 
his  countenance  more  than  ordinary^ 
overlookod  his  tattered  clothes,  and  com- 
passionating  his  circumstances,  asked 
him  what  be  was,  and  of  what  country. 
"  I  am,"  answered  the  young  man,  "  a 
native  of  England  ;  my  name  is  Thomas 
Cromwell,  and  my  father-fn-law  is  a 
poor  shire-man.  I  left  my  country  ta 
seek  my  fortune ;  came  with  the  French 
army  that  were  routed  at  Gatylion, 
where  I  was  page  to  a  footman,  and 
carried  his  pike  and  burgonet  after 
him."  Frescobald  commiserating  his 
necessities,  and  having  a  particular  re- 
spect for  the  English  nation,  clotheci 
him  genteelly,  took  him  into  his  house* 
till  he  had  recovered  strength  by  better 
diet,  and,  at  his  taking  leave,  mounted 
him  on  a  good  horse,  with  sixteen  ducats 
of  gold  in  his  pockets.  Cromwell  ex- 
pressed his  thankfulness  in  a  very  sen- 
sible manner,  and  returned  by  land 
towards  England ;  where,  being  arrived^ 
he  was  preferred  into  the  service  of 
Cardinal  Wolsey. 

After  the  cardinal's  deaths  h'&  worked 
himself  so  efiectually  into  the  favor  of 
King  Heniy  VIIF,  that  his  majesty 
made  him  a  baron,  viscount.  Earl  of 
Essex,  and,  at  last,  lord  chancellor  of 
England.  In  the  meantime,  Signior 
Frescobald,  by  repeated  losses  at  sea 
and  land,  was  reduced  to  poverty  ;  andy 
calling  to  mind,  without  ever  thinking' 
of  Cromwell,  that  some  English  mer- 
chants were  indebted  to  him  in  the  suny 
of  fifteen  thousand  ducats,  he  came  to' 
London  to  procure  payment. 

Travelling  in  pursuit  of  this  affair, 
he  fortunately  met  with  the  lord  chan- 
cellor, as  he  was  riding  to  court ;  who, 
thinking  him  to  be  the  sanae  gentleman 
that  had  done  him  such  great  kindness 
in  Italy,  immediately  alighted,  em- 
braced him,  and,  with  tears  of  joy,  askecf 
him  if  he  was  not  Signior  Francis  Fres- 
cobald, a  Florentine  merchant.  "  Yes,, 
sir,"  said  he,  "  and  your  most  humble 
servant."  "  My  servant  P  said  the 
chancellor.     "  No;  you  are  my  special 


BENEFICENCE  REWARDED  BY  GRATITUDE  AND  RESPECT. 


46 


friend,  that  relieved  me  in  my  wants, 
laid  the  foundation  of  my  greatness,  and 
as  such  I  receive  you ;  and  since  the 
affairs  of  my  sovereign  will  not  now 
permit  a  longer  conference,  I  beg  you 
will  oblige  me  this  day  with  your 
company  at  my  house  to  dine  with 
«ne." 

Signior  Frescobald  was  surprised  and 
astonished  with  admiration  who  this 
great  man  should  be,  that  acknowledged 
such  obligations,  and  so  passionately 
expressed  a  kindness  for  him  ;  but,  con- 
templating awhile  his  mien,  his  voice 
and  carriage,  he  concluded  it  to  be 
Cromwell,  whom  he  had  relieved  at 
Florence ;  and,  therefore,  not  a  little 
overjoyed,  went  to  his  house.  His  lord- 
ship came  soon  after,  and  taking  his 
friend  by  the  hand,  turned  to  the  lord 
high  adrtiiral,  and  other  noblemen  in 
his  company,  saying,  "  Do  not  your 
lordships  wonder  that  I  am  so  glad  to 
see  this  gentleman  ?  This  is  he  who 
first  contributed  to  my  advancement." 
He  then  told  them  the  whole  story,  and 
holding  him  still  by  the  hand,  led  him 
into  the  dining-room,  and  placed  him 
next  himself  at  table.  The  company 
being  gone,  the  chancellor  made  use  of 
this  opportunity  to  know  what  affair 
had  brou<ii;ht  him  into  England.  Fres- 
cobald,  in  a  few  words,  gave  him  a  true 
state  of  his  circumstances ;  to  which 
Cromwell  replied,  "  I  am  sorry  for  your 
misfortunes,  and  I  will  make  them  as 
easy  to  you  as  i  can  ;  but,  because  men 
ought  to  be  just  before  they  are  kind, 
it  is  fit  I  should  repay  the  debt  I  owe 
you."  Then  leading  him  to  his  closet, 
he  locked  the  door,  and,  opening  a  coffer, 
first  took  out  sixteen  ducats,  delivering 
them  to  Frescobald,  and  said,  "  My 
friend,  here  is  the  money  you  lent  me 
at  Florence,  with  ten  pieces  you  laid 
out  for  my  apparel,  and  ten  more  you 
paid  for  my  horse  ;  but  considering  that 
you  are  a  merchant,  and  might  have 
made  some  advantage  by  this  money  in 
the  way  of  trade,  take  these  four  bags, 
in  every  one  of  which  are  four  hundred 
ducat«,  and  enjoy  them  as  free  gifts  of 
your  friend."  These  the  modesty  of 
Frescobald  would  have  refused,  but  the 
other  forced  them  upon  him.  He  next 
caused  him  to  give  him  the  names  o£  ^ 


all  his  debtors,  and  the  sums  they  owed ; 
which  account  he  gave  to  one  of  his 
servants,  with  a  charge  to  find  out  the 
men,  and  oblige  them  to  pay  him  in 
fifteen  days,  under  the  penalty  of  his 
displeasure ;  and  the  servant  so  well 
discharged  his  duty,  that  in  a  short  time 
the  entire  sum  was  paid.  All  this  time, 
Signior  Frescobald  lodged  in  the  chan- 
cellor's house,  where  he  was  entertained 
according  to  his  merits,  was  repeatedly 
invited  to  continue  in  England,  and  an 
offer  of  the  loan  of  sixty  thousand  ducats 
for  four  years,  if  he  would  trade  here ; 
but  he  desired  to  return  to  Florence, 
which  he  did,  with  extraordinary  favors 
from  Cromwell. 

(b)  THE  WELSH  CLERGYMAN 
AND  THE  LONDON  MERCHANT. 
— A  poor  Welsh  clergyman  had  been 
noticed  by  a  wealthy  London  merchant, 
and  received  an  occasional  invitation  to 
dinner.  After  a  time,  wishing  to  im- 
prove his  circumstances,  he  set  up  a 
boarding-school,  and  was  thereby  ena- 
bled to  obtain  a  bare  maintenance  for 
himself  and  family;  while,  from  unfore- 
seen events,  the  merchant  became  re- 
duced in  his  circumstances. 

No  sooner  did  this  sad  reverse  become 
known  to  the  poor  honest  Welshman, 
than  he  hastened  to  evince  his  grateful 
feelings  for  the  former  kindness  of  the 
merchant.  He  sent  for  one  of  his  sons, 
and  boarded  and  educated  him  until  he 
was  of  age  to  go  out  in  life.  A  friend 
of  the  merchant  afterwards  met  him, 
and  inquired  after  his  tried  friend,  the 
Welsh  clergyman.  With  some  emotion, 
he  informed  the  friend,  that  he  had  re- 
cently travelled  some  miles  on  foot  in 
order  to  pay  a  tribute  of  respect  to  him, 
and  to  his  great  grief  found  that  he  had 
lately  departed  this  life.  "  But,"  said 
he,  "  his  memory  shall  be  cherished 
while  my   life  and   reason   last." 

(c)  THE  SERVANT'S  OFFER.— 
During  the  severe  distress  which  once 
visited  some  of  the  bankers  and  mer- 
chants of  London,  a  man  who  had  lived 
several  years  in  the  service  of  one  of 
them,  sent  a  note  to  his  former  master 
to  this  effect : — "  Sir,  I  formerly  lived 
some  years  in  your  father's  family,  and 
a  few  in  your  own.  1  saved  seven 
hundred  pounds.     Can  it  be  made  of 

101 


46 


BENEFICENCE. 


any  use  to  you  ?  If  it  can,  it  is  yours  : 
take  it." 

(c)  DR.  L.  AND  HIS  SERVANT. 
— Dr.  L.,  a  respectable  gentleman, 
was  confined  for  some  time  in  the  King's 
Bench  Prison;  while  his  fortune,  on 
account  of  a  law-suit,  was  unjustly 
withheld  from  him.  During  this  dis- 
tress, he  was  obliged  to  tell  his  negro 
servant,  that,  however  painful  to  his 
feelmgs,  they  must  part ;  his  difficulties 
beins  so  great,  that  he  was  unable  to 
provide  for  him  the  necessaries  of  life. 
The  negro,  well  known  in  the  King's 
Bench  Prison  by  the  name  of  Bob,  re- 
plied, "  No,  master,  we  will  never  part. 
Many  a  year  have  you  kept  me ;  and 
now  I  will  keep  you."  Accordingly, 
Bob  went  out  to  work  as  a  day  laborer  ; 
and,  at  the  end  of  every  week,  faith- 
fully brought  his  earnings  to  his  master. 
These  proved  sufficient  for  the  support 
of  them  both,  until,  the  law-suit  being 
ended.  Dr.  L.  became  possessed-  of  a 
large  fortune.  He  settled  a  handsome 
sum  on  his  faithful  servant. 

(d)  THE  INDIAN  AND  THE 
TEAMSTER.— In  former  times  one 
of  the  preachers  of  the  Mohegan  In- 
dians, situated  on  the  Thames,  between 
Norwich  and  New  London,  America, 
was  preaching  on  the  language  of  Solo- 
mon :  "  Cast  thy  bread  upon  the  waters  ; 
for  thou  shalt  find  it  after  many  days," 
Eccles.  xi.  1.  To  illustrate  his  subject, 
and  enforce  the  duty  of  benevolence,  he 
related  a  circumstance  connected  with 
his  early  days,  as  follows : — A  cer- 
tain man  was  going  from  Norwich 
to  New  London  with  a  loaded  team ; 
on  attempting  to  ascend  the  hill  where 
Indian  lives,  he  found  his  team  could 
not  draw  his  load  ;  he  came  to  Indian 
and  got  him  to  help  him  up  with  his 
oxen.  After  he  had  got  up,  he  asked 
Indian  what  there  was  to  pay.  Indian 
told  him  to  do  as  much  for  somebody 
else.  Some  time  afterwards,  Indian 
wanted  a  canoe  :  he  went  up  Shetucket 
river,  found  a  tree,  and  made  him  one. 
When  he  got  it  done,  he  could  not  get 
it  to  the  river.  Accordingly,  he  went 
to  a  man  and  offered  him  all  the  money 
he  had,  if  he  would  go  and  draw  it  to 
the  river  for  him.  The  man  said  he 
would  go.     After  getting  it  to  the  river, 

102 


Indian  offered  to  pay  him.  "  No,"  said 
the  man,  "  don't  you  recollect  so  long 
ago  helping  a  man  up  the  hill  by  your 
house?"  "Yes."  "Well,  I  am  the 
man ;  thei*e,  take  your  canoe,  and 
go  home."  So  I  find  it  after  many 
days. 

(/)  THE  BLACK  TRADER  AND 
HIS  FRIEND.— In  Ramsay's  "  Essay 
on  the  Treatment  and  Conversion  of 
African  Slaves,"  he  tells  us,  that  in 
1756  a  fire  happened  in  Barbadoes, 
which  burned  down  a  great  part  of  the 
town  and  ruined  many  of  the  inhabit- 
ants. Joseph  Rachel,  a  black  trader, 
happily  lived  in  a  quarter  that  escaped 
destruction,  and  showed  his  thankful- 
ness, by  lessening  the  distresses  of  his 
neighbors.  Among  those  who  had  lost 
their  all  by  this  heavy  misfortune,  was 
a  man  to  whose  family  Joseph,  in  the 
early  part  of  his  life,  owed  some  obli- 
gations. This  man,  by  too  great  hospi- 
tality, had  involved  his  affairs  before 
the  fire  happened ;  and  his  estate  lying 
in  houses,  that  event  entirely  ruined 
him  ;  he  escaped  with  only  the  clothes 
on  his  back.  Amidst  the  cries  of  misery 
and  want  which  excited  Joseph's  com  - 
passion,  this  man's  unfortunate  situation 
claimed  particular  notice.  Tlie  gener- 
ous temper  of  the  sufferer,  and  the 
obligations  tliat  Joseph  owed  to  his 
family,  were  powerful  motives  for  act- 
ing towards  him  a  friendly  part. 

Joseph  held  his  bond  for  sixty  pounds 
sterling.  "  Unfortunate  man,"  said  he, 
"this  shall  never  rise  against  thee. 
Never  shalt  thou  apply  for  the  assist- 
ance of  any  friend  against  my  avarice." 
He  got  up,  ordered  a  current  account 
that  the  man  had  with  him,  to  a  con- 
siderable amount,  to  be  drawn  out,  and 
in  a  whim  that  might  have  called  up  a 
smile  on  the  face  of  charity,  filled  his 
pipe,  sat  down  again,  twisted  the  bond, 
and  lighted  his  pipe  with  it.  While  the 
account  was  drawing  out,  he  continued 
smoking,  in  a  state  of  mind  that  a  mon- 
arch might  envy.  When  finished,  he  went 
in  search  of  his  friend,  with  the  account 
discharged,  and  the  multilated  bond  iu 
his  hand.  On  meeting  with  him,  he 
presented  the  papers  to  him,  with  this 
address  : — "  Sir,  I  am  sensibly  affected 
with  your  misfortunes  :  the  obligations 


BENEFICENCE  REWARDED  BY  GRATITUDE  AND  RESPECT. 


46 


that  I  have  received  from  your  family 
give  me  a  relation  to  every  branch  of 
it.  I  know  that  your  inability  to  satis- 
fy for  what  you  owe,  gives  you  more 
uneasiness  than  the  loss  of  your  own 
substance.  That  you  may  not  be  anx- 
ious on  my  account,  accept  of  this 
discharge,  and  the  remains  of  your 
bond.  I  am  overpaid  in  the  satisfac- 
tion I  feel  from  having  done  my  duty. 
I  beg  you  to  consider  this  only  as  a 
token  of  the  happiness  that  you  will 
impart  to  me,  whenever  you  put  it  in 
my  power  to  do  you  a  good  office." 
One  may  easily  guess  the  man's  feel- 
ings, and  how  much  his  mind  must  have 
been  strengthened  to  bear  up  against  his 
misfortunes. 

(g)  THE  HAZARDOUS  BOND.— 
A  person  applied  to  a  pious  woman,  re- 
questing her  husband  to  become  bound 
for  an  amount  which,  if  ever  demanded, 
would  sweep  away  all  his  property.  On 
her  replying,  "  My  husband  will  attend, 
sir,  whenever  you  may  appoint ;"  a 
bystander  asked  her,  "  Do  you  know 
what  you  are  engaging  to  do,  and  that 
perhaps  this  may  be  the  means  of  leav- 
ing you  destitute  ?"  She  replied,  "  Yes, 
I  do ;  but  that  gentleman  found  us  in 
the  greatest  distress,  and  by  his  kind- 
ness we  are  surrounded  with  comforts  : 
now,  should  such  an  event  take  place, 
he  will  only  leave  us  where  he  found 
us!" 

(70  THE  BROKEN  MERCHANT 
BEFRIENDED.— A  merchant  resided 
many  years,  highly  respected,  at  Can- 
ton and  Macao,  when  a  sudden  reverse 
of  fortune  reduced  him  from  a  state 
of  affluence  to  the  greatest  necessity. 
A  Chinese  merchant,  to  whom  he  had 
formerly  rendered  service,  gratefully 
offered  him  an  immediate  loan  of  ten 
thousand  dollars,  which  the  gentleman 
accepted,  and  gave  his  bond  for  the 
amount:  this  the  Chinese  immediately 
threw  into  the  fire,  saying,  "  When  you, 
my  friend,  first  came  to  China,  I  was  a 
poor  man  :  you  took  me  by  the  hand, 
and,  assisting  my  honest  endeavors, 
made  me  rich.  Our  circumstances  are 
now  reversed :  I  see  you  poor,  while  I 
have  affluence."  The  bystanders  had 
snatched  the  bond  from  the  flames :  the 
gentleman,  seiiijibly    affected  by   such 


generosity,  pressed  his  Chinese  friend  to 
take  the  security,  which  he  did,  and 
then  effectually  destroyed  it.  The  dis- 
ciple of  Confucius,  beholding  the  re- 
newed distress  it  occasioned,  said  he 
would  accept  of  his  watch  or  any  little 
valuable,  as  a  memorial  of  their  friend- 
ship. The  gentleman  immediately 
presented  his  watch,  and  the  Chinese, 
in  return,  gave  him  an  old  iron  seal, 
saying,  "  Take  this  seal :  it  is  one  I 
have  long  used,  and  possesses  no  intrin- 
sic value  :  but  as  you  are  going  to  India, 
to  look  after  your  outstanding  concerns, 
should  misfortune  further  attend  you, 
draw  upon  me  for  any  sum  of  money 
you  may  stand  in  need  of,  seal  it  with 
this  signet,  sign  it  with  your  own  hand, 
and  I  will  pay  the  money." 

(i)  THE  INDIAN  AND  HIS 
FRIEND.— Dr.  Dwight,  in  his  travels 
in  New  England,  states,  that  soon  after 
the  county  of  Litchfield  began  to  be 
settled  by  the  English,  a  strange  Indian 
arrived  at  an  inn,  and  asked  the  hostess, 
as  the  evening  was  advancing,  to  pro- 
vide him  some  refreshment;  at  the 
same  time  observing,  that  from  failure 
in  hunting  he  had  nothing  to  pay,  but 
promising  compensation  whenever  he 
succeeded. 

The  plea  was,  however,  in  vain :  the 
hostess  loaded  him  with  opprobrious  epi- 
thets, and  declared  that  it  was  not  to 
throw  away  her  earnings  on  such  crea- 
tures as  himself,  that  she  worked  so 
hard.  ^  But  as  the  Indian  was  about  to 
retire,  with  a  countenance  expressive  of 
severe  suffering,  a  man  who  sat  by  di- 
rected the  hostess  to  supply  his  wants, 
and  promised  her  full  remuneration. 

As  soon  as  the  Indian  had  finished  his 
supper,  he  thanked  his  benefactor,  as- 
sured him  that  he  should  remember  his 
kindness,  and  engaged  that  it  should  be 
faithfully  recompensed  whenever  it  was 
in  his  power.  The  friend  of  the  In- 
dian had  occasion,  some  years  after,  to 
go  into  the  wilderness  between  Litchfield 
and  Albany,  where  he  was  taken 
prisoner  by  an  Indian  scout,  and  carried 
to  Canada.  On  his  arrival  at  the  prin- 
cipal settlement  of  the  tribe,  it  was 
proposed  by  some  of  the  captors  that  he 
should  be  put  to  death  ;  but,  during  the 
consultation,  an  old  woman  demanded 
103 


46 


BENEFICENCE. 


that  he  should  be  given  up  to  her,  that 
she  might  adopt  him  for  a  son  who  had 
been  lost  in  the  war.  Accordingly  he 
was  given  up  to  her,  and  he  passed  the 
succeeding  winter  in  her  family,  amidst 
the  usual  circumstances  of  savage 
hospitality. 

While,  in  the  course  of  the  following 
summer,  he  was  at  work  alone  in  the 
forest,  an  unknown  Indian  came  and 
asked  him  to  go  to  a  place  he  pointed 
out,  on  a  given  day  ;  and  to  this  he 
agreed,  though  not  without  some 
apprehension  that  mischief  was  con- 
templated. His  fears  increased,  his 
promise  was  broken.  The  same  per- 
son repeated  his  visit,  and  after  excusing 
himself  in  the  best  way  he  could,  he 
made  another  engagement,  and  kept  his 
word.  On  reaching  the  appointed  spot, 
he  found  the  Indian  provided  with  am- 
munition, two  muskets,  and  two  knap- 
sacks ;  he  was  ordered  to  take  one  of 
each,  and  he  followed  his  conductor, 
under  the  persuasion  that,  had  he  in- 
tended him  injury  he  might  have  de- 
spatched him  at  once.  In  the  day-time 
they  shot  the  game  that  came  in  their 
way,  and  at  night  thoy  slept  by  the  fire 
they  had  kindled  ;  but  the  silence  of  the 
Indian,  as  to  the  object  of  their  expedi- 
tion, was  mysterious  and  profound.  After 
many  days  had  thus  passed,  they  came 
one  morning  to  the  top  of  an  eminence, 
from  whence  they  observed  a  number 
of  houses  rising  in  the  midst  of  a  culti- 
vated country.  The  Indian  asked  his 
companion  if  he  knew  the  ground,  and 
he  eagerly  said,  "It  is  Litchfield." 
His  guide  then  recalled  the  scene  at  the 
inn  some  years  before,  and  bidding  him 
farewell,  exclaimed,  "  I  am  that  Indian  ! 
Now  I  pray  you  jjohome." 

ij)  THE  SICK  ORPHAN  AND 
HIS  NEGRO  NURSE.— The  follow- 
ing anecdote  is  told  by  Mr.  Ramsay, 
in  his  "  Essays  on  the  Treatment  and 
Conversion  of  African  Slaves  in  the 
British  Sugar  Islands.  " 

A  lieutenant  of  a  regiment,  in  gar- 
rison at  St.  Christopher's,  died,  and  left 
his  son  an  orphan  boy.  A  particular 
family  of  his  acquaintance  on  the  island 
had  promised  him,  on  his  death-bed, 
to  take  care  of  his  child ;  but  the  boy 
was  totally  abandoned  by  them,  and 
104 


forced  to  remain  among  the  negro  chil- 
dren, and  live  upon  such  scraps  as  he 
could  find.  In  this  destitute  state,  he 
caught  that  loathsome  disease  the  yaws, 
which  became  an  additional  reason  for 
their  neglecting  him.  In  the  ulcerated 
condition  produced  by  that  distemper, 
a  poor  female  negro,  named  Babay, 
found  him,  took  him  into  her  hut,  got 
him  cured,  and  maintained  him  till  he 
was  able  to  work  for  himself.  The  first 
money  that  he  earned  went  to  purchase 
her  freedom.  He  took  her  home  to  his 
house,  and  as  long  as  she  lived  after- 
wards, which  was  upwards  of  forty 
years,  he  treated  her  with  the  greatest 
kindness  and  respect.  When  she  died 
he  gave  her  a  most  respectable  burial, 
and  had  a  funeral  sermon  preached  on 
the  occasion. 

(k)  THE  WELL-SPENT  SHIL- 
LING.— A  gentleman  from  the  coun- 
try, passing  through  the  streets  of  the 
metropolis,  saw  a  poor  man  who  had 
formerly  been  employed  by  him  as  a 
laborer,  and  his  circumstances  were 
those  of  extreme  poverty  and  distress. 
He  had  come  up  to  London  to  seek  em- 
ployment ;  but,  fiiiling  to  obtain  it,  was 
reduced  to  a  state  of  extreme  destitu- 
tion. The  gentleman  gave  him  a  shil- 
ling and  passed  on,  perhaps  scarcely 
recollecting  the  circumstance,  till  it 
was  recalled  to  his  mind  by  the  man 
himself,  whom,  about  twelve  months 
afterwards,  he  met  again,  and  whose 
decent  clothing  and  cheerful  looks  in- 
dicated a  favorable  change  in  his  cir- 
cumstances. "  Sir,"  said  the  poor  fel- 
low, "  I  am  bound  to  bless  you,  and 
pray  for  you  as  long  as  I  live;  that 
shilling  you  gave  me  has  been  the 
making  of  me :  bad  enough  I  wanted 
it  for  food ;  but  I  was  resolved  first  to 
turn  it  round  :  so  I  went  up  and  down 
one  of  the  principal  streets,  and  collected 
as  many  hare-skins  as  it  would  pur- 
chase ;  these  I  disposed  of,  and  content- 
ed myself  with  such  food  as  the  profits 
would  afford,  still  reserving  the  shilling 
as  my  stock  in  trade.  By  degrees  I 
saved  a  little  more,  and  to  you,  sir,  I 
am  indebted  for  the  foundation  of  it  all. 
But  for  your  timely  aid,  I  might  have 
perished.  May  a  blessing  attend  you 
as  long  as  you  live." 


BENEFICENCE  REWARDED  BY  GRATITUDE  AND  RESPECT. 


46 


(Z)  THE  WIDOW  AND  THE 
SAVAGES.— On  the  banks  of  the  Pis- 
cataqua,  several  villages  early  began  to 
rise  as  far  up  as  what  is  now  Dover, 
N.  H.  Their  intercourse  with  the 
tawny  sons  of  the  forest  was  not  always 
that  of  enemies ;  the  latter  often  came 
forth  to  visit  their  white  brethren  on 
terms  of  friendship ;  and,  on  one  of  those 
occasions,  a  squaw,  with  her  infant 
suddenly  taken  ill,  sought  a  place  for 
shelter  and  repose.  A  widow,  alone 
with  her  family  on  the  outskirts  of  the 
settlement,  kindly  welcomed  them  to 
her  humble  abode,  nursed  the  sick  babe 
as  her  own,  and,  when  it  was  restored  to 
health,  sent  them  on  their  way  with  her 
blessing.  That  deed  of  kindness  was  not 
lost.  Years  rolled  on  ;  but  the  Indian 
did  not  forget  her  humble  benefactor. 
Strife  arose  between  the  two  races ;  and 
the  Indians  prepared  to  empty  upon  the 
place  the  vials  of  their  wrath.  They 
surrounded  it  at  dead  of  night ;  but, 
before  striking  a  single  blow,  they 
sought  the  poor  widow's  house,  and 
placed  there  a  guard,  lest  some  of  their 
warriors  should,  in  their  ignorance  or 
heedless  rage,  wreak  upon  their  friend 
a  vengeance  aimed  only  at  their  foes. 
This  done,  they  went  to  their  work  of 
fire  and  blood ;  nor  did  they  stay  their 
hand  until  the  settlement  was  in  flames, 
and  most  of  its  inhabitants,  save  the 
widow  and  her  children,  were  butcher- 
ed or  made  captives. 

(m)  GIVING  SIXPENCE  A  WEEK 
TO  A  POOR  WOMAN.— The  Rev. 
W.  Jay,  in  his  interesting  memoirs  of 
his  friend  and  tutor,  the  Rev.  C.  Win- 
ter, introduces  the  following  fact : 

I  remember  some  years  ago  to  have 
buried  a  corpse.  In  the  extremity  of 
the  audience  that  surrounded  me,  I  dis- 
cerned a  female,  wrinkled  with  age, 
and  bending  with  weakness.  One  hand 
held  a  motherless  grandchild,  the  other 
wiped  away  her  tears  with  the  corner 
of  her  woollen  apron.  I  pressed  towards 
her  when  the  service  was  closed,  and 
said,  "  Have  you  lost  a  friend  V  She 
heaved  a  melancholy  sigh.  "  The  Lord 
bless  her  memory  !"  I  soon  found  the 
deceased  had  allowed  her,  for  several 
years,  sixpence  per  week !  O  my  God  ! 
is  it  possible  that  the  appropriation  of  a 


sum  so  inconsiderable,  may  cause  a 
widow's  heart  to  sing  for  joy,  and  save 
the  child  of  the  needy! 

(n)  BREAD  ON  THE  WATERS. 
— A  benevolent  young  lady  was  re- 
quested to  assist  two  poor  women,  who 
were  said  to  be  in  great  distress.  She 
went,  and  found  two  maiden  females, 
advanced  in  life,  dwelling  in  a  small 
cellar.  One  was  afflicted  with  a  slow 
consumption ;  and  the  other  was  ob- 
liged to  spend  her  whole  time  in  wait- 
ing upon  her ;  so  that  neither  of  them 
could  earn  any  thing,  and  their  distress 
was  very  great.  The  young  visitor 
found  them  in  want  of  all  things  but 
confidence  in  God,  and  hope  in  his 
mercy  ;  and,  as  a  follower  of  Him  who 
went  about  doing  good,  she  took  effec- 
tual means  to  provide  for  the  wants  of 
these  afflicted  sisters. 

In  one  of  her  visits  to  this  abode  of 
misery,  she  learned  that  the  poor  women 
had  once  themselves  had  the  pleasure 
of  relieving  the  poor.  Once  they  were 
rich — once  they  had  visited  the  destitute, 
fed  the  hungry,  and  supported  the  sick; 
but,  in  the  war  between  this  country 
and  Great  Britain,  they  lost  their  father 
— were  deprived  of  theij  property  in 
the  general  disorder  of  the  times ;  and, 
when  young  ladies,  were  obliged,  with 
their  mother,  to  keep  a  boarding-house 
for  their  maintenance.  Some  of  their 
boarders  were  soldiers ;  and  one  of  them, 
a  young  man  from  Connecticut,  never 
having  received  his  soldier's  pay,  was 
unable  to  discharge  the  bill  for  his 
lx)ard.  When  thus  poor,  he  was  taken 
ill  ;  and,  for  five  or  six  weeks,  these 
ladies  waited  upon  him  with  all  the 
kindness  which  a  mother  or  sister  could 
have  done.  "  They  cast  their  bread 
upon  the  waters." — But  who  was  this 
soldier  ?  And  who  was  the  young  lady, 
who  went  on  this  errand  of  mercy  to 
the  cellar  ?  The  soldier,  having  fought 
his  country's  battles,  laid  aside  his  ar- 
mor, and  slept  in  the  tomb.  A  son  of  the 
soldier  was  married  to  the  young  lady. 
Yes,  it  was  the  good  pleasure  of  God,  that 
the  wife  of  the  son  of  the  sick  soldier 
should  comfort  those  who  comforted  him. 
The  aged  females  were  long  assisted  by 
the  soldier's  son.  After  many  days,  the 
bread  which  they  cast  upon  the  waters 
105 


46 


BENEFICENCE. 


was  returned  to  them.  They  had  pity 
upon  the  poor ;  and  the  Lord  was  pleased, 
according  to  his  gracious  promise,  to 
repay  them  with  interest. 

(o)  THE  GRATEFUL  SOLDIER. 
— The  Rev.  John  Craig,  a  distinguish- 
ed minister,  and  colleague  of  Knox, 
having  gone  to  reside  in  Bologna,  in  a 
convent  of  Dominicans,  found  a  copy 
of  "Calvin's  Institutes,"  which  God 
made  the  means  of  his  conversion  to  the 
reformed  faith.  He  was  seized  as  a 
heretic  soon  after,  and  carried  to  Rome, 
where  he  was  condemned  to  be  burnt ; 
but,  on  the  evening  preceding  the  day 
of  execution,  the  reigning  pontiff  died, 
and,  according  to  custom,  the  doors  of 
all  the  prisons  were  thrown  open.  All 
others  were  released ;  but  heretics,  after 
being  permitted  to  go  outside  the  walls, 
were  re-conducted  to  their  cells.  That 
night,  however,  a  tumult  was  excited, 
and  Craig  and  his  companions  escaped. 
They  had  entered  a  small  inn  at  some 
distance  from  Rome,  when  they  were 
overtaken  by  a  party  of  soldiers,  sent 
to  apprehend  them.  On  entering  the 
house,  the  captain  looked  Craig  stead- 
fastly in  the  face,  and  asked  him  if  he 
remembered  having  once  relieved  a 
poor  wounded  soldier,  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Bologna :  Craig  had  forgotten 
it.  "  But,"  said  the  captain,  "  I  am 
the  man ;  I  shall  requite  your  kindness ; 
you  are  at  liberty  ;  your  companions  1 
must  take  with  me  ;  but,  for  your  sake, 
I  shall  treat  them  with  all  possible 
lenity."  He  gave  him  all  the  money 
he  had,  and  Craig  escaped.  But  his 
money  soon  failed  him ;  yet  God,  who 
feeds  the  ravens,  did  not.  Lying  at 
the  side  of  a  wood,  full  of  gloomy  ap- 
prehensions, a  dog  came  running  up  to 
him  with  a  purse  in  its  teeth.  Suspect- 
ing some  evil,  he  attempted  to  drive 
ihe  animal  away,  but  in  vain.  He  at 
Length  took  the  purse,  and  found  in  it 
a  sum  of  money  which  carried  him  to 
Vienna. 

{p)  A  SUICIDE  PREVENTED.— 
A  Piedmontese  nobleman,  into  whose 
company  I  fell  at  Turin,  (says  Mr. 
Rages  of  Italy,)  told  me  his  story  with- 
out reserve,  as  follows  :  "  I  was  weary 
of  life,  and  after  a  day  such  as  few  have 
known,  and  none  would  wish  to  remem- 
106 


ber,  was  lounging  along  the  street  to 
the  river,  when  I  felt  a  sudden  check  : 
I  turned,  and  beheld  a  little  boy,  who 
caught  the  skirt  of  my  coat  in  liis 
anxiety  to  solicit  my  notice,  whose  look 
and  manner  were  irresistible.  Not 
less  was  the  lesson  he  had  learned — 
'  There  are  six  of  us,  and  we  are  dying 
for  food.'  Why  should  not  I,  said  I 
to  myself,  relieve  this  wretched  family  ? 
I  have  the  means,  and  it  will  not  delay 
me  many  minutes.  But  what  if  it  does  1 
The  scene  of  misery  he  conducted  me 
to,  I  cannot  describe  ;  I  threw  them  my 
purse,  and  their  burst  of  gratitude  over- 
came me.  It  filled  my  eyes,  it  went  as 
cordial  to  my  heart.  I  will  call  again 
to-morrow,  I  said.  Fool  that  I  was,  to 
think  of  leaving  a  world  where  so 
much  pleasure  was  to  be  had,  and  so 
cheapl5^" 

(q)  THE  MECHANIC'S  SON  AND 
THE  REDUCED  MERCHANT.— 
A  Philadelphia  merchant  in  former 
times,  whose  wealth  and  importance 
were  only  equalled  by  the  goodness  of 
his  heart  and  the  purity  of  his  principles, 
rescued  a  mechanic  from  the  clutches 
of  poverty,  and,  what  was  worse  in 
those  days,  from  the  hands  of  the  sheriff. 
The  son  of  the  mechanic  was  young, 
but  old  enough  to  know  his  father's 
benefactor.  Many  years  after  this,  the 
merchant  fell  into  difficulties,  and  at 
the  most  trying  moment,  when  all  his 
friends  had  forsaken  him,  the  mecha- 
nic's son,  now  comparatively  wealthy, 
stepped  forward  to  his  relief.  "I  am 
much  indebted  to  you,"  said  the  re- 
duced merchant.  "  By  no  means,'' 
said  the  other ;  "  I  have  only  paid 
the  debt  which  my  father  contracted, 
at  the  corner  of  Chesnut-street,  thirty 
years  ago,  when  I  was  just  old  enough 
to  know  the  cause  of  my  poor  mother's 
grief." 

The  merchant  grasped  his  hand,  and 
burst  into  a  flood  of  tears. 

(r)  SCATTERING  YET  INCREAS- 
INC.— The  agent  of  the  N.  H.  Domes- 
tic Miss.  Society,  was  obtaining  life 
subscriptions  for  the  Society  in  the 
town  of  H. 

After  having  obtained  a  few,  he  called 
on  Mr.  P.,  a  liberal  man,  who,  though 
not  a  professor  of  religion,  was  ready, 


BENEFICENCE  REWARDED  BY  PROVIDENCE. 


4G,  4T 


without  urging,  to  aid  every  benevo- 
lent object.  The  paper  was  presented, 
and  he  was  left  to  act  according  to  his 
own  judgment.  He  was  in  debt,  hav- 
ing a  large  sum  to  pay  out  as  legacies 
from  his  father.  But,  said  he,  if  I  knew 
what  duty  was  I  would  do  it.  He 
looked  at  the  paper,  and  laid  it  down  ; 
looked,  and  laid  it  down  again  ;  but 
finally  took  his  pen  and  signed  his  name, 
trusting  to  Providence  to  bear  him 
through. 

One  portion  of  that  legacy  was  to  be 
paid  to  a  brother  then  residing  in  a 
distant  part  of  the  country,  a  minister 
of  the  gospel,  but  who  wils  not  in  need 
of  more  property.  This  brother  came 
to  the  residence  of  the  brother  who 
owed  the  debt,  on  a  visit.  Through  the 
mediation  of  a  friend,  the  subject  of  the 
legacy  was  brought  forward.  "  Name  it 
not,"  said  the  minister ;  "  I  care  nothing 
about  it ;  let  us  seek  the  salvation  of 
the  soul  of  my  brother."  "  No,"  said 
that  friend,  "  your  brother  says  he 
must  have  this  settled  ;  it  is  a  burden 
to  him,  it  stands  in  the  way  of  his  good." 
"  Well,  is  my  brother  a  good  Societ}^ 
man  ?"  "  Yes,"  was  the  answer,  and 
then  the  preceding  incident  was  de- 
scribed to  him.  "  Make  out  a  paper  ; 
I  am  ready  to  sign  any  thing,  even  an 
acquittance  of  the  whole."  And  he  did 
it.  And  his  mind  was  balanced  to  this 
act  of  benevolence  to  his  brother,  by  the 
fact  that  he  was  so  ready  to  do  good, 
and  gave  when  duty  was  so  doubtful. 
Had  he  withholden  in  that  one  instance, 
he  would  probably  have  paid  ten  times 
the  sum  which  he  contributed  for  life- 
membership.  Trust  in  the  Lord  and  do 
good,  and  verily  thou  shalt  be  fed. 

(s)  OBERLIN  IN  THE  FRENCH 
REVOLUTION.— During  the  revolu- 
tion  in  France,  the  Ban  de  la  Roche  (a 
mountainous  canton  in  the  northeast 
of  that  kingdom)  alone  seemed  to  be 
an  asylum  of  peace  in  the  midst  of  war 
and  carnage.  Though  every  kind  of 
worship  was  interdicted  throughout 
France,  and  almost  all  the  clergy  of 
Alsace,  men  of  learning,  talents,  and 
property,  were  imprisoned, — John  Fre- 
deric Oberlin,  pastor  of  Waldbach,  was 
allowed  to  continue  his  work  of  bene- 
volence   and    instruction    unmolested. 


His  house  became  the  retreat  of  many 
individuals  of  different  religious  per- 
suasions, and  of  distinguished  rank, 
who  fled  thither,  under  the  influence  6i' 
terror,  from  Strasburg  and  its  environs, 
and  who  always  received  the  most 
open-hearted  and  cordial  reception, 
though  it  endangered  his  own  situation. 
"  I  once,"  says  a  gentleman,  who  was 
then  residing  at  Waldbach,  "  saw  a 
chief  actor  of  the  revolution  in  Oberlin's 
house,  and  in  that  atmosphere  he  seemed 
to  have  lost  his  sanguinary  disposition, 
and  to  have  exchanged  the  fierceness  of 
the  tiger  for  the  gentleness  of  the  lamb. 
(/)  ^DR.  DODDRIDGE'S  DAUGH- 
TER-. — Dr.  Doddridge  one  day  asked 
his  little  daughter  how  it  was  that 
every  body  loved  her :  "  I  know  not," 
said  she,  "  unless  it  be  that  I  love  every 
body." 

47.  Beneficence  Rewarded  in  larions 
ways  by  Providence. 

(a)  TIBERIUS  II.  AND  HIS 
TREASURE.— Tiberius  II.  was  so 
liberal  to  the  poor,  that  his  wife  blamed 
him  for  it.  Speaking  to  him  once  of 
his  wasting  his  treasure  by  this  means, 
he  told  her,  "  he  should  never  want 
money  so  long  as,  in  obedience  to 
Christ's  command,  he  supplied  the  ne- 
cessities of  the  poor."  Shortly  afler 
this,  he  found  a  great  treasure  under  a 
marble  table  which  had  been  taken  up  ; 
and  news  was  also  brought  him  of  the 
death  of  a  very  rich  man,  who  had  lefl 
his  whole  estate  to  him. 

(b)  "  BRING  YE  ALL  THE 
TITHES."— "Some  years  ago,"  says 
one,  "  I  recollect  reading  a  striking  ser- 
mon by  the  late  Mr.  Simpson,  of  Mac- 
clesfield ;  the  subject,  I  think,  was 
Christian  liberality  ;  but  what  most  for- 
cibly struck  my  mind,  was  a  passage 
quoted  from  Malachi  iii.  10 :  '  Bring 
ye  all  the  tithes  into  the  storehouse,' 
&c.  I  cannot  describe  how  my  mind 
was  impressed  with  the  manner  in 
which  Jehovah  here  condescended  to 
challenge  his  people,  when  he  says, 
'  And  prove  me  now  herewith,'  &c. 
Suffice  it  to  say,  that  the  subject  made 
such  an  impression,  I  found  it  my  duty 
to  do  more  for  the  cause  of  God  than 
107 


47 


BENEFICENCE. 


I  ever  had  done.  I  did  so,  and  on 
closing  that  year's  accounts,  I  found 
that  I  had  gained  more  than  in  any  two 
years  preceding  it.  Some  time  after- 
wards, I  thought  the  Redeemer's  cause 
had  an  additional  claim,  as  the  place  in 
which  we  worshipped  him  wanted  some 
repairs.  The  sum  I  then  gave  was 
j£20  ;  and  in  a  very  little  time  after- 
wards I  received  £40,  which  I  had 
long   given  up  as  lost." 

(c)  TITHING  AND  THRIVING.— 
The  Rev.  Mr.  Whately  having  in  a  ser- 
mon warmly  recommended  his  hearers  to 
put  in  a  purse  by  itself  a  certain  portion 
for  every  pound  of  profits  of  their  world- 
ly trades  for  works  of  piety,  he  observed, 
if  they  did  so,  that  instead  of  secret 
grudging  when  objects  of  charity  were 
presented,  they  would  look  out  for  them 
and  rejoice  to  find  them.  A  neighbor- 
ing clergyman  hearing  him,  and  being 
deeply  affected  with  what  he  so  forcibly 
recommended,  went  to  him  after  the 
sermon  was  ended,  and  asked  what 
proportion  of  his  income  he  ought  in 
conscience  to  give.  "  As  to  that," 
said  he,  "  I  am  not  to  prescribe  to  others  ; 
buf  I  will  tell  you  what  has  been  my 
own  practice.  You  know,  sir,  some 
years  ago,  [  was  often  beholden  to  you 
for  the  loan  of  ten  pounds  at  a  time. 
The  truth  is,  I  could  not  bring  the  year 
about,  though  my  receipts  were  not 
despicable,  and  I  was  not  at  all  conscious 
of  any  unnecessary  expenses.  At  length 
I  inquired  of  my  family  what  relief 
was  given  to  the  poor ;  and  not  being 
satisfied,  I  instantly  resolved  to  lay 
aside  evey  tenth  shilling  of  all  my  re- 
ceipts for  charitable  uses ;  and  the 
Lord  has  made  me  so  to  thrive,  since  I 
adopted  this  method,  that  now,  ifyou 
have  occasion,  I  can  lend  you  ten  times 
as  much  as  I  have  formerly  been  forced 
to  borrow." 

(c)  THE  COVENTRY  DOLE.-~ 
A  singular  charity,  entitled  "  The 
Coventry  Dole,"  has  recently  been  a 
subject  of  investigation  in  Devizes,  of 
which  the  following  is  said  to  be  the 
origin  : — 

A  poor  weaver,  passing  through  the 

place,    without    money    and    without 

friends,  being  overtaken  by  hunger  and 

the  utmost  necessity,  applied  for  charity 

108 


to  a  baker,  who  kindly  gave  him  a 
penny  loaf.  The  weaver  made  his 
way  to  Coventry,  where,  after  many 
years  of  industry,  he  amassed  a  fortune  ; 
and  by  his  will,  in  remembrance  of  the 
seasonable  charity  of  Devizes,  he  be- 
queathed a  sum,  in  trust,  for  the  pur- 
pose  of  distributing,  on  the  anniversary 
of  the  day  when  he  was  so  relieved,  a 
halfpenny  loaf  to  every  person  in  the 
town,  gentle  and  simple,  and  to  every 
traveller  that  should  pass  through  the 
town  on  that  day  a  penny  loaf. 

(e)  VESSEL  SAVED  BY  A  DOL- 
PHIN. —  Mr.  Colstone,  an  eminent 
merchant  of  ^Bristol,  who  lived  a  cen- 
tury ago,  was  remarkable  for  his  liber- 
ality to  the  poor,  and  equally  distin- 
guished for  his  success  in  commerce. 
The  providence  of  God  seemed  to  smile, 
in  a  peculiar  manner,  on  the  concerns 
of  one  who  made  so  good  a  use  of  his 
affluence.  It  has  been  said,  that  he 
never  insured,  nor  ever  lost  a  ship. 
Once,  indeed,  a  vessel  belonging  to  Inm 
on  her  voyage  home,  struck  on  a  rock, 
and  immediately  sprang  a  leak,  by 
which  so  much  water  was  admitted  as 
to  threaten  speedy  destruction.  Means 
were  instantly  adopted  to  save  the  ves- 
sel, but  all  seemed  ineffectual,  as  the 
water  rose  rapidly.  In  a  short  time, 
however,  the  leak  stopped  without  any 
apparent  cause,  and  the  vessel  reached 
Bristol  in  safety.  On  examining  her 
bottom,  a  fish,  said  to  be  a  dolphin,  was 
found  fast  wedged  in  the  fracture  made 
by  the  rock  when  she  struck  ;  which 
had  prevented  any  water  from  entering 
during  the  remainder  of  the  voyage. 
As  a  memorial  of  this  singular  event, 
the  figure  of  a  dolphin  is  carved  on  the 
staves  which  are  carried  in  procession, 
on  public  occasions,  by  the  children 
who  are  educated  at  the  charity  schools 
founded  by  Mr.  Colstone. 

if)  A  CHILD'S  jLIFE  SAVED  BY 
HER  FATHER.— As  the  Rev.  Joseph 
Davis,  an  excellent  Baptist  minister  in 
London,  was  walking  along  one  of  the 
crowded  streets  of  that  city,  his  atten- 
tion was  arrested  by  the  circumstance 
that  a  carriage  with  several  horses  was 
just  about  to  pass  over  a  little  girl,  who 
was  slowly  crossing  the  road.  He 
strongly  felt  the  danger  of  the  child, 


BENEFICENCE  REWARDED  BY  PROVIDENCE. 


47 


and  forgetting  his  own,  he  ran,  snatched 
her  up  in  his  arms,  and  hastened  with 
her  to  the  side  path,  when  the  thought 
struck  him — how  would  the  parents  of 
this  dear  child  have  felt,  had  she  been 
killed ! — At  this  moment  he  looked  in 
the  face  of  the  little  girl,  which  had 
been  concealed  from  his  view  by  her 
bonnet,  and  imagine,  if  you  can,  what 
his  feelings  were  when  he  discovered 
that  it  was  his  daughter  ! 

(g)  THE  BOLD  PETITIONER.— 
The  Romans  had  a  law,  that  no  person 
should  approach  the  emperor's  tent  in 
the  night,  upon  the  pain  of  death  ;  but 
it  once  happened,  that  a  soldier  was 
found  in  that  situation,  with  a  petition 
in  his  hand,  waiting  for  an  opportu- 
nity of  presenting  it.  He  was  appre- 
hended, and  going  to  be  immediately 
executed  ;  but  the  emperor  having  over- 
heard the  matter  in  his  pavilion,  cried 
aloud,  saying,  "  If  the  petition  be  for 
himself  let  him  die ;  if  for  another,  spare 
his  life."  Upon  inquiry,  it  was  found 
that  the  generous  soldier  prayed  for  | 
the  lives  of  his  two  comrades  who  had 
been  taken  asleep  on  the  watch.  The 
emperor  nobly  forgave  them  all. 

{h)  THE  TRAVELLER'S  GIFT. 
— About  the  year  1797,  Mr.  M.  was 
travelling  from  a  town  on  the  eastern 
border  of  Vermont,  to  another  town  on  the 
western  side  of  the  same  state.  Passing 
over  the  mountainous  part  of  the  coun- 
try, between  the  Connecticut  and  Onion 
rivers,  he  perceived  the  heavens  to  be 
gathering  blackness ;  the  sound  of  dis- 
tant thunder  was  heard,  and  a  heavy 
shower  of  rain  was  seen  to  be  fast  ap- 
proaching. The  traveller  was  then  in 
a  forest ;  no  place  of  shelter  appeared, 
and  he  hastened  on  until  he  arrived  at 
a  small  cottage  on  the  extreme  border 
of  the  woods.  The  rain  just  then  began 
to  rush  down  with  great  violence.  He 
sprang  from  his  horse,  pulled  off  his 
saddle,  and  without  ceremony  went 
into  the  house.  Surprised  to  see  no 
family,  but  a  female  with  an  infant 
child,  he  began  to  apologize  for  his  sud- 
den appearance  ;  and  hoped  she  would 
not  be  alarmed,  but  permit  him  to  tarry 
till  the  rain  had  abated.  She  replied, 
that  she  was  glad  he  had  happened  to 
come  in,  for  she  was  always  much  ter- 


rified by  thunder.  "  But  why,  madam," 
asked  he,  "  should  you  be  afraid  of 
thunder  ?  It  is  the  voice  of  God,  and 
will  do  no  harm  to  those  who  love  him 
and  commit  themselves  to  his  care." 

After  conversing  with  her  for  a  while 
on  this  topic,  he  inquired  if  she  had 
any  neighbors  who  were  religious.  She 
told  him  she  had  neighbors  about  two 
miles  off,  but  whether  they  were  reli- 
gious or  not  she  did  not  know ;  only 
she  had  heard  that  some  man  was  in 
the  habit  of  coming  there  to  preach  once 
a  fortnight.  Her  husband  went  once, 
but  she  had  never  been  to  their  meet- 
ings. In  regard  to  every  thing  of  a 
religious  kind,  she  appeared  to  be  pro- 
foundly ignorant. 

The  rain  had  now  passed  over,  and  the 
face  of  nature  smiled.  The  pious  tra- 
veller, about  to  depart,  expressed  to  the 
woman  his  thanks  for  her  hospitality, 
and  his  earnest  desire  for  the  salvation 
of  her  soul.  He  earnestly  besought 
her  to  read  her  Bible  daily,  and  to  give 
good  heed  to  it,  as  to  "  a  light  shining 
in  a  dark  place."  She,  with  tears  in 
her  eyes,  confessed  that  she  had  no 
Bible.  They  had  never  been  able  to 
buy  one.  "Could  you  read  one,  if  you 
had  it  ?"  "  Yes,  sir,  and  would  be  glad 
to  do  so."  "  Poor  woman,"  said  he, 
"  I  do  heartily  pity  you  ;  farewell." 

He  was  preparing  to  pursue  his  jour- 
ney. But  he  reflected  :  "  This  woman 
is  in  very  great  need  of  a  Bible.  Oh 
that  I  had  one  to  give  her  !  But  I  have 
not.  As  for  money  to  buy  one,  I  have 
none  to  spare  ;  I  have  no  more  than 
will  be  absolutely  necessary  for  my 
expenses  home.  I  must  go :  but  if  I 
leave  this  woman  without  the  means  to 
procure  the  word  of  God,  she  may  per- 
ish for  lack  of  knowledge.  What  shall 
I  do?"  He  recollected  the  Scriptures, 
"  He  that  hath  pity  on  the  poor,  lendeth 
to  the  Lord."  "  Cast  thy  bread  upon 
the  waters,  for  thou  shalt  find  it  after 
many  days."  His  heart  responded,  "I 
will  trust  the  Lord."  He  took  a  dollar 
from  his  purse,  went  back,  and  desired 
the  woman  to  take  it,  and  as  soon  as 
possible  procure  for  herself  a  Bible. 
She  promised  to  do  so,  saying,  that  she 
knew  where  one  could  be  obtained. 
He  again  took  his  leave,  and  set  off. 
109 


47 


BENEFICENCE. 


As  there  were  then  but  few  taverns  on 
the  road,  he  asked  for  a  lodging  at  a 
private  house,  near  which  he  found 
himself  when  night  overtook  him.  He 
had  yet  a  few  pieces  of  change  in  his 
pocket ;  but  as  a  journey  of  two  more 
days  Was  before  him,  he  purposed  to 
make  his  supper  on  a  cold  morsel  which 
he  had  with  him.  But  when  the  family 
came  round  their  table  to  take  their 
evening  repast,  the  master  of  the  house 
very  urgently  invited  the  stranger  to 
join  with  them — not  only  so,,  but  to 
crave  God's  blessing  on  their  meal.  He 
now  began  to  feel  himself  among  friends, 
and  at  liberty  to  speak  freely  on  Divine 
things.  The  family  appeared  gratified 
in  listening  to  his  discourse  till  a  late 
hour:  it  was  a  season  of  refreshing  to 
their  thirsty  souls.  In  the  morning,  the 
traveller  was  urged  to  tarry  till  break- 
fast, but  declined,  the  distance  he  had 
^.o  travel  requiring  him  to  set  off  early. 
His  host  would  take  no  compensation, 
and  he  departed,  giving  him  many 
thanks.  He  travelled  on  till  late  in  the 
morning,  when,  finding  no  public  house, 
he  stopped  again  at  a  private  one  for 
refreshment.  While  waiting,  he  lost 
no  time  to  recommend  Christ  and  him 
crucified  to  the  family.  When  ready 
to  depart,  he  offered  to  pay  the  mistress 
of  the  house,  who  had  waited  upon  him 
very  kindly,  for  his  repast,  and  the  oats 
for  his  horse ;  but  she  would  receive 
nothing.  Thus  he  went  on,  asking  for 
refreshment  as  often  as  he  needed  it, 
and  recommending  religion  wherever 
he  called  ;  and  always  offering,  as  ano- 
ther traveller  would  do,  to  pay  his  ex- 
penses ;  but  no  one  would  accept  his 
money,  although  it  was  not  known  that 
his  stock  was  so  low,  for  he  told  them 
not,  and  his  appearance  was  respec- 
table :  at  home  he  was  a  man  of  wealth. 
"What,"  thought  he,  "does  this  mean? 
I  was  never  treated  in  this  manner  on 
a  journey  before."  The  dollar  given 
to  the  destitute  woman  recurred  to  his 
mind;  and  conscience  replied,  "I  have 
been  well  paid.  It  is,  indeed,  safe 
lending  to  the  Lord."  On  the  second 
day  after  he  left  the  cottage  in  the 
wilderness  he  arrived  safely  at  home ; 
and  still  had  money  for  the  poor,  having 
been  at  no  cost  whatever. 
110 


About  a  year  and  a  half  after  this,  a 
stranger  called  at  the  house  of  Mr.  M. 
for  some  refreshment,  in  the  course 
of  conversation,  he  observed  that  he 
lived  on  the  other  side  of  the  mountain, 
near  Connecticut  river.  Mr.  M.  in- 
quired whether  the  people  in  that  vici- 
nity paid  much  attention  to  religion. 
The  traveller  replied,  "  Not  much ;  but 
in  a  town  twenty  or  thirty  miles  beyond 
the  river,  with  which  I  am  acquainted, 
there  has  been  a  powerful  revival. 
The  commencement  of  it  was  very 
extraordinary.  The  first  person  that 
was  awakened  and  brought  to  repent- 
ance, was  a  poor  woman,  who  lived  in 
a  very  retired  place.  She  told  her 
friends  and  neighbors  that  a  stranger 
was  driven  into  her  house  by  a  thunder- 
storm, and  talked  to  her  so  seriously, 
that  she  began,  while  listening  to  his 
discourse,  to  feel  concerned  about  her 
soul.  The  gentleman  was  much  af- 
fected when  he  found  that  she  had  no 
Bible;  and,  after  he  had  left  the  house 
to  go  on  his  journey,  returned  again, 
and  gave  her  a  dollar  to  buy  one  ;  and 
charged  her  to  get  it  soon,  and  read  it 
diligently.  She  did  so ;  and  it  had 
been  the  means,  as  she  believed,  of 
bringing  her  from  darkness  into  light ; 
from  a  state  of  stupidity  and  sin,  to  de- 
light in  the  truth  and  ways  of  God. 
The  name  of  this  pious  man,  or  the 
place  of  his  residence,  she  knew  not. 
But  she  believed  it  was  the  Lord  that 
sent  him.  At  this  relation,  and  the 
great  change  which  was  obvious  in  the 
woman,  her  neighbors  wondered  much. 
They  were  induced  to  meditate  on  the 
goodness,  wisdom,  and  power  of  God, 
displayed  in  this  singular  event  of  his 
providence.  They  were  led  to  think 
of  the  importance  of  attending  more  to 
the  Bible  themselves ;  and  were  finally 
awakened  to  a  deep  concern  for  the 
salvation  of  their  souls.  As  many  as 
thirty  or  forty  are  already  hopefully 
converted,  and  rejoicing  in  God  their 
Savior."  Mr.  M.,  who  had  listened  to 
this  relation  with  a  heart  swelling  more 
and  more  with  wonder,  gratitude,  and 
joy,  could  refrain  no  longer ;  but,  with 
hands  and  eyes  upraised  to  heaven,  ex- 
claimed, "  My  God,  thou  hast  paid  me 
again !" 


BENEFICENCE  REWARDED  BY  PROVIDENCE. 


4Y 


(i)  THANKSGIVING  PRESENTS. 
— The  following  anecdote  was  com- 
municated to  the  editor  of  this  work, 
by  Capt.  S.,  a  late  agent  of  the  Am. 
Bethel  Society.  The  day  before  thanks- 
giving, in  the  State  of  New- York,  I 
was  at  F.,  and  just  about  to  return  to  O., 
where  I  resided,  when  I  observed  a 
country  sleigh,  with  a  load  of  chickens, 
dressed  for  the  market.  The  thought 
struck  me  that  there  was  this  poor 
neighbor  and  that  poor  neighbor  in 
O.  who  would  receive  a  brace  of  these 
fowls  from  me  with  a  great  deal  of 
pleasure,  and  that  if  by  making  such  a 
present,  I  should  add  to  their  happiness 
on  thanksgiving  day,  I  should  thereby 
add  not  a  little  to  my  own.  As  the 
countryman  came  up,  I  asked  him.  at 
what  price  he  would  sell  them.  He 
Was  anxious  to  get  home,  and  offered  to 
dispose  of  them  cheap,  and  I  took  the 
whole  eleven  pair,  though  I  scarcely 
knew  what  I  could  do  with  them.  My 
wife  was  astonished  at  my  load  of 
chickens,  when  I  returned  home ;  but 
learning  my  design,  she  approved  of  it, 
and  entered  with  a  warm  heart  into  my 
plans.  The  next  morning  I  engaged 
my  two  little  boys  to  take  upon  them- 
selves the  business  of  being  almoners 
of  their  father's  bounty ;  for  I  have 
ever  felt  it  important  for  the  develop- 
ment of  benevolence  in  children,  that 
they  should  be  encouraged  to  take  as 
much  part  as  possible  in  the  benevolent 
projects  of  their  parents.  They  bore  a 
brace  of  chickens,  along  with  pork, 
apples  and  pies,  to  this  poor  family,  and 
the  like  gift  to  another  poor  family,  until 
all  but  three  pair  of  fowls  were  disposed 
of.  When  they  returned  their  coun- 
tenances glowed  with  satisfaction,  and 
in  relating  the  expressions  of  surprise 
and  gratitude  which  they  had  heard  that 
morning  from  the  lips  of  poverty  and 
Want,  parents  and  children  wept  with 
delight  together.  I  felt  even  then  repaid 
for  what  I  had  done.  But  what  was 
most  remarkable,  followed.  About  11 
o'clock,  some  one  rapped  at  the  front 
door  with  a  nice  fat  turkey,  as  a  present 
from  one  of  the  neighbors  to  Capt.  S. 
and  his  family.  In  a  little  while  a  rap 
was  heard  at  the  back  door,   and  who 


should  be  there  but  Capt.  A.  with  a  fine 
round  cut  of  pork,  weighing  perhaps  20 
or  30  pounds,  which  he  insisted  on  our 
taking.  Then  came  two  braces  of  fowls, 
one  from  one  neighbor,  and  the  other 
from  another  neighbor,  at  the  same 
time.  And  so  the  gifts  kept  pouring  in 
until  dinner,  and  even  afterwards,  till  we 
received  precisely  as  many  chickens  as 
ice  had  given  away,  more  apples,  more 
pies,  more  pork,  and  a  turkey  besides. 
Who  could  but  think  of  the  text,  "  Give 
and  it  shall  be  given  unto  you,  good 
measure,  pressed  down,  and  running 
over."  I  could  not  but  feel  that  God  in 
this  case  had  made  a  connexion  between 
my  giving  and  receiving,  but  the  bless- 
ing bestowed  was  less  a  reward  than  the 
inward  luxury  of  doing  good.  The  be- 
nevolent joy  of  that  day  has  been  tasted 
over  and  over  again  since,  by  the  power 
of  memory,  hundreds  of  times. 

(j)  FINDING  A  BAG  OF  MONEY. 
— A  venerable  clergyman  in  the  west 
of  England,  of  the  name  of  Thompson, 
had  annually  for  many  years  made  it 
his  custom  to  distribute  the  overplus  of 
his  farm  among  the  poor  of  his  parish, 
after  having  supplied  the  wants  of  his 
own  household. 

One  year,  however,  he  was  compelled 
to  depart  from  this  plan.  His  benevo- 
lence had  led  him  to  engage  to  give 
thirty  pounds  towards  the  erection  of  a 
chapel,  in  a  town  whose  inhabitants 
needed  more  church  room.  He  was 
compelled,  instead  of  giving  his  corn  to 
the  poor,  to  sell  as  much  of  it  as 
would  raise  the  sum  promised.  He 
regretted  the  circumstance,  but  it  was 
unavoidable. 

Having  thus  procured  the  money,  he 
left  his  home  to  be  the  bearer  of  his  own 
benefaction.  On  the  road  he  overtook 
a  young  lady,  mounted  on  a  single  horse 
like  himself,  whom  he  accosted  with 
frankness  and  kindness.  They  travel- 
led  together  over  a  down,  and  found 
they  were  going  to  the  same  place. 
His  conversation  and  manner  won  much 
on  the  respect  of  the  young  lady,  who 
listened  with  attention  to  his  serious  and 
holy  conversation.  She  learned  his 
name,  and  his  residence,  and,  when  they 
were  about  to  part,  was  invited  by  tht 
111 


BENEFICENCE  REWARDED  BY  PROVIDENCE. 


47 


old  clergyman  to  call  upon  him  at  his 
friend's  house  in  the  town. 

In  the  course  of  the  evening,  the 
young  lady  related  with  great  pleasure, 
at  her  friend's  where  she  was  on  a  visit, 
the  very  gratifying  journey  she  had 
travelled,  with  a  clergyman  of  the  name 
of  Thompson. 

"  Thompson  !"  exclaimed  the  lady 
of  the  house;  "  1  wish  it  was  Mr. 
Thompson  for  whom  we  have  for  many 
years  been  inquiring  in  vain.  I  have 
money,  tied  up  in  a  bag  by  my  late 
husband,  due  to  a  person  of  that  name, 
who  desired  to  leave  it  till  called  f^r. 
But  I  suppose  he  is  dead,  and  his  exe- 
cutor, whoever  he  be,  knows  nothing 
of  it."  It  was  proposed  that  the  old 
clergyman  should  be  asked  if  this  were 
any  relation  of  his.  He  was  sent  for, 
came,  and  it  soon  appeared,  that  the 
Mr.  Thompson,  to  whom  the  money 
was  so  long  due,  was  his  own  brother, 
who  had  been  dead  several  years,  and 
to  whose  effects  he  was  executor  and 
residuary  legatee. 

The  money  was  paid  him  ;  he  fell 
on  his  knees,  blessed  God,  who  had 
thus  interposed  on  behalf  of  his  poor 
people,  hastened  to  his  friend  to  tell 
him  the  joyful  news,  and  as  he  entered 
his  house  exclaimed,  "Praise  God  :  tell 
it  in  Gath,  publish  it  in  Askelon,  that 
our  God  is  a  faithful  God." 

(k)  BAXTER'S  TESTIMONY.— 
One  help  to  my  success,  says  Baxter, 
was  the  relief  which  )ny  estate  enabled 
me  to  afford  to  the  poor.  The  situation 
which  I  held,  was  reckoned  at  near 
2001.  per  annum  ;  but  there  came  only 
from  eighty  to  ninety  pounds  to  hand. 
Besides  which,  some  years  I  had  sixty 
or  eighty  pounds  a  year  of  the  booksell- 
ers for  my  books  which  I  wrote.  This 
little,  dispersed  among  them,  much  re- 
conciled them  to  the  doctrine  that  I 
taught.  I  took  the  aptest  of  their  chil- 
dren from  the  school,  and  sent  divers 
of  them  to  the  universities,  where,  for 
eight  pounds  a  year,  or  ten  at  most,  by 
the  help  of  my  friends,  I  maintained 
them.  In  giving  the  little  I  had,  I  did 
not  inquire  if  they  were  good  or  bad, 
if  they  asked  relief;  for  the  bad  had 
souls  and  bodies  that  needed  charity 
112 


thought  he  had  been  too  bountiful. 

W.,  with  some  degree  of  smartness 

It  is  not  enough 


most.  And  this  truth  I  will  speak,  for 
the  encouragement  of  the  charitable, 
that  what  little  money  I  have  by  me 
now,  I  got  it  almost  all,  I  scarcely 
know  how,  at  that  time  when  I  gave 
most ;  and  since  I  have  had  less  oppor- 
tunity of  giving,   I  have  had  less  in- 

(/)'  WHITFIELD  AND  THE 
CHURL.— While  the  Rev.  G.  Whit- 
field was  preaching  on  one  occasion  at 
Plymouth,  he  lodged  with  Mr.  Kinsman, 
a  minister  of  the  town.  After  breakfast 
on  Monday,  he  said  to  his  frieiu, 
"  Come,  let  us  visit  some  of  your  poor 
people.  It  is  not  enough  that  we  labor 
in  the  pulpit ;  we  must  endeavor  to  be 
useful  out  of  it."  On  entering  the 
dwellings  of  the  afflicted  poor,  he  ad- 
ministered to  their  temporal  as  well  as 
spiritual  wants.  Mr.  K.,  knowing  the 
low  state  of  his  finances,  was  surprised 
at  his  liberality,  and  suggested  that  he 

Mr. 
re- 
plied :  "  It  is  not  enough,  young  man, 
to  pray,  and  put  on  a  serious  face ;  true 
religion,  and  undefiled,  is  this — to  visit 
the  widow  and  the  fatherless  in  their 
affliction,  and  to  supply  their  wants. 
My  stock,  it  is  true,  is  nearly  exhausted ; 
but  God,  whom  I  serve,  and  whose 
saints  we  have  assisted,  will,  I  doubt 
not,  soon  give  me  a  supply."  His  hopes 
were  not  disappointed.  A  stranger  call- 
ed on  him  in  the  evening,  who  address- 
ed him  thus :  "  With  great  pleasure  I 
have  heard  you  preach ;  you  are  on  a 
journey,  as  well  as  myself,  and  travel- 
ling is  expensive.  Do  me  the  honor  to 
accept  this,"  at  the  same  time  present- 
ing him  with  five  guineas.  Returning 
to  the  family,  Mr.  Whitfield,  smiling, 
held  out  the  money  in  his  hand,  saying : 
"  There,  young  man,  God  has  speedily 
repaid  what  I  bestowed.  Let  this  m 
future  teach  you  not  to  withhold  what 
it  is  in  the  power  of  your  hand  to  give. 
The  gentleman  to  whom  I  was  called 
is  a  perfect  stranger  to  me ;  his  only 
business  was  to  give  me  the  sum  you 
see."  It  is  remarkable,  that  this  gentle- 
man, though  rich,  was  notorious  tor  a 
penurious -disposition :  but  Elijah  was 
fed  by  ravens. 


BENEFICENCE  REWARDED  BY  PROVIDENCE. 


47 


(m)  A  HCNDRED  GUINEAS  FOR 
A  BIBLE. — A  young  girl  entered  the 
shop  of  Mr.  B.,  a  bookseller,  desiring 
him  to  exchange  a  prayer-book,  which 
she  brought  with  her,  for  a  Bible.  He 
gave  her  a  Bible,  and  bade  her  keep  the 
prayer-book  also.  Some  time  after,  this 
girl  was  taken  in  the  service  of  Rev. 
Mr.  Cecil.  On  her  first  coming  into 
the  family,  Mr.  Cecil  inquired  if  she 
had  a  Bible  ;  to  which  she  answered  in 
the  affirmative,  and  told  him  from  whom 
she  received  it.  Mr.  Cecil  was  pleased 
with  the  circumstances,  and  finding  out 
Mr.  B.,  recommended  him  to  his  friends. 
JJuring  Mr.  Cecil's  absence  from  town, 
however,  Mr.  B.  became  involved  in 
serious  pecuniary  difficulties,  and  was 
compelled  to  give  up  his  business,  and 
return  to  a  mechanical  employment, 
which  he  had  learned  in  his  youth. 
The  violent  exertion  attendant  on  this 
occupation  occasioned  a  painful  illness  : 
he  remained  some  time  in  a  hospital,  but 
at  length  left,  and  retired  to  an  obscure 
lodging,  without  any  adequate  means  of 
support  for  himself  and  family.  To  this 
place  Mr.  Cecil,  on  his  arrival  in  town, 
with  difficulty  traced  him.  An  early 
interview  took  place,  and  Mr.  B.,  having 
stated  his  misfortunes,  "  Well,  B.,"  said 
Mr.  Cecil,  "  what  can  be  done  for  you  ? 
Would  a  hundred  guineas  be  of  any 
service  to  you  '?"  "  I  should  be  truly 
thankful  for  such  a  sum,"  said  B. ;  "  it 
would  be  of  great  use  to  me,  but  I  can- 
not expect  it."  "  Well,"  returned  Mr. 
Cecil,  "  I  am  not  a  rich  man,  and  I  have 
not  got  a  hundred  guineas  to  give  you  ; 
but,"  continued  he,  putting  his  hand  in 
his  pocket,  "  I  have  got  one  ;  here  it  is 
at  your  service,  and  I  will  undertake 
to  make  it  a  hundred  in  a  few  days." 
Mr.  Cecil  represented  the  case  to  his 
friends,  fulfilled  his  promise,  and  the 
Bible  which  B.  had  formerly  given  to 
a  child,  indirectly  procured  the  means 
of  once  more  opening  his  shop,  and  af- 
fording him  subsistence. 

(n)  THE  KING'S  LAST  LOAF— 
Alfred  the  Great,  who  died  in  the  year 
900,  was  of  a  most  amiable  disposition, 
and,  we  would  hope,  of  genuine  piety. 
During  his  retreat  at  Athelney,  in  Som- 
ersetshire, after  his  defeat  by  the  Danes, 
a  beggar  came  to  his  little  castle,  and 


requested  alms.  His  queen  informed 
Alfred  that  they  had  but  one  small  loaf 
remaining,  which  was  insufficient  for 
themselves  and  their  friends,  who  were 
gone  in  search  of  food,  though  with  lit- 
tle hope  of  success.  The  king  replied, 
"  Give  the  poor  Christian  one  half  of  the 
loaf.  He  that  could  feed  five  thousand 
men  with  five  loaves  and  two  fishes,  can 
certainly  make  the  half  loaf  suffice  for 
more  than  our  necessity."  The  poor 
man  was  accordingly  relieved,  and 
Alfred's  people  shortly  after  returned 
with  a  store  of  fresh  provisions  ! 

(o)  THE  POOR  PHYSICIAN.— 
A  year  last  November,  says  a  mission- 
ary agent,  I  preached  a  missionary  ser- 
mon in  the  town  of ,  and  took  a  sub- 
scription. A  physician  subscribed  and 
paid  $5.  A  gentleman  standing  by  told 
me  that  the  $5  was  all  he  had,  or  was 
worth :  that  he  had  lost  his  property 
and  paid  up  his  debts  and  moved  into 
town  to  commence  practice,  with  no 
other  resources  than  that  five  dollar 
bill.  He  and  his  wife  were  obliged  to 
board  out,  as  he  was  not  able  to  keep 
house. 

I  resolved  at  once  that  I  would  keep 
watch  of  that  man,  and  see  what  the 
Lord  would  do  with  him. 

About  a  year  after  this  interview,  I 
visited  the  place  again,  and  put  up  with 
this  physician.  I  found  him  keeping 
house  in  good  style.  In  conversation 
with  him,  I  brought  up  the  duty  of 
Christian  benevolence,  and  spoke  of 
God's  faithfulness  to  fulfd  his  promises 
to  the  liberal. 

He  told  me  he  knew  a  physician 
who,  the  last  year,  gave  away  the  last 
five  dollars  he  had  in  the  world,  re- 
solving to  trust  the  Lord  for  the  future.  ' 
During  the  next  summer,  while  the 
cholera  raged  in  the  country,  by  a 
series  of  events  guided,  as  he  believed, 
by  the  providence  of  God,  most  of  the 
practice  was  thrown  into  the  hands  of 
this  physician,  and  he  had  taken  more 
than  $2,500. 

I  told  him  I  knew  him  to  be  the  man 
referred  to,  and  that  I  had  been  keeping 
watch  to  see  what  the  Lord  would  do 
with  him. 

Oh,  sir,  if  we  would,  all  of  us,  only 
trust  in  the  Lord,  and  more  abundantly 


4T 


BENEFICENCE. 


give  of  our  substance  lo  aid  in  spreading 
the  gospel,  and  throw  open  our  eyes  to 
read  the  providence,  as  well  as  word  of 
God,  we  might  not  only  speedily  supply 
the  whole  world  with  Bibles,  but  our 
hearts  would  overflow  with  constant 
gratitude  in  view  of  the  evident  interpo- 
sitions of  Providence  in  our  behalf. 

(p)  THE  STUDENT'S  TRICK.— 
A  young  man  of  eighteen  or  twenty,  a 
student  in  a  university,  took  a  walk  one 
day  with  a  professor,  who  was  commonly 
called  the  student's  friend,  such  was  his 
kindness  to  the  young  men  whom  it  was 
his  office  to  instruct. 

While  they  were  walking  together, 
and  the  professor  was  seeking  to  lead 
the  conversation  to  grave  subjects,  they 
saw  a  pair  of  old  shoes  lying  in  their 
path,  which  they  supposed  to  belong  to 
a  poor  man  who  was  at  work  close  by, 
and  who  had  nearly  finished  his  day's 
work. 

The  young  student  turned  to  the 
professor,  saying,  "  Let  us  play  the  man 
.a  trick ;  we  will  hide  his  shoes,  and 
'Conceal  ourselves  behind  those  bushes, 
and  watch  to  see  his  perplexity  when 
he  cannot  find  them." 

"  My  dear  friend,"  answered  the 
professor,  "  we  must  never  amuse  our- 
selves at  the  expense  of  the  poor.  But 
you  are  rich,  and  you  may  give  your- 
self a  much  greater  pleasure.  Put  a 
dollar  into  each  shoe,  and  then  we  will 
-hide  ourselves." 

The  student  did  so,  and  then  placed 
himself  with  the  professor  behind  the 
bushes  close  by,  through  which  they 
could  easily  watch  the  laborer,  and  see 
whatever  wonder  or  joy  he  might 
express. 

The  poor  man  soon  finished  his  work, 
and  came  across  the  field  to  the  path, 
where  he  had  left  his  coat  and  shoes. 
While  he  put  on  the  coat,  he  slipped 
one  foot  into  one  of  his  shoes  ;  but  feel- 
ing something  hard,  he  stooped  down 
and  found  the  dollar.  Astonishment 
and  wonder  were  seen  upon  his  counte- 
nance ;  he  gazed  upon  the  dollar,  turn- 
ed it  round,  and  looked  again  and  again  ; 
then  he  looked  around  him  on  all  sides, 
but  could  see  no  one.  Now  he  put  the 
money  in  his  pocket  and  proceeded  to 
put  on  the  other  shoe,  but  how  great 
114 


was  his  astonishment  when  he  found  the 
other  dollar  !  His  feelings  overcame 
him  ;  he  fell  upon  his  knees,  looked  up 
to  heaven  and  uttered  aloud  a  fervent 
thanksgiving,  in  which  he  spoke  of  his 
wife,  sick  and  helpless,  and  his  children 
without  bread,  whom  this  timely  bounty, 
from  some  unknown  hand,  would  save 
from  perishing. 

The  young  man  stood  there  deeply 
affected,  and  tears  filled  his  eyes. 

"  Now,"  said  the  professor,  "  are 
you  not  much  better  pleased  than  if  you 
had  played  your  intended  trick  ?" 

"  O  dearest  sir,"  answered  the  youth, 
"  you  have  taught  me  a  lesson  now  that 
I  will  never  forget.  I  feel  now  the 
truth  of  the  words  which  I  never  before 
understood,  '  it  is  better  to  give  than  to 
receive. 

(q)  THE  SOUTHRON'S  LIBER. 
ALITY. — A  Southern  gentleman,  gay 
and  worldly,  was  very  friendly  to  an 
evangelical  church  in  his  neighbor- 
hood ;  and  as  they  were  accustomed  to 
hold  camp  meetings  year  after  year, 
he  had  a  beautiful  plot  of  his  forest 
land  cleared  of  brush  and  fallen  trees, 
and  fitted  up  with  convenient  cabins 
or  booths,  for  the  accommodation  of 
the  worshippers,  at  his  own  expense. 
His  liberality  to  the  church  was  such 
as  to  attract  not  a  little  attention,  on 
account  of  his  being  so  far  from  any 
thing  like  religion  himself.  One  of 
his  companions  one  day  rallied  him  on 
his  incongruous  benevolence,  and  in- 
quired why  he  would  make  such  a  fool 
of  himself  as  to  throw  away  his  money 
in  behalf  of  such  an  object  ?  His  re- 
ply in  substance  was,  "  You  do  not 
understand  it ;  I  am  no  loser  by  my 
liberality  to  the  church,  but  for  every 
five  dollars  I  give  to  them,  God's  provi- 
dence in  some  way  brings  me  back  a 
hundred .'" 

If  shrewd-minded,  worldly  men,  like 
the  above,  are  sometimes  clear-sighted 
enough  to  see  the  wisdom  of  "  casting 
their  bread  on  the  waters,"  what  shall 
be  said  of  those  professed  Christians 
who  are  so  unbelieving  as  to  regard 
what  is  contributed  to  benevolent  efforts, 
as  so  much  sacrificed  or  utterly  thrown 
away  ? 


BENEFICENCE  REWARDED  BY  PROVIDENCE. 


47 


(r)  "  GOD  LOVETH  A  CHEER- 
FUL GIVER,'"—"  How  is  it,  Betty," 
said  an  elder  of  the  church  to  a  very- 
poor  woman  in  Wales,  (who  was  always 
observed  to  contribute  something  when- 
ever a  collection  was  taken;)  how  is  it 
that  I  always  see  you  drop  something 
in  the  plate  ?  Where  do  you  get  it  ?" 
"  Oh,  sir,  I  do  not  know,"  she  replied  ; 
"  the  Lord  knows  my  heart  and  my 
good-will  to  his  cause  ;  and  somehow 
or  other,  when  a  collection  is  to  be 
made,  I  am  sure  to  have  my  penny 
before  me  ;  and  when  it  comes,  I  put  it 
in  the  plate." 

"  Well,"  said  he,  "  you  have  been 
faithful  in  a  little,  take  this  sovereign, 
and  do  what  you  will  with  it."  "  A 
sovereign,  sir !"  said  she  ;  "1  never 
had  so  much  money  in  my  life  as  a 
sovereign;  what  shall  I  do  with  it?" 
"  I  dare  say  you  will  find  means  of 
spending  it,"  said  he,  "if  your  heart  is 
devoted  to  the  Lord's  cause."  Soon 
after  this,  a  man  came  round  to  solicit 
subscriptions  for  some  benevolent  ob- 
ject :  he  went  to  one  of  the  elders,  who 
gave  him  half  a  sovereign,  and  another 
gave  him  five  shillings  ;  both  of  which 
were  regarded  as  very  liberal  dona- 
tions. Not  liking  to  pass  by  any  mem- 
ber of  the  church,  he  asked  this  poor 
woman  what  she  would  do.  "  Put  my 
name  down  for  a  sovereign."  "  A 
sovereign  !"  said  he  ;  "  why,  where  did 
you  get  a  sovereign  ?"  "  Oh,  sir," 
said  she,  "  I  got  it  honestly :  put  my 
name  down  for  a  sovereign."  She  gave 
him  the  sovereign,  and  in  about  two 
weeks  from  that  time  she  received  a 
letter  from  Doctors'  Commons  informing 
her  that  a  friend  had  just  left  her  one 
hundred  pounds  f 

(s)  THE  INFIDEL'S  DONATION. 
— In  an  address  before  the  Indiana  Bible 
Society,  the  following  facts  were  stated  : 

An  agent  once  requested  an  infidel 
surgeon  to  make  a  donation  to  a  bene- 
volent object.  He  told  the  agent  he 
did  not  give  money  to  such  objects. 
He  was  assured  he  would  be  none  the 
poorer  for  giving.  "  Do  you  believe 
that  ?"  replied  the  doctor.  "  Yes,  I  do." 
"  Well,  I  will  try  it,"  was  the  answer ; 
and  he  took  out  $20,  and  gave  him. 
The   agent  requested  him   to  eye  the 


providence  of  God,  and  see  if  it  was  not 
soon 'repaid  to  him  double.  He  said  he 
would  take  care  to  look  out  for  that. 

When  he  reached  home  he  found  a 
letter  requesting  him  to  come  immedi- 
ately and  perform  a  very  difficult  sur- 
gical operation  upon  a  man  worth 
$200,000  or  $300,000.  When  he  had 
done  his  work,  and  was  about  leaving, 
the  son  came  to  him  and  said.  My 
father's  heart  is  upon  his  money,  and 
as  he  is  now  very  feeble,  I  fear  it  may 
destroy  him  to  be  called  upon  to  pay 
a  very  heavy  bill.  I  wish  the  charge 
you  present  to  him  should  be  small,  and 
I  will  make  up  the  balance. 

He  told  the  son  he  was  willing  to 
make  out  just  such  a  bill  as  his  father 
would  think  right.  What  do  you  think 
he  would  be  willing  to  pay  ?  He  said 
$200.  The  surgeon  took  the  $200, 
and  told  the  agent  the  next  time  they 
met,  that  the  Lord  had  paid  him  back 
fivefold  :  that  if  he  had  been  left  to  him- 
self he  should  not  have  charged  more 
than  $100.  Such  facts  might  be  mul- 
tiplied without  limit. 

(t)  A  LOAN  TO  THE  LORD.— 
"  A  poor  minister,"  says  Rev.  Mr. 
Spencer,  of  New- York,  "once  called 
upon  me  saying  that  his  horse  and  car- 
riage were  under  a  mortgage,  which 
was  soon  to  be  foreclosed  and  he  had 
no  money  to  pay  it.  During  the 
night,  on  which  he  stayed  at  my  house, 
I  was  much  disturbed  in  thinking  over 
his  case.  I  felt  as  if  I  must  help  him, 
though  my  circumstances  at  first  view 
seemed  to  forbid  the  idea.  On  parting 
with  the  good  man  in  the  morning,  I 
made  him  a  present  of  five  dollars,  which 
was  all  the  money  I  had.  He  hesitated 
when  he  saw  the  amount,  and  said  so 
large  a  donation  might  embarrass  me. 
'  No,'  said  I ;  '  it  is  indeed  all  I  have, 
but  you  should  have  more  if  I  had  it : 
I  consider  I  am  lending  to  the  Lord, 
and  have  no  doubt  it  will  soon  be  re- 
turned again.'  The  same  day,  making 
a  call  upon  one  of  my  parishioners,  who 
paid  regularly  towards  my  support, 
three  dollars  were  unexpectedly  put  in 
my  hand.  And  not  long  after,  as  I  was 
dining  with  another  family  of  my  con- 
gregation, who  likewise  helped  to  make 
up  my  salary,  we  were  conversing  on 
115 


4V 


BENEFICENCE. 


the  reflex  benefits  of  beneficence,  and  I 
remarked  that  all  I  had  ever  lent  to  the 
Lord,  had  been  paid  back  in  some  un- 
expected way,  with  the  exception  of 
two  dollars !  Upon  this  the  wife  rose 
up  and  stepped  towards  the  mantel- 
piece, while  her  husband  smilingly  ob- 
served that  his  wife,  a  short  time  ago, 
had  laid  up  two  dollars  in  the  clock  for 
me,  and  they  were  now  happy  to  have 
this  opportunity  of  completing  the  pay- 
ment of  my  recent  loan  to  the  Lord  !" 

(u)  THE  MINISTER'S  DONA- 
TION.—About  the  year  1839,  says 
Rev.  W.  H.  Spencer,  I  attended  the 
Bridgewater  Association  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  was  called  upon  to  preach 
a  discourse  on  Foreign  Missions.  I 
felt  deeply,  and  the  sympathies  of  the 
audience  became  so  enlisted  in  behalf 
of  the  object  that  an  unusually  large 
contribution  was  taken  up. 

In  the  afternoon  a  warm  and  excel- 
lent discourse  was  preached  by  another 
minister  on  Home  Missions.  During 
his  sermon  the  intrinsic  importance  of 
the  subject  forced  itself  upon  my  mind, 
and  led  me  to  agitate  the  question  how 
much  it  would  be  possible  to  give  to  the 
cause  myself.  I  was  indeed  in  a  great 
strait  between  charity  and  necessity.  I 
felt  desirous  to  contribute  ;  but  then  I 
was  on  a  journey,  and  I  had  given  so 
much  in  the  morning,  that  I  really  feared 
I  had  no  more  money  than  would  bear 
my  expenses.  But  when,  at  the  conclu- 
sion of  the  discourse,  the  speaker  said  he 
could  hardly  expect  a  large  collection  af- 
ter the  amount  they  had  given  in  the 
morning,  my  mind  was  decided  ;  and  I 
arose  and  stated  my  convictions  of  the 
importance  of  Home  Missions,  and  for 
the  sake  of  example,  I  informed  the 
assembly  what  were  my  circumstances, 
but  that  I  had  made  up  my  mind  to  give 
a  dollar  and  trust  in  God  to  provide. 
And  the  result  was,  that  as  large  a  con- 
tribution was  obtained  as  in  the  morn- 
ing. At  the  close  of  the  Association  I 
proceeded  on  my  journey  ;  and  the  next 
day  called  on  a  friend  and  paid  him 
some  forty  dollars,  which  I  had  collected 
for  him.  I  was  now  about  140  miles 
from  home,  with  scarce  a  dollar  in  my 
pocket ;  and  how  my  expenses  would 
be  met,  I  could  not  imagine.  But  judge 
116 


my  surprise,  wlien  on  presenting  the 
money  to  my  friend  he  took  a  hundred 
dollars,  and  adding  it  to  the  forty,  placed 
the  whole  amount  in  my  hand,  saying, 
he  would  make  me  a  'present  of  it !  I 
had,  to  be  sure,  rendered  him  some  small 
services  of  a  similar  nature  before,  but 
I  considered  him  under  no  obligations, 
and  was  expecting  nothing  of  the  kind  ! 
Gratitude  and  joy  swelled  my  bosom  ; 
my  mind  at  once  recurred  to  my  contri- 
bution the  day  previous,  and  I  felt  con- 
vinced that  I  had  seen  a  literal  fulfil- 
ment of  the  promise^  "  Give  and  it  shall 
be  given  unto  you,  good  measure  pressed 
down  and  running  over,  shall  men  give 
into  your  bosom." 

{v)  THE  DAIRYMAN  AND  THE 
CHEESE.— The  Agent  of  an  Educa- 
tion Society  called  one  day  on  Mr.  S., 
a  member  of  a  church  in  New  Berlin, 
New- York.  Mr.  S.  was  largely  en- 
gaged in  the  dairying  business.  He 
was  a  benevolent  man,  and  for  some 
time  had  given  five  dollars  yearly  to 
the  above-named  Society.  The  agent 
urged  him  to  give  twenty  dollars  in- 
stead of  five,  and  told  him  he  believed 
that  if  he  would  contribute  this  sum,  in 
the  exercise  of  self-denying  benevo- 
lence, it  would  soon  be  returned  again, 
and  with  large  interest  too.  In  proof 
of  this  he  quoted  such  passages  as 
these — "  The  liberal  soul  deviseth 
liberal  things,  and  by  liberal  thingst 
shall  he  stand."  "  He  that  watereth, 
shall  be  watered  also  himself,"  &c. 
"  I  do  not  believe  any  such  doctrine," 
said  Mr.  S.,  "nor  agree  to  any  such 
application  of  Scripture.  However,  I 
will  give  the  twenty  dollars."  Not 
many  hours  after  this  a  neighbor  of  Mr. 
S.  came  to  him,  and  wished  him  to  buy 
a  large  amount  of  cheese  of  him.  The 
terms  were  moderate,  and  the  bargain 
was  concluded. 

A  day  or  two  aflerwards  a  gentle- 
man called  on  Mr.  S,  to  purchase 
cheese,  and  he  sold  him  the  lot  he  had 
just  bought,  and  at  such  an  advance  in 
the  price  that  he  made  a  hundred  dol- 
lars by  the  exchange !  Mr.  S.  was' 
now  fully  reconciled  to  the  agent's 
doctrine,  and  his  application  of  the  fore- 
going promises.  He  was  now  con- 
strained to  acknowledge  that  the  Lord 


BENEFICENCE  REWARDED  BY  PROVIDENCE. 


47 


had  indeed  rewarded  his  beneficence, 
and  rewarded  it  five-fold.  He  used 
afterwards  to  delight  in  relating  the 
above  incident  as  an  illustration  of  the 
connection  between  giving  and  receiv- 
ing, which  it  had  led  him  to  recognize 
— as  a  proof  of  the  doctrine  that  he  who 
gives  liberally  to  benevolent  objects, 
other  things  equal,  will  be  the  more 
liberally  supplied  with  the  blessings  of 
Providence  himself. 

(w)  THE  PHYSICIAN  AND  THE 
CFIURL. — At  the  recognition  of  a 
church  in  New- York,  in  1847,  the 
following  incident  was  related  : — 

In  a  village  in  the  southern  part  of 
New- York,  the  Baptist  church  had  been 
for  some  time  in  a  languishing  condi- 
tion. At  length  a  new  minister  was 
called  to  labor  with  them.  The  church 
was  poor,  and  he  was  supported  prin- 
cipally by  two  or  three  nidividuals. 
With  one  of  these,  a  physician,  he 
boarded :  he  was  a  member  of  the 
church,  and  unusually  benevolent,  but 
his  wife  was  an  unconverted  woman, 
rather  parsimonious,  and  seemed  to 
take  umbrage  at  every  act  of  her  hus- 
band's liberality.  The  church  met  in 
a  long,  low,  unfinished  building,  with 
the  naked  rafters  overhead.  At  length 
a  revival  of  religion  occurred,  and  one 
of  the  converts  was  the  physician's 
wife.  Her  heart  was  enlarged,  and 
she  said  one  day  to  her  husband  that 
they  must  have  a  new  meeting-house. 
The  doctor  had  about  one  thousand 
dollars  laid  up ;  and  though  his  wife 
had  often  expressed  her  fears  that  her 
husband's  generosity  would  force  them 
to  draw  upon  this  little  fund,  and  the 
family  be  reduced  to  want,  she  now 
suggested  that  he  had  better  give  the 
whole  sum  to  the  new  meeting-house, 
and  leave  the  result  with  God.  He 
readily  assented,  and  put  down  his 
name  on  the  subscription  list  for  a  thou- 
sand dollars. 

In  the  same  congregation  there  was 
a  wealthy  farmer  ;  his  wife  was  pious 
and  liberal,  but  he  was  worldly  and 
avaricious.  He  was  urged  to  subscribe 
to  the   same    object ;     but    he    would 


neither  give  any  thing  himself  or  suffer 
his  wife  to  give.  As  God  would  have 
it,  an  epidemic  not  long  after  made  its 
ravages  in  the  community,  and  the 
farmer  and  his  children  were  taken 
very  sick.  The  wife,  we  believe,  was 
the  only  member  of  the  family  who 
escaped.  The  pious  physician  was 
called  upon  to  attend  them  in  their  sick- 
ness; their  disease  was  so  malignant, 
and  so  long  continued,  that  he  received 
at  least  one  thousand  dollars  for  his  ser- 
vices !  So  the  avaricious  farmer  had 
to  pay  the  liberal  physician's  subscrip- 
tion !  The  beneficence  of  the  latter 
was  thus  amply  rewarded,  to  say  noth- 
ing of  the  large  sums  received  from  the 
increase  of  his  practice  in  the  commu- 
nity around  him. 

Note. — It  would  be  wrong  to  argue  from  the 
foregoing  examples  that  all  benevolent  efforts, 
donations,  and  alms,  will  be  rewarded  with  the 
blessings  of  Providence  in  the  present  life.  A 
man  may  give  largely  to-day,  and  die  suddenly 
to-morrow  ;  but  then  he  receives  his  reward  on 
high.  Or,  notwithstanding  his  liberality,  God, 
who  loves  him  as  a  Father,  may  see  that  he 
needs  the  moral  discipline  of  adversity,  and  thus 
may  apply  the  chastising  rod  for  his  spiritual 
profit.  Or  a  man  may  give  without  discretion, 
or  without  proper  regard  to  justice,  as  will  be 
seen  at  496,  in  the  case  of  Goldsmith  ;  or  he 
may  give  merely  from  selfish  motives,  or  at 
least  without  reference  to  God's  glory,  or  re- 
gard to  his  promises.  In  such  cases  God  does 
not  pledge  himself  to  grant  the  liberal  any 
pecuniary  or  secular  advantages  in  return  for 
their  liberality.  But  still  we  believe  that  God 
has  so  arranged  his  government  that,  as  a 
general  rule,  the  more  men  cherish  and  de- 
velop true  benevolence,  the  more  will  the  bless- 
ings of  Providence  be  multiplied  upon  them. 
They  will  see  no  miracle  wrought  in  their  be- 
half;  but  God,  working  in  and  through  natural 
laws,  will  often  cause  the  most  striking  and 
beautiful  connections  between  men's  displays 
of  goodness  towards  others,  and  his  displays 
of  goodness  towards  them.  The  cases  alluded 
to  above,  are  to  be  regarded  as  exceptions  to 
the  general  rule.  We  heartily  agree  with  the 
statement  of  Dr.  Harris — and  the  foregoing 
incidents  illustrate  it — that  "  the  most  marked 
interpositions  and  signal  blessings  of  even 
earthly  prosperity,  have  attended  the  practice 
of  Christian  liberality  in  every  age.  Volumes 
might  be  filled  wiih  well  attested  instances  of 
the  remarkable  manner  in  which  God  has  hon- 
ored those  who  in  faith  and  obedience  have 
devoted  their  property  to  Him." 


117 


48 


BENEVOLENCE. 


BENEVOLENCE. 


48.  Benevolence,  Want  of. 

(a)  LOSING  A  SEAT  IN  CON- 
GRESS. — "  Sir,  bring  me  a  good  plain 
dinner,"  said  a  melancholy  looking  in- 
dividual to  a  waiter  at  one  of  our  prin- 
cipal hotels. 

The  dinner  was  brought  and  de- 
voured, and  the  eater  called  the  land- 
lord aside,  and  thus  addressed  him. — 
"  You  are  the  landlord  ?"  "  Yes."  "You 
do  a  good  business  here  ?"  "  Yes  !"  (in 
astonishment.) 

"You  make,  probably,  ten  dollars  a 
day  clear  ?" 

"Yes." 

"  Then  I  am  safe.  I  cannot  pay  for 
what  I  have  consumed  ;  I  have  been 
out  of  employment  seven  months ;  but 
have  engaged  to  go  to  work  to-morrow. 
I  had  been  without  food  four-and-twenty 
hours  when  I  entered  your  place.  I 
will  pay  you  in  a  week."  "  I  cannot 
pay  my  bills  with  such  promises,"  blus- 
tered the  landlord,  and  "  I  do  not  keep  a 
poorhouse.  You  should  address  the 
proper  authorities.  Leave  me  something 
for  security." 

"  I  have  nothing." 

"  I  will  take  your  coat." 

"  If  I  go  into  the  streets  without  that, 
such  weather  as  it  is,  I  may  get  my 
death." 

"  You  should  have  thought  of  that 
before  you  came  here." 

"  Are  you  serious  ?  Well,  I  solemn- 
ly aver  that  in  one  week  from  now  I 
will  pay  you." 

"  I  will  take  the  coat." 

The  coat  was  left,  and  a  week  after- 
wards redeemed.  Seven  years  after 
that,  a  wealthy  man  entered  the  politi- 
cal arena,  and  was  presented  at  a  cau- 
cus as  an  applicant  for  a  congressional 
nomination.  The  principal  of  the  cau- 
cus held  his  peace  ;  he  heard  the  name 
and  the  history  of  the  applicant,  who 
was  a  member  of  the  church,  and  one 
of  the  most  respectable  citizens.  He 
was  chairman.  The  vote  was  a  tie,  and 
he  cast  a  negative,  thereby  defeating 
the  wealthy  applicant,  whom  he  met  an 
118 


hour  afterwards,  and  to  whom  he  said, 
"  You  don't  remember  me  ?" 

"No." 

"  I  once  ate  a  dinner  at  your  hotel  ; 
and,  although  I  told  you  I  was  famish- 
ing and  pledged  my  word  and  honor 
to  pay  you  in  a  week,  you  took  my 
coat  and  saw  me  go  out  into  the  in- 
clement air,  at  the  risk  of  my  life,  with- 
out it." 

"  AVell,  sir,  what  then  ?" 

"  Not  much.  You  called  yourself  a 
Christian.  To-night  you  were  a  candi- 
date for  nomination,  and  hut  for  me  you 
would  have  been  elected  to   Congress .'" 

Three  years  after,  the  Christian  hotel- 
keeper  became  bankrupt,  and  sought  a 
home  in  Bellevue.  The  poor  dinner- 
less  wretch  that  was,  afterwards  became 
a  high  functionary  in  Albany. 

(b)  "  I  DO  NOT  MEAN  THAT." 
— A  gentleman  who  had  been  conspic- 
uous in  aiding  a  missionary  collection, 
was  met  the  following  day  by  one  of 
dissimilar  habits,  who  chided  him  for 
the  absurd  eccentricity  of  which  he- 
deemed  him  guilty  in  giving  to  such  an 
object  and  in  such  profusion.  It  was 
preposterous,  he  said,  to  be  sending 
heaps  of  money  abroad,  to  be  spent,  no 
one  knew  how,   while   there   were  so 

many  unemployed  and  starving  in . 

"  I  will   give pounds  to  the  poor 

of if  you  will  give  an  equal  sum;" 

said  the  Christian  friend.  "  I  did  not 
mean  that,"  replied  the  objector ;  "  but," 
continued  he,  "  if  you  must  go  from 
home,  why  so  far  ?  "  Think  of  the  mis- 
erable poor  of  Ireland."     "  I  will  give 

7 pounds  to  the  poor  of  Ireland,  if 

you  will  give  the  same."  "  I  do  not 
mean  that  either,"  was  the  reply.  No, 
it  is  neither  this  nor  that,  which  this 
class  of  objectors  exactly  mean  ;  but 
simply  to  veil  their  criminal  parsimonj^ 
by  excepting  against  the  proceedings  of 
liberal  men,  whom,  if  they  could  not 
condemn,  they  must,  for  very  shame> 
in  some  degree  imitate. 

(c)  THE  RECTOR  AND  THE 
POOR  BOY.— An  indigent  boy  applied 
for  alms  at  the  house  of  an  avaricious 


BENEVOLENCE  MISDIRECTED. 


4§,  49 


rector,  and  received  a  dry  mouldy  crust. 
The  recior  inquired  of  the  boy  if  he 
could  say  the  Lord's  Prayer,  and  was 
answered  in  the  negative.  •'  Then," 
said  the  rector,  "  I  will  teach  you  that.'" 
^'  Our  Father  !"— "  Our  Father  !"  said 
the  boy,  "  is  he  my  Father  as  well  as 
yours  V^  '"  Yes,  certainly."  "Then," 
replied  the  boy,  "  how  could  you  give 
your  poor  brother  this  mouldy  crust  of 
bread  r' 

(d)  FEELING  IN  THE  WRONG 
PLACE. — A  plain,  good-hearted,  mat- 
ter-of-fact kind  of  man,  who  understood 
that  a  poor  woman  and  her  family  were 
reduced  to  extreme  distress  by  the  loss 
of  a  cow,  which  was  their  principal 
support,  generously  went  round  among 
his  neighbors  to  solicit  that  aid  which 
he  was  unable  to  give  himself.  He 
told  a  plain,  simple,  and  pathetic  tale, 
and  received  from  each  a  very  liberal 
donation  of  regret,  sorrow,  sympathy, 
<Scc.  But,  thought  he,  this  will  not  buy 
a  cow,  and  he  consequently  redoubled 
his  exertions,  and  to  the  same  effect. 
He  now  lost  all  patience,  and  after  being 
answered  as  usual  by  the  son  of  Midas, 
with  a  plentiful  shower  of  sympathetic 
feeling,  "  Oho,  yes,  I  don't  doubt  your 
feeling,  but  you  don't  feel  in  the  right 
place.^"  "  Oh,"  said  he,  "  I  feel  with 
all  my  heart  and  soul."  "  Yes,  yes," 
replied  the  solicitor,  "  I  don't  doubt  that 
either,  but  I  want  you  to  feel  in  your 
pocket" 

49.  Benevolence  Misdirected. 

{a)  BENEVOLENCE  OF  LAS 
CAS  AS. — One  of  the  most  benevolent 
men,  of  whom  history  gives  us  any  ac- 
count, was  Bartholomew  Las  Casas, 
bishop  of  Chiapa.  In  1502  he  accom- 
panied  Orando  to  H^ispaniola.  who  had 
been  commissioned  and  sent  out  as  the 
Spanish  governor  to  that  island.  He 
■'.here  witnessed,  with  all  the  pain  of  a 
naturally  benevolent  heart,  the  cruel 
treatment  which  was  experienced  by 
the  native  inhabitants  ;  the  deprivation 
of  their  personal  rights,  tlie  seizure  of 


their  lands,  their  severe  toil  and  inexor- 
able punishment.  He  was  deeply  af- 
fected ;  and  from  that  time  devoted  the 
whole  of  his  subsequent  life,  a  period 
of  more  than  sixty  years,  to  exertions 
in  their  behalf.  Under  the  impulse  of 
a  most  unquestionable  benevolence,  this 
good  man  recommended  to  Cardinal 
Ximenes,  who  was  at  that  time  head  of 
Spanish,  affairs,  the  introduction  of  negro 
slaves  into  the  West  India  islands,  as 
one  of  the  best  modes  to  relieve  the  na- 
tive inhabitants. 

The  measures  of  Las  Casas,  which 
tended  to  introduce  enslaved  Africans 
into  the  Spanish  islands,  were  the  re- 
sults, beyond  all  question,  of  an  exalted 
benevolence  ;  but  how  wofully  misdi- 
rected was  such  a  benevolence  !  The 
injury  done  by  it  no  human  mind  can 
compute. 

(b)  DR.  GOLDSMITH  AND  THE 
BEGGAR. — A  common  female  beggar 
once  asked  alms  of  Dr.  Goldsmith  as  he 
walked  with  his  friend  up  Fleet-street. 
He  generously  gave  her  a  shilling. 
His  companion,  who  knew  something  of 
the  woman,  censured  the  bard  for  ex- 
cess of  humanity,  adding,  that  the  shil- 
ling was  much  misapplied,  for  she  would 
spend  it  in  liquor.  "  If  it  makes  her 
happy  in  any  way,"  replied  the  doc- 
tor, "  my  end  is  answered."  The  doc- 
tor's humanity  was  not  always  regu- 
lated by  discretion.  Being  once  much 
pressed  by  his  tailor  for  a  bill  of  forty 
pounds,  a  day  was  fixed  for  payment. 
Goldsmith  procured  the  money  ;  but 
Mr.  Glover  calling  on  him,  and  relat- 
ing a  piteous  tale  of  his  goods  being 
seized  for  rent,  the  thoughtless,  but  be- 
nevolent doctor  gave  him  the  whole  of 
the  money.  The  tailor  called,  and  was 
told,  that  if  he  had  come  a  little  sooner 
he  would  have  received  the  money,  but 
he  had  just  parted  with  every  shilling 
of  it  to  a  friend  in  distress,  adding,  "  I 
should  have  been  an  unfeeling  monster 
not  to  have  relieved  distress  when  in 
my  power."  That  is  no  true  benevo- 
lence which  leads  a  man  to  be  unjust. 


119 


50,51 


BEREAVEMENTS. 


BEREAVEMENTS. 


50.  The  Bereaved  Comforted. 

(a)  LEGH  RICHMOND'S  MOTH- 
ER.— My  mother,  says  the  Rev.  Legh 
Richmond,  had  six  children ;  three  of 
whom  died  in  infancy.  A  very  af- 
fecting circumstance  accompanied  the 
death  of  one  of  them,  w^hich  was  a  se- 
vere trial  to  her  maternal  feelings.  Her 
then  youngest  child,  a  sweet  little  boy, 
only  just  two  years  old,  through  the 
carelessness  of  his  nurse,  fell  from  a 
bedroom  window  upon  the  pavement 
beneath.  I  was  at  that  time  six  years 
of  age,  and  happened  to  be  walking  up- 
on the  very  spot  when  the  distressing 
event  occurred.  I  was,  therefore,  the 
first  to  take  him  up.  I  delivered  into  our 
agonized  mother's  arms  the  poor  little 
sufferer.  The  head  was  fractured,  and 
he  survived  the  fall  only  about  thirty 
hours.  I  still  preserve  a  very  lively 
and  distinct  remembrance  of  the  strug- 
gle  between  the  natural  feelings  of  the 
mother,  and  the  spiritual  resignation  of 
the  Christian.  She  passed  the  interval 
of  suspense  in  almost  continual  prayer, 
and  found  God  a  present  help  in  time 
of  trouble.  Frequently  during  that  day 
did  she  retire  with  me  ;  and,  as  I  knelt 
beside  her,  she  uttered  the  feelings  and 
desires  of  her  heart  to  God.  I  remem- 
ber her  saying,  "  If  I  cease  praying  for 
five  minutes,  I  am  ready  to  sink  under 
this  unlooked-for  distress ;  but,  when  1 
pray,  God  comforts  and  upholds  me  : 
his  will,  not  mine,  be  done."  Once  she 
said,  "  Help  me  to  pray,  my  child : 
Christ  suffers  little  children  to  come  to 
him,  and  forbids  them  not :  say  some- 
thing." "  What  shall  1  say,  mamma  ? 
Shall  I  fetch  a  book?"  "Not  now," 
she  replied ;  "  speak  from  your  heart, 
and  ask  God  that  we  may  be  reconciled 
to  his  will  and  bear  this  trial  with  pa- 
tience." 

{b)  SUPPORT  FROM  THE  CROSS. 
— Dr.  Grosvenor's  first  wife  was  a  most 
devout  and  amiable  woman.  The  Sab- 
bath after  her  death,  the  doctor  ex- 
pressed himself  from  the  pulpit  in  the 
following  manner :  "  I  have  had  an  irre- 
120 


parable  loss ;  and  no  man  can  feel  a  loss 
of  this  consequence  more  sensibly  than 
myself;  but  the  cross  of  a  dying  Jesus 
is  my  support :  I  fly  from  one  death  for 
refuge  to  another. "  How  much  superior 
was  the  comfort  of  the  Christian  divine 
to  that  of  the  heathen  philosopher,  Pliny 
the  younger,  who  says,  that,  in  similar 
distresses,  study  was  his  only  relief. 

(c)  A  LOSS  MADE  GOOD.— Mr. 
Patrick  Macwarth,  who  lived  in  the 
West  of  Scotland,  whose  heart  the  Lord, 
in  a  remarkable  way,  opened,  was,  af- 
ter his  conversion,  in  such  a  frame,  so 
affected  with  the  discoveries  of  the  love 
of  God,  and  of  the  blessedness  of  the 
life  to  come,  that  for  some  months  to- 
gether he  seldom  slept,  being  so  ta- 
ken up  in  wondering  at  the  kindness 
of  his  Redeemer.  His  life  was  dis- 
tinguished for  tenderness  of  walk,  and 
near  communion  with  God.  One  day, 
afler  the  death  of  his  son,  who  was  sud- 
denly taken  away,  he  retired  alone  for 
several  hours,  and  afterwards  appeared 
so  remarkably  cheerful,  that  inquiry 
was  made  why  he  looked  so  cheerful  in 
a  time  of  such  affliction.  He  replied^ 
'  He  had  got  that  in  his  retirement  with 
the  Lord,  which,  to  have  it  afterwards 
renewed,  he  would  gladly  lose  a  son 
every  day.' 

51.  The  Bereaved  Converted. 

(a)  An  impenitent  man  in  Boston  was 
bereaved  of  a  little  son.  He  felt  the 
stroke  severely,  and  his  attention  was 
called  up  to  the  subject  of  religion.  But 
his  grief  at  length  subsided,  and  serious 
impressions  wore  off.  Ere  long  God 
took  away  another  little  boy  from  him. 
His  convictions  were  renewed  with  his 
sorrows,  and  he  sought  and  found  com- 
fort in  Christ. 

Speaking  of  his  experience  in  a  con- 
ference and  prayer-meeting,  he  sweetly 
said,  "  God  in  taking  away  my  son,  re- 
vealed to  me  his  own  Son,  a  thousand 
times  more  precious  than  my  own." 

(b)  THE  YOUTH'S  RECOVERY. 
— A  pious  clergyman  once  related  the 


THE  BEREAVED  CONVERTED. 


51 


following  fact: — When  travelling  on 
horseback  along  a  solitary  track,  in  one 
of  the  back  settlements  of  America,  he 
overtook  a  stranger,  an  Englishman, 
and  delighted  with  meeting  a  fellow- 
countryman  in  so  unusual  a  spot,  joined 
him  and  entered  into  conversation. 

My  companion,  says  the  narrator, 
made  frequent  allusions  to  his  early 
history,  and  at  last,  in  answer  to  my 
inquiries,  gave  me  the  following  ac- 
count : — 

"I  was  the  only  son  of  religious 
parents,  who  anxiously  watched  over 
my  expanding  mind,  and  directed  me  to 
the  God  of  my  fathers.  My  feelings 
were  naturally  strong,  and  often  as  I 
listened  to  the  fond  and  pious  instruc- 
tions of  my  mother,  or  heard  a  father's 
prayers  ascend  to  heaven  on  my  behalf, 
I  felt  more,  far  more  than  I  could  express. 

"  My  own  inclinations  and  the  wishes 
of  my  parents,  eventually  induced  me 
to  adopt  the  profession  of  a  surgeon. 
Never  shall  I  forget  the  evening  before 
my  departure  for  town  to  enter  on  my 
preparatory  studies  ;  never  can  I  lose 
the  remembrance  of  my  father's  affec- 
tionate words  that  evening,  almost  the 
last  I  ever  heard  from  his  lips.  '  You 
are  about  to  leave  me,  my  dear  child,' 
he  said,  with  his  eyes  filled  with  1ears. 
'  You  are  about  to  go  into  the  midst  of 
temptations,  but  He  who  has  watched 
over  you  hitherto,  can  still  preserve  you. 
I  have  committed  you  to  his  care,  and 
He  is  able  to  keep  what  I  have  commit- 
ted unto  him.  Never  neglect,'  added 
he,  as  he  presented  me  with  a  pocket 
Bible,  '  never  neglect  this  blessed  book.' 
I  went  up  to  London,  entered  with  avi- 
dity upon  the  course  of  studies  which 
were  to  fit  me  for  my  profession,  and  for 
a  while  daily,  and  even  almost  hourly, 
thought  of  my  father's  advice,  and  re- 
solved to  follow  it.  But  I  was  surround- 
ed by  infidel  fellow-students,  who  ridi- 
culed religion,  despised  its  precepts,  and 
while  they  flattered  me  by  compliment- 
ing my  intellectual  powers,  regretted 
that  I  should  be  a  slave  to  such  antiqua- 
ted, puritanical  notions.  At  first  I  en- 
deavored by  argument  to  defend  my 
views,  and  prove  the  authenticity  of  the 
sacred  writings  ;  but  I  could  not  with- 
stand their  continued  raillery,  and  was 


at  last  silent  when  they  touched  on  the 
subject.  This  was  my  first  backward 
step.  I  was  ashamed  of  my  Lord,  and 
he  justly  gave  me  up  to  be  filled  with 
my  own  ways. 

"  I  became  exceedingly  profligate,  and 
often  made  even  my  tlioughtless  com- 
panions shudder  at  the  depth  of  my  im- 
piety. We  had  formed  among  our- 
selves a  select  literary  society,  in  which 
I  was  giving  a  course  of  lectures  on  the 
different  departments  of  natural  history, 
with  the  expressed  intention  of  proving 
from  them  the  awful  doctrines  of  mate- 
rialism ;  when,  one  evening,  at  one  of 
our  weekly  meetings,  a  hurried  note 
was  handed  to  me,  telling  me,  if  I  ever 
wished  to  see  my  father  again,  I  must 
proceed  home  without  delay.  I  depart- 
ed immediately  by  the  most  rapid  con- 
veyance, but  the  next  day  and  night 
elapsed  before  I  reached  the  end  of  my 
journey.  As  I  rushed  in,  the  first 
glance  told  me  my  mother  was  a  widow, 
and  I  was  fatherless.  It  would  be  be- 
yond the  power  of  language  to  express 
my  agony.  In  spite  of  the  entreaties  of 
my  mother,  disregarding  the  absolute 
commands  of  the  physician,  (for  the  dis- 
ease which  had  carried  off  my  beloved 
parent  was  infectious,)  I  flew  to  his 
apartment,  and  throwing  myself  on  the 
corpse,  I,  for  the  first  time,  found  relief 
in  tears.  But  it  was  but  for  a  moment. 
The  anxiety  of  the  preceding  hours  of 
suspense — the  dreadful  certainty  that 
had  awaited  me — the  horror  and  re- 
morse that  now  filled  my  awakened  con- 
science, overwhelmed  me.  I  was  car- 
ried in  a  swoon  from  the  scene  of  sor- 
row ;  the  next  morning  found  me  con- 
fined to  a  bed  of  sickness,  in  a  state  of 
delirium,  caused  by  a  burning  fever. 
For  three  long  weeks  did  my  mother 
watch  over  me,  fearing  each  day  would 
find  her  doubly  bereft,  when  the  crisis 
of  the  disorder  passed,  and  I  slowly  re- 
covered. Who  can  describe  the  gnaw- 
ing of  an  awakened  conscience,  the  re- 
morse for  my  disobedience  to  my  lost 
father,  which,  like  the  worm  that  never 
dies,  preyed  on,  and  engrossed  my 
mind !  In  the  silence  of  a  sick  chamber, 
the  whole  courseof  my  backslidings  re- 
turned to  my  recollection,  and  filled  mo 
with  despair ;  but 

121 


&^ 


BEREAVEMENTS. 


*  God  passed  in  mercy  by, 
(His  praise  be  ever  new,)  and  bade  me  live.' 

"  That  Bible  which  I  had  so  long  de- 
spised, and  which  now  seemed  only 
filled  with  denunciations  of  wrath  and 
righteous  vengeance,  was,  under  the  in- 
fluences of  the  blessed  Spirit,  opened  to 
the  eyes  of  nny  understanding,  as  reveal- 
ing a  Saviour  for  the  chief  of  offenders. 
I  was  enabled  to  flee  for  refuge  to  the 
hope  set  before  me  in  the  gospel,  and  to 


cry, 


God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner.' 


(c)  THE  ORPHAN  SAILOR.— 
After  an  absence  of  several  years  an 
American  sailor,  profane  and  wicked, 
returned  to  his  native  land,  and  sought 
his  widowed  mother's  residence.  He 
knocked,  but  no  one  bade  him  enter. 
He  called,  but  no  answer  was  returned 
save  the  echo  of  his  own  voice.  It 
seemed  like  knocking  at  the  door  of  a 
tomb.  The  nearest  neighbor  hearing 
the  noise,  came  and  found  the  youth 
sitting  and  sobbing  on  the  steps  of  the 
door.  "  Where,"  cried  he  with  eager- 
ness, "  where  is  my  mother  and  my 
brother  ?     Oh,  I  hope  they  are  not" — 

"If,"  said  the    stranger,    "you   in- 

quire  for  Widow ,  I  can  only  pity 

you.  I  have  known  her  but  a  short 
time ;  but  she  was  the  best  woman  I 
ever  knew.  Her  little  boy  died  of  a 
fever  a  year  ago,  and  in  consequence  of 
fatigue  in  taking  care  of  him,  and  anxiety 
for  a  long  absent  son  at  sea,  the  good 
widow  herself  was  buried  yesterday." 

"  O,  heavens !"  cried  the  youth, 
"have  I  staid  just  long  enough  to  kill 
my  mother  !  Wretch  that  I  am — show 
me  the  grave — I  have  a  dagger  in  my 
bundle — let  me  die  with  my  mother — 
my  poor,  broken-hearted  parent !" 

"  Hold,  friend  !"  said  the  astonished 
neighbor,  "  if  you  are  this  woman's 
eldest  son,  I  have  a  letter  for  you, 
which  she  wrote  a  few  days  before  she 
died,  and  desired  that  you  might  re- 
ceive it  should  you  ever  return." 

They  both  turned  from  the  cottage, 
and  went  to  the  house  of  the  neighbor. 
A  light  being  procured,  the  young  man 
threw  down  his  bundle  and  hat,  and 
Tead  the  following  short  letter,  while  his 
manly  cheeks  were  covered  with  tears. 

"  My  Dearest,  only  Son. — When 
this  reaches  you,  I  shall  be  no  more. 
122 


Your  little  brother  has  gone  before  me. 
and  I  cannot  but  hope  and  believe  that 
he  was  prepared.  I  had  fondly  hoped 
that  I  should  once  more  have  seen  you 
on  the  shores  of  mortality ;  but  this 
hope  is  now  relinquished.  I  have  fol- 
lowed you  by  my  prayers  through  all 
your  wanderings.  Often,  while  you 
little  suspected  it,  even  in  the  dark  cold 
nights  in  winter,  have  I  knelt  for  my 
lost  son.  There  is  but  one  thing  that 
gives  me  pain  at  dying ;  and  that  is, 
my  dear  William,  that  I  must  leave 
you  in  this  wicked  world,  as  I  fear, 
unreconciled  to  your  Maker.  I  am 
too  feeble  to  say  more.  My  glass  is 
run.  As  you  visit  the  sods  which  cov- 
er my  dust,  Oh,  remember  that  you  too 
must  soon  follow.  Farewell !  The 
last  breath  of  your  mother  will  be  spent 
in  praying  for  you,  that  we  may  meet 
above." 

The  young  man's  heart  was  melted, 
on  reading  these  few  words  from  the 
parent  whom  he  so  tenderly  loved  ;  and 
this  letter  was  the  means,  in  the  hands 
of  God,  of  bringing  this  youth  to  a  sav- 
ing knowledge  of  the  truth  "  as  it  is  in 
Jesus,"  and  he  became  a  very  respect- 
able and  pious  man. 

§2.  The  Bereaved  Rebuked. 

(a)  LADY  RAFFLES  AND  THE 
NURSE.— One  day  when  Lady  Raf- 
fles, while  in  India,  was  ah-nost  over- 
whelmed with  grief  for  the  loss  of  a 
favorite  child,  unable  to  bear  the  sight 
of  her  other  children,  or  the  light  of 
day,  and  humbled  on  her  couch  with  a 
feeling  of  misery,  she  was  addressed  by 
a  poor,  ignorant,  native  woman,  of  the 
lowest  class,  who  had  been  employed 
about  the  nursery,  in  terms  not  to  be 
forgotten  : — "  I  am  come,  because  you 
have  been  here  many  days  shut  up  in 
a  dark  room,  and  no  one  dares  to  come 
near  you.  Are  you  not  ashamed  to 
grieve  in  this  manner,  when  you  ought 
to  be  thanking  God  for  having  given 
you  the  most  beautiful  child  that  ever 
was  seen  ?  Were  you  not  the  envy 
of  every  body  ?  Did  any  one  ever  see 
him  or  speak  of  him  without  admiring 
him  ?  And  instead  of  letting  this  child 
continue  in  this  world  till  he  should  be 


HISTORICAL  FACTS. 


53 


worn  out  with  trouble  and  sorrow,  has 
not  God  taken  him  to  heaven  in  all  his 
beauty  ?  For  shame  ! — leave  off  weep- 
ing, and  let  me  open  a  window." 

(b)  THE  WIDOW  REPROVED.— 
Ebenezer  Adams,  an  eminent  member 
of  the  Society  of  Friends,  on  visiting  a 
lady  of  rank,  whom  he  found,  six 
months  after  the  death  of  her  husband, 
on  a  sofa  covered  with  black  cloth,  and 


in  all  the  dignity  of  woe,  approached 
her  with  great  solemnity,  and  gently 
taking  her  by  the  hand,  thus  addressed 
her  : — "  So,  friend,  I  see  then  thou  hast 
not  yet  forgiven  God  Almighty."  This 
reproof  had  so  great  an  effect  on  the 
lady  that  she  immediately  laid  aside  the 
symbols  of  grief,  and  again  entered  on 
the  important  duties  of  life. 


BIBLE. 


&l  Historiclal  Facts. 

(a)  THE  VENERABLE  BEDE.— 

In  the  eighth  century,  a  translation  of 
the  Gospel  of  St.  John  was  completed  in 
the  Anglo-Saxon  language,  by  the  vene- 
rable Bede,  who  was  the  ornament  of 
the  age  and  country  in  which  he  lived. 
Referring  to  the  time  of  his  education, 
he  says,  "  From  that  period  I  have  ap- 
plied myself  wholly  to  the  study  of  the 
Holy  Scriptures ;  and  in  the  intervals 
of  the  observance  of  regular  discipline, 
always  found  it  sweet  to  be  either  learn- 
ing, teaching,  or  writing." 

The  circumstances  of  his  death,  as  de- 
scribed by  one  of  his  pupils,  are  interest- 
ing : — "  Many  nights  he  passed  without 
sleep,  yet  rejoicing  and  giving  thanks, 
unless  when  a  little  slumber  intervened. 
When  he  awoke,  he  resumed  his  ac- 
customed devotions,  and,  with  expanded 
hands,  never  ceased  returning  thanks  to 
God.  By  turns,"  observes  his  pupil, 
"  we  read,  and  by  turns  we  wept ;  in- 
deed,  we  always  read  in  tears.  In  such 
solemn  joy,  we  passed  fifty  days ;  but, 
during  these  days,  besides  the  daily  lec- 
tures which  he  gave,  he  endeavored  to 
compose  two  works  ;  one  of  which  was 
a  translation  of  St.  John's  Gospel  into 
English.  It  had  been  observed  of  him, 
that  he  never  knew  what  it  was  to  do 
nothing  ;  and,  after  his  breathing  be- 
came still  shorter,  he  dictated  cheerfully, 
and  sometimes  said,  '  Make  haste  ;  I 
know  not  how  long  I  shall  hold  out ;  my 
Maker  may  take  me  away  very  soon.' 
On  one  occasion,  a  pupil  said  to  him, 
*  Most  dear  master,  there  is  yet  one 
chapter  wanting ;  do  you  think  it  trouble- 


some to  be  asked  any  more  questions  V 
He  answered,  '  It  is  no  trouble  ;  take 
your  pen,  and  write  fast.'  He  conti- 
nued to  converse  cheerfully,  and  whilst 
his  friends  wept,  as  he  told  them  they 
would  see  him  no  more,  they  rejoiced  to 
hear  him  say,  '  It  is  now  time  for  me  to 
return  to  Him  who  made  me.  The 
time  of  my  dissolution  draws  near.  I 
desire  to  be  dissolved,  and  to  be  with 
Christ.  Yes,  my  soul  desires  to  see 
Christ,  my  King,  in  his  beauty.'  The 
pupil,  before  mentioned,  said  to  him, 
'  Dear  master,  one  sentence  is  still  want- 
ing.' '  He  replied,  '  Write  quickly.' 
The  young  man  soon  added,  '  It  is 
finished  !'  He  answered,  '  Thou  hast 
well  said ;  all  is  now  finished  !  Hold 
my  head  with  thy  hands :  I  shall  de- 
light to  sit  at  the  opposite  side  of  the 
room,  on  the  holy  spot  at  which  I  have 
been  accustomed  to  pray,  and  where, 
whilst  sitting,  I  can  invoke  my  Father.' 
Being  placed  on  the  floor  of  his  little 
room,  he  sang,  '  Glory  be  to  the  Father, 
and  to  the  Son,  and  to  the  Holy  Ghost,' 
and  expired  as  he  uttered  the  last 
words." 

A  copy  of  some  of  St.  Paul's  Epistles, 
said  to  be  in  the  handwriting  of  this 
venerable  man,  is  preserved  in  the 
library  of  Trinitv  Collesfe,  Cambridge. 

(b)  THE  BIBLE  iPROHIBITED. 
— In  the  reign  of  Henry  V.,  a  law  was 
passed  against  the  perusal  of  the  Bible 
in  English.  It  was  enacted,  •'  That 
whosoever  they  were  that  should  read 
the  Scriptures  in  the  mother  tongue, 
they  should  forfeit  lande,  catel,  lif,  and 
godes,  from  theyre  heyers  for  ever  ;  and 
so  be  condemned  for  heretykes  to  God, 
123 


53 


BIBLE. 


enemies  to  the  crowne,  and  most  arrant 
traitors  to  the  lande." 

(c)  HIGH  PRICES  OF  BIBLES. 
— Of"  VV.  de  Howton,  abbot  of  Croxton, 
it  is  stated,  that  he  bequeathed  to  the 
abbey  at  his  death,  in  1274,  "  a  Bible, 
in  nine  tomes,  faire  written,  and  excel- 
lently well  glossed  by  Solomon,  arch- 
deacon of  Leicester,  and  paid  for  it  fifty 
markes  sterling,"  or  SSL  6s.  &d.  And 
in  a  valuation  of  books,  bequeathed  to 
Merton  College,  at  Oxford,  before  the 
year  li^OO,  a  Psalter  with  glosses,  or 
marginal  annotations,  is  valued  at  ten 
shillings ;  and  St.  Austin,  on  Genesis, 
and  a  Concord antia,  or  Harmony,  are 
each  valued  at  the  same  price.  Let  it 
be  remembered,  that  these  sums  should 
be  multiplied  by  fifteen,  to  bring  them 
to  the  present  value  of  money  ;  and,  in 
some  instances,  the  comparative  value 
would  be  still  too  low,  as  in  the  instance 
of  the  laboring  men,  whose  pay,  in  1272, 
was  only  three  halfpence  per  day,  and 
who  must  therefore  have  devoted  the 
earnings  of  fourteen  or  fifteen  years  to 
the  purchase  of  a  Bible.  Whitaker,  in 
his  "  History  of  Craven,"  affords  the  ad- 
ditional information,  "  that  towards  the 
close  of  the  thirteenth,  and  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  fourteenth  century, 
the  average  wages  of  a  man-servant, 
with  meat  and  clothing,  were  only  from 
three  to  five  shillings  per  annum  ;  that 
reapers  were  paid  twopence  a  day  ;  and 
a  sheep  sold  for  a  shilling ;  and  thirty 
quarters  of  fossil-coal,  for  seventeen 
shillings  andsix  pence."  Madox,  in  his 
"  History  of  the  Exchequer,"  says,  that 
in  1240,  "  the  building  of  two  arches  of 
London  Bridge,  cost  only  twenty-five 
pounds;"  eight  pounds  less  than  the 
Bible  bequeathed  to  the  abbey  of  Crox- 
ton, by  abbot  W.  de  Howton. 

(d)  LOAN  OF  A  BIBLE.— In  1299, 
the  bishop  of  Winchester  borrowed  a 
Bible,  in  two  volumes  folio,  from  a  con- 
vent in  that  city,  giving  a  bond,  drawn 
up  in  a  most  formal  and  solemn  manner, 
for  its  due  return.  This  Bible  had  been 
given  to  the  convent  by  a  former  bishop, 
and  in  consideration  of  this  gift,  and  one 
hundred  marks,  the  monk  founded  a 
daily  mass  for  the  soul  of  the  donor. 

(e)  THE  DEVIL  AND  DR.  FAUS- 
TUS. — Fust  (or  Faustus)  having  print- 


ed off  a  considerable  number  of  copies 
of  the  Bible,  to  imitate  those  which  were 
commonly  sold  in  manuscript,  under- 
took the  sale  of  them  at  Paris,  where  the 
art  of  printing  was  then  unknown.  As 
he  sold  his  printed  copies  for  sixty 
crowns,  while  the  scribes  demanded 
five  hundred,  this  created  universal  as- 
tonishment ;  but  when  he  produced  co- 
pies as  fast  as  they  were  wanted,  and 
also  lowered  his  price  to  thirty  crov/ns, 
all  Paris  was  agitated.  The  uniformity 
of  the  copies  increased  the  wonder.  In- 
formations were  given  to  the  magistrates 
against  him  as  a  magician ;  his  lodg- 
ings were  searched  ;  and  a  great  num- 
ber of  copies  being  found,  they  were 
seized.  The  red  ink,  with  which  they 
were  embellished,  was  said  to  be  his 
blood.  It  was  seriously  adjudged,  that 
he  was  in  league  with  the  devil ;  but, 
on  discovering  his  art,  the  parliament  of 
Paris  passed  an  act  to  discharge  him 
from  all  persecution,  in  consideration 
of  his  useful  invention. 

(/)  IGNORANCE  OF  PRIESTS. 
— It  is  very  affecting  to  contemplate  the 
ignorance  which  existed  in  Europe  be- 
fore printing  was  introduced.  Stepha- 
nus  relates  an  anecdote  of  a  certain 
doctor  of  the  Sorbonne,  who,  speaking 
of  the  reformers,  expressed  his  surprise 
at  their  mode  of  reasoning,  by  exclaim- 
ing, "  I  wonder  why  these  youths  are 
constantly  quoting  the  New  Testament ! 
I  was  more  than  fifty  years  old  before 
I  knew  any  thing  of  a  New  Testament." 
And  Albert,  archbishop  and  elector  of 
Mentz,  in  the  year  1530,  accidentally 
meeting  with  a  Bible,  opened  it,  and 
having  read  some  pages,  observed,  "  In- 
deed I  do  not  know  what  this  book  is, 
but  this^I  see,  that  every  thing  in  it  is 
agamst  us."  Even  Carolastadius,  who 
was  afterwards  one  of  the  reformers,  ac- 
knowledged that  he  never  began  to  read 
the  Bible  till  eight  years  after  he  had 
taken  his  highest^  degree  in  divinity. 
Many  other  equally  striking  facts  might 
be  introduced,  illustrative  of  the  igno- 
rance of  the  Scriptures  which  prevailed 
at  that  time. 

(g)  LUTHER'S  DISCOVERY.— In 
the  year  1507,  in  the  twenty- fourth 
year  of  his  age,  Luther  entered  into 
orders,   and  celebrated  his  first  mass. 


HISTORICAL  FACTS. 


•u 


In  the  same  year  he  found,  in  the  li- 
brary of  his  monastery,  a  Latin  copy 
of  the  Bible,  which  he  eagerly  read, 
and  soon  became  aware  that  many  parts 
of  it  had  been  kept  from  the  people. 
This  was  the  commencement  of  his  use- 
fulness. What  a  contrast  do  those  days 
present  to  ours  !  If  any  are  now  with- 
out a  Bible,  it  must  be  their  own  fault ; 
but  then  it  was  impossible  to  obtain  one, 
or  to  ascertain  the  nature  and  tendency 
of  its  blessed  truths. 

(h)  PRIESTLY  TERROR.— The 
ignorance  which  prevailed  in  reference 
to  the  Scriptures  when  Luther  was 
raised  up  of  God  to  reform  the  church, 
in  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury, was  indeed  surprising.  Conrad, 
of  Heresbach,  a  grave  author  of  that 
age,  relates  a  fact  of  a  monk  saying  to 
his  companions,  "  They  have  invented  a 
new  language,  which  they  call  Greek : 
you  must  be  carefully  on  your  guard 
against  it ;  it  is  the  matter  of  all  heresy. 
I  observe  in  the  hands  of  many  persons 
a  book  written  in  that  language,  and 
which  they  call  the  New  Testament : 
it  is  a  book  full  of  daggers  and  poison. 
As  to  the  Hebrew,  my  brethren,  it  is 
certain,  that  whoever  learns  it  becomes 
immediately  a  Jew." 

(?:)  INCREASE  OF  BIBLES.— 
Tindal,  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for 
the  first  translation  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment into  English,  printed  it  abroad ; 
and  on  its  making  its  appearance  in 
England,  the  Popish  bishops  and  clergy 
obtained,  in  the  year  1527,  a  royal 
proclamation,  prohibiting  the  purchase 
or  reading  of  it.  This  proclamation 
only  excited  the  public  curiosity,  and 
led  to  an  increased  inquiry  after  the 
forbidden  book.  One  step  which  was 
taken  to  prevent  the  circulation  of  this 
edition  of  the  Scriptures,  at  once  shows 
the  hand  of  God  in  extending  his  truth, 
and  furnishes  an  amusing  proof  of  the 
folly  of  man  in  opposing  the  truth  of 
God.  The  Bishop  of  London  employed 
a  person  to  purchase  the  whole  impres- 
sion of  Tindal's  version  of  the  New 
Testament,  that  he  might  burn  them  at 
St.  Paul's  Cross.  By  this  means  the 
Reformer  was  enabled  to  publish  a 
large  and  more  correct  edition,  "  so 
that  they  came  over,"  says  Fox,  "  thick 


and  threefold  into  England,  to  the  great 
mortification  of  the  Bishop  and  his  Po- 
pish friends." 

Of  this  purchase  the  following  fact  is 
related  : — Sir  Thomas  More,  being  lord 
chancellor,  and  having  several  persons 
accused  of  heresy  and  ready  for  execu- 
tion, offered  to  compound  with  one  of 
them,  named  George  Constantino,  for 
his  life,  upon  the  easy  terms  of  discov- 
ering to  him  who  they  were  in  London 
that  maintained  Tindal  beyond  the  sea. 
After  the  poor  man  had  obtained  as 
good  a  security  for  his  life  as  the  honor 
and  truth  of  the  chancellor  could  give, 
he  told  him  it  was  the  Bishop  of  London 
who  maintained  him  by  purchasing  the 
first  impressions  of  his  Testaments. 
The  chancellor  smiled,  and  said  he  be- 
lieved that  he  spoke  the  truth. 

(j)  CRANMER'S  BIBLE.— When 
Archbishop  Cranmer's  edition  of  the 
Bible  was  printed,  in  1538,  and  fixed 
to  a  desk  in  all  parochial  churches,  the 
ardor  with  which  men  flocked  to  read 
it  was  incredible.  They  who  could, 
procured  it ;  and  they  who  could  not, 
crowded  to  read  it,  or  to  hear  it  read  in 
churches,  where  it  was  common  to  see 
little  assemblies  of  mechanics  meeting 
together  for  that  purpose  after  the  labor 
of  the  day.  Many  even  learned  to  read 
in  their  old  age,  that  they  might  have 
the  pleasure  of  instructing  themselves 
from  the  Scriptures.  Mr.  Fox  mentions 
two  apprentices  who  joined  each  his 
little  stock,  and  bought  a  Bible,  which 
at  every  interval  of  leisure  they  read  ; 
but  being  afraid  of  their  master,  who 
was  a  zealous  papist,  they  kept  it  under 
the  straw  of  their  bed. 

(k)  PARLIAMENTARY  ENACT- 
MENTS.— At  the  request  of  the  Ro- 
mish clergy,  severe  proclamations  were 
issued  by  King  Henry  VIII.  against  all 
who  read,  or  kept  by  them,  Tindal's 
translation  of  the  New  Testament ;  so 
that  a  copy  of  this  book  found  in  the 
possession  of  any  person  was  sufficient 
to  convict  him  of  heresy,  and  subject 
him  to  the  flames.  "  But  the  fervent 
zeal  of  those  Christian  days,"  says  the 
good  old  martyrologist.  Fox,  "  seemed 
much  superior  to  these  our  days  and 
times,  as  manifestly  may  appear  by 
their  sitting  up  all  night  in  reading  oi 
125 


69 


BIBLE. 


hearing ;  also  by  their  expenses  and 
charges  in  buying  of  books  in  English, 
of  whom  some  gave  a  load  of  hay  for  a 
few  chapters  of  St.  James,  or  of  St.  Paul, 
in  English. 

In  1543,  an  act  of  parliament  was 
obtained  by  the  adversaries  of  transla- 
tions, condemning  Tindal's  Bible,  and 
the  prefaces  and  notes  of  all  other  edi- 
tions. It  was  therefore  enacted,  "  That 
no  woman,  except  noblewomen  and 
gentlewomen,  who  might  read  to  them- 
selves alone,  and  not  to  others,"  (and 
for  which  indulgence  they  were  indebt- 
ed to  Cranmer,)  "  nor  artificers,  'pren- 
tices, journeymen,  serving-men,  hus- 
bandmen, nor  laborers,  were  to  read  the 
Bible  or  New  Testament  in  English,  to 
themselves  or  to  any  others,  privately 
or  openly,  upon  pain  of  one  month's 
imprisonment." 

A  similar  act  was  also  passed  in 
1646,  prohibiting  Coverdale's  as  well 
as  Tindal's  Bible. 

(Z)  KING  EDWARD  AND  THE 
SWORDS.— In  the  dg^wning  of  the 
glorious  day  of  the  Reformation,  the 
Lord  raised  up  the  eminently  religious 
King  Edward  the  Sixth,  to  engage  in 
that  excellent  work.  He  had  a  very 
high  esteem  for  the  Holy  Scriptures, 
according  to  which  this  great  work  was 
to  be  squared,  and  which  had  been,  by 
the  enemies  and  murderers  of  souls, 
long  concealed  from  their  forefaihers. 
When,  therefore,  at  his  coronation,  the 
swords  were  delivered  to  him,  as  King 
of  England,  France,  and  Ireland  ;  hav- 
ing received  them,  he  said,  "  There  is 
yet  another  sword  to  be  delivered  to 
me ;"  at  which  the  lords  wondering, 
"  I  mean,"  said  he,  "  the  sacred  Bible, 
which  is  the  sword  of  the  Spirit,  and 
without  which  we  are  nothing,  neither 
can  we  do  any  thing."  And  as  he 
prized  the  word  of  God  himself,  so  he 
soon  restored  it  to  his  people  ;  and  that 
they  might  all  have  opportunity  to 
peruse  the  inspired  writings,  he  ordered 
a  large  Bible  in  English,  with  the  par- 
aphrase of  Erasmus  on  the  Gospels,  to 
be  set  up  in  every  church,  in  which, 
at  all  times,  those  that  could,  might  go 
and  read  ;  and  those  that  could  not  read, 
might  go  and  hear. 

126 


(m)  WILLIAMS  AND  THE 
WELSH  BIBLE.— Long  before  the 
establishment  of  Bible  Societies  the 
Rev.  Peter  Williams,  a  pious  distin- 
guished clergyman  of  Wales,  seeing 
that  his  countrymen  were  almost  en- 
tirely destitute  of  the  Bible,  and  know- 
ing that  the  work  of  the  Lord  could  not 
prosper  without  it,  undertook  with  holy 
confidence,  though  destitute  of  the  means, 
to  translate  and  publish  a  Welsh  Bible 
for  his  countrymen.  Having  expended 
all  his  living,  and  being  deeply  involved 
in  debt,  with  the  work  unfinished,  he 
expected  every  hour  to  be  arrested  and 
imprisoned,  without  the  means  or  hope 
of  release.  One  morning  he  had  taken 
an  affectionate  leave  of  his  family  for 
the  purpose  of  pursuing  his  pious  la- 
bors, with  an  expectation  that  he  should 
not  be  permitted  to  return.  When  just 
as  he  was  mounting  his  horse  a  stranger 
rode  up  and  presented  him  a  letter. 
He  stopped  and  opened  it,  and  found  to 
his  astonishment  that  it  contained  infor- 
mation that  a  lady  had  bequeathed  him 
a  legacy  of  £300  sterling.  "  Now," 
says  he,  "  my  dear  wife,  1  can  finish 
my  Bible,  pay  my  debts,  and  live  in 
peace  at  home." 

(n)  THE  CZAR  AND  THE 
PSALM. — When  Alexander,  emperor 
of  Russia,  came  to  the  throne,  few 
Bibles  were  found  in  his  empire,  and 
great  carelessness  in  reference  to  reli- 
gion almost  universally  prevailed.  A 
high  place  in  the  church  soon  became 
vacant,  and  the  emperor  appointed  his 
favorite  prince  Galitzin  to  fill  it.  He 
at  first  declined  the  appointment,  on  the 
plea  of  his  entire  ignorance  of  religion, 
but  the  emperor  overruled  the  objection 
as  of  no  weight.  The  prince,  on  his 
first  interview  with  the  venerable  arch- 
bishop PlatofF,  requested  him  to  point 
out  some  book  which  would  give  him 
a  concise  view  of  the  Christian  religion. 
The  archbishop,  rather  surprised  at  the 
prince's  professed  ignorance  of  religion, 
recommended  the  Bible.  The  prince 
said  he  could  not  think  of  reading  that 
book.  "  Well,"  replied  the  archbishop, 
"  that  is  the  only  book  there  is,  or  ever 
will  be,  that  can  give  you  a  correct 
view  of  the  Christian  religion."  "  Then 
I  must  remain  ignorant  of  it :  reading 


INSPIRATION  OF  THE  BIBLE. 


51 


the  Bible  is  out  of  the  question,"  was 
his  reply.  The  words,  however,  of  the 
venerable  PlatofF  remained  upon  his 
mind,  and  he  shortly  afterwards  pri- 
vately bought  and  read  the  Bible.  The 
effects  were  soon  visible.  He  was 
not  known  to  be  "  a  Bible  reader,"  but 
his  manners  were  treated  with  con- 
tempt. Nearly  every  one  was  now 
agitated  by  the  threatened  invasion  by 
the  French.  Galitzin  was  not  so.  His 
companions  were  astonished.  Was  he 
become  a  traitor  to  his  prince  ?  It  was 
impossible  ;  his  loyalty  was  undoubted. 
At  this  important  crisis,  he  thought  it 
his  duty  to  acquaint  the  emperor  with 
the  rock  on  which  he  rested  unmoved 
at  the  threatened  danger.  He  request- 
ed an  interview  ;  it  was  granted.  The 
invasion  was  naturally  the  first  subject 
of  conversation  ;  and  next,  as  closely 
connected  with  it,  the  prince's  conduct. 
The  emperor  demanded  upon  what 
principle  he  remained  calm  and  un- 
moved, in  the  midst  of  universal  alarm. 
The  prince  drew  from  his  pocket  a 
small  Bible,  and  held  it  toward  the 
emperor;  as  he  put  out  his  hand  to 
receive  it,  it  fell,  and  opened  at  the 
ninety-first  Psalm  :  "  He  that  dwelleth 
in  the  secret  place  of  the  Most  High, 
shall  abide  under  the  shadow  of  the 
Almighty."  "Oh  that  your  Majesty 
would  seek  this  retreat,"  said  the  prince, 
as  he  read  the  words  of  the  Psalm. 
They  separated.  A  day  was  appointed 
for  public  prayer.  The  minister  who 
preached,  took  for  his  subject  the  ninety- 
first  Psalm.  The  emperor,  surprised, 
inquired  of  the  prince  if  he  had  men- 
tioned the  circumstance  that  occurred 
at  the  interview.  He  assured  him  that 
he  had  not  named  it.  A  short  time 
after,  the  emperor  having  a  few  min- 
utes to  spare,  and  perhaps  feeling  the 
necessity  of  Christian  support,  sent  for 
his  cliaplain  to  read  the  Bible  to  him 
in  his  tent.  He  came,  and  began  the 
ninety-first  Psalm.  "  Hold,"  said  the 
emperor,  "  who  told  you  to  read  that  ?" 
"  God,"  replied  the  chaplain.  '•  How  ?" 
exclaimed  Alexander.  "  Surprised  at 
your  sending  for  me,"  continued  the 
chaplain,  "  1  fell  upon  my  knees  before 
God,  and  besought  him  to  teach  my 
weak  lips  what  to  speak.     I  felt  that 


part  of  the  holy  word  which  I  have  be- 
gun to  read  clearly  pointed  out  to  me. 
Why  your  majesty  interrupted  me  I 
know  not."  Tiie  result  was  a  great 
alteration  in  the  emperor's  conduct,  and 
the  manifestation  of  great  zeal  in  the 
circulation  of  the  Scriptures. 

U,  Inspiration  of  tlie  Bible. 

(a)  WHERE  DID  HE  GET  THAT 

LAW  ? — In  a  city  in  one  of  the  north- 
ern states  lived  a  lawyer  of  eminence 
and  talents.  He  was  notoriously  pro- 
fane. He  had  a  negro  boy,  at  whom 
his  neighbors  used  to  hear  him  swear 
with  awful  violence.  One  day  this 
gentleman  met  an  elder  of  the  Presby- 
terian church,  who  was  also  a  lawyer, 
and  said  to  him,  "  I  wish,  sir,  to  ex- 
amine into  the  truth  of  the  Christian 
religion.  What  books  would  you  ad- 
vise me  to  read  on  the  evidences  of 
Christianity  ?" 

The  elder,  surprised  at  the  inquiry, 
replied  :  "  That  is  a  question,  sir,  which 
you  ought  to  have  settled  long  ago. 
You  ought  not  to  have  put  off  a  subject 
so  important  to  this  late  period  of  life." 

"It  is  too  late,"  said  the  inquirer. 
"  I  never  knew  much  about  it,  but  I 
always  supposed  that  Christianity  was 
rejected  by  the  great  majority  of  learn- 
ed men.  I  intend,  however,  now  to 
examine  the  subject  thoroughly  myself. 
I  have  upon  me,  as  my  physician  says, 
a  mortal  disease,  under  which  I  may 
live  a  year  and  a  half  or  two  years,  but 
not  probably  longer.  What  books,  sir, 
would  you  advise  me  to  read  ?" 

"  The  Bible,"  said  the  elder. 

"  I  believe  you  don't  understand  me," 
resumed  the  unbeliever,  surprised  in 
his  turn :  "  I  wish  to  investigate  the 
«rw//iof  the  Bible." 

"  I  would  advise  you,  sir,"  repeated 
the  elder,  "to  read  the  Bible.  A.nd 
(he  continued)  I  will  give  you  my  rea- 
sons. Most  infidels  are  very  ignorant 
of  the  Scriptures.  Now  to  reason  on 
any  subject  with  correctness,  we  must 
understand  what  it  is  about  which  we 
reason.  In  the  next  place,  I  consider 
the  internal  evidence  of  the  truth  of  the 
Scriptures  stronger  than  the  external." 

"And  where  shall  I  begin?"  in- 
127 


54 


BIBLE. 


quired  the  unbeliever.  "  At  the  New- 
Testament  ?" 

"  No,"  replied  the  elder ;  "  at  the 
beginning — at  Genesis." 

The  infidel  bought  a  commentary, 
went  home,  and  sat  down  to  the  serious 
study  of  the  Scriptures.  He  applied 
all  his  strong  and  well-disciplined 
powers  of  mind  to  the  Bible,  to  try 
rigidly  but  impartially  its  truth. 

As  he  went  on  in  his  perusal,  he 
received  occasional  calls  from  the  elder. 
The  infidel  freely  remarked  upon  what 
he  had  read,  and  stated  his  objections. 
He  liked  this  passage — he  thought  that 
touching  and  beautiful — but  he  could 
not  credit  a  third. 

One  evening  the  elder  called,  and 
found  the  unbeliever  at  his  house,  or 
office,  walking  the  room  with  a  dejected 
look,  his  mind  apparently  absorbed  in 
thought.  He  continued,  not  noticing 
that  any  one  had  come  in,  busily  to 
trace  and  retrace  his  steps.  The  elder 
at  length  spoke : 

"  You  seem,  sir,"  said  he,  "  to  be  in 
a  brown  study.  Of  what  are  you 
thinking  ?" 

"  I  have  been  reading,"  replied  the 
infidel,  "the  moral  law." 

"  Well,  what  do  you  think  of  it  ?" 
asked  the  elder. 

"  I  will  tell  you  what  I  used  to  think," 
answered  the  infidel.  "  I  supposed  that 
Moses  was  the  leader  of  a  horde  of 
banditti ;  that  having  a  strong  mind,  he 
acquired  great  influence  over  a  super- 
stitious people :  and  that  on  Mount 
Sinai  he  played  off  some  sort  of  fire- 
works, to  the  amazement  of  his  igno- 
rant followers,  who  imagined,  in  their 
mingled  fear  and  superstition,  that  the 
exhibition  was  supernatural." 

"  But  what  do  you  think  now  .?"  in- 
terposed the  elder. 

"  I  have  been  looking,"  said  the  infi- 
del, "  into  the  nature  of  that  law.  I 
have  been  trying  to  see  whether  I  can 
add  any  thing  to  it,  or  take  any  thing 
from  it,  so  as  to  make  it  better.  Sir, 
I  cannot.     It  is  "perfect. 

"  The  first  commandment,"  contin- 
ued he,  "  directs  us  to  make  the  Crea- 
tor the  object  of  our  supreme  love  and 
reverence.  That  is  right.  If  he  be 
our  Creator,  Preserver,  and  Supreme 
128 


Benefactor,  we  ought  to  treat  him,  and 
none  other,  as  such.  The  second  for- 
bids idolatry.  That  certainly  is  right. 
The  third  forbids  profanity.  The 
fourth  fixes  a  time  for  religious  worship, 
If  there  be  a  God,  he  ought  surely  to 
be  worshipped.  It  is  suitable  that  there 
should  be  an  outward  homage,  signifi- 
cant of  our  inward  regard.  If  God  be 
worshipped,  it  is  proper  that  some  time 
should  be  set  apart  for  that  purpose, 
when  all  may  worship  him  harmoni- 
ously and  without  interruption.  One 
day  in  seven  is  certainly  not  too  much, 
and  I  do  not  know  that  it  is  too  little. 
The  fifth  defines  the  peculiar  duties 
arising  from  family  relations.  Injuries 
to  our  neighbor  are  then  classified  by 
the  moral  law.  They  are  divided  into 
offences  against  life,  chastity,  property, 
and  character.  And,"  said  he,  apply- 
ing a  legal  idea  with  legal  acuteness, 
"  I  notice  that  the  greatest  offence  in 
each  class  is  expressly  forbidden. 
Thus  the  greatest  injury  to  life  is  mur- 
der ;  to  chastity,  adultery  ;  to  property, 
theft ;  to  character,  perjury.  Now  the 
greater  offence  must  include  the  less 
of  the  same  kind.  Murder  must  in- 
clude every  injury  to  life  ;  adultery, 
every  injury  to  purity,  and  so  of  the 
rest.  And  the  moral  code  is  closed 
and  perfected  by  a  command  forbidding 
every  improper  desire  in  regard  to  our 
neighbors. 

"  I  have  been  thinking,"  he  proceed- 
ed, "where  did  Moses  get  that  law? 
I  have  read  the  history  ;  the  Egyptians 
and  the  adjacent  nations  were  idolaters, 
so  were  the  Greeks  and  Romans ;  and 
the  wisest  and  best  Greeks  or  Romans 
never  gave  a  code  of  morals  like  this. 
Where  did  Moses  get  this  law,  which 
surpasses  the  wisdom  and  philosophy 
of  the  most  enlightened  ages  ?  He 
lived  at  a  period  comparatively  barba- 
rous, but  he  has  given  a  law  in  which 
the  learning  and  sagacity  of  all  subse- 
quent time  can  detect  no  flaw.  Where 
did  he  get  it  ?  He  could  not  have  soar- 
ed so  far  above  his  age  as  to  have  de- 
vised it  himself.  I  am  satisfied  where 
he  obtained  it.  It  came  down  from 
heaven.  I  am  convinced  of  the  truth 
of  the  religion  of  the  Bible." 

The  infidel — infidel  no   longer — re- 


INSPIRATION  OF  THE  BIBLE. 


54 


mained  to  his  death  a  firm   believer  in 
the  truth  of  Christianity. 

(b)  VIEWS  OF  THE  SOUTH  SEA 
ISLANDERS.— The  Rev.  John  Wil- 
liams, the  "  Martyr  of  Erromanga,"  re- 
lates, that  at  one  of  the  annual  mission- 
ary meetings  in  the  South  Sea  Islands, 
several  native  speakers  addressed  the 
meeting  with  peculiar  effect ;  but  some 
of  the  officers  and  crew  of  a  British 
man-of-war,  who  were  present,  were  dis- 
posed to  regard  the  natives  as  mere  par- 
rots, saying  just  what  the  missionaries 
had  taught  them.  To  satisfy  them,  Mr. 
Williams  collected  some  fifteen  of  the 
natives  together  in  the  afternoon,  to  have 
the  officers  and  crew  examine  them. 
"  I  did  not,"  says  Mr.  W.  "  give  them  to 
understand  the  purpose  for  which  they 
were  assembled ;  I  only  said,  '  These 
gentlemen  have  some  questions  to  ask 
you.'  The  questions  were  then  asked  : 
'  Do  you  believe  the  Bible  to  be  the 
word  of  God  V  They  were  startled  : 
they  had  never  entertained  a  single 
doubt  on  the  subject ;  but,  after  a  mo- 
ment's pause,  one  answered,  '  Most 
certainly  we  do.'  It  was  asked, '  Why 
do  you  believe  it  ?  Can  you  give  any 
reason  for  believing  the  Bible  to  be  the 
word  of  God  V  He  replied,  '  Why, 
look  at  the  power  with  which  it  has  been 
attended,  in  the  utter  overthrow  of  all 
that  we  have  been  addicted  to  from  time 
immemorial.  What  else  could  have 
demolished  that  system  of  idolatry  which 
had  so  long  prevailed  amongst  uf  ?  No 
human  arguments  could  have  induced 
us  to  abandon  that  false  system.'  The 
same  question  being  put  to  another,  he 
replied,  '  I  believe  the  Bible  to  be  the 
word  of  God,  on  account  of  the  pure 
system  of  religion  which  it  contains. 
We  had  a  system  of  religion  before  ; 
but  look  how  dark  and  black  a  system 
that  was,  compared  with  the  bright  sys- 
tem of  salvation  revealed  in  the  word  of 
God  !  Here  we  learn  that  we  are  sin- 
ners ;  and  that  God  gave  Jesus  Christ 
to  die  for  us  ;  and  by  that  goodness  sal- 
vation is  given  to  us.  Now,  what  but 
the  wisdom  of  God  could  have  produced 
such  a  system  as  this  presented  to  us  in 
the  word  of  God  ?  And  this  doctrine 
leads  to  purity.'  There  was  a  third 
reply  to  this  question,  and  it  was  a 
9 


rather  singular  one ;  but  it  was  a  native 
idea  :  '  When  I  look  at  myself,  I  find 
I  have  got  hinges  all  over  my  body.  I 
have  hinges  to  my  legs,  hinges  to  my 
jaws,  hinges  to  my  teet.  If  I  want  to 
take  hold  of  any  thing,  there  are  hinges 
to  my  hands  to  do  it  with.  If  my  heart 
thinks,  and  I  want  to  speak,  I  have  got 
hinges  to  my  jaws.  If  I  want  to  walk, 
I  have  hinges  to  my  feet.  Now  here,' 
continued  he,  '  is  wisdom,  in  adapting* 
my  body  to  the  various  functions  it  has. 
to  discharge.  And  I  find  that  the 
wisdom  which  made  the  Bible,  exactly 
fits  with  this  wisdom  which  has  made 
my  body  ;  consequently,  I  believe  the 
Bible  to  be  the  word  of  God.'  Another 
replied,  '  I  believe  it  to  be  the  word  of 
God,  on  account  of  the  prophecies  which 
it  contains,  and  the  fulfilment  of  them.' " 

(c)  FIRST  CHAPTER  OF  RO- 
MANS. — Perhaps  no  part  of  the  Bible 
occasions  more  surprise  among  the 
heathen,  than  the  first  chapter  of  Ro- 
mans. Its  graphic  picture  of  the  follies 
and  the  guilt  into  which  men  plunge, 
when  God  gives  them  up  to  a  reprobate 
mind,  are  instantly  recognized  as  having 
a  counterpart  in  their  own  lives.  To 
their  minds  the  great  problem  is,  how 
came  language,  so  accurate  and  faith- 
ful, to  be  employed  by  the  sacred  writer? 
Some  escape  from  the  difficulty  by  af- 
firming that  the  Scriptures  have  been 
altered  to  meet  the  case.  A  brahmin 
once  told  a  missionary  that  the  expres- 
sion, "  Professing  themselves  to  be  wise, 
they  became  fools,"  must  have  been  in- 
serted after  the  arrival  of  the  missiona- 
ries in  India. 

(d)  WORDS  OF  DR.  YOUNG.— 
Dr.  Cotton  was  intimate  with  Dr. 
Young,  and  paid  him  a  visit  about  a 
fortnight  before  he  was  seized  with  his 
last  illness.  Dr.  Young  was  then  in  his 
usual  health  ;  his  venerable  appearance, 
the  gravity  of  his  utterance,  and  the 
earnestness  with  which  he  discoursed 
about  religion,  gave  him,  in  Dr.  Cotton's 
view,  the  appearance  of  a  prophet. 
They  had  been  delivering  their  senti- 
ments on  Newton's  "  Dissertation  on  the 
Prophecies,"  when  Dr.  Young  closed 
the  conference  thus : — "  My  friend,  there 
are  two  considerations  upon  whteh  my 
faith  in  Christ  is  built  as  upon  a  rock- 

129 


«4 


BIBLE. 


The  fall  of  man,  the  redemption  of  man, 
and  the  resurrection  of  man  :  these  three 
cardinal  articles  of  our  religion  are  such 
as  human  ingenuity  could  never  have  in- 
vented ;  therefore  they  must  be  Divine. 
The  other  argument  is  this : — If  the 
prophecies  have  been  fulfilled,  of  which 
there  is  no  doubt,  then  the  Bible  must 
be  the  word  of  God  ;  and  if  the  Scrip- 
tures are  the  word  of  God,  Christianity 
must  be  true." 

(e)  AN  ARTLESS  ARGUMENT. 
— Naimbanna,  a  black  prince,  arrived 
in  England,  from  the  neighborhood  of 
Sierra  Leone,  in  17"91 .  The  gentleman 
to  whose  care  he  was  intrusted,  took 
great  pains  to  convince  him  that  the 
Bible  was  the  word  of  God,  and  he  re- 
ceived it  as  such,  with  great  reverence 
and  simplicity.  Do  we  ask  what  it  was 
that  satisfied  him  on  this  subject,  let  us 
listen  to  his  artless  words.  "  When  I 
found,"  says  he,  "  all  good  men  mind- 
ing the  Bible,  and  calling  it  the  word  of 
God,  and  all  bad  men  disregarding  it,  I 
then  was  sure  that  the  Bible  must  be 
what  good  men  called  it,  the  word  of 
God." 

(e)  REASONING  OF  THE 
CHIEFS.— Two  Mongul  Tartar  chiefs 
went  from  the  borders  of  China  to  St. 
Petersburgh,  to  examine  the  arts  and 
manners  of  the  Europeans.  They  were 
represented  as  the  most  ingenious  and 
noble  of  their  tribes.  During  their  stay, 
:among  other  things,  a  German  clergy- 
'^man  engaged  them  to  assist  him  in  pre- 
paring a  translation  of  the  Gospels  into 
the  language  of  iheir  country,  and  they 
spent  some  time  every  day  in  study. 
At  length  the  task  was  done,  the  last 
correction  was  made,  and  the  book  was 
closed  on  the  table  before  them.  Still 
they  sat,  serious  and  silent.  The  mi- 
nister inquired  the  cause ;  and  was 
equally  surprised  and  delighted,  to  hear 
them  both  avow  themselves  converts  to 
the  truths  of  the  blessed  volume. 

"  At  home,"  they  said,  "  we  studied 
"the  sacred  writings  of  the  Chinese,  and 
the  more  we  read,  the  more  obscure 
they  seemed  ;  the  longer  we  have  read 
the  gospel,  the  more  simple  and  intelli- 
gible it  becomes,  until  at  last  it  seems 
as  if  Jesus  was  talking  with  us." 

This  is  a  very  pleasing  tribute  to  the 
130 


excellence  of  the  Scriptures,  and  it  is 
just  what  might  be  expected  from  their 
natural,  unpretending  style.  It  is  the 
simple,  unvarnished  style  of  truth. 

(/)  THOMAS  PAINE  SILENC- 
ED <r- A  gentleman  of  New-York,  who 
personally  knew  Thomas  Paine,  and 
was  repeatedly  in  his  company  during 
the  last  years  of  his  life,  gave  the  fol- 
lowing account  of  a  conversation  with 
him  respecting  the  Bible  : — 

One  evening  I  found  Paine  harangu- 
ing a  company  of  his  disciples,  on  the 
great  mischief  done  to  mankind  by  the 
introduction  of  the  Bible  and  Christianity. 
When  he  paused,  I  said,  "  Mr.  Paine, 
you  have  been  in  Scotland  ;  you  know 
there  is  not  a  more  rigid  set  of  ^people  in 
the  v/orld  than  they  are  in  their  attach- 
ment to  the  Bible :  it  is  their  school- 
book  ;  their  churches  are  full  of  Bibles. 
When  a  young  man  leaves  his  father's 
house,  his  mother  always,  in  packing 
his  chest,  puts  a  Bible  on  the  top  of  his 
clothes."  He  said  it  was  true.  I  con- 
tinued, "  You  have  been  in  Spain, 
where  the  people  are  destitute  of  the 
Bible,  and  there  you  can  hire  a  man  for 
a  dollar  to  murder  his  neighbor,  who 
never  gave  him  any  offence."  He  as- 
sented. "  You  have  seen  the  manufac- 
turing districts  in  England,  where  not 
one  man  in  fifty  can  read,  and  you  have 
been  in  Ireland,  where  the  majority 
never  saw  a  Bible.  Now,  you  know 
it  is  an  historical  fact,  that  in  one  county 
in  England  or  Ireland  there  are  many 
more  capital  convictions  in  six  months, 
than  there  are  in  the  whole  population 
of  Scotland  in  twelve.  Besides,  this  day 
there  is  not  one  Scotchman  in  the  alms- 
house, state  prison,  bridewell,  or  peni- 
tentiary of  New- York.  Now  then,  if 
the  Bible  were  so  bad  a  book  as  you  re- 
present it  to  be,  those  who  use  it  would 
be  the  worst  members  of  society  :  but 
the  contrary  is  the  fact ;  for  our  prisons, 
almshouses,  and  penitentiaries  are  filled 
with  men  and  women,  whose  ignorance 
or  unbelief  prevents  them  from  reading 
the  Bible."  It  was  now  near  ten  o'clock 
at  night.  Paine  answered  not  a  word, 
but,  taking  a  candle  from  the  table, 
walked  up  stairs,  leaving  his  friends  and 
myself  .staring  at  one  another. 


INSPIRATION  OF  THE  BIBLE. 


54 


(a)  YOUNG  BUCHANAN  AND 
THE  HIGHLANDER.— The  late 
Rev.  Claudius  Buchanan,  shortly  after 
he  had  visited  the  principal  parts  of  Eu- 
rope, was  met  in  the  streets  of  London 
by  an  old  Highlander,  who  was  an  in- 
timate acquaintance  of  his  father.  In 
order  to  have  a  little  conversation,  they 
went  into  a  public  house,  and  took  some 
refreshments. 

Young  Claudius  gave  his  countryman 
a  very  animated  description  of  his  tour, 
and  of  the  wonders  he  had  seen  upon 
the  Continent.  The  old  man  listened 
with  attention  to  his  narrative,  and  then 
eagerly  inquired  whether  his  religious 
principles  had  not  been  materially  injur- 
ed by  mixing  among  such  a  variety  of 
characters  and  religions.  "  Do  you 
know  what  an  infidel  is  ?"  said  Bucha- 
nan. "  Yes,"  was  the  reply.  *'  Then," 
said  he,  "  I  am  an  infidel ;  and  have 
seen  the  absurdity  of  all  those  nostrums 
my  good  old  father  used  to  teach  me  in 
the  North;  andcanyoii,^^  added  he,  "  se- 
riously believe  that  the  Bible  is  a  reve- 
lation from  the  Supreme  Being  ? — "  I 
do." — "  And  pray  tell  me  what  may  be 
your  reasons  ?"  "  Claude,"  said  the  good 
old  Highlander,  "  I  know  nothing  about 
what  learned  men  call  the  external  evi- 
dences of  revelation,  but  I  will  tell  you 
why  I  believe  it  to  be  from  God.  I 
have  a  most  depraved  and  sinful  nature, 
and,  do  what  I  will,  I  find  I  cannot 
make  myself  holy.  My  friends  cannot 
do  it  for  me,  nor  do  T  think  all  the  angels 
in  heaven  could.  One  thing  alone  does 
it, — the  reading  and  believing  what  I 
read  in  that  blessed  book, — that  does  it. 
Now,  as  I  know  that  God  must  be  holy, 
and  a  lover  of  holiness,  and  as  1  believe 
that  book  is  the  only  thing  in  creation 
that  produces  and  promotes  holiness,  I 
conclude  that  it  is  froni  God,  and  that 
he  is  the  Author  of  it." 

[h)  THE  OLD  NEGRO'S  ARGU- 
MENT.—When  the  celebrated  Ten- 
nent  was  travelling  in  Virginia,  he 
lodged  one  night  at  the  house  of  a  plant- 
er, who  informed  him  that  one  of  his 
slaves,  a  man  upwards  of  seventy,  who 
could  neither  read  nor  write,  was  yet 
eminently  distinguished  for  his  piety, 
and  for  his  knowledge  of  the  Scriptures. 
Having  some  curiosity  to  learn  what 


evidence  such  a  man  could  have  of  their 
divine  origin,  he  went  out  in  the  morn- 
ing, alone,  and  without  making  himself 
known  as  a  clergyman,  entered  into 
conversation  with  him  on  the  subject. 
After  starting  some  of  the  common  ob- 
jections of  infidels  against  the  authen- 
ticity  of  the  Scriptures,  in  a  way  cal- 
culated to  confound  an  ignorant  man, 
he  said  to  him,  when  you  cannot  even 
read  the  Bible,  nor  examine  the  evi- 
dence for,  or  against  its  truth,  how  can 
you  know  that  it  is  the  word  of  God  ? 
After  reflecting  a  moment,  the  negro 
replied,  "  You  ask  me,  sir,  how  I  know 
that  the  Bible  is  the  word  of  God  ; — I 
know  it,  by  its  effect  upon  my  own  heart. ''^ 

(i)  MAMGJENA'S  REASONING. 
—A  poor  female  Matchappee,  named 
Mamgena,  called,  says  Mr.  Campbell, 
and  told  me,  that  when  she  first  heard 
of  the  Bible  she  did  not  think  it  was 
true  ;  but  when  she  found  it  to  describe 
her  heart  so  exactly,  she  could  not  but 
believe  what  it  said.  She  was  de- 
termined, she  added,  always  to  live 
near  some  place  where  the  word  of  God 
was  preached  ;  where  she  might  hear 
about  a  crucified  Saviour,  though  she 
should  starve. 

( j)  CONVERSION  OF  ANUNDO. 
— Anundo  was  admitted  a  pupil  in  the 
General  Assembly's  school,  on  its  open- 
ing in  August,  1830.  In  accordance 
with  the  system  of  tuition  pursued  in  the 
school,  he,  together  with  his  class-fel- 
lows, soon  commenced  the  study  of  the 
New  Testament.  It  was  not  long  be- 
fore his  mind  became  arrested  by  the 
Sermon  on  the  Mount.  The  ideas,  the 
prospects,  the  images,  the  illustrations, 
all  were  so  peculiar,  seemed  so  apposite 
and  so  true,  that  glimpses  of  light  flashed 
through  his  soul,  and  he  was  often  heard 
to  exclaim, '  How  beautiful,  how  tender, 
how  kind,  how  full  of  love  and  goodness ! 
Oh,  how  unlike  the  spirit  and  maxims 
of  Hindooism  !  Surely  this  is  the  truth  P 
Never  was  there  a  more  striking  exem- 
plification of  what  Owen  calls  'the  self- 
evidencing  power  of  the  Bible.'  As  the 
young  man  advanced  in  his  acquaint- 
ance with  its  contents,  he  constantly 
contrasted  its  statements  with  those 
which  the  Brahmins  rehearsed  from 
their  Shasters ;  and  he  appeared  as  it 
131 


54,55 


BIBLE. 


were  internally  to  see  and  feel  that 
there  was  truth  in  the  former,  and  er- 
ror in  the  latter.  He  demanded  no  ex- 
ternal evidence  to  authenticate  the  di- 
vine authority  of  the  Christian  Scrip- 
tures. To  him  the  reading  of  them 
seemed  like  the  presence  of  the  light  of 
day  exposing  surrounding  objects  in 
their  true  colors:  or  rather  like  the 
sudden  admission  of  the  solar  rays  in- 
to a  dreary  cavern,  bringing  to  view 
the  hideous  and  loathsome  objects  with 
which  it  had  been  stored.  Not  that  he 
disparaged  miracles  and  prophecies ; 
but  he  declared  that  these  were  not  ne- 
cessary for  his  conviction;  there  was 
something  in  the  whole  spirit,  and  plan, 
and  announcements  of  the  Gospel,  that 
came  home  to  his  soul  in  the  light  of 
truth,  independent  of  external  proofs. 
Anundo  voluntarily  applied  to  Mr.  Duff 
for  baptism.  His  address  on  the  occa- 
sion was,  in  substance,  '  What  shall  I 
do  ?  I  feel  that  I  am  a  sinner,  a  great 
sinner,  a  sinner  that  deserves  to  be  eter- 
nally punished.  What  shall  become  of 
me  ?  If  I  die  this  night,  I  fear  I  shall 
be  lost  forever,  and  I  know  I  deserve 
such  a  fate.  What  shall  I  do  ?  I  am 
troubled,  much  troubled,  day  and  night 
I  am  troubled.  But  in  the  Bible  I  read 
of  God's  mercy.  May  I  not  trust  in 
it  ?  I  sometimes  feel  that  I  may^  and 
so  try  to  think  and  do  what  is  good, 
when  all  at  once  I  feel  that  I  am  sin- 
ning more.  Then  I  read  the  Bible  ;  I 
cannot  help  reading  it ;  and  there  I  find 
something  that  catches  me  in  a  way  which 
I  cannot  explain.  I  feel  that  Christ  is 
the  only  true  Saviour.  Last  night  I 
could  not  sleep,  and  so  arose  and  lighted 
my  lamp,  and  read  the  Bible,  and  it 
caught  me;  and  I  am  convinced  that 
here  is  the  only  way  of  salvation.  May 
I  not  then  publicly  profess  my  faith  in 
Christ  by  baptism  V 

(k)  CONDE'S  ARGUMENT.— 
Pains  had  been  early  taken  by  some  of 
the  Prince  of  Conde's  supposed  friends 
to  shake  his  belief  of  Christianity  ;  he 
always  replied,  '  You  give  yourselves  a 
great  deal  of  unijecessary  trouble ;  the 
dispersion  of  the  Jews  will  always  be 
an  undeniable  proof  to  me  of  the  truth 
of  our  holy  religion.' 

132 


TESTIMONIES  TO  ITS  VALUE. 
5§.  Testimony  of  Distinguished  Persons^ 

(a>  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JONES.— 

Sir  William  Jones,  whose  interesting 
writings  on  oriental  subjects  elucidated 
many  obscure  paints  in  Scripture  his- 
tory, was  a  general  scholar,  and  em- 
bellished and  adorned  every  subject 
that  passed  under  his  elegant  pen.  On 
the  blankleaf  of  his  Bible,  the  following 
finely  conceived  description  was  found 
written  r — "  I  have  regularly  and  atten- 
tively perused  these  Holy  Scriptures, 
and  am  of  opinion  that  this  volume, 
independently  of  its  Divine  origin,  con- 
tains more  true  sublimity,  more  exqui- 
site beauty,  more  pure  morality,  more 
important  history,  and  finer  strains  of 
poetry  and  eloquence,  than  can  be  col- 
lected from  all  other  books,  in  whatever 
age  or  language  they  may  have  been 
written.  The  un'^trained  application  of 
them  to  events  which  took  place  long 
after  the  publication,  is  a  solid  ground 
for  belief  that  they  are  genuine  produc- 
tions, and  consequently  inspired." 

(b)  OF  DR.  AMES.— Fisher  Ames, 
a  distinguished,  American  statesman 
and  orator,  who  died  in  1808,  was  ar- 
dently attached  to  the  Bible.  He  la- 
mented its  prevailing  disuse  in  schools, 
and  thought  that  children  should  be 
well  acquainted  with  it,  both  on  ac- 
count of  the  all-important  truths  it  con- 
tains,  and  because  they  would  thus 
learn  the  English  language  in  its  purity. 
He  was  accustomed  to  say,  "  I  will 
hazard  the  assertion,  that  no  man  ever 
did,  or  ever  will,  become  truly  eloquent, 
without  being  a  constant  reader  of  the 
Bible,  and  an  admirer  of  the  purity  and 
sublimity  of  its  language.'' 

(c)  OF  PATRICK  HENRY.— This 
distinguished  man  was  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia, of  which  state  he  became  gov- 
ernor. He  was  eminent  through  life 
as  a  statesman  and  an  orator.  A  little 
before  his  death,  he  remarked  to  a 
friend,  who  found  him  reading  his  Bible, 
"  Here  is  a  book  worth  more  than  all 
the  other  books  which  ever  were  print- 
ed ;  yet  it  is  my  misfortune  never  to 
have,  till  lately,  found  time  to  read  it 
with  proper  attention  and  feeling." 


TESTIMONY  OF  DISTINGUISHED  PERSONS  TO  ITS  VALUE. 


55 


(d)  OF  DR.  JOHNSON.— Dr.  Sam- 
uel  Johnson  is  distinguished  as  a  writer 
on  morals ;  his  compositions  have  sel- 
dom been  excelled  in  energy  of  thought 
aud  beauty  of  expression.  To  a  young 
gentleman,  who  visited  him  on  his  death- 
bed, he  said,  "  Young  man,*  attend  to 
the  voice  of  one  who  has  possessed  a 
certain  degree  of  fame  in  the  world, 
and  who  will  shortly  appear  before  his 
Maker :  read  the  Bible  every  day  of 
your  life." 

(e)  OR  I)R.  ,ERAJNIKL1N.— At  the 
time  when  the  celebrated  Dr.  Franklin 
lay  upon  his  death-bed,  he  was  visited 
by  a  young  man  who  had  a  great  re- 
spect for  his  judgment  in  all  things; 
and  having  entertained  doubts  as  to  the 
truth  of  the  Scriptures,  he  thought  that 
this  awful  period  afforded  a  suitable 
opportunity  of  consulting  the  doctor  on 
this  important  subject.  Accordingly, 
he  introduced  it  in  a  solemn  and  weighty 
manner,  inquiring  of  Franklin  what 
were  his  sentiments  as  to  the  truth  of 
the  Scriptures.  On  the  question  being 
put,  although  he  was  in  a  very  weak 
state,  and  near  his  decease,  he  replied, 
"  Young  man,  my  advice  to  you  is,  that 
you  cultivate  an  acquaintance  with, 
and  a  firm  belief  in,  the  Holy  Scrip, 
tures  :  this  is  your  certain  interest." 

(/•)  OF  WILLIAM  COLLINS.— 
Collins  is  Well  tno\vn"^s  ~a  celebrated 
English  poet.  In  the  latter  part  of  his 
life,  he  withdrew  from  his  general 
studies,  and  travelled  with  no  other 
book  than  an  English  New  Testament, 
such  as  children  carry  to  school.  A 
friend  was  anxious  to  know  what  com- 
panion a  man  of  letters  had  chosen  ; 
the  poet  said,  "  I  have  only  one  book, 
but  that  book  is  the  best." 

(g)  OF  MONSIEUR  BAIJTAIN.— 
M.  L.  Bautain,  a  professor  of  philo- 
sophy at  Strasburgh,  has  furnished  an 
account  of  the  power  of  the  Scriptures 
on  his  heart: — "A  single  book  has 
saved  me  ;  but  that  book  is  not  of  hu- 
man origin.  Long  had  I  despised  it ; 
long  had  I  deemed  it  a  class-book  for 
the  credulous  and  ignorant ;  until,  hav- 
mg  investigated  the  gospel  of  Christ, 
with  an  ardent  desire  to  ascertain  its 
truth  or  falsity,  its  pages  proffered  to 
my  inquiries  the  sublimest  knowledge 


of  man  and  nature,  and  the  simplest, 
and  at  the  same  time,  the  most  exalted 
system  of  moral  ethics.  Faith,  hope, 
and  charity  were  enkindled  in  my 
bosom ;  and  every  advancing  step 
strengthened  me  in  the  conviction,  that 
the  morals  of  this  book  are  superior  to 
human  morals,  as  its  oracles  are  supe- 
rior to  human  opinions." 

(h)  OF  .COUNT  OXENSTEIN.— 
It  is  stated,  by  the  celebrated  William 
Penn,  that  Count  Oxenstein,  chancellor 
of  Sweden,  being  visited,  in  his  retreat 
from  public  business,  by  commissioner 
Whitlock,  ambassador  from  England 
to  Queen  Christiana,  in  the  conclusion 
of  their  discourse,  he  said  to  the  am- 
bassador, "  I  have  seen  much  and  en- 
joyed much  of  this  world ;  but  I  never 
knew  how  to  live  till  now.  I  thank  my 
good  God,  who  has  given  me  time  to 
know  him  and  likewise  myself  All 
the  comfort  I  have,  and  all  the  comfort  I 
take,  and  which  is  more  than  the  whole 
world  can  give,  is  the  knowledge  of 
God's  love  in  my  heart,  and  the  read- 
ing in  this  blessed  book,"  laying  his 
hand  on  the  Bible.  "  You  are  now," 
he  continued,  "  in  the  prime  of  your 
age  and  vigor,  and  in  great  favor  and 
business  ;  but  this  will  all  leave  you, 
and  you  will  one  day  better  understand 
and  relish  what  I  say  to  you  :  then  you 
will  find  that  there  is  more  wisdom, 
truth,  comfort,  and  pleasure,  in  retiring 
and  turning  3^our  heart  from  the  world, 
in  the  good  Spirit  of  God,  and  in  read- 
ing his  sacred  word,  than  in  all  the 
courts  and  favors  of  princes." 

(0  OF  JOHN  J[.eeKE.— Locke 
spent  the  lasTlourteen  years  of  his  life 
in  the  study  of  the  Bible  ;  and  he  wrote 
"  The  Common  Place  Book  of  the  Scrip- 
tures," which  is  an  invaluable  fruit  of 
his  Scripture  Studies.  These  facts  of 
themselves  give  the  strongest  proof  of 
the  high  estimation  in  which  this  pro- 
found thinker,  and  acute  metaphysician, 
held  the  Christian  Writings.  He  ad- 
mired the  wisdom  and  goodness  of  God 
in  the  method  of  salvation  they  reveal ; 
and,  it  is  said,  that  when  he  thought  up- 
on it,  he  could  not  forbear  crying  out, 
"  O  the  depths  of  the  riches  of  the 
goodness  and  the  knowledge  of  God  !" 

He  was  persuaded,  that  men  would 
133 


&e 


BIBLE. 


be  convinced  of  this  by  reading  the 
Scriptures  without  prejudice ;  and  he 
frequently  exhorted  those  with  whom 
he  conversed,  to  a  serious  study  of  these 
sacred  writings. 

A  relative  inquired  of  him,  what  was 
the  shortest  and  surest  way  for  a  young 
gentleman  to  attain  a  true  knowledge 
of  the  Christian  religion  ?  "  Let  him 
STUDY,"  said  the  philosopher,  "the 
Holy  Scriptures,  especially  in  the 
New  Testament.  Therein  are  con- 
tained the  words  of  eternal  life. 
It  has  God  for  its  author,  Salva- 
tion FOR  its   end,   and   Truth  with- 

OUT  ANY  MIXTURE  OF  ERROR  FOR  ITS 
MATTER." 


§6.  Testimony  of  Infidels. 

(a)  "WE  WILL  NOT  BURN 
THAT  BOOK  TILL  WE  GET  A 
BETTER."— A  society  of  gentlemen, 
most  of  whom  had  enjoyed  a  liberal 
education,  and  were  persons  of  polished 
manners,  but  had  unhappily  imbibed  in- 
fidel principles,  used  to  assemble  at  each 
others'  houses,  for  the  purpose  of  ridi- 
culing the  Scriptures,  and  hardening 
one  another  in  their  unbelief.  At  last, 
they  unanimously  formed  a  resolution 
solemnly  to  burn  the  Bible,  and  so  to  be 
troubled  no  more  with  a  book  which 
was  so  hostile  to  their  principles,  and 
disquieting  to  their  conscience.  The 
day  fixed  upon  arrived ;  a  large  fire 
was  prepared  ;  a  Bible  was  laid  on  the 
table,  and  a  flowing  bowl  ready  to  drink 
its  dirge.  For  the  execution  of  their 
plan,  they  fixed  upon  a  gentleman  of 
high  birth,  brilliant  vivacity,  and  ele- 
gance of  manners.  He  undertook  the 
task ;  and,  after  a  few  enlivening 
glasses,  amidst  the  applause  of  his  jovi- 
al compeers,  he  approached  the  table, 
tcx)k  up  the  Bible,  and  was  walking  lei- 
surely forward  to  put  it  into  the  fire  ; 
but,  happening  to  give  it  a  look,  he  was 
seized  with  trembling ;  paleness  over- 
spread his  countenance,  and  he  seemed 
convulsed.  He  returned  to  the  table, 
and,  laying  down  the  Bible,  said,  with 
a  strong  asseveration,  "  We  will  not 
burn  that  book  till  we  get  a  belter.^' 

Soon  afler  this,  the  same  gay  and 
lively  young  gentleman  died,  and  on  liis 
134 


death-bed  was  led  to  true  repentance, 
deriving  unshaken  hopes  of  forgiveness" 
and  of  future  blessedness  from  that  book 
which  he  was  once  going  to  burn.  He 
found  it,  indeed,  the  best  book,  not  only 
for  a  living,  but  a  dying  hour. 

(b)  DIDEROT'S  CONFESSION. 
— It  is  related,  that  one  day  Mr.  Beau-, 
zet,  a  member  of  the  French  Academy, 
went  to  see  Diderot,  one  of  the  cham- 
pions of  infidelity  ;  he  found  him  ex- 
plaining a  chapter  of  the  gospel  to  his 
daughter,  as  seriously,  and  with  the 
concern  of  a  most  Christian  parent.  Mr. 
Beauzet  expressed  his  surprise.  "  I 
understand  you,"  said  Diderot,  "but 
in  truth  what  better  lesson  could  I  give 
her?" 

HAPPY  EFPECTS  OF  THE  BIBLE. 
67.  Morality  Promoted. 

(a)  THE  TAILOR'S  ASSOCI- 
ATES.— A  Bible  was  sold,  at  a  reduc- 
ed price  to  a  tailor,  who  boarded  in  a 
house  with  several  apprentice  boys. 
One  of  them,  having  seen  it,  became 
very  anxious  to  obtain  one  on  the  s^me 
terms  ;  and  soon  saved,  from  his  smalt 
earnings,  a  sufficient  sum  for  its  pur- 
chase. He  became  serious,  and  kept 
his  Bible  constantly  near  him  whilst  at 
work.  His  associates  in  the  same  oc- 
cupation were  thoughtless,  profane,  and 
constantly  disposed  to  ridicule  the  book 
he  so  much  prized.  One  of  them  in 
particular,  more  wicked  than  the  rest, 
used  sometimes  to  take  it  up,  and  read 
a  passage  for  sport,  or  something  worse. 
At  length,  however,  the  truth  became 
too  powerful  for  his  depraved  heart ;  he 
began  to  reflect  upon  the  sin  he  was 
committing,  soon  solicited  the  boon  for 
himself,  abstaining  from  profaneness, 
and,  in  connexion  with  the  owner  of  the 
Bible,  succeeded  in  making  it  finable 
for  any  one  of  their  number  to  utter  an 
oath.  The  efTect  upon  the  whole  was 
remarkable  ;  and  several  of  them  be- 
came truly  anxious  about  their  souls, 
sincerely  praying  to  be  made  "  wise 
unto  salvation,  through  feith  which 
is  in  Christ  Jesus." 

(b)  THE  RUSSIAN  MESSMATE. 
— A  minister  at  St.  Petersburg,  writes: 


MORALITY  PROMOTED. 


57 


— In  the  spring  of  1829,  Timothy,  the 
hawker,  called  at  my  house  with  his 
wares.  My  servants,  who  recommend 
the  Scriptures  whenever  they  have  an 
opportunity,  talked  with  this  man  on  the 
value  of  the  New  Testament,  and  ad- 
vised him  to  buy  a  copy.  "  Of  what 
use  can  it  be  to  me,"  said  he,  "  when 
I  am  not  able  to  read  ?"  "  Yes,  it  may 
be  of  great  service  to  you  ;  you  can 
carry  it  to  your  lodgings,  and  have  it 
read  to  you  ;  or  you  can  send  it  to  your 
family,  some  of  whom  can  read  it.  It 
will  do  good  :  buy  one."  The  man  at- 
tended to  this  advice,  and  carried  the 
book  to  his  lodgings. 

We  saw  nothing  more  of  this  man 
until  autumn ;  when  he  returned,  and 
earnestly  entreated  a  copy  of  every  kind 
of  book  we  could  give  him.  "  You  can 
form  no  idea,"  said  he,  "  of  the  good 
that  book  has  done,  which  I  bought  here 
in  the  spring.  There  are  more  than 
thirty  of  us  who  mess  together  at  the 
same  lodgings  ;  and  at  the  time  when  I 
first  took  home  the  New  Testament, 
these  men  spent  almost  every  evening 
at  the  public  house,  and  returned  intoxi- 
cate^ :  but  now  the  scene  is  quite  al- 
tered ;  scarcely  a  man  leaves  the  lodg- 
ings in  the  evening.  There  are  three 
amongst  us  who  can  read  ;  and  they 
take  it  by  turns,  and  the  others  sit  round 
and  listen  to  them.  There  is  no  drunk- 
enness in  our  party  now." 

Oh  !  what  an  interesting  scene  would 
this  group  have  presented  to  the  eye  of 
an  apostle  !  Thirty  poor  villagers,  col- 
lected together  from  various  parts  of  the 
country,  listening  to  one  of  their  num- 
ber reading  the  words  of  eternal  life  : 
and,  from  this  circumstance,  breaking 
off  from  their  vices,  saving  their  hard 
earnings  for  their  families,  and  acting 
like  rational  creatures  !  How  true  it  is, 
that  "  godliness  is  profitable  unto  all 
things  !" 

(c)  THE  MURDERER  CONFESS- 
ING.— A  young  German,  who,  for  the 
crime  of  murder  in  the  second  degree, 
had  been  a  long  time  in  solitary  con- 
finement in  America,  was  repeatedly 
visited  by  a  German  clergyman,  to 
whom  he  made  the  most  positive  decla- 
rations of  his  innocence.  After  six 
months  had  elapsed,  on  leaving  him  one 


evening,  the  clergyman  pointed  his 
attention  to  three  verses  in  the  New 
Testament,  and  particularly  urged 
upon  him  the  impoi^nce  of  the 
truths  contained  in  them.  He  promis- 
ed to  read  them — he  did  so — and  when 
he  threw  himself  upon  his  pallet  to 
rest,  he  found  that  sleep  had  forsaken 
him  ;  he  turned  again  and  again,  but 
still  there  was  no  rest.  The  verses 
had  made  a  deep  impression  upon  his 
mind,  and  although  he  had  for  six 
months  persisted  that  he  was  innocent 
of  the  crime  of  which  he  stood  charged, 
the  first  words  he  uttered  to  the  keeper 
in  the  morning  were,  "  I  did  commit 
that  murder."  Being  asked  what  had 
now  induced  him  to  confess,  he  pointed 
to  the  verses ;  they  were  as  follows : 

"  If  we  say  that  we  have  no  sin,  we 
deceive  ourselves,  and  the  truth  is  not 
in  us.  If  we  confess  our  sins,  He  is 
faithful  and  just  to  forgive  us  our  sins, 
and  to  cleanse  us  from  all  unrigrhteous- 
ness.  If  we  say  that  we  have  not  sin- 
ned we  make  him  a  liar,  and  his  word 
is  not  in  us."     1  John  1  :  8-10. 

(d)  COUNTERFEITERS  RE- 
CLAIMED. — Some  few  years  ago, 
two  women  and  a  man  called  one  eve- 
ning at  the  cabin  of  a  schoolmaster,  in 
Ireland,  requesting  a  lodging  for  the 
night.  The  good  man  had  just  assem- 
bled his  family  for  evening  worship, 
having  his  Bible  before  him.  He  kind- 
ly requested  the  strangers  to  walk  in, 
and  began  to  read  the  second  chapter 
of  the  epistle  to  the  Ephesians.  This 
he  did  slowly,  and  with  emphasis,  that 
he  might  secure  the  attention  of  his 
visitors  to  the  important  subjects  on 
which  it  treats.  They  all  appeared  to 
pay  attention,  particularly  the  young 
man,  whose  countenance  indicated  the 
agitation  of  his  mind.  When  the  chap- 
ter was  ended,  he  inquired  what  book 
that  was  out  of  which  he  had  been 
reading.  His  host  replied,  it  was  the 
word  of  God.  His  agitation  immediately 
increased  ;  and,  after  remarking  that  he 
never  before  knew  there  was  such  a 
book,  he  began  to  inquire  the  meaning 
of  some  of  the  passages  which  had  par- 
ticularly arrested  his  attention ;  name- 
ly, "  Dead  in  trespasses  and  sins ;" 
"  Walking  after  the  course  of  this 
135 


s» 


BIBLE. 


world  ;"  "  By  nature  the  children  of 
wrath,"  etc.  To  all  these,  the  good 
man,  in  a  plain  and  simple  way,  gave 
answers.  TU§  young  man  heard  with 
the  greatest  attention,  and  could  not 
suppress  the  sigh  which  indicated  what 
Was  passing  within.  He  was  referred 
to  those  parts  of  Scripture  which  throw 
light  on  the  chapter  that  had  been  read  ; 
and  especially  on  the  parts  he  wished 
to  have  explained.  Then,  looking  at 
his  host  with  great  earnestness,  he  ex- 
claimed, "  It  is  indeed  the  word  of  God  ; 
it  is  all  true  ;  and  my  state  is  fully 
that  which  it  describes.  In  this  way  I 
have  been  walking  from  my  childhood ; 
and,  in  the  service  of  the  god  of  this 
world,  I  undertook  the  journey  which 
has  brought  me,  my  wife,  and  sister, 
to  your  house.  Oh  that  our  souls  may 
be  raised  from  that  death  in  trespasses 
and  sins  in  which  I  have  been  involved 
to  this  moment !  I  have  long  followed 
no  other  employment,  but  that  of  de- 
frauding the  ignorant  poor  at  fairs  and 
markets,  by  passing  base  money,  which 
I  coin ;  and  for  this  purpose  are  we 
come  here,  on  our  way  to  attend  the 
fair  which  is  to  be  held  to-morrow 
at ." 

§8.  Conversion  of  Seamen. 

(a)  LONG-FORGOTTEN  TEXT. 
— A  sailor  once  returned  from  a  voyage 
flushed  with  money,  and  as  he  had 
never  seen  London,  he  resolved  to  treat 
himself  with  a  sight  of  whatever  it  con- 
tained great  or  curious.  Among  other 
places  he  paid  a  visit  to  St.  Paul's. 
This  happened  during  divine  service. 
When  carelessly  passing  by,  he  heard 
the  officiating  minister  utter  the  words, 
"  Pray  without  ceasing ;"  but  they  then 
made  no  impression  on  his  mind:  he 
gratified  his  curiosity,  returned  to  his 
marine  pursuits,  and  continued  at  sea 
seven  years  without  the  occurrence  of 
any  thing  remarkable  in  his  history. 

One  fine  evening,  as  he  was  walking 
on  deck  to  enjoy  the  serene  air,  and 
while  his  feelings  were  soothed  by  the 
pleasing  aspect  of  nature,  on  a  sudden 
the  words  darted  into  his  mind — "  Pray 
without  ceasing."  "  Pray  without 
ceasing !  what  words  can  these  be  1" 
136 


exclaimed  he.  "  I  think  I  have  heard 
them  before ;  where  could  it  be  ?" 
After  a  pause,  "  Oh !  it  was  at  St. 
Paul's  in  London ;  the  minister  read 
them  from  the  Bible.  What !  and  do 
the  Scriptures  say,  '  Pray  without  ceas- 
ing V  Oh,  what  a  wretch  must  I  be, 
to  have  lived  so  long  without  praying 
at  all !"  God,  who  at  first  deposited 
this  scripture  in  his  ear,  now  caused 
it  to  spring  up  in  a  way,  and  at  a  time, 
and  with  a  power  peculiarly  his  own. 
The  poor  fellow  now  found  the  lightning 
of  conviction  flash  on  his  conscience, 
and  seemed  to  see  the  gulf  of  destruc- 
tion ready  to  swallow  him  up.  He 
now  began  to  pray ;  but  praying  was 
not  all.  "  O,"  said  he,  "  that  I  had  a 
Bible  or  some  good  book  !"  He  rum- 
maged his  chest ;  when  lo,  at  one  cor- 
ner  he  found  a  Bible,  which  his  anxious 
mother  had  twenty  years  before  put  in 
his  chest,  and  which,  till  now,  he  had 
never  opened.  He  readily  embraced 
it,  clasped  it  to  his  heart,  read,  wept, 
prayed,  believed,  and  became  a  new 
man. 

(b)  THE  VERSE  AND  THE  TO- 
BACCO.— Says  a  correspondent  jf  a 
Religious  Tract  Society  : — On  board  a 
vessel  at  Horsleydown,  I  found  only  an 
old  shipkeepcr.  I  asked  him  whether 
he  could  read  ;  he  replied,  he  could. 
On  asking  him  what  books  he  read,  his 
reply  was,  "  The  Bible."  I  then  gave 
him  two  tracts,  and  remarked  that  I 
had  sometimes  seen  parts  of  the  Bible 
in  cheesemongers'  shops,  which  I 
thought  very  wrong.  He  said  he 
differed  from  me  :  on  asking  his  reason, 
he  stated  that  he  was  formerly  a  great 
smoker,  and  on  going  to  purchase  some 
tobacco,  it  was  put  up  in  a  part  of  the 
Bible.  One  verse  struck  him  very 
forcibly ;  and  he  was  induced  to  pur- 
chase a  Bible,  and  has  read  it  daily  to 
the  present  time  ;  and,  said  he,  "  Biass- 
ed be  God,  I  would  not  part  with  it,  and 
the  hopes  I  have  of  salvation,  for  ten 
thousand  worlds." 

c  (c)  "  WHAT  BOOK  IS  THIS  ?"— 
A  meeting  was  once  held  in  Liverpool, 
for  the  establishment  of  a  society  to 
supply  sailors  with  Bibles.  An  active 
agent  of  the  society  having  moved  the 
first  resolution,  said,  that  as  he  saw  so 


CONVERSION  OF  SEAMEN. 


5§ 


many  sailors  around  him,  he  should  not 
ask  any  one  to  second  his  motion,  but 
leave  it  to  some  one  of  the  sailors. 
There  was  a  deathlike  silence  for  some 
moments  ;  but  a  poor,  old,  blind  sailor, 
at  the  far  end  of  the  place,  rose,  and,  in 
a  harsh  voice,  said,  "  Sir,  there  is  not 
an  individual  present  who  has  greater 
reason  to  second  this  resolution  than  the 
person  who  now  addresses  you.  Be- 
fore I  had  arrived  at  twenty  years  of 
age,  I  led  the  van  in  every  species  of 
vice  and  immorality.  Our  ship  was 
ordered  to  the  coast  of  Guinea  ;  a  vio- 
lent storm  came  on,  the  vivid  lightning 
flashed  around,  at  last  it  struck  my 
eyes ;  from  that  time  to  the  present  I 
have  not  beheld  the  light  of  day  ;  but, 
sir,  though  I  was  deprived  of  sight,  I 
was  not  deprived  of  sin.  I  was  very 
fond  of  having  books  read  to  me,  but, 
alas !  only  bad  books.  At  length  a 
Scotchman  came  to  my  house,  and  said, 
'  I  know  you  are  fond  of  hearing  books 
read,  will  you  hear  me  read  V  I  said 
I  had  no  objection :  he  read  the  book  to 
me.  I  felt  interested,  and,  at  the  end 
of  his  reading,  I  said,  '  Tell  me  what 
book  you  have  read.'  '  Never  mind, 
said  lie,  '  I  will  come  again  and  read 
more  ;  and  he  came  again,  and  again, 
and  again.  At  last  the  tears  gushed 
out  from  my  blind  eyes,  and  I  earnestly 
exclaimed,  '  Oh,  sir,  what  book  is  this  V 
He  said,  '  This  book  is  the  Bible.' 
From  that  time,  though  blind,  I  see  ;  I 
can  now  discern  the  way  of  salvation 
by  a  crucified  Saviour :  from  that  time 
to  this  I  have  been  enabled  to  follow 
my  Lord  ;  and  I  second  this  resolution, 
knowing  the  advantages  of  circulating 
the  sacred  volume."  Subsequently  to 
this,  the  poor  old  man  obtained  a  few 
shillings  a  week,  which  he  divided,  in 
various  portions,  to  different  religious 
societies;  and  gave  sixpence  a  week 
to  a  little  boy,  to  read  to  him  the  sacred 
Scriptures,  and  to  lead  him  about  from 
house  to  house,  and  from  (|ellar  to  cellar, 
to  promote  the  best  interests  of  others. 
(d)  THE  CAPTAIN  TURNED 
PREACHER.— A  lady,  who  was  ac- 
tively engaged  in  the  distribution  of  the 
Holy  Scriptures  and  religious  tracts, 
went,  on  one  occasion,  to  the  quay  at 
Plymouth,  and  requested  permission  of 


a  captain  to  go  on  board  a  man-of-war, 
in  which  were  about  eight  hundred 
men,  and  many  dissipated  females.  The 
captain  said,  "  Madam,  U  will  be  of  no 
avail ;  you  will  only  meet  with  abuse." 
She  answered,  "  With  your  leave  I'll 
go."  "  Certainly,  madam,"  he  re- 
plied;  and  she  went.  Something  oc- 
curred during  th'e  time,  which  irritated 
the  captain,  who  swore  a  most  dreadful 
oath.  The  lady  said,  "  Sir,  as  you 
have  granted  me  one  favor,  I  hope  you 
will  confer  another."  "  Certainly,  ma- 
dam," was  the  reply.  "  It  is  then,  sir,  that 
you  will  please  to  keep  from  swearing 
while  I  am  in  your  ship  :"  this  he  com- 
plied with.  After  the  lady  had  gone  round 
the  ship,  and  given  away  some  tracts, 
(and,  to  the  honor  of  British  sailors  be  it 
spoken,  they  treated  her  with  the  great- 
est respect,)  she  returned  to  the  captain, 
who  was  standing  at  the  entrance  of  the 
vessel.  She  thanked  him  kindly,  and 
said,  "  I  have  yet  one  more  favor  to 
ask  of  you,  sir,  which  I  hope  you  will 
comply  with."  "Yes,  certainly,  ma- 
dam," was  the  reply.  "  It  is  this," 
she  said,  presenting  him  with  the  New 
Testament,  "  I  desire  you  will  read  it 
through  twice."  He  replied,  "I  will, 
madam,  for  my  word's  sake." 

Some  years  afterwards,  when  on  a 
visit  to  a  place  about  five  miles  from 
Plymouth,  on  the  Lord's  day,  she  went 
to  church,  where  she  heard  an  excellent 
sermori^.  As  she  was  returning  through 
the  churchyard,  a  gentleman  accosted 
her,  and  said,  "  Do  you  remember,  ma- 
dam, giving  to  a  captain  a  New  Testa- 
ment, after  distributing  some  tracts  on 
board  a  man-of-war,  ajid  desiring  him 
to  read  it  twice  ?"  "A^e§,  sir,"  she  re- 
plied. He  added,  "  I  am  the  man  to 
whom  you  gave  it,  and  I  have  been 
preaching  to  you  to-day.  Through 
your  instrumentality  God  has  brought 
me  to  love  that  book  which  once  I  de- 
SDified. 

(e)/rHE,WIDpW'S  SON  AND 
HIS  BIBLE.— There  was  a  pious  wi- 
dow living  in  the  northern  part  of  Eng- 
land, on  whom,  in  consequence  of  the 
loss  she  had  sustained,  devolved  the 
sole  care  of  a  numerous  family,  consist- 
ing of  seven  daughters  and  one  son.  It 
was  her  chief  anxiety  to  train  up  her 
*  137  I 

\ 


58 


BIBLE. 


children  in  those  virtuous  and  religious 
habits,  which  promote  tlie  present  hap- 
piness and  the  immortal  welfare  of  man. 
Her  efforts  were  crowned  with  the  best 
success,  so  far  as  the  female  branches 
of  her  family  were  concerned.  But, 
alas  !  her  boy  proved  ungrateful  for  her 
care,  and  became  her  scourge  and  her 
cross.  He  loved  worldly  company  and 
pleasure ;  till,  having  impoverished  his 
circumstances,  it  became  necessary  that 
he  should  go  to  sea.  When  his  mother 
took  her  leave  of  him,  she  gave  him  a 
New  Testament,  inscribed  with  his 
name  and  her  own,  solemnly  and  tender- 
ly entreating  that  he  would  keep  the 
book,  and  read  it  for  her  sake.  He  was 
borne  far  away  upon  the  bosom  of  the 
trackless  deep,  and  year  after  year 
elapsed,  without  tidings  of  her  boy.  She 
occasionally  visited  parts  of  the  island 
remote  from  her  own  residence,  and  par- 
ticularly the  metropolis ;  and,  in  what- 
ever company  she  was  cast,  she  made 
it  a  point  to  inquire  for  the  ship  in  which 
her  son  sailed,  if  perchance  she  might 
hear  any  tidings  of  the  beloved  object 
who  was  always  uppermost  in  her 
thoughts.  On  one  occasion,  she  acci- 
dentally met,  in  a  party  in  London,  a 
sea  captain,  of  whom  she  made  her  ac- 
customed inquiries.  He  informed  her 
that  he  knew  the  vessel,  and  that  she 
had  been  wrecked  ;  that  he  also  knew 

a  youth  of  the  name  of  Charles ; 

and  added,  that  he  was  so  depraved  and 
profligate  a  lad,  that  it  were  a  good 
thing  if  he,  and  all  like  him,  were  at  the 
bottom  of  the  sea.  Pierced  to  her  in- 
most soul,  this  unhappy  mother  with- 
drew from  the  house,  and  resolved  in 
future  upon  strict  retirement,  in  which 
she  might  at  once  indulge  and  hide  her 
hopeless  grief.  "  I  shall  go  down  to 
the  grave,"  was  her  language,  "  mourn- 
ing for  my  son."  She  fixed  her  resi- 
dence at  one  of  the  sea-ports  on  the 
northern  coast.  After  the  lapse  of 
some  years,  a  half-naked  sailor  knock- 
ed at  her  door,  to  ask  relief.  The  sight 
of  a  sailor  was  always  interesting  to  her, 
and  never  failed  to  awaken  recollections 
and  emotions,  better  imagined  than  de- 
scribed. She  heard  his  tale.  He  had 
seen  great  perils  in  the  deep,  had  been 
several  times  wrecked,  but  said  he  had 
138 


never  been  so  dj-eadfully  destitute  as  he 
was  some  years  back,  when  himself  and 
a  fine  young  gentleman  were  the  only  in- 
dividuals, of  a  whole  ship's  crew,  that 
.  were  saved.  "  We  were  cast  upon  a  de- 
sert island,  where,  after  seven  days  and 
nights,  I  closed  his  eyes.  Poor  fellow, 
I  shall  never  forget  it."  And  here  the 
tears  stole  down  his  weather-beaten 
cheeks.  "  He  read  day  and  night  in  a 
little  book,  which  he  said  his  mother 
gave  him,  and  which  was  the  only  thing 
he  saved.  It  was  his  companion  every 
moment ;  he  wept  for  his  sins,  he  pray- 
ed, he  kissed  the  book  ;  he  talked  of 
nothing  but  this  book  and  his  mother  ; 
and  at  the  last  he  gave  it  to  me,  with 
many  thanks  for  my  poor  services. 
'  There,  Jack,'  said  he,  '  take  this  book, 
and  keep  it,  and  read  it,  and  may  God 
bless  you — it's  all  I've  got.'  And  then 
he  clasped  my  hand,  and  died  in  peace." 
"  Is  all  this  true  ?"  said  the  trembling, 
astonished  mother.  "  Yes,  madam,  every 
word  of  it."  And  then,  drawing  from 
his  ragged  jacket  a  little  book,  much 
battered  and  time-worn,  he  held  it  up, 
exclaiming,  "  And  here's  the  very  book, 
too."  She  seized  the  Testament,  des- 
cried  her  own  handwriting,  and  beheld 
the  name  of  her  son,  coupled  with  her 
own,  on  the  cover.  She  gazed,  she 
read,  she  wept,  she  rejoiced.  She 
seemed  to  hear  a  voice,  which  said, 
"  Behold,  thy  son  liveth."  Amidst  her 
conflicting  emotions,  she  was  ready  to 
exclaim,  "  Now,  Lord,  lettest  thou  thy 
servant  depart  in  peace,  for  mine  eyes 
have  seen  thy  salvation."  "  Will  you 
part  with  that  book,  my  honest  fellow  ?" 
said  the  mother,  anxious  now  to  pos- 
sess the  precious  relic.  "  No,  madam," 
was  the  answer,  "  not  for  any  money, 
— not  for  all  the  world.  He  gave  it  me 
with  his  dying  hand.  I  have  more  than 
once  lost  my  all  since  I  got  it,  without 
losing  this  treasure,  the  value  of  which, 
I  hope,  I  have  learned  for  myself;  and 
I  will  never  part  with  it  till  I  part  with 
the  breath  out  of  my  body." 

(/)  THE  TWOFOLD  RESCUE. 
— The  late  Rev.  Legh  Richmond  was 
once  speaking  at  a  meeting  at  Edin- 
burgh,  for  the  advancement  of  religion 
among  sailors,  when  he  related  the  fol- 
lowing facts : — 


CONVERSION  OF  SEAMEN. 


58 


"  When  I  reflect  on  the  character  and 
circumstances  of  seamen,  I  cannot  with- 
out peculiar  interest  recollect  the  time, 
when  a  young  man  went  to  sea,  whose 
feelings  were  ill  suited  to  all  the  con- 
tingencies of  a  sea-faring  life.  I  re- 
member that  the  time  came  when  it 
was  said  the  vessel  in  which  he  had 
sailed  had  been  wrecked,  and  that  the 
young  man  was  dead,  and  no  intimation 
had  reached  the  ears  of  his  affectionate 
parents,  of  any  change  in  his  views  as 
to  the  things  of  God.  And  I  remember 
the  time  when  that  young  man  was  so 
far  restored  again  to  his  family,  that  al- 
though  they  saw  him  not,  they  heard 
that  he  had  been  saved  from  the  ship- 
wreck. That  young  man,  too,  was 
found  by  the  blessed  God  while  on  the 
ocean  with  the  Bible  only,  which  his 
father  at  parting  had  put  into  his  hand. 
It  was  blessed  to  him  in  the  midst  of  the 
carnal  companions  by  whom  he  was 
surrounded.  This  means  of  grace, 
without  any  human  instruction,  was 
made  effectual  to  the  salvation  of  his 
soul.  The  time  came  when  that  young 
man,  who  had  been  a  foe  to  religion, 
lifted  up,  in  the  Bay  of  Gibraltar,  at  his 
mast-head,  a  Bethel  flag,  and  summon- 
ed his  sailors  to  prayer,  and  prayed  with 
them,  and  bade  the  missionary  exhort 
them. — And  when  I  tell  you  that  that 
young  man  is  my  men  son,  you  will  see 
that  1  may  well  say,  God  bless  the 
Sailors'  Friend !" 

(g)  THE  SPIRITUAL  LIFE- 
BUOY.—Said  a  youth  to  one  of  the 
secretaries  of  the  Bethel  Companies : 
"I  sailed  from  London  in  a  Scotch 
vessel  for  the  West  Indies,  second  mate, 
the  most  abandoned  wretch  that  ever 
sailed  on  salt  water,  particularly  noted 
for  profane  swearing.  Our  captain, 
though  a  good  seaman,  and  kind  to  his 
ship's  company,  cared  not  either  for  his 
own  soul,  or  for  the  souls  of  his  ship's 
crew.  We  had  been  at  sea  about  six- 
teen days,  when  one  night,  during  my 
watch  on  deck,  a  sudden  puff  of  wind 
caused  the  vessel  to  give  a  heavy  lurch. 
Not  being  prepared  to  meet  it,  I  was 
capsized,  and  came  head  on  against 
one  of  the  stanchions.  Feeling  much 
hurt,  I  gave  vent  to  my  anger,  by  a 
dreadful   oath,   cursing   the  wind,  the 


ship,  the  sea,  and  (awful  to  mention) 
the  Being  who  made  them.  Scarce 
had  this  horrid  oath  escaped  me  when 
it  appeared  to  roll  back  upon  my  mind 
with  so  frightful  an  image,  that  I  ran 
aft,  and  for  a  moment  or  two  thought  I 
saw  the  sea  parting,  and  the  vessel 
going  down.  All  that  night  my  awful 
oath  was  passing  before  my  eyes  like  a 
spectre,  and  its  consequences,  my  cer- 
tain damnation.  For  several  days  I 
was  miserable ;  ashamed  to  say  the 
cause.  I  asked  one  of  the  men  for  a 
book  ;  he  gave  me  one  of  Rousseau's 
novels.     I  asked  him  for  a  Testament, 


and  he  sneeringly  answered  by  asking 

me  if  I  was  going  to  die.     He  neve^lij^y 


troubled  himself  with  these  things ;  her 
left  Bibles  and  prayer-books  to  the 
priests.  Several  days  thus  passed  in  .^ 
the  greatest  torment,  this  dreadful  oath 
always  before  me,  and  the  d^vil  con- 
tinually harassing  me  with  the  dread- 
ful thought,  "1  shall  be  damned,^^ '^•. 'v 
I  shall  be  damned."  I  could  not — ""^ 
pray ;  indeed,  I  thought  it  of  no  use. 
On  the  fifth  day  I  was  turning  over 
some  things  in  my  chest,  when  I  found 
some  trifles  I  had  purchased  for  sea- 
stock  wrapped  in  paper — this  piece  of 
paper  (putting  his  hand  at  the  same 
time  into  his  pocket,  and  from  a  small 
red  case  taking  out  a  leaf  containing 
nearly  the  whole  of  the  first  chapter 
of  Isaiah)  oh  !  how  my  heart  throbbed, 
when  I  found  it  a  part  of  the  Bible  ! 
But,  sir,"  said  he  with  a  tear,  "  con- 
ceive what  I  felt  at  these  words, 
'  Though  your  sins  be  as  scarlet,  they 
shall  be  white  as  snow  ;  though  they 
be  red  like  crimson,  they  shall  be  as 
wool !  "  He  paused  to  wipe  away  the 
tears.  Indeed,  says  the  Secretary,  my 
eyes  needed  wiping  too.  "  O,  sir,"  he 
continued,  '-'like  a  drowning  man  I 
clung  to  this  life-buoy ;  on  this  I  laid 
my  soul,  while  the  billows  were  going 
over  me.  I  prayed,  and  the  Lord  was 
graciously  pleased  to  remove  in  some 
measure  the  great  guilt  from  my  con- 
science, though  I  continued  mournful 
and  bowed  down  until  last  evening,  on 
board  the  Mayflower,  I  stowed  away 
among  the  Bethel  Company.  There 
the  Lord  spoke  my  pardon  and  peace. 
I  am  now  like  poor  Legion,  going  home 
139 


59 


BIBLE. 


to  my  friends  to  tell  them  what  great 
thhigs  the  Lord  has  done  for  me.  Fare- 
well, sir."  "  Farewell,  my  lad ;  the 
Lord  go  with  you." 

59.  Conversion  of  the  Profligate  and  Vicious. 

(a)  THE  BIBLE  AND  THE 
BRAxNDY  BOTTLE.— At  an  anni- 
versa  ry  of  a  Bible  Society  in  South 
Carolina,  a  man  was  present  who  had 
been  in  the  habit  of  intemperance  many 
years.  He  had  wasted  a  fortune,  and 
his  amiable  family  were  now  sharing 
with  him  poverty  and  disgrace.  In  the 
evening  a  director  of  the  Society  saw 
this  man  in  a  state  of  intoxication,  and 
presented  him  a  Bible.  He  received 
the  drunken  man's  thanks,  who  con- 
fessed he  had  no  such  book  at  home, 
and  promised  to  keep  it  for  himself  and 
family  to  read.  Unable  to  reach  his 
.louse  he  slept  by  the  roadside,  and  in 
he  night  awoke,  finding  his  Bible  in 
one  pocket  and  a  bottle  of  brandy  in 
the  other.  He  said  to  himself,  It  will 
not  do  to  carry  both  home  together, 
and  I  do  not  know  which  to  throw  away. 
If  I  throw  away  the  Bible,  I  shall  die  a 
drunkard,  and  the  devil  has  me.  If  I 
throw  away  the  bottle,  I  give  the  lot  to 
God,  and  I  may  die  a  good  man.  He 
paused  for  reflection,  and  allowed  the 
convictions  of  duty  to  contend  against 
habit  and  inclination.  The  conflict  was 
a  terrible  one.  Often  did  he  raise  his 
hand  to  throw 'away  from  him  the  Bible, 
drink  his  life  out,  and  let  the  devil  take 
him.  At  last  conscience  prevailed,  and 
taking  a  hearty  draught  from  the  bottle, 
he  dashed  it  against  a  tree. 

He  reached  home  at  the  dawn  of  day, 
called  his  family  together,  told  them 
what  he  had  done,  and  what  he  was 
resolved  to  do.  The  morning  was 
spent  in  reading  in  his  new  book  with 
his  family,  and  late  on  the  very  same 
morning  they  all  kneeled  around  the 
domestic  altar,  to  offer  to  Heaven  their 
first  united  petition.  The  trembling 
voice  and  broken  expressions  of  the 
father,  unaccustomed  to  pray  ;  the  half 
suppressed  emotions  of  his  lovely  chil- 
dren, too  deeply  felt  to  be  silently  held 
in  their  bosoms,  and  the  loud  weeping 
of  his  heart-broken  companion,  over- 
140 


come  with  joy  and  gratitude  at  the  un- 
expected scene,  made  an  impression  on 
that  family  which  will  not  be  forgotten 
in  eternity.  This  man  now  obtained 
the  confidence  of  the  neighborhood  ;  he 
was  exemplary  in  his  morals,  a  humble 
and  active  Christian;  and  the  Lord 
crowned  his  temporal  affairs  with  pros- 
perity, and  a  family  once  wretched  be- 
came truly  happy. 

(h)  pickpoc:;ket  at  an  an. 

NIVERSARY.— The     first      meeting 
of  the    Shoreditch    Bible    Association 
was    held    in  the  church,   which    was 
very    much    crowded.      Some    weeks 
afterwards,  the  collectors  called  on  a 
widow,  who  kept  a  small  grocer's  shop, 
for    her   subscription,    which    she    had 
always  paid  very  cheerfully.     As  they 
were  going  away,  she  said,  "  Gentle- 
men, I  have  got  a  young  man,  a  lodger, 
who  is  always  poring  over  the  Bible : 
I  dare  say  he  would  subscribe."     The 
collectors  were    introduced   to   him  to 
solicit  his  subscription.     He  answered, 
"I  certainly  will ;"  and  gave  them  a 
guinea,  and  desired  them  to  put  down 
his  name  as  a  subscriber  of  sixpence  a 
week.    The  gentlemen  were  astonished, 
and  hesitated  at  taking  so  much,  and 
wished  to  return  a  part.     He  answered, 
"  No,  I  owe  my  all  to  the  Shoreditch 
Bible  Association."      About  a   month 
afterwards,    the    committee    wished    to 
increase  its  number.     This  young  man 
was  proposed  and  accepted.     But  when 
the  matter  was  mentioned  to  him,  he 
warmly  replied,   "  No,  gentlemen,  you 
must   pardon   me,  I  am  not  worthy  to 
form  a  part  of  your  committee.     If  you 
want  more  money,  I  will  gladly  give 
it ;   but   to  act  on   your   committee,  I 
cannot."     They    in   vain    pressed  the 
matter,  and  wished  to  know  his  reasons. 
About  a  year  after,   he  requested  his 
landlady   to    desire   the    gentlemen    to 
wait  upon  him  when  they  called,  (he 
had    regularly    paid    his    subscription 
through  the  medium  of  his  landlady,) 
as  he  wanted  to  speak  to  them  ;  which 
they  did.     "  Now,  gentlemen,"  said  he, 
"  my  lips  are  unsealed.     I  take  my  de- 
parture for  America  this  week.     Here 
are  five  guineas.     I  will  now  tell   you 
my  short  history.     Two  years  ago,  I 
was  one  of  the  most  profligate  young 


CONVERSION  OF  THE  PROFLIGATE  AND  VICIOUS. 


59 


men  in  the  city  of  London.  I  was  a 
common  pickpocket.  At  your  a?mi- 
versary,  seeing  the  church  crowded,  I, 
with  several  of  my  companions  in  ini- 
quity, entered,  in  order  to  pursue  our 
sinful  practices.  From  the  crowded 
state  of  the  church,  we  were  separated. 
I  got  into  the  middle  aisle,  just  in  front 
of  the  speakers.  The  first  words  I 
caught  were,  '  Thou  shalt  not  steal.' 
My  attention  was  fixed  ;  my  conscience 
was  touched ;  and  tears  began  to  flow. 
In  vain  did  my  companions  make  their 
signals  to  commence  our  operations. 
As  soon  as  the  meeting  closed,  I  hur- 
ried away,  threw  myself  into  the  first 
coach  I  found,  drove  to  my  lodgings  in 
the  west  end  of  the  town,  paid  my  rent, 
took  away  all  my  things,  and  came 
into  this  part  of  the  city,  in  order  to 
hide  myself  from  my  companions  ;  and 
providentially  found  this  house.  I  im- 
mediately inquired  for  a  Bible  ;  and  for 
the  first  time  in  my  life  began  to  read 
it.  I  found  my  convictions  of  the  evil 
of  my  conduct  increased,  and  I  hope  I 
have  now  found  peace  and  rest  in  be- 
lieving on  that  Saviour  whom  the  Bible 
reveals." 

(c)  LITTLE  JACK  AND  HIS 
FATHER.— The  substance  of  the  fol- 
lowing  story  was  related  by  the  Rev. 

Mr.  S ,  at  a  meeting  of  the  Young 

Men's  Bible  Society,  of  Baltimore, 
March,  1822. 

He  stated,  that  at  a  meeting  of  a  Bath 
(England)  Bible  Association,  he  was  pre- 
sent when  there  was  a  call  for  volunteer 
speakers,  and  a  stranger  came  forward 
and  made  the  following  statements. 
He  said,  that  in  the  county  of  Devon, 
there  lived  a  man,  desperately  and  no- 
toriously wicked,  ahd  of  so  cruel  and 
ferocious  a  disposition,  as  in  some  in- 
stances to  extinguish  his  natural  aflTec- 
tion  for  his  own  offspring.  One  day, 
taking  his  little  son  by  the  hand,  who 
was  big  enough  to  walk,  he  strolled  to- 
wards the  cliffs,  which  in  those  parts 
overhang  the  sea,  and  laid  himself 
down  upon  the  grass.  His  playful  lit- 
tle son  meanwhile  amused  himself  with 
picking  up  pebbles  and  throwing  them 
down  at  the  feet  of  his  father,  who  in  a 
churlish  rage,  having  two  or  three  times 
bidden  him  desist  without  being  obeyed, 


gave  vent  to  his  anger,  and  with  a  kick, 
which  prostrated  the  child  upon  the 
ground,  left  the  poor  creature  screaming 
with  anguish  and  walked  away.  The 
unhappy  little  sufferer  having  so  far  re- 
covered as  to  regain  his  feet,  wandered 
so  near  the  cliff  as  to  fall  over,  and  was 
precipitated  into  the  sea ;  but  the  air 
in  his  dress,  (for  he  still  wore  infantile 
garments,)  broke  the  force  of  his  fall, 
and  prevented  him  from  immediately 
sinking.  It  happened  that  the  boat  of  a 
man-of-war,  which  was  lying  in  the  off- 
ing, was  just  then  returning  from  a 
watering  place,  and  seeing  an  object 
floating  on  the  water  rowed  up  to  it, 
took  him  in,  and  carried  him  on  board 
the  ship.  The  sailors  made  a  pet  of 
him  and  called  him  "  Little  Jack ;" 
and  when  he  had  become  old  enough 
for  the  service,  made  him  a  powder- 
monkey,  (a  title  given  to  those  who 
carry  cartridges  to  the  gunners.) 

This  ship  with  some  others  of  an  in- 
ferior size,  having  had  a  severe  engage- 
ment with  the  enemy,  and  many  being 
wounded,  little  Jack,  the  powder- 
monkey,  was  employed  to  wait  upon 
the  surgeon.  Among  the  wounded  who 
were  brought  from  other  vessels  for  sur- 
gical aid,  was  a  man,  both  of  whose  legs 
were  shot  away  by  a  chain  shot,  and 
the  bones  so  shattered  as  to  prevent  any 
hope  of  cure  from  amputation.  Death 
had  indeed  alrQady  begun  to  play 
around  his  heart.  While  he  lay  in 
these  mortal  agonies,  he  fixed  his  eyes 
steadfastly  upon  little  Jack,  and  having 
yet  power  to  speak,  a^ked  the  boy  who 
he  was,  and  whence  he  came  ?  He  told 
him  what  the  sailors  had  related  to  him, 
and  which  was  all  he  knew  of  himself. 
The  wounded  man,  who  recognized  the 
features  of  his  son  in  the  boy,  was  now 
convinced  it  must  be  he.  I  am,  said 
he,  that  ungodly  and  brutal  father,  who 
left  you  upon  the  cliff,  (relating  the  par- 
ticulars,) from  whence  you  must  have 
fallen  into  the  sea.  Beginning  to  grow 
uneasy,  I  returned  to  the  place  where  I 
had  left  you  ;  but  you  had  disappeared. 
All  my  researches  proved  in  vain  ;  I 
could  gain  no  tidings  of  you.  Suppos- 
ing that  you  had  perished  through  my 
cruelty,  I  became  frantic  with  grief,  and 
was  on  the  point  of  putting  an  end  to  my 
141 


50,60 


BIBLE 


existence;  but  finally,  in  hope^of  find- 
ing some  relief  from  my  misery,  I  en- 
tered on  board  a  ship-of-war.  Having 
returned  from  a  cruise,  while  lying  in 
port,  a  gentleman  (a  member  of  a  Bible 
Society)  came  on  board,  and  asked  per- 
mission of  the  captain  to  distribute  some 
Bibles  among  the  ship's  company. 

It  fell  to  my  lot  to  receive  one,  which 
became  the  means  of  my  conversion  to 
God  ;  and  now  I  have  redemption  in 
the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  even  the  for- 
giveness of  all  my  sins.  I  have  but  a 
few  moments  to  live  ;  the  pains  of  death 
are  upon  me ;  I  have  no  will  to  make, 
not  having  any  thing  to  leave  you  save 
this  Bible,  taking  it  from  his  bosom  and 
presenting  it  to  him  in  the  language  of 
David  to  Solomon,  "  and  thou  Solomon 
my  son  know  thou  the  God  of  thy  fa- 
,thers ;  if  thou  seek  him,  he  will  be 
found  of  thee;  and  if  thou  forsake  him, 
he  will  cast  thee  off  forever."  Ashe 
ended  the  quotation  his  voice  faltered, 
andjie  sank  in  death.  The  speaker, 
said  Mr.  S.,  admitted  that  so  strange  a 
story  might  seem  incredible,  but  the 
tears  starting  from  his  eyes,  he  put  his 
hand  into  his  bosom,  drew  out  a  book, 
and  said,  "  This  is  the  Bible,  and  1  am 
Little  Jack .'" 

(d)  CUTTING  A  BIBLE  IN 
PIECES. — A  young  man,  a  soldier, 
who  was  leading  a  dissolute  life,  was 
often  reproved  by  a  pious  friend,  but  to 
no  purpose.  At  last,  his  friend  gave 
him  a  Bible ;  the  young  man  immedi- 
ately said,  "  I  will  cut  it  in  pieces  be- 
fore your  face  ;"  which  he  instantly  did 
with  his  sword,  and  ever  after  shunned 
his  friend's  company.  A  bout  two  years 
after  this  had  occurred,  he  was  brought 
to  a  sick  and  dying  bed,  and  sent  for  his 
friend,  and  expressed  a  wish  to  have  a 
Bible  brought  to  him.  He  received  it, 
and  read  it ;  and  one  day  he  clasped 
the  book  with  both  his  hands,  and  ex- 
claimed, "  Oh  that  ever  such  a  wretch 
as  I  should  be  permitted  to  read  this 
blessed  book,  which  I  once  cut  in 
pieces  !  This  book  has  now  cut  my 
sins  in  pieces,  and  led  me  to  Christ  as 
my  Saviour.  Oh  that  I  could  recall  my 
property  and  murdered  time  :  all,  all 
should  be  spent  in  distributing  this  bless- 
ed book !" 

H8 


60.  Conversion  of  In/idels. 

(a)  ROCHESTER   AND   IS.  LIIL 

— It  is  well  known  that  this  extraordi- 
naiy  man  was,  for  many  years  of  his 
life,  an  avowed  infidel,  and  that  a  large 
portion  of  his  time  was  spent  in  ridicul- 
ing the  Bible.  One  of  his  biographera 
has  described  him  as  "  a  great  wit,  a 
great  sinner,  and  a  great  penitent." 
Even  this  man  was  converted  by  the 
Holy  Spirit  in  the  use  of  his  word. 
Reading  the  fifty-third  chapter  of  Isaiah, 
he  was  convinced  of  the  truth  and  in- 
spiration of  the  Scriptures,  the  Deity  of 
the  Messiah,  and  the  value  of  his  atone- 
ment as  a  rock  on  which  sinners  may 
build  their  hopes  of  salvation.  On  that 
atonement  he  rested,  and  died  in  the 
humble  expectation  of  pardoning  mercy 
and  heavenly  happiness. 

(b)  THE  YOUNG  INFIDEL.— 
The  grace  of  God  was  manifested  in  a 
delightful  manner,  in  the  case  of  a 
young  man  at  Carlisle.  He  was  an 
avowed  infidel,  and  his  daring  acts  of 
violence  and  outrage  exhibited  the  state 
of  his  mind.  He  fell  sick,  and  his  sick- 
ness was  unto  death  :  having  wasted 
his  substance  in  riotous  living,  he  was 
now  reduced  to  poverty  and  destitution. 
A  pious  man  visited  him  twice,  admi- 
nistered to  his  temporal  necessities, 
reasoned  with  him,  recommended  him 
to  read  the  Scriptures,  and  offered  to 
supply  him  with  a  Bible  ;  but  he  ob- 
tained nothing  but  scornful  or  evasive 
answers.  One  of  the  collectors  of  the 
Carlisle  Ladies'  Bible  Association  also 
visited  him,  and  at  length  succeeded  in 
persuading  him  to  receive  a  New  Testa- 
ment, with  the  Book  of  Psalms.  From 
that  time  he  seardhed  the  Scriptures 
daily  and  diligently.  Through  reading 
them,  he  became  convinced  of  sin,  of 
righteousness,  and  of  judgment :  his 
blasphemies  were  changed  for  praise : 
he  confessed  his  sins,  and  professed  love 
to  the  Saviour.  He  declared  also,  that; 
in  the  commencement  of  his  illness,  he 
had  resolved  on  destroying  himself, 
seeing  that  nothing  but  poverty  and 
death  awaited  him  ;  but,  holding  forth 
the  Scriptures,  he  added,  "  This  bless- 
ed book  has  shown  me  that  it  wa^  a 
temptation  of  Satan ;  that  God  has  given 


CONVERSION  OF  INFIDELS. 


60 


to  us  eternal  life,  and  this  life  is  in  his 
Son."  After  continuing  in  this  happy 
state  of  mind  for  three  or  four  months, 
he  died  ;  looking  for  the  mercy  of  God 
unto  eternal  life,  through  the  redemp- 
tion that  is  in  Christ  Jesus. 

(c)  THE  MOCK  DISCUSSION.— 
The  following  facts  were  related  by 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Singer,  the  secretary  of 
the  Hibernian  Bible  Society,  at  the 
anniversary  of  the  British  and  Foreign 
Bible  Society,  in  1830  : — 

Some  time  since,  in  a  midland  county 
in  Ireland,  a  discussion  took  place,  aris- 
ing from  the  operations  of  the  Reforma- 
tion Society,  between  a  Roman  Catholic 
and  a  Protestant  clergyman.  Many 
farmers  and  peasants  from  the  neigh- 
borhood attended  that  discussion ;  and, 
being  under  the  influence  of  infidelity, 
they  did  so  merely  for  the  purpose  of 
ridiculing  and  censuring  the  arguments 
which  were  brought  forward  by  the 
two  clergymen.  Many  of  the  farmers 
and  peasants  who  attended  were  them- 
selves deeply  read,  or,  at  least,  were 
well  acquainted  with  the  writings  of 
infidels ;  whose  works,  strange  to  tell, 
have  been  circulated,  in  print  and  man- 
uscript, through  the  country !  They 
ridiculed  the  circumstance ;  it  amused 
them  ;  and  they  said,  "  we  will  have  a 
discussion  of  our  own."  "You  shall 
be  the  Roman  Catholic,"  said  one, 
'•■  and  I  will  be  the  Protestant ;  and  our 
friends  here  shall  be  judges  who  dis- 
plays the  most  ability  and  ingenuity." 
They  carried  their  blasphemous  ob- 
ject almost  into  effect :  the  time  was 
appointed,  and  they  seriously  set  about 
preparing  for  the  contest.  It  was 
agreed  that  they  should  do  what  they 
had  never  done  before — read  the  Scrip- 
tures, in  order  to  prepare  for  the  attack. 
And  the  result  was,  that  those  who  did 
so  became  convinced  of  the  truth  and 
excellence  of  the  Bible. 

{(i)  CAUGHT  WITH  GUILE.— 
Mr.  Robert  Aitkin,  a  bookseller  of 
Philadelphia,  was  the  first  person  who 
printed  a  Bible  in  that  city.  While  he 
kept  a  bookstore,  a  person  called  on 
him,  and  inquired  if  he  had  Paine's 
"  Age  of  Reason"  for  sale.  He  told 
him  he  had  not;  but  having  entered 
into  conversation  with  him,  and  found 


that  he  was  an  infidel,  he  told  him  he 
had  a  better  book  than  Paine's  "  Age 
of  Reason,"  which  he  usually  sold  for 
a  dollar,  but  would  lend  it  to  him,  if 
he  would  promise  to  read  it ;  and  after 
he  had  actually  read  it,  if  he  did  not 
think  it  worth  a  dollar,  he  would  take 
it  again.  The  man  consented ;  and 
Mr.  Aitkin  put  a  Bible  into  his  hands. 
He  smiled  when  he  found  what  book 
he  had  engaged  to  read  ;  but  said  he 
would  perform  his  engagement.  He 
did  so  ;  and  when  he  had  finished  the 
perusal,  he  came  back,  and  expressed 
the  deepest  gratitude  for  Mr.  Aitkin's 
recommendation  of  the  book,  saying  it 
had  made  him  what  he  was  not  before 
— a  happy  man ;  for  he  had  found  in 
it  the  way  of  salvation  through  Christ. 
Mr.  Aitkin  rejoiced  in  the  event,  and 
had  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  this 
reader  of  the  Bible,  from  that  day  to 
the  end  of  his  life,  supported  the  char- 
acter of  a  consistent  Christian,  and  died 
with  a  hope  full  of  immortality. 

(e)  HALF  DESTROYED  BIBLE. 
— A  father,  residing  not  far  from  Co- 
lumbia, S.  C,  was  about  sending  his 
son  to  College.  But  as  he  knew  the 
influence  to  which  he  would  be  ex- 
posed, he  was  not  without  a  deep  and 
anxious  solicitude  for  the  spiritual  and 
eternal  welfare  of  his  favorite  child. 
Fearing  lest  the  principles  of  Christian 
faith,  which  he  had  endeavored  to  instil 
into  his  mind,  would  be  rudely  assailed, 
but  trusting  in  the  efficacy  of  that  word 
which  is  quick,  and  powerful,  he  pur- 
chased, unknown  to  his  son,  an  elegant 
copy  of  the  Bible,  and  deposited  it  at 
the  bottom  of  his  trunk.  The  young 
man  entered  upon  his  college  career. 
The  restraints  of  a  pious  education 
were  soon  broken  ofT,  and  he  proceeded 
from  speculation  to  doubts,  and  from 
doubts  to  a  denial  of  the  reality  of  reli- 
gion. After  having  become,  in  his 
own  estimation,  wiser  than  his  father,  he 
discovered  one  day,  while  rummaging 
his  trunk,  with  great  surprise  and  indig- 
nation, the  sacred  deposit.  He  took  it 
out,  and  while  deliberating  on  the  man- 
ner in  which  he  should  treat  it,  he  de- 
termined that  he  would  use  it  as  waste 
paper,  on  which  to  wipe  his  razor  while 
shaving.  Accordingly,  every  time  he 
143 


BIBLE. 


went  to  shave,  he  tore  out  a  leaf  or  two 
of  the  holy  book,  and  thus  used  it  till 
nearly  half  the  volume  was  destroyed. 
But  while  he  was  committing  this  out- 
rage upon  the  sacred  book,  a  text  now 
and  then  met  his  eye,  and  was  carried 
like  a  barbed  arrow  to  his  heart.  At 
length,  he  heard  a  sermon,  which  dis- 
covered to  him  his  own  character,  and 
his  exposure  to  the  wrath  of  God,  and 
riveted  upon  his  mind  the  impression 
which  he  had  received  from  the  last 
torn  leaf  of  the  blessed,  yet  insulted 
volume.  Had  worlds  been  at  his  dis- 
posal, he  would  freely  have  given  them 
all,  could  they  have  availed,  in  ena- 
bling him  to  undo  what  he  had  done. 
At  length,  he  found  forgiveness  at  the 
foot  of  the  cross.  The  torn  leaves  of 
that  sacred  volume  brought  healing  to 
his  soul ;  for  they  led  him  to  repose  on 
the  mercy  of  God,  which  is  sufficient 
for  the  chief  of  sinners. 

(/)  AGE  OF  REASON  AND  THE 
BIBLE. — A  gentleman  was  once  asked 
in  company,  what  led  him  to  embrace 
the  truths  of  the  gospel,  which  formerly 
he  was  known  to  have  neglected  and 
despised !  He  said,  "  My  call  and  con- 
version to  God  my  Savior  were  pro- 
duced by  very  singular  means  :-^A-per- 
son  put  into  my  hands  Paine's  'Age  of 
Reason.'  I  read  it  with  attention,  and 
was  much  struck  with  the  strong  and 
ridiculous  representation  he  made  of 
many  passages  in  the  Bible.  I  confess, 
to  my  shame,  I  had  never  read  the  Bible 
through  ;  but  from  what  I  remembered 
to  have  heard  at  church,  and  accidentally 
on  other  occasions,  I  could  not  persuade 
myself  that  Paine's  report  was  quite  ex- 
l^  act,  or  that  the  Bible  was  quite  so  absurd 
a  book  as  he  represented  it.  I  resolved 
therefore  that  I  would  read  the  Bible 
regularly  through,  and  compare  the 
passages  when  I  had  done  so,  that  I 
might  give  the  Bible  fair  play.  I  accord- 
ingly set  myself  to  the  task,  and  as  I  ad- 
vanced, I  was  struck  with  the  majesty 
/  \  which  spoke,  the  awfulness  of  the  truths 
Lf-  contained  in  it,  and  the  strong  evidence 
v./  of  its  divine  origin,  which  increased  with 
every  page,  so  that  I  finished  my  inquiry 
with  the  fullest  satisfaction  of  the  truth 
as  it  is  in  Jesus,  and  my  heart  was  pene- 
144 


trated  with  a  sense  of  obligation  I  had 
never  felt  before.  I  resolved  henceforth 
to  take  the  sacred  word  for  my  guide,  and 
to  be  a  faithful  follower  of  the  Son  of  God. 
(g)  THE  DEATH-BED  REQUEST. 
— A  young  man  once  went  into  the  shop 
of  a  tradesman  at  Reading,  where  the 
subject  of  the  Bible  Society  was  men- 
tioned, when  he  expressed,  in  language 
rancorous  and  bitter,  his  hatred  of  the 
institution.  His  p«assion  was  too  violent 
to  allow  at  that  time  a  word  of  remon- 
strance to  be  addressed  to  him.  The 
fact  was  mentioned  to  a  little  girl,  a 
daughter  of  the  tradesman,  who  was 
then  on  her  death -bed.  She  had  felt 
the  power  of  Divine  truth,  and  recom- 
mended that  they  should  subscribe  for  a 
Bible,  and  present  it  to  him.  The  re- 
quest was  attended  to,  and  the  Bible 
was  given  him,  with  an  account  of  the 
dying  child's  concern  for  his  welfare. 
He  received  it  with  gratitude,  carefully 
perused  it,  was  deeply  impressed  with 
its  truths,  and  read  it  to  his  fellow-ser- 
vants. In  a  word,  he  became  a  zeal- 
ous and  consistent  advocate  for  the 
Divine  book,  which  he  had  formerly  so 
much  opposed. 

{h)  A  BIBLE  LEFT  IN  A  BARN. 
— When  the  committee  of  a  Bible  Asso- 
ciation, in  the  state  of  New-York,  were 
making  exertions  to  supply  every  desti- 
tute family  with  a  copy  of  the  book  of 
God,  a  distributor  called  at  a  house 
where  he  met  with  an  angry  repulse. 
The  man  of  the  house  was  full  of 
"  cursing  and  bitterness;"  he  would  not 
suffer  a  Bible  to  be  left  at  his  house. 
"If  left  any  where,"  said  he,  "  it  shall 
be  left  at  the  barn."  "  Very  well,"  the 
distributor  meekly  replied;  "I  do  not 
know  that  I  could  select  a  better  place 
for  it :  our  blessed  Savior  once  lay  in  a 
manger!"  He  went  quickly  to  the 
barn,  and  deposited  the  sacred  treasure 
in  a  safe  place,  with  much  prayer  that 
it  might  bless  even  him  who  would  not 
allow  it  to  remain  in  his  house.  The 
man,  struck  with  the  unexpected  reply 
of  the  distributor,  was  led  to  think  of  his 
own  rashness  and  guilt,  and  especially 
of  the  Savior's  birth-place.  After  two 
or  three  days  his  distress  became  so 
great,  that  he  went  out  to  the  barn  in 


CONVERSION  OF  PAPISTS. 


60,61 


search  of  the  rejected  volume.  He 
turned  to  the  passage  which  records  the 
circumstances  connected  with  the  birth 
of  the  Redeemer,  and  wept,  and  re- 
pented, and  consecrated  himself  to  God 
through  faith  in  Christ.  The  once 
spurned  book  now  found  a  place,  not 
only  in  his  house,  but  its  truths  were 
received  into  his  heart,  and  controlled 
his  life. 

(i)  IT  IS  NO  TASK.— At  an  an- 
nual  meeting  of  the  Cambridge  Bible 
Society,  the  Rev.  Professor  Scholefield 
related  the  following  anecdote  of  Mr. 
Hone,  the  well  known  author  of  the 
Every  Day  Book. — Mr.  Hone,  in  the 
days  of  his  infidelity,  was  travelling  in 
Wales  on  foot,  and  being  rather  tired 
and  thirsty,  he  stopped  at  the  door  of  a 
cottage  where  there  was  a  little  girl 
seated  reading,  and  whom  he  asked, 
if  she  would  give  him  a  little  water. 
"  O  yes,  sir,"  she  said,  "  if  you  will 
come  in,  mother  will  give  you  some 
milk  and  water;"  upon  which  he  went 
in  and  partook  of  that  beverage,  the 
little  girl  again  resuming  her  seat  and 
her  book.  After  a  short  stay  in  the 
cottage,  he  came  out  and  accosted  the 
child  at  the  door,  "  Well,  my  little  girl, 
are  you  getting  your  task  ?"  "  O  no, 
sir,"  she  replied,  "  I  am  reading  the 
Bible."  "But,"  said  Mr.  Hone,  "you 
are  getting  your  task  out  of  the  Bible." 
— "  O  no,  sir,  it  is  no  task  to  me  to 
read  the  Bible — it  is  a  pleasure."  This 
circumstance  had  such  an  effect  upon 
Mr.  Hone,  that  he  determined  to  read 
the  Bible  too,  and  he  was  now  (said 
Professor  Scholefield)  one  of  the  fore- 
most in  upholding  and  defending  the 
great  truths  contained  in  that  holy  book. 

61.  Conversion  of  Papists. 

(a)  A  CLUSTER  OF  BLESSINGS. 
— In  the  year  1828,  a  gentleman  in 
London  gave  the  following  interesting 
account : 

A  few  Sabbaths  since,  I  was  invited 
by  a  serious  woman  in  humble  life  to 
visit  her  daughter,  who  was  too  much 
afflicted  to  leave  her  home.  In  the 
afternoon  I  went,  and  found  the  lowly 
dwelling,  situated  in  a  small  dirty  street, 
inhabited  by  the  poor.  From  the  aspect 
10 


of  the  street,  I  was  prepared  to  enter 
an  apartment  of  corresponding  appear- 
ance. I  was,  however,  greatly  sur- 
prised, on  entering,  to  witness  the  very 
opposite  to  what  I  had  imagined.  All 
was  neat  and  tidy.  The  poor  daughter, 
who  labored  under  great  nervous  de- 
bility, accompanied  with  deafness,  was 
too  weak  to  rise,  but  received  me  with 
the  greatest  respect.  Before  reading 
the  Scriptures  and  prayer,  which  was 
my  errand,  I  felt  an  anxiety  to  hear  the 
outline  of  the  history  of  a  family  in 
which  I  had  already  found  so  much  to 
interest.  The  mother,  with  much  sim- 
plicity, gave  me  the  following  account : 
"  My  father  was  a  Roman  Catholic, 
and  I  was  consequently  brought  up  in 
its  superstitions.  My  husband  is  a  sol- 
dier, and  has  seen  much  active  service, 
having  served  in  Egypt  and  at  Water- 
loo. I  accompanied  him  in  his  cam- 
paigns, and,  being  kept  by  almighty 
power,  was  always  •  noticed  by  the 
officers  for  my  propriety  of  conduct, 
which  procured  favors  both  for  my 
husband  and  children.  At  the  termina- 
tion of  the  late  war,  we  lodged  in  West- 
minster, where,  during  my  confinement, 
I  was  visited  by  a  gentleman  from  the 
Bible  Society  of  that  district,  who  find- 
ing I  had  no  Bible,  was  desirous  that  I 
should  by  small  payments  procure  one; 
to  which  I  consented.  On  obtaining  it, 
I  frequently  read  it;  and  the  general 
impression  on  my  mind  was  surprise  at 
the  many  promises  it  contained.  On 
regaining  my  strength,  I  resolved  to 
attend  some  Protestant  place  of  worship, 
and,  accordingly,  occasionally  visited 
some  chapels  in  the  neighborhood,  but 
without  receiving  any  permanent  bene- 
fit. It  then  pleased  God  to  remove  us. 
to  our  present  situation,  where  I  had 
not  long  resided  before  a  lady  called, 
and  inquired  if  I  should  have  any 
objection  to  a  prayer-meeting  being  held 
in  my  apartment.  I  consented;  and 
such  meetings  have  been  held  here  from 
that  time  until  now,  and  have  proved  a 
blessing  to  others  in  the  street.  It  was 
at  these  meetings  it  pleased  the  Father 
of  mercies  to  awaken  in  my  mind  a 
sense  of  my  danger,  as  a  lost  sinner, 
and  the  consequent  necessity  of  an  in- 
terest in  Christ,  the  only  Savior.  My 
145 


61 


BIBLE. 


mind  became  progressively  enlightened, 
and  being  able  to  consult  the  Scriptures, 
I  trust  I  have  increased  in  knowledge. 
My  afflicted  daughter  has  also  tasted 
that  the  Lord  is  gracious,  and  one  child 
has  died  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord  ;  and  it 
was  on  the  very  day  that  the  Lord  took 
her  to  himself  that  this  one  was  added 
to  a  Christian  church.  So  that,  instead 
of  the  grief  which  a  mother  may  be 
expected  to  feel  at  the  loss  of  a  beloved 
child,  I  was  lost  in  gratitude,  that  on  the 
same  day  the  Lord  should  introduce  one 
to  the  church  militant,  and  the  other, 
more  happy,  to  the  church  triumphant. 

"  I  pray  for  my  husband,  and  am  not 
without  hope  that  God  will  answer  my 
prayers.  He  accompanies  me  to  public 
Worship,  joins  in  domestic  worship, 
which  I  am  obliged  to  lead,  and,  as  far 
as  external  deportment  is  concerned,  is 
a  changed  man." 

(h)  HEARING  A  CHILD  READ. 
— In  an  Irish  school,  in  London,  the 
children  were  allowed  to  take  the  New 
Testament  home  with  them  at  night,  to 
learn  from  it  their  lessons  for  next  day. 
One  of  the  boys  read  his  Testament  to 
his  father  and  mother,  who  were  Roman 
Catholics,  and  they  felt  much  interested 
in  what  they  heard.  The  wife  was 
taken  dangerously  ill,  and  the  husband 
requested  a  Protestant  clergyman  to 
visit  her  ;  whom  he  informed,  that,  in 
consequence  of  hearing  the  child  read 
the  Scriptures,  they  had  renounced 
Popery,  and  regularly  attended  his 
ministry.  "I  have  reason  to  thank 
God  and  you,"  said  the  man,  "  for 
teaching  my  son  in  the  school.  I  have 
been  all  my  life  in  ignorance,  sin,  and 
misery,  until  I  heard  that  book.  Now 
I  am  taught  to  put  my  trust  in  Christ 
alone  for  salvation."  The  woman,  too, 
gave  evidence  in  life  and  death  of  her 
dependence  on  the  merits  and  interces- 
sions of  Jesus  for  eternal  life.  Her 
husband  and  son  afterwards  returned  to 
Ireland,  determined,  by  the  Divine  help, 
to  make  the  Bible  the  only  rule  of  their 
faith  and  practice. 

(c)  OPPOSING  PROTESTANT- 
ISM.— In  the  short  reign  of  Edward 
VI.,  Peter  Martyr,  under  the  Prince's 
•patronage,  read  Divinity  lectures  at  Ox- 
ford, and  opposed  the  doctrines  of  the 
148 


real  presence  and  other  popish  dogmas. 
The  papists  were  alarmed,  and  began 
to  look  eagerly  for  some  polemic  cham- 
pion to  oppose  him.  After  much  solici- 
tation they  prevailed  on  Rev.  Bernard 
Gilpin,  then  resident  at  Oxford,  and  a 
Roman  Catholic,  to  enter  the  lists  with 
Martyr.  This  engagement  led  him  to 
study  the  subject  more  deeply :  he 
searched  the  Scriptures,  the  writings 
of  the  fathers,  and  conferred  with  a 
goodly  number  of  divines  then  living, 
and  the  result  was  a  renunciation  of 
popery  as  indefensible. 

(d)  FRAGMENT  OF  A  TESTA- 
MENT.— In  that  part  of  Ireland  from 
which  I  come,  said  the  Rev.  D.  Stew- 
art,  at  a  public  meeting  in  London,  in 
1830,  there  lived  a  boatswain  of  most 
immoral  character,  a  breaker  of  the 
Sabbath,  and  a  profaner  of  God's  holy 
name.  One  Sunday,  as  he  and  a 
friend  were  rowing  in  a  boat  up  the 
Liffey,  whither  they  had  resorted  from 
the  pot-house,  they  saw  something  stick- 
ing in  the  mud  ;  which,  on  approach- 
ing, they  discovered  to  be  a  fragment 
of  the  New  Testament.  The  boatswain 
was,  at  first,  inclined  to  leave  it ;  but 
thought,  by  its  means,  of  ridiculing  the 
sacred  truths  of  religion  ;  and,  for  that 
purpose,  took  it  home,  read  it  often,  and 
pondered  over  it  well ;  which  had,  at 
length,  an  effect  far  different  from  that 
which  he  had  anticipated.  It  convinc- 
ed him  that  the  dogmas  of  Romanism 
were  incompatible  with  the  free  circu- 
lation  of  the  word  of  God.  This  man 
was  induced  to  attend  the  controversy 
then  carrying  on  between  the  Catholic 
and  Protestant  clergy,  which  led  him  to 
think,  read,  and  study.  What  was  the 
effect  ?  the  immediate  abandonment  of 
the  errors  of  Romanism,  and  his  exer- 
cise of  the  right  of  free  judgment.  He 
began  to  grow  fond  of  reading  the  New 
Testament,  and  now  prized  it  beyond 
all  he  was  w^orth  in  the  world  besides, 
as  it  led  him  to  reflect  on  his  past  life 
with  horror.  He  eventually  became  a 
true  Christian. 

(e)  REPENTANCE  BETTER 
THAN  PENANCE.— Among  the 
speakers  at  the  Anniversary  of  the 
British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society,  in 
May,  1840j  was  Professor  Pelet  of  Ge- 


CONVERSION  OF  SOLDIERS. 


62 


neva,  who  made  this  impressive  state- 
ment : — 

"  Among  the  soldiers  of  the  French 
army,  in  which  reigns  so  much  levity 
and  infidelity,  we  have  been  very  suc- 
cessful. Some  of  them  carry  the  word 
of  God  into  their  own  departments,  and 
it  is  a  means  of  extending  the  work  be- 
yond all  that  we  can  telL  A  man  in  a 
little  village  in  France,  when  he  was 
young,  wished  to  be  a  monk.  That  was 
prevented.  He  retired  to  a  forest, 
where  he  ate  roots  which  he  found 
there,  to  imitate  John  the  Baptist ;  and 
he  bore  that  name  among  his  acquaint- 
ances. There  he  remained  some  time, 
but  found  no  peace  to  his  soul.  He 
went  again  to  his  village,  sold  the  pro- 
perty he  had,  made  nine  parts  of  it,  and 
gave  eight  parts  to  the  poor.  He  re- 
duced hmiself  to  the  condition  of  a 
simple  workman,  but  yet  he  found  no 
peace.  The  church  edifice  of  the  vil- 
lage was  too  little.  It  was  decided  to 
build  a  new  one  ;  and  he  himself  would 
go  to  the  quarry,  to  get  blocks  for  the 
building.  He  gave  them  the  little 
money  he  had  remaining,  and  yet 
nothing  brought  comfort  to  his  soul. 
He  sought  the  Lord  but  found  him  not ; 
till  ane  of  the  Colporteurs  came  to  his  vil- 
lage, and  gave  him  the  New  Testament. 
He  read  it,  and  there  he  found  what  he 
had  before  sought  in  vain." 

62.  Conversion  of  Soldiers, 

(a)  THE  BIBLE  IN  A  PRISON- 
SHIP. — In  a  report  of  the  Nismes  Bible 
Society,  may  be  found  an  affecting  anec- 
dote of  one  of  their  subscribers,  who  was 
formerly  attached  to  Bonaparte's  army. 
An  officer  of  the  society,  struck  with  the 
modest  zeal  of  this  man  in  the  support 
of  the  cause,  asked  him  if  his  support 
of  the  society  did  not  proceed  from  his 
knowledge  of  the  incalculable  value  of 
the  Bible.  "  It  is  so,"  said  he  ;  "  and 
I  will  inform  you  how  it  took  place. 
Under  the  late  emperor  I  was  attached 
to  the  army  ;  and  being  taken  prisoner, 
and  carried  to  England,  I  was  confined 
in  one  of  the  prison  ships.  There, 
huddled  together  with  my  companions, 
and  deprived  of  every  thing  that  could 
tend  to  lessen  the  miseries  of  my  situa- 


tion, I  abandoned  myself  to  dark  despair, 
and  resolved  to  make  away  with  myself. 
Under  these  circumstances,  an  Eng- 
lish clergyman  visited  us,  and  addressed 
us  to  the  following  effect : — '  My  hegrt 
bleeds  for  your 'losses  and  privations, 
nor  is  it  in  my  power  to  remedy  then:  ; 
but  I  can  offer  consolation  for  your  im- 
mortal souls,  and  this  consolation  is  con- 
tained in  the  word  of  God.  Read  this 
book,  my  friends  ;  for  I  am  willing  to 
present  every  one  with  a  copy  of  the 
Bible  who  is  desirous  to  possess  it !' 
The  tone  of  kindness  with  which  he 
spoke,  and  the  candor  of  this  pious  man, 
made  such  an  impression  upon  me,  that 
I  burst  into  tears.  I  gratefully  accept- 
ed a  Bible,  and  in  it  I  found  abundant 
consolation  amidst  all  my  distresses. 
From  that  moment  the  Bible  became 
precious  to  my  soul ;  out  of  it  I  have 
gathered  motives  for  resignation,  and 
courage  to  bear  up  in  adversity  ;  and  I 
feel  happy  in  the  idea,  that  it  may  prove 
to  others  what  it  has  proved  to  me." 

(b)  ONLY  VERSE  MEMORIZ- 
ED.— A  youth,  who  had  been  instruct- 
ed in  a  Sunday  school,  in  the  southern 
part  of  Kent,  though  the  son  of  a  pious 
widow,  was  remarkable  for  thoughtless- 
ness and  vice.  The  clergyman,  by 
whom  the  school  Was  commenced,  felt 
the  deepest  sympathy  with  his  mother, 
but  was  at  length  compelled  to  exclude 
her  son  from  the  school,  who  soon  be- 
came, on  account  of  his  wicked  conduct, 
the  terror  of  the  whole  neighborhood. 

After  a  while  he  entered  the  army, 
and  went  with  his  regiment  to  America. 
While  there,  one  of  the  sergeants  of  the 
regiment  visited  England,  and  calling 
on  the  poor  woman,  she  made  him  the 
bearer  of  a  Bible  to  her  son,  and  sent 
an  earnest  request  that  he  would  read 
one  verse  of  it  every  day.  He  received 
the  book  and  message  with  great  indif- 
ference, saying,  "  I'll  try  what  I  can 
do ;"  and  opening  the  Bible,  added, 
"  Here  goes."  But  mark  the  happy 
result.  "  How  strange  !"  exclaimed  he, 
unable  then,  for  tears,  to  add  more. 
His  eye  had  caught  the  only  passage  he 
had  ever  been  prevailed  upon  to  com- 
mit to  memory  at  the  Sunday  school : 
"  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and 
are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you 
147 


«2,  6S 


BIBLE. 


rest,"  Matt.  11  :  28.  Such  was  the 
happy  effect  of  this  text  on  his  heart, 
that  he  who  had  been  notorious  for 
swearing,  lying,  dishonesty,  and  other 
vices,  now  embraced  the  invitation  of 
the  Lord  Jesus,  and  became  adorned 
with  Christian  excellences.  He  soon 
after  died  on  the  field  of  battle,  at  New 
Orleans,  with  his  head  on  the  very  pas- 
sage which  first  arrested  his  attention  ! 
His  Bible,  stained  with  his  blood,  was 
brought  to  England. 

(c)  THE  POWER  OF  DIVINE 
TRUTH.— At  a  meeting  of  the  London 
Religious  Tract  Society,  the  Rev. 
James  Hill,  formerly  of  Calcutta,  related 
the  following  fact  respecting  Captain 
Connolly,  whose  overland  tour  to  India 
had  lately  been  published. 

The  captain  went  out  a  stranger  to 
God,  and  to  true  religion  ;  but  his  sis- 
ters were  pious  ladies,  and  one  of  them 
happened  before  he  went  to  put  into  his 
baggage  a  Bible.  I  think  he  had  never 
read,  never  looked  into  it.  It  so  happened, 
that  on  his  journey  to  India  he  was  taken 
captive  by  a  tribe  of  the  Turcomans, 
through  the  treachery  of  his  guide.  He 
was  made  prisoner  for  a  short  time.  On 
one  occasion  he  was  loading  a  camel 
with  his  own  baggage,  which  had  been 
taken  from  him,  and  out  dropped  the 
Bible  which  his  sister  had  given  him. 
He  took  it  up  ;  he  had  never  read  it  be- 
fore, and  he  sat  down  on  a  portion  of 
his  own  baggage,  that  he  was  employed 
in  loading  upon  the  camel,  and  he  read 
of  "  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ." 
His  mind  was  in  a  state  to  receive  the 
truth  ;  and  he  told  me  in  Calcutta,  that 
the  first  religious  impression  made  on 
his  heart  was  on  that  occasion,  as  he 
sat  amidst  the  wilds  of  the  Turcoman 
country. 

(d)  THE  BULLET  AND  THE 
TEXT.— Dr.  John  Evans,  the  author  of 
some  excellent  sermons  on  the  Christian 
temper,  introduced,  on  one  occasion,  a 
sermon  to  young  people,  in  the  follow- 
ing  manner: — Shall  I  be  allowed  to 
preface  this  discourse  with  relating  a 
passage  concerning  an  acquaintance  of 
mine,  who  has  been  many  years  dead, 
but  which  I  remember  to  have  received, 
when  young,  from  himself?  When  he 
was  an  apprentice  in  this  city,  the  civil 

148 


war  began  ;  his  inclination  led  him  inta 
the  army,  where  he  had  a  captain's 
commission.  It  was  fashionable  for  all 
the  men  of  that  army  to  carry  a  Bible 
along  with  them ;  which,  therefore, 
he  and  many  others  did,  who  yet  made 
little  use  of  it,  and  hardly  had  any  sense 
of  serious  religion.  At  length  he  was 
commanded,  with  his  company,  to  storm 
a  fort,  wherein  they  were,  for  a  shorl 
time,  exposed  to  the  thickest  of  the 
enemy's  fire.  When  he  had  accom- 
plished his  enterprise,  and  the  heat  of 
the  action  was  over,  he  found  that  a 
musket  ball  had  lodged  in  his  Bible, 
which  was  in  his  pocket,  upon  such  a 
part  of  his  body,  that  it  must  necessa- 
rily have  proved  mortal  to  him,  had  it 
not  been  for  this  seasonable  and  well- 
placed  piece  of  armor.  Upon  a  nearer 
observation,  he  found  the  ball  had  made 
its  way  so  far  in  his  Bible,  as  to  rest 
directly  upon  that  part  of  the  first  un- 
broken leaf,  where  the  words  of  my 
text  are  found.  It  was  Eccles.  11 :  9'; 
"  Rejoice,  O  young  man,  in  thy  youth ; 
and  let  thy  heart  cheer  thee  in  the  days 
of  thy  youth,  and  walk  in  the  ways  of 
thine  heart,  and  in  the  sight  of  thine 
eyes ;  but  know  thou,  that  for  all  these 
things  God  will  bring  thee  into  judg- 
ment." As  the  surprising  deliverance, 
you  may  apprehend,  much  affected 
him,  so  a  passage,  which  his  conscience 
told  him  was  very  apposite  to  his  case, 
and  which  Providence  in  so  remarkable 
a  way  pointed  to  his  observation,  made 
the  deepest  and  best  impression  on  his 
mind  ;  and,  by  the  grace  of  God,  he  from 
that  time  attended  to  religion  in  earnest, 
and  continued  in  the  practice  of  it  to  a 
good  old  age ;  frequently  making  the 
remark  with  pleasure,  that  his  Bible 
had  been  the  salvation  both  of  his  body 
and  his  soul. 

61.  Conversion  of  the  Learned  and  Eminent. 

(a)  THE  GOTTINGEN  PROFES- 
SOR.— In  the  summer  of  1824,  two 
gentlemen  from  London,  in  the  course 
of  a  tour  through  Germany,  came  to 
Gottingen,  where  they  visited  several 
professors  eminent  for  their  meritorious 
exertions  in  the  promotion  of  learning. 
They  were  received  by  all  in  the  most 


CONVERSION  OF  THE  LEARNED  AND  EMINENT. 


63 


friendly  manner,  but  by  one  in  particu- 
lar, who  afforded  them  some  of  the  most 
delightful  hours  they  enjoyed  on  their 
tour.  With  the  greatest  readiness,  and 
in  the  most  obliging  manner,  he  showed 
his  visitors  every  thing  interesting  in  his 
house,  at  the  same  time  gratifying  them 
by  many  entertaining  relations.  Hav- 
ing directed  their  attention  to  various 
objects,  he  left  the  room,  but  soon  re- 
turned with  a  Bible  under  his  arm,  and, 
with  a  countenance  as  grave  as  it  had 
before  been  cheerful,  he  addressed 
them  in  nearly  the  following  words : 
^'  You  must  now  allow  me  to  relate  an 
extraordinary  occurrence.  Some  years 
ago,  I  was  in  great  danger  of  losing  my 
sight,  which  had  become  so  bad  that  I 
could  scarcely  distinguish  any  thing. 
The  prospect  of  passing  the  last  days 
of  my  life  in  blindness,  made  me  so 
melancholy,  that  I  resolved  to  make  a 
tour  to  Bremen  to  recover  my  spirits- 
On  this  tour  I  came  to  Hanover,  where 
some  friends  took  me  into  the  duke  of 
Cambridge's  library,  and  showed  me 
some  Bibles,  lately  sent  by  the  Bible 
Society  in  London  as  a  present  to  the 
Duke.  Wishing  to  try  whether,  in  my 
blindness,  I  could  distinguish  the  paper 
and  print  of  those  from  the  common  ones, 
I  took  one  up  merely  for  that  purpose, 
without  the  least  intention  of  selecting 
any  particular  passage ;  and  now  see 
what  I  read ! "  He  here  opened  the 
Bible,  and  read  Isa.  42 :  16,  "  '  And  I 
will  bring  the  blind  by  a  way  that  they 
knew  not;  I  will  lead  them  in  paths 
that  they  have  not  known  :  I  will  make 
darkness  light  before  them,  and  crooked 
things  straight.  These  things  will  1  do 
unto  them  and  not  forsake  them.'  I 
read  this  verse,  and  received  spiritual 
sight."  At  these  words  he  was  so 
much  affected,  that  the  tears  ran  down 
his  cheeks.  "  With  a  cheerful  mind  I 
now  journeyed  back  to  Gottingen,  and 
my  greatest  desire  was  to  possess  a 
Bible,  in  which  this  verse  stood  on  the 
same  page  and  in  the  same  place. 
Shortly  afterwards  I  was  visited  by  a 
friend  from  London,  to  whom  I  related 
the  occurrence,  and  immediately  re- 
ceived his  promise  to  send  me  one  as 
soon  as  possible,  which  he  did."     The 


Bible  he  continued   to   esteem   as  his 
greatest  earthly  treasure. 

(b)  CONVERSION  OF  A  DOC- 
TOR OF  DIVINITY.— A  doctor  of 
divinity  in  Silesia,  to  whom  the  Rev.  ^ 
Mr.  Reich ardt,  a  missionary  to  the 
Jews,  was  introduced,  was  one  of  the 
greatest  enemies  to  the  gospel ;  but 
while  he  was  endeavoring  to  write 
against  it,  and  to  settle  himself  more 
steadfastly  in  his  own  principles,  it 
struck  him  that  he  had  never  read  his; 
Bible,  though  he  had  preached  frony 
texts  in  it.  He  began  to  read  it ;  but 
had  not  long  been  reading  the  first 
pages,  when  it  struck  him  that  if  this 
book  was  indeed  the  truth,  then  all  the 
edifice  he  had  built  for  himself  must  be 
broken  down.  This  conviction  in- 
creased, till  it  pleased  the  Lord  to  im- 
press him  with  the  spirit  of  that  book  ; 
and  he  became  a  truly  pious  Christian, 
and  the  means  of  turning  many  from 
darkness  to  light. 

(c)  WILBERFORCE'S  CONVER- 
SION.— From  a  speech  delivered  by 
Joseph  John  Gurney,  Esq.,  at  the  meet- 
ing of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible 
Society,  in  1834,  we  learn  that  Mr. 
Wilberforce  was  in  the  24th  year  of 
his  age  when  he  was  elected  member 
of  parliament  for  Hull.  He  afterwards 
attended  the  county  election,  and  such 
was  the  charm  of  his  eloquence  on  that 
occasion,  in  the  large  castle  area  at 
York,  that  the  j)eople  all  cried,  "  We 
will  have  that  little  man  for  our  mem- 
ber." He  was  then  one  of  the  gayest 
of  the  gay  :  not  an  openly  vicious  man, 
but  peculiar  for  his  wit,  and  his  distinc- 
tion in  the  fashionable  circles.  His  wit 
became  innocuous  under  Christian  prin- 
ciples. He  was  said  to  be  the  "joy 
and  crown  of  Doncaster  races."  He 
went  to  pay  a  visit  to  a  relation  at  Nice, 
and  was  accompanied  by  the  Rev.  Isaac 
Milner,  afterwards  dean  of  Carlisle. 
Mention  was  made  of  a  certain  indi- 
vidual who  moved  in  the  same  rank, 
an  ecclesiastical  gentleman,  a  man 
devoted  to  his  duty.  Mr.  W.  said,  re- 
garding him,  "  that  he  thought  he  car- 
ried things  too  far ;"  to  which  Mr.  Mil- 
ner said,  he  was  inclined  to  think  that 
Mr.  W.  would  form  a  different  estimate 

149 


64 


BIBLE. 


on  the  subject,  were  he  carefully  to 
peruse  the  whole  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment. Mr.  Wilberforce  replied  that  he 
would  take  him  at  his  word,  and  read 
it  through  with  pleasure.  They  were 
both  Greek  scholars,  and  in  their  jour- 
ney they  perused  the  New  Testament 
together.  That  single  perusal  was  so 
blessed  to  Mr.  Wilberforce,  that  he  was 
revolutionized  ;  he  became  a  new  man  ; 
hTid  the  witty  songster,  the  joy  and 
crown  of  Doncaster  races,  proved  the 
Christian  senator,  and  at  length  became 
the  able  advocate  for  abolishing  the 
slave  trade. 


64.  Conversion  of  the  Heathen. 

(a)  DECREASE  OF  LAWSUITS. 

— Lieutenant-colonel  Phipps  relates  the 
following  pleasing  narrative  : — I  was 
travelling  in  a  remote  district  in  Bengal, 
and  I  came  to  the  house  of  a  gentleman 
belonging  to  Portugal.  I  found  him 
reading  the  Scriptures  in  the  Bengalee 
to  seventy  or  eighty  people,  men,  wo- 
men, and  children,  of  that  country,  who 
were  all  very  attentive.  This  gentle- 
man told  me  that  he  had  been  led  to 
employ  some  of  his  leisure  moments  in 
this  way.  "  And  to-morrow,"  said  he, 
"  as  you  pass  my  farm,  mention  my 
name ;  and  they  will  procure  you  a  bed  ; 
and  you  will  then  see  the  effects  of 
reading  the  Scriptures."  The  next  day 
I  called  at  his  estate,  where  I  saw  one 
hundred  men,  women,  and  children, 
who  had  all  become  converts  to  Chris- 
tianity within  three  or  four  years.  I 
inquired  how  they  found  themselves: 
they  appeared  delighted,  and  thought  it 
a  happy  thing  tor  them  that  Europeans 
had  translated  the  Scriptures,  that  they 
might  read  in  their  own  tongue  the 
wonderful  works  of  God.  I  had  some 
intercourse,  also,  with  an  official  person 
in  that  district,  and  I  mention  it  because 
some  persons  tell  you  that  nothing  is 
done  by  the  missionaries.  1  asked  the 
magistrate  what  was  the  conduct  of 
these  Christians ;  and  he  said,  "  There 
is  something  in  them  that  does  excite 
astonishment:  the  inhabitants  of  this 
district  are  particularly  known  as  being 
so  litigious  and  troublesome,  that  they 
150 


have  scarcely  any  matter  but  what  they 
bring  into  the  courts  of  justice;  but 
during  three  or  four  years  not  one 
of  these  people  has  brought  a  cause 
against  any  one,  or  any  one  against 
them."  I  mention  this  to  show  that 
Christianity  will  produce,  in  all  coun- 
tries, peace  and  happiness,  to  those  who 
know  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus. 

(h)  CUTTING  UP  AN  IDOL  FOR 
FUEL. — Some  years  ago,  Mr.  Ward, 
a  Christian  missionary,  in  going  through 
a  village  near  Calcutta,  left  at  a  native 
shop  a  Bengalee  New  Testament,  that 
it  might  be  read  by  any  of  the  vil- 
lagers. About  a  year  afterwards,  three 
or  four  of  the  most  intelligent  of  the 
inhabitants  came  to  inquire  furiher  res- 
pecting the  contents  of  the  book  left  in 
their  village.  This  ended  in  six  or 
eight  of  them  making  a  public  profession 
of  Christianity.  Among  these,  one  de- 
serves particular  notice.  An  old  man, 
named  Juggernath,  who  had  long  been 
a  devotee  to  the  idol  of  that  name  in 
Orissa,  had  made  many  pilgrimages 
thither,  and  had  acquired  such  a  name 
for  sanctity,  that  a  rich  man,  in  Orissa, 
was  said  to  have  offered  him  a  pension 
for  liie,  on  condition  of  his  remaining 
with  him.  On  his  becoming  acquaint- 
ed with  the  New  Testament,  he  first 
hung  his  image  of  Khrishnoo,  or  Jug- 
gernath, which  he  had  hitherto  wor- 
shipped, on  a  tree  in  his  garden,  and 
at  length  cut  it  up  to  boil  his  rice.  He 
remained  steadfast  in  his  profession  of 
Christianity  till  his  death.  Two  others, 
being  men  of  superior  natural  endow- 
ments, employed  themselves  in  publish- 
ing the  doctrines  of  Christianity  to 
their  countrymen  in  the  most  fearless 
manner  ;  while  their  conduct  was  such 
as  to  secure  them  universal  esteem. 

(c)  THE  HINDOO  AND  THE 
BITS  OF  PAPER.— The  late  Rev. 
Dr.  Corrie,  bishop  of  Madras,  was 
formerly  the  chaplain  of  Allahabad. 
At  that  time  there  was  no  Hindostanee 
version  of  the  Scriptures ;  and  it  was 
his  custom  to  translate,  on  small  bits  of 
paper,  striking  passages  of  Scripture 
into  that  language,  and  every  morning 
distribute  these  papers  at  his  door. 
Twenty  years  afterwards,  he  received 


MISCELLANEOUS  CONVERSIONS. 


64,65 


a  communication  from  a  missionary  at 
Allahabad,  who  informed  him  that  a 
person  in  ill  health  had  arrived  there, 
and  that  he  had  been  to  visit  him.  He 
had  come  to  see  his  friends,  and  die 
among  thenO)  after  an  absence  of  more 
than  twenty  years.  The  missionary 
had  visited  him  there  several  times,  and 
was  so  astonished  at  his  knowledge  of 
the  Scripture,  and  his  impressions  of  its 
great  realities,  that  he  put  the  question, 
*"'  How  is  it,  my  friend,  that  you  are  so 
well  informed  in  the  sacred  Scriptures  ? 
You  have  told  me  you  have  never  seen 
a  missionary  in  your  life,  nor  any  one  to 
teach  you  the  way  of  life  and  salvation !" 
And  what  was  his  answer?  He  put 
his  hand  behind  his  pillow,  and  drew 
out  a  bundle  of  well  worn  and  tattered 
bits  of  paper,  and  said,  "  From  these 
bits  of  paper,  which  a  sahib  distributed 
at  his  door,  whom  I  have  never  seen 
since,  have  I  learned  all.  These  papers, 
which  I  received  twenty  years  ago,  and 
have  read  every  day,  till  they  are  thus 
tumbled  and  spoiled,  are  passages  of 
Scripture  in  the  Hindostanee  language; 
from  them  I  have  derived  all  the  infor- 
mation on  eternal  realities  which  I  now 
possess.  This  is  the  source  of  my 
information  ;  thus  I  have  derived  my 
knowledge." 

(d)  THE  SUTYA-GOOROOS.— 
About  the  year  1820,  a  number  of  per- 
sons were  found  in  a  few  villages  near 
Dacca,  in  India,  who  had  forsaken  ido- 
latry, and  who  constantly  refused  to 
render  to  the  Brahmins  the  customary 
honors.  They  were  said  also  to  be 
remarkable  for  the  correctness  of  their 
■conduct,  and  particularly  for  their  ad- 
herence 1o  truth.  They  were  the 
followers  of  no  particular  leader,  but 
from  their  professing  to  be  in  search 
of  a  true  Gooroo  or  teacher,  they  were 
termed  Sulya-Gooroos.  It  was  said  that 
they  had  derived  all  their  principles 
from  a  book  which  was  carefully  pre- 
served in  one  of  their  villages. 

Some  native  Christians  resolved  to 
visit  the  sect  of  whom  they  had  heard 
so  many  remarkable  particulars.  The 
singular  book  from  which  their  prin- 
ciples were  derived,  was  exhibited  to 
the  visitors.     It  was  much  worn,  and 


was  preserved  in  a  case  of  metal  re- 
sembling brass.  Whence  it  came  no 
one  could  tell.  On  examination,  it  was 
found  to  be  a  copy  of  the  first  edition 
of  the  Bengalee  New  Testament,  printed 
at  Serampore  in  1800.  This  copy  of 
a  part  of  the  sacred  volume  seemed  to 
have  thus  prepared  many  inhabitants 
scattered  through  ten  or  twelve  villages, 
to  receive  religious  instruction  from 
missionaries,*  who  afterwards  labored 
among  them  with  success. 

69.  Miscellaneous  Conversions. 

(a)  CONVERSION  OF  AUGUS- 
TINE. — In  the  spring  of  the  year  372, 
a  young  man  in  the  thirty-first  year  of 
his  age,  in  evident  distress  of  mind, 
entered  into  his  garden  near  Milan. 
The  sins  of  his  youth — a  youth  spent 
in  sensuality  and  impiety — weighed 
heavily  on  his  soul.  Lying  under  a 
fig-tree,  moaning  and  pouring  out  abun- 
dant tears,  he  heard,  from  a  neighbor- 
ing house,  a  young  voice  saying,  and 
repeating  in  rapid  succession,  "  Tolle, 
lege,  Tolle,  lege !"  take  and  read,  take 
and  read.  Receiving  this  as  a  divine 
admonition,  he  returned  to  the  place 
where  he  left  his  friend  Alypius  to 
procure  the  roll  of  St.  Paul's  epistles, 
which  ho  had,  a  short  time  before,  left 
with  him.  "  I  seized  the  roll,"  says  he, 
in  describing  this  scene,  "  I  opened  it, 
and  read  in  silence  the  chapter  on 
which  my  eyes  first  alighted."  It 
was  the  tliirteenth  of  Romans.  "  Let 
us  walk  honestly,  as  in  the  day ;  not 
in  rioting  and  drunkenness,  not  in 
chambering  and  wantonness,  not  in 
strife  and  envying.  But  put  ye  on  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  make  not  pro- 
vision for  the  flesh,  to  fulfil  the  lusts 
thereof."  All  was  decided  by  a  word. 
"  I  did  not  want  to  read  any  more," 
said  he;  "nor  was  there  any  need; 
every  doubt  was  banished."  The 
morning  star  had  risen  in  his  heart. 
In  the  language  of  Gaussen  : — "  Jesus 
had  conquered  ;  and  the  grand  career 
of  Augustine,  the  holiest  of  the  fathers, 
then  commenced.  A  passage  of  God's 
word  had  kindled  that  glorious  lumi- 
nary, which  was  to  enlighten  the 
151 


65 


BIBLE. 


church  for  ten  centuries;  and  whose 
beams  gladden  her  even  to  this  present 
day.  After  thirty-one  years  of  revolt, 
of  combats,  of  falls,  of  misery ;  faith, 
life,  eternal  peace,  came  to  this  erring 
soul ;  a  new  day,  an  eternal  day  came 
upon  it." 

(b)  THE  BIBLE  IN  THE  WAY. 
— An  individual  in  the  interior  of  this 
state,  says  the  Charleston  Observer, 
gives  the  following  account  of  the  man- 
ner in  which  he  was  first  arrested  by 
the  power  of  divine  truth : 

He  had  been  one  of  those  who  had 
paid  no  regard  to  the  subject  of  religion. 
*<  God  was  not  in  all  his  thoughts," 
though  his  awful  name  was  frequently 
upon  his  lips  in  oaths  and  blasphemies. 
One  morning  as  he  arose,  his  eyes  fell 
upon  the  Bible  which  lay  upon  a  shelf 
immediately  over  his  washstand,  and  it 
seemed  to  him  a  silent  reprover  of  his 
ways.  It  had  long  occupied  its  pre- 
sent position,  without  exciting  the 
slightest  notice.  He  took  it  down, 
brushed  the  dust  from  it,  and  put  it 
back  again.  The  next  morning,  the 
first  object  that  arrested  his  attention 
was  that  very  Bible,  and  it  continued 
there  morning  after  morning  to  reprove 
him,  till  he  became  so  much  annoyed 
by  its  presence,  that  he  resolved  to  put 
it  out  of  the  way.  Taking  it  down 
with  this  view  he  opened  it,  and  the 
first  passage  upon  which  his  eye  light- 
ed, was  descriptive  of  his  own  char- 
acter. He  continued  to  read,  and  was 
troubled  and  affected  by  the  accuracy 
with  which  it  delineated  his  own  heart 
and  life.  He  closed  it,  returned  it  to 
its  former  position,  and  engaged  in  the 
occupations  of  the  day  with  a  heavy 
heart.  At  length,  while  he  was  read- 
ing it  one  morning,  supposing  himself 
to  be  unobserved,  he  turned  around  to 
see  whether  his  wife,  who  had  not  yet 
risen,  was  awake  or  asleep,  and  found 
her  bathed  in  a  flood  of  tears.  She  had 
long  been  anxious  for  his  salvation,  and 
she  was  much  affected  at  seeing  him 
morning  after  morning  stealing  a  glance 
at  the  word  of  life.  When  he  saw 
he  was  discovered,  he  remarked,  "  It 
is  of  no  use  to  conceal  it  any  longer. 
I  am  a  poor  miserable  sinner,  and  I  find 
152 


there  is  no  redemption  but  in  Christ 
Jesus.  Will  you  pray  for  me  ?  and 
will  you  go  to  the  house  of  God  ?  for 
from  this  time  forth  1  am  resolved  to 
prepare  for  heaven."  And  from  that 
time  forth  he  did  become  an  altered 
man — a  happy,  consistent,  humble,  and 
devoted  Christian.  Thus  the  Bible, 
casually  placed  in  the  way  of  a  wicked 
man,  proved  instrumental,  through  the 
Spirit,  in  bringing  him  to  Christ,  and  in 
hiding  a  multitude  of  sins. 

(c)  THE  SPARED  LEAF.— In  a 
certain  town  in  Rhode  Island,  there  lived 
two  young  men,  who  were  intimately 
acquainted.  The  one  was  truly  pious, 
and  the  other,  a  shopman,  paid  no  regard 
to  divine  things.  On  one  occasion  the 
shopman  took  up  a  leaf  of  the  Bible, 
and  was  about  to  tear  it  in  pieces,  and 
use  it  for  packing  up  some  small  parcel 
in  the  shop,  when  the  other  said,  "  Do 
not  tear  that :  it  contains  the  word  of 
eternal  life."  The  young  man,  though 
he  did  not  relish  the  reproof  of  his  kind 
and  pious  friend,  folded  up  the  leaf,  and 
put  it  in  his  pocket.  Shortly  after  this, 
he  said  within  himself,  "  Now  1  will 
see  what  kind  of  life  it  is,  of  which  this 
leaf  speaks."  On  unfolding  the  leaf, 
the  first  words  that  caught  his  eye  were 
the  last  in  the  book  of  Daniel :  "  But  go 
thou  thy  way  till  the  end  be  :  for  thou 
shalt  rest,  and  stand  in  thy  lot  at  the 
end  of  the  days."  He  began  immedi- 
ately to  inquire  what  his  lot  would  be 
at  the  end  of  the  days,  and  the  train  of 
thought  thus  awakened  led  to  the  for-, 
mation  of  a  religious  character.  By 
means  so  various  are  the  purposes  of 
Divine  grace  accomplished. 

(d)  THE  SIXPENCE.— Some  time 
in  the  latter  part  of  the  last  century, 
says  Rev.  Mr.  Grinnell,  a  missionary 
from  one  of  the  New  England  Societies 
was  laboring  in  the  interior  of  the  State 
of  New  York,  where  the  settlements 
were  very  few  and  far  between.  This 
missionary  was  much  devoted  to  his 
work,  meek  and  affable,  and  possessed 
of  a  remarkable  faculty  for  introducing 
the  subject  of  religion  to  every  indivi- 
dual with  whom  he  came  in  contact. 
On  a  hot  summer's  day,  while  his  horse 
was    drinking     from    a    small     brook 


BENEFIT  TO  CHRISTIANS. 


66 


through  which  he  rode,  there  came 
along  a  poor-dressed,  bare-headed,  bare- 
footed boy,  about  7  years  old,  and  stood 
looking  at  the  missionary  from  the 
bridge  just  above  him. 

"  My  son,"  said  the  missionary, 
"  have  you  any  parents  ?" 

"  Yes,  sir  ;  they  live  in  that  house," 
pointing  to  a  cabin  near  by. 

"  Do  your  parents  pray  ?"  "  No,  sir." 

"  Why  do  they  not  pray  ?" 

"  I  do  not  know,  sir." 

"  Do  you  pray  ?"     "  No,  sir." 

"  Why  do  you  not  pray  ?" 

"  I  do  not  know  how  to  pray." 

"  Can  you  read  ?" 

"  Yes,  sir  ;  my  mother  has  taught  me 
to  read  the  New  Testament." 

"  If  I  will  give  you  this  sixpence, 
will  you  go  home  and  read  the  third 
chapter  of  John,  and  read  the  third  verse 
over  three  times  ?"  The  little  boy  said 
he  would  ;  and  the  missionary  gave  him 
the  sixpence  and  rode  on. 

Some  twenty  years  had  elapsed,  and 
the  same  missionary,  advanced  in  years, 
was  laboring  in  a  sparsely  peopled  re- 
gion, in  another  part  of  the  same  state. 
While  on  his  way  to  a  little  village  one 
day,  late  in  the  afternoon,  he  called  at 
a  small  house,  and  inquired  the  distance. 
"  Six  miles,"  was  the  reply.  He  then 
stated  that  himself  and  horse  were  very 
weary,  and  inquired  if  he  could  not 
stay  all  night.  The  woman  of  the 
house  objected  on  account  of  their 
poverty,  but  the  husband  said,  "Sir, 
YOU  shall  be  welcome  to  such  as  we 
have." 

The  missionary  dismounted  and  went 
in.  The  wife  began  to  prepare  his  sup- 
per, M'hile  her  husband  proceeded  to 
take  care  of  the  horse.  As  he  came  in, 
the  missionary  addressed  him  :  "  Do 
you  love  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  ?" 
"That,"  said  the  man,  "is  a  great 
question."  "  True,"  said  the  mission- 
ary, but  I  cannot  eat  till  you  tell  me." 
"  Sir,"  said  the  man,  "  about  20  years 
ago,  I  lived  in  the  interior  of  this  state, 
and  was  then  about  7  years  old.  While 
playing  in  the  road  one  day,  a  gentle- 
man in  black,  rode  into  the  brook  near 
by  me,  to  water  his  horse.  As  I  stood 
on  the  bridge  above  looking  at  him,  he 
began  to  converse  with  me  about  pray- 


ing, and  reading  the  Bible  ;  and  told 
me  he  would  give  me  a  sixpence  if  I 
would  read  the  8d  chapter  of  John  and 
the  third  verse,  three  times — "  And 
Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  him. 
Verily  I  say  unto  thee,  except  a  man 
be  born  again  he  cannot  see  the  king- 
dom  of  God."  I  gave  him  my  promise, 
took  the  money,  and  felt  wealthy  in- 
deed. I  w-ent  home,  and  read  as  I  had 
promised.  That  verse  produced  an  un- 
easiness in  my  mind,  which  followed 
me  for  days  and  years,  and  finally  I 
was  led  by  its  influence,  as  I  trust,  to 
love  Jesus  as  my  Saviour  !  "  Glory  to 
God !"  said  the  missionary,  rising  from 
his  seat ;  "  here  is  one  of  my  spiritual 
children  ;  the  bread  cast  on  the  waters 
is  found  after  many  days  !" 

They  took  their  supper,  and  talked 
and  sang  and  prayed  and  rejoiced  to- 
gether all  night  long,  neither  of  them 
having  any  disposition  to  sleep.  The 
missionary  found  him  to  be  poor  in  this 
world's  goods,  but  rich  in  faith,  and  an 
heir  of  the  kingdom.  Early  in  the 
morning  they  parted,  and  the  missionary 
went  his  way  inspired  with  fresh  zeal 
for  the  prosecution  of  his  pious  labors. 

66.  Benefit  to  Christians. 

(a)  NOT  THE  WORLD  FOR  MY 
BIBLE. — A  poor  woman  at  Glouces- 
ter, who  had  received  a  Bible  from  an 
association  a  few  months  before,  being 
asked  by  the  collectors  what  value  she 
set  upon  it,  replied,  "  I  would  not  take 
for  it  all  this  world  could  offer.  For," 
she  continued,  "since  I  received  my 
Bible,  I  have  been  called  to  pass  through 
great  trials.  In  those  trials  my  Bible 
gave  me  that  comfort  which  the  world 
and  all  its  riches  could  not ;  it  gave  me 
a  hope,  through  that  Saviour  whom  it 
reveals,  of  eternal  life  beyond  the  grave 
— a  hope  of  heaven.  This  hope  has 
made  my  sufferings  appear  light,  to 
what  they  would  have  been,  if  my  hope 
had  been  in  this  life  only." 

(b)  DAVID  SAUNDERS.—"  I  have 
led  but  a  lonely  life,"  said  David  Saun- 
ders, ("  the  Shepherd  of  Salisbury 
plain,")  "  and  often  have  had  but  little 
to  eat ;  but  my  Bible  has  been  meat, 
drink,  and  company  to  me  :  and  when 

lbs 


66 


BIBLE. 


want  and  trouble  have  come  upon  me, 
I  don't  know  what  I  should  have  done 
indeed,  if  1  had  not  had  the  promises 
of  this  book  for  my  stay  and  support." 

(c)  SCRIPTURE  PRACTICALLY 
USED.— Mr.  John  Conway,  of  Mon- 
mouthshire, (Eng.)  was  remarkably 
subject  to  nervous  affections,  which  in- 
duced a  very  painful  degree  of  mental 
depression.  He  informed  Mrs.  Conway, 
that  at  one  season  he  was  so  harassed 
by  this  affliction,  which  doubtless  was 
aggravated  by  the  fiery  darts  of  the 
wicked  one,  as  to  render  his  existence 
almost  insupportable.  Relief  was  sought, 
and  in  some  measure  derived  from  the 
following  wise  expedient :  he  furnished 
himself  with  a  variety  of  Scriptures, 
eminently  expressive  of  the  love  and 
faithfulness  of  God,  and  of  his  great  will- 
ingness to  receive  those  that  are  disposed 
to  accept  salvation  on  gospel  terms. 
To  these  he  referred  and  fled  for  refuge 
whenever  he  found  the  enemy  coming 
in  like  a  flood  ;  and  in  the  hands  of  the 
Spirit,  he  found  them  sufficient  to  lift 
up  a  standard  against  him. 

(d)  THE  DYING  SOLDIER.— In 
the  memorable  conflict  at  Waterloo,  a 
soldier,  mortally  wounded,  was  convey- 
ed to  the  rear  by  a  comrade,  and  at  a 
distance  from  the  battle  was  laid  down 
under  a  tree.  The  dying  man  request- 
ed to  have  his  knapsack  opened,  that  he 
might  obtain  from  it  his  pocket  Bible. 
He  then  requested  his  comrade  to  read 
to  him,  if  but  a  small  portion  of  it,  be- 
fore he  should  breathe  his  last.  He 
was  asked  what  passage  he  would  have 
read  to  him,  and  he  fixed  upon  John 
14  :  27  :  "  Peace  I  leave  with  you,  my 
peace  I  give  unto  you  :  not  as  the  world 
giveth,  give  I  unto  you.  Let  not  your 
heart  be  troubled,  neither  let  it  be 
afraid."  "  Now,"  said  the  dying  sol- 
dier, "I  die  happy.  I  desired  to  have 
peace  with  God,  and  I  possess  the  peace 
of  God  which  passeth  all  understand- 
ing." 

A  little  while  after,  one  of  the  officers 
passed  near,  and  seeing  him  in  such  an 
exhausted  state,  asked  him  how  he  felt. 
He  replied,  "  I  die  happy,  for  I  enjoy 
the  peace  of  God  which  passeth  all  un- 
derstanding;" and  then  expired. 

154 


(e)  BIBLE  IN  A  COAL  MINE.— 
In  one  of  the  coal  mines  of  England,  a 
youth,  about  fifteen  years  of  age,  was 
working  by  the  side  of  his  father,  who 
was  a  pious  man,  and  governed  and 
educated  his  family  according  to  the 
word  of  God.  The  father  was  in  the 
habit  of  carrying  with  him  a  small 
pocket  Bible,  and  the  son,  who  had 
received  one  at  the  Sunday  school,  imi- 
tated his  father  in  this. — Thus  he  al- 
ways had  the  sacred  volume  with  him, 
and  whenever  he  enjoyed  a  season  of 
rest  from  labor,  he  read  it  by  the  light 
of  his  lamp.  They  worked  together  in 
a  newly  opened  section  of  the  mine,  and 
the  father  had  just  stepped  aside  a  short 
distance  to  procure  a  tool,  when  the 
arch  above  them  suddenly  fell  between 
him  and  his  son,  so  that  the  father  sup- 
posed his  child  to  be  crushed.  He  ran 
towards  the  place,  and  called  to  his  son, 
who  at  length  responded  from  under  a 
dense  mass  of  earth  and  coal.  "  My 
son,"  cried  the  father,  "  are  you  liv- 
ing ?"  "  Yes,  father,  but  my  legs  are 
under  a  rock."  "  Where  is  your  lamp, 
my  son  ?"  "It  is  still  burning,  father." 
"  What  will  you  do,  my  dear  son  ?" 
"  I  am  reading  my  Bible,  my  father, 
and  the  Lord  strengthens  me."  These 
were  the  last  words  of  that  child ;  he 
was  soon  suffocated. 

(/)  THE  USE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 
— A  little  boy  had  often  amused  him- 
self by  looking  over  the  pictures  of  a 
large  Bible  ;  and  his  mother  one  day 
said  to  him,  "  John,  do  you  know  the 
use  of  the  Bible  ?"  He  said,  "  No,  mo- 
ther." "  Then,  John,  be  sure  you  ask 
your  father,"  was  the  advice  she  gave 
him.  Soon  afterwards,  John  ran  up  to 
him,  and  said,  "  I  should  like  to  know, 
father,  what  is  the  use  of  the  Bible  ?" 
His  father  said,  "  I  will  tell  you  another 
time,  John."  The  boy  appeared  disap- 
pointed, and  walked  away. 

A  few  days  afler,  the  father  took  his 
son  to  a  house  where  was  a  woman 
very  ill  in  bed,  and  began  to  talk  to  her  ; 
she  said  that  she  had  suffered  a  great 
deal  of  pain,  but  hoped  that  she  was 
resigned  to  the  will  of  God.  "  Do  you 
think,"  said  the  father,  "  that  God  does 
right  to  permit  you  to  feel  so  much 
pain  ?"     "  O,  yes,"  answered  the  wo- 


LOVE  FOR  THE  BIBLE. 


66,  or 


man  ;  "  for  God  is  my  heavenly  Father, 
who  loves  me ;  and  I  am  sure  that  He, 
who  loves  me  so  much,  would  not  per- 
mit me  to  suifer  as  I  do,  if  it  were  not 
for  my  good."  He  then  said,  "  How  is 
it  that  you  find  your  sufferings  do  you 
good  ?"  She  replied,  "  My  sufferings 
are  good  for  my  soul ;  they  make  me 
more  humble,  more  patient ;  they  make 
me  feel  the  value  of  the  Savior  more, 
and  to  pray  more,  and  I  am  sure  all 
this  is  good  for  me."  John  had  been 
very  attentive  to  this  conversation,  and 
the  tears  stood  in  his  eyes  while  the 
afflicted  woman  was  talking.  His  fa- 
ther  looked  at  him,  and  then  said  to  the 
woman,  "  My  good  woman,  can  you 
tell  me  what  is  the  use  of  the  Bible  ?" 
John  was  extremely  eager  to  hear  her 
answer.  The  woman,  with  a  stronger 
voice  than  before,  said,  "  O  sir,  the 
Bible  has  been  my  comfort  in  my 
affliction."  "  There,  John,"  said  his 
father,  "now  you  know  one  use  of  the 
Bible  ;  it  can  give  us  comfort  v/hen  we 
most  need  it." 

(g)  BEST  PLACE  TO  LEARN. 
— Mr.  Cecil,  during  a  severe  illness, 
said  to  a  person  who  spoke  of  it,  "  It  is 
all  Christ.  I  keep  death  in  view.  If 
God  does  not  please  to  raise  me  up,  he 
intends  me  better.  I  find  every  thing 
but  religion  only  vanity. — To  recollect 
a  promise  of  the  Bible :  this  is  sub- 
stance !  Nothing  will  do  but  the  Bible. 
If  I  read  authors,  and  hear  different 
opinions,  I  cannot  say  this  is  truth  !  I 
cannot  grasp  it  as  substance ;  but  the 
Bible  gives  me  something  to  hold.  I 
have  learned  more  within  these  curtains, 
than  from  all  the  books  I  ever  read." 

(h)  DR.  ELY  AND  THE  NE- 
GRESS. — A  little  beyond  the  smoking 
ruins  of  one  hundred  tenements  which 
had  been  destroyed  by  fire,  in  the  city 
of  New- York,  Dr.  Ely  overtook  a  wo- 
man of  color;  under  one  arm  she 
carried  five  large  brands,  and  under 
the  other  a  quarto  Bible.  "  Poor  wo- 
man," said  he,  "  have  you  been  burned 
out  too?"  "Yes,  massa,  but  blessed 
be  God,  I'm  alive."  "You  are  very 
old  to  be  turned  out  of  house  and  home." 
"I'm  well  stricken  in  years,  but  God 
does  it ;  and  in  dis  world  'tis  one's  turn 
to-day,     and     anudder*s     to-morrow." 


"  Have  you  saved  nothing  but  the 
Bible  ?"  "  Noting  but  one  trunk  o' 
things;  but  dis  blessed  book  is  wort 
more  as  all  de  rest.  It  make  me  feel 
better  than  all  de  rest.  So  long  as  I 
keep  dis,  I  content." 

67.  Love  for  the  Bible. 

(a)  ANCIENT   CHRISTIANS.— 

We  learn,  from  Chrysostom,  that  in  the 
primitive  church,  women  and  children 
had  frequently  the  Gospels,  or  parts  of 
the  New  Testament,  hung  round  their 
neck,  and  carried  them  constantly  about 
with  them.  The  rich  had  splendid 
copies  of  the  sacred  writings  on  vellum, 
in  their  libraries  and  book-cases ;  but 
as  the  art  of  printing  was  not  known 
till  many  ages  after,  complete  copies 
of  the  Scriptures  were,  of  course,  ex- 
ceedingly scarce.  Children  were  par- 
ticularly encouraged  in  the  efforts 
which  they  made  to  commit  to  memory 
the  invaluable  truths  of  the  divine 
volume.  Though  in  those  times  the 
Bible  was  to  be  multiplied  by  no  other 
means  than  the  pen,  and  every  letter 
was  to  be  traced  out  with  the  finger, 
so  repeatedly  were  the  Scriptures  copied 
that  many  of  the  early  Christians  had 
them  in  their  possession  ;  and  they  were 
so  copied  into  their  writings,  that  a  cel- 
ebrated scholar  engao-ed,  that  if  the 
New  Testament,  by  any  accidental 
circumstances,  should  be  lost,  he  would 
undertake  to  restore  it,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  a  few  verses  of  one  of  the  Epis- 
tles ;  and  he  pledged  himself  to  find 
these  in  a  short  time. 

(b)  FELIX,  THE  MARTYR.— The 
most  excruciating  tortures  were  fre- 
quently inflicted  on  many  of  the  ancient 
Christians,  who  refused  to  deliver  up 
their  copies  of  the  Scriptures  to  the 
heathen  ;  but  all  kinds  of  suffering, 
and  even  death  itself,  were  nobly 
braved  by  many  Christian  worthies,  to 
whom  the  book  of  God  was  more  pre- 
cious than  life.  Felix,  an  African, 
being  apprehended  as  a  Christian,  was 
commanded,  by  the  civil  magistrate  of 
the  city,  to  deliver  up  all  books  and 
writings  belonging  to  his  church,  that 
they  might  be  burned.  The  martyr 
replied  that  it  was  better  he  himself 

155 


%v 


BIBLE. 


should  be  burned.  The  magistrate, 
therefore,  sent  him  to  the  proconsul  at 
Carthage,  by  whom  he  was  delivered 
over  to  the  prefect  of  the  Prsetorium, 
who  was  then  in  Africa.  This  su- 
preme officer,  offended  at  his  bold  and 
candid  confession,  commanded  him  to 
be  loaded  with  heavier  bolts  and  irons ; 
and  after  being  kept  in  a  close  and 
miserable  dungeon  nine  days,  ordered 
him  to  be  put  on  board  a  vessel,  saying, 
he  should  stand  his  trial  before  the 
emperor.  In  this  voyage  he  lay  for 
four  days  under  the  hatches  of  the  ship, 
between  the  horses'  feet,  without  eating 
or  drinking.  He  was  landed  at  Agra- 
gentum,  in  Sicily  ;  and  when  brought 
by  the  prefect  as  far  as  Venosa,  in 
Apulia,  his  irons  were  knocked  off,  and 
he  was  again  asked  whether  he  had  the 
Scriptures,  and  would  deliver  them  up. 
"  I  have  them,"  said  he,  "  but  will  not 
part  with  them."  On  making  this 
assertion,  he  was  ijistantly  condemned 
to  be  beheaded.  "I  thank  thee,  O 
Lord,"  exclaimed  this  faithful  and 
heroic  martyr,  "  that  I  have  lived  fifty- 
six  years,  have  preserved  the  gospel, 
and  have  preached  the  faith  and  truth. 
O  my  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  God  of 
heaven  and  earth,  I  bow  my  head  to  be 
sacrificed  to  thee,  who  livest  to  all 
eternity." 

(c)  NOT  A  TITTLE  TO  BE  AL- 
TERED.—When  Valens,  the  emperor, 
sent  messengers  to  seduce  Eusebius  to 
heresy  by  fair  words  and  large  pro- 
mises, he  answered  :  "  Alas  !  sirs,  these 
speeches  are  fit  to  catch  little  children  ; 
but  we,  who  ai*e  taught  and~n6urished 
by:  Ihe  Holy  Scriptures,  are-  ready  to 
guffer^  thousand  deaths  rather  than 
permit (rnie  tittle  of  the  Sciiptures  to  be 

(f])  KING  ALFRED  AND  HIS 
PSALTER.— King  Alfred  the  Great 
encountered  many  difficulties  in  obtain- 
ing scriptural  knowledge,  which  we 
have  never  experienced,  and  manifested 
an  attachment  to  the  sacred  volume  not 
often  seen  now.  In  those  dark  ages, 
learning  was  considered  rather  a  re- 
proach than  an  honor  to 'a  prince.  In 
addition  to  which,  his  kingdom,  for 
many  years,  was  the  seat  of  incessant 
war.  Notwithstanding  all  this,  Alfred 
156 


found  opportunity  not  only  to  read  the 
word  of  God,  but  actually  to  copy  out 
all  the  Psalms  of  David  :  which  book 
he  constantly  carried  in  his  bosom. 
That  he  profited  greatly  from  reading 
the  Scriptures  is  no  matter  of  surprise, 
when  we  learn,  that,  after  the  example 
of  David,  he  earnestly  sought  divine 
teaching,  and  prayed  that  the  Lord 
would  open  his  eyes,  that  he  might  un- 
derstand his  law.  He  frequently  en- 
tered the  churches  secretly  in  the  night 
for  prayer;  and  there  lamented,  with 
sighs,  the  want  of  more  acquaintance 
with  divine  wisdom.  Having  drunk 
into  the  spirit  of  the  Bible,  and  experi- 
enced  the  rich  consolation  it  affords,  in 
setting  before  the  burdened  sinner  a 
free  and  full  salvation  in  Jesus,  he 
wished  it  published  to  all  around  ;  he 
therefore  commenced  a  translation  of 
the  Psalms  into  Anglo-Saxon,  though 
he  did  not,  however,  live  to  finish  the 
work. 

(6)  MARGARET  PIERRONE.— 
Margaret  Pierrone,  a  martyr  of  the 
sixteenth  century,  resided  in  Valen- 
ciennes. She  was  accused  by  a 
wicked  female  servant,  to  the  Jesuits, 
because  she  had  not  been  for  many 
years  at  the  mass,  and  had  kept  in  her 
house  a  Bible,  in  reading  which  was 
her  whole  delight.  The  magistrates 
being  informed  of  it,  caused  her  to  be 
apprehended. 

Being  in  prison  the  judges  called  her 
before  them,  and  said,  "  Margaret,  are 
you  not  willing  to  return  home  to  your 
house,  and  there  live  with  your  hus- 
band and  children  ?"  "  Yes,"  said  she, 
"  if  it  may  stand  with  the  good  will  of 
God."  They  added  further,  that  they 
had  so  wrought  with  the  Jesuits  that  in 
doing  a  small  matter  she  might  be  set 
at  liberty.  "  A  scaffold  shall  be  erected 
in  the  chief  place  of  the  city,  upon 
which  you  are  to  present  yourself,  and 
there  to  crave  pardon  for  offending  the ' 
law.  Then,  a  fire  being  kindled,  you 
must  cast  your  Bible  therein  to  be  con- 
sumed, without  speaking  any  word  at 
all."  "I  pray  you,  my  masters,  tell 
me,"  said  Margaret,  "  is  my  Bible  a 
good  book  or  not  ?"  "  Yes,  we  con- 
fess it  is  good,"  said  they.  "  If  you 
allow  it  to  be  good,"  replied  the  wo- 


LOVE  FOR  THE  BIBLE. 


Ot 


man,  "  why  would  you  have  me  cast  it 
into  the  fire  ?"  "  Only,"  said  they, 
"  to  give  the  Jesuits  content.  Imagine 
it  to  be  but  paper  that  you  burn,  and 
then  all  is  well  enough.  Do  so  much 
for  saving  your  life,  and  we  will  med- 
dle no  more  with  you.  You  may  ob- 
tain another  whenever  you  will." 

They  spent  about  two  hours  in  en- 
deavoring to  persuade  her.  "  By  the 
help  of  God,"  answered  Margaret,  "  I 
will  never  consent  to  do  it.  I  will  burn 
my  body  before  I  will  burn  my  Bible." 

Unable  to  weaken  her  resolution,  her 
enemies  committed  her  a  close  prisoner, 
to  be  fed  only  with  bread  and  water, 
and  none  to  be  permitted  so  much  as  to 
speak  to  her,  thinking  by  this  hard 
usage  to  overcome  her :  but  all  was  to 
no  purpose.  A  doctor  of  divinity  was 
frequently  sent  to  her  to  turn  her  from 
her  resolution ;  but  he  found  it  too  hard 
a  task  for  him  to  effect,  and  often  con- 
fessed to  those  who  sent  him,  that  he 
found  in  her  no  cause  why  they  should 
put  her  to  death. 

On  January  22,  1593,  however,  she 
Was  condemned  to  be  brought  upon  a 
stage,  erected  in  the  market-place  be- 
fore the  town-house,  first  to  see  her 
books  burned,  then  herself  to  be  stran- 
gled at  a  post,  and  her  body  dragged 
to  the  dunghill  without  the  city.  Com- 
ing to  the  place,  she  ascended  the  scaf- 
fold, and  distinctly  pronounced  the 
Lord's  prayer.  Then,  seeing  her  books 
burned  in  her  presence,  she  uttered 
these  words,  with  an  audible  voice: 
"  You  burn  there  the  word  of  God, 
which  yourselves  have  acknowledged 
to  be  good  and  holy."  Having  ag'ain 
repeated  the  Lord's  prayer,  she  was 
immediately  strangled. 

(/)  MONEY  LOST— BIBLE  SAV- 
ED.— Fox,  the  martyrologist,  informs 
us  of  an  English  sailor,  who,  being 
shipwrecked,  lost  all  his  property  ex- 
cept his  Bible,  which  he  was  deter- 
mined to  save,  and  of  which  he  took 
more  care  than  of  his  money.  Having 
clung  to  the  wreck  until  all  others  on 
board  perished,  he  committed  himself 
to  the  sea,  with  his  Bible  tied  round  his 
neck  with  a  handkerchief.  After  float- 
ing upon  the  water  for  a  long  time,  sup- 
ported by  a  piece  of  the  mast,  he  was 


happily  discovered  by  the  crew  of  an- 
other vessel,  sitting  upon  the  broken 
fragment  which  preserved  him  from  a 
watery  grave  ;  and  when  thus  almost 
miraculously  delivered  from  starvation 
and  death,  he  was  reading  his  Bible  ! 

(g)  TESTAMENT  AND  HAL- 
TER.—When  King  Henry  VIII.  had 
allowed  the  Bible  to  be  set  forth  to  be 
read  in  the  churches,  immediately  sev- 
eral poor  men  in  the  town  of  Chelms- 
ford, in  Essex,  where  the  father  of 
William  Maiden  lived,  and  where  he 
was  born,  bought  the  New  Testament, 
and  on  Sundays  sat  reading  it  in  the 
lower  end  of  the  church.  Many  flocked 
about  them  to  hear  them  read ;  and  he, 
among  the  rest,  being  then  about  fifteen 
years  old,  came  every  Sunday  to  hear 
the  glad  and  sweet  tidings  of  the  gospel. 
But  his  father,  observing  it  once,  an- 
grily fetched  him  away,  and  would 
have  him  say  the  Latin  matins  with 
him,  which  much  grieved  him.  And 
as  he  returned,  at  other  times,  to  hear 
the  Scriptures  read,  his  father  would 
still  fetch  him  away.  This  put  him 
upon  the  thought  of  learning  to  read, 
that  he  might  search  the  New  Testa- 
ment himself  j  which,  when  he  had  by 
diligence  eflected,  he,  and  his  father's 
apprentice,  bought  a  New  Testament, 
joining  their  little  stocks  together ;  and, 
to  conceal  it,  laid  it  under  the  bed- 
straw,  and  read  it  at  convenient  times. 

One  night,  having  discarded  the  act 
of  bowing  down  to  the  crucifix,  in  con- 
versation with  his  mother,  she  was  en- 
raged, and  went  and  informed  his  father, 
who,  inflamed  with  anger  at  hearing 
that  his  son  denied  that  worship  was 
due  to  the  cross,  went  into  his  son's 
room,  and  pulling  him  out  of  bed  by 
the  hair,  beat  him  most  unmercifully. 
T^e  lad  bore  all  with  patience,  consid- 
ering that  it  was  for  Christ's  sake,  as 
he  said,  when  he  related  the  anecdote 
in  queen  Elizabeth's  reign.  Enraged 
at  this  calmness,  the  father  ran  and 
fetched  a  halter,  which  he  put  round 
his  son's  neck,  and  would  have  hanged 
him,  but  for  the  interference  of  his 
mother.  Such  scenes,  doubtless,  occur- 
red in  many  families. 

(h)  OLD  ROBERT'S  GIRDLE.— 
A  singular  instance  of  attachment  to 
157 


BIBLE. 


the  word  of  God  was  shown  by  a  poor 
and  illiterate,  but  pious  and  excellent 
man,  the  servant  of  John  Bruen,  Esq. 
of  Stapleford,  in  Cheshire.  He  was 
most  commonly  called  Old  Robert ;  and 
though  he  could  neither  write  nor  read, 
he  became  mighty  in  the  Scriptures, 
by  means  of  a  curious  invention,  by 
which  he  assisted  his  memory.  He 
framed  a  girdle  of  leather,  long  and 
large,  which  went  twice  round  him. 
This  he  divided  into  several  parts,  al- 
lotting every  book  in  the  Bible,  in  their 
order,  to  one  of  these  divisions ;  then, 
for  the  chapters,  he  affixed  points  or 
thongs  of  leather  to  the  several  divi- 
sions, and  made  knots  by  fives  or  tens 
thereupon,  to  distinguish  the  chapters 
of  that  book ;  and  by  other  points  he 
divided  the  chapters  into  their  particu- 
lar contents,  or  verses,  as  occasion  re- 
quired. This  he  used  instead  of  pen 
and  ink,  in  hearing  sermons,  and  made 
so  good  a  use  of  it,  that,  coming  home, 
he  was  able  by  it  to  repeat  the  sermon, 
and  quote  the  texts  of  Scripture,  &c.  to 
his  own  great  comfort,  and  to  the  bene- 
fit of  others.  This  girdle  Mr.  Bruen 
kept  after  Old  Robert's  death,  hung  it 
up  in  his  study,  and  used  pleasantly  to 
call  it,  "the  girdle  of  verity." 

(i)  MORE  STUDIED,  MORE 
PRECIOUS.— Dr.  Buchanan,  in  a  con- 
versation he  had  with  a  friend,  a  short 
time  before  his  death,  was  describing 
the  minute  pains  he  had  been  taking 
with  the  proofs  and  revisions  of  the  Sy- 
riac  Testament,  every  page  of  which 
passed  under  his  eye  jive  times  before  it 
was  finally  sent  to  press.  He  said,  he 
had  expected  beforehand  that  this  pro- 
cess would  have  proved  irksome  to  him, 
but  that  every  fresh  perusal  of  the 
sacred  page  seemed  to  unveil  new 
beauties.  Here  he  stopped,  and  said  ^e 
to  his  friend,  as  soon  as  he  recovered 
himself,  "  I  could  not  suppress  the  emo- 
tion I  felt,  as  I  recollected  the  delight 
it  pleased  God  to  afford  me  in  the  read- 
ing of  his  word." 

(j)  PURBLIND  MAN'S  DE- 
VICE. — Mr.  Harris,  a  London  trades- 
man,^ whose  sight  had  decayed,  procur- 
ed the  whole  New  Testament,  except 
the  book  of  Revelation,  and  also  the 
book  of  Psalms,  to  be  written  with  white 
158 


ink  on  black  paper,  in  letters  an  inch 
long,  that  he  might  enjoy  the  consola- 
tions of  the  gospel  of  Christ. 

{k)  THE  SHORT-HAND  COPY. 
— During  the  persecution  of  the  non- 
conformists, in  the  reign  of  James  II., 
one  of  them  copied  out  the  whole  Bible 
in  short-hand  for  his  own  use,  fearing 
V  the  re-establishment  of  popery,  and  the 
suppression  of  the  Holv  Scriptures. 

(Z)  SIX  MONTHS'  WORK  FOR 
A  TESTAMENT.—A  young  man  in 
Ireland,  originally  a  Roman  Catholic, 
was  bound  apprentice  to  a  linen  weaver. 
Having  learned  to  read,  and  a  New 
Testament  happening  to  lie  neglected 
in  his  master's  house,  it  became  the 
constant  companion  of  his  leisure  hours. 
His  apprenticeship  being  finished,  he 
proposed  going  to  see  his  brother  in 
Castlebar,  in  the  county  of  Mayo,  and 
begged  of  his  master  the  New  Testa- 
ment, as  a  reward  for  his  services.  The 
master,  knowing  his  attachment  to  the 
book,  refused  to  give  it  to  him  on  any 
other  terms  than  his  further  servitude 
for  six  months.  The  young  man,  judg- 
ing that  a  copy  might  be  obtained  on 
easier  terms  at  Castlebar,  declined  this. 
But,  alas !  not  a  Testament  was  there 
for  sale,  in  this  the  principal  town  of  a 
populous  county  in  Ireland.  (1811.)  He 
could  not  live  without  it ;  and  accord- 
ingly returned  and  labored  half  a  year 
for  a  New  Testament. 

{m)  DR.  KENNICOTT  AND 
WIFE.— During  the  time  that  Dr.  Ken- 
nicott  was  employed  in  preparing  his 
Polyglot  Bible,  he  was  accustomed  to 
hear  his  wife  read  to  him  in  their  daily 
airings,  those  different  portions  to  which 
his  immediate  attention  was  called. 
When  preparing  for  their  ride,  the  day 
after  this  great  work  was  completed, 
upon  her  asking  him  what  book  she 
should  now  take,  '  Oh,'  exclaimed  he, 
'  let  us  begin  the  Bible.' 

(n)  BIBLE  PRIZED  ABOVE 
FREEDOM.— The  Rev.  Mr.  Eraser, 
a  liberated  colored  missionary  from  An- 
tigua, states  the  following  fact : — 

The  names  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thwaites 
are  well  known  in  the  island  of  Antigua, 
as  connected  with  all  efforts  of  practical 
education.  Mrs.  Thwaites  gave  to  a 
girl,  who  attended  one  of  their  Sunday 


LOVE  FOR  THE  BIBLE. 


67 


schools,  a  Bible.  Nancy,  for  that  was 
her  name,  took  home  the  Bible  to  the 
estate  to  which  she  belonged.  Nancy 
was  ill ;  he  Bible  was  her  constant 
companion.  Nancy  got  well,  and  went 
in  and  out ;  but  the  Bible  was  always 
near  to  her.  At  length,  the  overseer 
asked  her  what  she  had  got  there.  She 
showed  it  to  him.  He  looked  on  with 
admiration,  for  it  was  well  bound. 
"  Where  did  you  get  this  ?"  She  told 
him.  "  Will  you  sell  this  book  ?" 
"  No,  sir  ;  if  you  will  give  me  my  free- 
dom for  it,  you  shall  not  have  it."  Let 
no  one  think  that  Nancy  did  not  know 
the  value  of  freedom.  No  ;  it  was  not 
that  she  despised  freedom  ;  but  it  was  a 
stretch  of  thought  in  the  mind  of  a  slave 
to  find  out  the  most  valuable  thing  with 
which  to  compare  the  Bible ;  and  the 
most  valuable  thing  to  the  heart  of  that 
negro,  was  rejected  for  the  Bible. 

(o)  WELSH  PEASANTS  AND 
THEIR  BIBLES.— When  the  arrival 
of  the  cart,  which  carried  the  first  sa- 
cred load  of  the  Scriptures,  sent  by  the 
British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society,  to 
Wales,  in  1806,  was  announced,  the 
Welsh  peasants  went  out  in  crowds  to 
meet  it ;  welcomed  it  as  the  Israelites 
did  the  ark  of  old  ;  drew  it  into  the 
town  ;  and  eagerly  bore  ofl  all  the 
copies  as  rapidly  as  they  could  be  dis- 
persed. The  young  people  were  to  be 
seen  spending  the  whole  night  in  read- 
ing it.  Laborers  carried  it  with  them 
to  the  field,  that  they  might  enjoy  it 
during  the  intervals  of  labor,  and  lose 
no  opportunity  of  becoming  acquainted 
with  its  blessed  truths. 

(p)  THE  DYING  INDIAN  BOY. 
— The  missionary,  on  visiting  him,  says, 
"  I  found  him  dying  of  consumption,  and 
in  a  state  ofthe  most  awful  poverty  and 
destitution,  in  a  small  birch-rind  cover- 
ed hut,  with  nothing  but  a  few  fern- 
leaves  under  him,  and  an  old  blanket 
over  him.  After  recovering  from  my 
surprise,  I  said,  '  My  poor  boy,  I  am 
very  sorry  to  see  you  in  this  state  ;  had 
you  let  me  know,  you  should  not  have 
been  lying  here.'  He  replied,  '  It  is 
very  little  I  want  now,  and  these  poor 
people  get  it  for  me  ;  but  I  should  like 
something  softer  to  lie  upon,  as  my 
bones  are  very  sore.'     I  then  asked  him 


concerning  the  state  of  his  mind,  when 
he  replied,  that  he  was  very  happy  ; 
that  Jesus  Christ,  the  Lord  of  glory,  had 
died  to  save  him,  and  that  he  had  the 
most  perfect  confidence  in  him.  Ob- 
serving a  small  Bible  under  the  corner 
of  his  blanket,  I  said,  '  Jack,  you  have 
a  friend  there  ;  I  am  glad  to  see  that ;  I 
hope  you  find  something  good  there.' 
Weak  as  he  was,  he  raised  himself  on 
his  elbow,  held  it  in  his  attenuated  hand, 
while  a  smile  played  on  his  counte- 
nance, and  slowly  spoke,  in  precisely 
the  following  words  :  '  That,  sir,  is  my 
dear  friend.  You  gave  it  me.  For  a 
long  time  I  read  it  much,  and  often 
thought  of  what  it  told.  Last  year  I 
went  to  see  my  sister  at  Lake  Winni- 
peg, (about  two  hundred  miles  off,) 
where  I  remained  about  two  months. 
When  I  was  halfway  back  through  the 
lake,  I  remembered  that  I  had  lefl  my 
Bible  behind  me.  I  directly  turned 
round,  and  was  nine  days  by  myself, 
tossing  to  and  fro,  before  I  could  reach 
the  house  ;  but  I  found  my  friend,  and 
determined  that  I  would  not  part  with  it 
again,  and  ever  since  it  has  been  near 
my  breast,  and  I  thought  I  should  have 
buried  it  with  me  ;  but  I  have  thought 
since,  I  had  better  give  it  to  you,  when 
I  am  gone,  and  it  may  do  some  one 
else  good." 

(q)  DESIRE  FOR  THE  BIBLE. 
— Long  before  the  Bibles  arrived  at  Ta- 
hiti, says  Rev.  Mr.  Pritchard,  many  of 
the  people  placed  in  the  hands  of  the 
missionaries  their  money  to  purchase 
them,  that  they  might  not  be  disappoint- 
ed when  they  came  to  hand.  At  length 
a  small  packing-case,  containing  thirty 
Bibles,  arrived  with  Mr.  Nott's  boxes 
and  trunks  from  Sydney,  New  South 
Wales.  Mr.  Nott  having  been  taken 
ill,  after  his  luggage  had  been  put  on 
board,  was  obliged  to  remain  in  Sydney, 
but  sent  on  most  of  his  things  to  Tahiti. 
It  was  by  some  means  ascertained  by  the 
natives  that  there  was  a  box  of  Tahitian 
Bibles  at  Papeete,  in  a  store  kept  by  an 
English  merchant.  They  came  repeat- 
edly to  me,  begging  that  I  would  open 
the  box  and  let  them  have  the  Bibles, 
for  they  would  be  doing  no  good  lying 
there,  but,  in  their  hands,  they  might  de 
rive  benefit  from  them.  I  told  them  Mr. 
159 


ei' 


BIBLE. 


Nott  had  sent  a  letter,  stating  that  not  a 
single  box  or  trunk  must  be  opened  till 
he  arrived. 

Perceiving  that  there  was  no  proba- 
bility of  getting  them  from  me,  they  de- 
vised a  plan  by  which  they  obtained 
them.  Several  of  the  chiefs  and  one  or 
two  members  of  the  royal  family  went 
to  the  store  where  the  Bibles  were,  and 
entered,  as  though  they  had  come  to 
purchase  some  of  the  articles  there  ex- 
posed  for  sale.  A  few  of  them  stood 
round  the  store-keeper,  talking  to  him, 
that  he  might  not  easily  perceive  what 
the  others  were  doing,  when,  all  at  once, 
he  heard  a  tremendous  crash,  and,  to 
his  great  surprise,  he  found  they  had 
broken  the  case,  and  were  scrambling 
for  the  Bibles.  The  man  begged  that 
they  would  not  take  them,  stating  that 
they  were  in  his  charge,  and  that  he 
should  be  blamed  if  he  allowed  them  to 
go.  His  entreaties  were  all  in  vain  ; 
they  had  now  got  them  in  their  posses- 
sion. They  said  to  the  store-keeper, 
"  Don't  you  fear,  we  will  at  once  write 
down  the  name  of  each  person  who  has 
one,  and  we  are  willing  to  pay  any 
price  that  may  be  demanded  for  them, 
but  we  will  not  give  them  up."  We 
do  not  attempt  to  justify  the  steps  taken 
to  obtain  the  Bibles,  but  state  the  fact 
to  show  their  earnest  desire  to  possess 
them. 

The  Queen's  secretary  succeeded  in 
getting  one,  and,  passing  by  the  mis- 
sionary's door,  he  called  in  to  acquaint 
him  with  what  had  taken  place,  and  to 
show  him  his  treasure.  The  dinner  be- 
ing on  the  table,  the  missionary  said  to 
him,  "  Put  down  your  Bible,  and  dine 
with  us."  He  replied,  "  Not  to-day,  I 
have  better  food  here  ;  I  want  to  go  and 
feed  upon  this  spiritual  food."  In  ge- 
neral a  native  does  not  need  much 
pressing  to  induce  him  to  partake  ;  but 
on  this  occasion  he  declined  the  kind 
invitation,  and  hastened  home  to  feed 
upon  "the  meat  which  endureth  unto 
eternal  life." 

(r)  PEASANT  COPYING  THE 
TESTAMENT.— A  peasant,  in  the 
county  of  Cork,  (Ireland,)  understanding 
that  a  gentleman  had  a  copy  of  the 
Scriptures  in  the  Irish  language,  beg- 
ged to  see  it.  He  asked  whether  he 
160 


might  borrow  the  New  Testament  in  his 
own  tongue,  that  he  might  take  a  copy 
from  it.  The  gentleman  said  he  could 
not  obtain  another  copy,  and  ho  was 
afraid  to  trust  it  to  take  a  copy  in  writ- 
ing. "  Where  will  you  get  the  paper  ?" 
asked  the  gentleman.  "  I  will  buy  it." 
"  And  the  pens  and  ink  ?"  "  I  will 
buy  them."  "Where  will  you  find  a 
place  ?"  "  If  your  honor  will  allow  me 
your  hall,  I  will  come  after  I  have  done 
my  work  in  the  day,  and  take  a  copy 
by  portions  of  time  in  the  evening." 
The  gentleman  was  so  struck  with  his 
zeal,  that  he  gave  him  the  use  of  the 
hall  and  a  light,  in  order  to  take  a  copy. 
The  man  was  firm  to  his  purpose, 
finished  the  work,  and  produced  a  copy 
of  the  New  Testament  in  writing  by  his 
own  hand.  A  printed  copy  was  given 
to  him  in  exchange,  and  the  written  one 
was  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  president 
of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society, 
as  a  monument  of  the  desire  of  the  Irish 
to  know  the  Scriptures. 

{s)  THE  SPIRITUAL  BEGGAR. 
— Both  his  hands  and  his  feet  had  been 
eaten  off  by  a  disease,  which  the  na- 
tives call  kokovi.  But  he  was  industri- 
ous and  raised  food  sufficient  to  support 
his  family.  He  walked  on  his  knees  ; 
he  dug  the  ground  with  an  instrument, 
and  then  scraping  out  the  earth  with  the 
stumps  of  his  arms,  he  contrived  to  place 
the  plant  in  the  hole,  and  to  fill  in  the 
earth.  Mr.  Williams  once  fell  in  with 
him  as  he  was  walking  along,  and  found 
to  his  astonishment  that  the  poor  cripple 
possessed  a  wonderful  knowledge  of  the 
gospel,  and  a  truly  Christian  spirit. 
Having  never  seen  him  at  any  place  of 
worship,  Mr.  Williams  asked,  "  But 
where  did  you  obtain  your  knowledge  ?" 
"  Why,"  said  he,  "  as  the  people  re- 
turn  from  the  services,  I  take  my  seat 
by  the  way-side,  and  beg  a  bit  of  the 
word  as  they  pass  by  ;  one  gives  me 
one  piece,  another  another  piece,  and  I 
collect  them  together  in  my  heart,  and 
by  thinking  on  what  I  thus  obtain,  and 
praying  to  God  to  make  me  know,  I  un- 
derstand a  little  about  his  Word."  Beg- 
ging the  truth  piece-meal  from  the  na- 
tives who  heard  it — this  poor  cripple 
obtained  a  knowledge  of  the  Gospel, 
that  would  put  thousands,  in  the  most 


LOVE  FOR  THE  BIBLE. 


67 


favored   parts  of  Christendom,    to   the 
blush  ! 

(t)  JANE  GRAY'S  PREFER- 
ENCE.— Lady  Jane  Gray  was  once 
asked  by  one  of  her  feiends,  in  a  tone 
of  surprise,  how  she  could  consent,  to 
forego  the  pleasures  of  the  chase,  which 
her  parents  were  enjoying,  and  prefer 
sitting  at  home  reading  her  Bible.  She 
smilingly  replied,  "  All  amusements  of 
that  description  are  but  a  shadow  of  the 
pleasure  which  I  enjoy  in  reading  this 
book." 

(u)  TAHITIAN  BIBLE  CLASSES. 
— The  Tahitians,  says  a  missionary  in 
184-,  are  exceedingly  anxious  to  un- 
derstand what  they  read.  Hence  they 
have  their  Bible  classes  each  morning, 
Saturdays  excepted.  These  they  attend 
soon  after  sunrise,  before  they  go  to 
the  various  avocations  of  the  day.  None 
think  it  beneath  their  dignity  to  attend 
these  Bible  classes.  At  Papeete,  may 
be  seen  Queen  Pomare,  her  mother,  her 
aunt,  various  chiefs  and  common  people, 
sitting  round  their  teacher,  reading  verse 
by  .verse  alternately,  when  they  are 
interrogated  on  each  verse  as  they  read 
it,  and  if  necessary,  suitable  explana- 
tions are  given  by  the  teacher.  All  ex- 
pect to  be  interi'ogated.  Queen  Pomare 
would  think  it  very  strange  if,  on  ac- 
count of  her  being  a  sovereign,  she  were 
not  to  be  interrogated,  but  merely  read 
her  portion.  Her  Majesty  thinks  it 
as  important  for  her  to  obtain  correct 
views  of  divine  truth,  as  it  is  for  any 
of  her  subjects.  Many  of  them 
come  to  our  houses  with  the  Bible  in 
their  hands,  asking  for  explanations  of 
various  passages  which  they  have  been 
reading  at  home,  but  not  being  able  sat- 
isfactorily to  understand  them,  they  at 
once  apply  to  those  who  possess  a  more 
correct  and  extensive  knowledge  of  the 
word  of  God. 

{v)  THE  WOMAN  AND*  THE 
SHEPHERD  BOY.— The  late  cele- 
brated  Robinson,  of  Cambridge,  once 
said,  "  We  had  in  our  congregation  a 
poor  aged  widow,  who  could  neither 
read  the  Scriptures  nor  live  without 
hearing  them  read,  so  much  instruction 
and  pleasure  did  she  derive  from  the 
oracles  of  God.  She  lived  in  a  lone 
place,  and  the  family  where  she  lodged 

li 


could  not  read  ;  but  there  was  one  more 
cottage  near,  and  in  it  a  little  boy,  a 
shepherd's  son,  who  could  read  ;  but 
he,  full  of  play,  was  not  fond  of  reading 
the  Bible.  Necessity  is  the  mother  of 
invention.  The  good  old  widow  deter- 
mined to  rise  one  hour  sooner  in  the 
morning  in  order  to  spin  one  halfpenny 
more,  to  be  expended  in  hiring  the 
shepherd's  boy  to  read  to  her  every 
evening  a  chapter,  to  which  he  readily 
agreed.  This  little  advantage  made 
her  content  in  her  cottage,  and  even 
say,  '  The  lines  are  fallen  unto  me  in 
pleasant  places.'  " 

(w)  BIBLE  READ  WITH  THE 
LIPS. — At  an  anniversary  of  the 
French  and  Foreign  Bible  Society,  held 
in  Paris,  the  secretary  related  the  fol- 
lowing interesting  fact : 

That  interesting  person,  who  now 
lives  in  a  village  not  far  from  my  house, 
writes  a  Christian  friend,  had  lost  in  her 
early  age  the  little  sight  which  the  bad 
conformation  of  her  eyes  had  left  her 
after  birth.  Her  parents,  ^lo^even 
had  succeeded,  while  she  was  yet  ,j| 
child,  to  make  her  discern  her  letters 
by  the  use  of  very  large  characters ; 
but  for  a  long  time  past  she  had  not 
been  able  even  to  distinguish  the  largest 
letters  on  the  show-bills.  She  can 
hardly  now  make  the  distinction  be- 
tween light  and  darkness.  Gifted  with 
intelligence  and  skill,  vshe  rejoiced  when 
she  learned  that  God  had  put  it  into  the 
hearts  of  some  pious  men  to  offer  his 
word  to  the  blind  ;  and  as  soon  as  I 
was  enabled  to  procure  for  her  the 
gospel  according  to  Mark,  issued  from 
your  presses,  she  began  to  study  it 
alone  with  great  earnestness.  After  a 
few  days  she  could,  to  my  astonish- 
ment, read  about  a  page  ;  but  she  was 
greatly  discouraged,  on  account  of  the 
slowness  of  her  progress. 

Her  means  are  very  limited,  and  she 
is  obliged  to  work  for  her  living.  Alone 
in  a  small  chamber,  which  she  rents, 
she  attends  herself  to  all  the  necessaries 
of  her  life,  and  cultivates  even  a  little 
piece  of  ground,  out  of  which  she  con- 
trives to  raise  some  vegetables.  All 
this  obliterates  her  sense  of  touch, 
which,  therefore,  js  far  less  delicate 
than  that  of  other  blind,  who  are  less 
161 


m 


BIBLE. 


skillful  or  in  easier  circumstances,  and 
hence  are  not  obliged  to  have  recourse 
ta  this  manual  labor.  One  day  the 
idea  crosses  the  mind  of  this  poor  girl, 
that  the  sensibility  of  her  fingers  would 
be  excited  were  the  skin  taken  off;  and 
immediately  (such  is  her  desire  to  read, 
and  chiefly  to  read  the  word  of  God, 
which  he  has  taught  her  to  love,)  she 
takes  a  penknife  and  begins  to  skin  off 
the  ends  of  her  fingers.  But,  alas ! 
sensibility  excites  pain  ;  her  touch  is 
not  improved  ;  and  soon  the  sores  which 
succeed  to  the  thick  skin  which  she  has 
tried  to  scrape  off,  become,  for  our  poor 
sister,  an  insurmountable  obstacle  to  the 
pursuit  of  her  study. 

She  tries  yet,  however,  but  in  vain  ; 
she  must  now  give  it  up.  In  a  moment 
of  despair,  she  takes  up  the  book,  and 
pressing  it  against  her  lips,  wetting  it 
with  her  tears, thus  addressed  it:  "  Fare- 
well, farewell,  sweet  word  of  my  heav- 
enly Father,  food  of  my  soul !  I  must 
part  with  thee !"  But  what  is  her  sur- 
prise !  her  lips,  more  delicate  than  her 
lingers,  have  discerned  the  form  of  the 
letters !  she  reflects,  she  tries,  at  last 
she  cannot  doubt  any  more  ;  she  has 
certainly  read,  "  Gospel  according  to 
Mark!"  Her  soul  overflowing  with 
•gratitude,  pours  out  her  thanks  before 
the  throne  of  her  Father  in  heaven.  She 
lies  down  to  rest.  All  night  she  perus- 
ed the  holy  book,  and  every  where  she 
discovers,  in  a  few  moments,  not  only 
the  form  of  the  letters,  but  also  the 
sense  of  the  phrases. 

fi8.  "Searching  the  Scriptures." 

(a)  FRENCH  BLACKING  VEN- 
DER   AND  HIS    BIBLE.  — An  old 

man,  a  seller  of  blacking,  took  his 
stand  for  many  years  in  a  very  crowd- 
ed quarter  of  Paris.^  A  Bible  was  pre- 
sented to  him.  This  poor  creature  was 
only  permitted  by  the  police  to  sell  his 
blacking  after  sunset :  in  the  day  he 
was  occupied  in  preparing  it ;  but  after 
^standing  in  the  street  till  late,  to  obtain 
5d.  or  7d.  by  his  blacking,  he  devoted 
"many  hours  of  every  night  to  studying 
the  sacred  volume,  and  reading  it  to  his 
wife,  by  the  light  of  a  glimmering  lamp, 
till  one  or  two  in  the  morning.  It  was 
162 


astonishing  to  those  who  visited  him  how 
rapidly  he  proceeded,  not  merely  to 
read  and  comprehend,  but  even  to  com- 
pare different  parts  of  the  Avord  of  God 
together.  In  a  few  months,  at  more 
than  seventy  years  of  age,  he  had  ob- 
tained such  an  harmonious  view  of  the 
Scriptures,  as  to  be  mucn  better  ao 
quainted  with  their  historical  conten*.-* 
than  his  Christian  instructor.  When 
he  discovered  the  doctrine  of  justifica- 
tion by  faith,  he  was  overwhelmed,  and 
could  not  believe  that  any  one  had  dis- 
covered it  before,  or,  at  least,  so  clearly 
as  himself. 

His  wife  being  ill,  she  was  obliged  to 
go  to  the  hospital,  and  her  husband  con- 
trived to  carry  the  Bible  in  a  bundle 
of  clothes,  that  he  might  read  it  to  her. 
The  priest  soon  heard  of  his  having  the 
Bible,  and  attempted  to  frighten  him 
from  reading  it,  offering  him  a  comforta- 
ble support  for  life,  if  he  would  give  it 
up,  and  return  to  confession.  He  re- 
plied, "  I  should  then  be  a  hypocrite  ;  I 
would  r-ather  die  from  want  than  be- 
come one.  Since  I  read  this  book,  I 
can  no  longer  give  up  my  conscience  to 
another." 

(b)  GEORGE  III.  AND  HIS  BI- 
BLE.— It  has  been  stated,  by  those  who 
had  opportunities  of  acquiring  correct 
information,  that  of  the  few  books  which 
the  king  read,  the  Bible  was  constant- 
ly on  the  table  in  his  closet,  and  the 
commentary  which  he  selected  for  his 
private  reading,  was  Matthew  Henry's 
Exposition.  A  pious  female  servant, 
whose  ofl^ce  it  was  to  arrange  the 
library  room,  has  been  oflen  heard  to 
say,  "  I  love  to  follow  my  master  in  his 
reading  of  the  Scriptures,  and  to  observe 
the  passages  he  turns  down.  I  wish 
every  body  made  the  Bible  as  much 
their  daily  study  as  my  good  master 
does." 

(c)  CLUSTER  OF  EXAMPLES. 
— The  emperor  Thcodosius  wrote  out 
the  whole  New  Testament  with  his  own 
hand,  and  read  some  part  of  them  every 
day.  Theodosius,  the  second,  dedicated 
a  great  part  of  the  night  to  the  study 
of  the  Scriptures.  George,  prince  of 
Transylvania,  read  over  the  Bible 
twenty-seven  times.  Alphonsus,  king 
of  Arragon,  read  the  Scriptures  over, 


FAMILIARITY  WITH  THE  BIBLE. 


6S,6d 


together    with    a    large    commentary, 
fourteen,  times. 

Sir  Henry  Wot  ten,  after  his  custom- 
ary public  devotions,  used  to  retire  to 
his  study,  and  there  spend  some  hours 
in  reading  the  Bible.  Sir.  John  Hartop 
in  like  manner,  amidst  his  other  voca- 
tions, made  the  book  of  God  so  much 
his  study,  that  it  lay  before  him  night 
and  day.  James  Boniygl,  Esq.,  made  the 
Holy  Scriptures  his  constant  and  daily 
study,  he  read  them,  he  meditated  upon 
them,  he  prayed  over  them.  M.  De 
Renty,  a  French  nobleman,  used  to 
read  daily  three  chapters  of  the  Bi- 
ble, with  his  head  uncovered,  and  on 
his  bended  knees. 

Lady  Frances  Hobart  read  the  Psalnns 
over  twelve  times  a  year,  the  New 
Testament  thrice,  and  the  other  parts  of 
the  Old  Testament,  once.  Susannah, 
'countess  of  Suffolk,  for  the  last  seven 
years  of  her  life,  read  the  whole  Bible 
over  twice  annually. 

Dr.  Gouge  used  to  read  fifteen  chap- 
ters every  day  ;  five  in  the  morning,  five 
after  dinner,  and  five  in  the  eyening, 
before  going  to  bed.  Mr.  Jeremiah 
Whittaker  usually  read  all  the  Epistles 
in  the  Greek  Testament  twice  every 
fortnight. 

Joshua  Barnes  is  said  to  have  read  a 
small  pocket  Bible,  which  he  usually 
carried  about  with  him,  a  hundred  and 
twenty  times  over.  Mr.  Roger  Cotton 
read  the  whole  Bible  through  twelve 
times  a  year. 

The  Rev.  Wm.  Romaine  studied  no- 
thing but  the  Bible  for  the  last  thirty  or 
forty  years  of  his  life. 

A  poor  prisoner,  being  confined  in  a 
dark  dungeon,  had  no  light,  except  for 
a  few  moments  when  his  food  was 
brought  him ;  he  used  to  take  his  Bible 
and  read  a  chapter,  saying,  he  could 
find  his  mouth  in  the  dark,  when  he 
could  not  read. 

Henry  Willis,  farmer,  aged  81,  devo- 
ted almost  every  hour  that  could  be 
spared  from  his  labor,  during  the  course 
of  so  long  a  life,  to  the  devout  and 
serious  perusal  of  the  Holy  Scriptures. 
He  had  read  with  the  most  minute  at- 
tention, all  the  books  of  the  Old  and  j 
New  Testament,  eight  times  over,  and 
had  proceeded  as  far  as  the  book  of  Job 


in  his  ninth  reading,  when  his  medita- 
tions were  terminated  by  death. 

(d)  EXAMPLE  OF  PRESIDENT 
ADAMS.  —  Among  men  of  education 
and  talents,  those  who  have  been  known 
as  enemies  of  the  Bible  have,  for  the 
most  part,  unhesitatingly  acknowledged 
their  ignorance  of  its  contents,  or  at 
least  that  they  were  not  familiar  with 
its  pages ;  while  the  invariable  testi- 
mony of  all  who  have  candily  studied 
it,  has  been  in  favor  of  its  claims  to  di- 
vine authority,  and  to  the  sublimity, 
purity  and  wisdom  of  its  precepts. 
The  testimony  following  will  be  very 
generally  respected. 

The  venerable  John  Quincy  Adams 
a  short  time  before  his  death  stated  to  a 
friend,  that  ever  since  he  was  thirty 
years  old,  he  had  been  accustomed, 
among  the  first  things,  to  read  the  Bible 
every  morning.  With  few  interrup- 
tions, he  followed  the  practice  over  half 
a  century. 

« 

69.  Familiarity  with  the  Bible. 

(a)  BLIND  ALICK.— There  was 
living  in  1832,  at  Stirling,  in  Scot- 
land, a  blind  old  beggar,  known  to  all 
the  country  round  by  the  name  of  Blind 
Alick,  v/ho  possessed  a  memory  of  al- 
most incredible  strength.  Alick  was 
blind  from  his  childhood.  He  was  the 
son  of  poor  parents,  who  could  do  little 
for  him  ;  though,  indeed,  at  that  time, 
wealth  could  not  have  done  much  for 
the  education  of  one  laboring  under  his 
privations.  Ali(;k  was  sent  by  his  pa- 
rents to  a  common  school,  to  keep  him 
out  of  mischief,  and  in  order  that  he 
might  learn  something  by  hearing  the 
lessons  of  the  other  children.  The  only 
volume  then  used  in  such  establish- 
ments, as  a  class  or  reading  book,  was 
the  Bible  ;  and  it  was  customary  for  the 
scholai*s,  as  they  read  in  rotation,  to 
repeat  not  only  the  number  of  each 
chapter,  but  the  number  of  each  verse 
as  it  was  read.  By  constantly  hearing 
these  readings,  young  Alick  soon  began 
to  retain  many  of  the  passages  of  Scrip- 
ture,  and  with  them  the  number  of  the 
chapter  and  verse  where  they  occurred. 
It  is  probable,  that  being  incapacitated 
by  his  sad  privation  from  any  useful 
163 


69 


BIBLE. 


employment,  he  may  have  remained  an 
unusual  length  of  lime  at  this  school ; 
and  that  his  father,  as  was  generally 
the  case  with  the  Scottish  peasantry, 
was  a  great  reader  of  the  Bible  at  home. 
A  constant  attendance  at  church  would 
also  contribute  to  the  result.  However 
this  may  have  been,  at  was  observed 
with  astonishment  that  when  Blind 
Alick  was  a  man,  and  obliged,  by  the 
death  of  his  parents,  to  gain  a  livelihood 
by  begging  through  the  streets  of  his 
native  town  of  Stirling,  he  knew  the 
whole  of  the  Bible,  both  Old  and  NeWj 
Testaments,  by  heart !  Many  persons 
of  education  have  examined  Alick,  and 
have  invairably  been  astonished  at  the 
extent  of  his  memory.  You  may  re- 
peat any  passage  in  Scripture,  and  he 
will  tell  you  the  chapter  and  verse ;  or 
you  may  tell  him  the  chapter  and  verse 
of  any  part  of  Scripture,  and  he  will 
repeat  to  you  the  passage,  word  for 
word.  Not  long  since,  a  gentleman, 
to  puzzle  him,  read  with  a  slight  verbal 
alteration,  a  ^^erse  of  the  Bible.  Alick 
hesitated  a  moment,  and  then  told  where 
it  was  to  be  found,  but  said  it  had  not 
been  correctly  delivered  ;  he  then  gave 
it  as  it  stood  in  the  book,  correcting  the 
slight  error  that  had  been  purposely  in- 
troduced. The  gentleman  then  asked 
him  for  the  ninetieth  verse  of  the 
seventh  chapter  of  Numbers.  Alick 
was  again  puzzled  for  a  moment,  but 
then  said  hastily,  "  You  are  fooling  me, 
sirs  !  there  is  no  such  verse — that  chap- 
ter has  but  eighty-nine  verses.^'  Se- 
veral other  experiments  of  the  sort 
were  tried  upon  him  with  the  same 
success.  He  has  often  been  questioned 
the  day  after  any  particular  sermon  or 
speech ;  and  his  examiners  have  in- 
variably found,  that  had  their  patience 
allowed,  Blind  Alick  would  have  given 
them  the  sermon  or  speech  over  again. 
(b)  DAVIDSAUNDERS.— In  con- 
versation with  Dr.  Stonehouse,  David 
Saunders,  who  is  well  known  as  the 
subject  of  Mrs.  Hannah  More's  beauti- 
ful tract,  "  The  Shepherd  of  Salisbury 
Plain,"  gave  the  following  narrative  of 
facts  concerning  himself: — Blessed  be 
i  God  !  through  his  mercy  I  learned  to 
read  when  I  was  a  boy.  I  believe  there 
is  no  day,  for  the  last  thirty  years,  that 
164 


I  have  not  peeped  at  my  Bible.  If  we 
can't  find  time  to  read  a  chapter,  I  defy 
any  man  to  say  he  ean't  frndf  time  to 
read  a  verse  ;  and  a  single  text,  well 
followed  and  put  in  practice  every  day, 
would  make  no  bad  figure  at  the  j-ear's 
end ;  365  texts,  without  the  loss  of  a 
moment's  time,  would  make  a  pretty 
stock,  a  little  golden  treasury,  as  one 
may  say,  from  neiW  year's  day  to  new 
year's  day ;  and  if  children  wem  brought 
up  to  it,  they  would  come  to  look  ifbr 
their  text  as  naturally  as  they  do  for 
their  break flist.  I  can  say  the  greatest 
part  of  the  Bible  by  heart. 

(c)  REV.  DR.  MARRYAT.— This 
eminent  man,  when  but  a  youth,  felt  it 
his  duty  to  store  his  excellent  memory 
with  the  words  of  Divine  revelation. 
He  is  said  to  have  committed  to  memory 
the  books  of  Job,  Psalms,  Proverbs, 
Ecclesiastes,  Isaiah,  and  all  tlie  lesser 
prophets,  as  also  the  epistles  of  the  New 
Testament ;  and,  that  he  might  retain 
this  ir«'aluable  treasure,  he  stated  that 
it  was  his  practice  to  repeat  them  from 
memory,  without  a  book,  once  a  year. 

(d)  HON.  SAMUEL  HUBBARD. 
— 41on.  Samuel  Hubbard,  of  Boston, 
says  the  American  Messenger,  had  a 
remarkable  acquaintance  with  the  Bible. 
He  had  a  large  Bible  class  of  young 
men ;  and  in  the  conversation  and 
discussions  which  arose,  would  quote  a 
verse  from  memory,  and  add,  "  I  think 

you  will  find  it  in /'  naming  the 

chapter  and  verse  ;  and  the  reference 
would  be  found  invariably  correct.  Such 
a  know/ledge  of  the  Scriptures  could 
have  been  obtained  only  by  long  and 
faithful  study. 

(e)  MISCELLANEOUS  EXAM- 
PLES.— Josephus  testifies  of  his  coun- 
trymen, that  if  asked  concerning  the 
laws  of  Moses,  they  could  answer  as 
readily  as  their  names. 

Erasmus,  speaking  cf  Jerome,  says, 
"  Who  ever  learnt  by  heart  the  whole 
Scripture,  or  imbibed  or  meditated  on 
it  as  he  did  ?" 

Tertullian,  after  his  conversion,  was 
engaged  nigi^t  and  day  in  reading  the 
Scriptures,  and  got  much  of  them  by 
heart. 

Of  one  Marcus,  a  primitive  Christian, 
who  was  well  instructed  in  the  morning 


THE  BIBLE  NEGLECTED  OR  REJECTED. 


to 


of  life,  it  is  recorded,  that  he  became  so 
expert  in  the  Scriptures,  when  he  was 
but  a  youth,  that  he  could  repeat  the 
whole  of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments. 
Of  one  or  two  others  it  is  said,  that  be- 
ing men  of  good  memories,  they  got  the 
Scriptures  by  heart,  only  by  hearing 
them  continually  read  by  others  ;  they 
not  being  able  to  read  a  single  word. 

It  is  related  of  Beza,  one  of  the  re- 
formers, that  when  he  was  old,  and 
could  not  recollect  the  names  of  persons 
and  things  he  had  heard  but  a  few 
minutes  before,  he  could  remember  and 
repeat  the  epistles  of  St.  Paul,  which  he 
had  committed  to  memory  when  he  was 
yoiang. 

The  celebrated  Witsius  was  able  to 
recite  almost  any  passage  of  Scripture, 
in  its  proper  language,  together  with  its 
context,  and  the  criticisms  of  the  best 
commentators. 

Bonaventure  wrote  out  the  Scriptures 
twice,  and  learnt  most  of  them  by 
heart. 

Zuinglius  wrote  out  St.  Paul's  Epis- 
tles, and  committed  them  to  memory. 

Cromwell,  Earl  of  Essex,  in  his 
journey  to  and  from  Rome,  learned  all 
the  New  Testament  by  heart. 

Bishop  Ridley  thus  attests  his  own 
practice,  and  the  happy  fruit  of  it: 
-"  The  walls  and  trees  of  my  orchard, 
could  they  speak,  would  bear  witness, 
that  there  I  learned  by  heart  almost  all 
the  Epistles  ;  of  which  study,  although 
in  time  a  greater  part  of  it  was  lost,  yet 
the  sweet  savor  thereof,  I  trust  I  shall 
carry  with  me  to  heaven." 

Gregory  Lopez,  a  Spanish  monk  in 
Mexico,  in  the  sixteenth  century,  com- 
mitted to  memory  both  the  Old  and 
New  Testaments,  in  the  short  space  of 
four  years,  spending  four  hours  a  day 
in  memorizing  them. 

Viscount  Carteret,  who  was  Lord 
Lieutenant  of  Ireland  in  1724,  could 
repeat,  from  memory,  the  whole  of  the 
New  Testament,  from  the  first  chapter 
of  Matthew  to  the  end  of  Revelation. 
It  was  astonishing  to  hear  him  quote 
very  long  passages  from  it,  with  as 
much  accuracy  as  if  he  were  reading 
a  book. 

The  Rev.  Thomas  Threlkfeld,  of 
Rochdale,  in  Lancashire,  (Eng.)  might 


have  been  justly  called  a  living  con- 
cordance to  the  Holy  Scriptures.  If 
three  words  only  were  mentioned,  ex- 
cept perhaps  those  words  of  mere  con- 
nexion which  occur  in  hundreds  of 
passages,  he  could  immediately,  without 
hesitation,  assign  the  chapter  and  verse 
where  they  could  be  found ;  and,  in- 
versely, upon  mentioning  the  chapter 
and  verse,  he  could  repeat  the  words. 
This  power  of  retention  enabled  him 
with  ease  to  make  himself  master  of 
many  languages.  Nine  or  ten  he  read 
with  critical  skill.  It  is  affirmed  by  a 
friend,  who  lived  near  him,  and  who 
was  on  intimate  terms  with  him,  that 
he  was  well  acquainted  with  every 
language  in  which  he  had  a  Bible  or 
New  Testament.  His  powers  of  re- 
ference and  quotation  were  as  great  and 
ready  in  the  Hebrew  and  Greek  as  in 
the  English. 

70.  The  Bible  Neglected  or  Rejected. 

(a)  DYING  WORDS  OF  SALMA.- 

SIUS. — Salmasius,  one  of  the  most 
consummate  scholars  of  his  time,  saw 
cause  to  exclaim  bitterly  against  him- 
self. "  Oh  !"  said  he,  "  I  have  lost  a 
world  of  time — time,  the  most  precious 
thing  in  the  world !  Had  I  but  one 
year  more,  it  should  be  spent  in  perus- 
ing David's  Psalms  and  Paul's  Epistles. 
Oh,  sirs,"  said  he,  addressing  those 
about  him,  "  mind  the  world  less  and 
God  more.^' 

(h)  BIBLE  SOLD  FOR  DRINK.— 
During  my  residence  in  India,  says  a 
correspondent  of  "  The  Tract  Maga- 
zine," I  frequently  visited  a  British 
soldier  who  was  under  sentence  of 
death,  for  having,  when  half  intoxi- 
cated, wantonly  shot  a  black  man. 

In  some  of  my  visits  to  the  jail,  a 
number  of  the  prisoners  came  and  sat 
down  with  this  man  to  listen  to  a  word 
of  exhortation.  In  one  instance  I  spoke 
to  them  particularly  on  the  desirable- 
ness of  studying  the  Bible.  "  Have 
any  of  you  a  Bible  ?"  I  inquired.  They 
answered,  •'  No."  ''  Have  any  of  you 
ever  possessed  a  Bible  ?"  A  pause 
ensued.  At  last  the  murderer  broke 
silence,  and  amidst  sobs  and  tears  con- 
fessed that  he  once  had  a  Bible.  "  But, 
165 


vo 


BIBLE. 


oh  !"  said  he,  "  I  sold  it  for  drink.  It. 
was  the  companion  of  my  youth.  I 
brought  it  with  me  from  my  native 
land,  and  I  have  since  sold  it  for  drink. 
Oh,  if  I  had  listened  to  my  Bible,  I 
should  not  have  been  here  !" 

Will  not  the  lamentation  of  this  sol- 
dier be  the  bitter  lamentation  of  multi- 
tudes in  the  bottomless  pit,  to  all  eter- 
nity ? 

'(c)  DYING  WORDS  OF  SIR 
THOMAS  SMITH.— This  eminent 
man  was  secretary  of  state  to  Queen 
Elizabeth.  \  short  time  before  his 
death  he  sent  to  his  friends,  the  bishops 
of  Winchester  and  Worcester,  entreat- 
ing them  to  draw  from  the  word  of  God 
the  plainest  and  exactest  way  of  salva- 
tion ;  adding,  that  it  was  matter  of 
lamentation,  that  men  knew  not  to  what 
end  they  were  born  into  the  world,  till 
they  were  ready  to  go  out  of  it. 

(d)  DEATH  OF  A  BIBLE  BURN- 
ER. — As  the  Rev.  Mr. ,  a  minis- 
ter in  Manchester,  England,  (1800,) 
was  going  to  a  Sunday  school,  he  was 
met  by  a  man,  Avho  inquired,  with  much 
anxiety,  whether  he  was  a  minister. 
On  being  told  that  he  was,  "  O,  sir," 
he  replied,  "  will  you  be  so  kind  as  to 
go  and  see  a  poor  man  who  is  dying, 
quite  in  despair  ?"  The  minister  said, 
"  I  am  going  to  a  Sunday  school ;  will 
it  not  do  if  I  go  and  see  him  'to-mor- 
row ?"  "  Oh,  no,"  replied  the  man, 
"he  will  be  dead  before  to-morrow." 
The  minister,  therefore,  instantly  com- 
plied with  his  request.  When  he  en- 
tered the  room,  the  wretched  man,  in 
the  agonies  of  death,  cried  out  that  he 
was  undone  for  ever — that  there  was 
no  hope  for  him.  At  that  moment  four 
of  his  companions  came  in.  When  he 
saw  them,  he  burst  forth  into  a  rage 
of  anger,  and  uttered  such  dreadful 
oaths  and  curses,  accusing  them  as  the 
authors  of  all  his  misery,  that  they  in- 
stantly left  the  room,  seemingly  in  sur- 
prise and  terror.  When  they  were 
gone,  the  minister  began  to  talk  to  him, 
and  repeated  some  suitable  passages  of 
Scripture.  "That  book,"  cried  the 
dying  man,  "  might  have  done  for  me 
now,  but  I  have  burnt  it !"  The  good 
minister,  knowing  the  power  of  prayer, 
and  that  many  a  sinner  had  found  for- 
166 


giveness,  even  at  the  eleventh  hour, 
urged  him  to  pray.  Instantly  he  cried 
out,  in  accents  most  dreadful,  "  I  can't 
pray,  and  I  won't  pray !"  He  then 
turned  his  head  on  his  pillow,  and  ex- 
pired ! 

"  Shonld  all  the  forms  that  men  devise, 
Assault  my  faith  with  treacherous  art, 
I'd  call  them  vanity  and  lies, 
And  bind  the  Bible  to  my  heart." 

(e)  TOO  LATE  TO  READ.— A 
person  in  Birmingham,  who  lived  in 
the  neglect  of  the  worship  of  Gtxl,  and 
of  reading  the  Bible,  was,  on  a  Lord's 
day,  sitting  at  the  fire  with  his  family. 
He  said  he  thought  he  would  read  a 
chapter  in  the  Bible,  not  having  read 
one  for  a  long  time.  But,  alas  !  he  was 
disappointed ;  it  was  too  late ;  for,  in 
the  vei'y  act  of  reaching  it  from  the 
shelf,  he  sunk  down  and  immediately 
expired. 

(/)  "I  CANNOT  PRAY."— A 
society  of  infidels  were  in  the  practice 
of  meeting  together  on  Sabbath  morn- 
ings, to  ridicule  religion,  and  to  en- 
courage each  other  in  all  manner  of 
wickedness.  At  length  they  proceeded 
so  far  as  to  meet,  by  previous  agree- 
ment, to  burn  their  Bibles  !  They  had 
lately  initiated  a  young  man  into  their 
awful  mysteries,  who  had  been  brought 
up  under  great  religious  advantages, 
and  seemed  to  promise  well ;  but  on 
that  occasion,  he  proceeded  the  length 
of  his  companions,  threw  his  Bible  into 
the  flames,  and  promised,  with  them, 
never  to  go  into  a  place  of  religious 
worship  again.  He  was  soon  after- 
wards taken  ill.  He  was  visited  by  a 
serious  man,  who  found  him  in  the 
agonies  of  a  distressed  mind.  Fie  spoke 
to  him  of  his  past  ways.  The  poor 
creature  said,  "  It  all  did  well  enough 
while,  in  health,  and  while  I  could  keep 
off  the  thoughts  of  death  ;"  but  when 
the  Redeemer  was  mentioned  to  him, 
he  hastily  exclaimed,  "  What^s  the  use 
of  talking  to  me  about  mercy  ?"  When 
urged  to  look  to  Christ,  he  said,  "  I  tell 
you  it's  of  no  use  now;  'lis  too  late, 
'tis  too  late.  Once  I  could  pray,  but 
now  I  can't."  He  frequently  repeated, 
"  I  cannot  pray  ;  I  will  not  pray."  He 
shortly  afterwards  expired,  uttering  the 
i  most  dreadful  imprecations  agsi'n=''  .iome 


ZEAL  IN  CIRCULATING  TIIS  BIBLE. 


91 


of  his  companions  in  iniquity  who  came 
to  see  him,  and  now  and  then  saying. 
'^  My  Bible  !  Oh,  tiie  Bible  !" 

71.  Zeal  in  Circulating  the  Bible. 

(a)  BOYLE'S  BENEVOLENCE. 
— The  Hon.  R.  Boyle  was  the  seventh 
son  of  Richard,  earl  of  Cork.  His 
learning,  piety,  and  beneficence,  justly 
placed  him  among  the  most  eminent 
men  of  the  age  in  which  he  lived.  So 
profound  was  his  veneration  for  the 
Deity,  that  he  never  mentioned  the 
Divine  name  without  a  visible  pause 
in  his  discourse.  He  founded  a  lecture 
at  St.  Paul's  for  the  defence  of  the 
Christian  religion  against  infidels ;  and 
was  at  the  expense  of  the  translatioTi 
and  printing  of  500  copies  of  the  four 
Gospels  and  Acts  of  the  Apostles  into 
the  Malayan  language.  He  also  nobly 
rewarded  Dr.  E.  Pocock,  for  the  trans- 
Lttion  of  Grorius,  "On  the  Truth  of  the 
Christian  Religion,"  into  Arabic ;  of 
which  he  printed  an  edition  in  quai'to, 
and  caused  it  to  be  dispersed  in  the 
countries  where  it  could  be  understood. 
He  gave,  during  his  life,  £300  to  aid 
the  propagation  of  the  gospel,  and  for 
translating,  printing,  and  circulating  the 
Scriptures  among  the  American  Indians 
in  their  vernacular  dialects.  He  caus- 
ed a  font  of  type  to  be  cast,  and  the  Irish 
New  Testament  to  be  reprinted  at  his 
own  expense  ;  and  afterwards  contri- 
buted £700  to  print  an  edition  of  the 
whole  Bible  in  the  same  language,  bo- 
sides  £100  towards  an  edition  for  the 
Highlands  of  Scotland.  He  also  con- 
tributed £60  towards  an  edition  of  the 
Turkish  New  Testament ;  and  liberally 
aided  the  printing  of  the  Scriptures  in 
the  Welsh  laniTuacre.     He  died  in  1691. 

(h)  THE  USEFUL  FARMER.— In 

R Co.  says  a  colporteur,  in  1814, 

is  a  plain  farmer,  of  some  property, 
who,  when  he  embraced  Christ,  six 
or  seven  years  since,  made  a  willing 
surrender  of  all  to  him.  Since  that 
time  his  life  has  been  a  series  of  efforts 
at  iiome  and  abroad  for  the  advance- 
ment of  Christ's  kingdom.  Much  of  his 
time  in  winter  is  spent  in  destitute 
neighborhoods  in  his  own  and  adjoining 
towns,   in   labors   to   bring  sinners   to 


Christ.  When  a  Bible  Depository  was 
established,  he  undertook  to  supply  the 
destitute  in  his  region  ;  and  let  it  be 
sounded  in  the  ears  of  sluggish  Chris- 
tians, that  this  faithful  servant  of  his 
Master  has  purchased  at  his  own  ex- 
pense, and  distributed  with  his  own  hand, 
between  500  and  600  Bibles  and  Testa- 
ments within  the  last  two  or  three  years. 
Many  precious  souls  have  been  led  to 
Christ  by  his  efforts.  Being  a  large 
former,  he  has  many  Romanists  in  his 
employ,  over  whom  he  exerts  a  strong 
influence.  "  Treat  them  kindl)*"  and 
give  them  Bibles  and  good  books,"  is 
his  motto.  As  he  came  into  church, 
he  brought  with  him  three  or  four  of 
this  class  and  gave  them  the  best  seats. 
On  one  occasion  a  Frenchman,  who 
had  been  in  his  service,  wished  to  be 
hired  again,  giving  as  a  reason,  that 
then  he  could  read  his  Bible. 

(c)  WHOLE  CITY  VISITED  BY 
ONE  WOMAN.— An  intelligent,  in. 
dustrious,  and  kind-hearted  woman  in 
Russia  became  a  Christian.  Her  la- 
bors were  transformed  into  Christian 
labors ;  and  were  followed  up  with  an 
ardor  and  perseverance  seldom  ex- 
ceeded. In  her  visits  to  the  poor,  she 
now  carried  books  and  tracts,  as  well 
as  food  and  raiment;  and  when  she 
found  persons-  unable  to  read,  which 
was  frequently  the  case,  she  made  it  a 
|X)int  to  read  to  them,  and  to  explain 
what  they  could  not  understand. 

Her  prompt  assistance  was,  in  a 
great  measure,  instrumental  to  a  zeal- 
ous agent  becoming  extensively  en- 
gaged in  the  circulation  of  the  Holy 
Scriptures.  She  gave  him  two  of  the 
first  Finnish  Bibles  that  ever  passed 
through  his  hands ;  and  when  there 
was  a  great  demand  for  the  sacred 
volume  in  that  language,  she  actually 
sold  her  watch,  in  order  to  furnish  one 
hundred  Bibles  to  the  poor,  at  reduced 
prices.  This  was  a  noble  effort  in  the 
cause  of  God  :  it  augured  well  as  to 
future  usefulness  ;  and  the  expectations 
which  were  excited  by  it  were  more 
than  realized.  She  took  the  whole  city 
of  St.  Pelersburgh  for  her  sphere,  and 
perambulated  it  alone  ;  and  succeeded 
beyond  all  expectations.  In  the  course 
of  a  ^ew  months,  she  sold  more  than 
167 


BIBLE. 


one  thousand  five  hundred  Bibles,  and 
Testaments,  and  Psalters ;  and  in  this 
blessed  work  she  continued  persevering- 
ly  to  engage.  Hundreds  derived  advan- 
tage from  her  visits. 

72.  Miscellaneous. 

(a)  THE  SHIPWRECKED  CREW. 
— A  narrative  was  some  time  ago  pub- 
lished in  London,  of  a  voyage  to  the 
3outh  Seas,  in  which  the  author  says : 

The  most  valuable  thing  we  preserv- 
ed from  the  wreck  was  our  Bible  ;  and 
I  must  here  state,  that  some  portion  of 
each  day  was  set  apart  for  reading  it ; 
and  by  nothing,  perhaps,  could  I  better 
exemplify  its  benefits,  even  in  a  tempo- 
ral point  of  view,  than  by  stating,  that 
to  its  influence  we  were  indebted  for  an 
almost  unparalleled  unanimity  during 
the  whole  time  we  were  on  the  island. 
The  welfare  of  the  community  was  the 
individual  endeavor  of  all ;  and  what- 
ever was  recommended  by  the  most 
experienced,  was  entirely  acquiesced  in 
by  the  rest.  If  ever  a  difference  of 
opinion  asose,  a  majority  of  voices 
decided  the  measure,  and  individual 
wishes  always  gave  way  to  the  propo- 
sals that  obtained  the  largest  suffrages. 
Peace  reigned  among  us  ;  for  the  pre- 
cepts of  Him  who  introduced  peace  and 
good  will  towards  men,  were  daily  in- 
culcated and  practised.  If  ever  there 
was  a  fulfillment  of  the  promise,  as 
contained  in  Eccles.  11 :  1,  "Cast  thy 
bread  upon  the  waters,  for  thou  shalt 
find  it  after  many  days,"  this  simple 
fact  must  bring  it  home  to  every  con- 
tributor to  that  valuable  institution,  the 
Seamen's  Bible  Society ;  for  it  was 
fulfilled  almost  to  the  very  letter.  The 
Bible,  when  bestowed,  was  thrown  by 
unheeded,  it  traversed  wide  oceans,  was 
scattered  with  the  wreck  of  our  frail 
bark,  and  was,  in  deed  and  in  truth, 
found  upon  the  waters  after  many  days  ; 
and  not  only  was  the  mere  book  found, 
but  its  value  was  also  discovered,  and 
its  blessings,  so  long  neglected,  were 
now  made  apparent  to  us.  Cast  away 
on  an  island,  in  the  midst  of  an  im- 
mense ocean,  without  a  hope  of  deliv- 
erance, lost  to  all  human  sympathy, 
mourned  over  as  dead  by  our  kindred, 
168 


in  this  invaluable  book  we  found  the 
herald  of  hope,  the  balm  of  consolation, 
the  dispenser  of  peace,  the  soother  of 
our  sorrows,  and  a  pilot  to  the  harbor 
of  eternal  happiness. 

(J)  THE  HINDOO'S  REPROOF— 
Lukewarmness,  or  want  of  zeal,  on  the 
part  of  Christians,  in  communicating 
the  precious  oracles  of  God  to  thoso 
who  are  sitting  in  darkness,  is  not  over- 
looked by  the  heathen.  "  A  nayr,  of 
Travancore,"  says  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Thompson,  "  reproached  one  of  our 
Zillah  judges,  on  the  coast,  for  not  giv- 
ing to  the  people  our  Scriptures.  'Ihe 
judge  had  been  reading  to  him  some 
passages  from  the  Malayalim  Gospel ; 
when,  on  his  stopping,  the  man,  full  of 
admiration  at  its  divine  sentiments, 
rather  abruptly  addressed  him  :  '  What, 
Sir,  are  these  indeed  your  shasters  ? 
Why,  why  have  you  not  given  them  to 
as?  We  have  not  kept  back  ours 
from  you  :  why  have  you  not  given  ills 
yours  V  "  Well  might  he  say  this,  if 
his  ear  had  ever  caught  the  sound  of 
those  words,  "  Freely  ye  have  received, 
freely  give  ;"  or  if  he  had  ever  heard  the 
command,  "  Go  ye  into  all  the  world, 
and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature." 

(c)  THE  BIBLE  AND 'CRIME.— 
When  a  gentleman  presented  a  Bible  to 
a  prisoner  under  sentence  of  death,  he 
exclaimed,  "  Oh,  sir,  if  I  had  had  this 
book,  and  studied  it,  I  should  never 
have  committed  the  crime  of  which  I 
am  convicted."  So  it  is  said  of  a  na- 
tive Irishman,  when  he  read  for  the 
first  time  in  his  life,  a  New  Testament 
which  a  gentleman  had  put  into  his 
hands,  he  said,  "  If  I  believe  this,  it  is 
impossible  for  me  to  remain  a  rebel." 

(d)  AN  OBJECTION  APTLY  AN- 
SWERED.—A  lady  of  suspected 
chastity,  and  who  was  tinctured  with 
infidel  principles,  conversing  with  a 
minister  of  the  Gospel,  objected  to  the 
Scriptures  on  account  of  their  obscurity 
and  the  great  difficulty  of  understand- 
ing them.       The  minister  wisely  and 

j  smartly  replied,  "  Why,  madam,  what 
j  can  be  easier  to  understand  than  the 
!  seventh  ccymmandment,  '  Thou  shalt  not 
I  commit  adultery  ?'" 
I  {f)  INFIDELITY  PREVENTED. 
;  — A  mother  of  a  family  was  married 


BLASPHEMY. 


72 


to  an  infidel  who  made  jest  of  religion 
in  the  presence  of  his  own  children  ;  yet 
she  succeeded  in  bringing  them  all  up 
in  the  fear  of  the  Lord.  She  was  one 
day  asked  how  she  had  preserved  them 
from  the  influence  of  a  father,  whose 
sendments  were  so  openly  opposed  to 
her  own.  This  was  her  answer.  Be- 
cause, tc  the  authority  of  a  flither  I  did 
not  oppose  the  authority  of  a  mother, 
but  of  God.  From  their  earliest  years, 
my  children  have  always  seen  my  Bi- 


ble upon  my  table.  This  holy  Book 
has  constituted  the  whole  of  their  reli- 
gious  instruction.  I  was  silent  that  I 
might  allow  it  to  speak.  Did  they 
propose  a  question  ?  did  they  commit 
'  any  fault  ?  did  they  perform  any  good 
action  ?  I  opened  the  Bible,  and  the  Bi- 
ble answered,  reproved,  or  encouraged 
them.  The  constant  reading  of  the 
Scriptures  has  alone  wrought  the  pro- 
digy that  surprises  you. 


73.  BLASPHEMY 


(a)  THE  BLASPHEMER  DYING 
A  MANIAC. — Among  the  active  fol- 
lowers of  Frances  Wright,  who  were  ac- 
customed to  meet  in  Concert  Hal],  in 
the  city  of  New- York,  was  a  Mr.  B — 1, 
remarkable  for  his  deformity,  the  mus- 
cles of  one  of  his  legs  being  contracted. 
He  was  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary 
intelligence,  and  frequently  participated 
in  the  public  debates,  which  were  of 
frequent  occurrence  at  the  hall.  This 
man,  in  one  of  his  harangues,  had  the 
impudence  to  defy  the  Almighty's  power, 
and  dared  him  in  the  most  blasphemous 
manner  to  seal  his  lips.  Suddenly, 
thereafter,  he  became  confused — his 
tongue  faltered — his  language  became 
incoherent,  and  his  hearers  becoming 
disgusted,  manifested  their  displeasure, 
and  finishing  his  address  with  great  dif- 
ficulty, he  sat  down,  amidst  a  shower  of 
hisses.  A  short  time  subsequent  to  this 
event,  he  died  a  raving  maniac  ;  and  his 
wife,  who  was  a  talented  skeptic,  re- 
nounced Infidelity,  and  united  with  the 
church. 

(b)  CHARGING  GOD  WITH  TY- 
RANNY.— About  three  weeks  ago, 
says  the  London  Methodist  Magazine, 
D.  H.,  of  Bowling-street,  Westminster, 
was  deprived  of  a  brother  and  a  child, 
by  sudden  death;  both  being  taken  into 
eternity  within  a  short  period.  Previous 
to  their  death,  he  had  been  accustomed 
to  attend  a  place  of  Divine  worship  ;  but 
was  sometimes  guilty  of  drunkenness, 
and  while  in  that  state,  would  frequently 


I  ail  against  the  moral  government  of 
God.  At  the  death  of  his  brother  and 
child,  Satanic  frenzy  seemed  to  take 
possession  of  him.  With  the  most  hor- 
rid imprecations,  too  bad  to  be  repeated, 
he  would  blaspheme  the  eternal  Jeho- 
vah, calling  him  cruel,  unmerciful,  &c. 
In  this  way  he  proceeded  until  last  Sa- 
turday night,  (August  15th,  1823,) 
when  intoxicated  with  rage  against  the 
Most  High,  while  getting  his  supper,  he 
again  began  to  curse  and  blaspheme 
most  awfully  ; — calling  the  Almighty  a 
vindictive  tyrant,  &c.  While  thus  em- 
ployed, he  was  summoned  to  give  an 
account  of  the  deeds  done  in  the  body  ! 
His  wife  perceiving  a  sudden  cessation 
of  his  imprecations,  looked  round,  and 
saw  that  he  was  in  the  agonies  of  death. 
Medical  assistance  was  immediately  pro- 
cured ;  but  the  spirit  had  taken  its 
flicrht. 

7c)  THE  FOUR  BLASPHEMERS. 
— In  one  of  the  western  states  there 
lived  four  young  men,  in  their  exterior, 
gentlemanly.  Two  were  lawyers,  one 
was  a  physician,  the  other  a  merchant 
— all  avowed  infidels. 

On  a  certain  occasion,  they  assembled 
with  some  of  tiieir  associates,  agreeably 
to  a  previous  notice,  and  held  a  mock- 
meeting,  where  they  administered  to 
some  of  their  party  the  ordinance  ^  of 
baptism  ;  then  the  Lord's  supper.  They 
were  exceedingly  bitter  against  Christ 
and  his  followers. 

A  short  time  afterwards  one  of  the 
169 


T8 


BLASPHEMY. 


men  was  taken  suddenly  ill,  and  soon 
became  deranged  and  raged  like  a  ma- 
niac. In  this  state  he  continued  until 
death  closed  his  earthly  existence.  The 
distorted  features  of  the  poor  man  seem- 
ed to  fill  every  beholder  with  terror  and 
dismay. 

'  Very  soon  after  this,  another  was 
taken  and  died  in  the  same  way,  ex- 
hibiting the  same  terrific  appearance ; 
and  then  another — all  apparently  visit- 
ed with  the  same  calamity,  sharing  the 
same  fate,  which  seemed  to  fill  the 
whole  neighborhood  with  alarm.  And 
it  is  supposed  that  the  last  has  also  gone 
to  give  his  account  for  his  contempt  of 
the  gospel  and  the  ordinances  of  Christ ; 
for  the  last  intelligence  left  him  in  a 
condition  somewhat  similar  to  those  who 
had  just  gone  before  him,  apparently 
on  the  verge  of  death. 

These  facts  we  have  from  a  man  who 
kneXv  the  men,  gave  us  their  names,  the 
place  of  their  residence,  and  was  him- 
self at  the  time  a  fellow-citizen  with 
them.  "Surely  there  is  a  God,  nor  is 
religion  vain." 

(d)  THE  BLASPHEMOUS  SOL- 
DIERS.—On  the  4th  of  August,  1796, 
between  11  and  12  o'clock  in  the  fore- 
noon, a  violent  storm  of  thunder  and 
lightning  arose  in  the  district  of  Mont- 
pel  ier.  In  a  field,  about  a  mile  from 
the  town,  a  body  of  900  French  soldiers 
lay  encamped.  At  a  small  distance 
from  the  camp,  five  ofthe  soldiers  were 
assisting  a  husbandman  in  gathering 
in  the  produce  of  the  earth  for  hire. 
When  the  storm  came  on,  the  party 
took  refuge  under  a  tree,  where  the  five 
soldiers  began  to  blaspheme  God  for  in- 
terrupting them  in  their  labor  ;  and  one 
of  them,  in  the  madness  of  his  presump- 
tion, took  up  his  firelock,  which  he  hap- 
pened to  have  by  him,  and  pointing  it 
toward  the  skies,  said  that  he  would  fire 
a  bullet  at  him  who  sent  the  storm  ! 
Seized  with  horror  at  this  blasphemous  de- 
claration, the  husbandman  made  all  the 
haste  he  could  to  quit  their  company  ; 
but  scarcely  had  he  got  to  the  distance 
often  paces  from  the  tree,  when  a  flash 
of  lightning  struck  four  of  the  soldiers 
dead,  and  wounded  the  fifth  in  such  a 
manner,  that  his  life  was  despaired  of. 
170 


(e)     A    DREADFUL    FARCE.— 

About  the  year  1793,  an  awful  incident 
occurred  at  Salem,  in  the  state  of  New 
Jersey.  There  had  been  a  revival  of 
religion,  and  the  pious  part  of  the  com- 
munity  had  been  disturbed  with  riots 
and  mobs ;  but,  on  making  application 
to  the  civil  magistrate,  these  tumults 
had  been  efiectually  suppressed.  The 
opposers  of  religion  turned  their  atten- 
tion to  a  new  method  of  entertainment ; 
acting  in  a  farcical  way  at  religious 
meetings,  pretending  to  speak  of  their 
experiences,  to  exhort,  etc.,  in  order  to 
amuse  one  another  in  a  profane  theatri- 
cal manner.  One  night  a  young  actress 
stood  upon  one  of  the  benches,  pretend- 
ing to  speak  of  her  experience ;  and, 
with  mock  solemnity,  cried  out,  "  Glory 
to  God,  I  have  found  peace,  I  am  sancti- 
fied, I  am  now  fit  to  die."  Scarcely 
had  the  unhappy  girl  uttered  these  words, 
before  slie  actually  dropped  senseless 
upon  the  floor,  and  was  taken  up  a 
corpse.  Struck  with  this  awful  visita- 
tion, the  auditors  were  instantly  seized 
with  inexpressible  terror,  and  every 
face  was  covered  with  consternation 
and  dismay. 

(/)  THE  TWISTED  NECK.— 
At  a  general  muster  in  one  of  the 
Western  States,  a  wicked  man  being 
addressed  on  the  subject  of  religion  was 
filled  with  rage,  and  uttered  the  horrid 
declaration  that  if  Jesus  of  Nazareth 
was  there,  }}e  would  wring  his  neck  ! 
Suddenly  a  violent  spasm  seized  the 
neck  ofthe  blasphemer,  twisted  it  round, 
rolled  his  eyes  nearly  out  of  their  sock- 
ets, and  left  him  in  this  frightful  position, 
a  living  monument  of  outraged  omnipo- 
tence. "  This  fact,"  says  a  writer  in  the 
Vt.  Chronicle,  "  was  stated  at  a  public 
meeting  in  this  vicinity  lately  by  a  re- 
spectable gentleman  of  the  bar  from 
Ohio."  The  meeting  referred  to, 
took  place  in  Lebanon,  Ohio,  and  the 
lawyer  referred  to  was  Mr.  Latham. 
His  statements  having  been  called  in 
question,  Mr.  Latham  procured  a  full 
corroboration  of  them  from  the  Rev. 
Ahab  Jinks,  of  Delaware,  Ohio,  who  re- 
sided in  the  immediate  vicinity  where 
the  circumstance  took  place.  He  nar- 
rates all  the  details  of  the  matter  moro 


BLASPHEMY. 


73 


fully,  and  cites  other  authorities  in  the 
neighborhood  where  he  lives. 

ig)  THE  SAILOR'S  DEATH.— 
Some  years  ago,  says  a  writer  in  an 
American  periodical,  a  seaman  who  ac- 
customed himself  to  the  most  horrid  im- 
precations,  being  on  board  at  sea,  took 
with  him  a  bucket  and  ascended  the 
shrouds.  Proceeding  along  the  yards, 
"  Now,''  said  he,  to  his  shipmates  who 
stood  below,  "  if  Jesus  was  before  me, 
1  would  heave  this  bucket  at  his  head  !" 
No  sooner  dropped  these  horrid  words 
from  his  lips,  than  he  fell  with  tremen- 
dous force  upon  the  deck,  and  was  im- 
mediately  taken  up  a  lifeless  corpse. 
The  surviving  crew  were  so  impressed 
by  the  event,  that  they  were  never  heard 
to  utter  an  oath  during  the  remainder 
of  the  voyage.  This  account  I  have 
from  an  eye-witness.  May  it  vserve  as 
a  solemn  warning  against  the  practice 
of  taking  God's  holv  name  in  vain. 

{h)  THE  BLASPHEMER  FRO- 
ZEN  TO  DEATH.— It  was  near  the 
close  of  one  of  those  storms  that  deposit 
a  great  volume  of  snow  upon  the  earth, 
that  a  middle-aged  man,  in  one  of  the 
southern  counties  of  Vermont,  seated 
himself  at  a  large  fire  in  a  log-house. 
He  was.  crossing  the  Green  Mountains 
from  the  western  to  the  eastern  side  ; 
he  had  stopped  at  the  only  dwelling  of 
man  in  a  distance  of  more  than  twenty 
miles,  being  the  width  of  the  parallel 
ranges  of  gloomy  mountains  ;  he  was 
determined  to  reach  his  dwelling  on  the 
eastern  side  that  day.  In  reply  to  a 
kind  invitation  to  tarry  in  the  house, 
and  not  dare  the  horrors  of  the  increas- 
ing storm,  he  declared  that  he  would 
go,  and  that  the  Almighty  was  not  able 
to  prevent  him. 

His  words  were  heard  above  the  howl- 
ing of  the  tempest.  He  travelled  from 
the  mountain  valley  where  he  had 
rested,  over  one  ridge,  and  one  more  in- 
tervened between  him  and  his  family. 
The  labor  of  walking  in  that  deep  snow 
must  have  been  great,  as  its  depth  be- 
came near  the  stature  of  a  man  ;  yet 
he  kepi  on  and  arrived  within  a  few 
yards  of  the  last  summit,  from  whence 
he  could  have  looked  down  upon 
his  dwelling.  He  was  near  a  large 
tree,  partly  supported  by  its  trunk  •  his 


body  bent  forward,  and  his  ghastly  in- 
tent features  told  the  stubbornness  of  his 
purpose  to  overpass  that  little  eminence. 
But  the  Almighty  had  prevented  him — 
the  currents  of  his  blood  were  frozen. 
For  more  than  thirty  years  that  tree 
stood  by  the  solitary  road,  scarred  to 
the  branches  with  names,  letters,  and 
hieroglyphics  of  death,  to  warn  the 
traveller  that  he  trod  over  a  spot  of  fear- 
ful interest. 

(0  I  DISPOSE  AS  WELL  AS 
PROPOSE.— When  Bonaparte  was 
about  to  invade  Russia,  a  person  who 
had  endeavored  to  dissuade  him  from 
his  purpose,  finding  he  could  not  pre- 
vail, quoted  to  him  the  proverb,  "  Man 
proposes,  but  God  disposes;"  to  which 
he  indignantly  replied,  "  I  dispose  as 
well  as  propose."  A  Christian  lady 
on  hearing  the  impious  boast,  remarked, 
"I  set  that  down  as  the  turning-point 
of  Bonaparte'sf  fortunes.  God  will  not 
suffer  a  creature,  with  impunity,  thus 
to  usurp  his  prerogative."  It  happened 
to  Bonaparte  just  as  the  lady  predicted. 
His  invasion  of  Russia  was  the  com- 
mencement of  his  fall. 

(j)  THE  FATAL  CROWN.— One 
of  the  most  singular  and  remarkable 
deaths  of  the  violent  opposers  of  Christi- 
anity occurred  at  a  meeting  of  the  Deis- 
tical  Society,  instituted  by  Blind  Palmer, 
in  the  city  of  New- York.  The  society 
had  been  in  a  flourishing  condition  for 
some  time,  and  its  test  of  merit  now  con- 
sisted in  transcendental  blasphemy,  and 
he  who  could  excel  in  this  fearful  quali- 
fication, was  entitled  to  the  presidential 
chair.  On  a  certain  occasion,  one  of 
their  members,  a  hoary-headed  old  sinner, 
had  exceeded  the  rest,  and  was  conduct- 
ed to  his  dear-earned  seat  of  distinction  ; 
and  as  his  companions  in  guilt  were  on 
the  point  of  placing  on  his  head  the  co- 
ronal of  impiety,  he  fell  lifeless  on  the 
floor !  The  society,  astounded  at  the 
event,  disbanded,  and  the  author  of  this 
anecdote,  himself  a  member,  and  an 
eye-witness,  renounced  infidelity  and 
embraced  Christianity.  The  above  fact 
is  so  well  authenticated,  that  there  can 
be  no  reasonable  doubt  of  its  substantial 
I  correctness. 

I      {k)  THE    BLASPHEMOUS  SAIL- 
i  OR. — The   following   fact  took  place  in 
171 


T3 


BLASPHEMY. 


the  spring  of  1812,  at  a  public  house  in 
Rochester,  in  the  county  of  Kent,  (Eng.) 

Two  wicked  sailors  meeting  at  a 
tavern  one  day,  began  to  curse  and 
swear,  when  the  more  violent  of  the 
two,  in  a  tempest  of  passion,  swore  that 
he  would  kill  the  other.  The  awe- 
struck landlord,  raising  his  voice,  said 
to  the  sailor  who  had  made  the  threat, 
*'  What  if  God  of  a  sudden  should  strike 
yo^i  dead,  and  sink  you  into  hell  with 
his  curse  upon  you  !"  The  sailor  re- 
plied with  a  terrible  oath,  "  The  Al- 
mighty cannot  do  that — give  me  the 
tankard  of  beer — if  God  can  do  it,  I'll 
go  to  hell  before  I  drink  it  up." 

With  an  awful  oath  he  seized  the  tank- 
ard, but  instantly  fell  down  and  expired  ! 

All  blasphemers  are  not  thus  suddenly 
and  singularly  cut  off;  but  there  is  a 
point  in  every  blasphemer's  progress  in 
sin,  beyond  which  the  forbearance  of 
God  cannot  be  extended  to  him  longer. 
And  how  often  does  God  say  to  such 
men,  in  the  midst  of  their  awful  con-  • 
tempt  and  mockery  of  his  power,  "  Thus 
far  shalt  thou  go  and  no  farther."  We 
do  not  suppose  that  any  miracle  is 
wrought  in  such  cases  ;  but  God,  work- 
ing in  and  through  natural  laws,  so  of- 
ten causes  sudden  and  awful  deaths  in 
immediate  connection  with  bold  and 
impious  blasphemy,  that  we  are  justifi- 
ed in  regarding  such  a  death  as  a  judg- 
ment of  God,  as  sent  in  consequence  of 
the  blasphemy. 

We  mean  to  say  as  much  as  this,  that 
in  such  cases  the  sinner's  blasphemy 
and  death  are  so  far  related  to  each 
other,  that  if  the  one  had  not  been  com- 
mitted, the  other  had  not  occurred ;  if 
he  had  not  blasphemed  as  he  did,  he  had 
not  died  as  he  did. 

{])  BLASPHEMER  DESTROYED. 
— A  writer,  personally  knowing  to  the 
event,  states  that  a  party  of  ladies  set 
out  on  donkeys  from  Margate,  (Eng.) 
to  visit  a  place  a  few  miles  distant. 
The  owner  of  the  animals  accompanied 
them,  to  assist  in  urging  them  forward. 
When  about  half  way,  the  party  were 
obliged  to  have  recourse  to  a  farm-yard 
for  shelter,  in  consequence  of  a  violent 
storm  of  thunder  and  lightning.  They 
were  detained  some  time,  and  the  owner 
becoming  displeased,  resolved  to  quit 
172 


the  party  and  return  with  the  animals 
to  Margate.  As  he  left  the  party,  he 
exclaimed,  "  Damn  all  the  lightning ! 
It  shall  never  prevent  me  going  home  !' 
The  expression  hardly  escaped  from  his 
quivering  lips,  when  he  was  in  a  mo- 
ment struck  dead  on  the  spot ! 

(m)  THE  NEWBURG  INFIDELS. 
— During  the  prevalence  of  infidelity 
that  occurred  in  this  country  after  the 
reign  of  terror  in  France,  Newburg, 
New-York,  was  remarkable  for  its 
Deism.  Through  the  influence  of 
"  Blind  Palmer,"  there  was  formed  a 
Druidical  Society,  so  called,  which  had 
a  high  priest,  and  met  at  stated  times  to 
uproot  and  destroy  all  true  religion. 
They  descended  sometimes  to  acts  the 
most  impious  and  blasphemous.  Thus, 
for  instance,  at  one  of  their  meetings  in 
Newburg,  they  burned  the  Bible,  bap- 
tized a  cat,  partook  of  the  sacrament, 
and  one  of  the  number,  approved  by 
the  rest,  administered  it  to  a  dog.  Now 
mark  the  retributive  judgments  of  God 
towards  these  blasphemers,  which  at 
once  commenced  falling  upon  them. 
On  the  evening  of  that  very  day,  he 
who  had  administered  this  mock  sacra- 
ment, was  attacked  with  a  violent  in- 
flammatory disease  ;  his  inflamed  eye- 
balls were  protruded  from  their  sockets  ; 
his  tongue  was  swollen ;  -  and  he  died 
before  morning  in  great  bodily  and 
mental  agony.  Dr.  IL,  another  of  the 
same  party,  was  found  dead  1n  his  bed 
the  next  morning.  D.  D.,  a  printer,  who 
was  present,  three  days  after  fell  in  a 
fit,  and  died  immediately  ;  and  three 
others  were  drowned  in  a  few  days.  In 
short,  within  five  years  from  the  time 
the  Druidical  Society  was  organized, 
it  is  a  remarkable  fact,  that  all  the 
original  members  died  in  some  strange 
or  unnatural  manner.  There  were 
thirty-six  of  tliem  ;  and  these  were  the 
actors  in  the  horrid  farce  described 
above.  Two  were  starved  to  death ; 
seven  drowned  ;  eight  shot ;  five  com- 
mitted suicide ;  seven  died  on  the  gal- 
lows ;  one  was  frozen  to  death ;  and 
three  died  "  accidentally.'^ 

Of  the  foregoing  statements  there  is 
good  proof.  They  have  been  certified  be- 
fore justices  of  peace  in  New- York  ;  and 
again  and  again  published  to  the  world. 


BOOKS,  RELIGIOUS— USEFULNESS  OF. 


74 


BOOKS,  RELIGIOUS— USEFULNESS  OF. 


74.  In  Effecting  Conversions. 

(a)  MR.  VENN  AND  THE  HO- 
TEL  WAITER.— A  year  or  two  after 
the  publication  of  his  Complete  Duty  of 
MaxM,  that  excellent  minister,  the  Rev. 
Henry  Venn  being  once  at  an  inn,  hav- 
ing held  a  religious  conversation  with 
a  waiter,  took  down  his  address,  which 
he  was  very  anxious  to  give,  and  sent 
him,  upon  his  return  to  London,  a  copy 
of  The  Complete  Duty  of  Man. 
Many  years  after  this,  a  friend  travel- 
ling to  see  him,  brought  him  a  letter 
from  this  very  person,  who  then  kept  a 
large  inn,  in  the  west  of  England,  hav- 
ing married  his  former  master's  daugh- 
ter. His  friend  told  him,  that  coming 
to  that  inn  on  a  Saturday  night,  and  pro- 
posing to  stay  there  till  Monday,  he  had 
inquired  of  the  servants,  whether  any  of 
them  went  on  Sunday  to  a  place  of  wor- 
ship. To  his  surprise,  he  found  that 
they  were  all  required  to  go,  at  least 
one  part  of  the  day,  and  that  the  master, 
with  his  wife  and  family,  never  failed  to 
attend  public  worship,  and  to  have  fami- 
ly prayer,  at  which  all  the  servants, 
who  were  not  particularly  engaged, 
were  required  to  be  present.  Surprised 
by  this  uncommon  appearance  of  reli- 
gion, where  he  little  expected  to  find  it, 
he  inquired  of  the  landlord  by  what 
means  he  possessed  such  a  sense  of  the 
importance  of  religion.  He  was  told 
that  it  was  owing  to  a  work  which  a 
gentleman  had  sent  to  him  several  years 
ago,  after  speaking  to  him,  in  a  manner 
which  deeply  interested  him,  of  the 
goodness  of  God  in  giving  his  Son  to  die 
for  our  sins.  On  desiring  to  see  the 
book,  he  f^und  it  to  be  The  Complete 
Duty  of  Man.  Rejoiced  to  find  that 
his  guest  was  going  to  pay  a  visit  to 
Mr.  Venn,  the  innkeeper  immediately 
wrote  a  letter,  expressing,  in  the  fulness 
of  his  heart,  the  obligations  which  he 
owed  to  Mr.  Venn,  and  the  happiness 
which  himself,  his  wife,  and  many  of 
his  children  and  domestics  enjoyed 
daily,  in  consequence  of  the  conver- 
sation which  Mr.  Venn  had  had  with 


him,  and  the  book  which  he  had  sent 
him  ;  and  which  he  had  read  again  and 
again,  with  increa.sing  comfort  and  ad- 
vantage. 

(b)  PIKE'S  "  PERSUASIVES."-- 
An  elder  of  a  church  in  Kentucky,  on 
being  asked  the  reason  of  his  deep  in- 
terest in  the  volume  circulation,  replied, 
that  he  was  presented  with  a  copy  of 
Pike's  "  Persuasives  to  Early  Piety  " 
eight  years  since,  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Rice, 
the  reading  of  which  God  blessed  to  his 
conversion.     He    then    loaned    it  to  a 

young  man,  Mr.  M ,  who  told  him 

three  months  after,  on  his  death-bed, 
that  it  had  led  him  to  the  Savior,  who 
was  now  by  grace  supporting  him  in 
his  dying  moments.  The  book  was 
again  loaned  to  another  young  man, 
who  was  persuaded  by  it  to  come  to 
Christ  in  the  morning  of  life,  and  pub- 
licly profess  him — -giving  so  much  pro- 
mise by  his  piety  of  eminent  usefulness, 
that  an  individual  proposed  giving  him 
a  liberal  education.  The  same  book 
was  placed  in  the  hands  of  a  fourth 
individual,  who  was  a  school  teacher. 
After  some  weeks,  the  elder,  as  was  his 
custom,  made  some  inquiries  respecting 
the  contents  of  the  book ;  when  the 
teacher  broke  out  with  the  exclamation 
that  he  had  been  at  war  with  the  book, 
but  that  now  he  had  submitted  his  heart 
to  the  Savior,  and  desired  to  connect 
himself  with  the  people  of  God. 

(c)  THE  BOY  AND  THE  SAINTS' 
REST. — A  gentleman  in  the  South 
was  accustomed  for  years  to  carry 
with  him  volumes  and  tracts  for  distri- 
bution. Meeting  a  little  boy  one  day, 
he  told  him  he  could  not  let  him  pass 
without  giving  him  something,  though 
he  had  nothing  suited  to  his  youth. 
Handing  him  the  Saints'  Rest,  he  said, 
"This  may  do  you  good  when  you  grow 
up  to  be  a  man."  He  carried  it  home 
and  gave  it  to  his  mother,  saying,  "  Mr. 

P says  it  may  do  me  good  when  I 

get  to  be  a  man."  He  lived  to  have  a 
family.  On  losing  a  member  of  his 
family  by  death,  he  went  to  his  mother 
and  asked   for  the   book,   and   read  it, 

173 


V4 


BOOKS,  RELIGIOUS— USEFULNESS  OF 


but  without  being  specially  interested. 
Some  time  after  he  was  more  deeply 
affected  by  the  death  of  his  wife  and 
child.  He  called  for  the  book  again, 
read  it  with  seriousness,  and  it  was  the 
means  of  leading  him  to  the  Savior. 

(d)  THE  WELL  SPENT  DOL- 
LAR.— At  a  public  trapt  meeting  in 
the  Tabernacle,  New-York  City,  when 
several  of  the  Society's  Agents  received 

their  instructions,  Rev.  Mr.  S ,  who 

was  about  to  leave  for  the  West,  de- 
scribed a  destitute  family  in  the  Ken- 
tucky mountains  in  a  graphic  manner, 
and  appealed  for  aid  to  send  to  that  and 
similar  families  such  books  as  might 
instruct  them  in  the  way  of  life,  and 
stated  that  one  dollar  would  supply  eight 
such  families  with  Baxter's  Call.  A 
Methodist  girl,  who  earned  her  bread 
by  her  daily  toil,  gave  one  dollar  after 
the  meeting,  and  requested  that  Rev. 
Mr.  S.  would  take  the  books  to  those 
poor  families. 

On  reaching  Kentucky,  Rev.  Mr.  S. 
joined  a  colporteur  for  a  few  days'  ex- 
cursion, and  took  eight  copies  of  the 
Call,  writing  a  sentence  in  each  stating 
the  circumstances  of  the  gift.  One  of 
the  first  abodes  at  which  they  called, 
was  that  of  an  aged  widow,  who  had 
neglected  the  means  of  grace,  and  was 
surrounded  by  an  irreligious  family. 
It  was  with  difficulty  that  they  gained 
admittance,  and  more  difficult  to  secure 
attention  to  the  object  of  their  mission. 
At  last  it  was  agreed  that  Baxter's  Call 
should  be  left,  and  one  of  the  sons  was 
to  read  it  to  his  mother.  In  a  few 
weeks  that  widow  was  found  in  the 
house  of  God,  a  believing  penitent; 
connected  herself  with  the  chqrch ; 
adorned  her  profession,  and  a  few 
months  after  died  in  peace. 

The  letter  containing  these  facts,  and 
others  of  interest  relative  to  the  other 
seven  books,  was  given  by  one  of  the 
secretaries  to  the  girl  who  had  contri- 
buted the  dollar,  and  rejoiced  her  heart 
more  than  the  expenditure  of  thousands 
squandered  by  the  wealthy  for  their 
worldly  gratification. 

(e)  PIKE'S  PERSUASIVES  AND 
NOVEL. — I    called  one  afternoon    at 

the  house  of  Mr.  T ,    writes   Mr. 

S ,  a  colporteur,  to  leave  a  library 

174 


until  my  return  from  another  part  of 
the     State ;     and     remarked    to    Miss 

T as  I  left  the  house,  that  I  hoped 

she  would  avail  herself  of  the  op- 
portunity of  perusing  the  books.  I  am 
very  much  obliged,  sir,  for  your  kind 
offer,  said  she,  and  would  do  so  with 
pleasure  if  I  thought  they  would  prove 
as  interesting  as  the  new  novels  I  have 
just  received,  at  the  same  time  proffer- 
ing me  a  favorite  one.  I  selected  Pikers 
Persuasives  to  Early  Piety,  and  request- 
ed her  to  promise  on  the  honor  of  a 
Kentuckian,  for  my  sake  and  that  of 
her  pious  mother,  to  read  it  faithfully 
through,  and  the  book  should  be  her 
own.  She  replied  that  to  her  such  kind 
of  reading  was  so  dry  and  insipid,  that 
she  was  fearful  she  could  not  accom- 
plish the  task,  and  should  thus  cause 
me  to  distrust  Kentucky  veracity.  With 
a  little  persuasion  from  the  mother, 
however,  she  complied  with  our  request* 

You  may  judge  what  were  my  feel- 
ings,  when,  on  my  return,  I  heard  the 
young  lady  had  united  herself  with  the 
church  ;  stating  that  the  book,  and  the 
circumstances  by  which  it  came  into 
her  possession,  were  the  means,  in  the 
hands  of  God,  of  her  conviction  and  con^ 
version.  She  often  laid  it  aside  and 
took  up  a  novel  to  wear  off  the  impres* 
sion — but  her  pledge  must  be  redeemed. 
O  that  cruel  promise  !  She  read  on — - 
the  Spirit  of  God  accompanied  the  pe- 
rusal of  the  book  ;  her  convictions  deep- 
ened ;  and  ere  she  finished  reading  the 
volume  she  was  led  to  the  foot  of  the 
cross,  and  enabled  to  make  the  lan- 
guage of  the  last  prayer  her  own. 

(/)  DODDRIDGE  AND  THE 
NOVEL  READER.— At  a  meeting  of 

the   United   Brethren,    at   E ,  last 

evening,  says  a  colporteur,  a  clergy- 
man stated   that   a  teacher  in  S , 

Ohio,  received  a  copy  of  the  Rise  and 
Progress,  and  being  aware  of  the  na- 
ture of  the  work,  laid  it  aside  till  he  had 
finished  some  novels.  Having  done  this, 
he  took  up  Doddridge  one  Sabbath 
morning,  and  read  with  his  usual  haste 
some  of  the  first  chapters,  till  he  came 
to  the  one  on  self-dedication,  when  he 
was  arrested,  and  was  enabled,  he  trusts, 
truly  to  devote  himself  to  the  Lord.  He 
is  now  a  Missionary  in  Asia. 


IN  PROMOTING  CONVERSIONS. 


74L 


{g)  DODDRIDGE  AND  SHAK- 
SPEARE.— Mr.  P ,  a  valuable  of- 
ficer in  one.  of  the  churches  in  Boston, 
stated,  at  a  meeting  of  the  church  to  con- 
sider the  expediency  of  establishing  a 
concert  of  reading,  that  he  came  to  that 
city  in  1817,  when  a  lad,  and  entered 
a  store  as  clerk,  where  there  were  two 
partners.  He  had  been  religiously  edu- 
cated, and  had  a  pious  praying  mother. 
In  the  desk  of  one  of  the  partners  he 
found  a  cop}  of  Shakspeare's  works,  and 
in  that  of  the  other  the  Rise  and  Pro- 
gress. He  read  several  of  the  plays  of 
the  former,  and  had  thereby  a  desire  to 
see  them  acted.  He  had  often  left  the 
store  at  night,  and  paced  back  and  forth 
in  front  of  the  Federal-street  theatre, 
listening  to  the  clapping  and  shouts  of 
the  multitude,  and  longed  to  enter ;  but 
his  conscience  and  the  thoughts  of  his 
mother's  prayers  deterred  him.  On 
other  occasions  he  would  read  Dodd- 
ridge, and  would  be  led  by  that  to  the 
Park-street  prayer-meeting. 

"  Thus,  for  three  months,"  said  he, 
"  my  mind  was  swayed  first  by  the  influ- 
ence of  one  book,  and  then  of  the  other, 
and  my  soul  balanced  between  heaven 
and  hell,  till  at  last  the  question  was  de- 
cided. Doddridge^ s  Rise  and  Progress 
teas  the  har  which  God  threw  across  my 
pathway  to  perdition  ;  and  all  that  I  am 
and  hope  to  be,  I  owe  to  the  Divine 
blessing  on  that  precious  book  !" 

{h)  THE  GOLIATH  OF  GERMAN 
INFIDELITY.— A  German,  Rev.  Mr. 

JV ,  writing  from  the  West,  to  an 

officer  of  the  American  Tract  Society, 
communicates  the  following  interesting 
facts  : — 

"  You  will  recollect  the  Sabbath  when 
you  heard  me  preach  to  the  infidels  in 
street,  and  that  soon  after  I  recom- 
mended to  your  Board  the  republication 
of  Rogue's  Essay  in  German.  Dur- 
ing my  stay  in  New- York  I  had  an  in- 
terview with  that  leader  of  the  German 

infidels.   Dr.  F .     My  host  kindly 

invited  him  to  dine  with  me.  After 
dinner  I  had  a  conversation  with  him 
for  nearly  two  hours,  in  the  course  of 
which  I  showed  him  the  copy  of  Bogue 
you  gave  me,  and  remarked  : — "  This 
little  book  contains  arguments  for  the 
Divine  authority  of  the  New  Testament, 


which  the  most  unlearned  can  com- 
prehend, and  which  in  all  probability, 
with  all  your  learning,  you  have  never 
read.  O  what  a  pity  !  If  you  would 
just  read  this  little  volume  with  a  sin- 
cere desire  to  know  the  truth,  all  your 
infidelity  would  soon  come  to  an  end  !" 
He  affected  to  smile  and  laid  the  book 
on  the  mantelpiece  ;  but  after  he  had 
left  me  and  shut  the  door,  the  good 
Spirit  seems  to  have  followed  him  and 
brought  him  back — he  asked  me  if  I 
would  not  lend  him  Bogue's  Essay.  I 
told  him  that  I  would  not  only  lend  it  tc 
him,  but  would  ask  him  to  keep  it,  in 
remembrance  of  our  conversation. 

You  can  imagine  my  feelings  when  a 
tew   weeks   ajro   I    read   Dr.    F 's 


public  recantation  of  infidelity,  in  which 
he  mentions  among  other  means  by 
which  it  pleased  the  Lord  to  convince 
him  of  his  evil  way,  the  reading  of  your 
Bogue  !  Surely  this  is  great  encou- 
ragement— the  Goliath  of  German  infi- 
delity on  his  knees,  a  weeping  penitent. 
What  a  powerful  besom  may  your 
Bogue  prove  in  the  hand  of  the  Lord, 
to  sweep  from  this  land  the  mass  of  in- 
fidelity which  is  constantly  imported 
from  Germany ! 

(z)  BAXTER  AND  BALLOU.— 
A  man  between  sixty  and  seventy  years 
of  age,  "  once  lived,"  as  he  says,  "  in 
a  place  where  the  society  was  good — 
too  good  for  me.     I  wanted  to  get  away 

from  it.     Accordingly  I  moved  to , 

the  worst  place  I  could  hear  of,  where 
I  could  practice  all  manner  of  wicked- 
ness without  restraint.  While  thus 
revelling  in  sensuality,  Baxter^s  Call 
fell  into  my  hands.  I  took  it  up  with 
one  of  Ballou's  works,  (for  1  was  a 
Universalist,)  to  compare  each  with  the 
Bible  ;  saw  the  fallacy  of  the  latter  ; 
was  powerfully  impressed  with  the  truth 
as  it  appeared  in  the  former  ;  and  was 
brought  as  I  humbly  trust  to  the  foot  of 
the  cross,  to  accept  of  the  offers  of 
mercy,  as  they  are  freely  made  in  the 
Gospel  to  the  chief  of  sinners." 

(;■)  THE  LAD  AND  THE 
SAINTS'  REST.— Rev.  Mr.  Willey, 
of  New  Hampshire,  at  a  public  meeting 
in  Park-street  church,  Boston,  gave  the 
history  of  a  lad  in  a  retired  part  of  the 
country,  to  whom  a  pious  lady,  after 
175 


T5 


BOOKS,  RELIGIOUS-USEFULNESS  OF 


serious  conversation,  gave  '  the  Saints' 
Rest.'  He  read  it,  became  deeply  in- 
terested, and  carried  it  to  the  barn 
where  he  was  employed,  weeping  over 
its  pages,  and  over  his  hardness  of 
heart,  and  praying  to  be  saved  from  the 
miseries  of  the  lost.  But  these  impres- 
sions died  away  ;  and  some  years  after, 
OQ  the  Sabbath,  in  Boston,  he  wandered 
into  the  very  church  where  the  meeting 
was  then  assembled,  where,  under  the 
appeals  of  the  venerable  Griffin,  all  his 
former  solicitude  for  his  undying  soul 
was  revived,  and  he  was  led  imme- 
diately to  apply  to  a  clergyman  of  the 
city  for  the  '  Saints'  Rest.'  After  con- 
siderable trouble  "  the  long  sought 
volume  (said  Mr.  W.)  was  found  and 
I'ead,  —  portions  of  it  time  after  time 
during  the  week.  On  the  Sabbath  this 
youth  was  seen  in  this  house  a  weeping 
stranger,  sometimes  in  one  part  of  it  and 
sometimes  in  another.  It  was  in  that 
gallery,  referring  to  the  west  gallery,  as 
he  has  since  ventured  to  hope,  he  pour- 
ed out  his  soul  unto  God,  and  that  light 
began  to  dawn  upon  him  which  has 
since  been  as  the  rising  light  of  day. 
This  youth  was  the  eldest  in  a  family 
of  ten  children,  all  of  whom,  together 
with  both  parents,  have  since  been  brought 
to  hope  in  the  mercy  of  God,  and  to  unite 
with  his  people  ;  and  of  the  five  sons 
four  are  in  the  Christian  ministry. 


7§.  In  Promoting  Revivals. 

(a)  LIFE  OF  J.  B.  TAYLOR.— A 

young  business  man,  a  professor  of  re- 
ligion, on  leaving  Detroit  in  1841  for 
the  West,  procured  a  copy  of  the  "  Life 
of  J.  B.  Taylor."  In  pursuing  his 
business  his  lot  was  cast  in  a  very 
wicked  community.  At  length  the  at- 
tention of  this  young  man  was  called  to 
the  book  he  had  purchased.  He  read 
it,  and  was  excited  to  make  higher  at- 
tainments in  religion.  He  attended 
prayer  and  conference  meetings,  and 
there  gave  expression  to  his  thoughts 
and  feelings.  He  did  the  same  in 
private  as  opportunity  offered.  God 
blessed  his  labors.  The  result  of  the 
revival  which  was  thus  originated  and 
carried  forward,  was  the  conversion  of 
some  fifty  individuals,  who  became 
176 


members  of  the  visible  church.  That 
young  man  became  a  preacher  of  the 
gospel  to  a  Presbyterian  church. 

(b)  ALLEINE'S  ALARM  IN  COL- 
LEGE.—i2e/«/etZ  by  the  Rev.  Dr,  Hill, 
of  Va. — Said  the  venerable  father,  "  1 
have  abundant  cause  for  interest  in  this 
plan  of  circulating  good  and  pious  books, 
1  lost  my  sainted  mother  when  I  was  a 
youth,  but  not  before  the  instructions 
which  I  received  from  her  beloved  lips 
had  made  a  deep  impression  upon  my 
mind ;  an  impression  which  I  carried 
with  me  into  a  college,  (Hampden 
Sidney,)  where  there  was  not  then  one 
pious  student.  There  I  often  reflected^ 
when  surrounded  by  young  men  who 
scoffed  at  religion,  upon  the  instructions 
of  my  mother,  and  my  conscience  was 
frequently  sore  distressed.  I  had  no 
Bible,  and  dreaded  getting  one,  lest  it 
should  be  found  in  my  possession.  Al 
last  I  could  stand  it  no  longer,  and 
therefore  requested  a  particular  friend, 
a  youth  whose  parents  lived  near,  and 
who  often  went  home,  to  ask  his  pious 
and  excellent  mother  to  send  me  some 
religious  books.  She  sent  me  AUeine^s 
Alarm,  an  old  black  book,  which  looked 
as  if  it  might  have  been  handled  b\ 
successive  generations  for  one  hundred 
years.  When  1  got  it,  I  locked  my 
room  and  lay  on  my  bed  reading  it, 
when  a  student  knocked  at  my  door  ;  and 
although  I  gave  him  no  answer,  dread- 
ing to  be  found  reading  such  a  book,  he 
continued  to  knock  and  beat  the  door, 
until  I  had  to  open  it.  He  came  in,  and 
seeing  the  book  lying  on  the  bed,  he 
seized  it,   and  examining  its  title,    he 

said, — "  Why  H ,   do  you  read 

such  books  ?"  I  hesitated,  but  God 
enabled  me  to  be  decided,  and  tell  him 
boldly,  but  with  much  emotion,  "  Yes 
I  do."     The  young  man  replied   with 

deep  agitation,   "  Oh  H ,  you  ma> 

obtain  religion,  but  1  never  can.  I 
came  here  a  professor  of  religion  ;  but 
through  fear,  I  dissembled  it,  and  have 
been  carried  along  with  the  wicked, 
until  I  fear  that  there  is  no  hope  for  me." 
He  told  me  that  there  were  two  others, 
who  he  believed  were  somewhat  serious. 
We  agreed  to  take  up  the  subject  of 
religion  in  earnest,  and  seek  it  together. 
We  invited  the  other  two,  and  held  a 


IN  PROMOTING  REVIVALS. 


■75 


prayer-meeting  in  my  room  on  the 
next  Saturday  afternoon.  And  O, 
what  a  prayer-meeting  !  We  tried  to 
pray,  but  sucli  prayer  I  never  lieard  the 
like  of.  We  knew  not  how  to  pray, 
but  tried  to  do  it.  It  was  the  first 
prayer-meeting  that  I  ever  heard  of. 
We  tried  to  sing,  but  it  was  in  a  sup- 
pressed manner,  for  we  feared  the  other 
students.  But  they  found  it  out,  and 
gathered  around  the  door,  and  made 
such  a  noise  that  some  of  the  officers  had 
to  disperse  them.  And  so  serious  was 
the  disturbance,  that  the  President,  the 
late  excellent  Rev.  Dr.  John  B.  Smith, 
had  to  investigate  the  matter  at  prayers 
that  evening,  in  the  prayers'  hall. 
When  he  demanded  the  reason  of  the 
riot,  a  ringleader  in  wickedness  got  up  and 
stated,  that  it  was  occasioned  by  three 
or  four  of  the  boys  holding  prayer-meet- 
ing,  and  they  were  determined  to  have 
no  such  doings  there.  The  good  Presi- 
dent heard  the  statement  with  deep 
emotion,  and  looking  at  the  youths 
charged  with  the  sin  of  praying,  with 
tears  in  his  eyes,  he  said,  "  Oh,  is  there 
such  a  state  of  things  in  this  college  ? 
Then  God  has  come  near  to  us.  My 
dear  young  friends,  you  shall  be  pro- 
tected. You  shall  hold  your  next  meet- 
ing in  my  parlor,  and  I  will  be  one  of 
your  number !"  Sure  enough,  we  had 
our  next  meeting  in  his  parlor,  and  half 
the  college  was  there  ;  and  there  began 
the  glorious  revival  of  religion,  which 
pervaded  the  college  and  spread  into  the 
country  around!  Many  of  those  stu- 
dents became  ministers  of  the  gospel. 
The  youth  who  had  brought  me  Alleine's 
Alarm  from  his  mother  was  my  friend 
the  Rev.  Mr.  C.  Still,  preaching  in  this 
State.  And  he  who  interrupted  me  in 
reading  the  work,  my  venerable  and 
worthy  friend,  the  Rev.  Dr.  H  — — , 
is  now  president  of  a  college  in  the  west. 

Truly,   said  Dr.  H ,  I  have    good 

reason  to  feel  a  deep  interest  in  the  pro- 
posed work.  May  God  grant  it  sue- 
cess. 

(c)  BAXTER'S   CALL    FORBID- 
DEN.—Rev.  Mr.  B ,  of  the  Seventh 

Day  Baptist  Church,  stated  in  a  public 
meeting,  that  after  his  conversion  he  re- 
quested the  teacher  of  the  school  which 
he  attended,  to  grant  him  the  privileaje 
112 


of  reading  by  himself,  and  in  a  book  of 
his  own  selection.  He  chose  Baxter's 
Call  ;  but  before  he  had  read  it  half 
through,  there  was  so  much  excitement 
in  the  school,  in  the  district,  and  in  the 
mind  of  the  teacher,  that  he  was  for- 
bidden to  read  from  it.  Though  Bax« 
ter  was  silenced,  truth  was  still  p<r, 
the  heart ;  and  in  a  few  days  » the 
teacher  and  nearly  every  scholar  was 
converted,  besides  many  in  the  district. 
{d)  THE  JUDGE  AND  THE 
LA  WYERS.—Judge ,  of  Tennes- 
see, who  was  hopefully  converted  by  a 
blessing  on  the  perusal  of  Nelson's 
Cause  and  Cure  of  Infidelity,  loaned  it 
to  two  skeptical  lawyers,  who  were  also 
hopefully  converted.  They  were  men 
of  influence,  and  established  meetings 
at  two  different  points,  in  connexion  witls 
which  some  two  hundred  individua'-* 
were  hopefully  converted  and  gathei 
ed  into  the  church.  That  copy  of 
Nelson  was  sold  them  by  a  colporteur. 
A  member  of  Congress  was  among  the 
converts. 

(I)  RESULTS  OF  READING  DOD- 
DRIDGE.—In  1807  a  clergyman  left 
the  city  of  Hartford  for  the  far  West — 
as  far  as  Whitestown,  New- York.  He 
took  with  him  some  copies  of  the  "  Rise 
and  Progress,"  and  as  he  stopped  at  a 
cabin  tavern,  he  noticed  that  the  woman, 
who  waited  on  him  at  the  table,  was 
busily  engaged  in  reading.  He  inquired 
what  book  she  had,  and  learned  it 
was  the  "  Rise  and  Progress,"  which  a 
neighbor  had  lent  to  her,  and  she  was 
copying  out  passages  that  peculiarly 
fitted,  her  mind.  He  gave  her  a  copy 
of  the  book,  which  she  received  with 
great  delight.  In  1838,  he  was  passing 
that  way,  and,  inquiring  for  this  woman- 
by  name,  he  was  pointed  to  an  elegant 
house  as  her  residence.  He  called  on. 
her,  and  asked  her  if  she  remembered 
him  ?  She  did  not.  "  But  do  you  not 
remember  the  man  who  gave  you 
'  Doddridge's  Rise  and  Progress  ^  thirty, 
years  ago  ?"  "  Oh,  yes,"  said"  she, 
"  are  you  the  man  ?  Why  that  book 
was  the  means  of  converting  my  soul ; 
and  it  was  lent  round,  and  others  read 
it,  and  we  had  meetings  to  read  it  to- 
gether; it  was  read  at  huskings  and 
bees,  and  on  the  Sabbath  day,  and  a. 
177 


75,76 


CARD-PLAYING. 


revival  followed  ;  and  by  and  by  we 
sent  for  a  minister,  and  formed  a 
church."  The  church  at  Wyoming  is 
the  fruit  of  that  seed,  and  that  book 
still  lives,  and  who  knows  but  it  may  be 
the  means  of  forming  other  churches,  or 
raising  up  other  writers  like  Doddridge, 
to  bless  the  world  ? 

(m)  CONVERSION  OF  A  UNI- 
VERSALIST.— In  a  town  in  New 
Jersey  where  Universalism  had  a  strong 
hold,  the  volumes  were  circulated  by 
two  colporteurs  from  the  Princeton  Se- 
minary. A  Christian  friend  having 
purchased  Nelson  on  Infidelity,  loaned 
it  to  a  leading  Universalist.     He  read 


it  eagerly  ;  his  attention  was  arrested  ; 
he  was  soon  found  in  the  company  of 
Christians,  seeking  an  interest  in  their 
prayers,  and  became  a  praying  man. 
His  conversion  was  the  beginning  of  a 
revival.  Others  who  had  embraced 
the  same  error  followed  his  example. 
The  influence  of  the  visits  and  volumes 
of  the  colporteurs  was  manifest  in  an 
increased  spirit  of  inquiry  and  attend- 
ance upon  public  worship  ;  and  during 
the  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  nearly 
seventy  were  added  to  the  church  under 
the  pastoral  care  of  our  informant  in 
that  place. 


76.  CARD-PLAYING. 


(a)  MR.  SCOTT  REFORMED.— 
The  Rev,  Thomas  Scott,  in  the  early 
part  of  his  life,  was  exceedingly  fond 
of  cards,  but  was  induced  to  leave  off 
the  practice  in  the  following  manner : 

One  of  his  parishioners  said  to  him, 
*"  I  have  something  which  I  wish  to  say 
to  you  ;  but  I  am  afraid  you  may  be 
>ofFended."  "  I  answered,"  says  Mr. 
•  Scott,  "that  I  could  not  promise,  but 
I  hoped  I  should  not."  She  then  said, 
"You  know  A — B — ;  he  has  lately 
appeared  attentive  to  religion,  and  has 
spoken  to  me  concerning  the  sacra- 
ment ;  but  last  night  he,  with  C —  D — , 
and  others,  met  to  keep  Christmas  ;  and 
they  played  at  cards,  drank  too  much, 
and  in  the  end  quarreled,  and  raised  a 
sort  of  riot.  And  when  I  remonstrated 
with  him  on  his  conduct,  as  inconsis- 
tent with  his  professed  attention  to  reli- 
gion, his  answer  was,  '  There  is  no  harm 
in  cards — Mr.  Scott  plays  at  cards. ^ 
This  smote  me  to  the  heart.  I  saw  that 
if  I  played  at  cards,  however  soberly 
and  quietly,  the  people  would  be  en- 
couraged by  my  example  to  go  farther  ; 
and  if  St.  Paul  would  eat  no  flesh  while 
the  world  stood,  rather  than  cause  his 
weak  brother  to  afFend,  it  would  be 
inexcusable  in  me  to  throw  such  a 
stumbling-block  in  the  way  of  my 
parishioners,  in  a  matter  certainly 
neither  useful  nor  expedient.  So  far 
178 


from  being  offended  at  the  hint  thus 
given  me,  I  felt  very  thankful  to  my 
faithful  monitor,  and  promised  her  that 
she  should  never  have  occasion  to  re- 
peat the  admonition.  That  very  eve- 
ning I  related  the  whole  matter  to  the 
company,  and  declared  my  fixed  reso- 
lution never  to  play  at  cards  again.  I 
expected  I  should  be  harassed  with  so- 
licitations, but  I  was  never  asked  to 
plav  afterwards. 

(b)  A  BLESSING  AT  A  CARD- 
TABLE.— The  Rev.  W.  Romaine  was 
one  evening  invited  to  a  friend's  house 
to  tea,  and  after  the  tea-things  were  re- 
moved, the  lady  of  the  house  asked  him 
to  play  at  cards,  to  which  he  made  no 
objection.  The  cards  were  produced, 
and  when  all  were  ready  to  commence 
play,  the  venerable  minister  said,  "  Let 
us  ask  the  blessing  of  God."  "  Ask 
the  blessing  of  God !"  said  the  lady,  in 
great  surprise  ;  "  I  never  heard  of  such 
a  thing  to  a  game  at  cards."  Mr.  Ro- 
maine then  inquired,  "  Ought  we  to 
engage  in  any  thing  on  which  we  can- 
not ask  his  blessing  ?"  This  gentle 
reproof  put  an  end  to  the  card-plaving. 

(c)  ROMAINE'S  ADMONITION. 
— This  good  man  was  once  addressed 
by  a  lady,  who  expressed  the  great 
pleasure  she  had  enjoyed  under  his 
preaching,  and  added,  that  she  could 
comply  with  his  requirements,  with  the 


CASTE, 


76,^7 


exception  of  one  thing.  "  And  what  is 
that,  madam  V  asked  Mr.  R.  "  Cards, 
sir."  "You  think  you  could  not  be 
happy  without  them  ?"  '•  No,  sir,  1 
know  I  could  not."  "  Then,  madam, 
they  are  your  God,  and  they  must  save 
you."  This  pointed  admonition  led  to 
serious  reflection,  and  finally  to  the 
abandonment  of  such  unworthy  plea- 
sures. 

(d)  CARD-TABLE  CONVERSA- 
TION.— Mr.  Locke  having  been  in- 
troduced by  Lord  Shaftesbury  to  the 
Duke  of  Buckingham  and  Lord  Hali- 
fax, these  three  noblemen,  instead  of 
conversing  with  the  philosopher,  as 
might  naturally  have  been  expected, 
on  literary  subjects,  sat  down  to  cards. 
Mr.  Locke,  after  looking  on  for  some 
time,  pulled  out  his  pocket-book,  and 
began  to  write  with  great  attention. 
One  of  the  company  observing  this, 
took  the  liberty  of  asking  him  what  he 
was  writing.  "  My  lord,"  said  Locke, 
"  I  am  endeavoring,  as  far  as  possible, 
to  profit  by  my  present  situation ;  for, 
having  waited  with  impatience  for  the 
honor  of  being  in  company  with  the 
greatest  men  of  the  age,  I  thought  I 
could  do  nothing  better  than  write  down 
your  conversation  ;  and,  indeed,  I  have 
set  down  the  substance  of  what  you 
have  said,  this  last  hour  or  two,"    This 


well-timed  ridicule  had  its  desired 
effect ;  and  these  noblemen,  fully  sen- 
sible of  its  force,  immediately  quitted 
their  play,  and  entered  into  conversa- 
tion more  rational,  and  better  suited  to 
the  dignity  of  their  characters. 

(e)  A  SHREWD  REPLY.— Sir 
Walter  Scott  says  that  the  alleged 
origin  of  the  invention  of  cards  pro- 
duced one  of  the  shrewdest  replies  he 
had  ever  heard  given  in  evidence.  It 
was  made  by  the  late  Dr.  Gregory, 
at  Edinburgh,  to  a  counsel  of  great 
eminence  at  the  Scottish  bar.  The 
doctor's  testimony  went  to  prove  the 
insanity  of  the  party  whose  mental 
capacity  was  the  point  at  issue.  On  a 
cross-interrogation,  he  admitted  that  the 
person  in  question  played  admirably  at 
whist.  *'  And  do  you  seriously  say, 
doctor,"  said  the  learned  counsel,  "  that 
a  person  having  a  superior  capacity  for 
a  game  so  difiicult,  and  which  requires, 
in  a  pre-eminent  degree,  memory,  judg- 
ment, and  combination,  can  be  at  the 
same  time  deranged  in  his  understand- 
ing ?"  "  I  am  no  card-player,"  said 
the  doctor,  with  great  address,  "  but  I 
have  read  in  history  that  cards  were 
invented  for  the  amusement  of  an  in- 
sane king."  The  consequences  of  this 
reply,  were  decisive. 


77.  CASTE. 


{a)  HINDOO  VIEWS  OF  CASTE. 
—A  Brahmin  in  Calcutta  asked  a 
European  gentleman,  "  What  is  your 
order  of  society  in  Great  Britain,  are 
you  divided  into  castes,  or  do  you  eat 
and  drink  together,  according  to  cir- 
cumstances ?"  The  European  replied, 
"  We  deem  it  our  honor  to  demean 
ourselves  as  brethren  in  the  participa- 
tion of  food  at  one  table,  as  Providence 
permits."  The  Brahmin  replied,  "  That 
appears  to  me  to  be  an  offence  against 
good  morals  and  good  conduct."  The 
gentleman  rejoined,  "I  think  I  can 
prove  it  to  you,  by  a  practice  of  your 


own.  that  you  are  in  error,  ttow  do 
you  act  in  the  field  of  Juggernaut  ? 
Do  you  not  eat  there  with  the  lowest 
caste  of  India  ?  There  you  know  no 
distinction  of  caste,  but  all  feed  at  one 
board."  The  Brahmin  answered,  "  I 
can  screen  myself  from  the  imputation 
you  bring  against  us,  for  there  we  are 
in  the  presence  of  our  god,  there  Jug- 
gernaut is  in  our  midst,  and  there  we 
can  feast  together."  "  Ah  !"  said  the 
gentleman,  "  and  I  can  justify  the 
Christian  practice  on  your  own  prin- 
ciples, for  we  are  every  where  in  the 
presence  of  our  God." 


179 


79,79 


CENSURE-^ENSORIQUSNES^— CHILDRBK. 


78.  CENSURE-^CENSORIOUSNESS. 


(a)  WESLEY'S  GROUNDLESS 
SUSPICIONS.— Beware,  says  Mr. 
Wesley,  of  forming  a  hasty  judgment 
concerning  the  fortune  of  others.  There 
may  be  secrets  in  the  situation  of  a 
person,  which  few  but  God  are  ac- 
quainted with.  Some  years  since  I 
told  a  gentleman,  "  Sir,  I  am  afraid  you 
are  covetous."  He  asked  me,  "  What 
is  the  reason  of  your  fears  ?"  I  an- 
swered, "  A  year  ago,  when  I  made  a 
collection  for  the  expense  of  repairing 
the  Foundry,  you  subscribed  five  gui- 
neas. At  the  subscription  made  this 
year  you  subscribed  only  half  a  gui- 
nea." He  made  no  reply,  but  after  a 
time  asked,  "  Pray,  sir,  answer  me  a 
question  :  Why  do  you  live  upon  pota- 
toes ?"  (I  did  so  between  three  and 
four  years.)     1  replied,  "  It  has  much 


conduced  to  my  health."  He  answered^ 
"  I  believe  it  has.  But  did  you  not  da 
it  likewise  to  save  money  ?"  1  said  I 
did,  "for  what  I  save  from  my  own 
meat,  will  feed  another,  that  else  would 
have  none."  "  But,  sir,"  said  he,  "  if 
this  be  your  motive  you  may  save  more. 
I  know  a  man  that  goes  to  market  at 
the  beginning  of  every  week  ;  there  he 
buys  a  pennyworth  of  parsnips,  which 
he  boils  in  a  large  quantity  of  water. 
The  parsnips  serve  him  for  food,  and 
the  water  for  drink,  during  the  ensuing 
week,  so  that  his  meat  and  drink  to- 
gether cost  him  only  a  penny  a  week. 
This  he  constantly  did,  though  he  had 
two  hundred  pounds  a  year,  to  pay  the 
debts  he  had  contracted  before  he  knew 
God  !"  And  this  is  he  whom  I  set  down 
to  he  a  covetous  man  I 


CHILDREN. 


79.   Mffral   and    Religions   Influence  of 
Children. 

(a)  THE  SWEARER'S  DAUGH- 
TER.—The  Rev.  Mr.  Solomon  Carpen- 
ter held  a  religious  meeting  in  Sussex 
county,  Mass.,  at  the  house  of  a  man  who 
Was  awfully  addicted  to  swearing,  and 
the  minister  took  occasion  to  reprove  this 
and  other  vices.  A  little  girl  belonging 
to  the  family  withdrew,  and  placed  her- 
self behind  the  door,  and  began  to  weep 
very  bitterly.  Her  father  particularly 
asked  her  the  cause  of  this,  and  she 
told  him  she  was  afraid  he  would  go  to 
hell  on  account  of  his  swearing.  He 
at  length  promised  her  that  if  she  would 
refrain  from  weeping  he  would  never 
swear  any  more.  The  child  was  now 
quiet,  and  in  an  ecstasy  of  joy  after- 
wards told  her  mother  of  the  promise 
she  had  obtained  from  her  father.  The 
unexpected  reproof  the  father  had  thus 
received  from  his  daughter  was  lasting- 
ly impressed  on  his  mind  ;  he  became  a 
•  humble  penitent,  and  lived  to  be  a  shin- 
ing light  in  the  Christian  community 
180 


with  which  he  was  afterwards  con- 
nected. 

{h)  FAiVfH^¥_ALTAR  RESTOR^ 
ED.- — A  man  once  received  from  his 
own  child,  an  infant  of  three  years  old, 
one  of  the  most  severe  reproofs  he  ever 
met  with.  Family  prayer  had  becn,^ 
by  some  means,  neglected  one  morning, 
and  the  child  was,  as  it  were,  out  of  its 
element.  At  length,  he  came  to  hia 
father  as  he  sat,  and  just  as  the  family 
were  going  to  dinner,  the  little  reprover, 
leaning  on  his  father's  knee,  sard,  with 
a  sigh,  "  Pa,  you  were  used  to  go  to 
prayer  with  us,  but  you  did  not  to-day." 
"No,  my  dear,"  said  the  parent,  "I 
did  not."  "But,  pa,  you  ought;  why 
did  you  not  ?"  The  father  had  not  a 
word  to  reply,  and  the  child's  rebuke 
was  as  appropriate  and  natural,  as  if  it 
had  been  administered  by  the  most  able 
minister  in  the  land  ;  and,  it  may  be 
said,  was  as  permanently  useful. 

(c)  THE  DAUGHTER'S  LET- 
TER.— Not  long  ago,  writes  a  gentle- 
man in  1833,  as  I  took  some  coffee  at 
a  house  of  refreshment,  a  gentleman 


MORAL  AND  RELIGIOUS  LNFLUENCE  OF  CHILDREN. 


79 


who  was  reading  the  newspaper,  entered 
into  conversation  with  me.  Among 
other  things,  we  spoke  of  the  Christian 
Sabbath,  when  he  thus  expressed  him- 
self:— "  Though  there  is  doubtless  much 
ungodliness  in  England,  yet  when  com- 
pared with  the  Sabbaths  on  the  continent, 
a  Sabbath  here  is  a  delightful  season. 
No  one  can  truly  value  that  blessed  day 
until  he  has  been  deprived  of  its  enjoy- 
ment. When  in  the  army,  I  felt  this 
deprivation  ;  we  had  misery  in  every 
shape,  for,  in  the  Peninsular  war,  toil, 
danger,  disease,  and  death,  were  con- 
tinually around  and  among  us.  The 
nearer  the  men  appeared  to  be  to  eter- 
nity, the  farther  off  their  thoughts 
seemed  to  be  from  God. 

"  It  was  on  the  Sabbath  day  that  I 
received  a  letter  from  an  affectionate 
daughter,  then  in  England  ;  it  alluded 
to  the  uncertainty  of  life,  especially  to  a 
military  man.  It  pressed  on  me  the 
consideration  of  eternal  things,  and 
pointed  me  to  Him  who,  in  peace  and 
in  war,  in  health  and  in  sickness,  in 
life  and  in  death,  is  able  to  save  them 
to  the  uttermost  that  come  unto  God  by 
him.  Every  word  made  a  lodgment  in 
my  heart.  Folding  up  the  letter,  and 
putting  a  book  of  prayer  in  my  pocket, 
i  walked  out  to  a  distance  from  the 
camp,  until  1  came  to  a  solitary  ditch  ; 
in  that  ditch,  on  my  knees,  I  poured  out 
my  soul  before  God,  and  there,  in  peace, 
I  spent  my  Sabbath  day." 

(d)  THE  CHILD  AND  HIS  CLO- 
SET.—When  the  late  Rev.  Thomas 
Reader,  of  Taunton,  was  but  a  child 
of  eight  years  old,  he  felt  the  importance 
of  religion,  and  could  not  be  happy 
without  private  prayer.  One  evening, 
his  father's  house  being  full  of  company, 
he  had  not  a  convenient  place  for  his 
.secret  devotions  ;  but  unwilling  to  omit 
what  he  khew  to  be  his  duty,  he  went 
into  his  father's  wool-loft  to  enjoy  the 
pleasure  of  communion  with  God.  At 
first  he  felt  some  childish  fears,  on  ac- 
count of  his  lonely  situation  ;  but  after- 
wards his  mind  was  so  filled  with  God, 
and  the  joys  of  religion,  that  he  forgot 
the  gloominess  of  the  place.  During  his 
childhood,  a  person  being  on  a  visit  at 
his  father's,  Thomas  was  appointed  to 
deep  with  him.     After  the  gentlemaa 


had  retired  to  his  chamber,  the  pious 
little  boy  knocked  at  the  door,  request- 
ing him  to  let  him  go  through  his  room 
to  an  inner  closet,  which  he  used  to  fre- 
quent for  the  exercise  of  prayer.  The 
conscience  of  the  visitor  severely  smote 
him:  "What,"  thought  he,  "is  this 
little  child  so  anxious  to  obtain  a  place 
for  devout  retirement,  while  I  have 
never  prayed  in  my  life  ?"  It  led  him 
to  serious  reflections,  which,  through 
the  Divine  blessing,  were  the  happy 
means  of  his  conversion  ;  and  he  after- 
wards became  a  true  Christian,  and  a 
useful  minister  of  the  gospel. 

{e)  THE  NEGLECTED  ALTAR. 
— A  person,  who  afterwards  became  a 
Sunday  school  teacher  near  Cambridge, 
(Eng.)  having  had  his  conviction  of  the 
necessity  and  importance  of  religious 
duties  shaken,  began  to  think  lightly  of 
them,  and  to  omit  family  prayer,  which 
he  had  been  accustomed  to  perform. 
A  child  of  his,  who  had  been  taught  at 
a  Sabbath  school,  one  day  said  to  his 
parent,  with  great  simplicity,  "  Father, 
do  you  pray  in  the  morning,  and  let  me 
pray  with  you."  The  father  was 
struck  with  this  gentle  reproof  from  his 
own  child,  and  confessed  that  he  could 
no  longer,  live  in  the  neglect  of  family 
prayer. 

(/)  THE  POOR  CRIPPLE.— I 
have  seen,  says  the  Rev.  J.  East,  in  one 
of  the  infant  schools  at  Bath,  a  helpless 
cripple  filling  the  post  of  monitor,  while 
propped  up  on  a  high  chair  for  the  pur- 
pose ;  and  I  understood  that  this  poor 
little  boy,  who  was  under  the  influence 
of  religious  principle,  had  been  the 
means  of  bringing  salvation  home  to  his 
house,  in  the  conversion  of  his  father 
and  mother,  from  an  ungodly  and  pro- 
fligate life,  to  one  of  moral  correctness 
and  true  piety. 

(g)  THE  DYING  ORPHAN  AND 
HER  GRANDMOTHER.— Rosina, 
an  orphan  child,  at  a  Moravian  mission- 
ary station,  in  North  America,  being 
under  the  care  of  an  old  relation,  said, 
the  night  before  her  decease,  "  Dear 
grandmother,  I  am  baptized  and  cleans- 
ed in  our  Savior's  blood,  and  shall 
now  soon  go  to  him  ;  but  I  beg  you  to 
seek  to  be  likewise  washed,  and  saved 
from  your  sins,  by  the  blood  of  Christ, 
181 


•8^ 


CHILDREN. 


that  you  may  become  as  happy  as  I  am  ; 
otherwise,  when  you  go  hence,  you  will 
not  be  with  the  Lord."  This  exhorta- 
tion from  a  dying  child  made  such  an 
impression  upon  the  old  woman's  heart, 
that  she  became  anxiously  concerned 
about  her  salvation,  prayed  for  the  re- 
mission of  her  sins  in  the  blood  of  Jesus, 
begged  for  baptism,  and  was  added  to 
the  church. 

(h)  THE  SAILOR  REPROVED. 
— A  very  profane  and  profligate  sailor, 
I  who  belonged  to  a  vessel  lying  in  the 
'  port  of  New-York,  went  out  one  day 
from  his  ship  into  the  streets,  bent  on 
folly  and  wickedness.  He  met  a  pious 
little  girl,  whose  feelings  he  tried  to 
wound  by  using  vile  and  sinful  language. 
The  little  girl  looked  at  him  earnestly 
in  the  face,  warned  him  of  his  danger, 
and,  with  a  solemn  tone,  told  him  to  re- 
member that  he  must  meet  her  shortly 
at  the  bar  of  God.  This  unexpect- 
ed reproof  greatly  affected  him.  To 
use  his  own  language,  "  it  was  like  a 
broadside,  raking  him  fore  and  aft,  and 
sweeping  by  the  board  every  sail  and 
spar  prepared  for  a  wicked  cruise." 
Abashed  and  confounded,  he  retufned  to 
his  ship.  He  could  not  banish  from  his 
mind  the  reproof  of  this  little  girl.  Her 
look  was  present  to  his  mind ;  her 
solemn  declaration,  "  You  must  meet  me 
at  the  bar  of  God,"  deeply  affected  his 
heart.  The  more  he  reflected  upon  it, 
the  more  uncomfortable  he  felt.  In  a 
few  days  his  hard  heart  was  subdued, 
and  he  submitted  to  the  Savior.  He 
became  a  consistent  follower  of  the 
Lamb. 

(z)  THE  CHILD  AND  HER  PA- 
PIST FATHER.— Says  a  correspon- 
dent of  the  Advocate  of  Moral  Reform  : 
I  was  in  the  city  of  P.,  seated  in  the 
study  of  the  brother  with  whom  I  had 
been  laboring,  when  a  little  German 
girl,  of  twelve  or  fourteen  years  of  age 
entered  the  room,  and  bursting  into 
tears  exclaimed,  in  an  animated  tone, 

"  Oh,    Mr.   ,    I  am  sure  the  Lord 

is  going  to  convert  my  father.  I  do 
believe  he  will  be  converted  now,"  she 
•  added,  with  so  much  emotion,  as  drew 
from  me  the  inquiry,  "  Of  whom  is  she 
f  speaking  ?"  "  Tell  the  gentleman  your- 
self, my  child,"  said  my  friend,  "  what 
1S2 


God  has  done  for  you,  and  what  he  has 
been  trying  to  do  for  him." 

From  the  simple  story  of  the  girl,  1 
gathered  the  following.  A  year  and  a 
half  before,  in  her  ignorance  and  sin 
she  had  been  led  to  enter  the  church 
where  my  friend  was  preaching,  and 
while  there,  the  Lord  graciously  met 
her,  and  converted  her  soul.  Full  of 
joy  and  wonder,  she  ran  home  to  tell 
her  father,  who  was  a  bigoted  Catholic, 
what  a  Savior  she  had  found  ;  but  tc 
her  surprise,  he  became  very  angry, 
beat  her  cruelly,  and  forbade  the  men- 
tion  of  the  subject  again  in  his  house. 
She  continued  to  attend  church,  and 
expressed  a  wish  to  join  with  the  people 
of  God  in  commemorating  the  dying 
love  of  her  Savior.  He  told  heV  if 
she  did,  he  would  beat  her  to  death. 
With  this  prospect,  she  determined  to 
do  her  duty,  putting  her  trust  in  Him 
who  hath  said,  "  I  will  never  leave  nor 
forsake  thee."  When  she  returned 
home  and  told  her  father  what  she  had 
done,  he  beat  her  most  unmercifully, 
and  drove  her  from  the  house,  telling 
her  never  to  return,  until  she  had  given 
up  her  new-fangled  religion.  Thus  for- 
saken of  her  father,  the  Lord  took  her 
up  ;  she  was  provided  with  a  place  in  a 
pious  family,  at  service,  reserving  to 
herself  the  first  Monday  in  every  month, 
which  day  she  spent  in  distributing 
tracts  to  all  the  German  families  of  her 
acquaintance,  and  wtienever  permitted 
she  prayed  with  them  before  she  left, 
always  taking  her  father's  house  in  her 
way,  though  sure  of  being  beaten,  and 
driven  from  it.  Month  after  month, 
she  offered  the  hardened  man  a  tract,  at 
the  same  time  entreating  him  to  think 
of  his  poor  soul,  and  offering  to  pray 
with  him.  Although  uniformly  driven 
away,  with  severe  blows,  she  said,  "  1 
did  not  care  lor  the  blows,  for,  sir,  my 
poor  father's  soul  was  all  I  thought  of 
or  cared  for."  In  this  course  she  perse- 
vered,— how  long  do  you  think,  indo- 
lent Christian  ?  not  one  month,  which 
many  think  too  long  to  wait  for  an  an- 
swer to  prayer  ;  but  eighteen  months^  f 
without  seeing  any  fruit  of  her  labor. 
Two  months  before  I  met  her,  she  found, 
on  visiting  her  father,  that  he  was  in 
tears  over  his  work  ;  he  suffered  her  to 


MORAL  AND  RELIGIOUS  INFLUENCE  OF  CHILDREN. 


T9 


read,  converse  and  pray  without,  inter- 
ruption, and  at  parting,  bade  her  come 
again.  The  next  month  he  was  even 
more  tender,  and  on  the  day  I  first  saw 
her,  she  had  seen  him  again,  and  she 
said,  "  Oh,  how  changed  was  my  poor 
father!  with  tears  he  begged  me  to 
forgive  him,  and  pray  for  him.  1  told 
him  I  had  laid  nothing  up  against  him, 
and  asked  him  to  pray  for  himself  Fie 
knelt  down  by  my  side,  but  could 
only  say,  '  O  Lord,  forgive,  forgive, 
O  Lord,  forgive;'  and  now,  sir,  I  am 
sure  the  Lord  will  hear  and  convert  my 
poor  father." 

The  next  evening,  on  entering  the 
praying  circle,  I  recognized  the  voice  of 
the  little  German  girl  in  the  individual 
who  was  addressing  the  throne  of  grace. 
Her  father  was  there,  inquiring  with 
trembling  eagerness  the  way  to  the 
Savior's  feet.  The  father  and  daugh- 
ter left  the  room  together  that  night, 
rejoicing  in  the  grace  which  had  wash- 
ed away  their  stains. 

(j)  LITTLE  BOY'S  ENTREATY. 
— While  the  Rev.  Mr.  Chambers  was 
once  addressing  a  temperance  meeting 
in  Philadelphia,  a  man  who  had  been 
occupying  a  seat  in  a  distant  part  of  the 
room,  arose  with  a  little  boy  in  his  arms, 
scarce  six  years  old,  and  came  forward 
to  the  speaker'a  stand  ;  all  gave  way 
for  him.  He  placed  his  child  on  the 
stand,  and  while  the  tears  were  running^ 
fast  down  his  cheeks,  and  with  trem- 
bling accents,  addressed  the  speaker  : 
^'  My  little  boy  said  to  me,  '  Father,  do 
not  drink  any  more  !'  Gentlemen,  I 
have  taken  my  last  drink."  The  effect 
produced  upon  the  audience  beggars  all 
description.  The  speaker  and  the 
whole  audience  were  bathed  in  tears  ; 
and  such  was  the  good  effects  of  this  ex- 
ample, that  seventeen  others  came  for- 
ward and,  signed  the  Pledge  !  Mr. 
Chambers,  with  tears  streaming  down 
his  face,  caught  the  boy  in  his  arms, 
exclaiming,  "  Well  may  we  say  that 
the  grave  of  Alcohol  has  been  dug  by 
this  little  boy  !" 

(k)  INFANT'S  PRAYER  AN- 
SWERED.— A  drunkard  who  had  run 
through  his  property,  says  Dr.  Schne- 
bly,  returned  one  night  to  his  unfurnish- 
ed home.     He  entered  its  empty  liall ; 


anguish  was  gnawing  at  his  heart-strings, 
and  language  is  inadequate  to  express 
his  agony  as  he  entered  his  wife's 
apartment,  and  there  beheld  the  victims 
of  his  appetite,  his  lovely  wife  and  dar- 
ling child.  Morose  and  sullen,  he  seat- 
ed himself  without  a  word  ;  he  could 
not  speak,  he  could  not  look  upon  them. 
The  mother  said  to  the  little  angel  by 
her  side,  "  Come,  my  child,  it  is  time  to 
go  to  bed  ;"  and  that  little  babe,  as  was 
her  wont,  knelt  by  her  mother's  lap,  and 
gazing  wistfully  into  the  face  of  her  suf- 
fering parent,  like  a  piece  of  chiseled 
statuary,  repeated  her  nightly  orison  ; 
and  when  she  had  finished,  the  child, 
(but  four  years  of  age,)  said  to  her  mo- 
ther, '*•  Dear  ma,  may  I  not  offer  up  one 
more  prayer  ?"  "  Yes,  yes,  my  sweet 
pet,  pray ;"  and  she  lifted  up  her  tiny 
hands,  closed  her  eyes,  and  prayed, 
"  O  God  !  spare,  oh,  spare  my  dear 
papa  !"  That  prayer  was  wafted  with 
electric  rapidity  to  the  throne  of  God. 
It  was  heard  on  high — 'twas  heard  on 
earth.  The  responsive  "  Amen"  burst 
from  that  father's  lips,  and  his  heart  of 
stone  became  a  heart  of  flesh.  Wife 
and  child  were  both  clasped  to  his 
bosom,  and  in  penitence  he  said,  "  My 
child,  you  have  saved  your  father  from 
the  grave  of  a  drunkard.  Pll  sign  ike 
pledge .'" 

(c)  THE  CHILD'S  REPROOF  OF 
AN  IRRELIGIOUS  FATHER.— 
The  father  of  a  little  boy  in  Phila- 
delphia, an  irreligious  man,  offered  to 
attend  him  to  the  Sabbath  school,  it  be- 
ing a  very  rainy  day. — "  Father,  why 
don't  you  stay  at  the  school,  and  go  to 
meeting  with  me  ?  you  ought  to  go  to 
meeting."  The  reproof  was  too  power- 
ful to  be  resisted.  His  soul  was  filled 
with  remorse.  He  left  his  child  at  the 
school-house  door,  and  turned  back. 

But  the  arrow  of  conviction  had 
pierced  his  soul !  He  turned  back,  con- 
science-smitten, to  weep  over  his  sins, 
with  a  heart  full  of  sorrow.  He  re. 
turned  home  immediately,  retired  to  his 
chamber,  bowed  his  knees  in  prayer, 
opened  and  read  his  Bible  ;  in  doing 
which  he  found  relief,  for  the  Spirit  of 
the  Lord  had  accompanied  the  words 
of  the  child,  and  the  result  was,  that 
from  this  Sabbath  day  he  determined  to 
183 


80 


HAPPY  DEATHS  OF  PIOUS  CHILDREN. 


consecrate  himself  to  God — to  forsake 
the  company  of  his  guilty  associates — 
to  abandon  the  drunkard's  bowl,  and  to 
load  a  new  life.  He  was  enabled  by 
divine  grace  to  fulfil  his  resolution ;  from 
that  day  he  established  family  prayer  ; 
became  the  subject  of  renewing  grace, 
was  baptized,  and  united  with  the 
church,  of  which  he  proved  a  worthy 
member. 


80.  Happy  Deaths  of  Pious  Children. 

(a)  THE  STRONGEST  LOVE.— 
A  little  girl  between  six  and  seven 
years  of  age,  when  on  her  death-bed, 
seeing  her  elder  sister  with  a  Bible  in 
her  hand,  requested  her  to  read  re- 
specting Christ's  blessing  little  children. 
The  passage  having  been  read,  and  the 
book  closed,  the  child  said,  "  How  kind ! 
I  shall  soon  go  to  Jesus ;  he  will  soon 
take  me  up  in  his  arms,  bless  me  too  ; 
no  disciple  shall  keep  me  away."  Her 
sister  kissed  her,  and  said,  "  Do  you 
love  me  ?"  "Yes,  my  dear,"  she  replied, 
"  but  do  not  be  angry,  I  love  Jesus  bet- 
ter." 

{h)  DEATH  OF  DINAH  DOWD- 
NEY. — Miss  Dinah  Dowdney,  of  Port- 
sea,  who  died  at  nine  years  of  age,  one 
day  in  her  illness  said  to  her  aunt,  with 
whom  she  lived,  "  When  I  am  dead,  I 
should  like  Mr.  Griffin  to  preach  a 
sermon  to  children  to  persuade  them  to 
love  Jesus  Christ,  to  obey  their  parents, 
not  to  tell  lies,  but  to  think  of  dying  and 
going  to  heaven.  1  have  been  think- 
ing," said  she,  "  what  text  I  should  like 
him  to  preach  from;  2  Kings  4:  26. 
You  are  the  Shunamite,  Mr,  G,  is  the 
prophet,  and  I  am  the  Shunamite's 
child.  When  I  am  dead  I  dare  say  you 
will  be  grieved,  though  you  need  not. 
The  prophet  will  come  to  see  you  ;  and 
when  he  says,  '  How  is  it  with  the 
child  V  you  may  say,  '  it  is  well.'  I 
am  sure  it  will  then  be  well  with  me, 
for  I  shall  be  in  heaven  singing  the 
praises  of  God.  You  ought  to  think  it 
well  too."  Mr.  G.  accordingly  fulfilled 
the  wish  of  this  pious  child. 

(c)  WILL  YOU  MEET  ME 
THERE,  FATHER?— At  a  public 
meeting  of  the  London  City  Mission,  in 
184 


1836,  the  Rev.  R.  Ainslie  related  the 
following  fact : — An  infided  allowed  his 
wife  to  send  their  two  children  to  a 
Sunday  school.  One  of  them,  not  long 
after,  was  seized  with  illness,  and  it 
soon  appeared,  from  the  nature  of  the 
disease,  he  could  not  recover.  The 
father  came  home,  on  the  last  evening 
of  the  child's  life,  from  an  infidel  meet- 
ing, under  the  influence  of  the  senti- 
ments and  principles  usually  taught  in 
such  societies,  when  his  wife  said  to 
him,  "  James  is  dying."  The  fjither 
went  up  stairs,  approached  the  bed-side 
of  his  dying  child,  and  while  the  father 
was  looking  upon  him,  the  child  said, 
"  Father,  1  am  very  happy  ;  I  am  going 
to  heaven  ;  will  you  meet  me  there,  fa- 
ther ?"  and  immediately  expired.  T'iiis 
appeal  was  too  much  for  him.  Uttered 
with  so  much  simplicity,  and  dictated 
by  the  Eternal  Spirit,  it  was  engraven 
upon  the  tablet  of  his  heart  as  with  a 
pen  of  iron  upon  lead,  and  sculptured 
there  forever.  He  made  many  efforts 
to  efface  the  impression  from  his  mind, 
but  without  effect.  He  confesses,  that 
he  was  a  drunkard,  a  blasphemer,  and, 
to  use  his  own  language,  "  the  vilest 
wretch  out  of  hell."  The  appeal  con- 
tinued to  be  more  and  more  affecting  to 
him,  and  on  one  Sabbath,  having  driven 
a  party  a  few  miles  from  town,  for  he 
was  the  driver  of  a  fly,  he  put  up  his 
horses  quickly,  and  went  to  church. 
One  of  the  lessons  for  the  day  was  2 
Sam.  xiii.,  containing  the  reflections  of 
David  on  the  death  of  his  child.  When 
he  heard  the  words,  "  I  shall  go  to  him, 
but  he  shall  not  return  to  me,"  he 
thought,  "It is  impossible."  His  past 
life  and  infidel  ridicule  of  heaven  forbade 
the  hope  that  he  should  ever  meet  his 
child  in  that  happy  world.  Still  his 
mind  was  greatly  distressed.  He  had 
no  pious  friend  ;  he  could  get  neither 
light  nor  peace  in  t^is  season  of  mental 
anguish.  An  agent  of  the  City  Mis- 
sion at  length  called  upon  him ;  the 
man  disclosed  his  state  of  mind,  and  the 
instructions,  counsels,  and  prayers  of 
the  agent  were  blessed  by  the  Holy 
Spirit:  the  man  has  renounced  his 
infidelity  —  his  character  is  entirely 
changed  ;  he  and  his  wife  are  regularly 
worshippers  in  the  house  of  God,  and 


DIVINITY  OF  CHRIST. 


§0,  81 


he  is  now  cherishing  the   hope,  that  he 
shall  meel:  his  child  in  heaven. 

(^)THE  UNVVELCOiVIE  VISIT.— 
A  little  boy,  who  was  educated  in  one 
of  the  London  Hibernian  Schools,  in  the 
county  of  Roscommon,  was  seized  by 
sickness,  and  confined  to  his  bed.  In 
a  few  days  his  dissolution  seemed  to 
be  near.  The  parents  of  the  boy  being 
Roman  Catholics,  sent  immediately  for 
the  priest,  to  have  the  rites  of  their 
church  administered,  which,  in  their 
estimation,  was  the  needful  preparation 
for  heaven.  On  the  arrival  of  the 
priest,  the  boy  seemed  much  confused, 
and  astonished  at  his  coming.  "  Your 
visit,"  said  the  boy,  "  was  altogether 
unnecessary ;  I  have  no  need  of  your 
help  or  assistance :  I  have  a  great 
High  Priest  at  the  right  hand  of  the 
Majesty  in  the  heavens,  able  to  save 
to  the  uttermost  all  that  come  unto  God 
by  him :  He  lives  for  evermore,  to 
make  intercession ;  and  He  is  such  a 
priest  as  I  require."  The  priest  per- 
ceiving it  to  be  in  vain  to  reason  at 
such  a  time,  and  knowing  the  boy  to 
have  been  made  acquainted  with  the 
Bible,  went  away.  The  child  request- 
ed his  parents  to  send  for  his  school- 
master, who  stated  that  he  never  wit- 
nessed such  a  scene  ;  it  was  altogether 
unexpected.  The  boy  was  always 
silent ;  though  he  was  attentive  to  the 
instructions  given  at  school,  he  never 
once  hinted  a  change  in  his  sentiments. 
In  the  course  of  conversation,  he  was 
asked  if  he  was  afraid  to  die.  "No," 
replied  the  boy  j  "  my  Redeemer  is 
Lord  of  the  dead  and  living  ;  I  love 
him  for  his  love  to  me,  and  soon  I  hope 
to  be  with  him  to  see  his  glory." 


^  (e)  THE  MYSTERIOUS  HEAR- 
ER.— A  clergyman  in  the  county  of 
Tyrone  had,  for  some  v/eeks,  observed 
a  little  ragged  boy  come  every  Sunday, 
and  place  himself  in  the  centre  of  the 
aisle,  directly  opposite  the  pulpit,  where 
he  seemed  exceedingly  attentive  to  the 
service.  He  was  desirous  of  knowing 
who  the  child  was,  and  for  this  purpose 
hastened  out,  after  the  sermon,  several 
times,  but  never  could  see  him,  as  he 
vanished  the  moment  service  was  over, 
and  no  one  knew  whence  he  came,  or 
any  thing  about  him.  At  length  the 
boy  was  missed  from  his  usual  situation 
in  the  church,  for  some  weeks.  At  this 
time  a  man  called  on  the  minister,  and 
told  him  a  person  very  ill  was  desirous 
of  seeing  him;  but  added,  "I  am  really 
ashamed  to  ask  you  to  go  so  far ;  but 
it  is  a  child  of  mine,  and  he  refuses  to 
have  any  one  but  you  ;  he  is  altogether 
an  extraordinary  boy,  and  talks  a  great 
deal  about  things  that  1  do  not  under- 
stand." The  clergyman  promised  to 
go,  and  went,  though  the  rain  poured 
dow^n  in  torrents,  and  he  had  six  miles 
of  rugged  mountain  country  to  pass. 
On  arriving  where  he  was  directed,  he 
saw  a  most  wretched  cabin  indeed,  and 
the  man  he  had  seen  in  the  morning 
was  waiting  at  the  door. '  He  was 
shown  in,  and  found  the  inside  of  the 
hovel  as  miserable  as  the  outside.  In 
a  corner,  on  a  little  straw,  he  beheld  a 
person  stretched  out,  whom  he  recog- 
nized as  the  little  boy  who  had  so  re- 
gularly attended  his  church.  As  he 
approached  the  wretched  bed,  the  child 
raised  himself  up,  and  stretching  forth 
his  arms,  said,  "  His  own  right  hand 
hath  gotten  him  the  victory,"  Psa. 
98  :  1  ;  and  immediately  expired  ! 


CHRIST. 


81.  Divinity  of  Christ.  ^"^^^  ^^^®  ^^^  °^'  ^^^  ^  "  Sir,"  he  replied, 

"I  am  sorry  you  have  put  such  a 
(a)  THE  COBBLER'S  CONCLU-  question  to  me  before  my  children, 
SION. — A  poor  man,  unable  to  read,  although  I  think  I  can  give  you  a  satis- 
who  obtained  his  livelihood  by  mending  flictory  answer.  You  know,  sir,  when 
old  shoes,  was  asked  by  an  A rian  |  I  first  became  concerned  about  my  soul, 
minister,  how  he  knew  that  Jesus  Christ  I  and  unhappy  on  account  of  my  sins,  I 

185 


81 


DIVINITY  OF  CHRIST. 


called  upon  you  to  ask  for  your  advice, 
and  you  told  me  to  get  into  company, 
and  spend    my  time    as  merrily  as  I 
could,  but  not  to  go  to  hear  the  Me- 
thodisls."     "  I  did   so,"  answered  the 
ungodly    minister.     "I    followed  your 
advice,"  continued  the  illiterate  cobbler, 
"  for  some  time  ;  but  the  more  I  trifled, 
the  more  my  miser}''  increased  ;  and  at 
last  I  was  persuaded  to  hear  one  of  those 
Methodist  ministers  who  came  into  our 
neighborhood,  and  preached  Jesus  Christ 
as  the  Savior.     In  the  greatest  agony 
of  mind,  I   prayed  to  Him  to  save  me, 
and  to  forgive  my  sins ;  and  now  I  feel 
that  he  has  freely  forgiven  them  ! — and 
by  this  I  know  that  he  is  the  Son  of  God." 
{b)    AElAJ^jCQIiJEQUNDED.— 
Two  of  Dr.   Priestly's  followers,  emi- 
i  nent  men,  once  called  on  an  old  gentle- 
man of  the  Society  of  Friends,  to  ask 
;  what  was  his  opinion  of  the  person  of 
i  Christ.     After  a  little  consideration,  he 
'  replied : — "  The  apostle  says,  We  preach 
;  Christ  crucified,  unto  the  Jews  a  stum- 
1  bling-block,  because    they  expected    a 
I  temporal  Messiah  ;  to  the  Greeks  foolish- 
ness,  because  he  was  crucified    as    a 
;  malefactor ;  but   unto  them  which  are 
called,   both  Jews  and  Greeks,  Christ 
;the  power  of  God,  and  the  wisdom  of 
(God.     Now,  if  you  can    separate  the 
power  of  God  from  God,  and  the  wisdom 
of   God    from  God,   I  will  come    over 
to   your   opinions." — They  were    both 
struck  dumb,   and    did   not  attempt  to 
utter  a  single  word  in  reply. 

(c)  THE  CAVILLER  SILENCED. 
— Two  gentlemen  were  once  disputing 
on  the  divinity  of  Christ.  One  of  them 
who  argued  against  it,  said,  "  If  it  were 
true  it  certainly  would  have  been  ex- 
pressed in  more  clear  and  unequivocal 
terms."  "  Well,"  said  the  other,  "  ad- 
mitting that  you  believed  it,  were  you 
authorized  to  teach  it,  and  allowed  to 
use  your  own  language,  how  would  you 
express  the  doctrine  to  make  it  indubit- 
able ?"  "  I  would  say,"  replied  he, 
"that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  true  God.^' 
"You  are  very  happy,"  rejoined  the 
other,  "  in  the  choice  of  )'^our  words ; 
for  you  have  happened  to  hit  upon  the 
very  words  of  inspiration.  '  St.  John, 
speaking  of  the  Son,  says,  '  This  is  the 
true  God  and  eternal  life.'  " 


(d)  THE  INEXPLICABLE  CHAP- 
TER.— There  was  a  young  man  in  a 
school,  who  had  previously  indulged  the 
hope  of  having  passed  from  death  unto 
life,  but  had  not  believed  in  the  divinity 
of  Christ.  As  he  was  teaching,  in  the 
course  of  his  delightful  work,  a  class  of 
children  upon  a  section  of  the  first  chap- 
ter of  John,  he  knew  not  how  to  direct 
them,  or  explain  to  the  little  listeners 
what  seemed  plain  to  those  who  believed 
the  Son  of  God  to  be  a  divine  person,  but 
on  his  own  principles  was  inexplicable. 
This  circumstance  led  him  to  consider 
more  closely  the  sacred  text,  and  led  him 
to  believe  in  the  supreme  divinity  of  that 
Savior,  whom  he  had  degraded  to  a  finite, 
created  being.  Thus,  the  truth  of  tne 
inspired  volume  is  made  to  appear.  He 
that  watereth,  shall  be  watered  also  him- 
self. 

(e)  "  THE  GOD  WA.J  WITHIN." 
— While  Mr.  Kirkland  was  a  mission- 
ary to  the  Oneidas,  being  unwell,  he 
was  unable  to  preach  on  the  afternoon 
of  a  certain  Sabbath,  and  told  Peter,  one 
of  the  head  men  of  the  Oneidas,  that  he 
must  address  the  congregation.  Peter 
modestly  and  reluctantly  consented. 
After  a  few  words  of  introduction,  he 
began  a  discourse  on  the  character  of 
the  Savior.  "  What,  my  brethren," 
said  he,  "  are  the  views  which  you 
form  of  the  character  of  Jesus  ?  You 
will  answer,  perhaps,  that  he  was  a 
man  of  singular  benevolence.  You 
will  tell  me,  that  he  proved  this  to  be 
his  character,  by  the  nature  of  the 
miracles  which  he  wrought.  All  these, 
you  will  say,  were  kind  in  the  extreme. 
He  created  bread,  to  feed  thousands 
who  were  ready  to  perish.  He  raised 
to  life  the  son  of  a  poor  woman,  who 
was  a  widow,  and  to  whom  his  labors 
were  necessary  for  her  support  in  old 
age.  Are  these,  then,  your  only  views 
of  the  Savior  ?  I  will  tell  you,  they 
are  lame.  When  Jesus  came  into  the 
world,  he  threw  his  blanket  around  him, 
but  the  God  was  within." 

(/)  THE  ROCK  OF  CALVARY.— 
In  Fleming's  Christology  it  is  stated 
that  a  deist,  visiting  the  sacred  places 
of  Palestine,  was  shown  the  clefls  of 
Mount  Calvary.  Examining  them  nar- 
rowly  and    critically,    he    turned    in 


MISCELLANEOUS. 


81,  §2 


amazement  to  his  fellow-travelers,  and 
said,  "  I  have  long  been  a  student  of 
nature,  and  I  am  sure  these  clefts  and 
rents  in  this  rock  were  never  made  by- 
nature,  or  an  ordinary  earthquake  ;  for, 
by  such  a  concussion,  the  rock  must 
have  split  according  to  the  veins,  and 
where  it  was  weakest  in  the  adhesion 
of  parts ;  for  this,"  said  he,  "  1  have 
observed  to  have  been  done  in  other 
rocks  when  separated  or  broken  after 
an  earthquake ;  and  reason  tells  me  it 
must  always  be  so.  But  it  is  quite 
otherwise  here;  for  the  rock  is  split 
athwart  and  across  the  veins  in  a  most 
strange  and  preternatural  manner  ;  and, 
therefore,"  said  he,  "  I  thank  God  that 
I  came  hither  to  see  the  standing  monu- 
ment of  a  miraculous  power  by  which 
God  gives  evidence  to  this  day  of  the 
divinity  of  Christ." 

(g)  CONVICTIONS  OF  NAPO- 
LEON.— "I  know  men,"  said  Napo- 
leon at  St.  Helena,  to  Count  de  Mon- 
tholon,  "  I  know  men,  and  I  tell  you 
that  Jesus  is  not  a  man  !  The  religion 
of  Christ  is  a  mystery,  which  subsists  by 
its  own  force,  and  proceeds  from  a  mind 
which  is  not  a  human  mind.  We  find  in 
it  a  marked  individuality,  which  origin- 
ated a  train  of  words  and  actions  un- 
known before.  Jesus  is  not  a  philoso- 
pher, for  his  proofs  are  miracles,  and 
from  the  first  his  disciples  adored  him. 

"  Alexander,  Csesar,  Charlemagne, 
and  myself,  founded  empires;  but  on 
what  foundation  did  we  rest  the  crea- 
tions of  our  genius  ?  Upon  force. 
Jesus  Christ  founded  an  empire  upon 
love  ;  and  at  this  hour,  millions  of  men 
would  die  for  him  ! 

"  I  die  before  my  time,  and  my  body 
will  be  given  back  to  the  earth,  to  be- 
come food  for  worms.  Such  is  the  fate 
of  him  who  has  been  called  the  great 
Napoleon.  What  an  abyss  between 
my  deep  mystery  and  the  eternal 
kingdom  of  Christ,  which  is  proclaim- 
ed, loved,  and  adored,  and  is  extending 
over  the  whole  earth  !" 

Turning  to  Gen.  Bertrand  the  em- 
peror added,  "  If  you  do  not  perceive 
that  Jesus  Christ  is  God  I  did  wrong  to 
appoint  you  general !" 


82.  Miscellaneous. 

(a)  THE  GOD  WHO  PAID  THE 
DEBT. — A  poor  negro  on  the  coast  of 
Africa,  who  felt  some  concern  about 
his  soul,  applied  to  his  priest,  who  gave 
him  various  directions,  which  were  all 
unavailing.  He  was  so  distressed  in 
his  mind,  that  he  went  wandering 
about  from  place  to  place,  without 
meeting  with  any  thing  to  comfort  him. 
One  day  as  he  was  sitting  in  a  solitary 
manner  on  the  beach,  some  English 
sailors  came  ashore  to  get  water.  As 
they  were  rolling  the  cask  along,  one 
of  them  heard  the  meanings  of  the  poor 
negro,  and  going  up  to  him  said, 
"  Hallo,  shipmate !  what's  the  matter 
with  you  ?"  The  negro  began  to  tell 
his  tale  of  wo,  in  broken  language,  but 
was  hastily  interrupted  by  the  sailor 
exclaiming,  "  Oh,  I  see  what's  the  mat- 
ter with  you  ;  you  must  go  to  England, 
and  there  you'll  hear  of  the  Christian's 
God,  who  paid  the  debt."  These  words 
were  spoken  in  a  careless  and  thoughtless 
manner ;  but  they  made  an  impression  on 
the  mind  of  the  negro,  and  he  determined 
to  proceed  to  England.  He  traveled  a 
great  many  miles  until  he  came  to  an 
English  settlement,  where  he  got  leave 
to  work  his  passage  over  in  a  ship  that 
was  lying  there.  During  the  voyage 
he  would  frequently  approach  one  sail- 
or and  another,  and  say,  with  great 
simplicity,  in  a  plaintive  tone,  "  Please, 
massa,  you  tell  me  where  Christian's 
God  dat  pay  de  debt  ?"  The  seamen, 
who  it  appears  were  all  irreligious,  only 
laughed  at  him,  and  concluded  he  was 
mad.  The  ship  arrived  at  London, 
and  the  negro  was  put  ashore  at  Wap- 
ping.  Having  no  money  to  receive, 
he  wandered  from  street  to  street,  and 
whenever  he  could  catch  a  single  pas- 
senger, he  would  stop  and  say,  in  the 
most  melancholy  manner,  "  Please, 
massa,  you  please  tell  poor  black  man 
where  Christian's  God  dat  pay  de 
debt  ?"  Some  told  him  to  go  about  his 
business,  some  gave  him  money,  and 
others,  supposing  him  to  be  deranged, 
passed  on  ;  but  he  met  no  one  to  answer 
his  question.  In  this  manner  he  con- 
tinued to  stroll  about,  as  devoid  of  com- 
fort in  England  as  in  his  own  land; 
187 


83 


CHRISTIANITY,  CHARACTER  OF. 


and  frequently  would  he  steal  down 
some  by-place,  and  give  vent  to  his  soul 
in  accents  like  these:  "Ah!  me  no 
hear  of  Christian's  God  dat  pay  de 
debt ;  me  walk,  walk,  day,  day,  but  me 
no  hear.  White  man  tell  me  in  Africa, 
go  to  England,  but  me  no  find  ;  me  go 
back,  me  die  dere."  He  saw  some 
people  on  the  Sabbath  going  into  a  large 
house,  which  he  concluded  was  the 
temple  of  the  Christian's  God  ;  he  fol- 
lowed them ;  he  heard  a  sermon,  but 
he  heard  nothing  about  Christ.  It  was 
all  unintelligible  to  him,  and  he  still 
remained  the  subject  of  despondency, 
and  still  went  mournino;  about.  A 
gentleman  accidentally  overheard  him 
one  day,  while  he  was  complaining  to 
himself  of  his  unsuccessful  inquiry  after 
the  Christian's  God.  He  spoke  to  him, 
and  directed  him  to  go  to  such  a  place 
that  evening,  and  there  he  would  hear 
of  the  Christian's  God.     He  went,  and 


heard  a  sermon  by  that  gentleman,  on 
the  suretiship  of  Christ,  in  which  he 
described  sin  as  a  debt,  and  Christ  as 
paying  it,  and  the  price  he  paid,  and 
that  he  was  ascended  up  to  heaven,  and 
had  sent  him,  the  preacher,  to  say  to 
all,  "  Come  unto  me  all  ye  that  labor," 
&c.  Long  before  he  came  to  the  close 
of  his  sermon,  the  Spirit  of  God  had 
been  pleased  to  touch  the  heart  of  the 
poor  negro,  and  to  enlighten  his  mind  ; 
he  started  up  in  the  pew,  but  without 
making  a  noise,  and  in  a  whispering 
tone  was  heard  to  say,  while  he  clasped 
his  hands  together,  and  the  tears  ran 
down  his  sable  cheeks,  "  Me  have 
found  Him  !  me  have  found  Him !  the 
Christian's  God  dat  pay  de  debt !" 
After  the  meeting  the  minister  had  some 
further  conversation  with  him,  and  was 
rejoiced  at  the  state  of  his  mind.  An 
opportunity  was  afterward  taken  to  send 
him  to  Africa. 


83.  CHRISTIANITY,  CHARACTER  OF. 


[a)  THE    FIRST    HOSPITAL.— 

The  first  hospital  for  the  reception  of 
the  diseased  and  the  infirm  was  founded 
atEdessa,  in  Syria,  by  the  sagacious  and 
provident  humanity  of  a  Christian  father. 
The  history  of  this  memorable  founda- 
tion is  given  by  Sozomen,  in  his  ac- 
count of  Ephrem  Syrus. 

A  grievous  famine,  with  all  its  inse- 
parable evils,  having  befallen  the  city 
of  Edessa,  its  venerable  deacon,  at  the 
call  of  suffering  humanity,  came  forth 
from  the  studious  retirement  of  his  cell, 
whither  he  had  long  withdrawn,  that 
be  might  devote  his  latter  days  to  me- 
ditation on  the  deep  things  of  God.  Fill- 
ed with  emotion  at  the  sight  of  the  mi- 
sery which  surrounded  him,  with  the 
warmth  of  Christian  charity,  he  reprov- 
ed the  rich  men  of  Edessa,  who  suffered 
their  fellow-citizens  to  perish  from  want 
and  sickness ;  and  who  preferred  their 
wealth,  at  once,  to  the  lives  of  others, 
and  to  the  safety  of  their  own  souls. 
Stung  by  his  reproaches,  and  awed  by 
his  revered  character,  the  citizens  re- 
18a 


plied,  that  they  cared  not  for  their 
wealth  ;  but  that,  in  an  age  of  selfish- 
ness and  corruption,  they  knew  not 
whom  to  intrust  with  its  distribution. 
"  What,"  exclaimed  the  holy  man,  "  is 
your  opinion  of  me  ?"  The  answer 
was  instant  and  unanimous :  Ephrem 
was  every  thing  that  was  holy,  and 
good,  and  just.  "  Then,"  he  resumed, 
"  I  will  be  your  almoner.  For  your 
sakes,  I  will  undertake  this  burden." 
And  receiving  their  now  willing  con- 
tributions, he  caused  about  three  hun- 
dred beds  to  be  placed  in  the  public  por- 
ticoes of  the  city,  for  the  reception  of 
fever  patients :  he  relieved,  also,  the 
famishing  multitudes  who  flocked  into 
Edessa,  from  the  adjoining  country  ; 
and  rested  not  from  his  labor  of  love  un- 
til the  famine  was  arrested,  "  and  the 
plague  was  stayed." 

Christianity,  therefore,  has  the  honor 
of  erecting  the  first  hospital ;  and  wher- 
ever  true  Christianity  has  prevailed, 
her  efforts  to  relieve  the  wretched,  and 
add  to  the  amount  of  human  happiness, 


CHRISTIANITY,  CHARACTER  OF. 


m 


haY«  accomplished  more  in  one  genera- 
tion, than  paganism  or  infidelity  in  a 
hundred. 

{b)  CHRISTIANITY  AND  HEA- 
THENISM.— The  language  of  God's 
word  is,  "  Thou  shalt  not  kill ;  thou 
shalt  not  commit  adultery ;  thou  shalt 
not  steal ;  thou  shalt  not  bear  false  wit- 
ness ;  thou  shalt  not  covet."  Now 
where  is  there  such  a  code  of  morality 
to  be  found  in  all  the  systems  of  ancient 
or  modern  heathen  philosophers  or  po- 
liticians ?  Lycurgus  ordained  that  in- 
fants who  were  deformed  or  weak, 
should  be  destroyed  ;  but  God's  word 
says,  "  Thou  shalt  not  kill."  Lycur- 
gus taught  his  pupils  to  steal,  and  re- 
warded those  who  could  steal  in  such  an 
artful  manner  as  not  to  be  detected ; 
but  the  Bible  says,  "  Thou  shalt  not 
steal." 

Aristippus  maintained  that  it  was  no 
harm  "  to  steal,  commit  adultery  and 
sacrilege  ;  setting  aside  the  vulgar  opi- 
nion concerning  them."  The  Grecians 
and  many  of  the  ancients  practised  in- 
cest ;  that  is,  a  man  could  marry  his  own 
sister  ;  and  they  pretended  to  derive  this 
practice  from  gods,  feigning  that  Jupi- 
ter married  his  own  sister  Juno.  Hence 
many  of  their  great  men  practised  it, 
such  as  Cimon,  Alcibiades,  Darius  the 
Persian,  Ptolemy  of  Egypt,  and  others  ; 
but  Moses  said,  "  Thou  shalt  not  marry 
one  that  is  near  akin  to  thee,"  and  St. 
Paul  required  the  incestuous  person  to 
be  punished.  The  laws  of  Solon  al- 
lowed of  "  brothels  and  prostitution  ;" 
but  Moses  said,  "  There  shall  be  no 
harlot  in  Israel ;"  and  were  the  princi- 
ples of  this  book  attended  to,  there  would 
be  none  in  Christendom.  The  polite 
and  learned  nations  of  the  Greeks  and 
Romans,  very  generally  permitted  the 
custom  of  exposing  infants,  and  Romu- 
lus allowed  the  Romans  to  destroy  all 
their  female  children  except  the  oldest, 
and  even  their  males  if  they  were  de- 
formed. "  These  practices  were  com- 
mon among  them,  and  celebrated  at 
their  theatres." 

They  also  had  gladiatorial  shows  in 
which  slaves  were  obliged  to  fight  with 
each  other,  till  one  or  the  other  fell, 
mangled  with  wounds.  And  so  great 
was  the  rage  for  this  sport,  among  both 


sexes,  that  no  war  is  said  to  have  been 
so  destructive.  Lipsius  tells  us,  "  that 
the  gladiatorial  shows  cost  20  or  30 
thousand  lives  a  month,  and  thus  conti- 
nued for  a  long  course  of  years,  must 
have  destroyed  more  lives  than  the  ra- 
vages of  their  wars." 

(c)  THE  BURMAN'S  IMPRES- 
SION.-—Mrs.  Judson,  giving  some  ac- 
count in  a  letter,  of  the  first  Burman 
convert,  says  : — A  few  days  ago  I  was 
reading  with  him  Christ's  sermon  on  the 
Mount.  He  was  deeply  impressed,  and 
unusually  solemn.  "  These  words," 
said  he,  "  take  hold  on  my  very  heart ; 
they  make  me  tremble.  Here  God 
commands  us  to  do  every  thing  that  is 
good  in  secret,  not  to  be  seen  of  men. 
How  unlike  our  religion  is  this  !  When 
Burmans  make  oflTerings  at  the  pagodas, 
they  make  a  great  noise  with  drums 
and  musical  instruments,  that  others 
may  see  how  good  they  are  ;  but  this 
religion  makes  the  mind  fear  God  ;  it 
makes  it,  of  its  own  accord,  fear  sin." 

{d)  THE  INFIDEL  AND  THE 
ORPHAN  SCHOOL.— A  mechanic  in 
London,  who  rented  a  room  very  near 
the  Orphan  Working  School,  was  un- 
happily a  determined  infidel,  and  one 
who  could  confound  many  a  thoughtless 
Christian  with  his  sophistical  reasonings 
on  religion.  He,  one  day,  however, 
said  to  another  man,  "  I  did  this  morn- 
ing what  I  have  not  done  for  a  long  time 
before  ;  I  wept."  "  Wept !"  said  his 
friend ;  "  what  occasioned  you  to 
weep?"  "Why,"  replied  the  infidel 
mechanic,  "  I  wept  on  seeing  the  child- 
ren of  the  Orphan  Working  School  pass ; 
and  it  occurred  to  me,  that  if  religion 
had  done  nothing  more  for  mankind,  it 
had  at  least  provided  for  the  introduction 
of  these  ninety- four  orphans  into  respect- 
able and  honorable  situations  in  life." 

(e)  BYRON'S  CONFESSION.— 
"  Indisputably,"  says  Lord  Byron,  "  the 
firm  believers  in  the  gospel  have  a  great 
advantage  over  all  others,  for  this  sim- 
ple reason,  that  if  true,  they  will  have 
their  reward  hereafter;  and  if  there  be 
no  hereafter,  they  can  be  but  with  the 
infidel  in  his  eternal  sleep,  having  had 
the  assistance  of  an  exalted  hope  through 
life,  without  subsequent  disappointment, 
since,  at  the  worst  for  them,  '  out  of 
1R9 


M 


CHRISTIANITY,  CHARACTER  OF. 


nothing,  nothing  can  arise,'  not  even 
sorrow.*' 

(/)  THE  TREE  JUDGED  BY 
ITS  FRUIT.— When  Mr.  Gulzlaff,  in 
his  third  voyage  to  China,  went  on  shore 
for  the  first  time  at  a  particular  place,  the 
people  were  distrustful,  and  some  of 
them  hinted  that  the  Christian  books 
merely  contained  the  doctrines  of  west- 
ern barbarians,  which  were  quite  at 
variance  with  the  tenets  of  the  Chinese 
sages.  Mr.  G.  did  not  undertake  to 
contest  this  point  with  them,  but  pro- 
ceeded to  administer  relief  to  a  poor 
man  who  was  almost  blind  ;  thus  show- 
ing the  spirit  and  conduct  which  the 
gospel  inculcates.  The  man  was  af- 
fected with  this  unexpected  kindness, 
and,  turning  towards  Mr.  G.,  said, 
*'  Judging  from  your  actions,  your  doc- 
trines must  be  excellent ;  therefore  I 
beseech  you  give  me  some  of  your 
books ;  though  I  myself  cannot  read,  I 
have  children  who  can."  "  From  this 
moment,"  says  Mr.  G.,  *'the  demand 
for  the  word  of  God  increased,  so  that  I 
could  never  pass  a  hamlet  without  be- 
ing importuned  by  the  people  to  impart 
to  them  the  knowledge  of  divine  things. 
In  the  wide  excursion  which  I  took,  I 
daily  witnessed  the  demand  for  the  word 
of  God." 

(g)  LORD  BACON'S  OPINION. 
— Lord  Bacon,  towards  the  latter  end 
of  his  life,  said,  that  a  little  smattering 
of  philosophy  would  lead  a  man  to 
Atheism,  but  a  thorough  insight  of  it 
will  lead  a  man  back  again  to  a  first 
cause,  and  that  the  first  principle  of 
right  reason  is  religion ;  and  seriously 
professes,  that,  after  all  his  studies  and 
inquisitions,  he  durst  not  die  with  any 
other  thoughts  than  those  of  religion, 
taught,  as  it  is  professed,  among  the 
Christians. 

(h)  LORD  CHESTERFIELD'S 
REPLY  TO  AN  INFIDEL  LADY. 
— Infidels  should  never  talk  of  our  giv- 
ing up  our  Christianity,  till  they  can 
propose  something  superior  to  it.  Lord 
Chesterfield's  answer,  therefore,  to  an 
infidel  lady,  was  very  just.  When  at 
Brussels  he  was  invited  by  Voltaire,  to 
sup  with  him  and  Madame  C.  The 
conversation  happening  to  turn  upon  the 


affairs  of  England,  "  I  think,  my  Lord,'* 
said  Madame  C,  "  that  the  parliament 
of  England  consists  of  five  or  six  hun- 
dred of  the  best  informed  men  in  the 
kingdom  ?" 

"  True,  madame,  they  are  generally 
supposed  to  be  so." 

"  What  then  can  be  the  reason  they 
tolerate  so  great  an  absurdity,  as  the 
Christian  religion  ?"  "  I  suppose,  ma- 
dame," replied  his  lordship,  "  it  is  be- 
cause they  have  not  been  able  to  sub- 
stitute any  thing  better  in  its  stead ; 
when  they  can,  I  do  not  doubt  but  in 
their  wisdom  they  will  readily  adopt  it.'* 

(i)  GIBBON'S  TESTIMONY.— 
"  While  the  Roman  empire,"  says  Gib- 
bon, "  was  invaded  by  open  violence, 
or  undermined  by  slow  decay,  a  pure 
and  humble  religion  greatly  insinuated 
itself  into  the  minds  of  men,  grew  up  in 
silence  and  sobriety,  derived  new  vigor 
from  opposition,  and  finally  erected  the 
banner  of  the  cross  on  the  ruins  of  the 
capital." 

Again,  he  says,  "  the  Christian  reli- 
gion is  a  religion  that  diffuses  among 
the  people  a  pure,  benevolent,  and 
universal  system  of  ethics,  adapted 
to  every  condition  in  life,  and  recom- 
mended as  the  will  and  reason  of  the 
Supreme  Deity,  and  enforced  by  the 
sanction  of  eternal  rewards  and  punish- 
ments." 

(j)  THE  MALAY'S  TEST  OF 
HONESTY.— A  New  England  sea- 
captain,  who  visited  "  India  beyond  the 
Ganges,"  was  boarded  by  a  Malay 
merchant,  a  man  of  considerable  pro- 
perty, and  asked  if  he  had  any  tracts 
which  he  could  part  with.  The 
American,  at  a  loss  how  to  account  for 
such  a  singular  request  from  such  a 
man,  inquired,  "What  do  you  want  of 
tracts?  you  cannot  read  a  word  of 
them."  "  True,  but  I  have  a  use  for 
them,  nevertheless.  Whenever  one  of 
your  countrymen,  or  an  Englishman, 
calls  on  me  to  trade,  I  put  a  tract  in  his 
way,  and  watch  him.  If  he  reads  it 
soberly  and  with  interest,  I  infer  that 
he  will  not  cheat  me ;  if  he  throws  it 
aside  with  contempt,  or  a  profane  oath, 
I  have  no  more  to  do  with  him — I  can- 
not trust  him." 


190 


CHURCH,  JOINING  THE. 


84 


84.  CHURCH,  JOINING  THE. 


(a)  THE   DELAYED   BAPTISM. 

— A  young  man,  by  the  name  of  Henry 
T.,  from  England,  was  converted  in 
Dartmouth,  Mass.,  about  1835.  Before 
his  conversion,  he  v^^as  a  very  intem- 
perate, profane,  abandoned  man.  His 
exercises  in  conversion  were  marked  and 
clear  ;  and  he  soon  made  application 
for  admission  into  the  church.  But  it 
fared  worse  with  him  than  it  fared  with 
Saul  when  he  came  to  Damascus : 
Christians  were  not  only  afraid  of  him, 
but  they  thought  he  had  better  wait  a 
month,  till  the  next  covenant  meeting. 
They  were  inclined  to  think  he  would 
turn  back  to  his  cups.  But  he  mani- 
fested a  Christian  spirit,  and  determined 
not  to  forsake  his  brethren  or  neglect 
any  of  the  public  or  private  duties  of 
religion.  The  next  covenant  meeting 
came,  and  Mr.  T.,  full  of  hope,  present- 
ed himself  for  admission  again.  The 
confidence  of  the  brethren  in  the 
genuineness  of  his  change  was  decided- 
ly increased  by  his  conduct  during  the 
month  ;  but  owing  to  his  former  habits, 
some  of  the  brethren  hesitated  about 
having  him  baptized,  and  they  put  him 
off  another  month.  He  said  he  felt 
anxious  to  be  soon  baptized,  for  he  said 
he  might  die  without  receiving  the 
ordinance ;  still  he  would  patiently  sub- 
mit to  the  church's  decision,  and  per- 
severe in  doing  duty.  And  he  did  ;  he 
was  a  regular  attendant  upon  public 
worship ;  on  conference  and  prayer 
meetings,  and  in  the  latter  took  a  regu- 
lar and  active  part.  Indeed  he  often 
told  how  much  he  loved  his  brethren — 
those  who  were  so  suspicious  of  him. 
Another  month  passed,  and  another 
application  ^vas  made.  His  conduct 
had  been  so  exemplary  as  to  secure 
the  confidence  of  the  minister,  and  all 
the  members  of  the  church  in  his 
steadfastness,  but  that  of  one  of  the 
deacons.  He  alone  objected.  When 
Mr.  T.  was  told  he  must  wait  one  month 
longer,  he  was  deeply  grieved.  "  But," 
said  he,  "  if  you  never  receive  me  I 
shall  love  you  still !"  This  he  said  as 
he  went  out  and  closed  the  door. 


"  That  is  too  much  for  me,"  said  the 
deacon ;  "  call  him  back."  He  was 
called  back,  received  a  unanimous  vote, 
and  united  with  the  church.  By  pur-  ^ 
suing  such  a  course,  by  overcoming  the 
temptation  to  quit  the  church,  he  had 
gained  the  confidence  of  the  church, 
and  confidence  in  himself;  and  a  can- 
didate is  rarely  found  more  happy  than 
he  was,  when  baptized  and  received 
into  the  fellowship  of  the  saints.  He 
proved  to  be  a  happy  and  steadfast 
Christian.  . 

{b)  A  FATHER  CONVERTED.—  \ 
A  few  years  since,  says  a  correspon- 
dent of  the  New- York  Evangelist,  dur- 
ing a  powerful  revival  in  New  Eng- 
land, the  Holy  Spirit  exerted  its  mighty 
influence  upon  a  family  circle  con- 
sisting of  a  father,  a  mother,  and  five 
most  interesting  children.  The  mother 
and  her  five  children  were  hopefully 
converted.  The  father,  who  was  nat- 
urally one  of  the  most  amiable,  retiring, 
modest  men  with  whom  I  ever  was 
acquainted,  aided  his  family  in  attend- 
ing the  numerous  meetings,  and  was 
not  unfrequently  seen  bowed  down  and 
trembling  under  the  power  of  truth. 
Still  the  conversions  of  his  wife  and 
children,  in  rapid  succession,  were  like 
so  many  earthquake  shocks  to  the  foun- 
dations on  which  his  false  hopes  had  so 
long  rested.  But  neither  the  affecting 
scenes  of  their  distress,  nor  the  ecsta- 
sies of  their  subsequent  joy,  could  melt 
his  heart  into  contrition.  He  now  felt 
that  he  was  groping  in  a  dark  path,  and 
in  wretched  loneliness ;  he  who  should 
have  been  the  leader  of  a  pious  house- 
hold was  left  far  behind,  a  subject  of 
prayer,  and  an  occasion  of  grief  to  the 
circle  around  him.  Thus  he  remained 
for  weeks. 

Ere  long  preparations  were  made  for 
gathering  the  fruits  of  the  revival  into 
the  church,  and  a  day  appointed  for  the 
examination  of  candidates.  The  mother 
and  her  five  children,  with  some  sixty 
others,  came  before  the  church,  and 
were  propounded  for  admissicTn  into  its 
pale.  As  the  day  of  admission  drew 
191 


64 


CHURCH,  JOININO  THE. 


near,  the  father,  who  had  watched  their 
movements  with  much  concern,  ex- 
pressed his  regret  to  his  wife  that  they 
should  make  a  profession  of  religion  at 
present,  and  requested  that  they  should 
wait  for  him.  The  mother,  deeply 
moved,  solicited  advice  of  the  pastor 
and  other  friends ;  but,  after  due  delib- 
eration, it  was  concluded  that  the  path 
of  their  duty  was  plain,  and  that  they 
were  bound  to  follow  Christ.  With 
unusual  decision  and  firmness  they  re- 
solved to  do  so.  As  soon  as  he  knew 
their  decision,  he  became  more  earnest 
in  his  remonstrances,  and  used  every 
possible  argument,  especially  with  the 
mother,  to  dissuade  her  from  her  pur- 
pose, but  in  vain.  He  soon  changed 
his  tone  of  entreaty  into  that  of  fearful 
threatening,  warning  his  wife  if  she  had 
any  affection  for  him,  any  regard  for 
the  peace  of  the  family,  to  desist  from 
hei  purpose  and  wait  for  him.  "  No," 
saic  the  martyr-like  woman,  "  I  love 
you  most  tenderly,  but  I  love  Christ 
more.  I  have  waited  for  you  for  more 
than  twenty  years,  and  now  I  shall  do 
my  duty,  and  as  to  the  consequences  I 
will  leave  them  with  God." 

At  the  close  of  this  interview,  which 
took  place  Saturday  evening,  he  took 
his  hat,  and  uttering  some  threats,  left 
the  house,  as  if  never  to  return  to  his 
family  again.  It  was  a  painful  night 
to  mother  and  children.  Might  he  not 
become  the  victim  of  lasting  mania,  or 
in  his  rage  and  disappointment  sudden- 
ly destroy  himself?  As  it  afterwards 
appeared,  he  retired  to  his  barn,  threw 
himself  on  the  hay-mow,  (it  being  mid- 
summer,) and  there  rolled  and  strug- 
gled like  a  wild  beast  in  the  net.  An 
awful  warfare  was  waging  between  an 
awakened  conscience  and  a  desperately 
rebellious  heart.  He  could  not,  would 
not  submit.  Sabbath  morning  came — 
the  family,  with  trembling  anxiety  for 
the  absent  father,  prepared  to  go  to  the 
house  of  God  ;  but,  just  before  the  hour 
of  service,  his  feelings  drove  him  from 
his  hiding  place.  He  was  safe,  but  still 
unhumbled.  He  again  inquired  of  his 
wife  if  she  remained  fixed  in  her  pur- 
pose, and  finding  she  did,  he  left  the 
house  with  dreadful  signs  of  rebellion, 
throwing  out  some  intimations  that  he 
192 


never  should  return — that  fearful  con- 
I  sequences  might    be    anticipated.     He 
I  was  soon  out  of  sight,  but  not  out  of 
i  mind.     The  family  departed ;  and  the 
I  father,  finding    his  threats    unavailing, 
I  returned  to  his  house,  prepared  his  per- 
j  son  with  despatch,  and  was  soon  seen 
i  placed   in   the    gallery   in   a   situation 
!  favorable  for  witnessing  the  ceremony 
I  he  had  opposed  so  vainly.     And  when 
j  the  ceremony  of  reception  took  place, 
I  and  the  father    looked  down  and  saw 
I  his  wife  and  five  children,  with  the  rest, 
kneel  around   the  altar,  he   burst  into 
tears,  and  his  agitation  was  great.    The 
step  was  taken,  and  could  not  be  re- 
traced. 

On  retiring  from  the  house  he  felt 
that  he  was  indeed  alone.  He  began 
to  come  to  himself — to  review  the 
dreadful  rebellion  of  his  heart  which 
recent  events  had  brought  to  light.  His 
heart  began  to  break ;  and  in  a  few 
hours  his  soul  was  made  to  rejoice  in 
that  Savior  whom  he  had  so  recently 
persecuted.  He  now  felt  deeply  thank- 
ful that  his  wife  had  taken  so  decided 
a  course  ;  and  he  considered  her  unit- 
ing with  the  church,  the  means,  in  God's 
hands,  of  leading  him  to  repentance. 

(c)  THE  AGED  BLACKSMITH'S 
TESTIMONY.— In  the  year  184-, 
Mr.  W.,  of  R.  I.,  related  the  following: 
"  Thirty-four  years  ago  I  thouijit  God, 
for  Christ's  sake,  pardoned  my  sins. 
My  wife  and  myself  thought  it  duty  to 
follow  Christ  in  baptism,  and  unite  with 
the  people  of  God.  The  day  arrived 
on  which  we  were  to  relate  our  experi- 
ence to  the  church,  with  a  view  to  be- 
coming members.  We  were  nearly 
prepared  to  leave  home,  when  a  gentle- 
man called,  and  wished  to  transact 
some  business  with  me.  I  told  my  wife 
to  go  on — I  would  be  along  soon.  She 
went,  related  her  experience,  was  bap- 
tized, and  lived  and  died  in  the  bosom 
of  the  church.  But  I  was  detained 
longer  than  I  expected  to  be,  and  found, 
when  ready  to  go,  that  it  was  too  late. 
The  next  meeting  for  the  purpose  I  was 
again  hindered  by  yielding  to  worldly 
business  ;  and  by  the  third  meeting  I 
had  little  inclination  to  go,  and  doubted 
whether  I  was  a  Christian.  Since  then 
you  have  heard  me  profane  the  name 


CHURCH,  JOIN  IMG  THE. 


§A 


of  God,  and  seen  me  neglect  the  house 
of  his  worship.  But  there  has  never 
been  a  single  night  that  1  have  not, 
when  laying  my  head  upon  my  pillow, 
reflected  upon  the  time  of  my  redemp- 
tion, and  endured  bitter  remorse  in 
view  of  my  disobedience.  But  the 
feding  which  I  had  on  iliat  afternoon^ 
has  never  returned.  If  I  walk,  I  must 
go  in  the  dark.  And  now  I  am  about 
'  fourscore  years  old,'  and  had  I  the 
world  I  would  give  it,  for  a  return  of 
that  impressive  sense  of  my  obligation 
to  God  which  should  lead  me  to  do  the 
long  neglected  duty.  O  !  my  friends, 
as  you  value  your  soul's  interest,  let  no 
earthly  consideration  prevent  the  imme- 
diate discharge  of  duty." 

{d)  THE  HUSBAND'S  CONVER- 
SION._A  woman  in  Bow,  N.  H., 
was  converted  through  the  instrumen- 
tality of  an  itinerant  minister,  and  was 
accordingly  anxious  to  make  a  public 
profession  of  religion  by  baptism.  She 
wished  to  have  her  spiritual  father 
preach  in  her  house,  and  then  adminis- 
ter to  her  the  ordinance.  Accordingly  she 
suggested  her  feelings  to  her  husband. 
His  hatred  to  the  cross  was  already 
roused  by  his  wife's  conversion,  and 
this    proposal    kindled    it   to   a   fury. 

"  No,"  said  he,  "  Mr. shoH  never 

preach  in  my  house."  "  May  he  not 
preach  in  the  yard  then?"  said  she. 
"  No,  there  is  no  room  for  him  in  the 
yard."  "  Well,  I  supp:>se  you  will  let 
us  have  the  barn  ?"  "  No,  never,  for 
any  such  purpose."  "  But  we  may  go 
into  the  orchard,  perhaps  ?"  "  No,  he 
shall  not  preach  any  where  upon  my 
premises."  "  Well,  we  will  have  the 
meeting  in  the  road  then."  "  If  you 
suffer  him,"  said  the  husband,  "  to  bap- 
tize you,  that  breaks  up  our  union; 
you  will  never  be  allowed  to  enter  this 
house  again."  The  pious  woman,  how- 
ever, was  not  in  the  least  disposed  to 
yield  to  any  such  opposition,  and  she 
gave  her  husband  to  understand  it. 
Whatever  trials  might  await  her,  even 
exile  from  her  family,  she  stood  pre- 
pared to  abide,  rather  than  neglect  her 
duty  and  violate  God's  commands.  Her 
husband  found  himself  baffled.*  He 
saw  that  she  was  actuated  by  a  new 
principle,  a  strong  and  sublime  affection 
13 


for  God  and  his  word,  to  which  she  had 
once  been  a  stranger,  and  to  which  he 
was  still  a  stranger  himself  J  [is 
mind  sunk  in  deep  and  deeper  distress. 
One  day  she  went  up  into  her  chamber, 
perhaps  to  pour  out  her  soul  in  secn>t 
before  God,  when  her  husband  was  so 
overcome  by  the  force  of  his  conviction*>. 
that  he  followed  her,  and  desired  her  to 
pray  for  him.  They  went  to  prayer  ; 
and  as  they  rose  up,  and  looked  out 
of  the  window,  they  saw  the  before-men- 
tioned itinerant  minister  approaching. 
None  could  be  more  glad  to  see  him 
than  was  the  persecuting  husband  now, 
or  more  anxious  for  an  interest  in  his 
prayers.  He  directed  him  to  the  Sa- 
vior, and  presented  him  in  the  arms 
of  his  faith  before  the  throne.  The 
husband  was  now  perfectly  willing 
to  have  the  minister  preach  in  the  house, 
which  he  did :  and  he  was  perfectly 
willing  that  his  wife  should  receive 
baptism,  but  he  wished  her  to  wait  a 
short  time,  so  that  they  both  might  re- 
cei^'e  the  ordinance  together.  She  con- 
oMded  to  do  so;  and  two  or  three 
weeks  after,  they  w6re  both  baptized 
by  the  itinerant,  on  the  same  day,  and 
received  into  the  fellowship  of  the 
church. 

(e)  THE  OPPOSING  HUSBAND. 
— When  the  Rev.  Mr.  Morton  was 
settled  in  Manlius,  New- York,  the 
church  of  which  he  was  pastor  met 
together  on  Saturday  afternoon  for  co- 
venant meeting.  A  man  and  his  wife 
who  were  strangers  to  Mr.  M.,  were 
present ;  and  being  informed  by  one 
of  her  friends  that  the  lady  would  like 
to  be  baptized,  at  a  suitable  time  Mr. 
M.  called  on  her  to  relate  her  Christian 
experience.  As  she  arose  to  speak  she 
gave  her  child  to  her  husband,  who 
immediately  withdrew  with  it  into  the 
yard  before  the  door.  The  church 
heard  her  narration,  and  received  her 
as  candidate  for  the  ordinance.  On  the 
ensuing  Sabbath  she  was  baptized. 
Mr.  M.  having  learned  that  the  woman's 
husband  was  offended  with  him,  sought 
an  interview.  In  answer  to  the  in- 
quiry whether  he  was  offended  or  no, 
he  replied  to  Mr.  M.  that  he  felt  very 
much  offended  with  him,  both  for  bap- 
tizing his  wife,  and  also  because  Mr. 
193 


84 


CHURCH,  JOINING  THE. 


Morton  had  addressed  all  his  discourse 
to  him  that  morning  in  the  meeting- 
house. Mr.  M.  replied  firmly,  "  In 
baptizing  your  wife,  sir,  I  had  no  busi- 
ness to  act  according  to  your  preferen- 
ces, for  I  acted  as  God's  ambassador ; 
and  I  consider  that  you  have  no  business 
to  say  a  word  in  opposition.  I  knew 
not  that  you  had  an)^  objections  to  your 
wife's  joining  our  church  ;  but  if  I  had, 
that  ought  not  to  have  prevented  me 
from  doing  my  duty,  nor  your  wife 
from  doing  hers.  As  to  my  sermon  this 
morning,  if  it  contained  truth  adapted 
to  your  case,  I  hope  you  will  apply  it : 
'if  the  coat  fits  you,  put  it  on  !'  But  I 
advise  you,  sir,  to  go  home  and  read 
your  Bible,  and  repent  of  your  sins, 
before  your  iniquity  shall  be  your  ruin." 
The  opposer  shrunk  before  Mr.  M.'s 
faithfulness,  and  the  words  sunk  into 
his  heart.  Early  the  next  Tuesday 
morning,  he  came  to  Mr.  Morton's  resi- 
dence in  great  distress  of  mind.  He 
confessed  that  since  the  interview  of 
Sunday  he  had  had  no  peace ;  and  he 
desired  Mr.  M.'s  forgiveness  and  pray- 
ers. He  stated  that  he  had  kept  his 
wife  awake  all  Saturday  night,  trying 
to  persuade  and  frighten  her  out  of  her 
purpose  of  being  baptized.  But  he 
could  not  move  her  ;  and  now  he  wished 
to  be  converted  and  go  and  do  likewise. 
Three  weeks  from  that  memorable  Sab- 
bath Mr.  M.  baptized  him  into  the 
fellowship  of  the  church. 

(/)  THE  BANISHED  DAUGH- 
TER.— In  the  time  of  a  revival  in  Har- 
bor Creek,  Pa.,  the  daughter  of  an  infidel 
was  happily  converted,  and  on  a  Satur- 
day afternoon  related  to  the  Baptist 
church  her  Christian  experience,  and 
was  received  as  acanditate  for  baptism. 

She  was  intending  to  be  baptized  on 
the  ensuing  Sabbath,  and  in  the  morning 
she  made  known  her  intention  to  her 
infidel  father.  He  told  her  angrily 
that  if  she  went  into  the  water,  he  would 
immediately  banish  her  from  his  house. 
After  consulting    with    some    of   her 


friends,  she  concluded  to  defer  the 
matter  till  some  future  occasion.  At 
the  close  of  the  afternoon  service,  Rhoda 
Ann,  for  that  was  her  name,  repaired 
to  the  water  with  the  rest  of  the  as- 
sembly to  witness  the  baptism  of  other 
converts.  After  the  last  candidate  was 
immersed,  the  preacher  addressed  the 
assembly,  and  urged  any  who  might 
feel  it  their  duty,  to  relate  their  experi- 
ence to  the  church,  most  of  w^hom  were 
present ;  and,  if  the  church  so  desired, 
he  would  baptize  any  such  persons  be- 
fore they  left  the  water.  One  afler 
another  acceded  to  his  request,  came 
before  the  church,  and  were  accepted 
and  baptized.  At  length  Rhoda  Ann 
stepped  forward,  and  exclaimed  with 
streaming  eyes,  "  I  believe  it  is  better 
to  obey  God  than  man  !"  There  was 
a  moral  sublimity  in  the  thought  and  in 
this  new  occasion  of  its  utterance,  that 
must  have  wrought  a  most  thrilling 
impression  upon  every  mind.  Having 
in  a  few  words  given  an  account  of 
God's  gracious  dealings  with  her  soul, 
she  too  was  received  and  buried  with 
Christ  in  baptism.  On  her  return  home, 
siif^  found  her  father  absent ;  but  when 
he  came  in,  some  of  the  members  of  the 
family  told  him  of  the  step  Rhoda  had 
taken.  Turning  to  her,  he  said  with 
firmness,  "  Rhoda,  you  remember  what 
I  said  to  you  this  morning ;  you  must 
now  quit  my  house."  Rhoda  solicited 
the  privilege  of  taking  away  her  clothes 
and  other  things  with  her  ;  and  having 
permission,  she  soon  gathered  them  to- 
gether, bade  her  friends  farewell,  and 
started  forth  upon  her  cruel  exile,  be- 
tween sundown  and  dark.  Soon  after 
she  had  gone  out,  her  father  opened  the 
door  and  called  after  her,  "  Rhoda  Ann," 
said  he,  "you  may  come  back  now.  / 
want  you  to  understand  that  I  am  to  he 
obeyed .'" 

Rhoda  returned  ;  but  from  that  time 
her  father  treated  her,  as  she  declared, 
with  greater  kindness  and  tenderness 
than  ever. 


194 


COMMENTARIES— COMMUNION  OF  THE  LORD'S  SUPPER.        85,  86 


85.  COMMENTARIES. 


(a)  THE  MISTAKEN  DIVINES.— 
Rica,  having  been  to  visit  the  library  of  a 
French  convent,  writes  thus  to  his  friend 
in  Persia,  concerning  what  had  passed  : 
"  Father,"  said  I  to  the  librarian,  "  what 
are  these  huge  volumes  which  fill  the 
whole  side  of  the  library  V  "  These," 
said  he,  "  are  the  interpreters  of  the 
Scriptures."  "  There  is  a  prodigious 
number  of  them,"  replied  I ;  "  the  Scrip- 
tures must  have  been  very  dark  formerly, 
and  be  very  clear  at  present.  Do  there 
remain  still  any  doubts  ?  Are  there  now 
any  points  contested  ?"     "  Are  there  !" 


answered  he  with  surprise,  "  are  there  ! 
There  are  almost  as  many  as  there 
are  lines."  You  astonish  me,"  said  I; 
"  what  then  have  all  these  authors  been 
doing  V  "  These  authors,"  returned 
he,  "  never  searched  the  Scriptures  for 
what  ought  to  be  believed,  but  for  what 
they  did  believe  themselves.  They  did 
not  consider  them  as  a  book  wherein 
were  contained  the  doctrines  which  they 
ought  to  receive,  but  as  a  work  which 
might  be  made  to  authorize  their  own 
ideas." 


86.  COMMUNION  OF  THE  LORD'S  SUPPER. 


(a)  COL.  GARDINER'S  ENJOY- 
MENT. — A  more  devout  communi- 
cant at  the  table  of  the  Lord,  says  Dr. 
Doddridge,  in  his  life  of  Colonel  Gardin- 
er, has,  perhaps,  seldom  been  any 
where  known.  Often  have  I  had  the 
pleasure  to  see  that  manly  countenance 
softened  into  all  the  marks  of  humilia- 
tion and  contrition  on  these  occasions  : 
and  to  discern,  in  spite  of  all  his  efforts 
to  conceal  them,  streams  of  tears  flow- 
ing down  from  his  eyes,  while  he  has 
been  directing  them  to  those  memorials 
of  his  Redeemer's  love.  And  some, 
who  have  conversed  intimately  with  him 
after  he  came  from  that  ordinance,  have 
observed  a  visible  abstraction  from  sur- 
rounding objects,  by  which  there  seem- 
ed reason  to  imagine  that  his  soul  was 
wrapped  up  in  holy  contemplation. 
And  I  particularly  remember,  that  when 
we  had  once  spent  a  great  part  of  the 
following  Monday  in  riding  together,  he 
made  an  apology  to  me  for  being  so  ab- 
sent as  he  seemed,  by  telling  me  that 
his  heart  was  flown  upwards,  before  he 
was  aware,  to  Him  whom  having  not 
seen  he  loved  ;  and  he  was  rejoicing  in 
him  with  such  unspeakable  joy,  that 
he  could  not  hold  it  down  to  creature 
converse. 


(b)  LAYING  ASIDE  A  CROWN. 

— At  the  coronation  of  his  Majesty 
George  III,  after  the  anointing  was  over 
in  the  Abbey,  and  the  crown  put  upon 
his  head  with  great  shouting,  the  two 
archbishops  came  to  hand  him  down 
from  the  throne  to  receive  the  sacra- 
ment. His  majesty  told  them  he  would 
not  go  to  the  Lord's  Supper,  and  par- 
take of  that  ordinance,  with  the  crown 
upon  his  head  :  for  he  looked  upon  him- 
self, when  appearing  before  the  King 
of  kings,  in  no  other  character  than  in 
that  of  a  humble  Christian.  The  bi- 
shops replied,  that  although  there  was 
no  precedent  for  this,  it  should  be  com- 
plied with.  Immediately  he  put  off  his 
crown,  and  laid  it  aside :  he  then  de- 
sired that  the  same  should  be  done  with 
respect  to  the  queen.  It  was  answered, 
that  her  crown  was  pinned  on  her  head, 
that  it  could  not  be  easily  taken  off;  to 
which  the  king  replied,  "  Well,  let  it  be 
reckoned  a  part  of  her  dress,  and  in  no 
other  light."  "  When  I  saw  and  heard 
this,"  says  the  narrator,  "  it  warmed  my 
heart  towards  him  ;  and  I  could  not 
help  thinking,  that  there  would  be  some- 
thing good  found  about  him  towards  the 
Lord  God  of  Israel. 

(c)  CHILDREN  PRESENT.— The 

195 


86,87 


COMPANY,  EVIL. 


Rev.  John  Brown,  in  a  narrative  of  his 
experience,  remarks,  "  1  reflect  on  it  as 
a  great  mercy,  that  I  was  born  in  a 
family  which  took  care  of  my  Christian 
instruction,  and  in  which  1  had  the 
privilege  of  God's  worship,  morning 
and  evening.  About  the  eighth  year  of 
my  age,  I  happened,  in  a  crowd,  to  push 
into  the  church  at  Abernethy,  on  a 
Sacrament  Sabbath.  Before  I  was  ex- 
cluded, I  heard  a  minister  speak  much  in 
commendation  of  Christ;  this,  in  a 
sweet  and  delightful  manner,  captivated 
my  young  affections,  and  has  since 
made  me  tliink  that  children  should 
never  be  kept  out  of  church  on  such 
occasions." 

(d)  THE  COMMUNION  PRO- 
FANED.— In  a  speech  in  the  House 
of  Lords,  in  1719,  Lord  Lansdowne 
said,  "  The  receiving  of  the  Lord's  Sup- 
per was  never  intended  to  be  as  a  quali- 
fication for  an  office  ;  but  as  an  open 
declaration  of  one's  being  and  remain- 
ing a  sincere  member  of  the  church  of 
Christ.  Whoever  presumes  to  receive 
it  with  any  other  vieAv,  profanes  it,  and 
may  be  said  to  seek  his  promotion  in 
this  world,  by  eating  and  drinking  his 
own  damnation  in  the  next." 

(e)  THE  ESQUIMAUX  COM- 
MUNICANTS.— "We  can  truly  say," 
observes  a  Moravian  missionary,  "  that 
among  the  very  considerable  number  of 
Esquimaux  who  live  with  us,  we  know 
of  few  who  are  not  seriously  desirous 
to  profit  by  what  they  hear,  and  to  ex- 
perience and  enjoy  themselves,  that 
which  they  see  their  countrymen  pos- 
sess. Our  communicants  give  us 
pleasure ;    for  it  is  the  wish  of  their 


very  hearts  to  live  unto  the  Lord,  and 
their  conduct  affords  proofs  of  the  sin- 
cerity of  their  professions  ;  thus  for  ex- 
ample, Esquimaux  sisters,  who  have  no 
boat  of  their  own,  venture  across  bays 
some  miles  in  breadth,  sitting  behind 
their  husbands,  on  their  narrow  kajacks, 
in  order  to  be  present  at  the  holy  sacra- 
ment, though  at  the  peril  of  their  lives." 
What  a  lesson  is  this  for  those  who  live 
near,  and  make  any  trifling  thing  an 
excuse 

(/)'  COLONEL  GARDINER'S 
PREPARATION.— Colonel  Gardiner, 
in  a  letter,  mentions  the  pleasure  with 
which  he  had  attended  a  preparation 
sermon  the  Saturday  before  the  dispen- 
sation of  the  Lord's  Supper.  He  writes, 
"  I  took  a  walk  on  the  mountains  over 
against  Ireland  ;  and  I  persuade  myself, 
that  were  I  capable  of  giving  you  a  de- 
scription of  what  passed  there,  you 
would  agree  that  I  had  much  better 
reason  to  remember  my  God  from  the 
hills  of  Port-Patrick,  than  David  from 
the  land  or' Jordan,  and  of  the  Hermon- 
ites  from  the  hill  Mizar.  In  short,  1 
wrestled  some  hours  with  the  Angel  of 
the  covenant,  and  made  supplications  to 
him  with  floods  of  tears  and  cries,  until 
I  had  almost  expired  ;  but  he  strength- 
ened  me  so,  that  like  Jacob,  I  had  pow- 
er with  God  and  prevailed.  You  will 
be  more  able  to  judge  of  this,  by  what 
you  have  felt  yourself,  upon  the  like 
occasions.  After  such  a  preparatory 
work,  I  need  not  tell  you  how  blessed 
the  solemn  ordinance  of  the  Lord's 
Supper  proved  to  me ;  I  hope  it  was  so 
to  many." 


87.  COMPANY,  EVIL. 


(a)  BURGLARY  AND  DEATH.— 

A  poor  boy,  wbo  had  been  educated  in 
the  Stockport  Sunday  school,  England, 
conducted  himself  so  well,  and  made 
such  great  proficiency  in  learning,  that 
he  was  appointed  teacher  of  one  of  the 
junior  classes.  About  this  time  his  fa- 
ther died,  and  his  mother,  reduced  to  in- 
digent  circumstances,  sent  him  to  one 
196 


of  the  cotton  factories.  Here  he  met 
with  boys  of  his  own  age,  who  were 
hardened  in  sin.  Through  the  force 
of  their  evil  example  he  lost,  by  de- 
grees, all  his  serious  impressions ;  and 
having  thrown  off  the  fear  of  God,  be- 
came addicted  to  intemperance  and  the 
commission  of  petty  thefts.  His  disso- 
lute conduct  soon  led  him  into  the  army. 


COMPAY,  EVIL. 


87 


The  regiment  was  sent  to  Spain,  where 
his  habit  of  excessive  drinking  was 
confirmed  ;  and  not  satisfied  with  the 
advantages  he  reaped  as  the  fruits  of 
many  victories,  he  plundered  the  inno- 
cent and  peaceful  inhabitants.  On  the 
close  ot  the  war  in  the  peninsula,  he 
returned  home  with  his  regiment :  and 
soon  after  landing  on  the  coast  of  Hamp- 
shire, he,  with  others  of  his  compan- 
ions, whose  principles  he  had  vitiated, 
broke  into  several  houses  ;  till  at  length 
he  was  detected,  arraigned  at  the  tribu- 
nal of  justice,  and  condemned  to  an  igno- 
minious death  at  the  age  of  twenty-one. 

(b)  REMORSE  AND  SUICIDE.— 
In  the  year  1832,  died  in  Essex,  En- 
ijland,  under  very  painful  circumstances, 
a  young  man  who  had  once  promised 
to  be  happy  and  useful.  He  was  ap- 
prenticed to  a  respectable  shopkeeper, 
who  insisted  on  his  always  being  at 
home  by  a  certain  hour  in  the  evening. 
For  some  time  he  appeared  very  atten- 
tive to  his  business,  and  was  useful  to 
his  master  ;  but  he  unhappily  acquired 
the  habit  of  walking  about  the  streets 

-in  an  evening,  and  soon  after  formed 
very  improper  connexions  at  a  public 
house.  He  was  seriously  admonished, 
and  at  times  appeared  to  feel  the  impro- 
priety of  his  conduct ;  but  the  sins  he 
cherished  hardened  his  heart,  and  his 
irregularities  became  confirmed.  At 
length,  his  master,  on  returning  from  a 
journey,  heard  complaints  of  his  con- 
duct, which  led  him  to  threaten  that  un- 
less his  conduct  was  altered,  he  would 
cancel  his  indentures.  He  now  felt 
that  his  sins  were  hastening  him  to  the 
ruin  against  which  he  had  often  been 
warned ;  he  had  lost  alike  the  confi- 
dence of  his  master  and  his  parents. 
Stung  by  the  convictions  of  his  guilt, 
he  repaired  to  his  room,  when  he  knew 
that  he  would  be  expected  at  dinner, 
and  committed  suicide ;  thus  rushing 
into  the  presence  of  his  Judge  uncalled, 
and  every  way  unprepared.  Who  can 
conceive  the  acuteness  of  his  anguish, 
when  he  f:)und  himself  in  the  presence 
of  that  God  whose  laws  he  had  tram- 
pled under  his  feet,  but  from  whose 
wrath  he  found  it  impossible  to  escape  ! 

(c)  BLAIR'S  EXTREMES— Mr. 
Robert  Blair,  in  a  memoir  of  his  life, 


written  by  himself,  says,  '•  That  year, 
(1616,)  having,  upon  an  evening,  been 
engaged  in  company  with  some  irre- 
ligious persons,  when  I  returned  to  my 
chamber,  and  went  to  my  ordinary  de- 
votion, the  Lord  did  show  so  much  dis- 
pleasure and  wrath,  that  I  was  driven 
from  prayer,  and  heavily  threatened  to 
be  deserted  of  God.  For  this  I  had  a 
restless  night,  and  resolved  to  spend  the 
next  day  in  extraordinary  humiliation, 
fasting  and  prayer;  and  toward  the 
evening  of  that  day,  I  found  access  to 
God,  with  sweet  peace,  through  Jesus 
Christ,  and  learned  to  beware  of  such 
company ;  but  then  I  did  run  into  ano- 
ther extreme  of  rudeness  and  incivility 
toward  such  as  were  profane  and  irreli- 
gious, so  hard  a  thing  is  it  for  short- 
sighted sinners  to  hold  the  right  and  the 
straight  way." 

(d)  JUDGE  BULLER'S  CAU- 
TION.— Judge  Buller,  when  in  the 
company  of  a  young  gentleman  of  six- 
teen, cautioned  him  against  being  led 
astray,  by  the  example  or  persuasion  of 
others,  and  said,  "  If  I  had  listened  to 
the  advice  of  some  of  those  who  called 
themselves  my  friends  when  1  was 
young,  instead  of  being  a  Judge  of  the 
King's  Bench,  [  should  have  died  long 
ago  a  prisoner  in  the  King's  Bench." 

(e)  ELLIOT'S  ADVICE.  — The 
Rev.  John  Elliot,  styled  The  Apostle  of 
the  Indians,  was  once  asked  by  a  pious 
woman,  who  was  vexed  with  a  wicked 
husband,  and  bad  company  frequently 
infesting  her  house  on  his  account,  what 
she  should  do  ?  "  Take,"  said  he,  "  the 
Holy  Bible  into  your  hand  when  bad 
company  comes  in,  and  that  will  soon 
drive  them  out  of  the  house." 

(/)  A  GOOD  EXPEDIENT.— A 
pious  officer  of  the  army,  travelling 
through  the  Mahratta  country,  was  ask- 
ed by  Judge  D ,  a  religious  gentle- 
man, to  accompany  him  to  a  public 
dinner,  at  which  the  commanding 
officer  of  the  district,  with  all  his  staff, 
and  various  other  public  characters, 
were  expected  to  meet. 

"  I  expressed  a  wish  to  be  excused," 
says  the  officer,  "  as  I  had  then  no  relish 
for  such  entertainments,  and  did  not 
think  that  much  either  of  pleasure  or 
profit  was  to  be  derived  from  them." 
197 


88 


CONFERENCE  MEETINGS. 


His  reply  was — "  While  I  feel  it  my 
duty  to  attend  on  such  an  occasion,  I 
certainly  have  as  little  pleasure  in  it  as 
you  have.  But  there  is  one  way  in 
which  I  find  I  can  be  present  at  such 
meetings,  and  yet  receive  no  injury 
from  them.     I  endeavor  to  conceive  to 


myself  the  Lord  Jesus  seated  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  table,  and  to  think 
what  he  would  wish  me  to  do  and  to 
say,  when  placed  in  such  a  situation, 
and  as  long  as  I  can  keep  this  thought 
alive  on  my  mind,  I  find  I  am  free 
from  danger." 


88.  CONFERENCE  MEETINGS. 


(a)  MY  BRETHREN,  THE  LORD 
IS  GOOD. — It  is  not  necessary  in  our 
meetings  for  conference  and  prayer, 
that  a  Christian  should  speak  with  a 
high  degree  of  ability  and  talent,  in 
order  to  be  a  benefit  to  the  meeting. 
An  exhortation  with  little  logical  con- 
nexion or  rhetorical  beauty  about  it, 
poured  from  a  feeling  heart,  has  often 
produced  njore  deep  and  powerful  im- 
pressions than  the  most  elaborate  ad- 
dresses. A  few  words  even,  from  a  weak 
and  trembling  disciple,  have  frequently 
done  more  execution  than  a  long  dis- 
course from  others. 

There  was  a  feeble  stammering  bro- 
ther in  the  southern  part  of  Connecticut, 
who  deemed  his  gift  so  small  that  he 
usually  kept  silent  in  religious  meetings. 
But  on  one  occasion,  in  the  midst  of  a 
revival,  his  emotions  were  so  strong 
that  he  could  not  keep  his  seat.  He 
rose  to  give  his  feelings  vent ;  but  all 
the  stammerer   could   say,  was,  "  My 

BRETHREN,     THE     LoRD     IS     GOOD,"    and 

then  sat  down.  But  his  words  fell  with 
power  on  the  hearts  of  those  present, 
thrilled  them  like  an  electric  stroke, 
and  gave  a  fresh  and  lively  interest  to 
the  meeting. — Who  could  not  say  as 
much ! 

(b)  THE  ELECTRIFYING  SEN- 
TENCE. — In  a   prayer-meeting,  held 

several  years  since,  in  W ,  Rhode 

Island,  a  person  arose,  and  holding  up 
his  right  hand,  exclaimed,  "  I  am  on 
the  Lord's  side."  The  speaker  said  no 
more,  and  as  it  would  seem,  felt  unable 
to  do  so.  But  the  effect  was  magical. 
There  was  an  eloquence  in  that  simple 
sentence  and  the  manner  of  its  utterance, 


that  went  home  to  the  minds  and  bosoms 
of  all  present,  with  kindling,  melting 
energy.  Such  a  happy  and  lasting 
impression  was  produced,  that  years 
afterwards  it  was  mentioned  again  and 
again,  by  different  persons,  to  a  pastor 
who  was  newly  settled  in  the  place. 

(c)  DULL  CONFERENCE  MEET- 
INGS. — Before  I  knew  any  thing  ex- 
perimentally of  religion,  said  a  young 
convert  in  Rhode  Island,  I  used  often 
to  attend  conference  and  prayer-meet- 
ings, and  when  Christians  were  engaged 
and  the  time  improved,  I  could  not  but 
be  interested  and  carry  away  impres-' 
sions  strongly  in  favor  of  religion.  But 
when  they  spoke  of  its  being  a  heavy 
cross  for  them  to  speak  or  pray  before 
others,  I  could  not  understand  them. 
It  seemed  that  if  I  were  such  as  they 
professed  to  be,  it  would  be  no  cross  to 
me,  but  a  pleasure.  And  when  I  at- 
tended social  meetings  where  the  exer- 
cises dragged  heavily,  I  felt  uninterest- 
ed— displeased.  As  I  went  away  from 
such  meetings,  my  mind  was  darkened 
with  skeptical  suspicions  and  doubts. 
Can  these  Christians,  thought  I,  have 
such  joy  in  religion,  such  love  for 
Christ,  as  they  sometimes  express,  and 
yet  be  so  backward  and  silent  ?  Is  their 
fountain  of  enjoyment  so  poor,  so  in- 
constant as  this  ?  How  much  can  such 
a  religion  be  worth  ?  Can  there  be 
any  thing  divine  and  substantial  in  it  ? 
This  would  be  the  course  of  my  reflec- 
tions ;  such  lifeless  services  not  only 
destroyed  my  interest  in  attending  such 
meetings,  but  shook  my  confidence  in 
professors  of  religion,  and  in  religion 
itself! 


198 


CONFESSION— CONFESSION  OF  SIN. 


§9,90 


CONFESSION. 


89.  Noble  Examples  of  Confession. 

(a)  Dr.  JOHNSON'S  CONFES- 
SION.— Ignorant  people  are  generally- 
positive  and  assuming  ;  and,  even  when 
they  find  themselves  in  an  error,  are  too 
proud  to  acknowledge  it ;  but  those  wiio 
are  truly  wise,  have  learned  that  they 
are  also  fallible ;  they  rejoice  in  an 
opportunity  of  having  an  error  corrected, 
and  they  can  afford  to  acknowledge  it, 
without  risking  all  their  reputation,  or 
any  of  it,  with  persons  of  real  judgment. 

The  celebrated  Dr.  Johnson,  one  of 
the  most  learned  men  that  England 
ever  produced,  one  night,  rather  late, 
had  a  dispute  in  conversation  with  a 
Mr.  Morgan.  Johnson  had  the  wrong 
side,  but  did  not  give  up ;  in  short,  both 
kept  the  field.  Next  morning,  when 
they  met  in  the  breakfast  room,  Dr. 
Johnson,  with  great  candor,  accosted 
Mr.  Morgan  thus  :  "  Sir,  I  have  been 
thinking  on  our  dispute  last  night ;  you 
were  in  the  right." 

(b)  WASHINGTON'S  CONFES- 
SION.— Washington,  when  stationed 
in  early  life  at  Alexandria,  with  a 
regiment  under  his  command,  grew 
warm  at  an  election,  and  said  some- 
thing offensive  to  a  Mr.  Payne,  who, 
with  one  blow  of  his  cane,  brought  him 
to  the  ground.  On  hearing  of  the 
insult,  the    regiment,    burning  for  re- 


venge, started  for  the  r.ity  ;  but  Wash- 
ington met  them,  and  begged  them,  by 
their  regard  for  him,  to  return  peaceably 
to  their  barracks.  Finding  himself  in 
the  wrong,  he  nobly  resolved  to  make 
an  honorable  reparation,  and  next  morn- 
ing sent  a  polite  note  requesting  Payne 
to  meet  him  at  the  tavern.  Payne 
took  it  for  a  challenge,  and  went  in 
expectation  of  a  duel ;  but  what  was 
his  surprise  to  find  instead  of  pistols,  a 
decanter  of  wine  on  the  table.  Wash- 
ington rose  to  raeet  him,  and  .said  with 
a  smile,  "  Mr.  Payne,  to  err  is  human  ; 
but  to  correct  our  errors  is  always 
honorable.  I  believe  I  was  wrong  yes- 
terday ;  you  have  had,  I  think,  some 
satisfaction ;  and  if  you  deem  that 
sufficient,  here  is  my  hand — let  v\s  be 
friends."  Such  an  act  few  could  resist ; 
and  Payne  became  from  that  moment 
through  life,  an  enthusJAstic  friend  And 
admirer  of  Washington. 

(c)  LORD  MANSFIELD'S  MAXIM. 
— This  eminent  judge  was  never  asham- 
ed of  publicly  retracting  any  wrong 
opinion  he  had  entertained,  when  once 
convinced  of  his  mistake.  He  us^ 
frequently  to  say,  probably  after  Dean 
Swift,  who  has  a  similar  passage  in  hi^ 
writings,  "  That  to  acknowledge  yon 
were  wrong  yesterday,  was  but  to  lei 
the  world  know  that  you  are  wiser  to 
day  than  you  were  then." 


CONFESSION  OF  SIN. 


HAPPY  EFFECTS  OF  CONFESSION. 
90.  Procures  Peace  of  Mind. 

(a)  "  I  HAVE  BEEN  DRUNK."— 

Confession  of  wrong  accomplishes  its 
real  object  in  proportion  to  its  plain, 
explicit  declaration  respecting  the  wrong 
as  committed.  If  the  wrong  is  pub- 
lic, let  the  confession  be  public ;  if 
private,  let  the  confession  be  also.     A 


been  accustomed  td 
use    of    intoxicating 


member  of  a  church  in  R town 

ship,  N.  Y.,  had,  according  to  the  prac 
tice  of  the  times 
indulge    in    the 

drinks.  On  one  occasion  he  was  so 
overcome  as  to  falter  in  his  step  and 
stammer  in  his  speech.  A  little  time 
after  this,  having  awaked  to  a  sense  of 
his  spiritual  declension,  he  came  to  the 
church  and  made  an  apparently  most 
sincere  and  heart-broken  confession, 
199 


91,92 


CONFESSION  OF  SIN. 


He  confessed  coldness,  worldly-mind- 
edness,  neglect  of  prayer,  neglect  of 
the  church,  and  almost  all  manner  of 
backslidings.  Yet  he  sat  down  without 
any  alleviation  of  his  distress.  Convic- 
tion and  anguish  of  spirit  increased. 
He  confessed  again,  and  still  his  trouble 
increased.  At  three  successive  meet- 
ings his  tears  and  his  sad  countenance 
added  interest  to  his  humiliating  con- 
fessions, and  still  his  soul  was  the  more 
burdened.  Finally  he  arose,  and  with 
a  full  soul,  sobbing  aloud,  said,*  I  have 
been  drunk.  Will  you  forgive  me  ?" 
The  effect  was  electrical.  Peace  and 
joy  filled  his  soul,  and  the  forgiveness 
of  his  brethren  and  friends  beamed  on 
every  countenance.  Such  is  the  result 
of  a  confession  that  covers  the  wrong. 

91.  Prevents  Alienation. 
(a)  J.  BRADFORD  AND  J. 
WESLEY.— Joseph  Bradford  was  for 
some  years  the  travelling  companion 
of  Mr.  Wesley,  for  whom  he  would 
have  sacrificed  health  and  even  life, 
but  to  whom  his  will  would  never  bend, 
except  in  meekness.  "  Joseph,"  said 
Mr.  Wesley,  one  day,  "take  these  let- 
ters to  the  post."  B.  "  I  will  take 
them  after  preaching,  sir."  W.  "  Take 
ihem  now,  Joseph."  B.  "  I  wish  to 
hear  you  preach,  sir ;  and  there  will  be 
sufficient  time  for  the  post  afler  ser- 
vice." W.  "  I  insist  upon  your  going 
now,  Joseph."  B.  "I  will  not  go  at 
present."  W.  "You  won't!"  B.  "No, 
sir."  W.  "  Then  you  and  I  must  part." 
B.  "  Very  good,  sir."  The  good  men 
slept  over  it.  Both  were  early  risers. 
At  four  o'clock  the  next  morning,  the 
refractory  helper  was  accosted  with, 
"Joseph,  have  you  considered  what  I 
said — that  we  must  part  ?"  B.  "  Yes, 
sir."  W.  "  And  must  we  part  ?"  B. 
"  Please  yourself,  sir."  W.  "  Will  you 
ask  my  pardon,  Joseph?"  B.  "No, 
sir."  W.  "You  won't?"  B.  "No, 
sir."  W.  "  Then  I  will  ask  yours, 
Joseph."  Poor  Joseph  was  instantly 
melted ;  smitten  as  by  the  word  of 
Moses,  when  forth  gushed  the  tears,  like 
the  water  from  the  rock.  He  had  a 
tender  soul ;  and  it  was  soon  observed 
when  the  appeal  was  made  to  the  heart 
instead  of  the  head. 

200 


91.  Snbdues  Enmity  and  Leads  to  Conversion. 

(a)  AN  ANGRY  MAN  CON- 
VERTED.— A  man  of  my  acquaint- 
ance, says  Dr.  Dwight,  who  was  of  a 
vehement  and  rigid  temper,  had,  many 
years  since,  a  dispute  with  a  friend  of 
his,  a  professor  of  religion,  and  had  been 
injured  by  him.  With  strong  feelings 
of  resentment,  he  made  him  a  visit,  for 
the  avowed  purpose  of  quarrelling  with 
him.  He  accordingly  stated  the  na- 
ture and  extent  of  the  injury  ;  and  was 
preparing,  as  he  afterwards  confessed, 
to  load  him  with  a  train  of  severe  re- 
proaches, when  his  friend  cut  him  short 
by  acknowledging,  with  the  utmost 
readiness  and  frankness,  the  injustice 
of  which  he  had  been  guilty  ;  express- 
ing his  own  regret  for  the  wrong  he  had 
done,  requesting  his  forgiveness,  and 
proffering  him  ample  compensation. 
He  was  compelled  to  say  that  he  was 
satisfied,  and  withdrew,  full  of  mortifi- 
cation that  he  had  been  precluded  from 
venting  his  indignation,  and  wounding 
his  friend  with  keen  and  violent  re- 
proaches for  his  conduct.  As  he  was 
walking  homeward,  he  said  to  himself 
to  this  effect :  "  There  must  be  some- 
thing more  in  religion  than  I  have  hith- 
erto suspected.  Were  any  man  to 
address  me  in  the  tone  of  haughtiness 
and  provocation  with  which  I  accosted 
my  friend  this  morning,  it  would  be  im- 
possible for  me  to  preserve  the  equa- 
nimity of  which  I  have  been  a  witness, 
and  especially  with  so  much  frankness, 
humility,  and  meekness,  to  acknowledge 
the  wrong  which  I  had  done  ;  so  readily 
ask  forgiveness  of  the  man  whom  I  had 
injured  ;  and  so  cheerfully  promise  a 
satisfactory  recompense.  I  should  have 
met  his  anger  with  at  least  equal  resent- 
ment, paid  him  reproach  for  reproach, 
and  inflicted  wound  for  wound.  There  is 
something  in  this  man's  disposition  which 
is  not  in  mine.  There  is  something  in  the 
religion  which  he  professes,  and  which 
I  am  forced  to  believe  he  feels ;  some- 
thing which  makes  him  so  superior,  so 
much  better,  so  much  more  amiable, 
than  I  can  pretend  to  be.  The  subject 
strikes  me  in  a  manner  to  which  I  have 
hitij^erto  been  a  stranger.  It  is  high 
time  to   examine  it   more  thoroughly, 


flEALS  DIVISIONS  AND  PROMOTES  REVIVALS. 


92,98 


with  more  candor,  and  with  greater  so- 
licitude also,  than  1  have  done  hitherto." 
From  this  incident  a  train  of  thoughts 
[ind  emotions  commenced  in  the  mind 
of  this  man  which  terminated  in  his 
profession  of  the  Christian  religion,  his 
relinquishment  of  the  business  in  which 
he  was  engaged,  and  his  consecration 
of  himself  to  the  ministry  of  the  gospel." 
(b)  THE  QUARRELSOME  NEIGH- 
BORS.— In  a  small  country  town  in 
Massachusetts,  there  lived  two  wealthy 
farmers,  whose  lands  adjoined  each 
other.  On  some  account  or  other,  they 
became  involved  in  a  lawsuit,  which 
both  lessened  their  money,  and  promot- 
ed a  spirit  of  rancor  towards  each 
other.  After  a  time,  one  of  these  men 
was  convinced  of  the  sinfulness  of  his 
past  conduct,  when,  yielding  to  the  in- 
fluence of  the  gospel,  he  becam.e  desi- 
rous of  reconciliation  and  friendship 
with  his  neighbor.  With  a  trembling 
heart  he  rapped  at  the  door  of  the  man 
he  had  offended,  which  he  had  not  be- 
fore entered  for  six  years.  Not  sus- 
pecting who  it  was,  his  neighbor  invited 
kim  in.  He  went  in,  took  his  seat, 
acknowledged  that  he  had  in  the  affair 
been  much  to  blame,  and  entreated 
forgiveness.  The  other  was  nmch 
astonished,  but  maintained  his  high 
ground.  "  I  always  knew  you  were 
to  blame,  and  I  never  shall  forgive 
you,"  with  much  more  to  the  same 
purpose,  was  the  reply  given  to  him. 
He  again  confessed  his  wrong,  asked 
the  pardon  of  his  neighbor,  expressed  a 
hope  that  the  Divine  Being  v/ould  for- 
give him  ;  and  added,  "  We  have  been 
actuated  by  a  wrong  spirit ;  and  we 
shall  be  afraid  to  meet  each  other  at 
the  bar  of  God,  where  we  must  soon 
appear."  The  other  became  a  little 
softened,  and  they  parted. 

The  family,  when  left  to  themselves, 
were  filled  with  astonishment.  But  the 
mystery  was  solved  when  they  learned 
that  their  neighbor  had  become  a  fol- 
lower of  Christ.  "  What !"  said  the 
farmer,  "  is  S —  become  a  Christian  ? 
Why  should  he  come  and  ask  my  for- 
giveness ?  If  religion  will  humble 
such  a  man,  it  is  surely  a  great  thing. 
He  said,  '  We  shall  be  afraid  to  meet 
each  other  at  the  bar  of  God/  "     Such 


reflections  as  these,  with  a  conscious- 
ness of  his  own  ill  conduct,  occasioned 
him  great  distress  for  several  days. 
At  length,  he  could  smother  his  feelings 
no  longer — he  took  his  hat,  and  went 
to  see  his  once  hated  neighbor.  As  he 
entered  the  door  he  received  a  cordial 
welcome  ;  they  took  each  other  by  the 
hand,  and  burst  into  tears.  He  said,  "  You 
came  to  ask  my  forgiveness  the  other 
day,  but  I  find  I  have  been  a  thousand 
times  worse  than  you."  They  retired 
and  prayed  together.  They  became 
members  of  the  same  church,  and  lived 
many  years  in  uninterrupted  harmony. 

93.  Heals  Divisions  and  Promotes  Revivals. 

(a)  DEACON  P.   AND   SQUIRE' 

M. — The  following  anecdote,  says  a 
correspondent  of  the  Baptist  R.epository, 
occurred  under  the  immediate  observa- 
tion of  the  writer : 

A  new  settlement  at  the  v/est,  was 
visited  by  a  powerful  revival  of  reli- 
gion, and  most  of  the  heads  of  families, 
with  many  of  the'  youth,  were  hopefully 
converted  to  God  ;  and  in  a  vicinity 
where  the  name  of  Jesus  was  hardly 
known,  unless  in  the  way  of  blasphe- 
my, but  a  short  time  before,  a  flourish- 
ing church  was  now  organized,  and  the 
ordinances  of  the  gospel  instituted.  A 
commodious  house  of  worship  was  soon 
after  erected,  and  a  minister  settled, 
and  every  thing  bore  evidence  of  the 
happy  change  with  which  the  vicinity 
h^d  been  visited.  Among  the  subjects 
of  the  recent  work  were  two  men,  in 
the  prime  of  life,  both  possessing  con- 
siderable wealth  and  influence,  upon 
whom  the  church  principally  depended.  j 
One  of  these,  whom  we  shall  call  Mr. 
P.  was  appointed  deacon,  and  the  other, 
whom  we  shall  denominate  Squire  M., 
with  the  assistance  of  the  former,  was 
appointed  to  manage  the  secular  con- 
cerns of  the  society ;  and  for  the  first 
two  years  things  passed  on  prosper- 
ously, and  to  the  mutual  satisfaction  of 
all,  while  the  Lord  appeared  to  pour 
out  his  blessing  upon  their  eflbrts.  At 
length,  however,  from  some  trifling 
cause,  a  coldness  or  jealousy  arose  be- 
tween these  two  persons,  who  were 
regarded  as  pillars ;  and  the  church, 
201 


94 


CONFESSION  OF  SIN. 


aware  of  how  much  depended  on  their 
efforts,  attempted  to  reconcile  them. 
With  regret,  however,  they  saw  their 
efforts  unavailing,  as  their  hardness 
towards  each  other  continued  to  in- 
crease, till  at  length  they  broke  out  into 
an  open  quarrel.  As  their  farms  lay 
contiguous  to  each  other,  new  causes 
of  complaint  were  continually  arising, 
of  a  domestic  nature,  till  the  church 
was  finally  constrained  to  interfere  in 
their  difficulties.  This,  however,  in- 
stead of  reconciling  them,  rather  seem- 
ed to  add  fuel  to  the  fire,  till  they  were 
finally  compelled  to  exclude  them  both 
from  their  fellowship.  Being  now  freed 
from  ecclesiastical  restraint,  they  con- 
tinued to  carry  on  their  quarrel  in  a 
more  open  manner,  and  lawsuit  after 
lawsuit  followed  each  other,  till  at 
length  they  both  appeared  to  become 
weary  of  the  contest,  and  for  two  suc- 
ceeding years  lived  like  the  Jews  and 
Samaritans,  not  deigning  even  to  speak 
to  each  other. 

The  church,  in  the  meantime,  being 
deprived  of  their  aid,  fell  into  a  low 
and  desponding  condition  ;  and  despair- 
ing of  being  able  to  support  the  preach- 
ing of  the  gospel  any  longer,  dismissed 
their  minister,  and  public  worship  was 
finally  abandoned  altogether. 

About  this  time  Deacon  P.  being  at 
work  alone  in  his  field,  began  to  reflect 
in  a  serious  manner  upon  his  condition, 
comparing  it  with  what  it  had  formerly 
been,  when  he  was  in  fellowship  with 
the  church,  and  living  in  the  line  of 
duty.  This  was  perhaps  the  first  time 
in  three  years  that  he  had  commenced 
a  candid  and  impartial  examination  of 
his  own  heart ;  and  however  he  might 
have  sought  to  justify  his  conduct  be- 
fore others,  he  now  saw  himself  awfully 
guilty  before  God.  Under  a  sense  of 
conscious  guilt  he  raised  his  eyes  to 
heaven,  and  not  only  implored  grace 
to  enable  him  to  see,  but  aleo  to  per- 
form his  duty.  Having  at  length  set- 
tled the  question  in  his  own  mind,  how 
often  and  wherein  he  had  offended  in 
the  cause  of  difficulty  before  mentioned, 
he  turned  his  eyes  towards  Squire  M., 
who  also  was  at  work  in  a  neighboring 
field,  and  soon  came  to  the  following 
resolution: — "If  he  has  injured  me,  I 
202 


will  leave  him  in  the  hands  of  a  merci- 
ful God ;  but  I  will  go  to  him,  and 
wherein  I  have  injured  him,  I  will  fall 
upon  my  knees  betbre  him  and  ask  his 
forgiveness."  No  sooner  had  he  come 
to  this  resolution,  than  leaving  the  in- 
strument with  which  he  was  employed, 
he  sought  the  field  where  Squire  M. 
was  at  work,  and,  to  the  astonishment 
of  the  latter,  fell  down  before  him,  and 
besought  his  pardon.  Squire  M.,  though 
somewhat  moved  at  the  spectacle,  at 
length  replied  very  coldly,  "  I  am  very 
glad  Mr.  P.  to  see  you  finally  sensible 
of  your  errors  ;  and  must  tell  you  that 
it  is  no  more  than  I  have  long  expected. 
For  seriously  as  you  have  injured  me, 
I  could  never  fully  divest  myself  of  the 
belief  that  you  had  once  experiencea 
religion,  and  therefore  always  conclud- 
ed that  the  Lord  would  bring  you  some 
day  or  other  to  own  your  fault, — I  for- 
give you,  though  I  must  tell  you  that  I 
cannot  altogether  forget  the  manner  in 
which  you  have  treated  me." 

If  Squire  M.  was  less  affected  by  his 
acknowledgment  than  was  expected  by 
the  other,  it  did  not  disturb  him  ;  and 
he  returned  to  his  labor  in  a  mors  tran- 
quil state  of  mind  than  he  had  experi- 
enced  in  many  a  weary  month.  He 
continued  his  employment  alternately 
weeping  and  rejoicing,  till  late  in  the 
afternoon  ;  when  happening  to  turn  his 
eyes  towards  the  field  where  Squire  M. 
was  at  work,  he  saw  him  approaching ; 
and  as  he  came  still  nearer,  what  was 
his  joy  when  he  saw  him  bathed  in  a 
flood  of  tears.  He  came  up  to  him, 
and  after  seizing  his  hand  with  a  con- 
vulsive  grasp,  he  fell  upon  his  knees 
and  exclaimed,  "  My  much  injured 
friend  and  brother,  can  you  now  forgive 
me?"  After  tenderly  embracing  each 
other,  and  weeping  and  exchanging 
forgiveness,  they  retired  together  to  a 
secret  place,  and  there  poured  out  their 
united  prayers  before  the  throne  of 
mercy.  On  the  following  Sabbath  they 
went  together  to  the  house  of  God,  and 
made  an  humble  confession  to  the 
church  from  which  they  had  been  ex- 
cluded, and  were  again  restored  to  fel- 
lowship. This  seemed  to  inspire  their 
brethren  with  renewed  confidence ; 
their  former  pastor  was  recalled,  public 


CONSCIENCE,  POWER  OF,  WITH  THE  GUILTY. 


93,94 


worship  was  again  established,  and 
heaven  itself  seemed  to  smile  upon  their 
efforts.  An  extensive  revival  soon 
followed,  many  precious  souls  were 
gathered  in,  and  the  two  returning  pro- 
digals have  since  become,  not  only  a 
help  and  comfort  to  each  other,  but  a 
blessing  to  those  with  whom  they  are 
united. 

(b)    REV.    MR.    W.    AND    HIS 
CHURCH.— Difficulty   having    arisen 

in  the  Presbyterian  church  of  R , 

N.  Y.,  between  the  pastor  and  the  peo- 
ple, a  council  was  called.  Mr.  W. 
made  out  charges  of  slander  against 
five  or  six  of  his  brethren,  and  procured 
his  witnesses.  They  also  made  out 
charges  against  Mr.  VV.  for  his  im- 
proper expressions  concerning  them. 
But  the  council,  soon  after  its  organi- 
zation, decided,  for  certain  reasons,  that 
it  was  improper  for  them  to  act  as  a 
council  in  the  case,  and  so  dissolved. 
Thus  the  way  to  adjust  the  difficulties 
of  the  church  seemed  hedged  up.  Rev. 
Mr.  L.,  of  Auburn,  now  rose  and  deliv- 
ered a  solemn  address  to  the  church ; 
and  his  address  was  followed  by  a 
moving  scene.  One  of  the.  brethren 
who  was  complained  of  by  Mr.  W.  had 
been  to  Sherburne,  to  engage  Rev.  Mr. 
Truair,  of  that  place,  as  an  advocate. 
In  that  town  God  was  pouring  out  his 
Spirit;  and  Mr.  D.  returned  convicted 
of  his  errors.  At  this  interesting  mo- 
ment he  came  forward,  took  his  pastor 
by  the  hand,  and  made  the  most  hum- 
ble and  meltincr  confession  of  his  faults. 


Mr.  W.  as  frankly  forgave  him,  and 
cordially  embraced  him  as  a  friend  and 
brother.  No  sooner  had  he  done  this 
than  Mr.  D.  kneeled  down  and  poured 
out  his  soul  in  an  appropriate,  humble, 
penitential  prayer.  Before  he  conclud- 
ed, two-thirds  of  the  audience  were 
bathed  in  tears.  He  was  followed  by 
addresses  and  prayers  from  some  of  the 
council ;  and  then  another  was  ready 
to  confess  his  faults,  and  then  another, 
to  the  last  of  the  accused  ;  each  one 
taking  Mr.  Walker  by  the  hand,  and 
receiving  forgiveness.  He  in  turn 
asked  their  forgiveness  wherein  he  had 
expressed  himself  improperly  towards 
them.  Pardon  was  also  asked  of  the 
church,  and  cheerfully  granted.  This 
opened  the  door  for  Mr.  W.'s  friends, 
who,  one  after  another,  confessed  what- 
ever they  had  said,  in  an  unchristian 
manner,  against  the  opposite  party. 
Thus  two  whole  days,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  time  occupied  in  hearing  two 
sermons,  was  spent  in  mutual  confes- 
sion and  forgiveness.  Before  the  coun- 
cil  separated  they  took  the  papers 
which  contained  the  charges  on  both 
sides,  held  them  up  to  the  view  of  the 
audience,  declared  they  were  about  to 
make  a  burnt  sacrifice  of  them,  and 
committed  them  to  the  flames.  On  the 
evening  of  the  second  day,  a  conference 
meeting  was  held,  in  which  several 
were  so  deeply  impressed  as  to  ask  for 
prayers.  From  that  time  a  revival  of 
religion  commenced.  The  above  facts 
occurred  in  R in  1819-20. 


CONSCIENCE,  POWER  OF,  WITH  THE  GUILTY 


91.  In  groundless  Suspicions  and  Alarms. 

(a)  DRAWING  A  BOW  AT  A 
VENTURE.— A  Christian  minister, 
writing  in  1834,  states,  that  it  had  been 
long  his  practice  previously  to  the  com- 
mencement of  the  assizes,  which  were 
held  in  the  town  of  his  residence,  to 
preach  a  sermon  applicable  to  that 
solemn  period.  On  one  of  these  occa- 
sions, his  text  was  2  Cor.  5 :  10 : 
"For   we  must  all  appear  before  the 


judgment   seat   of  Christ ;  that   every 
one  may  receive  the  things  done  in  his 
body,  according  to  that  he  hath  done, 
whether  it  be  good  or  bad."     A  parti- 
cular reference  was  made,  in  the  course 
of  the  sermon,  to  the  solemn  proceed- 
ings of  the  judgment,  that  things  done 
here  in  darkness  would  then  be  brought 
to   light ;  and  it  was  observed,  "  Per- 
haps there  are  some  present  this  morn- 
j  ing  who  have  been  engaged  in  some 
1  dark,  dishonest  transaction,  which  they 
203 


94 


CONSCIENCE,  POWER  OF,  WITH  THE  GUILTY. 


suppose  is  altogether  unknown,  and 
will  remain  for  ever  concealed.  Vain 
supposition !  Let  them  know  that,  even 
now,  every  thing  relative  to  that  deed  is 
fully  exposed,  and  if  unrepented  of,  will 
cover  them  with  disgrace  and  confusion 
at  the  day  of  universal  revelation  ;  God 
will  make  their  crimes  to  pass  before  them 
and  set  them  in  order  before  their  eyes." 

The  next  morning  a  gentleman  called 
on  him  and  requested  a  private  inter- 
view, having  something  of  importance 
to  communicate.  Having  adjourned  to 
a  private  apartment,  he  said,  "  My  busi- 
ness with  you,  sir,  is,  I  confess,  singu- 
lar, and  must  appear  strange.  The 
discourse  you  delivered  last  night  has 
produced  an  extraordinary  impression 

on  Phebe  T .  She  sent  for  me  early 

this  morning,  and  most  earnestly  en- 
treated  me  to  wait  upon  you,  and  to  in- 
tercede with  you  not  to  send  the  officers 
to  apprehend  her,  for  the  purpose  of  con- 
ducting her  to  prison  ;  and  the  only  clue 
I  can  obtain  from  her  to  explain  the 
cause  of  her  excitement  is,  that  '  you 
know  it  all.'" 

It  may  be  easily  supposed  that  the 
minister  was  astonished  at  such  a  com- 
munication. The  sentence  in  the  ser- 
mon was  an  arrow  from  the  bow  dr^wn 
at  a  venture,  but  it  was  guided  by  a 
hand  omniscient  and  powerful.  He  re- 
plied to  his  friend,  that  as  he  knew  of  no- 
thing against  the  person  in  question,  he 
was  altogether  at  a  loss  to  explain  the 
agitation  of  her  mind ;  but  that  he 
might  assure  her  she  should  have  no 
officers  to  trouble  her.  He  also  request- 
ed him  to  endeavor  to  find  out  the  real 
cause  of  her  distressful  feelings. 

Her  subsequent  statement  of  the  case 
was  this : — On  a  dark  evening  of  one 
market-day,  she  had  occasion  to  go  out 
for  some  article  of  food,  and,  in  her  way, 
stumbled  against  something  that  lay  in 
the  road :  she  turned  back  for  a  light, 
and  perceived  it  was  a  parcel  of  consi- 
derable size,  dropped  from  a  cart.  She 
removed  it  to  her  apartment,  and  suf- 
fered it  to  remain  for  some  time  M'ithout 
making  any  inquiry  respecting  the 
owner,  for  she  was  unable  to  read. 
Curiosity  excited  her  to  acquaint  her- 
self with  the  contents  of  this  parcel. 
She  soon  found  it  consisted  of  various 
204 


articles  of  linen  and  woollen.  Having, 
like  Eve,  looked  and  admired,  she  was 
tempted  to  take  them  for  her  own  use ; 
and,  by  degrees,  the  parcel  was  consi- 
derably diminished.  No  one  knew  but 
herself^ — except  one,  whose  piercing 
eye  strikes  through  the  shades  of  night ! 
and  no  one  was  likely  to  reproach  her, 
except  the  vicegerent  of  the  Almighty 
— her  conscience ! 

Phebe  T was   convinced   that 

she  had  acted  wrong ;  but,  as  confes- 
sion alone  is  insufficient  without  repara- 
tion, the  next  step  was  to  fmd  out  the 
owner  of  the  parcel,  in  order  to  its  be- 
ing restored  to  him.  The  directior 
soon  discovered  this,  and  the  invoice  for 
warded  with  the  goods  helped  to  show 
the  deficiency.  In  a  short  time  the 
whole  was  made  up,  and  forwarded  to 
the  owner,  without  the  omission  of  a 
single  article. 

{b)  "DID  NOT  HE  SAY  BEANS?" 
— Two  travellers  put  up  for  the  night 
at  a  tavern.  Early  in  the  morning  they 
absconded  without  reckoning  with  their 
host,  also  stealing  from  him  a  bag  of 
beans.  A  few  years  after  they  passed 
that  road  in  company  again.  Again 
they  asked  for  lodgings  at  the  same  inn. 
The  identical  landlord  was  yet  at  his 
post.  In  the  evening  the  landlord  was 
busy  in  one  corner  of  the  bar-room, 
talking  in  a  suppressed  voice  with  one 
of  his  neighbors,  about  a  swarm  of  bees. 
His  two  dishonest  guests  were  seated  in 
another  part  of  the  room,  and  indistinct- 
ly hearing  the  talk  about  bees,  one  says 
to  the  other,  "  Did  not  be  say  beans  ?" 
"  I  think  he  did,"  was  the  reply ;  and 
quickly  thev  were  missing. 

(c)  A  NIGHT  WITH  A  DUEL- 
LIST.— A  duel  was  fought  near  the 
city  of  Washington,  under  circum- 
stances of  peculiar  atrocity.  A  dis- 
tinguished individual  challenged  his  re- 
lative who  was  once  his  friend.  The 
challenged  party  having  the  choice 
of  weapons,  named  muskets,  to  be 
loaded  with  buck-shot  and  slugs,  and 
the  distance  ten  paces ;  avowing  at 
the  same  time  his  intention  and  desire 
that  both  parties  should  be  destroyed. 
They  fought.  The  challenger  was 
killed  on  the  spot  ;  the  murderer 
escaped  unhurt!     Years  afterwards,  a 


IN  CONFESSION  AND  REPARATION  OF  INJURIES. 


94,95 


gentleman  was  spending  the  winter  in 
Charleston,  South  Carolina,  and  lodged 
at  the  same  house  with  this  unhappy  man. 
He  was  requested  by  the  duellist  one 
evening,  to  sleep  in  the  same  room  with 
him,  but  he  declined,  as  he  was  very 
well  accommodated  in  his  own.  On 
his  persisting  in  declining,  the  duellist 
confessed  to  him  that  he  was  afraid 
TO  SLEEP  ALONE  ;  and  as  a  friend  who 
usually  occupied  the  room,  was  absent, 
he  would  esteem  it  a  great  fevor  if  the 
gentleman  would  pass  the  night  with 
him.  His  kindness  being  thus  demand- 
ed, he  consented,  and  retired  to  rest  in 
the  room  with  this  man  of  fashion  and 
honor,  who  some  years  before  had 
stained  his  hands  in  the  blood  of  a  kins- 
man. After  long  tossing  on  his  un- 
quiet pillow  and  repeated  half-stifled 
groans,  that  revealed  the  inward  pangs 
of  the  murderer,  he  sank  into  slumber, 
and  as  he  rolled  from  side  to  side,  the 
name  of  his  victim  was  often  uttered, 
with  broken  words  that  discovered  the 
keen  remorse  that  preyed  like  fire  on 
his  conscience.  Suddenly  he  would 
start  up  in  his  bed  with  the  terrible  im- 
pression that  the  avenger  of  blood  was 
pursuing  him  ;  or  hide  himself  under 
the  covering  as  if  he  would  escape  the 
burning  eye  of  an  angry  God,  that 
gleamed  in  the  darkness  over  him,  like 
lightning  from  a  thunder  cloud  !  For 
him  there  was  "  no  rest,  day  nor  night." 
Conscience,  armed  with  terrors,  lashed 
him  unceasingly,  and  who  could  sleep  ? 
And  this  was  not  the  restlessness  of  dis- 
ease, the  raving  of  a  disordered  intellect, 
nor  the  anguish  of  a  maniac  struggling 
in  chains  !  It  was  a  man  of  intelligence, 
education,  health,  and  affluence,  given 
up  to  himself — not  delivered  over  to  the 
avenger  of  blood,  to  be  tormented  before 
his  time ;  but  left  to  the  power  of  his 
own  CONSCIENCE,  suffering  only  what 
every  one  may  suffer  who  is  abandoned 
of  God! 

(d)  LORENZO  DOW  AND  THE 
THIEF.— The  celebrated  itinerant 
preacher,  Lorenzo  Dow,  while  travel- 
ling on  Sunday  to  the  place  where  he 
had  an  appointment  to  preach,  in  pass- 
ing a  house  overheard  a  man  who  was 
standing  at  the  door,  swearing  bitterly. 
Dow  went  up  to  him,  and  inquired  the 


cause.  The  man  answered  tliat  he  had 
an  axe  stolen  the  night  before  by  some 
person.  "  Come  along  with  me  to  the 
meeting,"  said  the  preacher,  "and  I  will 
find  your  axe."  The  man  consented, 
and  when  they  arrived  near  the  church, 
Dow  stopped  and  picked  up  a  pretty 
large  stone,  which  he  carried  with  him 
into  church,  and  laid  upon  the  front  of 
the  pulpit.  The  subject  of  his  sermon 
was  very  well  fitted  to  his  particular 
object,  and  when  in  the  middle  of  it,  he 
stopped  short,  took  the  stone  in  his 
hand,  and  raising  it  with  a  threatening 
attitude,  said  "  A  man  in  this  neighbor- 
hood had  an  axe  stolen  last  night,  and 
if  the  person  who  stole  it  doesn't  dodge, 
/  ivill  hit  him  on  the  forehead  with  this 
stone,"  at  the  same  time  making  a  violent 
effort  to  throw  it,  when  h  person  present 
was  observed  to  dodge  his  head  violent- 
ly ;  and  it  scarce  need  be  added,  proved 
to  be  the  guilty  person  ! 

(e)  BESSUS  AND  THE  BIRDS. 
— Bessus,  a  native  of  Pelonia,  in  Greece, 
being  one  day  seen  by  his  neighbors 
pulling  down  some  birds'  nests,  and  pas- 
sionately destroying  their  young,  tvas 
severely  reproved  by  them  for  his  ill- 
nature,  and  cruelty  to  those  who  seem- 
ed to  court  his  protection.  He  re- 
plied, that  their  notes  were  to  him  in- 
sufferable, as  they  never  ceased  twitting 
him  of  the  murder  of  his  father. 


95.  In  Confession  and  Reparation  of  In 
juries. 

(a)  THE  STOLEN  SPOON  RE- 
TURNED.— A  well-dressed  man  call- 
ed at  the  tavern  of  Mr.  B.,  of  W.,  New 
Hampshire,  and  asked  the  landlord 
whether  he  kept  that  house  a  year  be- 
fore. Mr.  B.  told  him  he  did.  Then, 
sir,  said  he,  I  want  to  speak  to  you 
aside.  The  tavern  keeper  followed  the 
man  into  the  farther  part  of  his  barn, 
when,  with  sharne  depicted  in  his  face, 
and  embarrassment  in  his  manner,  the 
stranger  took  from  his  pocket  a  silver 
spoon,  and  told  him,  that  about  a  year 
before  he  breakfasted  at  his  house,  and 
stole  the  spoon  he  then  held  in  his  hand. 
That  he,  soon  after  committing  the  thefl, 
mounted  his  horse  and  rode  off;  but  had 
not  gone  far  before  he  was  strongly  in- 
205 


95,96 


CONSCIENCE,  POWER  OF,  WITH  THE  GUILTY. 


clined  to  return  and  replace  the  spoon 
on  the  table ;  that  fear  of  being  seen 
prevented  his  doing  it.  He  rode  on, 
continually  looking  over  his  shoulder  to 
see  if  an  officer  was  not  in  pursuit  of 
him.  At  length  he  alighted  and  buried 
the  spoon  under  the  bridge,  thinking 
that  by  so  doing  he  should  escape  de- 
tection, and  the  landlord  would  not  be 
much  injured  by  so  small  a  theft.  The 
man  went  home  to  Connecticut ;  but 
peace  of  mind  he  had  lost,  and  could 
not  fin-d  it  again  at  home.  After  en- 
during mental  torment  for  a  whole 
year ;  he,  "  came  to  himself,"  and  re- 
solved to  return  to  New  Hampshire,  and 
confess  his  fault,  and  make  restitution. 
The  landlord  asked  the  penitent  stran- 
ger if  he  was  poor.  He  said  he  was 
not — that  he  possessed  a  large  estate,  and 
needed  nothing  this  world  afforded — 
that  now  the  spoon  was  restored,  he 
could  breathe  freely  again,  if  the  land- 
lord would  forgive  him.  The  inn-keep- 
er gave  him  his  hand,  and  compelled 
him  to  come  in  and  tarry  at  his  house 
a  night  without  expense. 

(*)  THE  LONG  DELAYED  RES- 
TITUTION.—The  following  remark, 
able  instance  of  the  force  of  conscience 
occurred,  in  1835,  in  the  neighborhood 
of  London.  A  lady,  about  thirty-eight 
years  of  age,  elegantly  dressed,  entered 
the  shop  of  Mr.  — ,  a  respectable  pastry 
cook,  in  a  state  of  great  mental  excite- 
ment, and  inquired  if  Mr.  —  were  still 
alive.  On  being  answered  in  the 
affirmative,  she,  in  the  most  earnest 
manner,  begged  to  see  him.  Being  en- 
gaged in  superintending  the  making  of 
some  confectionery,  he  begged  to  be  ex- 
cused, and  referred  her  to  his  daughter, 
who,  he  said,  would  wait  upon  Iier. 
The  daughter  immediately  withdrew 
with  her  into  the  parlor;  when,  after 
sitting  a  few  moments  in  silence,  she 
burst  into  a  flood  of  tears.  When  she 
became  more  composed,  she  stated,  that 
upwards  of  twenty  years  since,  she 
was  a  boarder  at  a  highly  respectable 
boarding  school  in  that  neighborhood, 
which  school  Mr.  —  had  for  nearly  forty 
years  supplied  with  pastry,  etc.;  and 
while  there,  she  was  in  the  habit  of 
abstracting  small  articles  from  his  tray, 
unknown  to  the  person  who  brought  it. 
206 


She  had  now  been  married  some  years, 
was  the  mother  of  six  children,  and  in 
the  possession  of  every  comfort  this 
world  could  afford ;  but  still  the  re- 
membrance of  her  youthful  sin  had  so 
haunted  her  conscience,  that  she  was 
never  happy.  Her  husband  perceiving 
her  unhappiness,  had,  after  many  fruit, 
less  endeavors,  at  last  got  possession  of 
the  cause,  when  he  advised  her,  for  the 
easement  of  her  conscience,  to  see  if 
Mr.  —  were  alive,  and  to  make  him  or 
his  family  a  recompense ;  and  as  she 
was  going  to  leave  London  on  the  fol- 
lowing day,  perhaps  for  ever,  she  had 
then  come  for  that  purpose.  Mr. — ,  on 
being  informed  of  the  object  of  her  visit, 
told  her  not  to  make  herself  any  lon- 
ger unhappy,  as  she  was  not  the  only 
young  lady  who  had  acted  in  that  man- 
ner. After  begging  his  forgiveness, 
which  he  most  readily  granted,  she  insist- 
ed on  his  acceptance  of  a  sum  of  money, 
which  she  said,  she  believed  was  about 
the  value  of  the  articles  she  had  stolen  ; 
and  after  remaining  about  an  hour,  she 
departed,  evidently  much  happier. 

96.  In  Confession  and  Voluntary  Submis- 
sion to  Punishment. 

{a)  THE  JEWELLER  AND  HIS 
SERVANT.— A  jeweller,  a  man  of 
good  character,  and  considerable  wealth, 
having  occasion,  in  the  way  of  business, 
to  travel  some  distance  from  his  abode, 
took  along  with  him  a  servant :  he  had 
with  him  some  of  his  best  jewels,  and 
a  large  sum  of  money,  to  which  his  ser- 
vant was  likewise  privy.  The  master 
having  occasion  to  dismount  on  the  road, 
the  servant  watched  his  opportunity, 
took  a  pistol  from  his  master's  saddle, 
and  shot  him  dead  on  the  spot ;  then, 
rifling  him  of  his  jewels  and  money,  and 
hanging  a  large  stone  to  his  neck,  he 
threw  him  into  the  nearest  canal.  With 
his  booty  he  made  off  to  a  distant  part 
of  the  country,  where  he  had  reason  to 
believe  that  neither  he  nor  his  master 
were  known.  There  he  began  to  trade, 
in  a  very  low  way  at  first,  that  his 
obscurity  might  screen  "him  from  obser- 
vation ;  and  in  the  course  of  many 
years  seemed  to  rise  up,  by  the  natural 
progress  of  business,  into  wealth  and 


IN  CONFESSION  AND  SUBMISSION  TO  PUNISHMENT. 


96 


consideration  ;  so  that  his  good  fortune 
appeared  at  once  the  effect  of  industry 
and  the  reward  of  virtue.  Of  these  he 
counterfeited  the  appearance  so  well, 
that  he  grew  into  great  credit,  married 
into  a  good  family,  and,  by  laying  out 
his  hidden  stores  discreetly,  as  he  saw 
occasion,  and  joining  to  all  a  universal 
affability,  he  was  at  length  admitted  to 
a  share  of  the  government  of  the  town, 
and  rose  from  one  post  to  another,  till 
at  last  he  was  chosen  chief  magistrate. 
In  this  office  he  maintained  a  fair  char- 
acter, and  continued  to  fill  it  with  no 
small  applause,  both  as  governor  and 
judge  ;  till  one  day,  as  he  sat  on  the 
bench  with  some  of  his  brethren,  a 
criminal  was  brought  before  him  who 
was  accused  of  murdering  his  master. 
The  evidence  came  out  full  ;  the  jury 
brought  in  their  verdict  that  the  prisoner 
was  guilty,  and  the  whole  assembly 
awaited  the  sentence  of  the  president 
of  the  court  (which  happened  to  be 
himself)  in  great  suspense.  Meanwhile 
he  appeared  to  be  in  unusual  disorder 
and  agitation  of  nlind  ;  his  color  chang- 
ed often ;  at  length  he  arose  from  his 
seat,  and,  coming  down  from  the  bench, 
placed  himself  just  by  the  unfortunate 
man  at  the  bar,  to  the  no  small  astonish- 
ment of  all  present.  "  You  see  before 
you,"  said  he,  addressing  himself  to 
those  who  had  sat  on  the  bench  with 
him,  "  a  striking  instance  of  the  just 
awards  of  Heaven,  for  this  day,  after 
thirty  years'  concealment,  presents  to 
you  a  greater  criminal  than  the  man 
just  now  found  guilty."  He  then  made 
an  ample  confession  of  his  heinous  of- 
fence, with  all  its  peculiar  aggravations. 
"  Nor  can  I,"  continued  he,  "  feel  any 
relief  from  the  agonies  of  an  awakened 
conscience,  but  by  requiring  that  justice 
be  forthwith  done  against  me  in  the 
most  public  and  solemn  manner."  We 
may  easily  imagine  the  amazement  of 
all,  especially  his  fellow-judges.  They 
accordingly  proceeded  upon  his  confes- 
sion, to  pass  sentence  upon  him,  and  he 
died  with  all  the  symptoms  of  a  penitent 
mind. 

(b)  THE  PARRICIDE  AND  HER 
HUSBAND.— A  man  and  his  wife 
were  executed  at  Augsburg  for  a  mur- 
der, the  discovery  of  which,  after  a  long 


lapse  of  time,  strongly  manifests  the 
impossibility  of  eluding  the  all-seeing 
eye  of  Providence.  The  criminal,  whose 
name  was  Wincze,  was  originally  of 
Nuremberg,  but  removed  to  Augsburg 
in  1788,  where  he  became  a  lawyer. 
In  this  city  he  became  intimate  in  the 
family  of  M.  Glegg,  to  whose  daughter 
he  paid  his  addresses ;  but  the  old 
gentleman  not  sanctioning  his  visits,  he 
met  the  daughter  privately,  seduced 
her,  and  persuaded  her,  in  order  to  re- 
move the  only  obstacle  to  their  union, 
to  administer  poison  to  her  father.  The 
horrid  plan  succeeded  ;  no  suspicions 
were  entertained,  and  their  union  put 
him  in  possession  of  the  old  man's 
wealth.  During  a  period  of  twenty-one 
years  they  lived  externally  happy,  but, 
in  secret,  a  prey  to  the  greatest  remorse. 
At  length,  unable  to  endure  any  longer 
the  weight  of  guilt,  the  wife  made  con- 
fession of  the  particulars  of  the  atrocious 
crime  which  she  had  been  prevailed 
upon  to  commit.  The  husband  was 
apprehended,  and  both  of  them  received 
their  desert  in  an  ignominious  death. 

(c)  THE  MURDERER'S  RE- 
MORSE.— One  Sunday  evening,  says 
the  Frederictown,  Md.,  Expositor,  of 
1831,  a  man,  who  called  himself 
Daniel  Shafer,  voluntarily  came  before 
Michael  Baltsell,  a  magistrate  of  this 
city,  and  requested  to  be  committed  to 
prison,  alleging  that  he  had  committed 
a  murder  during  the  last  winter,  in 
Marietta,  Penn. ;  and  that  the  reproaches 
of  his  conscience  had  become  so  severe, 
that  he  was  unable  any  longer  to 
endure  them.  His  narrative  being 
perfectly  coherent,  and  he  himself  ap- 
pearing entirely  sane,  the  magistrate 
complied  with  his  request  and  commit- 
ted him.  Since  that  time,  under  his 
direction,  communication  has  been  made 
with  the  proper  authorities  in  Marietta, 
and  such  intelligence  received  as  con- 
firms the  horrid  tale.  His  story  is,  that 
during  the  deep  snow  of  last  winter, 
while  in  a  state  of  intoxication,  he  en- 
tered the  house  of  a  widow  named 
Bowers,  then  living  in  Marietta,  and 
after  violating  her  person,  put  her  to 
death  by  strangling  her.  The  fact  of 
such  a  person  being  found  dead  in  her 
house,  about  the  time  stated,  is  fully 
207 


OT,  9§ 


CONSCIENTIOUSNESS. 


substantiated  by  the  accounts  received 
from  Marietta  ;  and  the  whole  demeanor 
of  the  prisoner  since  his  confinement,  as 
well  as  his  positive  declarations,  has 
induced  a  general  belief  in  the  truth 
of  his  singular  confession. 

97.  Miscellaneous  Examples. 

(a)  MRS.  RAMSAY  AND  THE 
ROBBERS.— The  Rev.  Mr.  Ramsay, 
a  Methodist  clergyman,  was  wholly  de- 
pendent for  his  living  on  the  quarterly 
collection  made  by  his  people,  which 
was  barely  sufficient,  by  the  greatest 
economy,  to  support  his  family.  On 
the  night  that  one  of  these  collections 
was  taken  up,  he  was  obliged  to  preach 
six  miles  distant  from  his  home,  and 
the  night  was  too  stormy  to  allow  of  his 
return.  During  the  night,  two  robbers 
broke  into  his  house,  called  up  Mrs. 
Ramsay  and  her  sister,  (there  were  no 
men  living  in  the  house,)  and  demanded 
to  know  where  the  money  was.  Mrs. 
R.,  in  her  night  dress,  lit  the  candle, 
and  leading  the  way  to  the  bureau  that 
contained  the  precious  deposit,  procured 
the  key,  opened  the  drawer,  and  point- 
ing out  the  money  as  it  lay  in  a  hand- 
kerchief, said,  "  This  is  all  we  have  to 
live  on.  It  is  the  Lord's  money.  Yet, 
if  you  will  take  it,  there  it  is."  With 
this  remark,  she  left  them,  and  retired 
to  bed.  The  next  morning,  the  money, 
to  a  cent,  was  found  undisturbed.  Con- 
science here  was  appealed  to,  and  with 
happy  results. 

(^»)  THE  LUNATIC  DUELLIST. 
— "  Some  years  since,''  says  Dr. 
Beecher,    "1   visited   the   Philadelphia 


Asylum.  In  returning  from  the  apart- 
ments, I  saw  a  man  standing — fixed — 
immovable — like  a  pillar.  I  asked  who 
that  was.  It  was  the  son  of  Dr.  Rush, 
who  killed  a  man  in  a  duel.  There  hf3 
stood  like  a  pillar.  Sometimes  he  would 
wake  lap  to  recollection  ;  he  would  pace 
off  the  distance,  and  give  the  word 
'  Fire  !'  Then  cry  out, '  He  is  dead  ! — 
he  is  dead  !'  This  was  the  power  of 
conscience.     It  had  unsettled  reason." 

(c)  DYING  FROM  REMORSE.— 
"Jn  my  early  ministry,"  says  Dr. 
Beecher,  ''  I  was  called  to  attend  a 
neighbor  at  East  Hampton,  Long  Island. 
He    was     skeptical    and    intemperate. 

'  Pray  for  me,'  he  exclaimed,  '  pray  for' 
me  ! — pray  for  me  !'  *  You  must  pray 
for  yourself,'  I  replied.  '  Pray — I  can- 
not pray  !  I  am  going  straight  to  per- 
dition !'  Pie  lived  three  days  almost 
without  food,  and  then  died — so  far  as 
we  know — without  any  disease.'^  It  was 
the  power  of  conscience. 

(d)  THE  PARRICIDE  AND  THE 
PAINTING.— The  cruel  Al  Montaser, 
having  assassinated  his  father,  was  after- 
wards haunted  by  remorse.  As  he  was 
one  day  admiring  a  beautiful  painting 
of  a  man  on  horseback,  with  a  diadem 
encircling  his  head,  and  a  Persian  in- 
scription, of  which  he  inquired  the 
meaning,  he  was  told  that  it  signified — 
'  I  am  Shiunyeh,  the  son  of  Kosru,  who 
murdered  my  father,  and  possessed  the 
crown  only  six  months !' — He  turned 
pale,  as  if  struck  by  a  sentence  of  death. 
Frightful  dreams  interrupted  his  slum- 
bers,  and  he  died  at  the  early  age  of 
twenty-five. 


CONSCIENTIOUSNESS. 


98.  Conscientiousness,  Examples  oi. 

(a)  ROBBING  ONE  OR  ROB- 
BING MANY.— A  boy  about  nine 
years  of  age,  who  attended  a  Sabbath 
school  at  Sunderland,  requested  his 
mother  not  to  allow  his  brother  to  bring 
home  any  thing  that  was  smuggled  when 
he  went  to  sea.  "  Why  do  you  wish 
vhat,  my  child  ?"  said  the  mother.  He 
208 


answered,  "  because  my  catechism  says 
it  is  wrong."  The  mother  replied, 
"  But  that  is  only  the  word  of  a  man." 
He  said,  "  Mother,  is  it  the  word  of  a 
man  which  said,  '  Render  unto  Caesar 
the  things  that  are  Caesar's  V  "  This 
reply  entirely  silenced  the  mother ;  but 
his  father,  still  attempting  to  defend  the 
practice  of  smuggling,  the  boy  said  to 
him,  "  Father,  whether  is  it  worse  to 


CONSCIENTIOUSNESS. 


9§ 


rob  one  or  to  rob  many  ?"  By  these 
questions  and  answers,  the  boy  silenced 
both  his  parents  on  the  subject  of  smug- 
gling. 

(b)  BETTER  RULE  THAN  EX- 
PEDIENCY.— Lord  Erskine,  when  at 
the  bar,  was  always  remarkable  for  the 
fearlessness  with  which  he  contended 
against  the  bench.  In  a  contest  he  had 
with  Lord  Kenyon,  he  explained  the 
rule  and  conduct  at  the  bar  in  the  fol- 
lowing^ terms  :  "It  was,"  said  he,  "the 
first  command  and  counsel  of  my  youth, 
always  to  do  what  my  conscience  told 
me  to  be  my  duty,  and  leave  the  con- 
sequences to  God.  I  have  hitherto  fol- 
lowed it,  and  have  no  reason  to  com- 
plain that  any  obedience  to  it  has  been 
even  a  temporal  sacrifice  ;  I  have  found 
it,  on  the  contrary,  the  road  to  prospe- 
rity and  wealth,  and  I  shall  point  it  out 
as  such  to  my  children," 

(c)  THE  GROCER  BOY'S  DE- 
CISION.— A  young  lad  lived  in  Boston 
in  1843,  whose  mother  was  a  widow, 
and  supported  herself  by  her  work  and 
the  wages  of  her  son,  who  was  tend- 
ing the  grocery  of  one  who  sold  ardent 
spirits.  The  little  fellow  had  joined  the 
cold  water  army ;  and  his  business  of 
attending  the  tap-room,  and  drawing 
liquors  for  every  loathsome  drunkard 
became  in  consequence  extremely  irk- 
some  to  him.  He  thought  it  was  not 
right ;  he  went  home  one  night  with  a 
sorrowful  heart,  and  told  his  mother  he 
thought  he  was  doing  wrong,  and  be- 
lieved he  must  quit  the  grocery.  His 
mother  told  him  that  she  could  not  pay 
her  rent  and  support  the  little  children, 
without  the  two  dollars  a  week  which  he 
earned ;  and  that  he  could  get  no 
other  place.  So  he  went  back  ;  but 
when  Saturday  night  came,  he  told  the 
grocer  he  must  leave  him.  "  Why  ?" 
''  I  can't  feel  it  right  to  draw  the  liquor." 
•'Well,"  said  the  grocer,  "you  and 
your  mother  will  starve  ;  but  you  may 
go."  He  went  home  with  a  heavy 
heart,  and  told  his  mother ;  and  she 
felt  wretchedly  enough.  But  a  tempe- 
rance grocer  heard  of  the  case  ;  and  on 
account  of  the  boy's  leaving  the  rum 
grocer  under  such  circumstances,  he 
became  deeply  interested  in  his  behalf. 
He  admired  the  strength  of  his  moral 

14 


feelings,  and  accordingly  took  him  into 
his  own  employment  the  next  week. 

(d)  THE  PUBLISHER  CON- 
VERTED.—T B ,  a  publisher, 

was  brought  under  deep  conviction  for 
sin.  His  conscience  reproved  him  se- 
verely, for  he  was  a  printer  and  vender 
of  songs,  and  similar  hurtful  trash,  in  a 
very  large  way.  On  this  business  he 
principally  depended  for  the  support  of 
himself  and  his  family. 

His  employment  in  circulating  such 
injurious  publications  caused  him  much 
trouble,  and  he  consulted  some  Christian 
friends,  who  all  advised  him  to  relin- 
quish such  a  business. 

On  this  subject  he  afterwards  wrote 
to  some  friends  as  follows  : — "  Tbe 
great  adversary  of  souls  seemed  to  have 
much  power  over  me.  I  thought,  if  I 
give  up  the  song  business,  I  might  as 
well  give  up  all,  for  I  shall  be  sure  to 
be  ruined.  These  were  my  feelings 
for  three  or  four  months.  At  length, 
my  sister  came  to  visit  me,  to  whom  1 
made  known  my  distress,  and  she  re- 
commended me  to  pray.  Though  I  had 
heard  much  from  the  pulpit  respecting 
prayer,  it  had  never  taken  so  much  ef- 
fect as  at  this  time.  However,  Satan 
had  not  done  with  me ;  for  I  may  sup- 
pose, and  have  often  thought  since,  he 
did  not  like  to  lose  so  great  a  friend  as 
I  had  been  to  him,  in  circulating  my 
trash  all  over  the  country;  but  the 
Lord,  who  is  sufficient  for  all  things, 
soon  trod  him  under  foot.  Having 
given  up  a  portion  of  my  time,  three 
and  sometimes  four  times  a  day,  to  pray- 
er, I  shortly  after  heard  a  funeral  ser- 
mon preached  from  this  text,  '  What 
shaH  it  profit  a  man,  if  he  shall  gain 
the  whole  world,  and  lose  his  own  soul  ? 
or  what  can  a  man  give  in  exchange  for 
his  soul  V  These  words  came  to  my 
heart  with  such  force,  that  I  determined 
from  that  moment  never  to  print  any 
more  of  my  songs.  The  next  morning 
I  went  to  my  work-room,  and  ordered 
all  the  forms  of  type  to  be  distributed, 
as  I  intended  never  to  print  any  more 
songs,  but  to  trust  to  Providence  for 
better  means  to  provide  for  my  family. 
My  mind  then  seemed  relieved  from 
all  trouble  for  a  few  days :  but  the  con- 
stant applications  I  had  from  the  country 
209 


98 


CONSCIENTIOUSNESS. 


for  my  songs,  and  the  money  I  was 
obliged  to  return,  gave  me  great  un- 
easiness. But  the  Lord  was  pleased  to 
give  me  courage  and  perseverance  to 
bear  up  amidst  all  those  trials,  and  still 
to  look  to  him  for  comfort  and  support, 
so  that  in  a  short  time  all  those  angry 
feelings  wore  oft';  and  now,  if  my  heart 
does  not  deceive  me,  I  feel  at  peace 
with  that  God  I  so  long  lived  in  rebel- 
lion against." 

(e)  THE  CHIEFS  AND  THE 
FILE. — Since  the  introduction  of 
Christianity  into  the  island  of  Taheiti, 
many  interesting  proofs  have  been 
given  by  the  natives,  of  conscientious 
principles.  Formerly,  thieving  was 
considered  no  crime ;  but  such  has 
been  the  effect  of  Christian  instruction, 
that  now  the  very  reverse  is  exempli- 
fied. Mr.  Ellis  mentions  the  following 
circumstance,  which  happened  shortly 
before  his  arrival  there  : — 

Two  Christian  chiefs,  Tati  and  Ahu- 
riro,  were  walking  together  by  the  wa- 
ter side,  when  they  came  to  a  place 
where  a  fisherman  had  been  employed 
in  making  or  sharpening  hooks,  and 
had  left  a  large  file,  (a  valuable  article 
in  Taheiti.)  lying  on  the  ground.  The 
chiefs  picked  it  up  ;  and,  as  they  were 
proceeding,  one  said  to  the  other,  "  This 
is  not  ours.  Is  not  our  taking  it  a  spe- 
cies of  theft  ?"  "  Perhaps  it  is,"  re- 
plied  the  other ;  "  yet,  as  the  owner  is 
not  here,  I  do  not  know  who  has  a 
greater  right  to  it  than  ourselves."  "  It 
is  not  ours,"  said  the  former,  "  and  we 
had  better  give  it  away."  After  fur- 
ther  conversation  they  agreed  to  give  it 
to  the  first  person  they  met,  which  they 
did,  telling  him  they  had  found  it,  and 
requested  that  if  he  heard  who  had  lost 
such  a  thing,  he  would  restore  it. 

(/)  THE  INDIAN  AND  THE 
QUARTER  OF  A  DOLLAR.— An 
Indian,  visiting  his  white  neighbors, 
asked  for  a  little  tobacco  to  smoke,  and 
one  of  them  having  some  loose  in  his 
pocket,  gave  him  a  handful.  The  day 
following,  the  Indian  came  back,  in- 
quiring for  the  donor,  saying,  he  had 
found  a  quarter  of  a  dollar  among  the 
tobacco.  Being  told,  that  as  it  was 
given  him,  he  might  as  well  keep  it,  he 
answered,  pointing  to  his  breast,  "  I  got 
210 


a  good  man  and  a  bad  man  here  ;  and 
the  good  man  say,  it  is  not  mine,  I  must 
return  it  to  the  owner ;  the  bad  man 
say,  M'hy  he  gave  it  you,  and  it.  is  your 
own  now  ;  the  good  man  say,  that  not 
right,  the  tobacco  is  yours,  not  the 
money ;  the  bad  man  say,  never  mind, 
you  got  it,  go  buy  some  dram  ;  the 
good  man  say,  no,  no,  you  must  not  do 
so ;  so  I  don't  know  what  to  do  ;  and  I 
think  to  go  to  sleep  ;  but  the  good  man 
and  the  bad  kept  talking  all  night,  and 
trouble  me  ;  and  now  I  bring  the  money 
back,  I  feel  good." 

(g)  ADAM  CLARKE'S  EARLY 
SCRUPLES. — A  very  respectable  lin- 
en merchant  in  Coleraine  offered  Dr. 
Clarke,  when  a  youth,  a  situation  in  his 
warehouse,  which  was  accepted  by  him, 
with  the  consent  of  his  parents.  Mr. 
B —  knew  well  that  his  clerk  and  over- 
seer was  a  religious  man,  but  he  was 
not  sensible  of  the  extent  of  principle 
which  actuated  him.  Some  differences 
arose  at  times  about  the  way  of  con- 
ducting the  business,  which  were  set- 
tled pretty  amicably.  But  the  time  of 
the  great  Dublin  market  approached, 
and  Mr.  B —  was  busy  preparing  for  it. 
The  master  and  man  were  together  in 
the  folding-room,  when  one  of  the  pieces 
was  found  short  of  the  required  number 
of  yards.  "  Come,"  says  Mr.  B — ,  "  it 
is  but  a  trifle.  We  shall  soon  stretch 
it,  and  make  out  the  yard.  Come, 
Adam,  take  one  end,  and  pull  against 
me.''  Adam  had  neither  ears  nor  heart 
for  the  proposal,  and  absolutely  refused 
to  do  what  he  thought  a  dishonest  thing. 
A  long  argument  and  expostulation 
followed,  in  which  the  usages  ejf  the 
trade  were  strongly  and  variously  en- 
forced;  but  all  in  vain.  Adam  kept 
to  his  purpose,  resolving  to  suffer  rather 
than  sin.  Mr.  B —  was  therefore 
obliged  to  call  for  one  of  his  men  less 
scrupulous,  and  Adam  retired  quietly 
to  his  desk.  These  things  may  be 
counted  little  in  the  life  of  such  a  man, 
but  not  so  in  the  sight  of  God.  Soon 
after  Mr.  B — ,  in  the  kindest  manner, 
informed  his  "  young  friend,"  as  he 
seemed  always  proud  to  call  him,  that 
it  was  very  clear  he  was  not  fit  for 
worldly  business,  and  wished  him  to 
look  out   for   some   employment  more 


CONSCIENTIOUSNESS— CONSECRATION  TO  GOD.        9§,  99,  100 


congenial  to  his  own  mind ;  adding,  | 
that  he  might  depend  on  his  friendship  ^ 
in  any  line  of  life  into  which  he  should  | 
enter. 

(h)  THE  QUAKER'S  ADVER- 
TISEMENT.— The  following  account 
of  a  Quaker  at  Falmouth,  England,  is  | 
taken  from  McDonald's'  Life  of  the  Rev. 
J.  Benson.  It  was  related  by  Mr. 
Woolcraft : 

This  man,  unknown  to  his  family 
and  friends,  had  joined  with  some 
others  in  fitting  out  a  privateer  to  act 
against  the  French,  who  had  allied 
themselves  to  the  American  States 
while  in  arms  against  Great  Britain. 
The  privateer  was  successful,  and 
when  peace  was  concluded,  there  was 
a  considerable  dividend  for  the  propri- 
etors. The  Quaker  received  his  share 
among  the  rest ;  but  his  conscience 
reproached  him  for  what  he  had  done. 
He  considered  himself  guilty  of  rob- 
bery. About  this  time  he  was  brought 
by  affliction  to  the  gates  of  death,  which 
greatly  increased  his  distress.  He 
frequently  exclaimed,  "  Oh,  that  ill- 
gotten  money  !"  Neither  his  wife  nor 
friends  knew  what  he  meant.  At 
length  he  resolved,  that  should  the  Lord 
raise  him  up,  he  would  make  restitu- 
tion to  the  injured  parties,  if  they  could 
be  found.  The  Lord  did  raise  him  up, 
and  he  sent  his  son  to  Paris  with  the 
sum,  directing  him  to  advertise  in  the 
Paris  Gazette,  that  any  person  who  had 
suffered  by  such  a  privateer,  upon  com- 
ing and  proving  his  losses,  would  be 
refunded  in  proportion  to  his  share  in 


the  prizes.     This  was  accordingly  done, 
to  the  astonishment  of  all  France. 

%,  Conscientiousness,  Want  of. 

(a)  WE  MUST  LIVE.— That  was 
a  pertinent  and  emphatical  reply  which 
a  Fellow  of  Emanuel  College,  in  Cam- 
bridge, made  to  a  friend  of  his  of  the 
same  college.  The  latter,  at  the  Re- 
storation, had  been  representing  the 
great  difficulties  (as  they  seemed  to 
him)  of  conformity  in  point  of  con- 
science, concluding,  however,  with 
these  words,  '•  But  we  must  live."  To 
which  the  other  answered  only  with  the 
like  number  of  words,  "  But  we  must 
(also)  die."  A  better  answer  could  not 
possibly  be  given. 

(h)  A  NICK  IN  THE  CONSCIENCE. 
— When  Mr.  Nathaniel  Heywood,  a 
nonconformist  minister,  was  quitting 
his  living,  a  poor  man  came  to  him,  and 
said,  "  Ah !  Mr.  Heywood,  we  would 
gladly  have  you  preach  still  in  the 
church."  "  Yes,"  said  he,  "  and  I 
would  as  gladly  preach  as  you  can 
desire  it,  if  I  could  do  it  with  a  safe 
conscience."  "  Oh  !  sir,"  replied  the 
other,  "  many  a  man  now-a-days  makes 
a  great  gash  in  his  conscience  ;  cannot 
you  make  a  little  nick  in  yours  ?" 

(c)  AN  APT  REJOINDER.— An 
American  minister,  who  was  earnestly 
exhorted  to  take  a  decided  stand  on  the 
subject  of  slavery,  excused  himself  by 
saying,  "You  know  ministers  must 
live .'"  "  No,"  said  his  friend,  "  I  was 
not  aware  of  that ;  I  thought  they  might 
die  for  the  truth's  sake  !" 


100.  CONSECRATION  TO  GOD. 


(a)  THE  MINISTER  AND  THE 
MERCHANT. — A  merchant  in  one  of 
the  towns  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
says  Mr.  Finney,  was  paying  a  large 
part  of  his  minister's  salarj'-.  One  of 
the  members  of  the  church  was  relating 
the  fact  to  a  minister  from  abroad,  and 
speaking  of  the  sacrifice  which  this  mer- 
chant was  making.  At  this  moment  the 
merchant  came  in.  "  Brother,"  said 
the  minister,  "  you  are  a  merchant. 
I     suppose     you    employ  a  clerk    to 


sell  goods,  and  schoolmasters  to  teach 
your  children.  You  order  your  clerk 
to  pay  your  schoolmaster  out  of  the 
store  such  an  amount,  for  his  services 
in  teaching.  Now  suppose  your  clerk 
should  give  out  that  he  had  to  pay  this 
schoolmaster  his  salary,  and  should 
speak  of  the  sacrifices  that  he  was 
making  to  do  it,  what  would  you  say  to 
this?"  "  Why,"  said  the  merchant,  "I 
should  say  it  was  ridiculous."  "  Well," 
says  the  minister,  "  God  employs  you 
211 


100,  101 


CONSISTENCY,  CHRISTIAN. 


to  sell  goods  as  his  clerk,  and  your 
minister  he  employs  to  teach  his  chil- 
dren, and  requires  you  to  pay  his  salary 
out  of  the  income  of  the  store.  Now 
do  you  call  this  your  sacrifice,  and  say 
that  you  are  making  a  great  sacrifice,  to 
pay  this  minister's  salary  1  No,  you 
are  just  as  much  bound  to  sell  for  God, 
as  he  is  to  preach  for  God.  You  have 
no  more  right  to  sell  goods  for  the  pur- 
pose of  laying  up  money,  than  he  has 
to  preach  the  Gospel  for  the  same  pur- 
pose.  You  are  bound  to  be  just  as 
pious,  and  to  aim  as  singly  at  the  glory 
of  God,  in  selling  goods,  as  he  is  in 
preaching  the  gospel.  And  thus  you 
are  as  absolutely  to  give  up  your  whole 
time  for  the  service  of  God,  as  he  does. 
You  and  your  family  may  live  fully 
out  of  the  avails  of  this  store,  and  so 
may  the  minister  and  his  family,  just 
as  lawfully.  If  you  sell  goods  from 
these  motives,  selling  goods  is  just  as 
much  serving  God  as  preaching.  And 
a  man  who  sells  goods  upon  these  prin- 
ciples, and  acts  in  conformity  to  them, 
is  just  as  pious,  just  as  much  in  the 
service  of  God,  as  he  is  who  preaches 
the  Gospel.  Every  man  is  bound  to  serve 
God  in  his  calling,  the  minister  by  teach- 
ing, the  merchant  by  selling  goods,  the 
farmer  by  tilling  his  fields,  and  the 
lawyer  and  physician  by  plying  the 
duties  of  their  profession." 

(&)  THE  POOR  NEGRESS'S  DE- 
POSIT.— A  colored  woman  of  Barba- 
does,  who  had  been  a  member  of  the 
Moravian  church  for  more  than  half  a 
century,  gave  to  her  pastor  a  small  sum 
of  money,  lo  be  returned  to  her  when- 


ever she  should  want  it.  When  he  re- 
linquished his  charge,  he  transferred 
the  deposit  to  his  successor,  Mr.  Hart- 
vig.  The  latter  perceiving  that  the 
poor  woman  was  evidently  in  want  of 
pecuniary  aid,  informed  her  that  he 
had  money  in  his  possession  which  be- 
longed to  her.  At  first  she  could  not 
believe  him  ;  the  remembrance  of  the 
deposit  had  apparently  faded  from  her 
mind.  She  finally  consented  to  receive 
enough  for  her  immediate  necessities  / 
but  Mr.  Hartvig  wished  to  know  what 
should  be  done  with  the  remainder,  in 
case  of  her  death.  Her  answer  was, 
^'O  me  helovg  to  ihe  church  and  me  mo- 
ney too  /"  There  is  a  volume  of  in- 
struction in  this  simple  reply.  How 
few  Christians  seem  to  feel,  that  they 
have  given  their  property,  as  well 
as  themselves,  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ ! 
(c)  THE  YOUNG  MAN'S  GIFT. 
—  Mr.  Daniel  Clark,  an  agent  em- 
ployed by  a  Bible  Society,  among  other 
interesting  facts,  related  the  following, 
as  illustrative  of  the  zeal  he  met  with 
in  the  distribution  of  the  Scriptures. 

'•  A  young  man,  who  had  nothing 
except  what  he  earned  by  his  labor, 
came  to  me,  bringing  a  donation  of 
eight  dollars.  He  said  it  was  the  Lord's 
and  he  had  no  right  to  withhold  it.  He 
added,  "  When  I  gave  myself  to  God,  I 
also  gave  him  all  I  had,  and  all  I  ever 
should  have.  And  now  the  Lord  is  not 
dependent  upon  me.  If  I  do  not  give 
it  he  can  easily  remove  me,  and  put  it 
into  the  hands  of  some  one  who  will 
give  it." 


101.  CONSISTENCY,  CHRISTIAN. 


(a)  "MY  MOTHER  BELIEVES 
THE  BIBLE."  — The  son  of  Selina, 
the  Countess  of  Huntingdon,  whose 
zeal  in  the  extension  of  the  gospel  is 
well  known,  was  unhappily  an  unbe- 
liever, but  reverenced  his  pious  and 
venerable  mother.  "  I  wish,"  said  a 
peer  to  him,  "  you  would  speak  to  Lady 
Huntingdon ;  she  has  just  erected  a 
preaching  place  close  to  my  residence." 
212 


His  lordship  replied,  "Gladly,  my  lord  ; 
but  you  will  do  me  the  favor  to  inform 
me  what  plea  to  urge,  for  my  mother 
really  believes  the  Bible." 

(h)  THE  PRINCE'S  TRIBUTE. 
— When  Lady  Huntingdon  became  the 
subject  of  Divine  grace,  her  change  of 
mind  was  soon  observed  by  her  exalted 
associates,  who  endeavored  in  vain  to 
turn  her  aside  from  the  path  she  had 


CONSISTENCY,  CHRISTIAN. 


101 


chosen.  One  day  at  court,  the  then 
Prince  of  Wales  asked  Lady  Cliarlotte 
E — ,  "  Where  is  my  Lady  Huntingdon, 
that  she  is  so  seldom  here  ?"  The  lady 
of  fashion  replied,  with  a  sneer,  "  I 
suppose  praying  with  her  beggars." 
The  prince  shook  his  head,  and  said, 
"  Lady  Charlotte,  when  1  am  dying,  I 
think  I  shall  be  happy  to  seize  the  skirt 
of  Lady  Huntingdon's  mantle,  to  carry 
me  up  with  her  to  heaven." 

(c)  THE  DYING  MASTER  AND 
HIS  SLAVE.— The  conscience  of  the 
sinner,  when  aroused,  not  only  accuses 
himself  but  his  accomplices  also.  A 
rich  Southern  gentleman,  careless  about 
his  soul,  used  often  to  invite  his  minister, 
a  worldly  man  and  a  mere  hireling,  to 
hunt,  drink  wine,  play  cards,  and  join 
parties  of  pleasure  with  him. 

The  poor  worldling  was  taken  sick, 
and  his  case  was  pronounced  dangerous. 
His  mind  was  terribly  agitated  ; — he  felt 
unprepared  to  die.  His  physician  asked 
him,  one  day,  if  he  would  not  send  for 
his  minister  to  converse  with  him,  and 
offer  prayer  in  his  behalf?  No,  he  had 
no  confidence  in  him  :  he  could  hardly 
bear  the  mention  of  his  name.  He  had 
a  poor  pious  negro  servant,  by  the  name 
of  Ben.  The  master  had  sometimes 
overheard  him  at  prayer.  "  Call  for 
Ben .'"  said  he.  He  came.  "  Ben," 
said  the  dying  man,  "can't  you  pray 
for  your  poor  master?"  Down  he  fell 
on  his  knees,  and  pleaded  for  the  salva- 
tion of  the  sinner's  soul ;  and  the  pray- 
er, we  hope,  was  answered. 

(d)  THE  COVETOUS  MAN'S 
PRAYERS. — About  eight  years  since, 
(says  a  correspondent  of  the  N.  Y. 
Evangelist  of  1833,)  in  obtaining  sub-. 
scriptions  for  a  benevolent  purpose,  I 
called  upon  a  gentleman  in  one  of  O'Ur 
largest  cities,  who  generously  contri- 
buted  to  the  object.  Before  leaving,  I 
said  to  him,  "  How  much,  think  you, 
will  such  an  individual  subscribe  ?" 
"  I  don't  know,"  said  he,  "  but  could 
you  hear  that  man  pray,  you  would 
think  he  would  give  you  all  he  is  worth." 
I  called  upon  him,  but  to  my  surprise, 
he  would  not  contribute.  As  I  was 
about  to  take  my  leave  of  him,  I  said  to 
him,  "  As  I  came  to  your  house,  I  asked 
an   individual,   what   he   thought    you 


would  probably  give.  '  I  don't  know,' 
said  he,  '  but  could  you  hear  that  man 
pi'ay,  you  would  think  he  would  give 
you  all  he  is  worth.'  "  The  man's 
head  dropped,  tears  gushed  from  his 
eyes,  he  took  out  his  pocket-book  and 
gave  me  seventy-five  dollars.  He  could 
not  withstand  this  argument.  His  heart 
relented  and  his  purse  opened. 

(e)  THE  WAY  TO  PRESERVE 
CHURCHES.— The  first  time  I  had 
the  pleasure  of  being  in  the  company 
of  the  Rev.  John  Wesley,  (says  a  cor- 
respondent of  the  N.  Y.  Evangelist,) 
was  in  the  year  1783.  I  asked  liim 
what  must  be  done  to  keep  Methodism 
alive  when  he  was  dead,  to  which  he 
immediately  answered, — "  The  Metho- 
dists must  take  heed  to  their  Doctrine, 
their  Experience,  their  Practice,  and 
their  Discipline.  If  they  attend  to  their 
doctrines  only,  they  will  make  the  peo- 
ple Antinomians  ;  if  to  the  experimental 
part  of  religion  only,  they  will  make 
them  Enthusiasts ;  if  to  the  practical 
part  07ily,  they  will  make  them  Phari- 
sees :  and  if  they  do  not  attend  to  their 
discipline,  they  will  be  like  persons  who 
bestow  much  pains  in  cultivating  their 
garden,  and  put  no  fence  round  it,  to 
save  it  from  the  wild  boar  of  the  forest." 

(/)  INFLUENCE  OF  HOLY  LIV- 
ING.—In  the  town  of  M ,  N.  Y., 

there  lived  an  infidel  who  owned  a  saw- 
mill, situated  by  the  side  of  the  high- 
way, over  which  a  large  portion  of  a 
Christian  congregation  passed  every 
Sabbath,  in  going  to  and  returning  from 
their  place  of  worship.  This  infidel 
was  accustomed  to  iTianage  his  mill  him- 
self, and  having  no  regard  for  the  Sab- 
batii,  he  was  as  busy  and  his  mill  as 
noisy  on  that  holy  morning  as  any 
otlier.  It  was  soon  observed,  however, 
that  at  a  certain  time  before  service 
this  mill  would  stop  and  remain  silent, 
and  appear  to  be  destitute  of  the  pre- 
sence of  any  human  being  for  a  few 
minutes,  then  pass  on  with  its  noise  and 
clatter  till  about  the  close  of  service, 
when  it  again  ceased  for  a  little  time. 

It  was  soon  noticed  that  Deacon  B 

passed  the  mill  toward  the  place  of 
worship,  during  the  silent  interval.  It 
appeared  that  the  Deacon  being  (as  all 
other  good  deacons  are)  regular  in  his 
213 


103,  103 


CONSIDERATION— CONTENTMENT. 


time,  the  infidel  knew  just  when  to  stop  ! 
his  mill,  so  that  it  should  be  silent  while 

Deacon  B was  passing,  although  he 

paid  no  regard  to  the  passing  of  others. 
On  being  inquired  of,  why  he  paid  this 
marked    respect     to    Deacon    B , 


the  infidel  replied,  "The  Deacon  pro 
fesses  just  what  the  rest  of  you  do 
but  he  lives  also  such  a  life,  that  il 
makes  me  feel  bad  /iere"  (putting  his 
hand  upon  his  heart)  "  to  run  my  mill 
while  he  is  passing."  ^ 


102.  CONSIDERATION.    • 


(a)  SPENDING  HALF  AN  HOUR 
ALONE. — A  pious  and  venerable  fa- 
ther had  a  vain  and  profligate  son  ; 
often  had  he  reasoned  and  expostulated 
with  him,  mingling  tenderness  with  ad- 
vice, and  tears  with  remonstrance  ;  but 
all  was  ineffectual.  Bad  company  and 
vicious  habits  rendered  the  liVihappy 
youth  deaf  to  instructions.  At  last  a 
fatal  disorder  seized  his  aged  parent, 
who  calling  his  son  to  him,  entreated 
him  with  his  dying  breath,  that  he 
would  grant  him  one  small  favor,  the 
promise  of  which  would  alleviate  the 
pangs  of  dissolving  nature.  It  was  this, 
— that  his  son  v/ould  retire  to  his  cham- 
ber half  an  hour  every  day  for  some 
months  after  his  decease.  He  prescrib- 
ed no  particular  subject  to  employ  his 
thoughts,  but  left  that  to  himself. 

A  request  so  simple  and  easy,  urged 
by  parental  affection  from  the  couch 
of  death,  was   not   to  be  denied.     The 


youth  pledged  his  honor  for  the  fulfil- 
ment of  his  promise  ;  and,  wiien  he  be- 
came an  orphan,  punctually  performed 
it.  At  first,  he  was  not  disposed  to  im- 
prove the  minutes  of  solitude,  but  in 
time  various  reflections  arose  in  his 
mind  ;  the  world  was  withdrawn  ;  his 
conscience  awoke ;  it  reproved  him  for 
having  slighted  a  parent  who  had  done 
so  much  for  his  welfare  ;  it  renewed  the 
impression  of  his  dying  scene ;  it  gra- 
dually pointed  him  to  a  supreme  Cause, 
a  future  judgment,  and  a  solemn  eterni- 
ty. God  was  pleased  to  sanctify  these  so- 
litary moments,  and  to  strengthen  his 
convictions.  Retirement  effected  what 
advice  could  not  do,  and  a  real  and  per- 
manent change  took  place.  He  quitted 
his  companions,  and  reformed  his  con- 
duct ;  virtue  and  piety  filled  up  the 
rest  of  his  days,  and  stamped  sincerity 
on  his  repentance.  To  say  all  in  a 
word — he  lived  and  died  a  Christian. 


103.  CONTENTMENT. 


(a)  CATO  AND  MARIUS  CURL 
US. — Cato,  a  pattern  of  moderation, 
was  very  early  taught  the  happy  art  of 
contentment,  by  the  following  circum- 
stance : — Near  his  country  seat  was  a 
cottage,  formerly  belonging  to  Marius 
Curius,  who  was  thrice  honored  with  a 
triumph.  Cato  often  walked  thither, 
and  reflecting  on  the  smallness  of  the 
farm  and  the  meanness  of  the  dwelling, 
used  to  meditate  on  the  peculiar  virtues 
of  the  man,  who,  though  he  was  the 
most  illustrious  character  in  Rome,  had 
subdued  the  fiercest  nations,  and  driven 
Pyrrhus  out  of  Italy,  cultivated  this 
214 


little  spot  of  ground  with  his  own  hands, 
and,  after  three  triumphs,  retired  to  his 
own  cottage.  Here  the  ambassadors  of 
the  Samnites  found  him  in  the  chimney- 
corner  dressing  turnips,  and  offered  him 
a  large  present  of  gold  ;  but  he  abso- 
lutely refused  it,  remarking,  "  A  man, 
who  can  be  satisfied  with  such  a  supper, 
has  no  need  of  gold  :  and  I  think  it 
more  glorious  to  conquer  the  possessors 
of  it,  than  to  possess  it  myself."  Full 
of  these  thoughts,  Cato  returned  home  ; 
and  taking  a  view  of  his  own  estate,  his 
servants,  and  his  manner  of  life,  increas- 
ed his  labor,  and  retrenched  his  expenses. 


CONTENTMENT. 


103 


(h)     HUNTING     CONTENT.— 

Isaac  Walton,  himself  a  man  of  a  very 
cheerful,  contented  spirit,  relates  the 
following  anecdote : — 

I  knew  a  man  that  had  health  and 
I'iches,  and  several  houses,  all  beautiful 
and  well  furnished,  and  would  be  often 
troubling  himself  and  his  family  to  re- 
move from  one  of  them  to  another.  On 
being  asked  by  a  friend,  why  he  re- 
moved so  often  from  one  house  to  ano- 
ther, he  replied,  "  It  was  in  order  to 
find  content  in  some  of  them."  But  his 
friend,  knowing  his  temper,  told  him,  if 
he  would  find  content  in  any  of  his 
houses,  he  must  leave  himself  behind, 
for  content  can  never  dwell  but  with  a 
meek  and  quiet  soul. 

(c)  THE  KING'S  ADVICE  TO 
THE  STABLE-BOY.— A  king,  walk- 
ing  out  one  morning,  met  a  lad  at 
the  stable  door,  and  asked  him,  "  Well 
boy,  what  do  you  do  ?  what  do  they  pay 
you  ?"  '- 1  help  in  the  stable,"  replied 
the  lad ;  "  but  I  have  nothing  except 
victuals  and  clothes."  "  Be  content," 
replied  the  king,  "I  have  no  more.'" 
All  that  the  richest  possess  beyond  food, 
raiment,  and  habitation,  they  have  but 
the  keeping,  or  the  disposing,  not  the 
present  enjoyment  of.  A  plough-boy, 
who  thinks  and  feels  correctly,  has 
enough  to  make  him  contented  :  and  if 
a  king  have  a  discontented  spirit,  he 
will  find  some  plea  for  indulging  it. 

{d)  THE  SECRET  REVEALED. 
— An  Italian  bishop  struggled  through 
great  difiiculties,  without  repining  or 
betraying  the  least  impatience.  One 
of  his  intimate  friends,  who  highly  ad- 
mired the  virtues  which  he  thought  it 
impossible  to  imitate,  one  day  asked  the 
prelate  if  he  could  communicate  the 
secret  of  being  always  easy.  "  Yes," 
replied  the  old  man ;  "  I  can  teach  you 
my  secret  with  great  facility  ;  it  con- 
sists in  nothing  more  than  making  a 
right  use  of  my  eyes."  His  friend 
begged  of  him  to  explain  himself 
"  Most  willingly,"  returned  the  bishop. 
"  In  whatever  state  I  am,  I  first  of  all 
look  up  to  heaven,  and  remember  that 
my  principal  business  here  is  to  get 
there  ;  1  then  look  down  upon  the  earth, 
and  call  to  mind  how  small  a  place  I 
shall  occupy  in  it,  when  I  die  and  am 


buried ;  I  then  look  abroad  into  the 
world,  and  observe  what  multitudes 
there  are  who  are  in  all  respects  more 
unhappy  than  myself.  Thus  I  learn 
where  true  happiness  is  placed  ;  where 
all  our  cares  must  end  ;  and  what  little 
reason  I  have  to  repine  or  to  complain. 

(e)  TWO  SORTS  OF  BLESS- 
INGS.— "  It  is  a  great  blessing  to  pos- 
sess what  one  wishes,"  said  some  one 
to  an  ancient  philosopher,  who  replied, 
"  It  is  a  greater  blessing  still,  not  to  de- 
sire what  one  does  not  possess." 

(  f)  THE  SHEPHERD  OF  SALIS- 
BURY  PLAIN.— Many  of  our  readers 
are  acquainted  with  that  beautiful  tract, 
"  The  Shepherd  of  Salisbury  Plain." 
The  substance  of  this  narrative  is  a 
correct  account  of  David  Saunders,  of 
West  Lavington,  who  died  about  the 
period  of  its  publication.  The  conver- 
sation represented  as  passing  between 
the  shepherd  and  a  Mr.  Johnson,  really 
took  place  with  Dr.  Stonehouse,  a 
neighboring  clergyman,  who  afterwards 
befriended  the  shepherd  on  many  occa- 
sions. 

Dr.  Stonehouse,  who  was  on  a  jour- 
ney, and  somewhat  fearful,  from  the 
appearance  of  the  sky,  that  rain  was  al 
no  great  distance,  accosted  the  shep- 
herd with  asking  what  sort  of  weather 
he  thought  it  would  be  on  the  morrow. 
"  It  will  be  such  weather  as  pleases 
me,"  answered  the  shepherd.  Though 
the  answer  was  delivered  in  the  mildest 
and  civilest  tone  that  could  be  imagined, 
Dr.  S.  thought  the  words  themselves 
rather  rude  and  surly,  and  asked  him 
how  that  could  be.  "  Because,"  replied 
the  shepherd,  "  it  will  be  such  weather 
as  shall  please  God ;  and  whatever 
pleases  him  always  pleases  me." 

Dr.  S.  was  quite  satisfied  with  this 
reply,  and  entered  into  conversation 
with  the  shepherd  in  the  following  man- 
ner : — "  Yours  is  a  troublesome  life, 
honest  friend."  "  To  be  sure,  sir," 
replied  the  shepherd,  "  'tis  not  a  very 
lazy  life  ;  but  'tis  not  near  so  toilsome, 
as  that  which  my  great  Master  led  for 
my  sake,  and  he  had  every  state  and 
condition  of  life  at  his  choice,  and  chose 
a  hard  one,  while  I  only  submit  to  the 
lot  that  is  appointed  me."  "  You  are 
exposed  to  great  cold  and  heat,"  said 
215 


1«4 


CONTROVERSY. 


the  gentleman.  "  True,  sir,'*  said  the 
shepherd  ;  "  but  then  I  am  not  exposed 
to  great  temptations ;  and  so  throwing 
one  thing  against  another,  God  is 
pleased  to  contrive  to  make  things  more 
equal  than  we  poor,  ignorant,  short- 
sighted- creatures  are  apt  to  think. 
David  was  happier  when  he  kept  his 
father's  sheep,  on  such  a  plain  as  this, 
and  singing,  some  of  his  own  psalms, 
perhaps,  than  ever  he  was  when  he  be- 
came king  of  Israel  and  Judah." 

"  You  think,  then,"  said  the  gentle- 
man, "  that  a  laborious  life  is  a  happy 
one  ?" 

"  I  do,  sir ;  and  more  especially  so, 
as  it  exposes  a  man  to  fewer  sins.  If 
king  Saul  had  continued  a  poor  labo- 
rious man  to  the  end  of  his  days,  he 
might  have  lived  happy  and  honest,  and 
died  a  natural  death  in  his  bed  at  last, 
which  you  know,  sir,  was  more  than  he 
did." 

God  blessed  Saunders  with  an  excel- 
lent wife  and  numerous  offspring;  he 
had  sixteen  children,  and  twelve  of  them, 
at  one  time,  were  "  like  olive  branches 
round  his  table."  It  is  not  to  be  sup- 
posed that  a  poor  shepherd,  with  such 
a  family,  could  be  without  difficulties, 


especially  as  his  wife  suffered  much 
from  sickness. 

His  wages  were  but  6s.  dd.  weekly, 
out  of  which  he  was  sometimes  obliged 
to  pay  a  boy  for  assistance ;  but  when 
times  of  peculiar  necessity  occurred, 
God  always  raised  him  up  a  friend. 
Dr.  (afterwards  Sir  James)  Stonehouso 
repeatedly  assisted  him ;  and  some- 
times his  good  neighbors,  in  humbler 
life,  united  to  supply  his  wants.  In 
one  of  his  letters  in  his  old  age,  he  thus 
writes,  with  much  Christian  simplicity  : 
— "  As  for  my  part,  1  am  but  very 
poorly  in  body,  having  very  sore  legs, 
and  cannot  perform  the  business  of  my 
flock  without  help.  As  to  the  things 
of  this  world,  I  have  but  little  share ; 
having  my  little  cot  to  pray  and  praise 
God  in,  and  a  bed  to  rest  on  :  so  I  have 
just  as  much  of  this  world  as  I  desire. 
But  my  garment  is  worn  out,  and  some 
of  my  Christian  friends  think  they  must 
put  their  mites  together  and  buy  me 
one,  or  else  I  shall  not  be  able  to  en- 
dure the  cold  in  the  winter :  so  I  can 
say,  Good  is  the  Lord !  He  is  still 
fulfilling  his  promise,  '  I  will  never 
leave  thee,  nor  forsake  thee.'  " 


104.  CONTROVERSY, 


(a)  EUDAMIDES  AND  XENOC 

RATES.— When  Eudamides  heard  old 
Xenocrates  disputing  so  long  about 
wisdom,  he  inquired  very  gravely  but 
archly,  "  If  the  old  man  be  yet  disput- 
ing and  inquiring  concerning  wisdom, 
what  time  will  he  have  left  to  use  it  ?" 

(b)  LUTHER'S  PRAYER.— Con- 
troversy may  be  sometimes  needful : 
but  the  love  of  disputation  is  a  serious 
evil.  Luther,  who  contended  earnestly 
for  the  truth,  used  to  pray :  "  From  a 
vainglorious  doctor,  a  contentious  pas- 
tor, and  nice  questions,  the  Lord  deliver 
his  church !" 

(c)  MELANCTHON  AND  HIS 
MOTHER.— Philip  Melancthon,  being 
at  the  conferences  at  Spire,  in  1529, 
made  a  little  journey  to  Bretten,  to  see 
his  mother.     This  good  woman   asked 

216 


him  what  she  must  believe  amidst  so 
many  disputes,  and  repeated  to  him  her 
prayers,  which  contained  nothing  su- 
perstitious. "  Go  on,  mother,"  said  he^ 
"  to  believe  and  pray  as  you  have  done, 
and  never  trouble  yourself  about  reli- 
gious controversies." 

(d)  DR.  SWIFT'S  COOLNESS.-- 
When  Dr.  Swift  was  arguing  one  day 
with  great  coolness,  with  a  gentleman 
who  had  become  exceedingly  warm  in 
the  dispute,  one  of  the  company  asked 
him  how  he  could  keep  his  temper  so 
well.  "  The  reason  is,"  replied  the 
dean,  "  I  have  truth  on  my  side." 

(e)  NEWTON'S  ADVICE  TO  AN 
AUTHOR.— Mr.  Newton,  of  London, 
was  a  very  candid  and  friendly  critic, 
and  was  often  applied  to  by  young  au- 
thors "for   his  opinions   and    remarks, 


CONTROVERSY. 


104 


which  he  would  give  very  candidly, 
and  sometimes  under  the  name  of  Nib- 
blings.  On  one  of  these  occasions  a 
practical  essay  was  put  into  his  hand, 
which  he  approved ;  but  a  letter  was 
appended,  addressed  to  an  obscure  and 
contemptible  writer,  who  had  said  very 
unwarrantable  and  absurd  things  on 
the  subject,  and  whom  therefore  the 
writer  attacked  with  little  ceremony. 
The  following  is  a  specimen  of  some  of 
Mr.  Newton's  nibblino-s  : — "  Were  the 
affair  mine,  I  would  taks  no  notice  of 

Mr.  ;   but,  if  I  did,  it  should   be 

with  the  hope,  at  least  with  the  desire, 
of  doing  good,  even  to  him.  This 
would  make  me  avoid  every  harsh 
epithet.  He  is  not  likely  to  be  benefit- 
ed by  calling  him  a  fool.  The  evan- 
gelists simply  relate  what  is  said  and 
done,  and  use  no  bitterness  nor  severity, 
even  when  speaking  of  Herod,  Pilate, 
or  Judas.  I  wish  their  manner  was 
more  adopted  in  controversy." 

(/)  THE  DEBATING  CHURCH. 
— In  the  township  of  Minerva,  once 
flourished  a  delightful  society  known 
for  some  years  as  the  church  of  Edessa. 
It  was  a  congregation  of  about  a  hun- 
dred and  twenty  strong,  and  included 
sixteen  households,  besides  members  of 
other  families.  These  sixteen  families 
were  indeed  generally  exemplary,  but 
a  few  of  them  were  known  through  all 
the  country  as  houses  of  prayer  and 
sacred  song. 

Things  progressed  most  prosperously 
in  this  way  for  some  five  or  six  years, 
and  all  was  peace  and  brotherly  kind- 
ness among  themselves,  while  their  acts 
of  benevolence,  to  those  without,  espe- 
cially to  the  destitute  and  afflicted,  won 
the  esteem  and  admiration  of  all  the  sur- 
rounding community. 

But  at  length  appeared  among  them 
a  brother  from  Newfoundland,  of  good 
moral  reputation  and  of  very  respecta- 
ble attainments.  He  was  well  received 
by  the  whole  church,  and  for  some  time 
they  were  all  exceedingly  happy  in  his 
company.  But,  being  called  upon  one 
afternooon  for  an  address  at  a  prayer 
meeting,  in  a  place  where  a  number  of 
brethren  were  wont  to  convene  for  cul- 
tivating piety  and  a  more  perfect  ac- 
quaintance with  the  Book  of  God,  he 


introduceji  a  favorite  speculation  on  the 
extent  of  our  present  and  future  par- 
ticipation in  the  sin  of  Adam  ;  and  on 
the  nature  and  extent  of  that  depravity 
which  has  been  communicated  to  all 
his  posterity.  Question  after  question 
arose  about  moral  evil,  its  introduction 
into  the  universe,  and  God's  designs  and 
provisions,  until  the  prayer  meeting  be- 
came rather  a  debating  club  :  for  there 
were  three  young  men  who  took  sides 
with  their  strange  brother,  while  some 
of  the  elder  brethren  sought  to  correct 
some  of  their  alleged  aberrations,  and 
to  reclaim  them  from  those  unprofitable 
speculations.  But  their  efforts  did  not 
avail. 

It  got  into  the  congregation  ;  and 
through  their  inexperience  in  such  mat- 
ters, both  sides  of  these  questions  found 
favor  with  the  different  members  of  the 
church  ;  and  in  a  little  time  these  opin- 
ions were  on  every  one's  tongue.  Songs 
and  social  prayers  and  works  of  benev- 
olence were  laid  aside,  and  theological 
debate  drank  up  their  energies,  and  ab- 
sorbed their  thoughts.  Alienation  of 
feeling  and  declension  in  piety  were 
more  and  more  apparent ;  and  it  must 
have  been  many  years  before  the  blight- 
ing influence  of  their  conflicts  passed 
away. 

{g)  WAY  TO  DISCERN  WHO 
IS  WRONG  IN  ARGUMENT— 
A  cobbler  at  Leyden,  who  used  to  at- 
tend the  public  disputations  held  at  the 
academy,  was  once  asked  if  he  under- 
stood Latin.  "  No,"  replied  the  me- 
chanic, "  but  I  know  who  is  wrong 
in  the  argument."  "  How  ?"  replied 
his  friend.  "  Why,  by  seeing  who  is 
angry  first." 

(A)  DR.  GILL  NOT  AFRAID  TO 
BE  POOR.— After  Dr.  Gill  had  writ- 
ten  against  a  gentleman  whose  publi- 
cations he  considered  erroneous,  he  was 
waited  on  by  some  of  his  friends,  who 
endeavored  to  dissuade  him  from  per- 
severing, and  among  other  things,  they 
intimated  to  him  that  he  might  lose  the 
subscriptions  of  some  wealthy  persons. 
"  Do  not  tell  me  of  losing,"  said  the 
doctor  ;  "  I  value  nothing  in  comparison 
with  the  gospel.  I  am  not  afraid  to  be 
poor." 

217 


105 


CONVERSATION  BETWEEN  CHRISTIANS. 


105.  CONVERSATION  BETWEEN  CHRISTIANS. 


(a)  WOULD  DAVID  OR  PAUL 
HAVE  TALKED  THUS  ?— It  is  said 
of  the  Rev.  John  Jane  way,  an  eminent- 
ly pious  and  devoted  young  minister, 
who  died  in  1657,  that  he  was  greatly 
distressed  on  account  of  the  indisposition 
manifested  among  Christians  to  engage  in 
suitable  conversation ;  and  that  they  who 
should  be  found  encouraging  one  another 
in  the  way  to  eternal  happiness,  could 
satisfy  themselves  with  empty,  common, 
vain  stuff;  as  if  Christ,  heaven,  and 
eternity,  were  not  of  far  greater  worth 
than  any  thing  else  that  usually  sounds 
in  the  ears  and  comes  from  the  lips  of 
professors.  That  the  folly  of  common 
discourse  among  Christians  might  ap- 
pear more,  and  that  he  might  discover 
how  little  such  language  did  become 
those  that  profess  themselves  followers 
of  Christ,  he  once  sat  down  silently,  and 
took  out  his  pen  and  ink,  and  wrote 
down  in  short-hand  the  discourse  that 
passed  for  some  time  together,  amongst 
those  who  pretended  to  more  than  com- 
mon understanding  in  the  things  of  God. 
And,  after  a  while,  he  took  his  paper 
and  read  it  to  them,  and  asked  them 
whether  their  talk  was  such  as  they 
would  be  willing  God  should  record. 
"  Oh,  to  spend  an  hour  or  two  together, 
and  to  hear  scarcely  a  word  for  Christ, 
or  that  speaks  people's  hearts  in  love 
with  holiness !  Should  we  talk  thus  if 
we  believed  that  we  should  hear  of  this 
again  at  the  day  of  judgment  ?  Would 
Enoch,  David,  or  Paul  have  talked 
thus  ?  Is  this  the  sweetest  communi- 
cation of  saints  upon  earth  ?  Doth  not 
this  indicate  our  hearts  to  be  very 
empty  of  grace,  and  that  we  have  little 
sense  of  those  spiritual  and  eternal  con- 
cerns upon  us  ?" 

(h)  THE  AFFECTING  QUES- 
TION.— A  number  of  intimate  friends 
being  at  dinner  together,  on  the  Lord's 
day,  one  of  the  company,  in  order  to 
prevent  improper  discourse,  said,  "  It  is 
a  question  whether  we  shall  all  go  to 
heaven  or  not."  This  plain  hint  oc- 
218 


casioned  a  general  seriousness  and  self- 
examination.  One  thought,  "  If  any 
of  this  company  go  to  hell,  it  must  be 
myself;"  and  so  thought  another,  and 
another ;  even  the  servants,  who  wait- 
ed at  table,  were  affected  in  the  same 
manner.  In  short,  it  was  afterwards 
found,  that  this  one  sentence  proved,  by 
the  special  blessing  of  God  upon  it,  in- 
strumental to  their  conversion.  What 
an  encouragement  is  this  to  Christians, 
to  give  a  serious  turn  to  conversation, 
when  in  company  !  It  should  be  ob- 
served,  however,  that  the  Lord's  day 
was  not  instituted  for  the  visiting  and 
entertainment  even  of  Christians.  How 
is  their  conduct,  who  make  a  point  of 
meeting  and  feasting  on  the  Sabbath,  to 
be  distinguished  from  the  Sunday  parties 
of  the  profane  ?  Our  place  of  meeting, 
on  that  day,  is  the  house  of  God  ;  and 
our  feast,  the  rich  provisions  of  the  ever- 
lasting gospel. 

(c)  COMMUNION  WITH  SAINTS. 
— "  On  Saturday,  about  ten  o'clock," 
says  the  Rev.  T.  Charles,  of  North 
Wales,  in  a  letter,  "  I  set  out  from  Bris- 
tol. Just  as  I  came  to  the  outside  of 
the  gate  of  the  city,  I  met  a  dear  friend, 
and  one  whom  Jesus  loves.  I  was  ex- 
ceedingly glad  to  see  him  ;  for  I  never 
expected  to  see  him  this  side  of  eternity. 
He  had  been  in  a  dangerous  decline  for 
this  half  year ;  but  now,  through  mercy, 
he  is  wonderfully  recovered.  He  has 
nothing  to  depend  on  but  Providence  ; 
and  the  Lord  put  it  into  the  heart  of  a 
rich  merchant  in  the  city  to  support  and 
provide  for  him  amply  during  the  whole 
of  his  illness  ;  so  that,  though  possess- 
ing nothing,  he  had  every  thing  to  en- 
joy. He  turned  his  horse  back,  with 
the  intention  of  accompanying  me  a 
mile  or  two.  We  talked ;  and  our 
horses  carried  us  one  mile  after  another, 
till  we  had  ridden  fifteen  miles ;  and 
both  ourselves  and  our  horses  wanted 
I  some  refreshment.  His  conversation 
I  was  exceedingly  savory,  and  truly 
I  profitable,  suited  to  one  who  had  been, 


CONVERSATION,  RELIGIOUS,  WITH  THE  IMPENITENT.        105,  106 


in  his  own  apprehension,  and  that  of 
others,  on  the  borders  of  heaven.  I 
cannot  look  on  our  meeting,  but  as  a 
particular  appointment  and  blessing 
from  Providence.  We  stayed  two  hours 
together  at  the  inn,  and  parted  at  last 
with  much  regret.  You  would  have 
smiled  to  see  our  eyes  fixed  on  each 
other,  till  distance  obstructed  our  sight. 
Communion  of  saints  is  a  blessing  in- 
deed. 1  w^ould  not,  for  any  thing,  have 
it  expunged  from  our  creed." 

{d)  MR.  HERVEY  AND  DR. 
DODDRIDGE.— Mr.  Hervey,  in  a 
letter,  says — "  I  have  lately  seen  that 
most  excellent  minister  of  the  ever- 
blessed  Jesus,  Mr .    I  dined,  supped. 


and  spent  the  evening  with  him  at 
Northampton,  in  company  with  Dr. 
Doddridge,  and  two  pious,  ingenous 
clergymen  of  the  Church  of  England, 
both  of  them  known  to  the  learned 
world  by  their  valuable  writings ;  and 
surely  I  never  spent  a  more  delightful 
evening,  or  saw  one  that  seemed  to  make 
nearer  approaches  to  the  felicity  of 
heaven.  A  gentleman  of  great  worth 
and  rank  in  the  town,  invited  us  to  his 
house,  and  gave  us  an  elegant  treat ; 
but  how  mean  was  his  provision,  how 
coarse  his  delicacies,  compared  with  the 
fruit  of  my  friend's  lips  ! — they  dropped 
as  the  honey-comb,  and  were  a  well  of 
life." 


CONVERSATION,  RELIGIOUS,  WITH  THE  IMPENITENT. 


106.  AVay  for  IIiMble  Cliristians  to  be  Useful. 

(a)  RELATING  A  SERMON.— 
During  a  revival  in  M ,  says  a  cor- 
respondent of  the  New- York  Evange- 
list, a  minister,  who  was  a  stranger  to 
the  people,  came  into  the  place,  and 
preached  on  the  first  Sabbath  that  he 
spent  there,  from  the  text,   "  Why  will 

ye   die  ?"      Mrs.    A ,   one   of  the 

mothers  in  Israel,  was  deeply  interested 
in  the  subject  of  the  discourse.  When 
she  returned  home,  she  still  thought  of 
the  awful  condition  of  impenitent  sin- 
ners. She  had  a  near  neighbor,  the 
brother  of  her  husband,  who  was  so 
negligent  of  the  things  of  religion,  that 
he  was  seldom  seen  within  the  walls  of 
the  sanctuary.  She  felt  for  this  friend. 
In  the  evening  she  called  to  see  him, 
gave  him  a  relation  of  the  meeting  she 
had  attended,  told  him  the  text,  and  as 
much  of  the  sermon  as  she  could  re- 
collect. An  arrow  of  conviction  was 
fixed  in  his  heart,  he  immediately  be- 
gan to  attend  the  religious  meetings, 
and  soon  was  brought  to  rejoice  in  the 
God  of  his  salvation. 

How  much  good  might  be  accom- 
plished if  Christians  generally  felt  as 
this  pious  female  felt,  and  like  her  were 
faithful  to  warn  sinners,  to  invite  them 
to  Jesus,  and  entreat  them  to  flee  from 
the  wrath  to  come. 


(b)  THE  CHILD  AND  THE  SHOE 
MAKER.— When  Mr.  Whitfield  was 
preaching  in  America,  a  certain  lady 
in  New  England  became  a  subject  of 
grace,  and  a  praying,  experienced 
Christian.  But  she  was  alone  in  her 
exercises ;  she  could  influence  none  to 
pray  with  her  but  her  little  daughter, 
between  nine  and  eleven  years  of  age. 
This  child  she  took  into  her  closet  with 
her,  from  day  to  day,  a  witness  to  her 
cries  and  tears.  It  pleased  God,  afler 
some  time,  to  touch  the  heart  of  the 
child,  and  after  sorrow  for  sin,  to  give 
her  the  knowledge  of  salvation  through 
the  remission  of  sin.  The  child,  then 
about  eleven  years  of  age,  in  a  trans- 
port which  is  so  peculiar  to  such  a 
blessed  experience,  said,  "  O,  mother, 
if  all  the  world  knew  this !  I  wish  I 
could  tell  every  body  !  Pray,  mother, 
let  me  run  to  some  of  the  neighbors, 
and  tell  them,  that  they  may  be  happy, 
and  love  my  Savior  too." 

"  Ah !  my  dear  child,"  said  the 
mother,  "  that  would  be  needless ;  for  1 
suppose  if  you  were  to  tell  your  experi- 
ence, there  is  not  one  in  many  miles 
but  what  would  laugh  at  you,  and  say 
it  was  all  delusion." 

"  O,    mother,"   said    the    child,    *'  I 
think  they  would   believe  me.     I  must 
go  over  to  the  shoemaker  and  tell  him ; 
he  will  believe  me." 
219 


107 


CONVERSATION,  RELIGIOUS,  WITH  THE  IMPENITENT. 


She  ran  over,  and  found  him  at  work 
in  his  shop.  She  began  by  telling  him 
that  he  must  die,  and  that  he  was  a 
sinner,  and  that  she  was  a  sinner,  but 
that  her  blessed  Savior  had  heard  her 
mother's  prayers,  and  had  forgiven  all 
her  sins ;  and  that  now  she  was  so 
happy  she  did  not  know  how  to  tell  it ! 
The  shoemaker  was  struck  ;  his  tears 
flowed  down  like  rain  ;  he  threw  aside 
his  work,  and  cried  for  mercy,  by 
prayer  and  supplication.  That  alarm- 
ed the  neighborhood,  and  in  a  few 
months  from  that  time  there  were  above 
ijjOty  people  brought  to  the  knowledge 
of  Jesus,  and  experienced  his  power 
and  grace. 

-J        ■       ',* 
107.  IMluenee;  of  Earnestness  and  Ten- 

:   /    derness. 

•^/ 
(a)  YOtTNG  BUCHANAN  AND 
JHE  AGED  CHRISTIAN.— Dr.  Bu- 
chanan,  in  giving  an  account  of  his 
conversion,  says  ; — "  It  was  in  the  year 
1790  that  my  heart  was  effectually 
impressed  in  consequence  of  an  ac- 
quaintance with  a  religious  man.  This 
gentleman  having  called  one  Sunday 
evening,  out  of  complaisance  I  gave  the 
conversation  a  religious  turn.  Among 
other  things  I  asked  him  whether  he 
believed  there  was  such  a  thing  as 
divine  grace  ;  whether  or  not  it  was  a 
fiction  imposed  by  grave  and  austere 
persons  from  their  own  fancies.  He 
took  occasion,  from  this  inquiry,  to  en- 
large much  upon  the  subject ;  he  spoke 
with  zeal  and  earnestness,  and  chiefly 
in  Scripture  language,  and  concluded 
with  a  very  affecting  address  to  the 
conscience  and  the  heart.  I  had  not 
the  least  desire,  that  I  recollect,  of  be- 
ing benefited  by  this  conversation  ;  but 
while  he  spoke,  I  listened  to  him  with 
earnestness ;  and  before  I  was  aware, 
a  most  powerful  impression  was  made 
upon  my  mind,  and  I  conceived  the 
instant  resolution  of  reforming  my  life. 
On  that  evening  I  had  an  engagement 
which  I  could  not  now  approve ;  not- 
withstanding what  had  passed,  I,  how- 
ever, resolved  to  go ;  but  as  1  went 
along,  and  had  time  to  reflect  upon 
what  I  had  heard,  I  half  wished  that  it 
might  not  be  kept.  It  turned  out  as  I 
220 


desired.  I  hurried  home,  and  locked 
myself  up  in  my  chamber ;  I  fell  on 
my  knees,  and  endeavored  to  pray." 

The  result  of  this  interview  with 
his  religious  friend  was  made  conducive 
to  Buchanan's  conversion ;  and  he 
became  one  of  the  most  self-denying 
and  useful  men  in  modern  times. 

(b)  "  HOW  DO  YOU  TREAT  MY 
MASTER?"— Dr.  Payson  was  once 
going  to  one  of  the  towns  in  Maine  for 
the  purpose  of  attending  a  ministers' 
meeting,  accompanied  by  a  friend, 
when  they  had  occasion  to  call  at  a 
house  on  the  journey,  where  Dr.  Pay- 
son  was  unknown.  The  family  had 
just  sat  down  to  tea,  and  the  lady  of  the 
house,  in  the  spirit  of  genuine  hospi- 
tality, invited  the  strangers  to  partake 
of  the  social  repast.  Dr.  Payson  at 
first  declined,  but  being  strenuously 
urged,  he  consented.  As  he  took  his 
seat,  he  inquired  if  a  blessing  had  been 
asked ;  and  being  answered  in  the 
negative,  requested  the  privilege,  which 
was  readily  granted,  of  invoking  the 
benediction  of  Heaven.  This  was  done 
with  so  much  fervor,  solemnity,  and 
simplicity,  that  it  had  the  happiest 
effect.  The  old  lady  treated  the  com- 
pany with  the  utmost  attention,  and  as 
Dr.  Payson  was  about  to  leave,  he  said 
to  her,  "  Madam,  you  have  treated  me 
with  much  hospitality  and  kindness, 
for  which  I  thank  you  sincerely  ;  but 
allow  me  to  ask,  how  do  you  treat  my 
Master  ?  That  is  of  infinitely  greater 
consequence  than  hov/  you  treat  me." 
He  continued  in  a  strain  of  appropriate 
exhortation,  and  having  done  his  duty 
in  the  circumstances,  proceeded  on  his 
journey.  This  visit  was  sanctified  lo 
the  conversion  of  the  lady  and  her 
household.  The  revival  continued  in 
the  neighborhood,  and  in  a  short  time  a 
church  was  built,  and  the  regular  ordi- 
nances of  religion  established. 

(c)  LADY  H.  AND  THE  LABOR- 
ER.—Lady  H.  once  spoke  to  a  work- 
man who  was  repairing  a  garden  wall, 
and  pressed  him  to  take  some  thought 
concerning  eternity  and  the  state  of  his 
soul.  Some  years  afterward  she  was 
speaking  to  another  on  the  same  subject, 
and  said  to  him,  "Thomas,  I  fear  you 
never  pray,  nor  look  to  Christ  for  salva- 


INFLUENCE  OF  EARNESTNESS  AND  TENDERNESS. 


107 


lion."  "  Your  ladyship  is  mistaken," 
answered  the  man.  "  I  heard  what 
passed  between  you  and  James  at  such 
a  time,  and  the  word  you  designed  for 
him  took  effect  on  me."-  "  How  did  you 
hear  it  ?"  "I  heard  it  on  the  other  side 
of  the  garden,  through  a  hole  in  the 
wall,  and  shall  never  forget  the  impres- 
sion I  received." 

{d)  THE  EFFECT  OF  A  TEAR. 
— In  a  little  village,  in  the  northern  part 
of  England,  open-air  services,  for  the 
purpose  of  preaching  the  gospel  to  the 
ignorant  and  profligate,  had  been  car- 
ried on,  during  nine  successive  summer 
seasons,  and  not  without  some  salutary 
effects,  as  evidenced  in  the  conversion 
of  several.     But  among  others  Joseph 

K ,  full  of  self-righteousness   and 

prejudice,  despised  in  his  heart  the 
preacher,  his  message,  and  all  who 
loved  the  truths  which  he  declared. 

In  the  week,  he  was  by  necessity 
associated  with  two  or  three,  who,  since 
the  preaching  of  the  gospel  in  their  village 
had  tasted  that  the  Lord  was  gracious, 
and  who,  as  a  consequence,  ardently 
longed  that  others  should  enjoy  the  same 
holy  privileges  and  pleasures  as  those 
in  which  they  participated.    But  Joseph 

K despised  all  their   desires    and 

efforts,  because,  in  his  heart,  he  viewed 
them  only  as  hypocrites,  or  as  enthu-' 
siasts.  Many  a  word  in  season  was 
dropped  by  these  plain  Christians  in 
their  daily  intercourse  with  their  fellow 
laborer.     But,  for  a  long  time,  all  was 

to  no  good  purpose :  K remained 

insensible,  caring  for  none  of  these 
things.     During  the  winter,  his  master 

ordered  him  and  John  B to  thrash 

together  in  a  barn.  And  often,  between 
the  strokes  of  the  descending  flail,  was 
many    a    stroke     tenderly    aimed    at 

K 's  conscience.  However,  the  only 

return  which  he  usually  made,  was  a 
taunting  answer  as  to  some  people  being 
righteous  overmuch,  or  else  a  silent  yet 
significantly  contemptuous  sneer.  But 
his  associate  in  labor  was  a  man  of 
patient,  tender  spirit,  yet  of  very  sus- 
ceptible feelings.  He  grieved  inwardly 
at  the  hardness  and  impenitency  of  heart 
manifested  by  his  neighbor.  At  length, 
having,   on    one    occasion,    spoken    to 


K very  kindly  about  his  need  of  a 

Savior,  and  of  the  things  which  related 
to  his  everlasting  peace,  and  seeing  that 

he   disregarded   all    B 's    counsel, 

and  would  have  none  of  his  reproof,  the 
fountains  of  his  grief  were  suddenly 
broken  up,  and  turning  toward  a  dark 
part  of  the  barn,  a  gush  of  grief  burst 
forth,  ond  betrayed  itself,  rolling  down 
the  cheeks  of  the  poor  and  pious,  yet 

despised  thrasher.    But  although  B 

had  turned  aside,  and  endeavored  to  hide 
his  tears  by  hastily  wiping  them  away 
with  the  rough  sleeve  of  his  smock-frock, 

K saw  the  big  round  tear  glistening 

in  his  fellow  laborer's  eye,  who  silently,  ,  ^ 
but  thoughtfully,  soon  resumed  his  work,  V^ 
by  diligently  plying  witlu  his  flail  the  «^ 
corn  which  lay  spread  out'on'<the  thrash-  >''  * 
ing  floor.  I 

That  tear,  by  the  overruling  power  of  C 
God,  did  more  than  all  the  sermons  he 
heard  from  the  preacher  under  the  eb 
tree,  or  all  the  kind  and  truly  Christian 
expostulations  of  his  associate  in  labor. 
That  tear  subdued  his  heart.  He  melted 
into  tenderness  and  godly  sorrow  for 
his  past  sins.  From  that  moment  he  con- 
sidered.— "What,"  thought  he,  "shall 
John  B shed  tears  on  my  account, 


and  yet  I  have  never  shed  one  tear 
about  my  soul's  concern  ?"  After  much 
inward  conflict,  he  obtained  joy  and 
peace  in  believing.  He  began  soon  to 
love  the  minister,  and  the  people,  whom 
before  he  as  heartily  despised. 

(e)  THE  UNANSWERABLE 
ARGUMENT.— In  the  time  of  a  great 
revival  in  a  certain  church  and  con- 
gregation, the  pastor  urged  one  of  his 
brethren,  an  able,  skilful  lawyer,  to  go 
and  converse  with  a  scoffing  infidel  of 
their  acquaintance.  "  You  know," 
said  he,  "that  Mr.  R.  comprehends  an 
able  argument  as  well  as  any  of  us ; 
and  you  and  I  have  often  seen  how  his 
eye  will  kindle  under  a  compact  and 
well-drawn  argument.  Now  can  you 
not  go  over,  with  him,  the  proofs  on 
which  the  Christian  system  rests  ?" 

"  I  have  done  that  already,"  said  the 
lawyer,  "  and  he  heard  me  through 
patiently  and  then  pounced  upon  my 
arguments  like  a  tiger  on  his  prey. 
Then  he  wound  up  with  bitter  re- 
221 


107 


CONVERSATION,  RELIGIOUS,  WITH  THE  IMPENITENT. 


proaches,  which  made  me  dread  to  en- 
counter him  again." 

One  of  the  elders  of  the  same  church 
had  been  also  to  visit  the  infidel,  and 
met  with  a  like  reception,  and  he  had 
made  similar  objections  to  his  pastor  to 
visiting  the  infidel  again.  But  on  a 
subsequent  evening  he  was  led  by  the 
Spirit  of  God,  to  wrestle  before  the 
throne  with  most  agonizing  prayer  in 
that  Infidel's  behalf.  At  intervals  he 
continued  all  night  presenting  his  case 
before  God,  and  praying  for  his  conver- 
sion and  salvation,  as  a  man  would  pray 
for  a  friend's  life  on  the  eve  of  his 
execution. 

Prayer  was  followed  by  correspond- 
ing etfoit,  and  not  long  after,  in  the 
crowded  church,  Mr.  R.  stood  up,  a 
changed  man,  to  relate  his  Christian 
experience ! 

"  I  am  as  a  brand,"  said  he,  "  pluck- 
ed out  of  the  burning.  The  change  in 
my  views  and  feelings  is  astonishing  to 
myself;  and  all  brought  about  by  the 
grace  of  God  and  that  unanswerable 
argument. 

"  It  was  a  cold  morning  in  January, 
and  I  had  just  begun  my  labor  at  the 
anvil  in  my  shop,  when  I  looked  out 

and  saw  Elder  B approaching.    As 

he  drew  near  I  saw  he  was  agitated — 
his  look  was  full  of  earnestness.  His 
eyes  were  bedimmed  with  tears.  He 
took  me  by  the  hand.  His  breast  heav- 
ed with  emotion,  and  with  indescribable 

tenderness,  he  said,  '  Mr.  R ,  I  am 

greatly  concerned  for  your  salvation — 
greatly  concerned  for  your  salvation  !' 
and  he  burst  into  tears.  He  often 
essayed  to  speak,  but  not  a  word  could 
he  utter,  and  finding  that  he  could  say 
no  more,  he  turned,  went  out  of  the 
shop,  mounted  his  horse,  and  rode  slowly 
away. 

" '  Greatly  concerned  for  my  salvation,'' 
said  I  audibly,  and  I  stood  and  forgot  to 
bring  my  hammer  down  !  '  Greatly 
concerned  for  my  salvation.^  Here  is  a 
new  argument,  thought  I,  for  religion, 
which  I  never  heard  before,  and  I 
know  not  how  to  answer  it.  Had  the 
Elder  reasoned  with  me,  I  could  have 
confounded  him  ;  but  here  is  no  thread- 
bare argument  for  the  truth  of  religion. 
222 


Religion  must  move  the  soul  with  bene- 
volent, holy,  mighty  impulses,  or  this 
man  would  not  feel  as  he  does.  '  Greatly 

CONCERNED  FOR  MY  SALVATION  ' it  rUUg 

through  my  ears  like  a  thunder  clap  in 
a  clear  sky.  '  Greatly  concerned  ought 
/  to  be  for  my  own  salvation,'  said  I ; 
'  What  shall  I  do  to  be  saved  V 

"  I  went  into  my  house.  My  poor 
pious  wife,  whom  1  had  so  often  ridi- 
culed for  her  religion,  exclained, '  Why 
Mr.   R ,  what   is   the   matter  with 


you 


'  Matter  enough,'  said  I,  filled 


with  agony — '  Matter  enough.  Elder 
B.  has  rode  two  miles  this  cold  morning 
to  tell  me  he  was  greatly  concerned  for 
my  salvation.  What  shall  I  do  V  She 
advised  me  to  go  and  see  him.  No 
sooner  said  than  done.  I  mounted  my 
horse  and  pursued  after  him.  I  found 
him  alone  in  that  same  little  room  where 
he  had  spent  the  whole  night  in  prayer 
for  my  poor  soul.  'I  am  come,'  said  I 
to  him,  '  to  tell  you  I  am  greatly  con- 
cerned for  my  own  salvation.' 

" '  Praised  be  God,'  said  the  Elder. 
'  It  is  a  faithful  saying,  and  worthy  of 
all  acceptation,  that  Jesus  Christ  came 
into  the  world  to  save  sinners,  even  the 
very  chief;'  and  he  began  at  that  same 
Scripture  and  preached  unto  me  Jesus. 
On  that  same  floor  we  knelt,  and  to- 
gether we  prayed,  and  we  did  not  sep- 
arate that  day  till  God  spoke  peace  to 
my  soul.  And  here  permit  me  to  say, 
if  you  would  reach  the  heart  of  such  a 
poor  sinner  as  I,  you  must  get  your 
qualification  where  the  good  Elder  did 
his,  in  your  closet  and  on  your  knees." 
That  converted  infidel  long  outlived  the 
Elder,  and  was  the  means  of  the  con- 
version of  many. 

(/)  THE  GAY  LADY  AND  HER 
PIOUS  FRIENDS.— A  gay,  thought- 
less  young  lady,  who  had  not  unfre- 
quently  indulged  in  ridiculing  "  the 
orthodox,"  as  she  was  pleased  to  term 
those  who  pretended  to  any  thing  more 
than  external  morality,  after  having 
been  in  the  society  of  a  pious,  devoted 

friend,  observed,  "  Mrs. is  always 

talking  religion,  but  she  does  seem  to 
enjoy  it  so  much,  that  I  admire  to  lis- 
ten to  her,  and  have  been  sitting  a  whole 
hour  to  hear  her  converse." 


ADVANTAGE  OF  SKILL  AND  PRUDENCE. 


iO§,  109 


108.  Advantage  of  Skill  and  Prudence. 

(a)  MEETING  THE  IMPENI- 
TENT ALONE.— Several  young  la- 
dies, of  a  proud,  gay  aiid  fashionable 
character,  lived  together  in  a  fashiona- 
ble family.  Two  men  were  strongly 
desirous  to  get  the  subject  of  religion 
before  them,  but  were  at  a  loss  how  to 
accomplish  it  for  fear  they  would  all 
combine,  and  counteract  or  resist  every 
serious  impression.  At  length  they  took 
this  course.  They  called  and  sent  up 
their  card  to  one  of  the  young  ladies 
by  name.  She  came  down  and  they  con- 
versed with  her  on  the  subject  of  her 
salvation,  and  as  she  was  alone,  she 
not  only  treated  them  politely,  but 
seemed  to  receive  the  truth  in  serious- 
ness. A  day  or  two  after,  they  called 
in  like  manner  on  another,  and  then 
another,  and  so  on  till  they  had  con- 
versed with  every  one  separately.  In 
a  little  time  they  were  all,  I  believe, 
every  one,  hopefully  converted.  This 
was  as  it  should  be,  for  then  they  could 
not  keep  each  other  in  countenance. 
And  then  the  impression  made  on  one 
was  followed  up  with  the  others,  so  that 
one  was  not  left  to  exert  a  bad  influence 
over  the  rest. 

(b)  TWENTY-ONE  YOUNG 
MEN  CONVERTED.— There  was  a 
pious  woman  who  kept  a  boarding  house 
for  young  gentlemen  ;  she  had  twenty- 
one  or  two  of  them  in  her  family,  and  at 
length  she  became  very  anxious  for 
their  salvation  :  she  made  it  a  subject  of 
prayer,  but  saw  no  seriousness  among 
them.  At  length  she  saw  that  there 
must  be  something  done  besides  praying, 
and  yet  she  did  not  know  what  to  do. 
One  morning  after  breakfast,  as  they 
were  retiring  she  asked  one  of  them  to 
stop  a  few  minutes.  She  conversed 
with  him  tenderly  on  the  subject  of  re- 
ligion, and  prayed  with  him.  She  fol- 
lowed up  the  impression  made,  and 
pretty  soon  he  was  hopefully  converted. 
Then  there  were  two,  and  they  address- 
ed another,  and  prayed  with  him,  and 
soon  he  was  prepared  to  join  them.  Then 
another,  and  so  on,  taking  one  at  a  time, 
and  letting  none  of  the  rest  know  what 
223 


was  going  on,  so  as  not  to  alarm  them, 
till  every  one  of  these  young  men  were 
converted  to  God.  Now  ifshe  had  brought 
the  subject  before  the  whole  of  them  to- 
gether, very  likely  they  would  have 
turned  it  all  into  ridicule,  or  perhaps  they 
would  have  been  offended  and  left  the 
house,  and  then  she  could  have  had  no 
further  influence  over  them.  But  tak- 
ing one  alone,  and  treating  him  respect- 
fully and  kindly,  he  had  no  such  ob- 
stacle as  arises  out  of  the  presence  of 
others. 

109.  Happy  Results  Unexpectedly  Developed 

(a)  THE  PIOUS  WIDOW  AND 
THE  SAILOR.— A  pious  English 
widow,  who  resided  among  ignorant 
and  vicious  neighbors  in  the  suburbs 
of  B — ,  Mass.,  determined  to  do  what 
she  could  for  their  spiritual  benefit ; 
and  so  she  opened  her  little  front  room 
for  weekly  prayer  meetings,  and  en- 
gaged some  pious  Methodists  to  aid  in 
conducting  them.  Much  of  the  seed 
thus  scattered  on  a  seemingly  arid  soil, 
produced  fruit.  One  instance  deserves 
special  notice. 

Among  others  who  attended  was  a 
young  sailor  of  intelligent  and  prepos- 
sessing countenance.  A  slight  ac- 
quaintance with  him  discovered  him  to 
be  very  ignorant  of  even  the  rudiments 
of  education ;  but,  at  the  same  time  he 
had  such  manifestly  superior  abilities, 
that  the  widow  became  much  interested 
in  his  spiritual  welfare,  and  could  not 
but  hope  that  God  would  in  some  way 
provide  for  his  further  instruction,  con- 
vert him  and  render  him  useful. 

But  in  the  midst  of  her  anticipations 
he  was  suddenly  summoned  away  to  sea. 
He  had  been  out  but  a  short  time  when 
the  vessel  was  seized  by  a  British  pri- 
vateer and  carried  into  Halifax,  where 
the  crew  suffered  by  a  long  and  wretched 
imprisonment. 

A  year  had  passed  away,  during 
which  the  good  woman  had  heard  noth- 
ing of  the  young  sailor.  Still  she  re- 
membered and  prayed  for  him  with  the 
solicitude  of  a  mother.  About  this  time, 
she  received  a  letter  from  her  relations, 
t  who  had  settled  in  Halifax,  on  business 


109 


CONVERSATION,  RELIGIOUS,  WITH  THE  IMPENITENT. 


which  required  her  to  go  to  that  town. 
While  there,  her  liabitual  disposition  to 
be  useful,  led  her  with  a  few  friends  to 
visit  the  prison  with  Bibles  and  tracts. 
In  one  apartment  were  the  American 
prisoners.  As  she  approached  the  grated 
door,  a  voice  shouted  her  name,  calling 
her  mother,  and  a  youth  appeared  and 
leaped  for  joy  at  the  grate.  It  was  the 
lost  sailor  boy  !  They  wept  and  con- 
versed like  mother  and  son,  and  when 
she  left  she  gave  him  a  Bible — his  fu- 
ture guide  and  comfort. 

During  her  stay  at  Halifax,  she  con- 
stantly visited  the  prison,  supplying  the 
youth  with  tracts,  religious  books,  and 
clothing,  and  endeavoring  by  her  con- 
versation to  secure  the  religious  impres- 
sion made  on  his  mind  at  the  prayer 
meetings  in  B — .  After  many  months 
she  removed  to  a  distant  part  of  the  pro- 
vinces ;  and  for  years  she  heard  nothing 
more  of  the  young  sailor. 

We  pass  over  a  period  of  many  years 
and  introduce  the  reader  to  Father  T — , 
the  distinguished  mariner's  preacher  in 
the  city  of  B — .  In  a  spacious  and  sub- 
stantial chapel,  crowded  about  by  the 
worst  habitations  in  the  city,  this  dis- 
tinguished man  delivered,  every  Sab- 
bath, discourses  as  extraordinary,  per- 
haps, as  are  to  be  found  in  the  Christian 
world.  In  the  centre  column  of  seats, 
guarded  sacredly  against  all  other  in- 
trusion, sat  a  dense  mass  of  mariners — 
a  strange  medley  of  white,  black,  and 
olive,  Protestant,  Catholic,  and  Pagan. 
On  the  other  seats  in  the  galleries,  the 
aisles,  the  altar,  and  on  the  pulpit  stairs, 
were  crowded,  week  after  week,  and 
year  after  year — the  families  of  sailors, 
and  the  poor  who  had  no  other  temple 
— the  elite  of  the  city^the  learned  pro- 
fessor— the  student — the  popular  writer 
— the  actor — groups  of  clergymen,  and 
the  votaries  of  gayety  and  fashion,  lis- 
tening with  throbbing  hearts  and  wet 
eyes,  to  a  man  whose  only  school  had 
been  the  forecastle,  whose  only  endow- 
ments were  those  of  grace  and  nature, 
but  whose  shrewd  sense,  keen  wit,  and 
glowing  fancy,  and  melting  pathos,  and 
energetic  delivery  would  allow  none  to 
be  inattentive  or  unaffected  in  his  au- 
dience. 

In  the  year  183 — ,  an  aged  English 
224 


local  preacher  moved  into  the  city  of 
B —  from  the  British  provinces. 

The  old  local  preacher  was  ming- 
ling in  a  public  throng  one  day  with  a 
friend,  when  they  met  "  Father  T — ." 
A  few  words  of  introduction  led  to  a 
free  conversation,  in  which  the  fonner 
residence  of  his  wife  in  the  city  was 
mentioned,  and  allusion  was  made  to  her 
prayer  meeting — her  former  name  was 
asked  by  "  Father  T —  ;"  he  seemed 
seized  by  an  impulse — inquired  their 
residence,  hastened  away,  and  in  a  short 
time  arrived  in  a  carriage,  with  all  his 
family,  at  the  home  of  the  aged  pair. 
There  a  scene  ensued  which  must  be 
left  to  the  imagination  of  the  reader. 
"  Father  T — "  was  the  sailor  boy  of 
the  prayer  meeting  and  the  prison. 
The  old  lady  was  the  widow  who  had 
first  cared  for  his  soul.  They  had  met 
once  more  ! 

(b)  "  DID  YOU  EVER  DRINK  AT 
THAT  GREAT  FOUNTAIN  ?"— A 
friend  of  mine.  Deacon  E.,  in  1839, 
was  on  a  visit  to  Saratoga  Springs.  One 
morning,  taking  a  draught  at  Congress 
Spring,  a  lady  came  to  take  her  usual 
glass  at  the  same  time.  The  deacon 
turned  to  her  and  asked  her,  "  Have  you 
ever  drank  at  that  Great  Fountain  ?'"' 
She  colored,  and  looked  surprised  ;  but 
turned  away  without  a  word  of  reply. 
The  next  winter  Deacon  E.  was  in  Roch- 
ester, and  one  evening  attended  a  con- ' 
ference  and  prayer  meeting  in  the 
Baptist  church.  A  gentleman  invited 
him  to  go  home  with  him  and  see  his 
wife  who  was  very  sick.  As  he  entered 
the  room  she  looked  up  and  smiled,  and 
said,  "  Don't  you  know  me  ?"  "  No," 
said  he.  "  Don't  you  remember  asking 
a  woman  at  Congress  Spring, '  Have  you 
ever  drank  at  that  Great  Fountain  ?'" 
"  Yes,"  says  he.  "  Well,"  said  she, 
"  I  am  the  person  ;  I  thought  at  first  you 
were  very  rude  ;  but  your  words  kept 
ringing  in  my  ears.  They  followed 
me  to  my  chamber,  to  my  pillow.  I 
found  no  rest  till  I  found  it  in  Christ.  I 
expect  to  die  pretty  soon,  and  go  to 
heaven,  and  you,  under  God,  are  the 
means  of  my  salvation  !  Be  as  faithful 
to  others  as  you  have  been  to  me. 
Never  be  afraid  to  talk  to  strangers  on 
the  subject  of  religion." 


HAPPY  RESULTS,  UNEXPECTEDLY  DEVELOPED. 


109 


(c)  FAREWELL  ADVICE.— Many 
years  ago,  a  gentleman  lived  in  inti- 
mate association  with  some  literary 
friends,  wh  met  together  once  a  week. 
In  the  freedom  of  this  social  inter- 
course, he  had  ample  opportunities  of 
ascertaining  their  peculiar  habits  of 
mind,  and  remarked,  with  deep  regret,  a 
general  alienation  from  the  sentiments 
and  principles  of  real  religion.  One  of 
them,  in  particular,  to  whom  he  was  on 
many  accounts  most  attached,  scorned 
the  restraints  of  religion,  and  abandoned 
himself  to  the  pleasures  of  the  world. 
Circumstances  at  length  led  the  gentle- 
man to  leave  that  place,  and  on  parting 
with  his  acquaintance  at  the  corner  of  the 
street,  he  summoned  up  his  moral  cour- 
age to  pronounce  the  following  words: — 
"We  now  part,  probably  to  meet  no  more 
on  earth.  We  have  sometimes  discussed, 
and  you  have  always  refused  to  regard, 
the  appeals  of  scriptural  truth.  One 
word,  and  I  have  done.  O  remember 
that  you  have  a  soul,  an  immortal  soul  : 
will  you  finally  consent  to  lose  it  in  end- 
less perdition,  for  the  sake  ofpaltry  and 
fleeting  indulgences?     Farewell." 

Each  now  disappeared  from  the  other, 
in  the  crowd  of  life  ;  and  pursued  a  very 
different  course.  Ten,  twenty,  thirty 
years  elapsed.  The  gentleman  was 
one  day  standing  at  his  door,  when  an- 
other gentleman  was  passing  by  in  great 
haste  ;  but  a  momentary  glance  induced 
him  to  stop,  and  to  ask,  "  Sir,  is  not  your 
name  M— ?" 

"It  is;"  and  a  sudden  reminiscence 
led  him  to  add,  "And  is  not  yours  G —  ?" 

"  You  are  right.  Do  you  remember 
what  you  said  at  our  separation  at  the 
corner  of  S —  street,  thirty  years  ago  ?" 

"  I  have  a  faint  recollection." 

"'  But  I  have  a  strong  one.  I  am  an- 
other man.  You  left  me  a  man  of  the 
world,  and  an  enemy  of  the  cross  of 
Christ :  I  am  now,  and  have  been  during 
many  years,  a  member  of  a  Christian 
church,  and  you  are  the  cause.  The 
word  was  '  in  season ; '  I  could  not  rid 
myself  of  it ;  I  was  forced  by  it  to  re- 
flection ;  yes,  I  thought  on  my  ways, 
and  turned  to  God  and  happiness." 

{d)  REV.  MR.  READER  AND 
THE  CHILD.— The  Rev.  Mr.  Rea- 
der,  of  Taunton  (Eng.),  having  called, 
15 


one  day,  in  the  course  of  his  pastoral 
visits,  at  the  house  of  a  friend,  affec- 
tionately noticed  a  little  girl  in  the 
room,  about  six  years  of  age.  Among 
other  things,  he  asked  her  if  she  knew 
that  she  had  a  bad  heart,  and,  open- 
ing the  Bible,  pointed  her  to  the  pas- 
sage where  the  Lord  promises  to  give 
a  new  heart.  He  instructed  her  to  plead 
this  promise  in  prayer,  and  she  would 
find  the  Almighty  faithful  to  his  promise. 
About  seventeen  years  after,  a  lady  came 
to  him,  proposed  herself  for  communion 
with  the  church  of  which  he  was  pastor, 
and  how  inexpressible  was  his  delight, 
when  he  found  that  she  was  the  very 
person  with  whom,  when  a  child,  he 
had  so  freely  conversed,  and  that  the 
conversation  was  blessed  to  her  con- 
version !  Taking  her  Bible,  she  had  re- 
tired, as  he  advised,  pleaded  the  promise, 
wept,  and  prayed  ;  and  the  Lord,  in  an- 
swer to  her  fervent  petitions,  gave  her 
what  she  so  earnestly  desired,  a  nevj 
heart. 

{e)  BISHOP  ASBURY  AND  POOR 
PUNCH.— Bishop  Asbury,  in  1798,  on 
his  journey  to  Charleston,  S.  C,  pass- 
ed a  creek  in  the  parish  of  St. — ,  on 
the  bank  of  which  sat  a  slave  fishing 
and  humming  a  ditty.  His  name  was 
Punch.  He  was  notorious  for  his  vi- 
cious character.  The  pious  bishop  rode 
towards  him,  deliberately  proceeded  to 
alight,  fastened  his  horse  to  a  tree,  and 
seated  himself  by  tlie  side  of  the  slave  ! 

As  the  slave  seemed  willing,  he  com- 
menced a  minute  and  personal  conversa- 
tion with  him  on  religion.  Punch  began 
to  feel,  tears  ran  dov/n  his  sable  cheeks, 
and  he  seemed  alarmed  at  his  danger,  and 
listened  with  intentness  to  the  counsels 
of  the  singular  stranger.  Afler  a  long 
conversation,  the  bishop  sung'  the 
hymn  — 

"Plunged  in  a  gulf  of  dark  despair," 
prayed  with  him,  and  pursued  his  jour- 
ney. More  than  twenty  years  elapsed 
before  he  again  saw  or  heard  of  Punch. 
While  on  another  visit  to  Charleston 
he  was  called  upon  by  an  aged  and 
Christian  negro,  who  had  travelled  sev- 
enty miles  on  foot  to  visit  him.  It  was 
the  slave  he  had  warned  and  prayed 
over  on  the  bank  of  the  creek,  who  had 
ever  since  been  journeying  on  the  way 
225 


110 


CONVERSATION,  RELIGIOUS,  WITH  THE  IMPENITENT. 


to  heaven.  When  the  bishop  left  him,  on 
the  bank  of  the  stream,  he  immediately 
took  up  his  fishing  tackle  and  hastened 
home  in  the  deepest  agitation,  pondering 
over  the  words  of  the  venerable  man. 
After  some  days  of  anguish  and  prayer, 
he  found  peace  in  believing  and  became  a 
new  man.  The  change  was  too  mani- 
fest not  to  be  discovered  by  liis  fellow- 
servants — it  was  the  topic  of  his  con- 
versation with  them  incessantly.  In  his 
simple  way  he  pointed  them  to  the  Lamb 
of  God  which  taketh  away  the  sins  of 
the  world,  and  many  of  them  became 
thoroughly  penitent  for  their  sins. 
Throngs  of  the  neglected  Africans  re- 
sorted to  his  humble  cabin  to  receive 
his  exhortations  and  prayers.  A  per- 
verse overseer,  who  had  charge  of  the 
plantation,  perceiving  the  increasing 
interest  of  the  slaves  for  their  souls,  and 
their  constant  attendance  in  the  evenings 
at  Punch's  cabin,  determined  to  put  a 
stop  to  the  spreading  leaven.  But  on 
coming  one  night  to  break  up  a  meeting, 
he  was  struck  under  conviction,  fell  down 
under  a  tree  near  by,  and  began  to  cry 
for  mercy.  The  negroes  gathered 
around  him,  and  prayed  with  him  till 
God  in  his  mercy  pardoned  and  com- 
forted him.  The  overseer  now  became 
a  co-worker  with  Punch  among  them  ; 
he  joined  the  nearest  Methodist  church, 
and  in  time  became  an  exhorter,  and 
finally  a  preacher  !  Punch  had  now  full 
liberty  to  do  good  among  his  associates. 
He  exhorted,  prayed,  and  led  them  on, 
as  a  shepherd  his  flock,  and  extended 
his  usefulness  around  the  whole  neigh- 
borhood. After  many  years  he  was  re- 
moved, by  the  decease  of  his  master 
and  the  distribution  of  the  estate,  to 
the  parish  of  A.,  where  he  continued  to 
labor  for  the  souls  of  his  fellow  bond- 
men with  still  greater  success.  Scores 
and  even  hundreds  were  converted 
through  his  instrumentality,  and  he  sus- 
tained  a  kind  of  pastoral  charge  over 
them  for  years. 

no.  Various  Interesting  Conversions. 

(a)  THE   MINISTER'S    DIREC- 
TION.-A  Christian  minister  some  years 
ago,  on  returning  from  preaching  in  a 
neighboring  village,  was  asked  by  an 
226 


individual  to  direct  him  to  a  certain 
place.  His  request  was  attended  to, 
and  when  the  stranger  was  thanking 
him  for  his  kindness,  the  minister  le- 
plied,  "  Take  care,  my  friend,  you  are 
in  the  right  way  at  last."  These  words 
appeared  long  to  sound  in  the  man's 
ears,  and.  What  could  the  gentleman 
mean  by  them  ?  was  an  inquiry  often 
presented  to  his  mind,  and  which  at 
length  led  to  the  salvation  of  his  sodi. 
Some  years  had  passed  away,  with  all 
their  attendant  cares,  joys,  and  sorrows, 
when  the  minister  was  solicited  to 
preach  at  Ludlow,  Salop.  After  the 
service,  he  was  requested  to  visit  a  mem- 
ber of  the  church,  who  was  in  dying 
circumstances.  As  soon  as  he  came 
near,  the  dying  man  fixed  his  eyes  on 
the  countenance  of  the  minister,  and, 
with  a  peculiarly  significant  look,  and 
emphatic  voice,  said,  "  Sir,  I  know  you! 
I  know  you  !"  "  Know  me  !"  replied 
the  minister ;  "  how  can  that  be  ?  for  I 
am  a  stranger  here."  "  I  know  you 
sir,"  again  he  replied.  "  Do  you  not 
remember,"  said  he,  "  some  years  ago, 
a  person  asking  you  the  way  to  such  a 
place,  and  your  returning  with  him, 
putting  him  in  the  right  path,  and  when 
we  were  parting  saying  to  him,  "  My 
friend,  take  care  you  are  in  the  right 
way  at  last  ?"  "  No,  I  do  not,"  replied 
the  minister ;  for  it  had  completely 
escaped  his  memory.  "  Yes,  you  did, 
sir,"  rejoined  the  dying  man  ,  "  I  have 
not  forgotten  it,  nor  ever  shall  forget 
it.  '  The  right  way  at  last ;'  Oh,  sir, 
am  I  in  that  way  now  ?  I  cannot  live 
long,  I  feel  that  I  am  dying  ;  tell  me. 
Oh,  tell  me,  if  I  am  in  the  right  way.'* 
The  minister  questioned  him  as  to  his 
faith  in  Christ,  and  on  other  important 
points,  to  which  the  dying  man  returned 
suitable  and  satisfactory  answers.  Af- 
ter which  the  minister  affectionately 
and  earnestly  recommended  him  in 
prayer  to  God,  and  left  him.  In  a  few 
days  his  mortal  career  ended. 

{I)  THE  PHYSICIAN  AND  HIS 
CLERICAL  PATIENT— It  would  not 
be  easy  to  calculate  the  good  that  might 
be  done,  were  true  religion  more  preva- 
lent among  our  medical  men,  who  have 
constant  access  to  bedsides,  which  the 
pious    minister,  however   anxious   and 


THE  DUTY  NEGLECTED. 


110,  111 


willing,  is  sometimes  not  permitted  to 
approach. 

Dr.  —  was  visiting  a  gentleman  who 
appeared  very  much  agitated  on  being 
informed  by  him  of  the  nature  of  his 
complaint,  which  Dr.  —  observing,  he 
said  to  him,  "  Sir,  you  seem  very  much 
distressed  about  your  body;  do  you  feel 
the  same  anxiety  about  your  soul  V 
The  gentleman  was  extremely  irritated 
at  the  question,  and  the  more  so  as  he 
was  a  clergyman  ;  but  he  subsequently 
thought  of  it,  and  told  Dr.  —  that  he 
dated  the  origin  of  his  anxious  concern 
for  salvation  to  that  remark. 

(c)  "A  WORD  IN  SEASON."— 
The  Rev.  Peter  Mill,  a  zealous  and 
venerable  minister  of  the  Gospel,  being 
on  a  pedestrian  excursion  in  Yorkshire 
(Eng.),  came  to  the  brink  of  a  large 
pit,  which  was  so  completely  covered 
with  the  drifted  snow  as  to  conceal  all 
danger  from  the  unwary  traveller. 
Just  at  that  imminent  moment,  when,  had 
he  stepped  forward,  it  is  more  than  pro- 
bable he  would  have  plunged  into  the 
gulf  of  death,  a  young  woman  coming 
up,  discovered  to  him  his  perilous  con- 
dition. Grateful  to  the  First  Cause  of 
his  deliverance,  he  was  not  unmindful 
of  the  instrument  of  it :  and  desirous  of 
making  her  some  important  return  for 
the  service  she  had  rendered  him,  he 
informed  her  that  he  was  a  minister  of 
Christ,  whose  office  it  was  to  call  sin- 
ners to  repentance.  And  with  much 
gratitude  and  earnestness,  he  exhorted 
her  to  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come,  en- 
treating her  seriously  to  consider  that 
her  youth  was  no  security  from  death, 
and  expressing  a  most  ardent  desire 
that  he  might  be  the  means  of  saving 
her  soul  from  the  more  awful  fit  than 
that  from  which  she  had  been  in- 
strumental  in  saving  his  body. 

What  he  said  to  her  was  "  a  word  in 
season  ;"  for,  while  gratitude  sparkled 
in  his  eyes,  and  his  countenance  ex- 
pressed more  than  his  tongue  could  de- 
clare, she  could  not  doubt  the  truth  of 
his  assertions  ;  and  such  was  the  im- 
pression of  his  discourse  on  her  mind, 
that  she  began  earnestly  to  cry,  "  What 
must  I  do  to  be  saved !"  She  soon 
obtained  ease  to  her  troubled  conscience, 
and  an   assurance  that  her  sins  were 


pardoned.  And  about  eight  weeks 
after  this,  she  died,  happy  in  the  conso- 
lations of  religion. 

{d)  THE     CLERGYMAN     CON- 
VERTED.— The  excellent  Joseph  Wil- 
Hams,  of  Kidderminster,  relates,  in  his 
I  diary,  that  in  the  year  1754,  he  was 
I  unexpectedly  induced  to  take  a  journey ; 
i  and,  while  out  on  his  way,  to  ride  to 
;  Bradford,    in    Wiltshire,   on  a   stormy 
;  night.     On  a  Monday,  he  called  on  a 
j  clergyman,  the  vicar  of  the  town,  and 
j  just  as  the  party,  to  whom  he  was  thus 
I  introduced,  was  breaking  up,  a  young 
:  clergyman,    the  curate    of  the  parish, 
I  came  in.     A  pious  friend,  who  accom- 
panied Mr.  Williams,  requested  him  to 
j  speak  to  the  curate  :  and  with  some  re- 
luctance he  advanced  towards  him  with 
i  the  important  inquiry,  "  Sir,  how  does 
I  your  soul  prosper  ?"     He  seemed  dis- 
j  concerted,    and    replied   in   a   languid 
manner.     Next  morning,    he  sent   for 
Mr.   Williams,  and  told   him  that   the 
conversation  was  deeply  impressed  on 
his  mind,  that  he  feared  the  state  of  his 
soul  was  bad,  and  desired  some  further 
intercourse.       They    conversed,    they 
prayed,  and,  after  they  separated,  kept 
up  a  correspondence  mutually  gratify- 
ing.     The  clergyman  afterwards  gave 
abundant  evidence  of  piety,  and  of  great 
faithfulness  to  the  souls  committed  to  his 
charge. 

111.  The  Duty  Neglected. 

(a)  THE  CLERK'S  LAMENT.— 
A  writer  in  the  Christian  Soldier,  gives 
the  following  incident  which  was  related 
to  him  by  an  esteemed  Christian  bro- 
ther : — 

Some  few  years  ago  I  was  clerk  in  a 

store  in .     One  day  a  hired  man 

of  my  employer,  whom  I  knew  to  be 
destitute  of  religion,  came  into  my  store. 
I  felt  it  to  be  my  duty  to  speak  to  him 
upon  the  subject  of  his  soul's  salvation  • 
but  my  wicked  heart  invented  a  thou- 
sand excuses.  '  He  may  not  receive  it 
kindly,  thought  I,  since  I  am  younger 
than  he  ;  I  had  better  keep  silence  un- 
til  a  more  favorable  opportunity.'  Con- 
science told  me  these  excusfes  were  vain, 
and  a  voice  seemed  to  say  to  me,  *  Speak 
to  this  man ;'  but  I  refused  to  listen. 
227 


Ill 


CONVERSATION,  RELIGIOUS,  WITH  THE  IMPENITENT. 


But  mark  the  sequel.  The  next  day 
he  was  taken  sick,  became  deranged, 
and  on  the  third  day,  died !  O ! 
thought  I,  that  I  had  listened  to  the 
voice  of  God's  Spirit  and  done  my  duty. 
Perhaps  I  might  have  saved  his  soul 
from  perdition  ;  at  least  I  might  have 
cleared  my  own  skirts,  and  washed  my 
hands  in  innocence.  But  now,  alas  !  it 
is  too  late  !  for  ever  too  late !  His  doom 
is  irrevocably  sealed  ! 

(b)  THE  UNFAITHFUL  MO- 
THER. — A  Christian  minister  calling 
at  the  house  of  one  of  his  friends,  found 
him  and  his  wife  in  deepest  distress,from 
the  sudden  death  of  their  only  child. 
He  attempted  to  console  the  distracted 
parents  ;  but  the  mother  replied,  "  Ah, 
sir,  these  consolations  might  assuage  my 
grief  for  the  loss  of  my  child,  but  they 
cannot  blunt  the  stings  of  my  conscience, 
which  are  as  daggers  in  my  heart.  It 
was  but  last  week  I  was  thinking,  '  My 
child  is  now  twelve  years  of  age ;  his 
mind  is  rapidly  expanding  ;  1  know  he 
thinks  and  feels  beyond  the  measure  of 
his  years,  and  a  foolish  backwardness 
has  hitherto  kept  me  from  entering  so 
closely  into  conversation  with  -him  as  to 
discover  the  real  state  of  his  mind,  and 
to  make  a  vigorous  effort  lo  lead  his 
heart  to  God.'  I  then  resolved  to  seize 
the  first  opportunity  to  discharge  a  duty 
so  weighty  on  the  conscience  of  a  Chris- 
tian parent ;  but  day  after  day  my 
foolish  deceitful  heart  said,  '  I  will  do  it 
to-morrow.'  On  the  very  day  that  he 
was  taken  ill,  I  had  resolved  to  talk  to 
him  that  evening ;  and  when  he  at  first 
complained  of  his  head,  I  was  half 
pleased  with  the  thought,  that  this 
might  incline  him  to  listen  more  serious- 
ly to  what  I  should  say.  But  Oh,  sir, 
his  pain  and  fever  increased  ^  rapidly, 
that  I  was  obliged  to  put  him  immediate- 
ly  to  bed,  and  as  he  seemed  inclined  to 
doze,  I  was  gla  1  to  leave  him  to  rest. 
From  that  time  he  was  never  sufficiently 
sensible  for  conversation ;  and  now  he 
is  gone  into  eternity,  and  has  left  me 
distracted  with  anxiety  concerning  the 
salvation  of  his  precious  soul !  Dila- 
tory wretch  !  had  it  not  been  for  my  own 
sin,  I  might  now  have  been  consoling 
myself  with  the  satisfactory  conviction 
of  having  discharged  the  duty  of  a 
228 


Christian  parent,  and  enjoying  the  de- 
lightful assurance  of  meeting  my  child 
before  the  ihrone  of  God  and  the  Lamb. 
Oh,  the  cursed  sin  of  procrastination ! 
Oh,  the  ruinous  delusion  that  lurks  in 
the  word  to-morrow  /" 

(c)  DR.  CHALMERS  AND  THE 
NOBLEMAN.— Dr.  Chalmers,  on  his 
return  from  England,  a  few  years  ago, 
lodged  in  the  house  of  a  nobleman,  not 
far  distant  from  Peebles.  The  doctor 
was  known  to  excel  in  conversation,  as 
well  as  in  the  pulpit.  He  was  the  life 
and  soul  of  the  discourse  in  the  circle 
of  friends  at  the  nobleman's  fire-side. 
The  subject  was  pauperism — its  causes 
and  cure.  Among  the  gentlemen  pre- 
sent, there  was  a  venerable  old  Highland 
chieftain,  who  kept  his  eyes  fastened  on 
Dr.  C,  and  listened  with  intense  in- 
terest to  his  communications.  The  con- 
versation  was  kept  up  to  a  late  hour. 
When  the  company  broke  up,  they  were 
shown  up  stairs  into  their  apartments. 
There  was  a  lobby  of  considerable 
length,  and  the  doors  of  the  bed-cham- 
bers opened  on  the  right  and  left.  The 
apartment  of  Dr.  C.  was  directly  op- 
posite to  that  of  the  old  chieftain,  who 
had  already  retired  with  his  attendant. 
As  the  doctor  was  undressing  himself, 
he  heard  an  unusual  noise  in  the  chief- 
tain's room  ;  the  noise  was  succeeded 
by  a  heavy  groan  !  He  hastened  into 
the  apartment,  which  was  in  a  ^e\v  mi- 
nutes filled  with  the  company,  who  all 
rushed  in  to  the  relief  of  the  old  gentle- 
man. It  was  a  melancholy  sight  which 
met  their  eyes.  The  venerable  white- 
headed  chief  had  fallen  into  the  arms  of 
his  attendant  in  an  apoplexy.  He 
breathed  for  a  few  moments,  and  ex- 
pired. Dr.  C.  stood  in  silence,  with 
both  hands  stretched  out,  and  bending 
over  the  deceased.  He  was  the  very 
picture  of  distress.  He  was  the  first  to 
break  silence.  "  Never  in  my  life," 
said  he,  in  a  tremulous  voice,  "  did  I 
see,  or  did  I  feel,  before  this  moment, 
the  meaning  of  that  text,  '  Preach  the 
word  :  be  instant  in  season,  and  out  of 
seasan ;  reprove,  rebuke,  exhort,  with  all 
long-suffering  and  doctrine.'  Had  I 
known  that  my  venerable  old  friend  was 
within  a  few  minutes  of  eternity,  I 
would  not  have    Iwelt  on  that  subject 


COURAGE,  MORAL. 


Ill,  112 


which  formed  the  topic  of  this  evening's 
conversation.  I  would  have  addressed 
myself  earnestly  to  him.  I  would  have 
preached  unto  him  and  you,  Christ 
Jesus,  and  him  crucified.  I  would 
have  urged  him  and  you,  with  all  the  ear- 
nestness befitting  the  subject,  to  prepare 
for  eternity.  You  would  have  thought 
it,  and  you  would  have  pronounced  it, 
out  of  season.  But  ah  !  it  would  have 
been  in  season,  both  as  it  respected  him, 
and  as  it  respects  you." 

{d)  THE  DYING  DAUGHTER.— 
A  Christian  minister,  in  Yorkshire, 
had  long  felt  convinced  of  his  sinfulness, 
in  neglecting  to  converse  on  spiritual 
topics  with  a  beloved  child.  She  was 
brought  to  the  verge  of  the  grave,  and 
was,  in  his  apprehension,  an  unconvert- 
ed child.  His  feelings  were  painfully 
distressing  ;  for  he  felt  forcibly  the  im- 
portance of  his  duty  in  apprising  her  of 
her  danger ;  but  till  nearly  her  dying 
hour  he  continued  to  experience  the 
backwardness  he  had  long  felt.  Re- 
peatedly did  he  enter  her  room  to  ad- 
dress her,  and  unwilling  to  add  the 
weight  of  mental  anxiety  to  her  bodily 
affliction,  he  as  often  retired  without 
accomplishing  his  object.  His  con- 
science pained  him,  for  he  feared  that 
his  misjudging  fondness  might  contribute 
to  her  eternal  ruin.  At  length,  after 
repeated  petitions  for  Divine  assistance, 
he  once  more  approached  her  bed,  and 
pressing  her  hand,  said,  in  broken 
words,  "  Has  an  eternal  state,  my  dear- 
est daughter,  ever  engaged  your  atten- 
tion ?"  This  was  all  he  could  utter. 
To  his  astonishment  and  joy,  she  im- 
mediately replied,  "  Yes,  father  ;  un- 
der a  sermon  that  you  'preached  from 
Romans  iii.  upon  man's  lost  condition, 
I  was  convinced  that  I  was  in  a  state  of 
condemnation.  Since  that  time  I  have 
been  unable  to  procure  any  consolation. 


and  I  fear  I  shall  be  lost  for  ever." 
Her  tears  for  some  time  prevented  her 
from  saying  more  :  but  when  able  to 
proceed,  she  told  him  that  she  had  long 
wished  to  make  known  to  him  the  state 
of  her  mind.  Overcome  with  joy  at 
this  unexpected  answer,  he  endeavored 
to  convince  her  of  the  certainty  of  sal- 
vation to  all  who,  conscious  of  their  de- 
pravity, confide  in  the  merits  of  the 
Redeemer,  for  acceptance  with  God. 
Her  distress  was  continued  for  two  days 
longer,  when,  resting  entirely  on  Christ, 
every  degree  of  gloom  was  removed, 
and  she  was  favored  for  fifteen  days 
with  holy  peace  and  joy.  Christ  was 
increasingly  precious  to  her,  and  her 
father  had  the  blessedness  of  witnessing 
her  triumphant  departure,  in  full  as- 
surance of  hope,  in  the  fifteenth  year 
of  her  aa;e. 

(e)  AN  UNFAITHFUL  FATHER. 
— A  father  who  had  a  son  in  college, 
requested  a  minister  who  was  going 
through  the  town  where  he  was,  to  call 
on  him  and  converse  with  him  in  re- 
ference to  the  salvation  of  his  soul. 
The  minister  called,  agreeable  to  the  re- 
quest of  the  father,  and  introduced  the 
subject  of  religion.  He  alluded  to  the 
feelings  and  request  of  the  father,  who 
wished  him  by  all  means  to  attend  first 
to  the  salvation  of  his  soul.  The  young 
man  replied,  ".Did  my  father  send  such 
word  as  that  ?"  "  He  did,"  was  the  re- 
ply. "  Then,"  said  the  young  man,  "  My 
father  is  a  dishonest  man."  "  But  why 
do  you  say  he  is  dishonest  ?"  said  the 
minister.  "  Because,"  replied  the  stu- 
dent, "  he  has  often  advised  me,  in  re- 
gard to  the  course  he  would  have  me  pur- 
sue in  life,  how  to  gain  the  riches,  honors, 
and  pleasures  of  the  world,  but  he  is  not 
the  man  that  has  ever  manifested  any 
interest  in  regard  to  the  salvation  of  my 
soul,  any  more  than  if  I  had  no  soul !" 


112.  COURAGE,  MORAL 


(a)  THE  BISHOP'S  REPLY.— 
Philip,  Bishop  of  Heraclea,  in  the  be- 
ginning of  the  4th  century,  was  drag- 
ged by  the  feet  through  the  streets, 
severely   scourged,   and   then    brought 


again  to  the  governor,  who  charged  him 
with  obstinate  rashness,  in  continuing 
disobedient  to  the  imperial  decrees  ;  but 
he  boldly  replied,  "  My  present  be- 
havior is  not  the  effect  of  rashness,  but 
229 


112 


COURAGE,  MORAL. 


proceeds  from  my  love  and  fear  of  God, 
who  made  the  world,  and  who  will 
judge  the  living  and  the  dead,  whose 
commands  I  dare  not  transgress.  I  have 
hitherto  done  my  duty  to  the  empferors, 
and  am  always  ready  to  comply  with 
their  just  orders,  according  to  the  doc- 
trine of  our  Lord  Christ,  who  bids  us 
give  both  to  Caesar  and  to  God  their 
due  ;  but  I  am  obliged  to  prefer  heaven 
to  earth,  and  to  obey  God  rather  than 
man."  The  governor,  on  hearing  this 
speech,  immediately  passed  sentence  on 
him  to  be  burnt,  which  was  executed 
accordingly,  and  the  martyr  expired, 
singing  praises  to  God  in  the  midst  of 
the  flames. 

(b)  CHRYSOSTOM  IN  EXILE.— 
"  When  driven  from  the  city,  I  cared 
nothing  for  it.  But  I  said  to  myself, 
if  the  empress  wishes  to  banish  me,  the 
earth  is  the  Lord's,  and  the  fulness 
thereof.  If  she  would  saw  me  in  sun- 
der, let  her  saw  me  in  sunder  ;  I  have 
Isaiah  for  a  pattern.  If  she  would 
plunge  me  in  the  sea;  I  remember 
Jonah.  If  she  would  thrust  me  into 
the  fiery  furnace ;  I  see  the  three  chil- 
dren enduring  that.  If  she  would  cast 
me  to  wild  beasts ;  I  call  to  mind 
Daniel  in  the  den  of  lions.  If  she  would 
stone  me,  let  her  stone  me ;  I  have  be- 
fore me  Stephen  the  protomartyr.  If 
she  would  take  my  head  from  me,  let 
her  take  it ;  I  have  John  the  Baptist. 
If  she  would  deprive  me  of  my  worldly 
goods,  let  her  do  it ;  naked  came  I  from 
my  mother's  womb,  and  naked  shall  I 
return.  An  apostle  has  told  me  '  God 
respecteth  no  man's  person,'  and  if  I 
yet  pleased  men,  I  should  not  be  a  ser- 
vant of  Christ."  Even  Gibbon  cannot 
^p'efrain  from  remarking,  that  these 
epistles  "  show  a  firmness  of  mind  much 
superior  to  that  of  Cicero  in  his  exile." 
(c)  DEATH  OF  JEROME.— 
When  the  executioner  went  behind 
Jerome  of  Prague  to  act  fire  to  the  pile, 
"  Come  here,"  said  the  martyr,  "  and 
kindle  it  before  my  eyes;  for,  if  I 
dreaded  such  a  sight,  I  should  never 
have  come  to  this  place  when  I  had  a 
free  opportunity  to  escape."  The  fire 
was  kindled,  and  he  then  sung  a  hymn, 
which  was  soon  finished  by  the  encir- 
cling flames. 

230 


(d)    LUTHER'S  FORTITUDE.— 

Vergerio,  the  Papal  nuncio,  came  to 
Wirtemberg  on  the  evening  of  Novem- 
ber 6,  1535,  with  a  splendid  retinue, 
and  was  conducted  to  the  castle  with  all 
due  honor  by  the  principal  governor. 
The  next  morning,  Luther  being  intro- 
duced, conversed  with  the  nuncio ; 
among  other  things,  on  the  subject  of 
the  council.  He  said  it  was  not  serious- 
ly proposed  ;  the  pope  did  but  play  with 
them ;  and,  if  it  were  held,  it  would 
busy  itself  only  about  trifles,  such  as 
tonsures  and  vestments,  and  not  upon 
faith,  and  justification,  and  bringing 
Christians  to  the  unity  of  the  Spirit  and 
of  doctrine  ;  for  this  would  not  suit 
their  purpose.  He  added,  that  he  and 
his  friends  felt  such  an  assurance  of 
what  they  believed,  as  not  to  need  the 
determination  of  a  council,  though  others 
might  do  it,  who  groaned  under  the 
oppression  of  men  who  did  not  them- 
selves know  what  they  believed.  "  But," 
said  he,  "  call  your  council ;  God  will- 
ing,  I  will  attend  it,  though  I  should  be 
burned  by  it."  Vergerio  asked  whera 
he  would  have  it  held.  "  Where  you 
please,"  he  replied,  "at  Mantua,  at 
Padua,  at  Florence,  or  any  where  else." 
Vergerio  asked,  "  Are  you  willing  it 
should  be  at  Bologna  ?"  He  inquired 
to  whom  that  city  then  belonged ;  and 
on  being  told,  "  To  the  pope,"  he  ex- 
claimed, "  Has  the  pope  seized  that 
place  too?  Well,  I  will  go  even 
thither."  The  nuncio,  in  a  courtier- 
like manner,  said  something  of  the 
pope's  visiting  Wirtemberg.  "  Let  him 
come,"  said  Luther ;  "  we  shall  be 
glad  to  see  him."  "  But,"  said  Ver- 
gerio, "  would  you  have  him  come  with 
an  army,  or  unattended  ?"  "  As  he 
pleases,"  replied  Luther ;  "  we  shall 
be  ready  for  him  either  way."  The 
nuncio  then  inquired  whether  the  minis- 
ters in  Saxony  were  consecrated.  Lu- 
ther  replied,  "  Certainly  :  as  the  pope 
will  not  consecrate  them  for  us,  here 
sits  a  bishop,"  (pointing  to  Pomeranus,) 
"  whom  we  have  consecrated."  Much 
more  conversation,  says  the  author  of 
the  narrative,  passed  between  them,  in 
which  Luther  fully  explained  his  views, 
with  the  utmost  freedom,  and  even, 
where  the  case  required,  with  sharpness 


COURAGE,  MORAL. 


112 


of  remark.  On  taking  leave,  Vergerio 
said,  "  See  that  you  be  ready  for  the 
council."  "  I  will  come,"  replied  Lu- 
ther, "  with  my  life  in  my  hand." 

On  another  occasion,  Luther,  when 
making  his  way  into  the  presence  of 
Cardinal  Cajetan,  who  had  summoned 
him  to  answer  for  his  heretical  opinions 
at  Augsburgh,  was  asked  by  one  of  the 
cardinal's  minions,  where  he  should 
find  a  shelter  if  his  patron,  the  elector 
of  Saxony,  should  desert  him  ?  "  Under 
the  shield  of  Heaven !"  was  his  reply. 
The  silenced  minion  turned  round,  and 
went  his  way. 

(e)  LUTHER  SUMiMONED  TO 
WORMS. — When  Luther  was  sum- 
moned  to  attend  the  diet  at  Worms,  his 
friends,  notwithstanding  the  safe-con- 
duct granted  to  him  by  the  emperor 
Charles  V.,  apprehending  danger  to  his 
person,  would  have  dissuaded  him  from 
going  thither.  Luther  replied,  "  I  am 
determined  tq  enter  the  city  in  the  name 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  though  as 
many  devils  should  oppose  me  as  there 
are  tiles  upon  all  the  houses  at  Worms." 
He  was  accompanied  from  Wirtemberg 
by  some  divines,  and  one  hundred  horse  ; 
but  he  took  only  eight  horsemen  into 
Worms.  When  he  stept  out  of  the 
carriage,  he  said,  in  the  presence  of  a 
great  number  of  persons,  "  God  shall 
be  on  my  side." 

(/)  CASE  OF  WICKLIFF.— At 
one  period  of  his  life,  this  eminent  re- 
former's health  was  x3onsiderably  im- 
paired  by  the  labor  of  producing  his 
numerous  compositions,  and  the  excite- 
ments inseparable  from  the  restless  hos- 
tilities of  his  enemies.  Being  supposed 
to  be  in  dangerous  circumstances,  his  old 
antagonists,  the  mendicants,  conceived  it 
next  to  impossible  that  so  notorious  a 
heretic  should  find  himself  near  a  future 
world  without  the  most  serious  appre- 
hensions of  Divine  anger.  While  they 
declared  that  the  dogmas  of  the  reformer 
had  arisen  from  the  suggestions  of  the 
great  enemy,  they  anticipated  some 
advantages  to  their  cause,  could  the 
dying  culprit  be  induced  to  make  any 
recantation  of  his  published  opinions. 
WicklifT  was  in  Oxford  when  this  sick- 
ness arrested  his  activity,  and  confined 
him  to  his  chamber.     From  the  four 


orders  of  friars,  four  doctors,  who  were 
also  called  regents,  were  gravely  de- 
puted to  wait  on  their  expiring  enemy ; 
and  to  these  the  same  number  of  civil 
officers,  called  senators  of  the  city,  and 
aldermen  of  the  wards,  were  added. 
When  this  embassy  entered  the  apart- 
ment of  the  rector  of  Lutterworth,  he 
was  seen  stretched  on  his  bed.  Some 
kind  wishes  were  first  expressed  as  to 
his  better  health,  and  the  blessing  of  a 
speedy  recovery.  It  was  presently 
suggested,  that  he  must  be  aware  of  the 
many  wrongs  which  the  whole  mendi- 
cant brotherhood  had  sustained  from  his 
attacks,  especially  in  his  sermons,  and 
in  certain  of  his  writings  ;  and,  as  death 
was  now  apparently  about  to  remove 
him,  it  was  sincerely  hoped  that  he 
would  not  conceal  his  penitence,  but 
distinctly  revoke  whatever  he  had 
preferred  against  them  to  their  injury. 
The  sick  man  remained  silent  and  mo- 
tionless until  this  address  was  concluded. 
He  then  beckoned  his  servants  to  raise 
him  in  his  bed  ;  and  fixing  his  eyes  on 
the  persons  assembled,  summoned  all 
his  remaining  strength,  as  he  ex- 
claimed aloud,  "  I  shall  not  die,  but 
live  ;  and  shall  again  declare  the  evil 
deeds  of  the  friars."  The  doctors  and 
their  attendants  now  hurried  from  hia 
presence,  and  they  lived  to  feel  the 
truth  of  his  saying ;  nor  will  it  be 
easy  to  imagine  another  scene  more 
characteristic  of  the  parties  composing 
it,  or  of  the  times  in  which  it  occurred. 

(g)  HOOPER  AT  THE  STAKE. 
— Bishop  H^ooper  was  condemned  to  be 
burned  at  Gloucester,  in  Queen  Mary's 
reign.  A  gentleman,  with  the  view  of 
inducing  him  to  recant,  said  to  him, 
"  Life  is  sweet,  and  death  is  bitter." 
Hooper  replied,  "  The  death  to  come  is 
more  bitter,  and  the  life  to  come  more 
sweet.  I  am  come  hither  to  end  this 
life,  and  suffer  death,  because  I  will 
not  gainsay  the  truth  I  have  here  for- 
merly taught  yoti."  When  brought  to 
the  stake,  a  box,  with  a  pardon  from 
the  queen  in  it,  was  set  before  him. 
The  determined  martyr  cried  out,  "  If 
you  love  my  soul,  away  with  it :  if  you 
love  mv  soul,  away  with  it." 

(h)  LATIMER  GOING  TO  LON- 
DON— In  the  beginning  of  the  reign 
231 


112 


COURAGE,  MORAL. 


of  Queen  Mary  of  England,  a  pursui- 
vant was  sent  to  bring  Bishop  Latimer 
to  London,  of  which  he  had  notice  six 
hours  before  he  arrived.  But  instead 
of  fleeing,  he  prepared  for  liis  journey- 
to  London ;  and,  when  the  pursuivant 
was  come,  he  said  to  him,  "  My  friend, 
you  are  welcome.  I  go  as  willingly 
to  London,  to  give  an  account  of  my 
faith,  as  ever  I  went  to  any  place  in 
the  world.  And  I  doubt  not,  but  as  the 
Lord  made  me  worthy  formerly  to 
preach  the  word  before  two  excellent 
princes,  he  will  now  enable  me  to  bear 
witness  to  the  truth  before  the  third, 
either  to  her  eternal  comfort  or  discom- 
fort." As  he  rode  on  this  occasion 
through  Smithfield,  he  said,  "  That 
Smithfield  had  groaned  for  him  a  long 
time." 

(0  KNOX  BEFORE  THE  QUEEN. 
— The  pure  heart-searching  doctrines 
which  were  preached  by  this  Scotch 
apostle,  were  then,  as  they  are  now, 
offensive  to  the  carnal  heart,  and  hence 
he  was  commanded  by  the  voluptuous 
court  of  Mary  to  desist.  Knox,  who 
knew  no  master  and  obeyed  no  mandate 
that  was  in  opposition  to  his  God  and 
his  Bible,  paid  no  attention  to  this  com- 
mand of  the  palace.  Hearing  imme- 
diately from  the  enemies  of  the  cross, 
who  were  then,  as  I  fear  they  are  at 
present,  the  favorites  and  friends  of  the 
palace,  that  her  orders  were  disobeyed, 
the  haughty  Mary  summoned  the  Scot- 
tish reformer  into  her  presence.  When 
Knox  arrived  he  was  ushered  into  the 
room  in  which  were  the  queen  and  her 
attendant  lords.  On  being  questioned 
concerning  his  contumacy,  he  answered 
plainly  that  he  preached  nothing  but 
truth,  and  he  dared  not  preach  less. 
"  But,"  answered  one  of  the  lords,  "  our 
commands  must  be  obeyed  on  pain  of 
death ;  silence  or  the  gallows  is  the 
alternative."  The  spirit  of  Knox  was 
roused  by  the  dastardly  insinuation 
that  any  human  pifhishment  could 
make  him  desert  the  banner  of  his  Sa- 
vior, and  with  that  fearless,  indescrib- 
able courage  which  disdains  the  pomp 
of  language  or  of  action,  he  firmly 
replied,  "  My  lords,  you  are  mistaken 
if  you  think  you  can  intimidate  me  to 
do  by  threats  what  conscience  and  God 
232 


tell  me  I  never  shall  do ;  for  be  it 
known  unto  you  that  it  is  a  matter  of  no 
importance  to  me,  when  I  have  finished 
my  work,  whether  my  bones  shall 
bleach  in  the  winds  of  heaven  or  rot  in 
the  bosom  of  the  earth."  Knox  having 
retired,  one  of  the  lords  said  to  the 
queen,  "  We  may  let  him  alone,  for  we 
cannot  punish  that  man."  Well,  there- 
fore, might  it  be  said  by  a  nobleman  at 
the  grave  of  John  Knox,  "  Here  lies 
one  who  never  feared  the  face  of  man." 
(j)  FLETCHER  AND  HIS  NE- 
PHEW.— The  Rev.  Mr.  Fletcher  of 
England,  had  a  very  wild  and  profligate 
nephew  in  the  army,  a  man  who  hac 
been  dismissed  from  the  Sardinian  ser- 
vice for  very  bad  conduct.  He  hac 
engaged  in  two  or  three  duels,  and  had 
spent  all  his  money  in  vice  and  folly. 
The  wicked  youth  waited  one  day  on 
his  eldest  uncle,  General  De  Gons,  and 
presenting  a  loaded  pistol,  threatened 
to  shoot  him  unless  he  would  that  mo- 
ment advance  him  five  hundred  crowns. 
The  general,  though  a  brave  man,  well 
knew  what  a  desperate  fellow  he  had  to 
deal  with,  and  gave  a  draft  for  the 
money,  at  the  same  time  speaking 
freely  to  him  on  his  conduct.  The 
young  man  rode  off  in  high  spirits  with 
his  ill-gotten  money.  In  the  evening, 
passing  the  door  of  his  younger  uncle, 
Mr.  Fletcher,  he  called  on  him,  and 
began  with  informing  him  what  General 
De  Gons  had  done  ;  and,  as  a  proof, 
showed  a  draft  under  De  Gons'  own 
hand.  Mr.  Fletcher  took  the  draft  from 
his  nephew,  and  looked  at  him  with 
surprise.  Then  after  some  remarks; 
putting  it  into  his  pocket,  said,  "  It 
strikes  me,  3^oung  man,  that  you  have 
possessed  yourself  of  this  note  by  some 
wrong  method ;  and  in  conscience,  I 
cannot  return  it  but  with  my  brother's 
knowledge  and  approbation."  The 
nephew's  pistol  was  in  a  moment  at  his 
breast.  "  My  life,"  replied  Mr.  Flet-^ 
cher,  with  perfect  calmness,  "  is  secure 
in  protection  of  an  almighty  power ;  nor 
will  he  suffer  it  to  be  the  forfeit  of  my 
integrity  and  your  rashness."  This 
firmness  drew  from  the  nephew  the  ob- 
servation, "  That  his  uncle  De  Gons, 
though  an  old  soldier,  was  more  afraid 
of  death  than  his  brother."     "Afraid 


COURAGE,  MORAL. 


113 


of  death!"  rejoined  Mr.  Fletcher,  "do 
you  think  I  have  been  twenty-five 
years  a  minister  of  the  Lord  of  life,  to 
be  afraid  of  death  now  ?  No,  sir,  it  is 
for  you  to  be  afraid  of  death.  You  are 
a  gamester  and  a  cheat ;  yet  call  your- 
self a  gentleman  !  You  are  the  seducer 
of  female  innocence  ;  and  still  say  you 
are  a  gentleman  !  You  are  a  duellist ; 
and  for  this  you  style  yourself  a  man 
of  honor  !  Look  there,  sir,"  pointing  to 
the  heavens,  "  the  broad  eye  of  Heaven 
is  fixed  upon  us.  Tremble  in  the  pre- 
sence of  your  Maker,  who  can  in  a 
moment  kill  your  body,  and  forever 
punish  your  soul  in  hell.'' 

The  unhappy  young  prodigal  turned 
pale,  and  trembled  with  fear  and  rage. 
He  still  threatened  his  uncle  with  in- 
stant death.  Fletcher,  though  thus 
threatened,  gave  no  alarm,  sought  for 
no  weapon,  and  attempted  not  to  escape. 
He  calmly  conversed  with  his  profligate 
relative  ;  and  at  length  perceiving  him 
to  be  affected,  addressed  him  in  the 
kindest  language,  till  he  fairly  disarmed 
and  subdued  him !  He  would  not  re- 
turn his  brother's  draft;  but  engaged 
to  procure  for  the  youug  man  some 
immediate  relief.  He  then  prayed  for 
him  ;  and  after  fulfilling  his  promise  of 
assistance,  parted  with  him,  with  much 
good  advice  on  one  side,  and  many  fair 
promises  on  the  other. 

{k)  THE  KING  REPROVED.— 
It  is  said  that  Henry  the  Great  of 
France,  took  much  pleasure  in  convers- 
ing with  an  honest  and  religious  man 
of  low  situation  in  life,  who  used  great 
freedom  with  his  majesty.  One  day 
he  said  to  the  king,  "  Sire,  I  always 
take  your  part  v/hen  I  hear  any  man 
speaking  evil  of  you  :  I  know  that  you 
excel  in  justice  and  generosity,  and 
that  many  worthy  things  have  been 
done  by  you.  But  you  have  one  vice 
for  which  God  will  condemn  you,  if  you 
do  not  repent,  I  mean  the  unlawful  love 
of  women."  The  king,  it  is  said,  was 
too  magnanimous  to  resent  this  reproof, 
but  he  long  felt  it  like  an  arrow  in  his 
bosom  ;  and  sometimes  said,  that  the 
most  eloquent  discourses  of  the  doctors 
of  the  Sorbonne  had  never  made  such 
an  impression  on  his  soul,  as  this  honest 
»eproof  from  his  humble  friend. 


(I)  HARRIS  AND  THE  SOL- 
DIERS.— Dr.  Harris,  the  minister  of 
Han  well,  (Eng.)  during  the  civil  wars, 
frequently  had  military  officers  quar- 
tered at  his  house.  A  party  of  them, 
being  unmindful  of  the  reverence  due 
to  the  holy  name  of  God,  indulged  them- 
selves in  swearing.  The  doctor  noticed 
this,  and  on  the  following  Sabbath, 
preached  from  these  words : — "  Above 
all  things,  my  brethren,  swear  not." 
This  so  enraged  the  soldiers,  who  judged 
the  sermon  was  intended  for  them,  that 
they  swore  they  would  shoot  him  if  he 
preached  on  the  subject  again.  He 
was  not,  however,  to  be  intimidated ; 
and  on  the  following  Sabbath,  he  not 
only  preached  from  the  same  text,  but 
inveighed  in  still  stronger  terms  against 
the  vice  of  swearing.  As  he  was 
preaching,  a  soldier  levelled  his  carbine 
at  him ;  but  he  went  on  to  the  conclu- 
sion of  his  sermon,  without  the  slightest 
fear  or  hesitation  ! 

(m)  WESLEY  AND  THE  PAPA- 
CY. — Mr.  Samuel  Wesley,  the  father  of 
the  celebrated  Mr.  John  Wesley,  being 
strongly  importuned  by  the  friends  of 
James  the  Second,  to  support  the  mea- 
sures of  the  court  in  favor  of  Popery,  with 
promises  of  preferment,  absolutely  re- 
fused even  to  read  the  king's  declara- 
tion ;  and  though  surrounded  with  cour- 
tiers, soldiers,  and  informers,  he  preach- 
ed a  bold  and  pointed  discourse  against 
it  from  these  words : — "  If  it  be  so,  our 
God  whom  we  serve  is  able  to  deliver 
us  out  of  thy  hand,  O  king.  But  if  not, 
be  it  known  unto  thee,  O  king,  that 
we  will  not  serve  thy  gods,  nor  worship 
the  golden  image  which  thou  hast  set 
up.'' 

{n)  "TOUCH  ME  IF  YOU  DARE." 
— Some  of  the  Indian  chiefs  having  be- 
come the  open  enemies  of  the  gospel, 
Mr.  Elliot,  sometimes  called  the  Apostle 
of  the  American  Indians,  when  in  the 
wilderness,  without  the  company  of  any 
other  Englishman,  \was,  at  various  times, 
treated  in  a  threatening  and  barbarous 
manner  by  some  of  those  men,  yet  his 
Almighty  Protector  inspired  him  with 
such  resolution,  that  he  said, — "  I  am 
about  the  work  of  the  Great  God,  and 
my  God  is  with  me :  so  that  I  fear  nei- 
ther you,  nor  all  the  Sachems  (or  chiefs) 
233 


112 


COURAGE,  MORAL, 


in  the  country.  I  v/ill  go  on,  and  do 
you  touch  me  if  you  dare."  They 
heard  him,  and  shrunk  away. 

(o)  EXCOMMUNICATING 
\  PRINCE.— William  IX,  Duke  of 
Aquitaine  and  Earl  of  Poitiers,  was  a  vi- 
olent and  dissolute  prince,  and  often  in- 
dulged himself  in  improper  behavior 
at  the  expense  of  religion.  Though  he 
had  contracted  a  very  suitable  marriage, 
and  one  with  which  he  was  satisfied  for 
some  time,  he  parted  from  his  wife  with- 
out reason,  to  marry  another  who 
pleased  him  better.  The  Bishop  of 
Poitiers,  where  he  resided,  was  a  holy 
prelate,  named  Peter.  He  could  not 
brook  so  great  a  scandal ;  and  having 
employed  all  other  means  in  vain,  he 
thought  it  his  duty  to  excommunicate 
,he  duke.  As  he  began  to  pronounce 
.he  anathema,  William  furiously  ad- 
vanced, sword  in  hand,  saying,  "Thou 
art  dead  if  thou  proceedest."  The  bishop, 
as  if  afraid,  required  a  few  moments  to 
consider  what  was  most  expedient.  The 
duke  granted  it,  and  the  bishop  coura- 
geously finished  the  rest  of  the  formula  of 
excommunication.  After  which,  extend- 
ing his  neck,  "  Now  strike,"  said  he,  "  I 
am  quite  ready."  The  astonishment 
which  this  intrepid  conduct  produced  in 
the  duke,  disarmed  his  fury,  and  say- 
ing ironically,  "  I  don't  like  you  well 
enough  to  send  you  to  heaven,"  he 
contented  himself  with  banishing  him. 

(p)  HINTON  AND  THE  UNWOR- 
THY  COMMUNICANT.— A  person 
who  was  not  a  member  of  Mr.  James 
Hinton's  church  in  Oxford,  nevertheless 
enjoyed  the  privileges  of  Christian  fel- 
lowship, as  being  connected  (according 
to  his  own  statement)  with  a  well  known 
church  in  London.  His  conduct  was 
found  to  be  inconsistent;  it  was  ascer- 
tained, also,  that  he  had  been  excluded 
from  the  community  to  which  he  had 
declared  himself  to  belong.  It  was 
clearly  necessary  to  inform  him,  there- 
fore, that  he  could  no  longer  be  admit- 
ted to  the  Lord's  table.  But  he  was 
rich,  and  he  was  passionate ;  s'Abject, 
indeed,  to  paroxysms  of  rage,  on  ac- 
count of  which,  every  one  was  afraid  to 
interfere  with  him.  The  measure  was, 
however,  adopted  by  the  church ;  but 
when  (according  to  their  usual  mode) 
234 


messengers  were  to  be  appointed  to 
communicate  the  result,  the  deacor 
would  not  go  ;  nor  would  any  one  g. 
for  all  said,  it  was  at  the  hazard  of  their 
lives.  "  Then,"  replied  Mr.  Hinton, 
"  I  will  go :  my  life  is  second  to  my 
duty."  But  no  one  would  even  accom- 
pany him  ;  and  he  went  alone.  The 
unhappy  man's  wrath  was  exceedingly 
high.  When  solemnly  warned  that  no 
such  person  as  he  was  could  "  enter 
into  the  kingdom  of  heaven,"  he  seized 
a  large  stick,  and  threatened  his  re- 
prover's life :  to  which  he  replied, 
"  Then,  sir,  I  shall  meet  you  next  at 
the  bar  of  judgment ;  and  you  will  re- 
member that  these  were  the  last  words 
I  uttered  !"  The  enraged  man  imme- 
diately threw  down  his  weapon,  and  ran 
about  the  room  in  agony,  crying,  "  O 
no,  no,  no,  you  shall  not  charge  me 
with   murder !"      Mr.    Hinton    records 

the  deliverance  from among  his 

"  special  mercies." 

{q)  LAVATER  AND  THE  PRE- 
FECT.—There  lived  in  the  city  of 
Zurich,  a  person  who,  though  an  un- 
worthy character,  was  a  member  of  its 
senate.  During  the  time  he  was  pre- 
fect over  a  district  of  the  canton,  he 
had  committed  innumerable  acts  of  the 
grossest  injustice, — yea,  such  flagrant 
crimes,  that  all  the  country  people  re- 
proached and  cursed  him ;  but  no  one 
dared  to  prosecute  him,  as  he  was  re- 
lated to  several  members  of  the  Zurich 
government,  and  son-in-law  to  the  chief 
magistrate  of  the  city.  Mr.  Lavater, 
the  celebrated  physiognomist,  having 
often  heard  of  the  atrocities  of  the  pre- 
fect, committed  against  even  helpless 
widows  and  orphans,  and  having  duly 
examined  into  them,  felt  an  irresistible 
desire  to  plead  the  cause  of  the  poor  and 
oppressed.  He  was  aware  that  his 
supporting  this  cause  would  expose  him 
to  the  frowns  of  the  great  and  the  mighty, 
and  occasion  much  anxiety  to  his 
friends;  but  conceiving  it  to  be  his 
duty,  he  determined  to  proceed.  Hav- 
ing prepared  himself  by  earnest  prayer, 
and  consulted  an  intimate  friend,  he 
addressed  a  letter  to  the  prefect,  in 
which  he  strongly  reproached  him  for 
his  detestable  actions,  and  plainly  signi- 
fied his  intention  to  bring  him  to  public 


COURTESY. 


113 


justice,  should  he  not  restore  his  spoils 
within  two  months.  The  time  having 
elapsed,  and  no  restoration  having  been 
made,  Mr.  Lavater  proceeded  to  print  a 
solemn  indictment  against  him,  which 
he  caused  to  be  delivered  to  every  mem- 
ber of  the  Zurich  government.  At  first 
he  concealed  his  name ;  but  when 
called  upon,   he  came   forward  in  the 


most  open  manner,  nobly  avowed  and 
fully  proved  the  points  of  his  indictment 
before  the  whole  senate, — had  the  satis- 
faction to  see  the  wicked  prefect  (who, 
conscious  of  his  guilt,  had  saved  him- 
self  by  flight)  solemnly  condemned  by 
law,  his  unjust  property  confiscated, 
and  restoration  made  to  oppressed  po- 
verty and  innocence. 


113.  COURTESY. 


(a)  KING  HENRY  AND  THE 
POOR  CITIZEN.— Henry  IV,  of 
France,  was  standing  one  day  with 
some  of  his  courtiers,  at  the  entrance  of 
a  village,  and  a  poor  man  passing  by, 
bowed  down  to  the  very  ground  ;  and 
the  king,  with  great  condescension,  re- 
turned his  salutation  just  in  the  same 
manner ;  at  which  one  of  his  attendants 
ventured  to  express  his  surprise,  when 
the  monarch  finely  replied  to  him, — 
"  VVould  you  have  your  king  exceeded 
in  politeness  by  one  of  the  lowest  of  his 
subjects?" 

(b)  A  GOOD  REPLY.— When  old 
Zachariah  Fox,  the  great  merchant  of 
Liverpool,  was  asked  by  what  means  he 
contrived  to  realize  so  large  a  fortune  as 
he  possessed,  his  reply  was,  "Friend,  by 
one  article  alone,  in  which  thou  may'st 
deal  too  if  thou  pleasest — civility." 

(c)  THE  POPE  AND  HIS  AM- 
BASSADOR.—It  is  related  of  Pope 
Clement  XIV,  (Ganganelli,)  that  when 
he  ascended  the  papal  chair,  the  ambas- 
sadors of  the  several  states  represented 
at  his  court  waited  on  him  with  their 
congratulations.  When  they  were  in- 
troduced and  bowed,  he  returned  the 
compliment  by  bowing  also ;  on  which 
the  master  of  the  ceremonies  told  his 
highness  that  he  should  not  have  returned 
their  salute.  "  O,  I  beg  your  pardon," 
said  the  good  pontiff,  I  have  not  been  pope 
long  enough  to  forget  good  manners." 

(d)  DR.  FURNAM  AND  THE 
NEGRESS.— Dr.  Furnam  was  once 
present  in  a  small  company  of  brethren 
who  had  assembled  to  dine  with  a  com- 
mon friend,  when  the  usual  style  by 
which  they  addressed  each  other, 
was  that  affectionate  appellative  of  bro- 


ther. Those  present  were  very  exact 
in  using  this  mode  of  address.  While 
their  conversation  was  in  progress,  and 
they  were  freely  brothering  each  other, 
there  came  in  an  aged  colored  woman, 
well  known  for  her  piety  and  good 
character.  The  brethren  present  sa- 
luted her,  one  in  this  manner  and  ano- 
I  ther  in  that — thus  :  "  Well,  old  woman,*' 
:  "  How-de,  mamma;"  "  How-de,  Cla- 
rinda,"  and  so  on. 

When  she  came  to  Dr.  Furnam,  he 
leaned  forward,  extended  to  her  his 
hand,  and  said  :  "  How  do  you  do,  sis- 
ter Clarinda?"  He  might  have  de- 
signed his  salutation  to  the  old  woman 
as  a  gentle  reproof  to  those  present,  who 
did  not  seem  to  feel  the  true  equality 
in  which  all  who  know  the  religion  of 
Christ  stand  as  brethren. 

(e)  LOUIS  XIV  AND  HIS  AN- 
ECDOTE.—Louis  the  XlVth,  in  a  gay 
party  at  Versailles,  thought  he  per- 
ceived an  opportunity  of  relating  a 
facetious  story.  He  commenced,  but 
ended  the  tale  abruptly  and  insipidly. 
One  of  the  company  soon  after  leaving 
the  room,  the  king  said,  "  I  am  sure 
you  must  all  have  observed  how  very 
uninteresting  my  anecdote  was.  I  did 
not  recollect  till  I  began,  that  the  turn 
of  the  narrative  reflected  very  severely 
on  the  immediate  ancestor  of  the  prince, 
or  Armigue,  who  has  just  quitted  us  ; 
and  on  this,  as  on  every  occasion,  I 
think  it  far  better  to  spoil  a  good  story, 
than  distress  a  worthy  rjian.^' 

if)  THE  OFFICER'S  HAT.— 
An  Englishman,  taking  the  grand  tour, 
towards  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth 
century,  when  travellers  were  more 
objects  of  attention  than  at  present,  on 
235 


113,  114 


CREDULITY. 


arriving  at  Turin,  sauntered  out  to  see 
the  place.  He  happened  to  meet  a  re- 
giment of  infantry  returning  from  pa- 
rade, and  taking  a  position  to  see  it 
pass,  a  young  captain,  evidently  de- 
sirous of  making  a  display  before  the 
stranger,  in  crossing  one  of  the  nume- 
rous water-courses  with  which  the  city 
is  intersected,  missed  his  footing,  and 
trying  to  save  himself,  lost  his  hat. 
The  spectators  laughed,  and  looked  at 
the  Englishman,  expecting  him  to  laugh 
too.  On  the  contrary,  he  not  only  re- 
tained his  composure,  but  promptly  ad- 
vanced to  where  the  hat  rolled,  and 
taking  it  up,  presented  it  with  an  air  of 
kindness  to  its  confused  owner.  The 
officer  received  it  with  a  blush  of  sur- 
prise and  gratitude,  and  hurried  to  re- 
join his  company.  There  was  a  mur- 
mur of  applause,  and  the  stranger  pass- 
ed on.  Though  the  scene  of  a  mo- 
ment, and  without  a  word  spoken,  it 
touched  every  heart. 

On  the  regiment  being  dismissed,  the 
captain,  who  was  a  young  man  of  con- 
sideration,  in  glowing  terms  related  the 
circumstance  to  his  colonel.  The  colo- 
nel immediately  mentioned  it  to  the  ge- 
neral in  command ;  and  when  the 
Englishman  returned  to  his  hotel,  he 
found  an  aid-de-camp  waiting  to  request 
his  company  at  dinner,  at  head  quar- 
ters. In  the  evening  he  was  taken  to 
court,  at  that  time  the  most  brilliant 
court  in  Europe,  and  was  received  with 
particular  attention.  Of  course  during 
his  stay  at  Turin  he  was  invited  every 
where ;  and  on  his  departure  he  was 
loaded  with  letters  of  introduction  to  the 
different  States  of  Italy.  Thus  a  pri- 
vate gentleman  of  moderate  means,  by 
a  graceful  impulse  of  Christian  feeling. 


was  enabled  to  travel  through  a  foreign 
country,  then  of  the  highest  interest  for 
its  society  as  well  as  for  the  charms  it 
still  possesses,  with  more  real  distinction 
and  advantage  than  can  ever  be  derived 
from  the  mere  circumstance  of  birth  and 
fortune,  even  the  most  splendid. 

(g)  A  GOOD  MAXIM.— It  was  a 
maxim  of  a  celebrated  minister,  "  that 
if  a  child  but  lisped  to  give  you  pleasure, 
you  otight  to  be  pleased."  When  oc- 
casionally preaching  in  the  villages,  he 
used  to  be  delighted  in  visiting  the  poor, 
and,  when  solicited,  would  regale  him- 
self with  their  brown  bread  and  black 
tea  ;  but  took  care,  at  the  same  time, 
that  they  should  lose  nothing  by  their  at- 
tention. "  When  a  poor  person  shows 
anxiety  to  administer  to  your  comfort," 
he  would  say,  "  do  not  interrupt  him. 
Why  deprive  him  of  the  pleasure  of  ex- 
pressing his  friendship  ?" 

(h)  EASY  WAY  TO  CONFER 
HAPPINESS.—"  If  a  civil  word  or  two 
will  render  a  man  happy,"  said  a 
French  king,  "he  must  be  wretched 
indeed  who  will  not  give  them  to  him." 
Were  superiors  to  keep  this  in  view, 
yea,  were  all  mankind  to  observe  it, 
how  much  happier  would  the  world  be 
than  what  it  is !  We  may  say  of  this 
disposition,  "  that  it  is  like  lighting 
another  man's  candle  by  one's  own, 
which  loses  none  of  its  light  by  what 
the  other  <^ains." 

(0  UNFASHIONABLE  BOW.— 
When  Sir  William  Johnson  returned 
the  salute  of  a  negro  who  had  bowed  to 
him,  he  was  reminded  that  he  had  done 
what  was  very  unfashionable.  "  Per- 
haps  so,"  said  Sir  William,  "  but  I 
would  not  be  outdone  in  good  manners 
by  a  negro." 


114.  CREDULITY. 


{a)  FAITH  OF  THE  COLLIER.— 

Implicit  faith  has  been  sometimes  styled 
Jides  carhonaria,  from  the  story  of  one 
who,  examining  an  ignorant  collier  on 
his  religious  principles,  asked  him  what 
it  was  that  he  believed.  He  answered, 
"  I  believe  what  the  church  believes." 
The  other  rejoined,  "  What,  then,  does 
the    church    believe?"      He    replied, 


readily,  "  The  church  believes  what  I 
believe."  The  other,  desirous,  if  pos- 
sible, to  bring  him  to  particulars,  once 
more  resumed  his  inquiry.  "  Tell  me, 
then,  I  pray  you,  what  it  is  which  you 
and  the  church  hoth  believe."  The 
only  answer  the  collier  could  gi\e  was, 
"  Why,  truly,  sir,  the  church  and  I  loib 
— believe  the  same  thing." 


CRUELTY  EXEMPLIFIED. 


115 


CRUELTY. 


11§.  Cruelty  Exemplified. 

(a)   CRUELTY  OF  COMMODUS. 

— Nothing  can  be  more  contrary  to 
nature,  to  reason,  to  religion,  than 
cruelty.  Hence  an  mhuman  man  is 
generally  considered  as  a  monster. 
Such  monsters,  however,  have  existed  ; 
and  the  heart  almost  bleeds  at  the  recital 
of  the  cruel  acts  such  have  been  guilty 
of.  It  teaches  us,  however,  what  hu- 
man nature  is  when  left  to  itself;  not 
only  treacherous  above  all  things,  but 
desperately  wicked. 

Commodus,  the  Roman  emperor, 
when  but  twelve  years  old,  gave  a 
shocking  instance  of  his  cruelty,  when, 
finding  the  water  in  which  he  bathed  too 
warm,  he  commanded  the  person  who 
attended  the  bath  to  be  thrown  into  the 
furnace,  nor  was  he  satisfied  till  those 
who  were  about  him  pretended  to  put 
his  order  in  execution.  After  his  suc- 
cession to  the  empire,  he  equalled,  if  he 
did  not  exceed  in  cruelty,  Caligula, 
Domitian,  and  even  NA'o  himself;  play- 
ing, we  may  say,  with  the  blood  of  his 
subjects  and  fellow- creatures,  of  whom 
he  caused  great  numbers  to  be  racked 
and  butchered  in  his  presence  merely 
for  his  diversion.  Historians  relate 
many  instances  of  his  cruelty.  He 
caused  one  to  be  thrown  to  wild  beasts 
for  reading  the  life  of  Caligula  written 
by  Suetonius ;  because  the  tyrant  and 
he  had  been  born  on  the  same  day  of  the 
month,  and  in  many  bad  qualities  re- 
sembled each  other.  Seeing  one  day  a 
corpulent  man  pass  by,  he  immediately 
cut  l]im  asunder,  partly  to  try  his 
strength,  in  which  he  excelled  all  men, 
and  partly  out  of  curiosity,  as  he  him- 
self owned,  to  see  his  entrails  drop  out 
at  once.  He  took  pleasure  in  cutting 
off  the  feet  ar^d  putting  out  the  eyes  of 
such  as  he  met  in  his  rambles  through 
the  city.  Some  he  murdered  because 
they  were  negligently  dressed  :  others 
because  they  seemed  trimmed  with  too 
much  nicety.  He  assumed  the  name 
and  habit  of  Hercules,  appearing  pub- 


licly in  a  lion's  skin,  with  a  huge  club 
in  his  hand,  and  ordering  several  per- 
sons, though  not  guilty  of  any  crimes, 
to  be  disguised  like  monsters,  that  by 
knocking  out  their  brains,  he  might 
have  a  better  claim  to  the  title,  the  great 
destroyer  of  monsters.  He,  however, 
was  destroyed  in  his  turn :  one  of  his 
concubines,  whose  death  he  had  pur- 
posed, poisoned  him  ;  but,  as  the  poison 
did  not  quickly  operate,  he  was  stran- 
gled by  a  wrestler  in  the  thirty-first 
year  of  his  age. 

{b)  THE  TUTOR'S  PREDICTION 
RESPECTING  TIBERIUS.  —  Theo- 
dorus  Gaddarseus,  who  was  tutor  to  Ti- 
berius the  Roman  Emperor,  observing 
in  him,  while  a  boy,  a  very  sanguinary 
nature  and  disposition,  which  lay  lurk- 
ing under  a  show  of  lenity,  was  wont  to 
call  him,  "  a  lump  of  clay  steeped  and 
soaked  in  blood."  His  predictions  of 
him  did  not  fail  in  the  event.  Tiberius 
thought  death  was  too  light  a  punish- 
ment for  any  one  that  displeased  him. 
Hearing  that  one  Carnulius,  who  had 
displeased  him,  had  cut  his  own  throat, 
''  Carnulius,"  said  he,  "  has  escaped 
me."  To  another,  who  begged  of  him 
that  he  might  die  quickly,  "  No,"  said 
he,  "  you  are  not  so  much  in  favor  as 
that  vet." 

(c)  PETITION  OF  THE  HORSE. 
— In  the  days  of  John,  King  of  Atri,  (an 
ancient  city  of  Abruzzo,)  there  was  a 
bell  put  up,  which  any  one  that  had  re- 
ceived any  injury  went  and  rang,  and 
the  king  assembled  the  wise  men  chosen 
for  the  purpose,  that  justice  might  be 
done.  It  happened  that,  after  the  bell 
had  ^een  up  a  long  time,  the  rope  was 
worn  out,  and  a  piece  of  wild  vine  was 
made  use  of  to  lengthen  it.  Now  there 
was  a  knight  of  Atri  who  had  a  noble 
charger,  which  had  become  unservicea- 
ble through  age,  so  that,  to  avoid  the  ex- 
pense  of  feeding  him,  he  turned  him 
loose  upon  the  common.  The  horse, 
driven  by  hunger,  raised  his  mouth  to 
the  vine  to  munch  it,  and,  pulling  it,  the 
bell  rang.  The  judges  assembled  to^ 
237 


116 


CRUELTY. 


consider  the  petition  of  the  horse,  which 
appeared  to  demand  justice.  They  de- 
creed that  the  knight  lohom  he  had  served 
in  his  youth  should  feed  him  in  his  old 
age  ;  a  sentence  which  the  king  con- 
firmed under  a  heavy  penahy. 

116.  Cruelty  Punished. 

(a)  DEAR-BOUGHT  SPORT.— A 

few  years  since,  at  a  place  near  Pen- 
zance, some  men  and  boys,  accompanied 
by  two  young  women,  having  fastened 
a  bullock's  horn  to  the  tail  of  a  dog, 
turned  the  affrighted  animal  loose,  and 
followed  it  with  brutal  exultations. 
The  dog,  pursued  by  its  savage  tor- 
mentors, ran  down  a  road  called  Tre- 
reife  Lane,  when  meeting  a  cart  drawn 
by  two  horses,  laden  with  coals,  the 
horses  took  fright ;  the  driver,  who  was 
sitting  on  the  shafts  of  the  cart,  was 
thrown  off,  and  the  wheels  passing  over 
his  head,  he  was  killed  on  the  spot. 
The  persons  who  had  occasioned  this 
melancholy  accident  immediately  sus- 
pended their  chase  of  the  dog,  and  the 
young  women,  on  coming  up,  found 
that  the  lad,  who  had  been  killed  by 
their  mischievous  frolic,  was  their  bro- 
ther! 

(J)  THE  BLIND  MAN'S  ENE- 
MY.— Some  years  ago,  there  lived  in 
the  village  of  Sutton  Basset,  in  Lei- 
cestershire, an  elderly  man  who  was 
quite  blind,  but  who,  from  his  early 
acquaintance  and  familiarity  with  the 
place  pefore  this  great  misfortune  befell 
him,  was  enabled  to  find  his  way  about 
the  village  and  surrounding  fields  with- 
out a  guide.  He  was  particularly  the 
butt  and  jest  of  a  poor  sinful  woman, 
who  lived  near  the  footpath  stile,  and 
who  recognized  not  the  hand  of  God  in 
his  affliction.  She  frequently  attempted 
to  impose  on  him  for  the  mere  purpose 
of  plaguing  and  distressing  him,  and 
had  one  day  contrived  a  very  disagreea- 
ble vexation,  which,  to  her  merriment, 
succeeded.  But,  shortly  after  this,  she 
gave  birth  to  a  son,  who  was  born  stone 
blind ;  and  her  following  chlid,  a  son, 
was  also  born  blind  ;  and  these  two  un- 
fortunate youths  were  living,  in  1833,  in 
the  above-named  village,  and  obtained  a 
precarious  livelihood  by  opening  the 
238 


gates  for  passengers,  on  the  roads  ad- 
joining the  place,  with  the  addition  of 
a  small  allowance  from  the  parish. 
They  were  two  fine  grown  lads,  and 
of  about  equal  size.  They  were  re- 
garded by  their  neighbors  as  the  ob- 
jects of  God's  just  displeasure  against 
the  wanton  and  foolish  wickedness  of 
their  parent.  We  may  be  sure  sin  will 
find  us  out :  if  not  always  in  this  world, 
it  will  in  the  next ;  but  even  here  sin- 
ners are  not  always  exempted  from  pun- 
ishment. 

(c)  BAJAZET  PRONOUNCING 
HIS  OWN  SENTENCE.— Tamer, 
lane  the  Great,  having  made  war  on 
Bajazet,  Emperor  of  the  Turks,  over- 
threw him  in  battle,  and  took  him  priso- 
ner. The  victor  gave  the  captive  mon- 
arch at  first  a  very  civil  reception  ;  and 
entering  into  familiar  conversation  with 
him,  said,  "  Now,  king,  tell  me  freely 
and  truly  what  thou  wouldst  have  done 
with  me,  had  I  fallen  into  thy  power  ?'* 
Bajazet,  who  was  of  a  fierce  and 
haughty  spirit,  is  said  to  have  thus 
replied  :  "  Had  the  gods  given  unto  me 
the  victory,  I  would  have  enclosed  thee 
in  an  iron  cage,  and  carried  thee  about 
with  me  as  a  spectacle  of  derision  to 
the  world."  Tamerlane  wrathfully 
replied,  "  Then,  proud  man,  as  thou 
wouldst  have  done  to  me,  even  so  shall 
I  do  unto  thee."  A  strong  iron  cage 
was  made,  into  which  the  fallen  empe- 
ror was  thrust  ]  and  thus  exposed  like 
a  wild  beast,  he  was  carried  along  in 
the  train  of  his  conqueror.  Nearly 
three  years  were  passed  by  the  once 
mighty  Bajazet  in  this  cruel  state  of 
durance  ;  and  at  last  being  told  that  he 
must  be  carried  into  Tartary,  despair- 
ing of  then  obtaining  his  freedom,  he 
struck  his  head  with  such  violence 
against  the  bars  of  his  cage,  as  to  put 
an  end  to  his  wretched  life. 

{d)  CRUELTY  OF  LOUIS  XL- 
Philip  de  Comines,  in  his  "  Life  of 
Louis  XI,"  has  not  concealed  the  dread- 
ful cruelties  and  extortions  by  which 
he  rendered  himself  one  of  the  most 
odious  monarchs  that  ever  swayed  the 
sceptre  of  France.  Stronger  colors 
could  not  be  employed  than  those  in 
which  he  describes  his  loathsome  dun- 
geons, his  iron  cages,  and  chain  nets. 


CRUELTY  AND  BENEVOLENCE  COMBINED. 


116,  117 


Claude  de  Seyssel,  another  historian, 
says,  "  That  about  the  places  where  he 
was,  were  seen  great  numbers  of  peo- 
ple hanging  on  trees  ;  and  1^e  prisons 
and  other  neighboring  houses,  full  of 
prisoners,  which  were  often  heard,  both 
by  day  and  night,  to  cry  out  through 
the  torments  they  endured ;  besides 
those  who  were  secretly  cast  into  the 
rivers."  The  same  historian  observes, 
"  That  this  king  carried  his  absolute 
power  to  excess.  He  caused  Tristan, 
his  provost,  to  take  the  prisoners  who 
were  in  the  palace  gaol,  and  drown 
them  near  the  Grange  aux  Morcier." 
Mezaria,  another  historian,  relates, 
"  That  he  had  put  to  death  above  four 
thousand,  by  different  punishments, 
which  he  sometimes  delighted  to  see. 
Most  of  them  had  been  executed  with- 
out form  of  law  ;  several  drowned  with 
a  stone  tied  to  their  necks  ;  others  pre- 
cipitated, going  over  a  swipe,  from 
whence  they  fell  upon  wheels,  armed 
with  spikes  and  cutting  instruments ; 
others  were  strangled  in  dungeons ; 
Tristan,  his  companion  and  provost  of 
his  palace,  being  at  once  judge,  witness, 
and  executioner." 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact,  that  the 
Bishop  of  Verdun,  who  assisted  Louis 
in  the  invention  of  his  iron  cage,  was 
himself  put  into  the  first  that  was  made, 
and  confined  to  it  for  fourteen  days  ; 
and  that  the  king  himself,  not  long  be- 
fore his  death,  was  obliged  to  make 
himself  a  close  prisoner  in  one  of  his 
strongest  castles,  from  a  dread  of  that 
thirst  for  vengeance  with  which  his 
cruel  conduct  had  inspired,  not  only  his 
nobles  and  subjects,  but  the  very  mem- 
bers of  his  own  family. 

(e)  A  BULL-13AITING.— Impro- 
per and  cruel  amusements  are  often 
attended  with  danger  ;  and  the  end  of 
such  mirth  is  heaviness.     Some  years 


ago,  at  the  termination  of  a  fair,  annu- 
ally held  at  Rochdale,  in  Lancashire,  it 
was  determined  to  bait  a  bull  for  the 
gratification  of  a  great  number  of  per- 
sons, whose  tastes  are  as  savage  as  their 
amusements  are  cruel,  and,  according- 
ly, the  poor  beast  was  tied  to  a  stake  at 
the  edge  of  the  river,  near  the  bridge. 
The  radius  of  the  cord  was  about  six 
yards,  and  the  animal,  in  making  the 
circle,  was  frequently  three  feet  deep 
in  water.  The  crowd  collected  to  wit- 
ness this  sight  was  great,  and  the  num- 
ber of  people  on  and  near  the  bridge 
made  it  difficult  to  pass  ;  the  sides  of 
the  river  were  also  thronged  with  spec- 
tators of  every  age  and  sex,  and  many 
were  seen  near  the  bull  up  to  their  mid- 
die  in  water,  jumping  with  ecstasy  at 
the  sport.  At  every  revolution  the  ani- 
mal made  to  disengage  himself  from 
the  dogs,  people  were  seen  tumbling 
over  each  other  in  the  mud  and  water 
up  to  the  knees,  and  the  shouts  of  joy 
occasionally  expressed,  could  only  have 
been  equalled  by  the  yell  of  savages. 
This  sport  continued  for  about  three 
hours,  when  a  considerable  portion  of 
the  parapet  wall  leading  to  the  bridge 
gave  way,  from  the  extreme  pressure 
of  the  crowd,  and  five  persons  were 
killed  on  the  spot.  Four  other  persons 
died  shortly  afterwards  of  the  wounds 
they  received,  making  nine  in  the  whole 
who  lost  their  lives,  besides  a  considera- 
ble  number  who  were  severely  wounded. 
The  stones  being  large  they  fell  with 
overwhelming  weight ;  and  from  the 
pressure  of  the  crowd  near  the  wall, 
numbers  of  the  spectators  were  preci- 
pitated along  with  the  stones  on  the  peo- 
ple below.  One  woman  had  her  thighs 
broken,  and  a  young  man  had  his  arm 
completely  cut  from  his  body,  besides 
others  who  were  severely  bruised. 


117.  CRUELTY  AND  BENEVOLENCE  COMBINED. 


{a)  TRAJAN'S  INCONSISTEN- 
CIES.—Who  has  not  heard  of  the 
Emperor  Trajan,  of  his  moderation,  his 
clemency,  his  gushing  sympathies,  his 
forgiveness  of  injuries  and  forgetful n ess 


of  self,  his  tearing  in  pieces  his  own 
robe,  to  furnish  bandages  for  the  wound- 
ed— called  by  the  whole  world,  in  his 
day,  "the  best  Emperor  of  Rome;" 
and  so  affectionately  regarded  by  his 
239 


iiy 


CRUELTY  AND  BENEVOLENCE  COMBINED. 


^  subjects,  that,  ever  afterwards,  in  bless- 
ing his  successors  upon  their  accession 
to  power,  they  always  said,  "  May  you 
have  the  virtue  and  goodness  of  Tra- 
jan !"  yet  the  deadly  conflicts  of  gladia- 
tors who  were  trained  to  kill  each  other, 
to  make  sport  for  the  spectators,  fur- 
nished his  chief  pastime.  At  one  time 
he  kept  up  those  spectacles  for  123  days 
in  succession.  In  the  tortures  which  he 
inflicted  on  Christians,  fire  and  poison, 
daggers  and  dungeons,  wild  beasts  and 
serpents,  and  the  rack,  did  their  worst. 
He  threw  into  the  sea,  Clemens,  the 
venerable  bishop  of  Rome,  with  an  an- 
chor about  his  neck  ;  and  tossed  to  the 
famishing  lions  in  the  amphitheatre  the 
aged  Ignatius. 

{h)  CHARACTER  OF  THEODO- 
SIUS.  —  Theodosius  the  Great  was  a 
member  of  the  Christian  church,  and  in 
his  zeal  against  paganism,  and  what 
he  deemed  heresy,  surpassed  all  who 
were  before  him.  The  Christian 
writers  of  his  time  speak  of  him  as  a 
most  illustrious  model  of  justice,  gener- 
osity,  benevolence,  and  every  virtue. 
And  yet  Theodosius  denounced  capital 
punishments  against  those  who  held 
'  heretical'  opinions,  and  commanded  in- 
termarriage between  cousins  to  be  pun- 
ished by  burning  the  parties  alive. 
On  hearing  that  the  people  of  Antioch 
had  demolished  the  statues  set  up  in 
that  city,  in  honor  of  himself,  and  had 
threatened  the  governor,  he  flew  into  a 
transport  of  fury,  ordered  the  city  to  be 
laid  in  ashes,  and  all  the  inhabitants  to 
be  slaughtered ;  and  upon  hearing  of  a 
resistance  to  his  authority  in  Thessa- 
lonica,  in  which  one  of  his  lieutenants 
was  killed,  he  instantly  ordered  a  gen- 
eral massacre  of  the  inhabitants ;  and 
in  obedience  to  his  command,  seven 
thousand  men,  women  and  children, 
were  butchered  in  the  space  of  three 
hours. 

,  (c)  DOUBLE  CHARACTER  OF 
PLINY. — Pliny  the  younger,  who  was 
proconsul  under  Trajan,  may  well  be 
mentioned  in  connection  with  the  em- 
peror,  as  a  striking  illustration  of  the 
truth,  that  goodness  and  amiableness 
towards  one  class  of  men  is  often  turned 
into  cruelty  towards  another.  History 
can  hardly  show  a  more  gentle  and 
240 


I  lovely  character  than  Pliny.      While 
!  pleading  at  the  bar,  he  always  sought 
I  out  the  grievances  of  the  poorest  and 
I  most  despieed  persons,  entered  into  their 
I  wrongs  with  his  whole  soul,  and  never 
took  a  fee.     Who  can  read  his  admira- 
ble    letters  without   being  touched   by 
their  tenderness  and  warmed  by  their 
benignity  and  philanthropy  ?    And  yet, 
this  tender-hearted   Pliny  coolly   plied 
with  excruciating  torture  two  spotle^ss  fe- 
males, who  had  served  as  deaconesses 
in  the  Christian  church,  hoping  to  ex- 
tort   from  them    matter   of  accusation 
against  the  Christians.    Pie  commanded 
Christians  to  abjure  their  faith,  invoke 
the  gods,  pour  out  libations  to  the  statues 
of  the  emperor,  burn  incense  to  idols, 
and  curse  Christ.     If  they  refused,  he 
ordered  them  to  execution. 

{d)  CHARACTER  OF  ADRIAN. 
— The  kindness,  condescension,  and  for- 
bearance of  Adrian  were  proverbial ; 
he  was  one  of  the  most  eloquent  orators 
of  his  age ;  and  when  pleading  iho 
cause  of  injured  innocence,  would  melt 
and  overwhelm  the  auditors  by  the  pa- 
thos of  his  appeals.  It  was  his  constant 
maxim,  that  he  was  an  emperor,  not 
for  his  own  good,  but  for  the  benefit  of 
his  fellow  creatures.  He  stooped  to  re- 
lieve the  wants  of  the  meanest  of  his 
subjects,  and  would  peril  his  life  by 
visiting  them  when  sick  of  infectious 
diseases  ;  he  prohibited,  by  law,  mas- 
ters from  killing  their  slaves,  gave  to 
slaves  legal  trial,  and  exempted  them 
from  torture  ;  yet  towards  certain  in- 
dividuals and  classes,  he  showed  him- 
self a  monster  of  cruelty.  He  prided 
himself  on  his  knowledge  of  architec- 
ture, and  ordered  to  execution  the  most 
celebrated  architect  of  Rome,  because 
he  had  criticised  one  of  the  emperor's 
designs.  He  banished  all  the  Jews 
from  their  native  land,  and  drove  them 
to  the  ends  of  the  earth  ;  and  unloosed 
the  bloodhounds  of  persecution  to  rend 
in  pieces  his  Christian  subjects. 

(e)  TITUS  IN  ROME— TITUS  IN 
JUDEA. — Who  has  not  heard  of  the 
Emperor  Titus — so  beloved  for  his  mild 
virtues  and  compassionate  regard  for  the 
suffering,  that  he  was  named  "  The  De- 
light of  Mankind  ;"  so  tender  of  the 
lives  of  his  subjects  that  he  took  the 


READINESS  FOR  DEATH. 


11§ 


office  of  high  priest  that  his  hands 
might  never  be  defiled  with  blood  ;  and 
was  heard  to  declare,  with  tears,  that 
he  had  rather  die  than  put  another  to 
death.  So  intent  upon  making  others 
happy,  that  when  once  about  to  retire 
to  sleep,  and  not  being  able  to  recall 
any  particular  act  of  beneficence  per- 
formed during  the  day,  he  cried  out  in 
anguish,  "  Alas  !  I  have  lost  a  day !" 
And,  finally,  whom  the  learned  Kennet, 
in  his  Roman  Antiquities,  characterizes 
as  "  the  only  prince  in  the  world  that 
has  the  character  of  never  doing  an  ill 
action.^'  Yet,  witnessing  the  mortal 
combats  of  the  captives  taken  in  war, 
killing  each  other  in  the  amphitheatre, 
amidst  the  acclamations  of  the  populace, 
was  a  favorite  amusement  with  Titus. 
At  one  time  he  exhibited  shows  of 
gladiators,  which  lasted  one  hundred 
days,  during  which  the    amphitheatre 


was  flooded  with  human  blood.  At 
another  of  his  public  exhibitions  he 
caused  five  thousand  wild  beasts  to  be 
baited  in  the  amphitheatre.  During  the 
siege  of  Jerusalem,  he  set  ambushes  to 
seize  the  famishing  Jews,  who  stt^le  out 
of  the  city  by  night  to  glean  food  in  the' 
valleys  :  these  he  would  first  dreadful!}' 
scourge,  then  torment  them  with  ail 
conceivable  tortures,  and,  at  last,  cru- 
cify them  before  the  wall  of  the  city. 
According  to  Josephus,  not  less  than 
five  hundred  a  day  were  thus  tormented. 
And  when  many  of  the  Jews,  frantic 
with  famine,  deserted  to  the  Romans, 
Titus  cut  off  their  hands  and  drove  them 
back.  Afler  the  destruction  of  Jerusa- 
lem, he  dragged  to  Rome  one  hundred 
thousand  captives,  and  sold  them  as 
slaves,  and  scattered  them  through  every 
province  of  the  empire. 


DEATH. 


118.   Readinesi  for  Death. 


(a)  THE  MINER  B  7RIED  ALIVE. 

— Charles  Greenhough,  a  native  of  a 
populous  hamlet  in  the  West  Riding  of 
Yorkshire,  a  humble  and  piou5  man,  was 
engaged  in  the  perilous  occapation  of  a 
miner.  One  morning,  having  engaged 
in  family  worship,  he  proceeded  to  his 
work  and  labor,  which  was  to  get  the 
iron-stone  in  one  of  those  pits,  which, 
from  their  shape,  are  termed  "  bell 
pits."  The  pit  in  question  was  just 
being  finished,  and  Charles,  with  four 
others,  were  engaged  in  it,  when  a  tre- 
mendous fall  of  earth  threatened  them. 
They  simultaneously  rushed  to  the  op- 
posite side,  which  they  had  scarcely 
reached,  when  they  were  all  partially 
buried.  The  four  companions  of  poor 
Charles  extricated  themselves  and  each 
other,  and  proceeded  to  use  every  effort 
to  procure  his  release,  at  the  peril  of 
their  own  lives,  for  a  still  more  dreadful 
falling  in  of  the  side  of  the  pit  now 
threatened  them.  It  was  at  this  awful 
moment  of  peril  that  his  Christian  calm- 
ness and  disinterestedness  were  exhibit- 
ed. After  expressing  his  conviction 
that  he  could  not  be  extricated,  he 
16 


directed  them  to  place  a  stone  to  de- 
fend his  head,  which  yet  remained  un- 
buried,  and  then  said,  "  Escape  for  your 
lives !  'tis  well  I  am  taken  instead  of 
you  ;  for  I  am  ready  and  you  are  not !" 
His  ^ew  remaining  minutes  were  spent 
in  earnest  prayer  for  his  family,  and  in 
solemnly  commending  his  departing 
spirit  to  the  Lord  Jesus.  The  earth 
then  fell,  and  buried  him  alive ! 

(h)  MR.  WESLEY  AND  THE 
GERMANS.— In  the  early  part  of  the 
career  of  the  Rev.  John  Wesley,  influ- 
enced by  a  desire  to  do  good,  he  under- 
took a  voyage  to  Georgia.  During  a 
storm  on  the  voyage  he  was  very  much 
alarmed  by  the  fear  of  death,  and  being 
a  severe  judge  of  himself,  he  concluded 
that  he  was  unfit  to  die.  He  observed 
the  lively  faith  of  the  Germans,  which 
in  the  midst  of  danger,  kept  their  minds 
in  a  state  of  tranquillity  and  ease,  to 
which  he  and  the  English  on  board  were 
strangers.  While  they  were  singing  at 
the  commencement  of  their  service,  the 
sea  broke  over  them,  split  the  mainsail 
in  pieces,  covered  the  ship,  and  poured 
in  between  the  decks  as  if  the  great  deep 
had  already  swallowed  them  up.  The 
English  screamed  terribly :  the  Ger- 
241 


118 


DEATH. 


mans  calmly  sung  on.  Mr.  Wesley 
asked  one  of  them  afterwards,  if  he 
were  not  afraid.  He  answered,  "  I 
thank  God,  no."  "  But  were  not  your 
women  and  children  afraid  V  He  re- 
plied mildly,  "  No :  our  women  and 
children  are  not  afraid  to  die." 

(c)  SENTIMENT  OF  AN  AGED 
CHIEF. — A  distinguiished  Oneida  chief, 
named  Skenandoah,  having  yielded  to  the 
instructions  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Kirkland, 
and  lived  a  reformed  man  for  fifty  years, 
said,  just  before  he  died,  in  his  hundred 
and  twentieth  year,  "I  am  an  aged 
hemlock ;  the  winds  of  one  hundred 
years  have  whistled  through  my  branch- 
es ;  I  am  dead  at  the  top  ;  (he  was 
blind  ;)  why  I  yet  live,  the  great  good 
Spirit  only  knows.  Pray  to  my  Jesus, 
that  I  may  wait  with  patience  my  ap- 
pointed time  to  die  ;  and  when  I  die, 
lay  me  by  the  side  of  my  minister  and 
father,  that  I  may  go  up  with  him  at 
the  great  resurrection." 

{d)  FEARS  OF  DEATH  VAN- 
QUISHED. — A  person  who  lived  in 
the  house  of  a  pious  friend,  often  com- 
municated to  him  his  distressing  ap- 
prehensions. He  was  not  so  much 
disturbed  with  doubts  respecting  his  in- 
terest  in  Christ,  as  terrified  with  the 
thoughts  of  dying,  and  said  he  thought 
he  should  need  three  or  fbilr  persons  to 
hold  him,  if  he  apprehended  death  was 
at  hand.  His  friend  proposed  Scrip- 
tural antidotes  to  this  unreasonable 
dread  ;  and  encouraged  him  to  expect 
that,  as  his  day,  so  should  his  strength  be. 
After  a  long  illness,  the  time  of  his  de- 
parture approached  ;  and  he  often  ex- 
pressed a  wish  that  his  friend  could  al- 
ways be  with  him.  Finding  himself 
dying,  he  repeatedly  sent  for  his  friend 
to  pray  with  him.  He  felt  uneasy,  and 
said,  "  Satan  whispers  that  I  have  been 
a  deceiver,  and  shall  die  a  hypocrite." 
He  asked  his  friend  to  pray  again  with 
him,  after  which  he  cried,  "  The  Lord 
is  come !  Praise  God,  praise  God !" 
He  then  lifted  up  both  his  hands,  which, 
from  weakness,  he  could  scarcely  raise 
before,  and  several  times  repeated, 
"  Victory,  victory,  victory,  through  the 
blood  of  the  Lamb  !"  and  expired  with 
the  unfinished  word  on  his  lips. 

242 


(e)  SEVERAL  EXAMPLES.— 
John  Dodd — '•'  I  am  not  afraid  to  look 
death  in  the  face.  I  can  say — Death, 
where  is  thy  sting  ?  Death  cannot  hurt 
me." 

Robert  Bolton — "  O  !  when  will  this 
good  hour  come  ?  When  shall  I  be  dis- 
solved ?  When  shall  I  be  with  Christ  ?" 
Halylurton — "  Here  is  a  demonstra- 
tion of  the  reality  of  religion,  that  I,  a 
poor,  weak,  timorous  man,  as  much 
afraid  of  death  as  any,  am  now  enabled 
by  the  power  of  grace,  composedly  and 
with  joy,  to  look  death  in  the  face." 

Edward  Deering — "  As  for  my  death, 
I  bless  God  I  feel  and  find  so  much  in- 
ward joy  and  comfort  to  my  soul,  that 
if  I  were  put  to  my  choice  whether  1 
would  die  or  live,  I  would  a  thousand 
times  rather  choose  death  than  life,  if 
it  may  stand  with  the  holy  will  of  God." 
John  Owen — "  Oh  !  brother  Payne, 
the  long-looked  for  day  is  come  at  last, 
in  which  I  shall  see  that  glory  in  ano- 
ther manner  than  I  have  ever  yet  done, 
or  been  capable  of  doing." 

Risden  Darracott — "  Well,  I  am  go- 
ing from  weeping  friends  to  congratulate 
angek  and  rejoicing  saints  in  heaven 
and  glory.  Blessed  be  God,  all  is  well." 
(/)  THE  PIOUS  BOATSWAIN 
IN  THE  STORM.— On  board  an 
East-Indian\an  was  a  pious  boatswain, 
whom,  on  this  account,  the  crew  looked 
upon  as  a  strar^e  man.  The  ship  was 
overtaken  with  a  storm  so  dreadful,  that 
after  eveiy  effort  to  preserve  life,  the 
captain  said,  '  All  ihat  could  be  done 
had  been  done — it  wus  impossible  the 
vessel  could  weather  it.'  The  ship 
seemed  sinking — the  captain  withdrew 
into  the  cabin — the  men  were  some  on 
their  knees,  and  others  with  liorror  hang- 
ing  on  parts  of  the  rigging.  All  ex. 
pected  the  vessel  would  founder.  The 
boatswain  had  been  very  active,  and 
apparently  unalarmed,  during  the  whole 
of  the  gale.  At  this  moment,  when  a 
heavy  wave  struck  the  ship,  and  seem- 
ed as  if  it  would  instantly  sink  her, 
looking  up  with  a  smile  he  exclaimed, 
•  Blessed  be  God,  all  is  right !'  and  he 
began  to  sing.  The  storm  afterwards 
abated,  and  the  vessel  was  saved.  Thus, 
amidst  the  storm  of  life,  on  the  dark 
ocean  of  death,  and  amidst  the  terrors 


HAPPY  DEATHS  OF  CHRISTIANS. 


lis,  119 


of  the  judgment  day  the  Christian  may 
still  smile  and  exulting  exclaim,  '  Bless- 
ed be  God,  all  is  right !' 

(g)  CECIL'S  DYING  MOTHER. 
— My  first  convictions  on  the  subject 
of  leligion,  says  the  Rev.  R.  Cecil, 
were  confirmed  by  observing,  that  real- 
ly religious  persons  had  some  solid 
happiness  among  them,  which  I  felt  the 
vanities  of  the  world  could  not  give.  I 
shall  never  forget  standing  by  the  bed- 
side  of  my  sick  mother.  "  Are  not  you 
afraid  to  die?"  I  asked.  "No." 
"  No  !  Why  does  the  uncertainty  of 
another  state  give  you  no  concern  ?" 
"  Because  God  has  said,  '  Fear  not ; 
when  thou  passest  through  the  waters,  I 
will  be  with  thee ;  and  through  the 
rivers,  they  shall  not  overflow  thee,' — 
'  Let  me  die  the  death  of  the  right- 
eous.' " 

{h)  BEAUTIFUL  REPLY.— A 
pious  Scotch  minister  being  asked  by  a 
friend  during  his  last  illness,  whether 
he  thought  himself  dying  ?  answered, 
"  Really,  friend,  I  care  not  whether 
I  am  or  not ;  for,  if  I  die  I  shall  be 
with  God  ;  if  I  live.  He  will  be  with 
me." 

{i)  GEORGE  III,  AND  HIS 
SEPULCHRE.— At  the  time  his  ma- 
jesty, desiring  that  himself  and  family 
should  repose  in  the  same  sepulchre, 
and  in  one  less  public  than  that  of 
Westminster,  had  ordered  the  tomb- 
house  at  Windsor  to  be  constructed, 
Mr.  Wyatt,  his  architect,  waited  upon 
him  with  a  detailed  report  and  plan  of 
the  design,  and  of  the  manner  in  which 
he  proposed  to  arrange  it  for  the  recep- 
tion of  the  remains  of  royalty.  The 
king  went  minutely  through  the  whole  ; 
and  when  finished,  Mr.  Wyatt,  in  thank- 
ing his  majesty,  said  apologetically,  he 
had  ventured  to  occupy  so  much  of  his 
majesty's  time  and  attention  with  these 
details,  in  order  that  it  might  not  be  ne- 
cessary to  bring  so  painful  a  subject 
again  under  his  notice.  To  this  the 
king  replied,  "  Mr.  Wyatt,  I  request 
that  you  will  bring  the  subject  before 
me  whenever  you  please.  I  shall  at- 
tend with  as  much  pleasure  to  the  build- 
ing  of  a  tomb  to  receive  me  when  I  am 
dead,  as  I  would  to  the  decorations  of  a 
drawing-room  to  hold  me  while  living : 


for,  Mr.  Wyatt,  if  it  please  God  that  I 
should  live  to  be  ninety  or  a  hundred,  1 
am  willing  to  stay  :  but  if  it  pleases  God 
to  take  me  this  night,  I  am  ready  to  go  !" 
(j)  REMARK  OF  DR.  WATTS. 
— "  I  bless  God,"  said  Dr.  Watts,  "  I 
can  lie  down  with  comfort  to-night,  not 
being  anxious  whether  I  awake  in  this 
world  or  another." 

119.  Happy  Deaths  of  Cliristians. 

{a)  POLYCARP'S  DEATH.— 
When  Polycarp,  an  ancient  bishop  of 
the  church  at  Smyrna,  was  brought  to 
the  tribunal,  the  proconsul  asked  him  if 
he  was  Polycarp  ;  to  which  he  assented. 
The  proconsul  then  began  to  exhort 
him,  saying,  "  Have  pity  on  thine  own 
great  age ;  swear  by  the  fortune  of 
Cesar ;  repent :  say,  take  away  the 
atheists,"  meaning  the  Christians.  Po- 
lycarp, casting  his  eyes  solemnly  over 
the  multitude,  waving  his  hand  to  them, 
and  looking  up  to  heaven,  said,  "  Take 
away  these  atheists  ;"  meaning  the  idol- 
aters around  him.  The  proconsul  still 
urging  him,  and  saying,  "  Swear,  and 
I  will  release  thee  ;  reproach  Christ," 
Polycarp  said,  "  Eighty  and  six  years 
have  I  served  him,  and  he  hath  never 
wronged  me  ;  and  how  can  I  blaspheme 
my  King  who  hath  saved  me  ?"  "  I 
have  wild  beasts,"  said  the  proconsul, 
"  and  will  expose  you  to  them  unless 
you  repent."  "Call  them,"  said  the 
martyr.  "  I  wiil  tame  your  spirit  by 
fire,"  said  the  Roman.  "  You  threaten 
me,"  said  Polycarp,  "  with  the  fire 
which  burns  only  for  a  moment,  but  are 
yourself  ignorant  of  the  fire  of  eternal 
punishment,  reserved  for  the  ungodly." 
Soon  after,  being  about  to  be  put  to 
death,  he  exclaimed,  "  O  Father  of  thy 
beloved  and  blessed  Son,  Jesus  Christ ! 
O  God  of  all  principalities  and  of  all 
creation  !  I  bless  thee  that  thou  hast 
counted  me  worthy  of  this  day,  and  this 
hour,  to  receive  my  portion  in  the 
number  of  the  martyrs,  in  the  cup  of 
Christ." 

(h)  DEATH  OF  REV.  JOHN 
WESLEY.— The  Rev.  John  Wesley, 
after  a  long  life  of  great  labor  and  use- 
fulness, being  sixty-five  years  in  the 
ministry,  concluded  his  course,  as  might 
243 


119 


DEATH. 


have  been  expected,  in  peace  and  holy 
joy.  Having  been  laid  on  the  bed, 
from  whence  he  rose  no  more,  he  called 
to  those  who  were  with  him,  to  "  pray 
and  praise."  Soon  after  he  again  called 
upon  them  to  "  pray  and  praise  !"  and 
taking  each  by  the  hand,  and  affection- 
ately saluting  them,  bade  them  farewell. 
Attempting  afterwards  to  say  something 
which  they  could  not  understand,  he 
paused  a  little,  and  then,  with  all  the 
remaining  strength  he  had,  said,  "  The 
best  of  all  is,  God  is  with  us."  And 
again,  lifting  his  hand,  he  repeated  the 
same  words  in  a  holy  triumph,  "  The 
best  of  all  is,  God  is  with  us." 

(c)  DEATH-BED  OF  REV.  W. 
DAY.— "The  Bible,"  said  the  dying 
saint,  "is  nothing  to  me, , the  Bible  is 
nothing  to  me,  but  as  it  reveals  to  my 
soul  a  covenant  Jehovah,  Father,  Son, 
and  Holy  Ghost.  There  I  see  perfection. 
When  I  look  at  man — when  I  look  at 
myself,  I  see  nothing  but  vileness : — a 
rent  here,  a  chasm  there.  It  would 
drive  me  to  despair.  Oh  when,"  he 
wept  profusely,  "  when  shall  I  behold 
Christ  as  he  is,  and  cast  myself  at  his 
feet !  He  has  offered  me  a  pledge  of 
this  beyond  all  your  imagination  can 
conceive.  I  have  seen  him  rising  be- 
fore me  in  all  the  majesty  of  the  God- 
head. The  world  has  shown  me  its 
favors,  and  has  taken  them  away  again. 
I  have  enjoyed  many  tokens  of  the 
loving-kindness  of  my  God,  and  I  have 
at  other  times  been  stripped  of  what  I 
most  valued.  But,  O  my  God,  my  Re- 
deemer, thou  hast  never  failed  me  !" 
Then  stretching  out  his  hands  to  his 
family  around  his  bed,  he  cried,  "  O 
Lord,  shine  forth,  shine  forth  in  thy 
glory  upon  these  dear  ones — Thou  wilt 
never  leave  them — Thou  wilt  never  for- 
sake them." — It  was  an  affecting,  a 
sublime  scene.  It  was  like  a  patriarch 
standing  on  the  threshold  of  heaven, 
looking  back  to  bless  his  family,  and 
looking  forward,  earnestly  longing  to 
take  his  last  step. 

(d)  "I  AM  THE  LORD  THY 
GOD."— A  friend  calling  on  the  Rev. 
Ebenezer  Erskine,  during  his  last  ill- 
ness, said  to  him,  "  Sir,  you  have  given 
us  many  good  advices,  pray  what  are 
you  now  doing  with  you  own  soul  ?" 
244 


"  I  am  doing  with  it,  "  said  he,  "  w;hat  I 
did  forty  years  ago ;  I  am  resting  on 
that  word,  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God;  and 
on  this  I  mean  to  die."  To  another,  ho 
said,  "  The  covenant  is  my  charter,  and 
if  it  had  not  been  for  that  blessed  word, 
/  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  my  hope  and 
strength  had  perished  from  the  Lord." 
The  night  on  which  he  died,  his  eldest 
daughter  was  reading  in  the  room 
where  he  was,  to  whom  he  said,  "  What 
book  is  that  you  are  reading,  my  dear  ?" 
"It  is  one  of  your  sermons,  sir." 
"  What  one  is  it  ?"  "  It  is  the  sermon 
on  that  text,  ^  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God.'  " 
"  O  woman,"  said  he,  "  that  is  the  best 
sermon  I  ever  preached."  And  it  was 
most  probably  the  best  to  his  soul.  A 
little  afterwards,  with  his  finger  and 
thum.b  he  shut  his  own  eyes,  and  lay- 
ing his  hand  below  his  cheek,  breathed 
out  his  soul  into  the  hands  of  his  living 
Redeemer.  Happy  the  man  that  is  in 
such  a  state  !  happy  tlic  man  whose 
God  is  the  Lord  ! 

(e)  "I  SHALL  SUP  WITH 
CHRIST."— Mr.  Robert  Bruce,  the 
morning  before  he  died,  being  at  break- 
fast, having,  as  he  used,  eaten  an  egg, 
he  said  to  his  daughter,  "  I  think  I  am 
yet  hungry  ;  you  may  bring  me  anothei 
egg."  But  halving  mused  a  while,  he 
said,  ^' Hold,  daugJifer,  hold,  my  master 
calls  me,''  With  these  words  his  sight 
failed  him :  on  which  he  called  for  the 
Bible,  and  said,  "  Turn  to  the  8th  chap- 
ter of  the  Romans,  and  set  my  finger 
on  the  words,  'I  am  persuaded  that 
neither  death  nor  life,  &c.,  shall  be  able 
to  separate  me  from  the  love  of  God 
which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  my  Lord.'  " 
When  this  was  done  he  said,  "  Now  is 
my  finger  upon  them  ?"  Being  told  that  it 
was,  he  added,  "  Now,  God  he  with  yoUy 
my  dear  children :  I  have  breakfasted  with 
you,  and  shall  sup  luith  my  Lord  Jesus 
Chnst  this  night ;"  and  then  expired. 

(/)  DEATH  OF  HERVEY.— 
Dr.  Stonehouse,  who  attended  Mr.  Her- 
vey  during  his  last  illness,  seeing  the 
great  difficulty  and  pain  with  which  he 
spoke,  and  finding  by  his  pulse  that  the 
pangs  of  death  were  then  coming  on, 
desired  that  he  would  spare  himself. 
"No,"  said  he,  "doctor,  no:  you  tell 
me  I  have  but  a  few  minutes  to  live ; 


HAPPY  DEATHS  OF  CHRISTIANS. 


119 


Oh  !  let  me  spend  them  in  adoring  our 
great  Redeemer.  Though  my  flesh 
and  my  heart  fail  me,  yet  God  is  the 
strength  of  my  heart  and  my  portion  for 
ever."  He  then  expatiated,  in  the  most 
striking  manner,  on  these  words  of  Paul, 
"  All  things  are  yours,  life  and  death  ; 
things  present,  and  things  to  come  ;  all 
are  yours ;  and  ye  are  Christ's,  and 
Christ  is  God's."  "Here,"  said  he, 
"  is  the  treasure  of  a  Christian,  and  a 
noble  treasure  it  is.  Death  is  reckoned 
in  this  inventory :  how  thankful  am  I 
for  it,  as  it  is  the  passage  through  which 
I  get  to  the  Lord  and  Giver  of  eternal 
life!  and  as  it  frees  me  from  all  the 
misery  you  see  me  now  endure,  and 
which  I  am  willing  to  endure  as  long 
as  God  thinks  fit ;  for  I  know  he  will 
by  and  by,  in  his  good  time,  dismiss  me 
from  the  body.  These  light  afilictions 
are  but  for  a  moment,  and  then  comes 
an  eternal  weight  of  glory.  Oh,  wel- 
come, welcome  death !  thou  mayest 
well  be  reckoned  among  the  treasures 
of  the  Christian  !  To  live  is  Christ,  but 
to  die  is  gain." 

{g)  DEATH  OF  DR.  GOODWIN. 
— "  Ah  !"  said  Dr.  Goodwin,  in  his  last 
moments,  "  is  this  dying  1  How  have 
I  dreaded  as  an  enemy  this  smiling 
friend  !" 

(/i)  DEATH  OF  REV.  WILLIAM 
JANEWAY.— This  good  man,  who 
was  the  father  of  the  Rev.  John  Jane- 
way,  being  brought  to  his  death-bed, 
endured  great  conflict  of  mind,  and  en- 
tertained many  fears  as  to  his  future 
happiness.  Under  those  circumstances, 
he  asked  the  prayers  of  his  son,  who, 
though  he  entertained  no  doubt  as  to  the 
real  piety  of  his  father,  was  filled  with 
Christian  sympathy ;  and  having  retired, 
ho  spent  some  time  in  wrestling  with 
God  upon  his  father's  account,  earnest- 
ly praying  that  he  would  fill  him  with 
joy  unspeakable  in  believing,  and  that 
he  would  speedily  give  him  some  token 
for  good,  that  he  might  joyfully  and 
honorably  leave  this  world  to  go  to  a 
better.  After  he  was  risen  from  his 
knees,  he  went  down  to  his  sick  father, 
and  asked  him  how  he  felt  himself. 
His  father  made  no  answer  for  some 
time,  but  wept  exceedingly,  to  which 
he  was  not  subject,  and  continued  for 


some  considerable  time  weeping,  so  that 
he  was  not  able  to  speak.  But  at  last, 
having  recovered  himself,  with  un- 
speakable joy  he  burst  out  into  such 
expressions  as  these  : — "  0  son,  now  it 
is  come,  it  is  come,  it  is  come  !  I  bless 
God  I  can  die  ;  the  Spirit  of  God  hath 
witnessed  with  my  spirit  that  I  am  his 
child.  Now  I  can  look  upon  God  as 
my  dear  Father,  and  Christ  as  my  Re- 
deemer. I  can  now  say,  This  is  my 
Friend,  and  this  is  my  Beloved.  My 
heart  is  full,  it  is  brimful ;  I  can  hold 
no  more.  I  know  now  what  that  sen- 
tence means, — The  peace  of  God  which 
passeth  understanding.  That  fit  of 
weeping  which  you  saw  me  in,  was  a 
fit  of  overpowering  love  and  joy,  so 
great  that  I  could  not  contain  myself; 
neither  can  I  express  what  glorious  dis- 
coveries God  has  made  of  himself  unto 
me.  And  had  that  joy  been  greater,  I 
question  whether  I  could  have  borne  it, 
and  whether  it  would  not  have  separated 
soul  and  body.  Bless  the  Lord,  O  my 
soul,  and  all  that  is  within  me  bless  his 
holy  name,  who  hath  pardoned  all  my 
sins,  and  sealed  the  pardon  !  He  hath 
healed  my  wounds,  and  caused  the 
bones  which  he  had  broken  to  rejoice. 
Oh,  now  I  can  die  !  It  is  nothing :  I  • 
bless  God  I  can  die.  I  desire  to  be  dis- 
solved, and  to  be  with  Christ."  In  this 
delightful  frame  of  soul  he  shortly  after 
left  earth  for  heaven. 

(z)  HAPPY  DEATH  OF  REV. 
S.  MORELL.— This  excellent  young 
minister,  when  just  entering  on  his  im- 
portant station  at  Norwich,  was  called, 
in  the  twenty-fourth  year  of  his  age,  to 
exchange  worlds.  On  the  last  day  of 
his  life,  he  remarked,  that  he  should 
once  more  wish  to  commit  his  soul  to 
God,  and  then  added,  "  I  should  like  to 
understand  the  secrets  of  eternity  before 
to-morrow  morning."  His  desire  was 
granted.  In  his  last  moments  he  in- 
dulged in  lan£:uao:e  like  this  :  "  None 
can  know,  none  conceive  the  happiness 
I  possess,  the  peace  with  which  my  soul 
is  fiUed,  but  the  sincere  disciple  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Redeemer  of  man- 
kind, give  me  strength  to  bear  even  ^ 
joy — this  joy  !" 

0)     HAPPY      SURPRISE      OF 
DEATH.— The  Rev.Mr.  Hall,  of  Arns- 
245 


119 


DEATH. 


by,  Mr.  Evans,  of  Foxton,  and  Mr. 
Christian,  of  Sheepshead,  three  eminently- 
pious  ministers  of  the  gospel,  attended 
a  ministers'  meeting  at  Mr.  Woodman's, 
Sutton,  in  the  Elms,  Leicestershire. 
The  day  was  solemn,  and  the  discourses 
delivered  were  very  interesting  and 
appropriate.  In  the  evening,  these 
ministers  spent  their  time  together  in  the 
most  agreeable  conversation.  Amongst 
other  subjects,  one  of  them  proposed  for 
discussion,  that  passage  in  Job  ix.  23, 
"  If  the  scourge  slay  suddenly,  he  will 
laugh  at  the  trial  of  the  innocent." 
Deep  seriousness  pervaded  the  conversa- 
tion, while  each  minister  gave  his 
thoughts  on  the  text.  Whert  it  came 
to  Mr.  Christian's  turn  to  speak,  he 
dwelt  upon  the  subject  with  an  unusual 
degree  of  feeling.  He  considered  it  as 
referring  to  the  sudden  death  of  the 
righteous ;  and  was  expatiating  very 
largely  on  the  desirableness  of  such  an 
event,  and  the  happy  surprise  with 
which  it  would  be  attended,  when, 
amidst  a  flood  of  rapturous  tears,  he 
took  his  flight  from  the  world  while  the 
words  were  yet  faltering  on  his  tongue  ! 
(k)  WELCOMING  DEATH.— Mrs. 
Legare,  an  excellent  woman,  resided 
at  Charleston,  S.  C.  When  she  had 
nearly  closed  her  eyes  in  death,  her 
physician  came  and  found  the  family  in 
tears.  "  Well,  doctor,"  said  Mr.  Le- 
gare, "  what  do  you  think  of  the  scene 
in  the  next  room  ?"  "  Indeed,  sir,"  said 
he,  "  I  know  not  what  to  think  of  it ;  it 
is  all  a  mystery  to  me.  I  have  seen 
numbers  of  men  in  all  the  vigor  of 
health,  and  thirsting  for  martial  honor, 
rush  into  a  field  of  battle,  and  in  that 
confused  scene  put  on  the  appearance 
of  fortitude,  not  one  of  whom  could  face 
the  gradual  approaches  of  death,  or  a 
sick  bed,  without  visible  horror  ;  but 
here  is  a  poor  emaciated  woman,  whose 
whole  nervous  system  is  unstrung  by 
long  disease,  welcoming  the  grim  mes- 
senger with  the  utmost  serenity,  com- 
posure, and  joy,  though  approaching  in 
all  the  horrors  of  the  most  gradual  pro- 
gress imaginable;"  (for  she  was  three 
days  in  the  agonies  of  death.)  "  Indeed 
it  is  a  mystery,  and  I  know  not  }k)W  to 
account  for  it."  "Do  you  not,  sir?" 
asked  Mr.  Legare ;  "  go,  then,  to  Cal- 
246 


vary.  You  see  us  dissolved  in  tears, 
but  I  do  not  believe  there  is  a  tear  in 
the  room  extorted  by  grief;  no,  sir, 
they  are  tears  of  joy."  The  doctor 
went  down  stairs,  and  met  a  gentleman 
at  the  door,  who  inquired  after  Mrs.  L., 
to  whom  he  replied,  "Just  gone,  sir." 
"Well,"  said  he,  "Mr.  Legare  is  o 
philosopher,  and  I  hope  he  will  bear  the 
stroke  like  one."  "Philosophy!"  re- 
plied the  doctor,  "  I  have  thought  as 
much  of  philosophy  as  any  man,  but 
the  scene  within  beats  philosophy  hoi- 
low."  ^  ^ 

(l)  DEATH  OF  MRS.  HERVEY. 
— Mrs.  Elizabeth  Hervcy,  the  wife  of  a 
Missionary  in  Bombay,  died  an  early 
but  happy  death.  "  I  did  hope,"  said  she, 
"  that  I  should  be  permitted  to  do  some- 
thing towards  elevating  the  degraded 
and  miserable  females  of  India ;  but 
since  God  decides  otherwise.  His  will 
be  done !  In  this  great  conflict,  some 
must  fall  as  soon  as  they  enter  the  field. 
Tell  my  friends  that  I  never  have  for  a 
moment  regretted  that  I  came  hither. 
No  !  had  I  foreseen  this  hour,  and  all 
that  I  have  endured  since  I  left  America, 
I  should  have  decided  just  as  I  did,  if 
the  path  of  duty  had  been  as  plain  as  it 
appeared  to  be." 

A  friend  said  to  her,  he  hoped  the 
Saviour  would  be  with  her,  as  she 
walked  through  the  dark  valley  of  the 
shadow  of  death.  "  If  this,"  said  she, 
"  is  the  dark  valley,  it  has  not  a  dark 
spot  in  it;  all  is  light — light!"  She 
had,  during  most  of  her  sickness,  bright 
views  of  the  perfections  of  God.  "  His 
awful  holiness,"  she  said,  "  appeared 
the  most  lovely  of  all  His  attributes." 
At  one  time,  she  said  she  wanted  words 
to  express  her  views  of  the  majesty  and 
glory  of  Christ.  "  It  seems,"  said  she, 
"  that  if  all  other  glory  were  annihilated, 
and  nothing  left  but  His  bare  self,  it 
would  be  enough  ;  it  would  be  a  uni- 
verse of  gloiy  !" 

(m)  VARA'S  HAPPY  DEATH.— 
Mr.  Williams  relates,  in  his  "  Mission- 
ary Enterprises,"  that  a  delightful  in- 
stance of  the  power  of  the  gospel  is  to 
be  met  with  in  the  history  of  a  chief 
named  Vara,  a  native  of  the  island  of 
Aimeo.  In  the  time  of  his  ignorance 
he  was  a  procurer  of  human  sacrifices ; 


HAPPY  DEATHS  OF  CHRISTIANS. 


ilf> 


but  he  became  eventually  a  humble 
and  devoted  Christian,  and  to  the  day  of 
his  death  he  adorned  his  profession. 
He  was  visited  many  times  in  his  dying 
moments  by  Mr.  Orsmond,  whose  ac- 
count of  his  death  I  will  here  subjoin. 

On  seeing  his  end  approach,  I  said  to 
him,  "  Are  you  sorry  that  you  cast  away 
your  lying  gods,  by  which  you  used  to 
gain  so  much  property  ?"  Fie  was  arous- 
ed from  his  lethargy,  and  with  tears  of 
pleasure  sparkling  in  his  eyes,  he  ex- 
claimed, "  O  no,  no  !  What !  can  I  be  sor- 
ry for  casting  away  death  for  life  ?  Je- 
sus is  my  rock,  the  fortification  in  which 
my  soul  takes  shelter."  I  said,  "  Tell 
me  on  what  you  found  your  hopes  of  fu- 
ture blessedness?"  He  replied,  "  I  have 
been  very  wicked ;  but  a  great  King 
from  the  other  side  of  the  skies  sent  his 
ambassadors  with  terms  of  peace.  We 
could  not  tell,  for  many  years,  what 
these  ambassadors  wanted.  At  length, 
Pomare  obtained  a  victory,  and  invited 
ail  his  subjects  to  come  and  take  refuge 
under  the  wing  of  Jesus,  and  I  was  one 
of  the  first  to  do  so.  The  hlood  of  Jesus 
is  my  foundation.  I  grieve  that  all  my 
children  do  not  love  him.  Had  they 
known  the  misery  we  endured  in  the 
reign  of  the  devil,  they  would  gladly 
take  the  gospel  in  exchange  for  their  fol- 
lies. Jesus  is  the  best  King  ;  he  gives 
a  pillow  without  thorns."  After  a  lit- 
tle time  I  asked  him  if  he  were  afraid 
to  die  ;  when,  with  almost  youthful  en- 
ergy, he  replied,  "  No,  no  !  The  canoe 
is  on  the  sea,  the  sails  are  spread ;  she 
is  ready  for  the  gale.  I  have  a  good 
Pilot  to  guide  me,  and  a  good  haven  to 
receive  me.  My  outside  man  and  my 
inside  man  differ.  Let  the  one  rot  till 
the  trump  shall  sound,  but  let  my  soul 
wing  her  way  to  the  throne  of  Jesus  !  " 

{71)  NOT  KNOWING  DAY  FROM 
NIGHT. — My  letter  was  interrupted, 
writes  the  Rev.  R.  Watson,  by  being 
called  to  visit  an  old  follower  of  Jesus 
Christ.  I  have  been  much  profited  by 
the  interview.  I  have  not  been  to  in- 
struct, but  to  be  instructed.  One  of  his 
expressions  was :  "  Days,  weeks,  and 
months  have  rolled  round  during  my 
affliction,  and  I  have  scarcely  known  the 
night  from  the  day,  nor  the  day  from  the 
night,  so  rapidly  and  joyfully  have  the 


hours  escaped  me  ;  I  have  felt  nothing 
but  joy  and  love  ;  not  for  a  moment  have 
I  been  impatient  or  weary,  or  wished  it 
otherwise  with  me,  so  marvellously  has 
God  wrought  in  me.  This  is  the  hand 
of  God.  This  never  grew  in  nature's 
soil." 

(0)  DEATH  OF  MR.  VENN.— 
The  Rev.  T.  T.  Thomason,  who  was 
afterwards  a  devoted  minister  of  Christ 
in  the  East  Indies,  while  at  college,  paid 
a  visit,  in  company  with  two  of  hit 
young  friends,  to  the  excellent  Mr. 
Venn,  then  languishing  in  body,  but  re- 
joicing in  soul,  as  a  strong  man  to  run 
a  race.  One  of  his  expressions  sunk 
deep  into  the  mind  of  Thomason  ;  it 
was  this  :  "  In  what  a  state  should  I  now 
be,  had  I  only  the  Socinian's  God  to  trust 
to  !  "  This  extraordinary  mau  did  not 
die  like  common  Christians.  The  Rev. 
T.  Robinson,  of  Leicester,  visited  him 
in  his  last  illness,  and  began  to  speak 
to  him,  to  use  Mr.  Robinson's  words, 
"  in  my  poor  way."  "  Oh  !  "  exclaim- 
ed Mr.  Venn,  "  that  is  poor  comfort,  bro- 
ther. Here  is  the  passage  I  build  on : 
'  who  hath  spoiled  principalities  and 
powers,  and  hath  made  a  show  of  them 
openly,  triumphing  over  them  in  it.' " 
These  words  he  uttered  with  an  energy 
and  animation  peculiar  to  himself.  Hia 
mind  was  filled  with  the  contemplation 
of  a  triumph,  and  he  anticipated  no- 
thing less  than  soon  meeting  a  victorious 
Savior,  who  shall  tread  all  enemies  un- 
der his  feet. 

{'p)  THE  DYING  COAL-MINER.— 
Stephen  Karkeet,  twenty-five  years  old, 
whilst  employed  under  ground  in  a 
mine,  in  the  parish  of  Newlyn,  was 
buried  alive,  by  the  falling  together  of 
the  shaft  in  which  he  was,  at  the  depth 
of  five  fathoms  from  the  surface.  The 
first  person  who  arrived  at  the  spot  was 
a  man  named  George  Trevarrow,  who 
called  to  know  if  any  living  being  was 
beneath,  when  Karkeet  answered,  in  a 
firm  voice,  "  I  feel  the  cold  hand  of 
death  upon  me  ;  if  there  is  any  hope  of 
my  being  rescued  from  tMS  untimely 
grave,  tell  me ;  and  if  not,  tell  me." 
Trevarrow  at  once  informed  him  that 
there  was  not  a  shadow  of  hope  left, 
as  upwards  of  four  tons  of  rubbish  had 
fallen  round  and  upon  him,  and  that 
247 


119 


DEATH. 


suffocation  must  inevitably  take  place 
before  human  aid  could  afford  relief. 
On  hearing  which,  Karkeet  exclaimed, 
"  All's  well ;  it  is  the  Lord  !  let  him  do 
what  seemeth  him  good.  Tell  my  dear 
father  and  mother  not  to  be  sorry  as 
those  without  hope  for  me ;  'tis  now 
only  that  I  am  happy — 'tis  now  that  I 
feel  the  advantages  of  a  religious  life  ; 
now  I  feel  the  Lord  is  my  stronghold  ; 
and  now  1  feel  I  am  going  to  heaven." 
Here  his  voice  failed  him  ;  he  never 
.spake  again. 

{q)  THIS  IS  HEAVEN  BEGUN. 
— The  Rev.  Thomas  Scott,  during  his 
last  illness,  having  received  the  sacra- 
ment, at  the  conclusion  of  the  service,  he 
adopted  the  language  of  Simeon,  "  Lord, 
now  lettest  thou  thy  servant  depart  in 
peace,  for  mine  eyes  have  seen  thy 
salvation."  Through  the  remainder  of 
the  day,  and  during  the  night,  he  con- 
tinued in  a  very  happy  state  of  mind. 
To  one  who  came  in  the  evening,  he 
said,  "  It  was  beneficial  to  me :  I  received 
Christ  last  night :  I  bless  God  for  it." 
He  then  repeated,  in  the  most  emphatic 
manner,  the  whole  twelfth  chapter  of 
Isaiah.  The  next  morning  he  said, 
"  This  is  heaven  begun.  1  have  done 
with  darkness  for  ever — for  ever.  Sa- 
tan is  vanquished.  Nothing  now  re- 
mains but  salvation  with  eternal  glory 
— eternal  glory . ' ' 

.  (r)  DEATH  OF  MR.  JENKS.— 
As  one  said  to  Philip  J.  Jenks  just 
before  he  expired,  "  How  hard  it  is  to 
die,"  he  replied,  "  O  no,  no — easy  dying, 
blessed  dying,  glorious  dying."  Look- 
ing up  at  the  clock,  he  said,  "  I  have 
experienced  more  happiness  in  dying 
two  hours  this  day,  than  in  my  whole 
life.  It  is  worth  a  whole  life  to  have 
such  an  end  as  this.  I  have  long  de- 
sired that  I  might  glorify  God  in  my 
death,  but  O  !  I  never  thought  that  such 
a  poor  worm  as  I  could  come  to  such  a 
glorious  death." 

{s)  MR.  HOLLAND'S  DEATH.— 
Mr.  John  Holland,  the  day  before  he 
•  died,  calledJ^r  the  Bible,  saying,  "Come, 
O  come  ;  death  approaches,  let  us  gather 
some  flowers  to  comfort  this  hour  ; 
and  turning  with  his  own  hand  to  the 
8th  chapter  of  Romans,  he  gave  the 
book  to  Mr.  Leigh,  and  bade  him  read : 
248 


at  the  end  of  every  verse,  he  paused, 
and  then  gave  the  sense,  to  his  own 
comfort,  but  more  to  the  joy  and  wonder 
of  his  friends.  Having  continued  his 
meditations  on  the  8th  of  the  Romans, 
thus  read  to  him,  for  two  hours  or 
more,  on  a  sudden  he  said,  "  O  stay 
your  reading.  What  brightness  is  this 
I  see  ?  Have  you  lighted  up  any  can- 
dles ?"  Mr.  Leigh  answered,  "  No,  it 
is  the  sunshine  ;"  for  it  was  about  five 
o'clock  in  a  clear  summer  evening. 
"  Sunshine  !"  said  he,  "  nay,  it  is  my 
Saviour's  shine.  Now,  farewell  world  ; 
welcome  heaven.  The  day-star  from 
on  high  hath  visited  my  heart.  O 
speak  it  when  I  am  gone,  and  preach  it 
at  my  funeral ;  God  dealeth  familiarly 
with  man.  I  feel  his  mercy  ;  1  see  his 
majesty  ;  whether  in  the  body  or  out  of 
the  body,  I  cannot  tell,  God  knoweth  ; 
but  I  see  things  that  are  unutterable." 
Thus  ravished  in  spirit,  he  roamed  to- 
wards heaven  with  a  cheerful  look,  and 
soft  sweet  voice ;  but  what  he  said 
could  not  be  understood. 

(0  DYING  WORDS  OF  HOOKER. 
— "I  have  lived,"  says  Hooker,  "to 
see  that  this  world  is  made  up  of 
perturbations;  and  I  have  long  been 
preparing  to  leave  it,  apd  gathering 
comfort  for  the  dreadful  hour  of  making- 
my  account  with  God,  which  I  now  ap- 
prehend to  be  near.  And  though  I 
have  by  his  grace  loved  him  in  my 
youth,  and  feared  him  in  my  age,  and 
labored  to  have  a  conscience  void  of 
offence  towards  him,  and  towards  all 
men  ;  yet,  if  thou.  Lord,  shouldst  be  ex- 
treme to  mark  what  I  have  done  amiss, 
who  can  abide  it  ?"  And  tlierefore, 
where  I  have  failed.  Lord,  show  mercy 
to  me,  for  I  plead  not  my  righteousness, 
but  the  forgiveness  of  my  unrighteous- 
ness, through  his  merits  who  died  to 
purchase  pardon  for  penitent  sinners. 
And  since  I  owe  thee  a  death.  Lord,  let 
it  not  be  terrible,  and  then  take  thine 
own  time,  I  submit  to  it.  Let  not 
mine,  O  Lord,  but  thy  will  be  done! 
God  hath  heard  my  daily  petitions  ;  for 
I  am  at  peace  with  all  men ;  and  He  is 
at  peace  with  me.  From  such  blessed 
assurance,  I  feel  that  inward  joy  which 
this  world  can  neither  give  nor  take 
from  me.     My  conscience  beareth  me 


UNREADINESS  FOR  DEATH. 


119,  120 


this  witness,  and  this  witness  makes  the 
thought  of  death  joyful.  I  could  wish 
to  live  to  do  the  Churclt  more  service, 
but  cannot  hope  for  it ;  for  my  days  are 
past,  as  a  shadow  that  runs  not."  This 
worthy  biographer  adds :  "  More  he 
would  have  spoken,  but  his  spirits  failed 
him,  and  after  a  sharp  conflict  between 
nature  and  death,  a  quiet  sigh  put  a 
period  to  his  last  breath,  and  so  he  fell 
asleep." 

(u)  DYING  WORDS  OF  DR.  PAY- 
SON. — Dr.  Pay  son,  upon  dying,  said, 
*'  My  God  is  in  this  room,  I  see  him, 
and  oh!  how  lovely  is  the  sight,  how 
glorious  does  he  appear;  worthy  of 
ten  thousand  hearts  if  I  had  so  many 
to  give."  At  another  time,  when  his 
body  was  racked  by  inconceivable  suf- 
fering, and  his  cheeks  pale  and  sunken 
with  disease,  he  exclaimed,  like  a  warrior 
returning  from  the  field  of  triumph,  "  The 
battle's  fought !  the  battle's  fought !  and 
the  victory  is  won  !  the  victory  is  won 
for  ever  !  1  am  going  to  bathe  in  an 
ocean  of  purity,  and  benevolence,  and 
happiness,  to  all  eternity !"  At  an- 
other time  he  exclaimed,  "  The  celes- 
tial city  is  full  in  view — its  glories 
beam  upon  me — its  breezes  fan  me — 
its  odors  are  wafted  to  me ;  its  music 
strikes  upon  my  ear,  and  its  spirit 
breathes  into  my  heart ;  nothing  sepa- 
rates me  from  it,  but  the  river  of  death, 
which  now  appears  as  a  narrow  rill, 
which  may  be  crossed  at  a  single  step, 
whenever  God  shall  give  permission. 

"  The  sun  of  righteousness  has  been 
gradually  drawing  nearer  and  nearer, 
appearing  larger  and  larger  as  he  ap- 
proached, and  now  he  fills  the  whole 
hemisphere,  pouring  forth  a  flood  of 
glory,  in  which  I  seem  to  float  like  an 
insect  in  the  beams  of  the  sun ;  exult- 
ing, yet  almost  trembling,  while  I  gaze 
on  this  excessive  brightness,  and  won- 
dering with  unutterable  wonder,  why 
God  should  deign  thus  to  shine  upon  a 
sinful  worm." 

120.  Unreadiness  for  Death. 
{a)  THE  RABBI'S  REASON  FOR 
WEEPING.— When  Rabbi  Jochanan 
Ben  Zachai  was  sick,  his  disciples  came 
to  visit  him,  and  when  he  saw  them,  he 
began  to   weep.     They   said   to   him. 


"Rabbi,  the  light  of  Israel,  the  right 
hand  pillar,  wherefore  dost  thou  weep  ?" 
Fie  answered,  "  If  they  were  carrying 
me  before  a  king  of  flesh  and  blood, 
who  is  here  to-day  and  to-morrow  in  the 
grave,  who,  if  he  were  angry  with  me, 
his  anger  would  not  last  for  ever  ;  if  he 
put  me  in  prison,  his  prison  would  not 
be  everlasting  ;  if  he  condemned  me  to  " 
death,  that  death  would  not  be  eternal ; 
whom  I  could  soothe  with  words,  or 
bribe  with  riches  ;  yet  even  in  such  cir- 
cumstances I  should  weep.  But  now  I 
am  going  before  the  King  of  kings,  the 
holy  and  blessed  God,  who  liveth  and 
endureth,  who,  if  he  be  angry  with  me, 
his  anger  will  last  for  ever ;  if  he 
put  me  in  prison,  his  bondage  will 
be  everlasting  ;  if  he  condemn  me  to 
death,  that  death  will  be  eternal ;  whom 
I  cannot  soothe  with  words,  nor  bribe 
with  riches ;  when,  farther,  there  are 
before  me  two  ways,  the  one  to  hell  and 
the  other  to  paradise,  and  I  know  not 
into  which  they  are  carrying  me,  shall 
I  not  weep  ?" 

{h)  DYING  CONFESSION  OF 
BORGIA. — It  is  said  of  the  celebrated 
Cesar  Borgia,  that  in  his  last  moments 
he  exclaimed,  "  I  have  provided,  in  the 
course  of  my  life,  for  every  thing  ex- 
cept death  ;  and  now,  alas  !  I  am  to  die, 
although  entirely  unprepared." 

(c)l  WON'T  DIE  NOW.— The 
following  affecting  account  was  written, 
in  1775,  by  a  Christian  minister  in 
London,  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Ryland, 
who  then  resided  at  Northampton  : — A 
young  lady,  who  was  educated  at  an 
academy  at  Bedford,  but  who  after- 
wards resided  in  town,  became  dan- 
gerously ill.  Her  father,  a  true  Chris- 
tian, procured  for  her  a  lodging  in  the 
neighbourhood,  to  try  the  effects  of  a 
change  of  air.  Finding  her  disorder 
prevail,  he  thought  it  high  time  for  her 
to  be  concerned  about  her  soul,  and 
asked  her  what  she  thought  of  eternity. 
She  replied,  "  Do  not  talk  to  me  about 
eternity.  You  want  me  out  of  the 
way ;  but  I  shall  live  long  enough  to 
enjoy  all  that  you  have  in  the  world." 
Fie  left  her.  Next  evening  the  mistress 
of  the  house  where  she  was,  said, 
"  Ma'am,  I  think  you  look  a  good  deal 
worse."  "Worse  !  I  am  much  better, 
249 


120 


DEATH. 


Why  do  you  talk  to  me  about  death  ?" 
"  You  certainly  are  worse ;  do  let  the 
servant  sit  up  with  you  to-night." 
"No,  I  am  not  about  to  die."  They 
went  to  bed  ;  at  four  in  the  morning  she 
awoke  her  servant,  who  asked,  "  What 
is  amiss,  ma'am  ?"  "Amiss !  I'm  dy- 
ing, I'm  dying !"  The  family  was 
called  up ;  the  mistress,  coming  in  to 
see  her,  was  thus  addressed  :  "  I  won't 
die  now  ;  I  am  determined  I  won't  die  ; 
I  will  live."  Getting  worse  and  worse, 
she  said,  "  I  feel  I  must  die,"  and  in  an 
agony  screamed  out,  "  Lord !  what 
must  I  do  ?"  Her  servant  replied, 
"  You  must  turn  to  the  Saviour."  She 
fell  back  on  the  bed,  and  in  a  moment 
expired. 

(d)  NOT  PREPARED.— A  minister 
was  called  on  to  visit  a  young  lady, 
who  was  very  ill.  She  was  sitting  in 
her  room.  He  asked  her  how  she  felt. 
"  D5dng,  sir  ;  I  am  going,"  was  the  re- 
ply. "  Be  calm,"  said  he  ;  "I  hope 
you  will  yet  recover."  "  No,"  said 
she.  "  If  you  feel  yourself  to  be  dying, 
how  does  your  spirit  feel  in  the  prospect 
of  another  world  ?"  "  Not  prepared," 
was  the  answer.  He  directed  her  to 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  as  the  Saviour 
of  sinners  ;  but  in  a  few  moments  she 
looked  around  her,  reclined  her  head  on 
his  hand,  and  almost  instantly  expired. 
How  awful !  not  prepared,  and  yet  en- 
tering eternity !  Reader,  seek  the 
Lord  now,  that  you  may  be  always 
ready  to  die. 

(e)  PERSECUTOR  CONVER- 
TED. — A  profane  persecutor  dis- 
covered great  terror  during  a  storm 
of  thunder  and  lightning  which  over- 
took him  on  a  journey.  His  pious  wife, 
who  was  with  him,  inquired  the  reason 
of  his  terror.  He  replied  by  asking, 
"  Are  not  you  afraid  ?"  She  answered, 
"  No,  it  is  the  voice  of  my  Heavenly 
Father;  and  should  a  child  be  afraid 
of  its  father  ?"  "  Surely,"  thought  the 
man, "  these  Puritans  have  a  divine  prin- 
ciple in  them  which  the  world  seeth  not, 
otherwise  they  could  not  have  such  se- 
renity in  their  souls,  when  the  rest  of 
the  world  are  filled  with  dread."  Up- 
on this,  going  to  Mr.  Bolton,  of  Brough- 
ton,  near  Kettering,  he  lamented  the 
opposition  which  he  had  made  to  his 

250 


ministry,  and  became  a  godly  man  ever 
after. 

(f)^  WHO  ARE  THE  COV, 
ARDS. — The  captain  of  a  ship  says, 
"  I  am  in  the  habit  of  reading  the  Scrip- 
tures to  the  crew.  I  have  suffered 
much  lately  at  sea ;  having  been  dis- 
masted, and  had  all  my  boats  washed 
away,  a  little  to  the  westward  of  Cape 
Clear.  I  then  had  an  opportunity  of 
seeing  who  was  who ;  and  1  found  the 
most  unprincipled  men  the  most. useless 
and  the  greatest  cowards  in  this  awful 
gale,  and  the  Bible  men  altogether  the 
reverse,  most  useful  and  Gourageous." 

(g)  THE  DYING  MERCHANT 
AND  HIS  PHYSICIAN.— In  1830,  a 
wealthy  merchant,  who  had  lived  in 
profanity  for  many  years,  heaping  up 
riches  and  wrath,  was  suddenly  arrested 
by  alarming  sickness.  The  doctor 
visited  him,  and  found  the  patient  sick 
unto  death.  "  Am  I  very  sick  ?"  said 
the  alarmed  sufferer.  "  Shall  I  never 
recover  ?"  "  You  are  quite  sick,"  said 
the  physician,  "  and  should  prepare  for 
the  worst."  "  Cannot  I  live  a  week  ?" 
asked  the  merchant.  "  No,"  said  the 
doctor,  "  you  will  probably  continue 
but  a  little  while, 
the  dying  man ; 

hundred  thousand  dollars,  if  you  will 
prolong  my  life  three  days."  "  I  could 
not  do  it,  my  dear  sir,"  said  the  physi- 
cian, "  for  three  hours  !"  And  the  man 
died  within  an  hour. 

(h)  LOUIS  XI  AND  HIS  PHY- 
SICIAN.— Louis  XI  of  France  was 
so  fearful  of  death,  that,  as  often  as 
it  came  into  his  physician's  head  to 
threaten  him  with  death,  he  put  money 
into  his  hands  to  pacify  him.  His  phy- 
sician is  said  to  have  got  55,000  crowns 
from  him  in  five  months. 

(i)  NO  TIME  TO  DIE.— Mr.  D., 
a  gentleman,  engaged  in  an  extensive 
manufacturing  business,  in  one  of  the 
midland  counties  of  England,  was 
called  to  London  on  business.  After 
being  engaged  till  a  late  hour  on  Sat- 
urday night,  he  said  to  a  confidential 
person  in  his  employment,  who  had 
come  to  town  with  him,  "  Well,  we 
cannot  settle  our  accounts  to-night,  but 
must  do  it  early  in  the  morning.  On 
Sabbath  therefore  they  were  occupied 


"Say  not  so,"  said 
t  will  give  you  a 


MISERABLE  DEATHS  OF  THE  IMPENITENT. 


120,  131 


in  that  work  until  3  o'clock  in  the  af- 
ternoon, when  dinner  was  announced, 
Mr.  D.  said,  "  Let  us  eat  and  drink, 
for  to-morrow  we  die.  Not,"  added 
he,  "that  I  have  any  thought  of. dying 
for  years  to  come."  After  taking  his 
dinner  and  wine  a  post  chaise  was  or- 
dered, and  Mr.  D.  sat  out  for  the  coun- 
try. He  arrived  at  home  on  Monday 
night.  The  next  morning,  when  at 
breakfast  with  his  family,  a  gentleman 
called  and  said,    "  Mr.    D.,  have  you 

heard  of  the  death  of  Mr. ?"  "No," 

said  he,  "  is  he  dead  ?  It  is  very  dif- 
ferent with  me  ;  for  my  part,  I  am  so 
engaged  in  business,  that  I  could  not' 
find  time  to  die."  Immediately  after 
uttering  this  sentiment,  he  rose  from 
the  table  and  went  into  the  kitchen  ; 
and  while  stooping  in  the  act  of  draw- 
ing on  his  boot,  he  fell  down  on  the 
floor  and  expired. 

(j)  SEVERAL  EMINENT  PER- 
SONS.— The  wretchedness  of  many 
eminent  persons,  in  the  prospect  of 
death,  has  been  very  remarkable. 

Henry  Beaufort,  a  rich  cardinal,  in^ 
the  days  of  Henry  VI,  perceiving  that 
death  was  at  hand,  exclaimed,  "  Where- 
fore should  I  die,  being  so  rich  ?  If 
the  whole  realm  would  save  my  life, 
I  am  able  either  by  policy  to  get  it,  or 
by  wealth  to  buy  it.  Will  not  death 
be  bribed  ?     Will  money  do  nothing  ?" 

Louis  XI  strictly  charged  his  ser- 
vants, that  when  they  saw  him  ill,  they 
should  never  dare  to  name  death  in  his 
hearing. 

When  Vitellius,  a  Roman  emperor, 
and  a  notorious  glutton,  who  at  one  sup- 
per had  before  him  two  thousand  fishes 
and  seven  thousand  birds,  was  in  pros- 
pect of  death,  he  made  himself  intoxi- 
cated, that  he  might  not  be  sensible  of  its 
pains,  or  of  the  mighty  change  it  pro- 
duced. 


121.  Miserable  Deaths  of  the  Impenitent; 

{a)  THE  MONARCH'S  LA- 
MENT.— Philip  III  of  Spain,  whose 
life  was  free  from  gross  evils,  professed 
that  he  would  rather  lose  his  kingdom 
than  offend  God  willingly  ;  but  when 
he  came  to  the  hour  of  death,  consider- 


ing most  seriously  the  account  he  would 
have  to  render  to  God,  he  was  led  to  in- 
dulge  very  anxious  fears,  and  he  ex- 
claimed, "  Oh  !  would  to  God  I  had 
never  reigned;  oh  that  those  years  I 
have  spent  in  my  kingdom,  I  had  lived 
a  solitary  life  in  the  wilderness !  oh  that 
I  had  lived  a  life  alone  with  God ! 
How  much  more  secure  should  I  now 
have  died  !  With  how  much  more  con- 
fidence should  I  have  gone  to  the  throne 
of  God  !  What  doth  all  my  glory  profit, 
but  that  I  have  so  much  the  more  tor- 
ment in  my  death !" 

(b)  REFUSING  TO  DIE.— A 
gentleman  in  London,  when  on  his 
death-bed,  felt  so  strong  an  aversion  to 
dying,  and  leaving  behind  him  his 
wealth,  that  he  hastily  rose  from  his 
bed,  went  out,  and  walked  in  his  yard, 
exclaiming  that  he  would  not  die ! 
But  the  unhappy  man's  strength  being 
soon  exhausted,  his  affrighted  friends 
carried  him  back  to  his  bed,  where  he 
soon  expired.  Alas  !  he  was  destitute 
of  faith  in  Him  who  has  promised  eter- 
nal life  to  his  disciples. 

(c)  BEGINNING  OF  SORROWS. 
— "  Ah !  Mr.  Hervey,"  said  a  dying 
man, "  the  day  in  which  I  ought  to  have 
worked  is  over,  and  now  I  see  a  horrible 
night  approaching,  bringing  with  it  the 
blackness  of  darkness  for  ever.  Wo  is 
me  !  when  God  called,  1  refused.  Now 
I  am  in  sore  anguish,  and  yet  this  is  but 
the  beginning  of  sorrows.  I  shall  be  de- 
stroyed with  an  everlasting  destruction." 

(d)  WOLSEY'S  REGRETS.— 
Cardinal  Wolsey,  having  fallen  under 
the  displeasure  of  his  monarch,  made 
the  following  sad  reflection  a  little  be- 
fore his  death  : — "  Had  I  but  served  my 
God  as  diligently  as  I  have  served  my 
king,  he  would  not  have  forsaken  me 
now  in  my  gray  hairs.  But  this  is  the 
just  reward  that  I  must  receive  for  my 
indulgent  pains  and  study,  not  regarding 
my  service  to  God,  but  only  to  my 
prince." 

(e)  NO  MERCY  FOR  ME  NOW. 
— A  young  man,  who  had  led  a  wicked 
life,  stifling  the  voice  of  conscience, 
which  often  reproved  him,  was  at  length 
seized  with  a  violent  disorder,  which 
brought  him  to  the  grave.  During  his 
sickness,  he  was  miserable,  as  he  had 

251 


121 


DEATH. 


been  careless  and  irreligious  when  in 
health.  A  pious  neighbor  spoke  to  him 
of  the  mercy  of  God,  of  the  death  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  to  make  atonement 
for  sin,  and  of  the  precious  promises 
which  are  made  to  the  penitent ;  saying, 
"  The  gospel  affords  a  balm  for  every 
wound  which  sin  has  made  in  the  soul." 
"True,"  said  the  young  man,  "but 
that  gospel,  despised  through  my  life, 
affords  me  no  balm  in  my  death.  There 
is  no  mercy  for  me  now."  Soon  after- 
wards he  expired. 

(/)  I  AM  LOST.— Such  was  the 
dyhig  and  agonizing  exclamation  of  a 
young  man,  who  a  short  time  before 
had  been  expostulated  with  for  neglect- 
ing the  great  and  momentous  interests 
of  the  soul  and  eternity.  The  faithful 
man  of  God  who  had  thus  warned  him 
to  prepare  to  meet  his  God,  thus  speaks 
of  the  interview : 

"  I  spent  half  an  hour  in  reasoning 
with  him.  Ho  treated  me  with  great 
respect,  acknowledged  the  necessity  of 
religion,  but  suggested  a  thousand  dif- 
ficulties. I  left  him  with  a  painful  con- 
viction, that  amidst  all  the  wonderful 
influences  of  a  revival  at  that  time  in 
progress,  he  had  succeeded  in  keeping 
his  conscience  asleep. 

The  meeting  closed  on  Sunday  night. 
On  Monday  morning  I  found  the  road 
alive  with  horses .  and  vehicles  of  the 
returning  multitude.  After  riding  about 
four  miles,  I  perceived  a  throng  about 
a  farm-house  before  me.  I  rode  ra- 
pidly to  it,  and  learned  that  a  young 
man  had  been  thrown  from  his  horse 
and  dangerously  injured.  On  pressing 
through  the  crowd  to  the  chamber  where 
they  had  placed  the  sufferer,  I  found 
the  young  man  whom  I  had  warned  so 
emphatically  the  day  before.  He  was 
shockingly  injured,  and  as  I  passed  into 
the  roohi,  a  thrill  of  dismay  seemed  to 
pass  over  him.  A  physician  soon  ar- 
rived; he  pronounced  the  case  hope- 
less ;  and  declared  he  could  not  survive 
two  hours.  Never  shall  I  forget  the 
agonized  countenance  of  the  wretched 
youth  when  he  learned  his  fate. 

"  '  Must  I  die  ?'  he  exclaimed.  '  Is 
there  no  hope?  Oh!  I  cannot  die,  I 
cannot  die !' 

"  I  endeavored  to  direct  him  to  the 
252 


cross,  and  reminded  him  of  the  crucified 
tliief. 

"  '  Alas !'  he  replied, '  he  never  sinned 
against  such  light  as  I  have  abused. 
What  shall  I  do  ?  Pray  for  me,  O  pray 
for  me.' 

"  We  knelt  down  about  the  chamber, 
but  his  agonizing  groans  struck  all  with 
horror  and  confusion.  I  arose  and  en- 
deavored to  direct  him  to  the  Lamb  of 
God,  who  taketh  away  the  sms  of  the 
world. 

" '  It  is  too  late,'  he  exclaimed,  '  O 
what  would  I  not  give,  if  I  had  heeded 
your  warning  yesterday,  but  it  is  now 
too  late  ;  I  am  lost.' 

"  His  parents  and  sisters  soon  arrived ; 
but  the  scene  which  followed  I  will  not 
and  cannot  describe.  The  groans  of 
the  poor  sufferer  ceased  only  witli  his 
life.  He  seemed  stunned  with  the  sud- 
den and  terrible  summons,  and  unable 
to  command  his  thoughts  sufficiently  to 
pray." 

(g)  DEATH  OF  CARDINAL 
MA'ZARIN.— What  a  terrific  picture 
does  the  following  passage  (from  Lard- 
ner's  Cyclopa3dia,  History  of  France,) 
exhibit  of  the  death-bed  of  a  man  devoted 
to  the  pomp  and  vanities  of  the  world, 
and  who  is  at  ease  in  liis  possessions ! 

A  fatal  malady  had  seized  on  Cardi- 
nal Mazarin,  whilst  engaged  in  the  con- 
ferences  of  the  treaty,  and  worn  by 
mental  fatigue.  He  consulted  Guen- 
aud  the  physician,  who  told  him  he  had 
but  two  months  to  live.  Some  days  af- 
ter, Brienne  perceived  the  Cardinal  in 
his  night-cap  and  dressiiig-gown  totter- 
ing along  hiis  gallery,  pointing  to  his  pic- 
tures, and  exclaiming,  "  Must  I  quit  all 
these  ?"  He  saw  Brienne,  and  seized 
him  :  "  Lcok  at  that  Ccrreggio  !  this  Ve- 
nus of  Titian !  that  incomparable  Deluge 
of  Caracci !  Ah  !  my  friend,  1  must  quit 
all  these.  Farewell,  dear  pictures,  that 
I  love  so  dearly,  and  that  cost  me  so 
much  !"  A  few  days  before  his  death 
he  caused  himself  to  be  dressed,  shaved, 
rouged  and  painted.  In  this  state  he 
was  carried  in  his  chair  to  the  prome- 
nade, where  the  envious  courtiers  paid 
him  ironical  compliments  on  his  appear- 
ance. Cards  were  the  amusement  of 
his  death-bed,  his  hands  being  held  by 
others  j  and  they  were  only  interrupted 


MISCELLANEOUS. 


122 


by  the  papal  nuncio,  who  came  to  give 
the  cardinal  that  plenary  indulgence 
to  which  the  prelates  of  the  Sacred  Col- 
lege are  officially  entitled.  Mazarin 
expired  on  the  9th  of  March,  1661. 

m.  Miscellaneous. 

(a)  DEATH  IN  THE  PULPIT.— 

The  following  striking  fact  is  taken 
from  the  Edinburgh  Advertiser,  Dec.  7, 
1810.  "Died  at  Waterford,  Nov.  4, 
the  Rev.  B.  Dickinson,  minister  of  the 
Baptist  congregation  in  that  city,  while 
zealously  employed  in  the  discharge  of 
his  functions.  Mr.  Dickinson  had  taken 
for  his  text,  2  Cor.  v.  10,  'We  must 
all  appear  before  the  judgment-seat  of 
Christ ;'  and  had  advanced  but  a  short 
way  in  its  illustration,  when  he  fell 
down  in  the  pulpit,  and  instantly  ex- 
pired !"  What  an  impressive  lesson  to 
those  who  preach,  and  to  those  who 
hear  the  everlasting  gospel !  And  how 
becoming  for  every  minister  to  adopt 
the  lines  of  Baxter  : 

"  1  preach  as  if  I  ne'er  should  preach  again, 
And  as  a  dying  man,  to  dying  men." 

(h)  A  REMARKABLE  COINCl- 
DENCE.— The  Rev.  John  Olds,  a  de- 
voted minister  in  London,  toward  the 
close  of  the  seventeenth  century,  was 
suddenly  taken  ill,  immediately  after 
his  afternoon  prayer,  before  commenc- 
ing his  sermon,  and  was  removed  from 
the  pulpit  to  glory.  And  it  is  remark- 
able that,  on  the  next  Sabbath  but  one, 
Mr.  Kentish,  having  just  roused  the  at- 
tention of  his  own  congregation,  by 
mentioning  in  his  sermon  the  sudden 
death  of  Mr,  Olds,  was  himself  struck 
with  death.     Thus  each 

"  His  body  with  his  charge  laid  down, 
And  ceased  at  once  to  work  and  live." 

(c)    CYRUS'    EPITAPH.— Cyrus, 

the  Emperor  of  Persia,  after  he  had 
long  been  attended  by  armies,  and  vast 
trains  of  courtiers,  ordered  this  inscrip- 
tion  to  be  engraven  on  his  tomb,  as  an 
admonition  to  all  men  of  the  approach 
of  death,  and  the  desolation  that  follows 
it ;  namely,  "  O  man  !  whatsoever  thou 
art  and  whencesoever  thou  comest,  I 
know  that  thou  wilt  come  to  the  same 


condition  in  which  I  now  am.  I  am 
Cyrus,  who  brought  the  empire  to  the 
Persians ;  do  not  envy  me,  I  beseech 
thee,  this  little  piece  of  ground  ^^^ich 
covereth  my  body." 

(d)  DEATH  PREFERABLE  TO 
SIN. — A  man  that  was  addicted  to  a 
very  wicked  course  of  life,  going  one 
Sabbath  morning  to  buy  a  game-cock 
for  fighting,  was  met  by  a  good  man  on 
his  way  to  a  meeting,  who  asked  him 
where  he  was  going.  He  related  the 
whole  to  him,  and  after  much  entreaty, 
was  prevailed  on  to  go  with  him  to  the 
meeting,  where  it  pleased  God  to  con- 
vince him  of  his  misery.  On  the  Mon- 
day morning  he  went  to  his  work, 
where  he  was  beset  by  the  rest  of  the 
colliers,  who  swore  at  him,  told  him  he 
was  going  mad,  and  upbraided  him, 
by  saying,  that  before  a  month  was  at 
an  end,  he  would  swear  as  bad  as  ever. 
On  hearing  this,  he  kneeled  down  before 
them  all,  and  earnestly  prayed  that 
God  would  sooner  take  him  out  of  the 
world,  than  suffer  him  to  blaspheme  his 
holy  name  ;  on  which  he  immediately 
expired. 

(e)  DR.  DWIGHT'S  MOTHER.— 
Dr.  Dwight's  mother  lived  to  be  more 
than  a  hundred  years  of  age.  When 
she  was  a  hundred  and  two,  some  peo- 
ple visited  her  on  a  certain  day,  and 
while  they  were  with  her,  the  bell  was 
heard  toll  for  a  funeral.  The  old  lady 
burst  into  tears,  and  said,  '  When  will 
the  bell  toll  for  me  ?  It  seems  that  the 
bell  will  never  toll  for  me.  I  am 
afraid  that  I  shall  never  die.' 

(/)  THE  AVARICIOUS  FAR- 
MER. — The  following  fact  illustrates 
the  noted  line  of  Dr.  Young  : 

"  All  men  think  all  men  mortal  but  themselves." 

Mr.  A.  was  a  wealthy  farmer  in 
Massachusetts.  He  was  about  sixty 
years  of  age  ;  and  it  had  been  his  ruling 
and  almost  only  passion  in  life  to  ac- 
quire property.  His  neighbor  B.  owned 
a  small  farm  which  came  too  near  the 
centre  of  A.'s  extended  domain.  It 
was  quite  a  blot  in  A.'s  prospect — de- 
stroyed the  regularity  of  his  lands,  and 
on  the  whole  it  was  really  necessary, 
in  his  opinion,  that  he  should  add  it  to 
his  other  property.  B.  became  embar- 
253 


132,  123 


DEBTS  ON  MEETING-HOUSES. 


passed,  and  was  sued ;  judgments  ob- 
tained, and  executions  issued.  A.  now 
thought  he  should  obtain  the  land,  but 
one  execution  after  another  was  arrang- 
ed, and  finally  the  debt  was  paid  off  with- 
out selling  the  land.  When  A.  heard  of 
the  payment  of  the  last  execution,  which 
put  an  end  to  his  hopes  of  obtaining  the 
land  by  this  means,  he  exclaimed, "  Well, 
B.  is  an  old  man,  and  cannot  live  long, 
and  when  he  dies  I  can  buy  the  lot." 
B.  was  58  years  old,  A.  60  !  Reader, 
do  you  ev€r  expect  to  die  ? 

ig)  RULING  PASSION  STRONG 
IN  DEATH.— When  the  king  of  Prus- 
sia became  sensible  of  the  near  ap- 
proach of  dissolution,  he  desired  to  see 
his  army  defile  before  him  for  the  last 
time.  His  bed  was  accordingly  carried 
to  a  window,  whence  by  reflection  in  a 
mirror  he  was  enabled  to  take  a  last 
adieu  of  the  troops. 

Napoleon  Bonaparte,  under  similar 
circumstances,  ordered  himself  to  be 
seated  and  arrayed  in  his  military  dress 
that  he  might  meet  the  king  of  terrors 
as  he  had  been  accustomed  to  meet  his 
mortal  foes.  What  a  lesson  do  such 
instances  read  to  us  of  the  influence  of 
a  ruling  passion  in  absorbing  the  mind 
to  the  exclusion  of  all  proper  sense  of 
the  awful  realities  of  eternity. 

{h)  DYING  SILENT.— In  the  last 
visit  but  one  which  Whitfield  paid  to 
America,  he  spent  a  day  or  two  at 
Princeton,  under  the  roof  of  Dr.  Finley, 
then  President  of  the  College  at  that 
place.  At  dinner,  the  Dr.  said,  "  Mr. 
W.,  I  hope  it  will  be  very  long  before 
you  will  be  called  home  ;  but  when 
that  event  shall  arrive,  I  shall  be  glad 
to  hear  the  noble  testimony  you  will 


bear  for  God."  "You  would  be  dis- 
appointed, Doctor,"  said  W., "  I  shall  die 
silent.  It  has 'pleased  God  to  enable 
me  to  bear  so. many  testimonies  for  him 
during  my  life,  that  he  will  require 
none  from  me  when  I  die."  The  man- 
ner  of  W.'s  death  verifies  his  prediction. 

{i)  REMARK  OF  JOHN  NEW, 
TON. — Rev.  John  Newton  one  day 
mentioned  at  his  table  the  death  of 
a  lady.  A  young  woman  who  sat  op- 
posite immediately  said,  "  O  sir,  how 
did  she  die  ?"  The  venerable  man 
replied,  'i  There  is  a  more  important  ques- 
tion than  that,  my  dear,  which  you 
should  have  asked  first."  "  Sir,"  said 
she,  "  what  question  can  be  more  im- 
portant than  "  How  did  she  die  ?" 
"  How  did  she  live  ?"  was  Mr.  New- 
ton's  answer. 

(j)  "I  WILL  NEVER  LEAVE 
THEE."— Many  good  people,  who  feel 
that  the  "grace"  of  God  is  now  "suf- 
ficient for"  them,  are  nevertheless  dis- 
quieted with  a  fearful  apprehension  that 
in  death  "their  hope  will  be  as  the 
giving  up  of  the  ghost."  It  is  related 
of  Robert  Glover,  one  of  the  martyrs, 
that  for  several  days  before  his  death 
he  was  almost  overwhelmed  with  the 
prospect  of  martyrdom,  and  earnestly 
supplicated  for  the  light  of  God's  counte- 
nance, without  any  sense  of  comfort. 
His  darkness  continued  up  to  the  period 
of  his  arriving  within  sight  of  the  stake, 
when  suddenly  his  whole  soul  was  so 
filled  with  consolation,  that  he  could  not 
forbear  clapping  his  hands,  and  crying 
out,  "He  is  come  !  He  is  come  !"  He 
appeared  to  go  up  to  heaven  in  a  cha- 
riot of  fire,  with  little  or  no  apparent 
sensibility  of  his  cruel  death. 


123.  "bEBTS  ON  MEETING-HOUSES. 


[a)  A  CHURCH  CONSULTING 
THEIR  CONSCIENCES.— A  minister 
was  about  to  leave  his  own  congregation 
for  the  purpose  of  visiting  London,  on 
what  was  by  no  means  a  pleasant  errand 
— ^to  beg  on  behalf  of  his  place  of  worship. 
Previous  to  his  departure,  he  called  to- 
254 


gether  the  principal  persons  connected 
with  his  charge,  and  said  to  them,  "  Now 
I  shall  be  asked,  whether  we  have  con- 
scientiously done  all  that  we  can  for 
the  removal  of  this  debt ;  what  answer 
am  I  to  give  ?  Brother  So-and-so,  can 
you  in  conscience  saiy  that  you  have  ?" 


DEBTS  ON  MEETING-HOUSES. 


123 


"  Why,  sir,"  he  replied,  "  If  you  come 
to  conscience,  I  don't  know  that  I  can." 
The  same  question  he  put  to  a  second, 
and  a  third,  and  so  on,  and  similar  an- 
swers were  returned,  till  the  whole  sum 
required  was  subscribed,  and  there  was 
no  longer  any  need  of  their  pastor's 
wearing  out  his  soul  in  coming  to  Lon- 
don on  any  such  unpleasant  excursion. 

(b)  REFLEX  BENEFITS  OF  A 
BIBLE  SOCIETY.— An  anxious,  re- 
tired, and  diligent  country  clergyman, 
waited  upon  a  layman  of  enlarged,  en- 
lightened and  truly  Christian  views,  to 
lay  before  him  the  case  of  his  prostrat- 
ed and  embarrassed  parish.  "  If  we 
cannot  raise  a  few  hundred  dollars," 
said  he,  "  to  pay  off  a  small  debt  for 
erecting  the  church,  it  will  be  impossi- 
ble to  get  along."  "  It  is  exceedingly 
difficult,"  was  the  reply,  "to  raise 
money  abroad  for  these  purposes ;  can- 
not a  subscription  be  raised  amongst  your 
own  people  to  pay  off  the  debt ?"  "I 
doubt,"  was  the  rejoinder,  "  whether 
twenty  dollars  could  be  collected  for  the 
purpose." 

The  friendly  adviser  well  knew  that 
this  could  not  be  owing  to  absolute  pe- 
cuniary inability.  He  paused  a  mo- 
ment for  reflection,  and  then  asked,  very 
irrelevantly,  as  the  minister  thought, 
whether  he  had  a  Bible  Society  in  his 
parish.  "  No,"  said  ho.  "  Well,  then, 
go  home  and  set  about  forming  one  in- 
stantly. If  your  difficulties  are  not 
surmounted  by  this  means,  they  exceed 
the*  measure  of  my  wisdom."  In  the 
retirement  of  his  study  the  expedient 
appeared  at  first  to  the  good  clergyman 
absolutely  hopeless.  He  relied  much, 
however,  upon  the  wisdom  of  his  ad- 
viser, and  reflected  that  at  any  rate  it 
was  a  good  work,  and  the  only  thing 
which  could  relieve  his  sorrowful  re- 
flections by  the  energy  of  action.  Ac- 
cordingly he  set  himself  diligently  to 
work,  and  after  encountering  many  dif- 
ficulties succeeded  in  doing  something 
for  the  Bible  cause.  But  that,  though 
a  blessed  thing,  he  considered  a  mere 
trifle,  when  at  the  end  of  two  years  he 
announced  with  inexpressible  animation 


and  delight  to  his  noble  adviser,  that  his 
church  was  paid  for,  an  organ  purchased, 
his  family  made  more  comfortable  than 
ever,  and  that  all  the  affairs  of  the 
parish  were  going  on  most  admirably. 

It  seems  all  that  was  wanted  was  a 
lively  interest  in  religious  things.  Let 
some  of  our  poor  parishes  who  cannot 
pay  for  churches,  or  feel  unable  to  build 
them,  who  have  no  ministers,  or  worse 
still,  are  starving  those  they  have,  try 
the  experiment  of  getting  up  vigorous 
and  interesting  missionary  associations. 

(c)  THE  DEACON'S  TWO 
CENTS. — A  minister  who  was  urged 
by  his  people  to  go  out  on  a  begging  ex- 
cursion, to  solicit  money  to  liquidate  a 
debt  on  their  meeting-house,  put  up  on 
Saturday  night  with  the  deacon  of  a 
church  to  which  he  was  to  present  the 
subject  on  the  ensuing  Sabbath.  He 
seemed  to  be  quite  wealthy,  and  as  he 
treated  his  guest  with  great  cordiality 
and  kindness,  the  preacher  cherished 
glowing  expectations  of  a  very  generous 
contribution  from  his  purse.  On  the 
Sabbath,  after  setting  forth  the  claims  of 
his  object  in  as  forcible  and  eloquent 
a  manner  as  possible,  the  plates  were 
passed  around  for  money.  As  the 
deacon  sat  near  the  pulpit,  the  preacher 
could  not  resist  the  temptation  of  rising 
up  a  little  and  peering  over  the  pulpit 
to  witness  the  expression  of  the  good 
man's  liberality.  As  the  plate  ap- 
proaches the  deacon,  he  leisurely  puts 
his  hand  into  his  pocket.  The  preach- 
er's heart  palpitates  with  anxiety.  But, 
alas,  the  deacon  just  drops  from  his 
thumb  and  fingers  two  red  cents  upon 
the  plate  and  lets  it  pass  !  The  preacher 
suddenly  sank  back  into  his  seat,  and 
hope  and  faith  died  within  him.  The 
collection,  it  seems,  was  small,  and  the 
preacher,  mortified  and  indignant,  went 
straight  back  to  his  people,  tol4  them 
the  story  of  the  two  cents,  and  assured 
them  they  must  raise  the  funds  needed 
themselves  or  send  some  one  else  forth 
to  beg  besides  him.  The  people  caught 
his  spirit — they  determined  to  solicit  no 
further — increased  their  subscriptions, 
and  paid  their  debts  themselves. 


255 


121—126 


DECREES,  DIVINE— DELAY  OF  REPENTANCE. 


124.  DECREES,  DIVINE. 


(a)  THE  MOST  IMPORTANT 
DECREE. — A  person  in  the  lower 
ranks,  at  Lockwinnock,  whose  life  and 
practice  had  been  every  thing  but  that 
of  a  genuine  Christian,  was,  neverthe- 
less, a  great  speculator  on  the  high 
points  of  divinity.  This  unhallowed 
humor  remained  with  him  to  his  death- 
bed, and  he  was  wont  to  perplex  and 
trouble    himself  and    his  visitors  with 


knotty  questions  on  the  Divine  decrees, 
and  such  other  topics.  Thomas  Orr,  a 
person  of  a  very  different  character, 
was  sitting  at  his  bedside,  endeavoring 
to  turn  his  attention  to  his  more  imme- 
diate concerns.  "  Ah,  William,"  said 
he,  "  this  is  the  decree  you  have  at  pre- 
sent to  do  with,  '  He  that  believeth  shall 
be  saved  ;  he  that  believeth  not  shall  be 
damned.' " 


DELAY  OF  REPENTANCE. 


1S5.  Causes  Regret  after  Conversiou. 

(a)  TESTIMONY  OF  SEVERAL 
CHRISTIANS.— Two  aged  disciples, 
one  eighty-seven  years  old,  one  day 
met.  Well,  inquired  the  younger  of 
his  fellow-pilgrim,  how  long  have  you 
been  interested  in  religion  ?  "  Fifty 
years,"  was  the  old  man's  reply.  Well, 
have  you  ever  regretted  that  you  began 
so  young  to  devote  yourself  to  religion  ? 
"  O  no,"  said  he,  and  the  tears  trickled 
down  his  furrowed  cheeks ;  "I  weep 
when  I  think  of  the  sins  of  my  youth. 
It  is  this  which  makes  me  weep  now." 

Another  man  of  eighty,  who  had  been 
a  Christian  fifty  or  sixty  years,  was 
asked  if  he  was  grieved  that  he  had  be- 
come a  disciple  of  Christ.  "  O  no," 
said  he;  "  if  I  grieve  for  anything,  it  is 
that  I  did  not  become  a  Christian  be- 
fore." 

A  Christian  friend  visited  a  woman 
of  ninety,  as  she  lay  on  her  last  bed  of 
sickness.  She  had  been  hoping  in 
Christ  for  half  a  century.  In  the  course 
of  conversation  she  said,  "  Tell  all  the 
children  that  an  old  woman,  who  is  just 
on  the  borders  of  eternity,  is  very  much 
grieved  that  she  did  not  begin  to  love 
the  Savior  when  a  child.  Tell  them 
youth  is  the  time  to  serve  the  Lord." 

Said  an  old  man  of  seventy-six,  "  I 
did  not  become  interested  in  religion  till 
I  was  forty-five  ;  and  I  often  have  to 
tell  God,  I  have  nothing  to  bring  him 
but  the  dregs  of  old  age." 
256 


Said  another  man,  between  sixty  and 
seventy  years  of  age,  "  I  hope  I  became 
a  disciple  of  the  Lord  Jesus  when  I  was 
seventeen,"  and  he  burst  into  tears  as 
he  added,  "  and  there  is  nothing  which 
causes  me  so  much  distress  as  to  think 
of  those  seventeen  years — .some  of  the 
very  best  portion  of  my  life — which  I 
devoted  to  sin  and  the  world." 

11.  Hardens  the  Heart. 

(a)  THE  CONSUMPTIVE'S  TES- 
TIMONY. — A  few  years  since,  writes 
the  Rev.  Jacob  Abbot,  when  spending  a 
Sabbath  in  a  beautiful  country  town,  I 
was  sent  for  to  visit  a  sick  man  who 
was  apparently  drawing  near  the  grave. 
I  was  told,  as  I  walked  with  the  neigh- 
bor who  came  for  me  toward  the  house 
of  the  patient,  that  he  was  in  a  melan- 
choly state  of  mind.  "  He  has  been,'* 
said  he,  "  a  firm  believer  and  supporter 
of  the  truths  of  religion  for  many  years. 
He  has  been  very  much  interested  in 
maintaining  religious  worship,  and  all 
beneyolent  institutions ;  he  has  loved  the 
Sabbath  school,  and  given  his  family 
every  religious  privilege ;  but  he  says 
he  has  never  really  given  his  heart  to 
God  ;  he  has  been  devoted  to  the  world, 
and  even  now,  he  says,  it  will  not  re- 
linquish its  hold."  "  Do  you  think," 
said  I,  "that  he  must  die?"  "Yes," 
replied  he,  "  he  must  die,  and  he  is  fully 
aware  of  it.  He  says  that  he  can  see 
his  guilt  and  danger,  but  that  his  hard 


GRIEVES  AWAY  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT. 


126,  127 


heart  will  not  feel."     This  is  the  exact 
remark  which  is  made  in  thousands  and 
thousands  of  similar  cases,  and  in  al- 
most precisely  the  same  language.  The 
eyes  are  opened,  but  the  heart  remains 
unchanged.     We,  at  length,  approached 
the  house  :  it  was  in  the  midst  of  a  de- 
lightful village,  and  in  one  of  those  calm 
still  summer  afternoons,  when  all  nature 
seems  to  speak  from  every  tree,  leaf, 
and  flower,  of  the  goodness  of  God ;  and 
to  breathe  the  spirit  of  repose  and  peace. 
I  wondei'ed  that  a  man  could  lie  on  his 
bed  with  the  windows  all  around  him 
opening  upon  such  a  scene  as  this,  and 
yet   not   feel.     As  I  entered   the  sick 
room,    the  pale  and  emaciated  patient 
turned  towards  me  an  anxious  and  agi- 
tated  look,    which   showed  too  plainly 
what  was  passing  within.     It  w^s  a  case 
of  consumption.     His  sickness  had  been 
long  and  lingering.     His  strength  was 
now  almost  gone;  he  lay  gasping  for 
the  breath  which  his  wasted  lungs  could 
not  receive.     His  eye  moved   with   a 
quick  and  anxious  glance  around  the 
room,  saying,  by  its  expression  of  bright 
intelligence,  that  the  mind  retained   its 
undiminished  power.     I  tried  to  bring  to 
Jiis  case  those  truths  which  I  thought 
calculated  to  influence  him,   and  lead 
him  to  the  Savior  :  but  he  knew  all  that 
I  could  tell  him ;  and  I  learned  from 
his  replies,  given  in   panting  whispers, 
that  religious  truth  had  been  trying  its 
whole  strength  upon  him  all  his  life ; 
and  that,  in  presenting  it  to  him  again 
now,  I  was  only  attempting  once  more 
an  experiment,  which  had  been  repeat- 
ed in  vain  almost  every  day,  for  forty 
years.     T  saw  the  utter  hopelessness  of 
eflbrt,  and  stood  by  his  bedside  in  silent 
despair.     He  died  that  night.     Reader, 
if  your  heart  is  cold  and  hard  towards 
God,  abandon  all  hope  that  the  alarm 
and  anxiety  of  a  death-bed  will  change 
it.     Seek  forgiveness  now. 

(h)  MY  HEART  IS  HARD.— An 
old  man,  one  day  taking  a  child  on  his 
knee,  entreated  him  to  seek  God  noio — 
to  pray  to  him — and  to  love  him  ;  when 
the  child,  looking  up  at  him,  asked, 
"  But  why  do  not  you  seek  God  ?"  The 
old  man,  deeply  affected,  answered,  "  I 
would,  child  ;  but  my  heart  is  hard — 
my  heart  is  hard.'^ 
17 


(c)  THE  OLD  MAN'S  CONFES- 
SION.—The  late  Dr.  Clark,  of  Phila. 
delphia,  in  one  of  his  sermons,  illustrates 
the  absurdity  of  deferring  the  work  of - 
salvation  by  the  following  striking  fact. 
He  was  present  on  an  occasion  when  a 
most  solemn  appeal  was   made   to  the 
young,  to  seek  God  without  delay ;  ihf- 
preacher    urging    as   a   motive,    thai, 
should   they  live  to  be  old,  difficulties 
would  multiply,  and  their  reluctance  to 
attend  the  subject  would  increase  with 
their  years.     As  the  preacher  descend- 
ed from  the  pulpit  at  the  close  of  the 
service,  an  aged  man  came  forward,  and 
extending  his  hand  to  him,  with  much 
emotion    remarked, — "  Sir,    what   you 
said  just  now  is  unquestionably  true.     I 
know    it    from    my   own    experience. 
When  I  was  young,  I  said  to  myself, 
I  cannot  give  up  the  world  now,  but  I 
will  by-and-by,  when  I  have  passed  the 
meridian  of  life,  and  begin  to  sink  into 
the  vale  of  years ;  then  I  will  become  a 
Christian ;  then  I  shall  be  ready  to  at- 
tend to  the  concerns  of  my  soul.     But 
here  I  am,  an  old  man.    'l  am  not   a 
Christian.     1  feel  no  readiness  nor  dis- 
position to  enter  upon  the  work  of  my 
salvation.     In   looking   back,    I   often- 
times feel  as  though  I  would  give  worlds 
if  I  could  be  placed  where  I  was  when 
I  was   twenty  years  old.     There  were 
not  half  as  many  difficulties  in  my  path 
then  as  there  are  now."    But,  though  the 
big  tears  coursed  down  his  cheeks  as  he 
gave  utterance  to  these  truths,  the  emo- 
tions that  were  stirred  up  within  him, 
like  the  early  dew,  soon  passed  away. 
He  did  not  turn  to  God. 

W.  Grieves  away  the  Holy  Spirit. 

(a)  "NOW  I  AM  UNDONE."— 
A  young  woman  became  acquainted  with 
religion  in  a  pious  family,  but  left  the 
situation  in  which  she  enjoyed  religious 
privileges,  for  one  much  superior  as  it 
respects  this  world  ;  but  alas  !  the  mas- 
ter of  the  house  was  a  lover  of  pleasure 
more  than  a  lover  of  God.  Here  reli- 
gious duties  were  not  only  neglected,  but 
even  ridiculed.  She  met  with  no  little 
persecution  from  her  fellow  servants: 
this  induced  her  to  neglect  private  pray- 
er and  other  means  of  grace.  At  length 
257 


is-y 


DELAY  OF  REPENTANCE. 


she  was  seldom  seen  at  public  worship. 
A  Christian  friend  perceived  her  declen- 
sion by  her  backwardness  to  discourse 
on  religious  subjects,  which  she  had  for- 
merly appeared  to  love.  But  she  did 
not  return  back  to  the  world  without 
considerable  checks  of  conscience.  She 
knew  that  she  was  doing  wrong,  but 
became  hardened  by  the  deceitfulness 
of  sin. 

About  the  twentieth  year  of  her  age, 
she  broke  a  blood-vessel.  An  apothecary 
was  sent  for  immediately,  but  no  relief 
could  be  afforded.      On  the  day  after 
the  circumstance  took  place,  she   was 
visited  by  the  person  who  had  observed 
her  decline  in  religion,  who  says :  "  On 
asking  her  how  she  was,  she  said, '  Very 
bad,  very  bad.'    On  being  asked  as  to 
her    eternal    welfare,    she    exclaimed, 
'  That  is  what  I  want ;  my  life  I  care  not 
for,  if  my  sins  were  pardoned.'     When 
I  spoke  of  the  power  and  willingness  of 
Christ  to  save  lost  sinners,  she  answered, 
there  was  no  pardon  for  her.    I  enlarged 
on  the  precious  promises  of  the  gospel, 
but  all  seemed  to  aggravate  the  feelings 
of  her  guilty  conscience.      She  burst 
into  tears,  and  said,  '  Oh  that  I  had  re- 
pented   when    the  Spirit  of  God  was 
striving  with  me  !  but  now  I  am  undone.' 
I  again  visited  her  late  in  the  evening 
of  the  same  day.     She  was  much  weak- 
-er  from  the  loss  of  blood,  and  her  coun- 
tenance bespoke  the  dreadful  horror  of 
her  mind,  which  no  doubt  hastened  her 
speedy  dissolution.     On  asking  her  how 
•she  felt,  she  answered,  '  Miserable !  mis- 
erable !'  I   repeated  some  encouraging 
passages  of  Scripture,  but  alas  !    all  in 
vain ;  her  soul  labored  under  the  great- 
est agonies :  she  exclaimed,  '  Oh  1  how 
I  have  been  deceived  !     When  I  was  in 
health,  I  delayed  repentance  from  time 
to  time.     Oh  that  I  had  my  time  to  live 
over  again !  Oh  that  I  had  obeyed  the 
gospel !  but  now  I  must  burn  in  hell  for 
ever.     Oh  I  cannot  bear  it !  I  cannot 
bear  it !' 

"  In  this  manner  she  continued  breath- 
ing out  most  horrible  expressions. 

"  1  reminded  her  that  Jesus  Christ 
would  in  no  wise  cast  out  those  sinners 
who  come  to  him,  and  that  his  blood 
cleanseth  from  all  sin.  She  said, '  The 
blood  of  Christ  will  be  the  greatest  tor- 
258 


rniiy  i 
W.—  f 


ment  I  shall  have  in  hell ;  tell  me  no 
more  about  it.'  I  then  left  her  with 
feelings  not  to  be  described.  She  died 
next  morning  at  six  o'clock.  I  inquired 
of  the  woman  who  attended  her,  if  she 
continued  in  the  same  state  to  the  last.  | 
She  said,  that  she  was  much  worse  after  ^ 
I  left  her,  and  that  they  durst  not  stay 
in  the  room  with  her.  She  was  heard 
to  exclaim  several  times,  about  an  hour 
before  her  end,  '  Eternity  !  eternity  ' 
Oh  !  to  burn  throughout  eternity  ! 

(b)   SEEK    RELIGION   NOW.- 
A  gentleman  called  his  sons  around  his 
dying  bed,  and  gave  them  the  following 
relation  : — "  When  I  was  a  youth,  the 
Spirit  strove  with  me,  and  seemed  to 
say, '  Seek  religion  now;  but  Satan  sug- 
gested the  necessity  of  waiting  till  I 
grew  up,  because  it  was  incompatible 
with  youthful  amusement ;  so  I  resolved 
I  would  wait  till  I  grew  up  to  be  a  man. 
I  did  so,  and  was  then  reminded  of  my 
promise   to   seek   religion ;    but   Satan 
again   advised  me  to  wait  till  middle 
age,  for  business  and  a  young  family  ■. 
demanded  all  my   attention.     '  Yes,'  I 
said, '  I  will  do  so  ;  I  will  wait  till  mid- 
dle age.'     I  did  so  ;  my  serious  impres- 
sions left  me  for  some  years.      They 
were    again   renewed :    conscience  re- 
minded me  of  my  promises ;  the  Spirit 
said,  '  Seek  religion  now ; '  but  then  1 
had  less  time  than  ever.     Satan  advised 
my   waiting  till   I   was  old ;   then  my 
children  would  be  settled  in  business, 
and  1  should  have  nothing  else  to  do ;   l 
could  then  give  an  undivided  attention 
to  it.     I  listened  to  his  suggestion,  and 
the  Spirit  ceased  to  strive  with  me.     I 
have  lived  to  be  old,  but  now  I  have  no 
desire  as  formerly  to  attend  to  the  con- 
cerns of  my  soul :  my  heart  is  hardened. 
I  have  resisted  and  quenched  the  Spirit ; 
now  there  is  no  hope.     Already  I  iW-l 
a  hell  within,  the  beginning  of  an  eter- 
nal misery.     I  feel  the  gnawings  of  that 
worm  that  never  dies.     Take  warning 
from  my  miserable  end ;  seek  religion 
now  ;  let  nothing  tempt  you  to  put  off 
this  important  concern."     Then  in  the 
greatest  agonies  he  expired. 

(c)  THE  FATAL  RESOLU- 
TION.— Lydia  Sturtevant,  was  the 
daughter  of  pious  parents  in  one  of  the 
She  possessed  a 


New  England  States. 


GRIEVES  AWAY  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT. 


137 


cultivated  mind,  buoyancy  of  spirits,  and 
beauty  of  person — the  ornament  of  her 
circle,  the  admiration  of  all  who  knew 
h'Br. 

During  the  summer  of  1824,  she  had 
deep  religious  impressions,  and  felt  that 
it  was  unsafe  to  neglect  religion  longer. 
She  deliberated,  she  reasoned,  she 
prayed,  and  finally  made  up  her  mind 
to  the  resolution  that  she  would  repent 
and  accept  the  offer  of  salvation  hefore 
the  close  of  that  day.  But  the  day 
had  its  cares  and  pleasures,  its  company 
and  business,  and  the  night  found  her 
as  thoughtless,  almost,  as  she  had  been 
for  months. 

The  next  morning  she  had  renewed 
convictions,  saw  her  guilt  more  clearly, 
and  in  great  agony  of  soul,  resolved 
again,  "  to  begin  religion  before  the 
close  of  that  day."  With  this  new 
resolution  her  anxiety  somewhat  abated, 
and  though  she  thought  often  during  the 
day,  of  the  vow  she  had  made,  night 
came  again  and  nothing  decisive  had 
been  done.  The  next  morning  her  im- 
pressions were  again  renev/ed,  and  she 
again  renewed  her  resolution  ;  it  was 
dissipated  again  ;  and  thus  she  went  on 
resolving  and  breaking  her  resolves 
till  she  relapsed  into  her  former  uncon- 
cern. She  was  not  absolutely  indif- 
ferent ;  she  still  expected  and  resolved 
to  become  a  Christian,  but  her  resolu- 
tions looked  forward  to  a  ??iore  distant 
period,  and  she  returned  to  the  world 
with  the  same  interest  as  before.  Some 
three  or  four  months  after  this,  she  was 
taken  sick.  It  was  her  last  sickness — 
she  was  sick  only  five  days — though 
none  thought  that  she  would  die  till 
eight  hours  before  she  died.  About 
daybreak  on  the  morning  of  that  day, 
she  was  informed  that  her  disease  would 
probably  prove  fatal.  The  intelligence 
was  awfully  surprising.  The  fatal 
resolution,  as  she  called  it,  which  she 
had  formed  about  the  same  hour  of  the 
day,  a  few  months  before,  was  brought, 
by  the  opening  twilight,  afresh  to  her 
mind ;  and  her  soul  was  filled  with 
liorror  at  her  situation.  She  saw  her- 
self on  the  brink  of  eternity — a  hardened 
smner — her  Saviour  slighted — the  Spirit 
grievea  and  gone  ! 

What  could  she  do  ?     The  blood  was 


beginning  to  stagnate,  the  lungs  to 
falter !  Feeble  and  faint,  she  raised 
her  haggard  eyes  and  summoned  every 
energy  to  pray.  O,  what  agony  did 
that  prayer  express !  She  called,  she 
begged  for  mercy,  till  she  sunk  into 
a  swoon.  As  consciousness  returned, 
she  began  to  pray  again ;  then  again 
fainted.  On  reviving  she  called  on  her 
friends  to  pray  for  her ;  and  accordingly 
all  knelt  while  one  engaged  in  prayer. 
As  they  rose  Rev.  Mr.  Phelps,  the 
minister  present,  began  to  repeat  some 
promises  of  Scripture  which  he  thought 
appropriate  to  her  case.  She  inter- 
rupted him,  saying  it  was  too  late,  and 
that  there  was  no  pardon  for  her. 
With  her* dying  breath  she  charged 
him  to  warn  the  youth  of  his  congrega- 
tion not  to  neglect  religion  as  she  had 
done,  or  "  still  their  convictions  by  a 
mere  resolution  to  repent."  Death 
soon  closed  the  afl'ecting  scene. 

(d)  THE  AGED  PROCRASTINA- 

TOR.— In  January,  1825,  Mr.  H , 

of  S ,  New-York,  says  a  clergyman, 

called  upon  me,  and  taking  me  by  the 
hand,  said,  "  Sir,  do  you  think  there  is 
any  mercy  in  heaven  for  a  man  who 
has  sinned  more  than  eighty  years  ?" 

"  There  is  mercy,"  I  replied,  "  for 
those  who  repent  of  sin,  and  believe  on 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

Still  pressing  my  hand,  while  tears 
were  flowing  over  his  wrinkled  cheeks, 
and  his  frame  trembling,  he  more  ear- 
nestly renewed  his  inquiry,  "  My  dear 
sir,  do  you  believe  that  God  will  for- 
give a  man  who  has  rebelled  against 
him  eighty-one  years  in  this  world?" 
Before  a  word  was  uttered  in  reply,  he 
cried  out  in  agony,  "  I  know  I  shall  not 
be  forgiven — I  shall  die  in  my  sins !" 

This  caused  me  to  ask  how  he  knew, 
or  what  induced  him  to  believe  that 
God  would  never  have  mercy  on  him  ? 

He  replied,  "I  will  tell  you,  and 
disclose  what  I  never  uttered  to  any 
human  being  :  When  I  was  twenty-one 
1  was  awakened  to  feel  that  I  was 
a  sinner.  I  was  then  intimate  with  a 
number  of  young  men,  and  was  asham- 
ed to  have  them  know  that  I  was 
anxious  for  my  soul.  For  five  or  six 
weeks  I  read  my  Bible,  and  prayed 
every  day  in  secret.  Then  I  said  in 
259 


128 


DELAY  OF  REPENTANCE. 


my  heart  one  day,  I  mil  put  this  subject 
off  until  I  am  married  and  settled  in 
life,  and  then  I  will  attend  to  my  souVs 
salvation.  But  I  knew  that  I  was  doing 
wrong. 

"After  I  was  settled  in  the  world,  I 
thought  of  the  resolution  I  had  made, 
and  of  my  solemn  promise  to  God  then 
to  make  my  peace  with  him.  But  as  I 
had  no  disposition  to  do  so,  I  again  said 
in  my  heart,  *  I  will  put  off  this  subject 
ten  years,  and  then  prepare  to  die.' 

"  The  time  came,  and  I  remembered 
my  promise  ;  but  I  had  no  special 
anxiety  about  my  salvation.  Then  did 
I  again  postpone,  and  resolve  that  if 
God  would  spare  me  through  another 
term  of  years  I  would  certainly  attend 
to  the  concerns  of  my  soul.  God  spared 
me ;  but  I  lived  on  itv  my  sins ;  and 
now  I  see  my  awful  situation.  I  am 
lost.  •  Now  I  believe  that  I  sinned 
against  the  Holy  Ghost  when  I  was 
twenty-one,  and  that  I  have  lived  sixty 
years  since  my  day  of  grace  was  past. 
'^^  I  know  that  I  shall  not  be  forgiven. '' 

When  asked  if  we  should  pray  with 
him,  he  replied,  "  Yes,  but  it  will  do  no 
good;"  so  fearfully  certain  was  he  of 
destruction.  He  continued  in  this  state 
for  weeks  and  months.  All  attempts  to 
urge  him  to  accept  of  salvation  were 
in  vain ;  this  blighting  sentiment  was 
ever  first  in  his  thoughts.  "  It  will  do 
no  good."  His  feelings  were  not  con- 
trition, or  repentance  for  sin  ;  but  the 
anticipation  of  wrath  to  come.  And  in 
this  state  he  died. 

128.  Accompanied  by  Sudden  Death. 

(a)  BOAST  NOT  OF  TO-MOR- 
ROW.—The  Rev.  G.  Whitfield  men- 
tions in  his  journal,  that  during  his  first 
voyage  to  Georgia,  the  ship's  cook  was 
awfully  addicted  to  drinking  ;  and  when 
reproved  for  this  and  other  sins,  boasted 
that  he  would  be  wicked  till  within  two 
years  of  his  death,  and  would  then 
reform.  He  died  of  an  illness,  brought 
on  by  drinkino;,  in  six  hours. 

(b)  PHILIP  HENRY'S  WARN- 
ING.— Mr.  Philip  Henry  said  to  some 
of  his  neighbors  who  came  to  see  him 
on  his  death-bed,  "  O  make  sure  work 
for  your  souls,  my  friends,  bv  getting 

260 


an  interest  in  Christ,  while  you  are 
in  health.  If  I  had  that  work  to  do 
now,  what  would  become  of  me  ?  I 
bless  God,  I  am  satisfied.  See  to  it,  all 
of  you,  that  your  work  be  not  undone 
when  your  time  is  done,  lest  you  be  un- 
done for  ever." 

(c)  AN  INCH  OF  TIME.—"  Mil- 
lions of  money  for  an  inch  of  time," 
cried  Elizabeth — the  gifted,  but  ambi- 
tious queen  of  England,  upon  her  dying 
bed.  Unhappy  woman  !  reclining  upon 
a  couch — with  ten  thousand  dresses  in 
her  wardrobe — a  kingdom  on  which 
the  sun  never  sets,  at  her  feet — all  now 
are  valueless,  and  she  shrieks  in  an- 
guish, and  she  shrieks  in  vain,  for 
a  single  "inch  of  time."  She  had  en- 
joyed thi'eescore  and  ten  years.  Like 
too  many  among  us,  she  had  devoted 
them  to  wealth,  to  pleasure,  to  pride, 
and  ambition,  so  that  her  whole  prepa- 
ration for  eternity  was  crowded  into  a 
few  moments !  and  hence  she,  who  had 
wasted  more  than  half  a  century, 
would  barter  millions  for  an  inch  of 
time. 

(d)  THE  FATAL  THURSDAY.— 
A  few  years  ago,  (says  the  N.  Y. 
Evangelist  of  1831,)  there  lived  in  the 
vicinity  of  Boston  a  young  lady  of  ami- 
able charactei',  lovely  person,  and  agree- 
able deportment ;  her  mind  was  awaken- 
ed on  the  subject  of  religion :  she  felt 
that  she  was  a  sinner ;  and  the  fearful 
consequences  of  the  judgment  were  full 
in  her  view.  In  this  trying  hour  she 
was  urged  to  repent,  at  once,  without 
delay.  She  seemed  to  think  that  the 
terms  were  hard  and  peremptory,  al- 
though they  were  according  to  the  word 
of  God.  When  she  retired  alone,  her 
conscience  pressed  her,  and  she  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  she  would  cer- 
tainly give  up  her  heart  to  Christ,  in 
four  years.  This,  at  first,  gave  her 
some  ease  of  mind  :  but  she  soon  re- 
flected that  she  mi^ht  not  live  so  lon<T  as 
four  years,  and  then,  if  she  did  not  re- 
pent, she  might  be  lost  for  ever.  She 
was  again  alarmed,  and  resolved  to  re- 
pent in  three  years ;.  at  this  resolution 
she  was  calm  for  a  moment,  but  reflect- 
ing that  she  might  not  live  this  period, 
she  was  again  alarmed,  and  again  re- 
solved that  in  one  year  she  would  cer- 


ACCOMPANIED  BY  SUDDEN  DEATH. 


13$ 


tainly  attend  to  the  concerns  of  the  soul. 
This  was  a  much  shorter  time ;  and  on 
resolving  on  this  period,  she  was  com- 
posed for  nearly  a  week  ;  but  reflecting 
again,  a  whole  year  seemed  a  consider- 
able time,  and  if  she  should  die,  she 
would  be  lost  for  ever.  Under  the  pres- 
sure of  an  awakened  conscience,  she  re- 
solved, most  solemnly,  that  on  the  next 
Thursday,  she  would  give  herself  to 
Christ. — This  time  was  so  short,  and 
her  resolution  so  solemn,  that  she  seem- 
ed to  think  the  work  was  done.  She 
was  after  this  perfectly  at  ease  ;  she  had 
made  a  solemn  resolution,  and  had  fixed 
the  time  when  she  would  attend  to  this 
great  concern  of  salvation ;  here  she 
rested.  But  it  was  a  fearful  and  awful 
delusion.  On  Friday  she  was  taken  ill, 
and  required  medical  aid  ;  but  nothing 
seemed  to  arrest  the  progress  and  vio- 
lence of  her  fever,  and  she  died  on  Wed- 
nesday ;  and  the  very  day  slie  had  fixed 
on,  to  attend  to  the  interests  of  her  soul, 
her  body  was  laid  in  the  silent  tomb. 
She  had  her  senses,  and  knew  that  she 
could  not  live  ;  but  she  had  no  hope  in 
the  Savior.  She  said  she  had  rejected 
and  grieved  the  good  Spirit,  and  it  had 
gone,  and  would  not  alarm  her,  nor  give 
iier  any  hope. 

(e)  TOO  SOON— TOO  LATE.— 
A  man  who  would  enjoy  the  pleasures 
of  this  world,  said,  it  was  too  soon  for 
him  to  think  of  another  world.  He 
journeyed,  and  was  taken  ill  very  sud- 
denly, in  the  middle  of  the  night,  at  an 
inn.  The  people  there  sent  for  a  clergy- 
man. He  came,  and  the  dying  man 
looking  him  in  the  face,  before  he  could 
speak,  said  to  him,  "  Sir,  it  is  too  late.'"' 
The  minister  said,  "  Christ  is  able  to 
save  to  the  uttermost,"  and  explained 
the  gospel  to  him ;  he  replied,  "  Sir,  it 
is  too  late."  The  clergyman  asked, 
''  Will  you  allow  me  to  pray  with  you  V 
His  only  reply  was,  "  Sir,  it  is  too  late." 
He  died  saying,  "  It  is  too  late."  Oh, 
that  all,  especially  the  young,  may  take 
warning  fron  this  fact,  and  seek  for  sal- 
vation before  it  is  too  late  ! 

(/)  AMAZING  CONTRAST.— 
When  I  was  travelling  in  the  State  of 
Massachusetts,  writes  an  American  min- 
ister, twenty-six  years  ago,  after  preach- 
ing one  eveniniT  in  the  town  of ,  a 


I  very  serious  looking  young  man  rose, 
and  wished  to  address  the  assembly. 
After  obtaining  leave,  he  spoke  as  fol- 
lows:— "  My  friends,  about  a  year  ago, 
I  set  out  in  company  with  a  young  man, 
an  intimate  acquaintance,  to  seek  the 
salvation  of  my  soul.  For  several 
weeks  we  went  on  together,  we  labored 
together,  and  often  renewed  our  engage- 
ment, never  to  give  over  seeking  till  we 
obtained  the  religion  of  Jesus.  But  all 
at  once,  the  young  man  neglected  to  at- 
tend public  worship,  appeared  to  turn 
his  back  on  all  the  means  of  grace,  and 
grew  so  shy  of  me,  that  I  could  scarce- 
ly get  an  opportunity  to  speak  with  him. 
His  strange  conduct  gave  me  much 
painful  anxiety  of  mind,  but  still  I  felt 
resolved  to  obtain  the  salvation  of  my 
soul,  or  perish,  making  the  publican's 
plea.  After  a  few  days,  a  friend  'in- 
formed me  that  my  companion  had  re- 
ceived an  invitation  to  attend  a  ball,  and 
was  determined  to  go.  I  went  imme- 
diately to  him,  and,  with  tears  in  my 
eyes,  endeavored  to  persuade  him  to 
change  his  purpose,  and  to  go  with  me, 
on  that  evening,  to  a  prayer  meeting. 
I  pleaded  with  him  in  vain.  He  told 
me,  when  we  parted,  that  I  must  not 
give  him  up  as  lost,  for,  after  he  had  at- 
tended that  ball,  he  intended  to  make  a 
business  of  seeking  religion.  The  ap- 
pointed evening  came  ;  he  went  to  the 
ball,  and  I  went  to  the  prayer  meeting. 
Soon  after  the  meeting  opened,  it  pleased 
God,  in  answer  to  prayer,  to  turn  my 
spiritual  captivity,  and  make  my  soul 
rejoice  in  his  love.  Soon  after  the  ball 
opened,  my  young  friend  was  standing 
at  the  head  of  the  ball  room,  with  the 
hand  of  a  young  lady  in  his  hand,  pre- 
paring to  lead  down  the  dance;  and, 
while  the  musician  was  tuning  his  violin, 
without  one  moment's  warning,  the 
young  man  fell  backwa'rds  dead  on  the 
floor.  I  was  immediately  sent  for  to  as- 
sist in  devising  means  to  convey  his  re- 
mains to  his  father's  house.  You  will 
be  better  able  to  judge  what  were  the 
emotions  of  my  heart,  when  1  tell  you, 
that  that  young  man  was  my  own  bro- 
ther." 

(^)  FATAL  RESOLVE.— A  friend 
was  once  pressing,  on  a  young  lady  of 
fifteen,  the  importance  of  thinking  of  re- 
261 


138 


DELAY  OF  REPENTANCE. 


ligion ;  she  replied,  she  would  do  so 
when  she  was  older ;  but  added ;  "I 
will  enjoy  the  world  while  I  am  young." 
In  vain  did  her  friend  remind  her  of  the 
uncertainty  of  life ;  she  appeared  dis- 
pleased and  repeated  her  resolution. 

But  mark  the  result :  in  about  three 
weeks  after,  that  friend  attended  her 
funeral !  Oh,  reader,  think  of  this  fact, 
and  trust  not  to  to-morrow,  for  "  notv  is 
the  day  of  salvation."  Facts  like  the 
above  are  constantly  occurring,  and  call 
for  an  instant  attention  to  "  the  things 
which  make  for  our  peace." 

{h)  DEATH  IN  THE  BALL 
ROOM. — A  young  merchant,  in  one  of 
the  large  cities  of  America,  was  seized 
with  a  dangerous  illness,  v/hich  brought 
him,  apparently,  to  the  very  confines  of 
the  eternal  world.  In  this  situation  his 
past  neglect  of  ihe  Savior  rushed  with 
power  on  his  conscience,  and  in  the 
most  solemn  manner  he  vowed  to  lead 
a  new  life,  if  ho  recovered.  Unexpect- 
edly, both  to  himself  and  every  one  else, 
he  gradually  attained  his  former  health. 
During  the  progress  of  his  recovery,  he 
regarded  his  vow,  and  professed  decid- 
ed attachment  to  the  service  of  God. 
But  when  he  returned  to  the  business 
of  life,  he  resumed  his  gayeties,  and  in- 
dulged in  all  the  vanity  of  a  fashionable 
life.  A  friend,  who  had  heard  and  was 
deeply  affected  by  his  solemn  vows  when 
in  trouble,  reminded  him  of  the  affebt- 
ing  scene  ;  he  remembered  it,  and  de- 
clared his  intention  of  fulfilling  all  he 
had  said,  as  soon  as  he  had  fulfilled 
two  or  three  pressing  engagements. 
Then  he  would  give  up  his  soul  to  the 
work ;  then  he  would  seek  God  with  all 
his  heart.  A  few  days  after  the  ad- 
monition, he  attended  a  flishionable  and 
splendid  ball :  in  the  midst  of  his  gayety 
and  mirth,  death  suddenly  entered  the 
festive  hall,  and  the  gay  and  thought- 
less merchant  fell  a  corpse.  Oh,  im- 
mortal sinner,  beware  of  delaying  at- 
tention to  the  concerns  of  eternity  ! 

(0  THE  SIX  BROKEN  VOWS. 
— A  poor  thoughtless  man  was  once 
taken  ill,  and  sent  for  the  minister  of  his 
parish  to  visit  him.  He  then  professed 
to  be  very  penitent ;  but  he  recovered, 
and  again  fell  into  his  evil  courses.  A 
second  time  he  was  ill,  and  the  same 
262 


promises  were  held  out,  but  never  reali- 
zed. Six  times  was  this  the  case  in  the 
course  of  his  life.  At  length,  while  en- 
gaged in  sin,  he  was  cu1>  off  suddenly, 
and  entered  into  an  eternal  world. 
Reader,  ^^  to-day''  hear  the  voice  of  God, 
and  harden  not  thine  heart. 

0)  THE  PRESUMPTUOUS  HEIR. 
— Rev.  Mr.  Baker,  a  Free-will  Baptist 
evangelist,  was  visiting  from  house  to 
house,  in  a  certain  neighborhood,  in 
New  England ;  and  met  on  his  walk 
three  young  men  with  axes  on  their 
shoulders.  He  stopped  and  conversed 
with  them.  Two  appeared  somewhat 
serious  :  the  third,  a  gay,  frank  young 
man,  replied,  "  You  see,  sir,  that 
splendid  white  house  on  that  farm  yon- 
der ?"  "Yes."  "Well,  sir,  that  es- 
tate has  been  willed  to  me  by  my  uncle  ; 
and  we  are  now  going  to  do  chopping 
in  the  woodland  that  belongs  to  it. 
There  are  some  incumbrances  on  the 
estate  which  I  must  settle,  before  the 
fi^rm  can  be  fully  mine  ;  and  as  soon 
as  I  have  cleared  it  of  these  incum- 
brances I  mean  to  become  a  Christian." 
"  Ah  !  young  man,"  said  the  minister, 
"  beware  ;  you  may  never  see  that  day  ; 
while  you  are  gaining  the  world,  you 
may  lose  your  soul."  "  I'll  run  the  risk," 
said  he,  and  they  parted.  The  three 
young  men  went  into  the  woods ;  and 
this  daring  procrastinator,  and  another, 
engaged  in  felling  a  tree.  A  dry,  heavy 
limb,  hung  loosely  in  the  top  ;  and  as 
the  tree  was  jarred  by  the  successive 
strokes  of  the  axe,  it  quit  its  hold,  and 
as  it  fell  crashing  through  the  branches 
to  the  earth,  it  struck  the  head  of  the 
young  heir,  in  its  way,  and  stretched 
him  on  the  ground  a  lifeless  corpse. 
Thus  were  his  hopes  cut  off ;  and 
hazarding  the  delay  of  months  he  lost 
his  soul  in  an  hour.  His  fellow-laborer 
was  converted ;  for  conviction  struck 
his  mind  when  he  saw  the  young  heir 
quivering  in  death  !  "  I  felt  then  such 
a  horror  at  the  danger  of  delaying  reli- 
gion, when  I  thought  what  he  had  just 
said,  and  saw  his  end,  that  I  determined 
to  neglect  my  soul  no  longer."  His 
example  was  followed  by  others;  and 
a  great  revival  ensued. 

(k)  FIVE  MINUTES  TO  CRY 
FOR   MERCY.— In  the  early  part  of 


MISCELLANEOUS. 


120 


my  ministry,  said  the  Rev.  Mr.  T. 
East,  of  Birmingham,  a  woman  was  in 
the  habit  of.  attending  the  place  of  wor- 
ship in  which  I  preached,  who  occupied 
a  seat  on  the  stairs,  and  who  was  very 
tenacious  of  her  sitting,  not  allowing 
any  other  person  to  occupy  it.  She 
was  observed  by  her  IViends,  who 
sought  occasion  to  converse  with  her  on 
the  important  subject  of  religion  ;  but 
she  was  very  shy  and  evasive.  All 
they  could  extract  from  her  was  this 
appalling  reply  :  "  Oh,  I  shall  only 
want  five  minutes  time  when  I  am  dy- 
ing to  cry  for  mercy :  and  I  have  no 
doubt  God  Almighty  will  give  it  me," 
It  was  in  vain  to  remonstrate  with  the 
woman ;  this  was  always  her  reply. 
Time  passed  on.  One  day,  I  was  walk- 
ing down  the  street,  when  a  young  wo- 
man ran  up  to  me  in  a  state  of  great 
agitation  and  excitement,  exclaiming, 
"  O,  Mr.  East,  I  have  found  you ;  do 
come  to  my  mother,  sir ;  come  this  mi- 
nute, sir:  she  is  dying,  she  is  dying  !" 
I  hastened  with  her  to  the  house,  and 
was  astonished  to  find  in  the  dying  suf- 
ferer the  poor  unhappy  woman  who  had 
attended  my  place  of  worship.  She 
was  evidently  expiring :  but,  turning 
her  dying  eyes  towards  me,  she  cried 
out,  "  O,  Mr.  East,  I  am  damned,  I  am 
damned  !"  and  expired. 

129.  Miscellaneous. 

{a)  EXCUSES  OF  THE  GREEN- 

LANDERS.— Numbers  of  the  Green- 
landers,  who  had  for  a  time  adhered  to 
the  Moravian  Missionaries,  and  promised 
well,  drew  back,  and  walked  no  more 
with  them ;  while  the  greater  part  of 
those  who  were  wavering,  seduced  by  the 
concourse  of  their  heathen  countrymen, 
again  joined  the  multitude.  One  being 
asked  why  he  could  not  stay,  answered, 
"  I  have  bought  a  great  deal  of  powder 
and  shot,  which  I  must  first  spend  in  the 
south,  in  shooting  reindeer ;"  another, 


"I  must  first  have  my  fill  of  bears' 
flesh  ;"  and  a  third,  "  I  must  have  a  good 
boat,  and  then  I  will  believe." 

{b)  GREENLANDERS  AND 
THE  END  OF  THE  WORLD.— 
Some  of  the  unconverted  inhabitants  of 
Greenland  had  heard  that  the  world 
should  be  destroyed,  and,  as  in  that 
case  they  should  have  nowhore  to  go, 
they  expressed  a  desire  to  be  con- 
verted, that  they  might  go  with  the  be- 
lievers. "  But,"  added  they,  with  that 
carelessness  and  procrastination  so  na- 
tural to  man,  in  the  things  that  belong 
to  eternity,  "  as  the  destruction  will  not 
happen  this  year,  we  will  oome  in  next 
season." 

(c)  ADVICE  REJECTED.— When 
a  young  man  made  an  open  profes- 
sion of  the  gospel,  his  father,  great- 
ly ofTended,  gave  him  this  advice, — 
"  James,  you  should  first  get  yourself 
established  in  a  good  trade,  then  think 
of  and  determine  about  religion."  "  Fa- 
ther," said  the  son,  "  Christ  advises  me 
differently,  he  says,  '  Seek  ye  first  the 
kingdom  of  God.' " 

(d)  WORK  FOR  THE  DAY  BE- 
FORE  DEATH.— Rabbi  Eliezer  said, 
'•  Turn  to  God  one  day  before  your 
death."  His  disciples  said,  "  How  can 
a  man  know  the  day  of  his  death  ?"  He 
answered  them,  "  Therefore  you  should 
turn  to  God  to-day.  Perhaps  you  may 
die  to-morrow  ;  thus,  every  day  will  be 
employed  in  returning." 

(e)  A  YOUNG  MAN  UNDER 
SENTENCE  OF  DEATH.— A  young 
man,  on  whom  sentence  of  death  was 
passed,  said,  two  days  before  his  execu- 
tion,  "  I  am  afraid  that  nothing  but  the 
fear  of  death  and  hell  makes  me  seek 
the  Savior  now,  and  that  I  cannot  ex- 
pect to  find  him.  The  words,  'Seek 
ye  the  Lord  wliile  he  may  be  found,' 
trouble  my  mind  very  much,  as  they 
show  me  that  there  is  a  time  when  he 
may  not  be  found." 


263 


130,  131 


DENIAL  OF  CHRIST— DEPENDENCE  ON  GOD. 


130.  DENIAL  OF  CHRIST. 


(a)  THE  MARTYR'S  PRAYER 
ANSWERED.— David  Straiton,  one 
of  the  Scottish  martyrs,  was  brought  to 
the  knowledge  of  the  truth,  through 
the  instriimentality  of  John  Erskine  of 
Dun.  One  day,  having  retired  with 
the  young  laird  of  Laurieston,  to  a 
quiet  and  solitary  place  in  the  fields,  to 
have  the  New  Testament  read  to  him,  it 
so  happened,  that  in  the  course  of  read- 
ing, these  words  of  our  Savior  occurred, 
"  He  that  denieth  me  before  men,  in  the 
midst  of  this  wicked  generation,  him 
will  I  deny  in  the  presence  of  my 
Father  and  his  angels."  On  hearing 
them,  he  became  of  a  sudden,  as  one 
enraptured  or  inspired.  He  threw  him- 
self on  his  knees,  extended  his  hands, 
and,  after  looking  for  some  time  earn- 
estly towards  heaven,  he  burst  forth 
in  these  words,  "  O  Lord,  I  have  been 
wicked,  and  justly  mayest  thou  with- 
draw thy  grace  from  me ;  but,  Lord, 
for  thy  mercy's  sake,  let  me  never  deny 
thee  nor  thy  truth,  for  fear  of  death  and 
corporal  pains."  The  issue  proved  that 
his  prayer  was  not  in  vain.  For  at  his 
trial  and  death,  he  displayed  much  firm- 
ness and  constancy  in  the  defence  of  the 
truth,  and  gave  great  encouragement  to 
another  gentleman,  Norman  Gourlay, 
who  suffered  along  with  him. 


(b)  THE  SUBSCRIPTION  RE- 
CANTED.—"  Bishop  Jewel,"  says  Ful- 
ler,  "  being  by  the  violence  of  popish  in- 
quisitors, assaulted  on  a  sudden  to  suh- 
scrihe,  he  took  a  pen  in  his  hand,  and 
said,  smiling,  '  Have  you  a  mind  to  see 
how  well  I  can  write  V  and  thereupon 
underwrit  their  opinions."  Jewel,  how- 
ever, by  his  cowardly  compliance,  made 
his  foes  no  fewer  without,. and  one  the 
more,  a  guilty  conscience,  within  him. 
His  life  being  way-laid  for,  with  great 
difficulty  he  got  over  into  Germany. 
Having  arrived  at  Frankfort,  by  the 
advice  of  some  friends,  he  made  a 
solemn  and  affecting  recantation  of  his 
subscription,  in  a  full  congregation  of 
English  Protestants,  on  a  Sabbath  morn- 
ing, afier  having  preached  a  most  ten- 
der, penitential  sermon.  "  It  was,'' 
said  he,  "  m.y  abject  and  cowardly  mind 
and  faint  heart,  that  made  my  weak 
hand  commit  this  wickedness."  He  bit- 
terly bewailed  his  fall  ;  and  with  sighs 
and  tears,  supplicated  forgiveness  of  the 
God  whose  truth  he  had  denied,  and  of 
the  church  of  Christ,  which  he  had  so 
grievously  offended.  The  congregation 
were  melted  into  tears,  and  "  all  em- 
braced him  as  a  brother  in  Christ ;  yea, 
as  an  angel  of  God." 


131.  DEPENDENCE  ON  GOD. 


(a)  THE  AGED  CHRISTIAN'S 
ADVICE  TO  A  YOUNG  MINIS- 
TER.— I  well  remember,  said  an  emi- 
nent minister  in  North  Wales,  that  when 
the  Spirit  of  God  first  convinced  me  of 
my  sin  and  danger,  and  of  the  many 
difficulties  and  enemies  I  must  encoun- 
ter, if  ever  I  intended  reaching  heaven, 
I  was  oflen  to  the  last  degree  in  iear  ; 
the  prospect  of  the  many  strong  tempta- 
tions and  allurements,  to  which  my 
youthful  years  would  unavoidably  ex- 
pose me, 'greatly  discouraged  me.  I 
oflen  used  to  tell  an  aged  soldier  of 
264 


Christ,  the  first  and  only  Christian  friend 
I  had  any  acquaintance  with  for  several 
years,  that  I  wished  I  had  borne  the 
burden  and  heat  of  the  day  like  him. 
His  usual  reply  was,  that  so  long  as  1 
feared,  and  was  humbly  dependent  upm) 
God,  I  should  never  fall,  but  certainly 
prevail.  I  have  found  it  so.  O,  blessed 
be  the  Lord,  that  I  can  now  raise  up 
my  Ebenezer,  and  say,  "  Hitherto  hath 
the  Lord  helped  me." 

(h)  HAPPY  INFLUENCE  OF 
DANGERS.— At  a  meeting  held  in 
reference  to  the  establishment  of  schools 


DEPENDENCE  ON  GOD. 


131 


in  the  highlands  and  islands  of  Scot- 
land, Dr.  M'Leod  related  the  following 
facts : — 

A  friend  of  mine  happened  to  be  in  a 
boat,  by  which  a  poor  simple-hearted 
man  from  St.  Kilda  was  advancing,  for 
the  first  time  in  his  life,  from  his  native 
rock  to  visit  the  world ;  and  as  he  ad- 
vanced towards  the  island  of  Mull,  a 
world  in  itself  in  the  estimation  of  the 
poor  St.  Kilda  man,  the  boatmen  com- 
menced telling  him  the  wonders  he  was 
so  soon  to  see.  They  asked  him  about  St. 
Kilda ;  they  questioned  him  regarding 
all  the  peculiarities  of  that  wonderful 
place,  and  rallied  him  not  a  little  on  his 
ignorance  of  all  those  great  and  mag- 
nificent things  which  were  to  be  seen 
in  Mull.  He  parried  them  off  with 
great  coolness  and  good  humor;  at 
length,  a  person  in  the  boat  asked  him 
if  he  ever  heard  of  God  in  St.  Kilda. 
Immediately  he  became  grave  and  col- 
lected. "  To  what  land  do  you  be- 
long ?"  said  he;  "describe  it  to  me." 
'•I,"  said  the  other,  "  come  from  a  place 
very  different  from  your  barren  rock  ; 
I  come  from  the  land  of  flood  and  field, 
the  land  of  wheat  and  barley,  where 
nature  spreads  her  bounty  in  abundance 
and  luxuriance  before  us."  "  Is  that," 
said  the  St.  Kilda  man,  ^'  the  kind  of 
land  you  come  from  ?  Ah,  then,  you 
may  forget  God,  but  a  St.  Kilda  man 
never  can.  Elevated  on  his  rock,  sus- 
pended over  a  precipice,  tossed  on  the 
wild  ocean,  he  never  can  forget  his  God 
— he  hangs  continually  on  his  arm." 
All  were  silent  in  the  boat,  and  not  a 
word  more  was  aked  him  regarding  his 
religion. 

(c)  THE  BEST  REFUGE.— "  A 
few  years  ago,"  says  one,  "  wlien  an  in- 
vasion of  England  by  the  French  was 

much  talked  of,  tlie  pious  Mrs.  C of 

L ,  heard  her  pupils  relating  to  each 

other,  where  they  thought  they  would 
conceal  themselves  on  the  approach 
of  the  enemy,  should  his  threats  be 
realized.  With  her  usual  gentleness 
and  condescension,  she  inquired  into, 
and  listened  to  their  little  plans.  I, 
(who  was  one  of  her  pupils,)  was  the 
last  to  point  out  my  hiding-place  ;  hav- 
ing named  mine,  I  added  an  inquiry 
where  her  refuge  would  be  ?     "  My  re- 


fuge," said  she,  with  a  look  of  devotion 
and  benignity  characteristic  of  her, 
'  My  refuge  would  be  in  my  God.' 
I  felt  reproved  ;  I  could  not  but  think 
hers  was  the  best  refuge." 

{d)  GOD  UNACKNOWLEDGED. 
— It  has  been  wisely  observed,  that  we 
require  the  same  hand  to  protect  us  in 
apparent  safety,  as  in  the  most  immi- 
nent danger.  One  of  the  most  wicked 
men   in   the   neighborhood  of  a  pious 


whom  this  account  was 
a  precipice, 


mmister,  from 
derived,  was  riding  near 
and  fell  over  :  his  horse  was  killed,  but 
he  escaped  unhurt.  Instead  of  thank- 
ing God  for  his  deliverance,  he  refused 
to  acknowledge  his  hand  in  it,  and  at- 
tributed his  escape  to  chance.  The 
same  man  was  afterwards  riding  on  a 
very  smooth  road ;  his  horse  suddenly 
tripped  and  fell,  threw  his  rider  over 
his  head,  and  killed  him  on  the  spot; 
while  the  horse  escaped  uninjured. 

(e)  THE  AGED  LADY'S  FALL. 
— An  aged  mother  in  Israel  residing  in 
S.,  Rhode  Island,  says,  that  once  in 
travelling  to  and  from  New-York  city, 
she  often  lifted  up  her  prayer  to  God 
for  protection  and  safety  while  being 
whirled  along  in  the  railroad  cars  or 
borne  in  the  steamboat  over  the  waters 
of  the  deep.  The  desired  protection 
was  vouchsafed  ;  and  on  her  return  she 
had  safely  arrived  at  the  last  railroad 
depot  of  the  journey.  Now  I  seemed 
to  feel,  says  she,  as  if  all  danger  had 
passed,  and  I  omitted  to  ask  God  for  any 
further  protection  as  though  I  could  take 
care  of  myself.  But  in  passing  out  of 
the  depot  when  it  was  somewhat  dark, 
to  walk  upon  the  platform  in  front,  she 
made  a  false  step,  fell  to  the  ground 
and  received  a  severe  injury  that  con- 
fined her  to  her  house  for  several 
weeks ! 

There  is  no  safety  for  an  hour  except 
in  God's  keeping  ;  and  often  when  we 
imagine  that  every  natural  law  is  in  our 
favor,  we  may  be  in  the  most  imminent 
peril — within  a  hair's  breadth  of  the 
grave. 

(/)    SAYING   OF  NEWTON.— 

The  Rev.  John  Newton  sometimes  said, 

he  had  received  more  damage   at  his 

I  own  door,  than  in  all  the  countries  he 

I  had  been  in  abroad,  for  he  had  twice  fal- 

265 


131,  133 


DEPRAVITY. 


len  down  the  steps  at  his  own  door,  each 
time  spraining  a  knee.  So  much  in- 
jury he  had  never  received  abroad. 
Such  a  fact  shows  clearly  the  necessity 
of  our  always  living  as  if  exposed  to 
danger,  and  thus  committing  ourselves 
to  the  Divine  protection. 

ig)  THE  SHIP'S  RETURN.— A 
ship,  which  had,  on  a  long  voyage,  es- 
caped many  great  dangers  from  storms, 
&;c.,  at  length  arrived  safe  in  port,  or 
harbor.  On  seeing  the  safety  of  the 
ship,  a  little  boy,  who  had  sailed  in  it, 
naturally  expressed  great  joy  that  they 


were  now,  as  he  thought,  out  of  all  dan- 
ger.  In  about  half  an  hour  after  this 
expression  of  joy,  the  poor  little  fellow 
fell  overboard  into  the  water,  and  was 
drowned  before  any  assistance  could 
reach  him.  Thus  many  die ;  they 
forget  God,  flatter  themselves  with 
security,  and  then  sudden  destruction 
Cometh.  Our  lives  are  newly  loaned 
to  us  by  God  every  moment;  let  us 
constantly  recognize  the  fact,  and  so  live 
that  living  or  dying  we  may  be  the 
Lord's. 


132.  DEPRAVITY. 


{a)     HONESTY      TESTED.— A 

gentleman  was  once  extolling  at  an  ex- 
travagant rate  the  virtue  of  honesty  : 
what  a  dignity  it  imparted  to  our  na- 
ture ;  how  it  recommended  us  to  the 
Supreme  Being ;  and  confirmed  all  by 
a  celebrated  line  from  Pope, 

"  An  honest  man's  the  noblest  work  of  God." 

"  Sir,"  replied  his  friend,  "  however  ex- 
cellent the  virtue  of  honesty  may  be,  I 
fear  there  are  few  men  in  the  world 
that  really  possess  it."  "  You  surprise 
me,"  said  the  stranger.  "  Ignorant  as 
I  am  of  your  character,  sir,  I  fancy  it 
would  be  no  difficult  matter  to  prove 
even  you  a  dishonest  man."  "  I  defy 
you."  "  Will  you  give  me  leave,  then, 
to  ask  you  a  question  or  two,  and 
promise  not  to  be  offended'?"  "Ask 
your  questions,  and  welcome."  "  Have 
you  never  met  with  an  opportunity  of 
getting  gain  by  unfair  means  ?"  The 
gentleman  paused.  "  I  don't  ask,  Have 
you  taken  advantage  of  such  an  op- 
portunity ?  but.  Have  you  ever  met 
with  such  an  opportunity  ?  I,  for  my 
part,  have ;  and  I  believe  every  body 
else  has."  "  Very  probably  I  may." 
"  How  did  you  feel  your  mind  affected 
on  such  an  occasion  ?  Had  you  no  se- 
cret desire,  not  the  least  inclination, 
to  seize  the  advantage  which  offered  ? 
Tell  me  without  any  evasion,  and  con- 
sistently with  the  character  you  ad- 
mire." "  I  must  acknowledge,  I  have 
266 


not  always  been  absolutely  free  from 
every  irregular  inclination  ;  but  — " 
"  Hold,  sir,  none  of  your  salvos,  you 
have  confessed  enough.  If  you  had 
the  desire,  though  you  never  proceeded 
to  the  act,  you  were  dishonest  in  heart. 
This  is  what  the  Scriptures  call  con- 
cupiscence.  It  defiles  the  soul.  It  is 
a  breach  of  that  law  which  requireth 
truth  in  the  inward  parts ;  and,  unless 
you  are  pardoned  through  the  blood  of 
Christ,  will  be  a  just  ground  of  your 
condemnation,  when  God  shall  judge 
the  secrets  of  men." 

{h)  A  GOD  TOO  SHARPSIGHT- 
ED. — Some  of  the  natives  of  South 
America,  after  listening  a  while  to  the 
instructions  of  the  Catholic  missionaries, 
gave  them  this  cool  answer :  "  You  say 
that  the  God  of  the  Christians  knows 
every  thing,  that  nothing  is  hidden  from 
him,  that  he  is  every  where,  and  sees 
all  that  is  done  below.  Now,  we  do 
not  desire  a  God  so  sharpsighted  ;  we 
choose  to  live  with  freedom  in  our 
woods,  without  having  a  perpetual  ob- 
server of  our  actions  over  our  heads." 

(c)  MILNE'S  CONVICTIONS.— 
Dr.  Milne,  the  pious  missionary,  in  speak- 
ing of  his  conversion,  says,  "  The  book 
which  God  made  use  of  more  especially 
for  convincing  me  of  my  sin  and  misery, 
was  Boston'ii  Fourfold  State,  which  I 
read  with  the  deepest  attention.  It  con- 
ducted me  to  my  own  heart,  discovered 
the  evils  which  before  lay  hid  in  the 


DEPRAVITY. 


132 


chambers  of  imagery ;  the  monstrous 
ingratitude  to  God  which  had  marked 
all  my  conduct;  and  the  pollution  of 
original  and  actual  sin,  with  which  my 
soul  was  contaminated.  I  saw  that  I 
was  necessarily  under  the  strongest  and 
most  righteous  obligations  to  God,  and 
had  never  for  one  hour  of  my  life  dis- 
charged them,  but  lived  in  rebellion 
against  the  author  of  my  life  ;  so  I  was 
justly  under  the  curse  of  God's  right- 
eous law,  and  exposed  to  everlasting 
misery."  Under  the  tormenting  fears 
of  eternal  wrath,  he  sometimes  wished 
himself  transformed  into  a  stone,  or  one 
of  the  fowls  he  saw  flying  over  his  head 
in  the  fields.  He  was  frequent  and  fer- 
vent in  prayer,  and  was,  in  the  mercy 
of  God,  led  to  those  means  by  which 
he  learned  how  even  a  vile  and  guilty 
creature,  such  as  he  was,  might  be  for 
ever  saved. 

{d)  HATING  GOODNESS.— "I 
happened  once,"  says  Dr.  Cotton  Ma- 
ther, "to  be  present  in  the  room  where 
a  dying  man  could  not  leave  the  world 
until  he  lamented  to  a  minister  (whom 
he  had  sent  for  on  his  account),  the  unjust 
calumnies  and  injuries  which  he  had  of- 
ten cast  upon  him.  The  minister  asked 
the  poor  penitent  what  was  the  occasion 
of  this  abusive  conduct ;  whether  he  had 
been  imposed  upon  by  any  false  report. 
The  man  made  this  answer,  '  No,  sir,  it 
was  merely  this ;  I  thought  you  were  a 
good  man,  and  that  you  did  much  good  in 
the  world,  and  therefore  I  hated  you. 
Is  it  possible,  is  it  possible,'  he  added, 
'  for  such  a  wretch  to  find  pardon  V  " 

(e)  THERE  GOES  DR.  IVES.— 
The  Rev.  and  pious  Dr.  Ives,  whose 
house  was  on  Oxford  road,  and  by 
which  the  criminals  were  carried  week- 
ly in  carts  to  Tyburn,  used  to  stand  at 
his  window,  and  say  to  any  young 
friends  who  might  be  near  him,  pointing 
out  any  of  the  most  notorious  male- 
factors, •'  There  goes  Br.  Ives  .'" — If 
an  explanation  was  asked,  he  took  oc- 
casion to  expound  the  innate  corruption 
of  the  human  heart  ;  and  appealed  to 
the  exrperience  of  his  auditors,  "  whether 
they  had  not  felt  the  movements  of 
those  very  passions,  errors,  prejudices, 
lusts,  revenge,  covetousness,  &c., 
whose  direct  tendency  was  to  produce 


the  crimes  for  which  these  offenders  sa- 
tisfied the  claims  of  public  justice,  and 
which  were  solely  prevented  from  car- 
rying them  to  the  same  dreadful  flite, 
by  the  restraining  grace  of  God." 

(/)  OLD  ADAM  TOO  HARD 
FOR  YOUNG  MELANCTHON.— 
When  Melancthon  was  first  converted, 
he  thought  it  impossible  for  his  hearers 
to  withstand  the  evidence  of  the  truth 
in  the  ministry  of  the  gospel.  But  after 
preaching  a  while,  he  complained,  "  that 
old  Adam  was  too  hard  for  young  Me- 
lancthon." 

{g)  ERSKINE  AND  THE  CRI- 
MINAL.— The  holiest  and  best  men 
have  been  usually  the  most  ready  to 
acknowledge  the  natural  depravity  of 
their  hearts,  and  the  greatness  of  their 
obligations  to  the  free  and  sovereign 
grace  of  God,  in  preserving  or  deliver- 
ing them  from  the  consequences  of  that 
depravity. — During  the  ministry  of  the 
Rev.  Ralph  Erskine,  at  Dunfermline,  a 
man  was  executed  for  robbery,  whom 
he  repeatedly  visited  in  prison,  and 
whom  he  attended  on  the  scaffold.  Mr. 
Erskine  addressed  both  the  spectators 
and  the  criminal ;  and,  after  conclud- 
ing his  speech,  he  laid  his  hands  on  his 
breast,  uttering  these  words — "  But  for 
restraining  grace,  I  had  been  brought, 
by  this  corrupt  heart,  to  the  same  con- 
dition with  this  unhappy  man." 

{h)  THE  LAW  OF  GOD  RE- 
JECTED BY  PAGANS.—"  The  rea- 
son why  we  hate  that  law,"  said  some 
idolaters  to  a  zealous  missionary,  "  is, 
because  it  is  holy  :  and  therefore  it  is 
we  destroy  it.  If  it  would  allow  us  to 
rob  freely,  if  it  did  dispense  with  our 
paying  the  tribute  which  the  king  ex- 
acts, if  it  taught  us  to  be  revenged  of 
our  enemies,  and  give  way  to  our  pas- 
sions, without  being  exposed  to  the  con- 
sequences of  debauchery,  we  would 
heartily  embrace  it ;  because  it  so  se- 
verely curbs  our  inclinations,  therefore 
we  reject  it,  and  do  command  you  the 
catechist  to  depart  out  of  the  province 
immediately." 

{i)  BREAKING  THE  COMMAND 
MENTS. — A  poor  negro,  a  few  years 
ago,  thus  addressed  the  late  Rev.  Mr. 
Johnson,    at    Regent's    Town,    on   the 
western  coast  of  Africa  : —  ? 

267 


132 


DEPRAVITY. 


Yesterday  morning,  when  you  preach, 
you  show  me  that  the  law  be  our 
sehoohnaster  to  bring  us  to  Christ.  You 
talk  about  the  ten  commandments.  You 
begin  at  the  first,  and  me  say  to  my- 
self, "  Me  guilty  !"  the  second,  "  Me 
guilty!"  the  third,  "  Me  guilty  !"  the 
fourth,  «  Me  guilty  !"  the  fifth,  "  Me 
guilty !"  Then  you  say  the  sixth. 
Thou  slialt  not  kill ;  me  say,  "  Ah  !  me 
no  guilty  !  me  never  kill  some  person." 
You  say,  I  suppose  plenty  people  live 
here,  who  say,  '•  Me  no  guilty  of  that !" 
Me  say  again  in  my  heart,  "  Ah,  me 
no  guilty  !"  Then  you  say,  "  Did  you 
never  hate  any  person  1  did  you  never 
wish  that  such  a  person,  such  a  man, 
or  such  a  woman  was  dead  !"  Massa, 
you  talk  plenty  about  that ;  and  what  I 
feel  that  time  I  can't  tell  you.  I  talk 
in  my  heart,  and  say,  "  Me  the  same 
person  !"  My  heart  begin  to  beat ;  me 
want  to  cry,  my  heart  heave  so  much 
me  don't  know  what  to  do.  Massa,  me 
think  me  kill  ten  people  before  break- 
fast!  I  never  think  I  so  bad.  After- 
wards you  talk  about  the  Lord  Jesus, 
how  he  take  off" our  sin.  I  think  I  stand 
the  same  like  a  person  that  have  a  big 
stone  upon  him  head,  and  can't  walk — 
want  to  fall  down.  O  massa,  I  have 
trouble  too  much  ;  I  no  sleep  all  night. 
(He  wept  much.)  I  hope  the  Lord  Je- 
sus Christ  will  take  my  sins  from  me. 
Suppose  lie  no  save  me,  I  shall  go  to 
hell  for  ever. 

(j)  A  KEEN  REPLY.— John  Wes- 
ley, in  a  considerable  party,  had  been 
maintaining,  with  great  earnestness, 
the  doctrine  of  Vox  PopiiU  vox  Dei, 
against  his  sister,  whose  talents  were 
not  unworthy  the  family  to  which  she 
belonged.  At  last  the  preacher,  to  put 
an  end  to  the  controversy,  put  his  argu- 
ment in  the  shape  of  a  dictum,  and  said, 
"I  tell  you,  sister,  the  voice  of  the 
people  is  the  voice  of  God."  "  Yes," 
she  replied  mildly,  "  it  cried  '  Crucify 
him,  crucify  him  I'  "  A  more  admir- 
able ansM^er  was  perhaps  never  given. 

(k)  A  STRANGE  THING.— A 
friend  of  Tedyuscung  once  said  to  him, 
when  he  was  a  little  intoxicated,  "  There 
is  one  thing  very  strange,  and  which  I 
cannot  account  for ;  it  is  why  the  In- 
dians get  drunk  so  much  more  than  the 
268 


white  people."  "  Do  you  think  strange 
of  that?"  said  the  old  chief;  "  why,  it 
is  not  strange  at  all.  The  Indians  thhik 
it  no  harm  to  get  drunk  whenever  they 
can  ;  but  you  white  men  say  it  is  a  sin, 
and  yet  get  drunk  nevertheless  I'"* 

(l)  VIRTUE  EMBODIED.— Dr. 
Blair,  when  concluding  a  public  dis- 
course, in  which  he  had  descanted  with 
his  usual  eloquence  on  the  amiability  of 
virtue,  gave  utterance  to  the  following 
apostro'phe :  "  O  virtue,  if  thou  wert 
embodied,  all  men  would  love  thee." 

His  colleague,  the  Rev.  R.  Walker, 
ascended  the  same  pulpit,  on  a  subse- 
quent part  of  the  same  Sabbath,  and  ad- 
dressing tiie  congregation,  said,  "  My 
reverend  friend  observed,  in  the  morn- 
ing, that  if  virtue  were  embodied,  all 
men  would  love  her.  Virtue  has  been 
embodied ;  but  how  was  she  treated  ? 
Did  all  men  love  her  ?  No ;  slie  was 
despised  and  rejected  of  men :  who, 
after  defaming,  insulting,  and  scourging 
her,  led  her  to  Calvary,  where  they 
crucified  her  between  two  thieves.^" 
The  effect  of  this  fine  passage  on  the 
audience  was  very  powerful. 

(m)  CONVERSION  OF  A  MORA- 
LIST.— Miranda  N.,  says  a  Christian 
minister,  was  about  18  years  of  age, 
much  distinguished  for  personal  beauty, 
but  more  for  uncommon  sweetness  of 
disposition,  and  great  amiableness  of 
deportment.  There  was  not  probably 
among  all  the  people  of  my  charge,  one 
whose  case  would  have  been  more 
promptly  cited,  and  perhaps  none  so 
effectively,  to  disprove  the  doctrine  of 
the  entire  sinfulness  of  the  unregenerate 
heart.  She  was  deservedly  a  general 
favorite.  She  seemed  to  entertain  the 
kindest  affection  towards  all,  and  every 
one  who  knew  her  loved  her.  One 
evening  at  an  inquiry  meeting,  held  at 
my  house,  I  noticed,  in  a  full  room,  a 
female  in  great  apparent  distress.  The 
disturbance  she  made  by  her  loud  sobs, 
and  frequent  and  painful  interruption  of 
the  silence  of  the  room,  induced  me  to 
pass  by  others  and  go  to  her  at  once.  On 
coming  to  her  seat,  I  was  not  a  little 
surprised  to  find  myself  by  the  side  of 
Miranda.  The  first  inquiry  I  put  to 
to  her  was  this  :  What  has  brought  you 
here,  M.  ?  With  emphasis,  she  repaed, 


DESPAIR,  UNFOUNDED, 


13a 


"  My  sins,  sir."  With  a  view  to  test 
the  reality  and  depth  of  her  convictions, 
I  then  said,  "But  what  have  you  done 
which  makes  either  your  heart  or  your 
life  appear  so  heinously  sinful  ?"  At 
this  second  question  she  broke  out  in  a 
voice  that  reached  the  extreme  part  of 
the  room  and  thrilled  through  every 
heart,  for  she  was  known  and  loved  by 
every   person   there, — "  I   hate    God, 

AND  I  KNOW  IT.  I  HATE  CHRISTIANS, 
AND  I  KNOW  IT.  I  HATE  MY  OWN  BE- 
ING.       Oh     that     I     HAD    NEVER     BEEN 

BORN  !"  As  she  uttered  this  acknow- 
ledgment, she  rose  and  left  the  room  in 
irrepressible  agony.  Deeply  as  I  was 
interested  in  her  case,  I  could  not  fol- 
low her  and  leave  the  many  with  whom 
I  had  yet  to  converse ;  but  conducted 
her  across  the  hall  into  the  opposite 
room,  where  Mrs.  S.  was  employed  in 
attendance  upon  a  sick  child.     The  re- 


mainder of  the  narrative  I  received  from 
Mrs.  S. 

After  a  little  conversation,  as  I  was 
informed,  between  Mrs.  S.  and  Miranda, 
who  was  walking  the  room  in  great  dis- 
tress, her  eye  lighted  upon  a  copy  of 
Village  Hymns,  which  lay  upon  the 
sideboard.  She  eagerly  cj^ught  it  up, 
and  read  at  the  first  page  to  which  she 
opened,  these  words : 

"  There  is  a  fountain  filled  with  blood. 
Drawn  from  Immanuel's  veins  ; 

And  sinners  plunged  beneath  that  flood. 
Lose  all  their  guilty  stains." 

As  she  finished  this  verse  she  dropped 
the  book  and  exclaimed,  "  I  have  found 
my  Savior.  This  is  the  Savior  I 
need.  O  precious  Savior  !"  and  many 
other  expressions  of  the  same  kind. 
Her  enmity  to  God  was  gone.  Her 
burden  was  removed.  Christ  was  all 
in  all  to  her. 


133.  DESPAIR,  UNFOUNDED. 


(a)  THE  DESPAIRING  WOMAN 
CONVERTED.— A  young  woman, 
whom  Dr.  GifFord  visited  in  prison,  and 
who  was  to  be  tried  for  her  life,  heard 
him  speak  a  good  while  in  an  awful 
strain,  not  only  unmoved,  but  at  last 
she  laughed  in  his  face.  He  then  altered 
his  tone,  and  spoke  ofthe  love  of  Jesus, 
and  the  mercy  provided  for  the  chief  of 
sinners,  till  the  tears  came  in  her  eyes, 
and  she  interrupted  him  by  asking, 
"  Why ;  do  you  think  there  can  be 
mercy  forme?"  He  said,  "Undoubted- 
ly, if  you  can  desire  it."  She  replied, 
"Ah  !  if  I  had  thought  so,  I  should  not 
have  been  here  ;  I  have  long  fixed  it  in 
my  mind  that  I  was  absolutely  lost,  and 
without  hope,  and  this  persuasion  madf^ 
me  obstinate  in  my  wickedness,  so  that 
I  cared  not  what  I  did."  She  was 
afterwards  tried,  and  sentenced  to  trans- 
portation, and  Dr.  Gifford,  who  saw  her 
several  times,  had  a  good  hope  that  she 
was  truly  converted  before  she  left  Eng- 
land. 

{h)  THE  CHRISTIAN  IN  HELL. 
— James  Rose  was  resident  at  Floor,  in 
Northamptonshire,  (England,)  and  was 


esteemed  by  all  his  religious  acquaint- 
ance, a  very  humble,  pious  man.  He 
was  a  constant  and  serious  attendant  on 
the  means  of  grace,  both  public  and  pri- 
vate ;  and  was  scarcely  ever  absent  from 
church  meetings.  His  general  conver- 
sation showed  a  mind  mortified  to  the 
world,  and  devoted  to  God.  This  good 
man,  towards  the  close  of  life,  was  under 
great  darkness  and  dejection  of  mind ; 
and  in  his  last  sickness  was  filled  with 
desponding  apprehensions  as  to  the  safe- 
ty of  his  state.  These  apprehensions 
he  expressed  in  so  affecting  a  manner, 
as  greatly  interested  the  feelings  of  his 
pious  friends,  and  particularly  Mr.  Petto, 
the  pastor  of  the  church,  who  frequently 
visited,  conversed,  and  prayed  with  him. 
All  this  availed  nothing ;  he  refused  to 
be  comforted,  because  he  thought  that 
the  promises  of  the  gospel  did  not  belong 
to  him.  As  death  seemed  to  approach, 
he  was  violently  agitated  with  horror 
and  despair,  and  addressed  his  friends 
that  visited  him  in  terms  that  filled  them 
with  great  distress.  The  circumstance 
occasioned  great  searching  of  heart 
among  them.  They  had  been  wont  to 
269 


133 


DESPAIR.  UNFOUNDED. 


entertain  a  very  high  opinion  of  his  per-  I 
sonal  piety,  and  could  not  account  for  j 
this  strange  dispensation.  However,  | 
the  day  on  which  he  died,  a  minister  j 
who  was  on  a  journey,  called  at  Mr.  | 
Potto's,  not  with  any  view  of  stopping ;  1 
but  Mr.  Petto  desired  him  to  alight,  for  | 
he  had  a  circumstance  to  relate  to  him,  | 
which  was  the  case  of  this  poor  dis-  I 
tressed  friend,  and  expressed  a  wish  that 
he  would  go  and  see  him,  in  liopes  he 
might  be  directed  to  say  something  that 
might  be  useful.  After  giving  a  brief 
account  of  the  life  and  conversation  of 
Mr.  Rose,  expressing  the  great  esteem 
he  had  for  him,  and  the  concern  which 
his  present  state  of  distress  gave  him, 
&c.,  they  went  to  see  him.  On  ap- 
proaching the  bed  of  the  poor  dying 
man,  the  minister  asked  him  how  he  was 
in  his  mind  ?  "  O  sir,"  said  he,  "  never 
worse,  never  worse  !  I  am  in  a  lost  state  ! 
just  dying,  and  have  no  hope  !  I  am  as 
sure  that  I  shall  go  to  hell,  as  I  am  of 
being  a  man  !"  The  minister  replied  : 
"  Friend,  I  am  grieved  to  find  you  under 
so  much  dejection  ;  but  however,  though 
[  dare  not  positively  say  that  you  will 
not  go  to  hell,  from  all  the  accounts  I 
can  gather  concerning  you,  I  believe 
you  are  not  likely  to  stop  there  long ;  for 
you  have  loved  the  company  of  serious 
Christians,  to  converse  with  them  on 
religious  subjects ;  and  you  were  most 
in  your  element  when  you  have  been 
attending  at  such  opportunities.  You 
have  been  wont  to  tell  of  the  love  and 
loveliness  of  Christ — of  his  matchless 
grace  and  condescension  in  assuming 
human  nature,  and  obeying  and  suffer- 
ing for  the  redemption  and  salvation  of 
sinners  ;  and  also  of  the  work  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  in  revealing  Christ  to  the 
souls  of  sinners,  as  the  only  hope  set 
before  them  in  the  gospel.  Now  I  would 
have  you  to  know  that,  as  this  was  the 
habitual  temper  and  disposition  of  your 
mind,  and  in  all  the  past  part  of  your 
life,  ever  since  you  knew  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  death  will  make  no  change  in 
the  habit  of  your  mind.  Nay  ;  and  if 
you  should  even  go  to  hell,  you  will  be 
the  same  man ;  and  you  will  begin  to 
talk  on  the  same  subjects.  Now,  this 
will  never  be  borne ;  your  company 
will  soon  be  hateful  to  the  inhabitants 
270 


of  hell,  and  the  devil  v/ill  soon  turn  you 
out  again." 

This  peculiar  thought  was  the  nieans, 
in  the  hand  of  the  Spirit,  of  setting  the 
poor  man  at  liberty  ;  for,  with  an  ex- 
pressive smile,  he  exclaimed,  "  All  is 
well,  all  is  well !"  and  departed  in  a 
few  minutes  after.  Those  words  had 
a  remarkable  accomplishment  in  him  : 
*'  Mark  the  perfect  man,  and  behold  the 
upright ;  for  the  end  of  that  man  is 
peace." 

(c)  WILSON  AND  THE  SOL- 
DIER. — One  evening,  as  the  Rev.  Wil- 
liam  Wilson  of  Perth  was  passing  along 
the  streets  of  that  town,  three  soldiers, 
then  quartered  in  it,  happened  to  walk 
behind  him,  who  were  indulging  in  the 
utterance  of  the  most  profane  and  blas- 
phemous language.  One  of  them,  on 
some  frivolous  account,  declared  it  to 
be  his  wish,  that  God  Almighty  might 
damn  his  soul  in  hell  to  all  eternity. 
Mr.  Wilson  immediately  turned  round, 
and,  with  a  look  of  dignity  and  compas- 
sion, said,  "  Poor  man,  and  what  if  God 
should  say  amen,  and  answer  that  pray- 
er !"  Mr.  Wilson  passed  on.  The  man 
seemed  to  stand  petrified,  and,  on  going 
home  to  his  quarters,  was  in  such  dis- 
traction of  mind  and  feeling,  that  he 
knew  not  whither  to  turn  for  relief. 
He  was  soon  afterwards  seized  with 
fever,  under  which  he  continued  to  suf- 
fer the  most  awful  forebodings  of  eternal 
misery.  His  case  was  so  singular,  that 
many  Christians  went  to  visit  him,  to 
whom  he  invariably  said  he  was  sure 
of  being  beyond  the  reach  of  mercy, 
and  that  God  had  sent  his  angel  to  tell 
him  so.  One  of  them  asked  him  to  de- 
scribe the  appearance  of  the  person  who 
had  pronounced  this  doom  on  him.  He 
did  so,  and  the  visitant  at  once  perceiv- 
ing that  it  must  have  been  Mr.  Wilson, 
ifiquired  if  he  would  wish  again  to  see 
him.  "Oh,"  said  he,  "I  would  wish 
above  every  thing  to  see  him,  but  he 
will  not  come  near  a  wretch  like  me." 
Mr.  Wilson  was  soon  brought,  and  told 
him  of  the  way  of  salvation  through 
Christ  crucified,  and  encouraged  him  to  „ 
flee  for  refuge  to  lay  hold  upon  the  hope  I 
set  before  him.  His  words  being  ac-  * 
companied  by  Divine  power,  the  poor 
soldier  was  enabled  to  believe  in  Christ, 


J 


DIFFICULTIES  IN  CHURCHES. 


134 


and  thus  found  peace  and  comfort  to  his  i  his  discharge.  He  settled  in  Perth,  be- 
troubled  soul.  He  soon  afterwards  re-  j  came  a  member  of  the  church,  attached 
covered,  'and  became  a  very  exemplary  himself  steadily  to  Mr.  Wilson,  and  was 
Christian ;  and,  as  he  felt  the  army  un-  through  life  a  comfort  to  him,  and  an 
favorable  to  a  religious  life,  Mr.  W.  at  ornament  to  the  Christian  profession. 
his  request  used  influence,  and  procured 


134.  DIFFICULTIES  IN  CHURCHES. 


(a)  FULLER  AND  HIS  CHURCH. 

— Some  years  after  Mr.  Fuller  had  re- 
moved from  Soham  to  Kettering,  a  dif- 
ficulty arose  between  him  and  some  of 
the  members  of  this  church,  which  grew 
and  increased,  till  it  became  formidable. 
It  was  expected  by  both  parties,  that 
Mr.  Fuller  must  quit  his  place,  as  no 
means  of  accommodation  presented  it- 
self It  was  a  time  of  painful  suspense 
to  a  few,  who  began  to  perceive  in  him 
the  opening  of  those  faculties  which  after- 
wards were  so  conspicuous  and  useful. 
In  these  difficulties,  application  was 
made  to  Dr.  Ryland,  then  of  Northamp- 
ton, Rev.  Robert  Hall,  senior,  of  Arnsby, 
and  Rev.  Jno.  Sutcliff,  of  Almy,  to  meet 
at  Kettering,  and  give  their  advice. 

Mr.  Hall  proposed  to  be  there  the 
day  before  the  meeting  ;  and,  if  agreea- 
ble, to  give  them  a  sermon  in  the 
evening.  The  meeting  was  published, 
and  the  people  assembled.  Mr.  Hall 
came  according  to  appointment,  and  an- 
nounced from  the  pulpit  as  his  text,  the 
following  words — "  And  one  went  in 
and  told  his  Lord,  saying,  thus  and  thus 
said  the  maid,  that  is  of  the  land  of 
Israel."     2  Kings  5:4. 

After  an  ingenious  and  appropriate 
introduction,  ho  made  upon  the  words 
two  remarks.  1.  Much  of  the  trouble 
and  confusion  in  society  originate  in  the 
parties  misunderstanding  each  other. 
2.  A  mutual,  candid  explanation  will 
frequently  remove  all  such  difficulties, 
and  restore  harmony. 

When  he  had  finished  the  service 
and  pronounced  the  benediction,  a  dea- 
con of  the  church  arose  and  requested, 
that  the  members  of  the  church  would 
keep  their  places,  till  the  congregation 
were  withdrawn.  The  church  being 
by  themselves,  he  addressed  them  in 
purport  as  follows : — Brethren,  we  have 


had  much  trouble'  of  late  ;  we  have 
been  led  to  think  hard  of  our  pastor, 
and  to  wish  him  removed.  It  occurred 
to  me  while  Mr.  Hall  was  preaching, 
is  there  no  misunderstanding  among 
us  '?  There  may  be,  and  that  may  be 
the  cause  of  our  difficulty.  As  several 
of  his  brethren  had  similar  impres- 
sions, the  business  was  freely  discussed. 
They  came  to  the  conclusion  to  draw 
up  a  list  of  their  complaints,  and  to  add 
to  each  a  suitable  question,  which  their 
pastor  was  requested  to  answer  in  wri- 
ting. They  sent  messengers  with  this 
paper  to  wait  upon  him  immediately, 
and  request  his  answers  to  the  questions. 
After  free  conversation  with  him  in  his 
study,  he  furnished  them  with  the 
required  answers,  which  they  carried 
back  to  their  brethren,  who  were  wait- 
ing for  them  in  the  meeting-house. 
They  examined  them,  acknowledged 
they  had  been  entirely  mistaken,  and 
that  there  was  no  ground  for  any  dif- 
ference between  them  and  their  pastor. 
With  this  report  they  sent  their  messen- 
gers back  to  Mr.  Fuller,  who  received 
them  in  a  Christian  spirit,  and  all  the 
difficulties  were  done  away  before  the 
parties  slept.  He  spent  the  rest  of  his 
days  with  them  in  usefulness,  honor  and 
credit,  and  few  men  ever  enjoyed  more 
of  the  affection  of  a  church  than  him- 
self 

(h)  THE  MISDIRECTED  LET- 
TER.—"The  Rev.  Mr.  Bulkley  of 
Colchester,  Conn.,  was  famous  in  his 
day  as  a  casuist  and  sage  counsellor. 
A  church  in  his  neighborhood  had  fall- 
en into  unhappy  divisions  and  conten- 
tions, which  they  were  unable  to  adjust 
among  themselves.  They  deputed  one 
of  their  number  to  the  venerable  Bulk- 
ley,  for  his  services,  with  a  request  that 
he  would  send  it  to  them  in  writing. 
271 


134,  135 


DISCIPLINE,  FAMILY. 


The  matters  were  taken  into  serious  con- 
sideration, and  the  advice,  with  much  de- 
liberation, committed  to  writing.  It  so 
happened,  that  Mr.  Bulkley  had  a  farm 
in  an  extreme  part  of  the  town,  upon 
which  he  intrusted  a  tenant.  In  su- 
perscribing the  two  letters,  the  one  for 
the  church  was  directed  to  the  tenant, 
and  the  one  for  the  tenant  to  the  church. 
The  church  was  convened  to  hear  the 
advice  which  was  to  settle  all  their  dis- 
putes. The  moderator  read  as  follows : 
You  will  see  to  the  repair  of  the  fences^ 
that  they  he  built  high  and  strong,  and 
you  will  take  special  care  of  the  old  black 
bull.  This  mystical  advice  puzzled 
the  church  at  first,  but  an  interpreter 
among  the  more  discerning  ones  was 
soon  found,  who  said.  Brethren,  this  is 
the  very  advice  we  most  need  ;  the  di- 
rection to  repair  the  fences  is  to  ad 
monish  us  to  take  good  heed  in  the  ad- 
mission and  government  of  our  mem- 
bers ;  we  must  guard  the  church  by 
our  Master's  laws,  and  keep  out  strange 
cattle  from  the  fold.  And  we  must 
in  a  particular  manner  set  a  watch- 
ful guard  over  the  Devil,  the  old  black 
bull,  who  has  done  so  much  hurt  of  late. 


All  perceived  the  wisdom  and  fitness  of 
Mr.  Bulkley 's  advice,  and  resolved  to 
be  governed  by  it.  The  consequence 
was,  all  the  animosities  subsided,  and 
harmony  was  restored  to  the  long  af- 
flicted church. 

(c)  KILPIN'S  METHOD.— When 
any  member  of  Mr.  Kilpin's  church  at 
Exeter,  came  with  details  of  real  or  sup- 
posed injuries,  received  from  a  fellov/- 
member,  after  listening  to  the  reporter, 
Mr.  K.  would  inquire  if  they  had  men- 
tioned these  grievances  to  their  offend- 
ing brother  or  sister.  If  the  reply  was 
in  the  negative,  and  usually  it  was  so, 
he  would  then  calmly  order  a  messen- 
ger to  fetch  them,  remarking,  that  it 
would  be  ungenerous  to  decide,  and  un- 
scriptural  to  act,  merely  from  hearing 
the  statement  of  one  party.  This  de- 
termination always  produced  alarm, 
and  the  request  that  nothing  might  be 
mentioned  to  the  parties  implicated. 
This  plan  had  a  peaceful  influence,  and 
often  produced  humility  and  self  accu- 
sation. Assertions  and  proofs  are  very 
different  grounds  for  the  exercise  of 
judgment,  and  are  more  distinct  than 
angry  persons  imagine. 


135.  DISCIPLINE,  FAMILY. 


135.  Disciplining  Children  in  Infancy. 

(a)  THE  ROD  SUCCESSFUL.— 
The  following  fact  occurred  in  the 
family  of  a  pious  minister,  who  had 
then  a  revival  in  his  congregation. 

"  Electra,"  said  her  mother  to  a 
little  daughter  of  two  and  a  half  years 
old,  playing  on  the  floor,  "  bring  me 
that  apple,  my  dear."  She  looked  at 
her  mother  and  said,  "  No,"  with  in- 
diflference,  and  resumed  her  play.  Her 
mother  rejoined,  "  bring  me  that  apple 
instantly ;"  and  was  answered,  "  I 
wont."  Things  now  became  in  ear- 
nest ;  and  after  several  more  orders  and 
refusals,  the  case  was  resigned  to  the 
father,  who  was  present  and  observed 
the  scene.  With  a  tone  of  authority, 
and  yet  benevolence,  he  reiterated  the 
mandate,  "  Take  that  apple  to  your 
mother,  my  child  !"  Electra  arose  and 
272 


went  to  the  place  where  the  apple  was, 
picked  up  a  chip  that  was  near  it,  re- 
turned, threw  it  into  her  mother's  lap, 
and  was  going  to  her  play.  Her  father 
here  took  hold  of  her,  brought  her  near 
him,  expostulated,  warned,  and  then  re- 
ordered her.  Her  sullenness  deepened 
into  silence  and  malignity — my  will  be 
done,  was  her  deliberate  position.  Her 
father  took  down  the  provided  birch, 
and  very  dispassionately  applied  it  to 
the  obstinate  offender.  Electro  scream- 
ed, and  begged,  and  called  for  her  mo- 
ther, who  first  interfered,  and  then,  not 
succeeding,  in  a  flood  of  tears  left  the 
room.  Her  father  forbore,  and  tried 
her  again.  She  walked  pouting  and 
sobbing  to  the  apple,  stood  still  near  it, 
and  said — she  could  not  pick  it  up.  Her 
father  understood  the  nature  of  her  in. 
ability,  and  its  true  relation  to  account, 
ability.     He  paused  for  some  minutes  ^ 


DISCIPLINING  CHILDREN. 


13S 


Electra  looked  alternately  at  the  apple 
and  at  him,  pouted,  rubbed  her  eyes, 
and  said  again  that  she  could  not  pick 
up  the  apple.  Another  whipping  was 
the  consequence.  Electra  screamed 
louder  than  ever,  begged  and  promised. 
On  this  her  father  tried  her  again.  She 
went  to  the  apple,  stood  still,  held  her 
eyes  to  the  floor,  said  and  did  nothing. 
Here  some  sympathetic  spectators — 
friends  of  the  family  visiting — began  to 
plead  and  apologize  for  the  sufferer,  and 
insinuated  that  it  was  useless  and  ty- 
rannous to  persist.  Her  father,  with  a 
look,  gave  them  their  answer,  and  his 
sentiments.  He  again  applied  the  birch, 
and  let  not  his  soul  spare  for  her  cry- 
ing. As  soon  as  he  ceased,  while  his 
steady  carriage  had  awed  the  circle  into 
silence,  Electra  showed  another  crea- 
ture :  she  ran  to  the  apple,  took  it  up, 
and  brought  it  to  her  father.  Her  aa- 
tions  spoke  her  obstinacy  gone,  her 
pride  subdued,  her  temper  humbled, 
tender,  penitent.  Her  mother  was  call- 
ed. As  soon  as  she  entered  the  apart- 
ment, "  Electra,"  said  her  father,  "  p^t 
this  apple  where  it  was  on  tlie  carpet ;" 
she  obeyed.  Again,  said  he,  "  Take  it 
up  and  carry  it  to  your  mother."  She 
obeyed  with  alacrity  and  tear^.  "  Come 
here,  my  daughter."  Sh3  came.  To 
the  questions,  ''Are  you  sorry  ?"  and 
others  liie  it,  she  asi?ented  ;  constantly 
opening  her  arms  and  raising  her  lips 
for  the  caresses  c(  her  father. 

Her  mother  then  began  her  confession, 
asked  pardon  for  the  improper  strength 
of  her  feeh'ngs,  and  acknowledged  that 
her  love  for  the  child  was  spurious  in 
comparison  with  that  of  her  husband. 
The  others  united  in  the  acknowledg- 
ment. 

{h)    THE  BALL  OF  YARN. 


M- 


was  the  only  child  out  of  five. 


spared  to  her  parents.  The  father  re- 
lates the  following  incident  which  oc- 
curred when  she  was  two  years  old. 
She  was  diverting  herself  with  a  ball 
of  yarn,  one  day,  from  which  her  grand- 
mother was  occasionally  taking  a  piece 
to  mend  stockings.  The  old  lady  wish- 
ing to  replenish  her  nf^edle,  called  upon 
M —  for  the  ball.  For  some  reason 
best  known  to  her  little  self  she  refused 
to  give  it  up.  The  request  for  the  ball 
18 


was  several  times  repeats:'  but  without 
obtaining  it.  The  father  sitting  by, 
reading,  interfered  and  added  his  re- 
quest that  she  would  give  up  the  ball, 
but  without  effect.  He  then  told  her 
decidedly — "Carry  the  ball  to  grand- 
ma." But  instead  of  obeying  she  fixed 
herself  in  a  position  of  resistaiice  ;  and 
with  eyes  directed  to  the  floor,  and  hi  r 
hand  grasping  the  ball  more  firmly,  she 
stood  unmoved.  The  command  was 
repeated ;  but  the  only  answer  A^as  a 
shrug  of  the  shoulders,  a  twite ;i  of  the 
muscles,  and  a  gb'^ce  of  the  eye,  in- 
timating decidedly  "I  wont."  The 
command  was  repeated  again,  and,  to 
his  surprise,  the  same  answer  was 
given.  He  arose  from  his  seat,  and 
approaching  her,  repeated  the  com- 
mand  ;  but  instead  of  obedience  she 
threw  the  ball  spitefully  across  the 
room.  He  took  her  by  the  hand,  led 
her  \o  the  ball,  told  her  to  take  it  up 
an(?  carry  it  to  her  grandmother.  She 
refused — he  bent  her  forward  and 
placed  her  hand  on  the  ball,  repeating 
the  command  ;  but  instead  of  obeying 
she  gave  it  a  knock  to  the  other  side  of 
the  room.  He  led  her  to  it  and  re- 
peated the  order,  placing  her  hand 
again  on  the  yarn,  and  accompanying 
the  order  with  a  threat  of  punishment ; 
but  to  no  effect.  After  spending  about 
fifteen  minutes  in  this  way,  he  inflicted 
several  smart  blows  ;  but,  though  she 
cried  lustily,  she  refused  to  yield.  He 
repeated  the  blows  two  or  three  times 
until  she  stopped  crying,  and  finally 
submitted.  She  catches  up  the  ball, 
and  filled  with  sudden  penitence  and 
love,  she  stretches  out  her  arms,  and 
strives  to  cling  around  her  father's  iieck 
and  kiss  him.  But,  to  test  her  sincerity, 
he  requires  her  first  to  carry  the  ball  of 
yarn  to  grandma.  She  does  so  and 
comes  back,  but,  before  he  will  let  her 
kiss  him,  he  orders  her  to  go  and  get 
the  ball  and  bring  it  to  him.  She  obeys 
at  once.  He  then  orders  her  to  place  it 
in  a  chair,  at  another  end  of  the  room ; 
she  obeys  as  quickly  and  returns  again. 
He  sends  her  again  for  it,  and  orders 
her  with  it  thence  to  another  place,  and 
thence  to  the  old  lady.  All  is  done 
as  he  commands.  After  these  repeat- 
ed proofs  of  the  reality  or  her  submis- 
273 


136,  137 


DISCIPLINE,  FAMILY. 


sion,  he  suffers  her  to  kiss  him,  and  to 
kiss  her  grandmother,  and  then  to  go  to 
her  play  again.  The  father  says,  he 
never  had  much  trouble  after  this  event 
in  securing  the  obedience  of  that  daugh- 
ter; indeed  she  was  ever  afterwards 
the  most  affectionate  and  obedient  of  his 
children,  though  naturally  the  most  de- 
cided and  self-willed  of  either  of  them. 

136.  Discipline  accompanied  with  Prayer. 

(a)  EFFECTUAL     CHASTISE- 
MENT.— A  father  called  to  account  a 
little  boy,  an  offender  about  five  years 
of  age.     After  conversing  with  him  and 
telling  him  the  guilt  and  consequences 
of   disobedience,   he   knelt   down    and 
prayed  for  him,  and  when  he  arose,  re- 
peated to  him  a  few  texts  of  Scripture, 
such   as, — "  He  that  spair^th  the   rod, 
hateth  his  son  ;    but  he  that  "i^veth  him, 
chasteneth   him   betimes."   •  ''Chasten 
thy  son  while  there  is  yet  hope,  bxid  let 
not  thy  soul  spare  for  his  crying."  "The 
rod   and   reproof,   give  wisdom,  but  % 
child  left  to  himself,  bringeth  his  pa- 
rents to  shame."     After  briefly  explain, 
ing   these   passages,   the  father  contin- 
ued:   "You  see,    my  son,  what    God 
says  ;  now  what  is  my  duty  ?"     "  Why, 
Pa,"  said  the  little  boy,  "  it  is  your  duty 
to  punish  me :  I  have  done  wrong  and 
deserve  it."  After  receiving  the  chastise- 
ment, he  embraced  and  kissed  his  father 
with  evident  thankfulness,  and  promised 
never  again  to  disobey  him. 

(b)  SIGNIFICANT  CONFESSION. 
— I  am  acquainted,  says  the  Rev.  R. 
J.  Smith,  with  a  young  man  whose  father 
died  when  he  was  but  an  infant,  but 
whose  mother  always  controlled  and  go- 
verned him.  One  day  in  conversation 
upon  this  subject,  he  remarked  to  me, 
"  Whenever  I  was  guilty  of  disobeying 
my  mother,  and  she  called  me  to  ac- 
count, she  would  talk  to  me  seriously, 
and  then  kneel  down  in  prayer  and  tell 
God  all  about  my  conduct  and  the  con- 
sequences of  my  course.  I  used  to  feel 
at  such  times  as  if  my  heart  would 
burst,  and  I  have  often  said — "  Ma, 
whip  me,  but  don't  talk  to  me  and  pray 

,  for  me."  "  Ah,"  said  he,  "  it  was  the 
talking  and  praymg  that  affected  me 
more  than  the  whipping,  though  all 
were  necessary." 

274 


(c)    APPLYING    THE    WRONG 
REMEDY. — A   gentleman's  son,  says 
the  Berlin     Evangelical  Journal,  was 
brought  to  Mr.  Flattich,  an  aged  clergy, 
man,   of  Wirtemburg,    Germany,  who 
was  famous  as  an  instructor  of  youth, 
with  the  request  that  he  would  place 
him  under  his  discipline  and  instruction. 
"  I  must  give  you  to  understand,"  said 
the  gentleman,  when  alone  with  the  min- 
ister, "  that  my  son  is  a  desperate  lad, 
upon  whom,   hitherto,  all  instructions, 
all  corrections,  have  been  lost.     I  have 
admonished  him,  I  have  whipped  him,  I 
have  shamed  him  before  company,  but 
he  still  remains  a  desperate  boy  ;  praise 
and    blame   are  equally   unavailing." 
The   minister   asked  whether   he    had 
sought  for  no  other  remedies.      "  Yes," 
said   the   father,    "  I  confined   the   boy 
once  to  bread  and  water  for  two  days 
together."      The   minister   still   asked 
him    if   he    had    tried    nothing    else. 
"  Yes,"  he  replied,  "  I   have   exposed 
him  to  the  cold."     Upon  being  further 
questioned,   he   mentioned   other   mea- 
SMres  he  had  resorted  to,  without  any 
good  effect.     He   had   in   vain   sought 
mild  methods  to  bring  him  to  reason  ; 
he  had,  ^r  example,  let  him  go  into  the 
company  of  well-behavf^d  children  ;  but 
the  boy  wouVl  escape  as  soon  as  possi- 
ble into  the  society  of  boys  in  the  street, 
or  else    would   exhibit   rude   behavior 
before  the  orderly  c\\ildren.     Upon  this 
the  old  clergyman  said  that  all  these 
were  not  the  right  remedy ;  he  knew  a 
better  remedy  for  such  desperate  cases, 
and  that  was  prayer.     He  asked  him 
whether  he  had  deliberately  and  earn- 
estly prayed  with  his  son,  and  for  him. 
The  gentleman  said,  he  must  confess  he 
had  not  done  it.     Then,   observed  the 
clergyman,  it  need  not   seem   strange 
that  all  your  pains  applied  have  been  in 
vain.     Flattich  now  tried  his   remedy 
upon  the  boy,  and  it  succeeded  so  well, 
that,  as  the  writer  of  this  communica- 
tion knows,  from  a  desperate  youth  he 
became  an  excellent  and  efficient  man. 

117.  Religious  Tendency  of  Discipline, 

(a)    THE    LAD'S    PRAYER— A 

gentleman's  son,  in  England,  of  ten  or 

I  eleven  years  of  age,  one  day  told  an  un- 


RELIGIOUS  TENDENCY  OF  DISCIPLINE. 


137 


truth,  which  afterwards  came  to  the 
I  nowledge  of  his  father,  who  determin- 
ed to  chastise  him  severely  for  it. 

He  took  the  boy  and  an  instrument 
of  correction  into  a  chamber,  and  there 
reprimanded  him,  setting  forth  the  hein- 
ousness  of  the  sin  against  God,  and 
the  injury  he  was  doing  to  his  own 
souL  He  then  proceeded  to  the  work 
of  correction ;  though  every  stroke  was 
doubtless  as  afflictive  to  the  parent 
as  the  child.  After  this  the  father  left 
the  boy  in  the  room,  and  made  as  though 
he  was  going  down  the  stairs,  shutting 
the  door  behind  him.  But,  pausing  a 
little,  he  returned  softly  to  the  door,  and 
waited  some  time,  hearing  the  sobbing 
and  sighing  of  the  boy.  After  a  while 
the  father  heard  a  movement  and  began 
to  think  of  retreating.  But  after  de- 
scending a  step  or  two,  he  heard  his  son 
speak,  and  softly  resuming  his  former 
station,  and  looking  through  the  key- 
hole of  the  door,  he  perceived  his  son 
on  his  knees !  The  boy  proceeded  to 
acknowledo-e  his  ffuilt  and  shame  before 
God,  and  to  pray  for  forgiveness  ;  thank- 
ing God  for  favoring  him  with  such  a 
father  as  would  not  suffer  sin  upon  him. 
In  many  similar  instances  the  faithful 
punishment  of  disobedient  children  leads 
them  to  be  contrite  towards  their  parents 
for  their  offences  against  them  ;  and 
the  transition  from  siccfi  penitence  in  a 
child  religiously  educated,  to  a  scrip- 
tural repentance  towards  God,  is,  com- 
paratively speaking,  an  easy  and  natu- 
ral one.  Other  things  being  equal, 
there  can  be  no  doubt  of  this  proposition 
at  least,  that  a  child  who  is  often  led 
humbly  to  acknowledge  and  mourn  over 
his  offences  against  his  earthly  parents, 
is  more  likely  to  be  convicted  of  his 
sins  against  his  heavenly  Father,  to 
confess,  forsake,  and  find  mercy. 

(h)  THE  CHILD'S  GRATITUDE. 
— A  child,  who  had  been  trained  in  the 
ways  of  religion,  by  a  parent  who  was 
kind,  but  judiciously  firm,  as  she  sunk 
to  rest  iri  pea(?eful  reliance  on  her  Sa- 
vior's love,  affectionately  thanked  her 
beloved  mother  for  all  her  tender  care 
and  kindness ;  but  added,  "  I  thank  you 
most  of  all,  for  having  subdued  my  self- 
will."  And  why  so  much  gratitude  for 
the  mother's  faithful  discipline  ?  Doubt- 


less because  the  child  regarded  it  as 
preparatory  to  the  submission  of  her 
will  to  God,  and  thus  instrumental  of 
her  salvation. 

(c)  THE  INDULGED  CHILD.— 
A  mother,  says  Rev.  R.  J.  Smith,  relat- 
ed to  me  the  following  instance,  illus- 
trating the  relation  between  submission 
to  parental  authority,  and  conversion  or 
submission  to  the  will  of  ^od.  She  had 
several  children,  and  seemed  properly  to 
understand  the  importance  of  training 
them  to  prompt  and  cheerful  obedience, 
and,  as  a  consequence,  they  were  early 
converted  to  God.  One  of  these  chil- 
dren, however,  had  been  from  infancy 
subject  to  fits,  general  weakness,  and 
derangement  of  the  physical  system.  It 
was  the  general  injunction  of  her  phy- 
sician, that  she  should  be  kept  as  quiet 
as  possible,  and  that  her  will  should  not 
be  crossed.  The  mother  acted  accord- 
ingly, and  all  her  whims  and  desires 
were  freely  indulged.  But  instead  of 
rendering  her  calm  and  quiet,  this 
course  made  her  peevish,  fretful,  and 
stubborn.  After  making  it  a  subject 
of  study  and  prayer,  the  mother  deter- 
mined to  subdue  her  will,  and  govern 
her  as  she  did  her  other  children.  She 
called  to  her  the  girl,  and  confessed  to 
her  that  the  course  she  had  been  pur- 
suing towards  her  was  wrong,  and  told 
her  that  now  she  must  depend  upon 
obeying  her  or  she  should  punish  her. 

She  soon  required  a  certain  duty  at 
her  hand,  but  as  she  was  not  accustom- 
ed  to  obey,  she  paid  no  regard  to  the  re- 
quirement. The  mother  commenced 
chastising  her,  and  said,  for  the  time  it 
seemed  as  though  the  child  would  be 
the  conqueror.  But  fully  resolved  on 
securing  obedience,  she  persevered  un- 
til the  child  yielded.  She  was  penitent, 
begged  her  mother  to  forgive  her,  and 
promised  in  future  always  to  obey  her. 
From  this  time,  she  saw  that  she  had 
not  only  sinned  against  her  mother,  but 
against  God.  A  few  nights  atler  this 
occurrence,  the  mother  said  she  was 
awakened  at  midnight,  with  the  cry — 
"  Ma,  pray  for  me,  for  I  am  a  grea 
sinner."  She  arose,  knelt  by  her  side 
and  commended  her  to  God ;  and  the 
little  girl  begged  of  God,  as  she  had  be- 
fore done  of  her  mother,  to  forgive  her ; 
275 


13S,  139 


DISCIPLINE,  FAMILY. 


and  arose  with  the  evidence  that  her 
sins  were  forgiven. 

In  a  short  time  she  was  taken  violent- 
ly ill,  and  failed  rapidly.  One  day  she 
called  her  mother  to  her  death-bed,  ex- 
tended her  hand  and  said,  "  Ma,  I  thank 
you  that  you  gave  me  that  whipping 
the  other  day ;  if  you  had  not  I  should 
have  died  in  my  sins  and  gone  to  hell ; 
but  now  I  feej  that  you  have  forgiven 
me,  and  God  has  forgiven  me  ;  and  I  am 
going  to  heaven.  She  then  embraced  her 
mother  in  her  arms  and  kissed  her,  and 
bade  her  farewell  saying,  "  I  shall  soon 
meet  you  again  in  heaven,"  and  sweet- 
ly fell  asleep  in  Jesus.  j 

If  parents  do  not  obtain  and  keep  the 
mastery  of  the  will,  they  place  an 
almost  insurmountable  obstacle  in  the 
way  of  their  children  ever  being 
converted  and  saved.  They  are  either 
never  converted,  or  if  converted  are 
given  to  perpetual  backslidings,  and 
make  little  or  no  progress  in  piety. 
While  those  whose  wills  have  been  sub- 
jected to  parental  authority  in  early 
life,  are  likely  to  be  early  converted, 
and  afterwards  to  prove  steadfast  in 
their  allegiance  and  obedience  to  God. 

1^8.  Discipline  Witliheld. 

(a)  THE  RUINED  SON.— An  only 
son  of  pious  and  respectable  parents, 
says  a  writer  in  the  Christian  Watch- 
man, was  sent  to  school  in  a  neighbor- 
ing village.  He  gave  early  intimations 
of  the  truth  of  Solomon's  remark,  in 
Prov.  29  :  15.  Reports  of  his  impro- 
per conduct  reached  the  ears,  and 
pierced  the  hearts  of  his  fond  parents, 
and  called  forth  repeated  expostulations. 

I  was  present  one  day,  when  he  re- 
ceived a  letter  from  them,  written  in  the 
bitterness  of  parental  grief.  They  told 
him  of  their  anxiety,  their  sleepless 
nights,  their  tears  and  prayers  in  his  be- 
half. They  warned  him  of  his  danger  ; 
they  implored  him  to  listen  to  the  coun- 
sel of  an  affectionate  father,  a  kind,  but 
heart-broken  mother.  The  son  read 
the  letter  soberly ;  sat  for  a  moment  as 
if  in  deep  thought,  and  the  muscles  of 
his  face  betrayed  the  working  of  a 
troubled  conscience.  Suddenly  spring- 
ing upon  his  feet,  and  with  a  look  of 
276 


ineffable  contempt,  he  dashed  the  letter 
into  the  fire,  exclaiming,  "  There,  now, 
let  the  old  man  and  woman  warn,  write 
letters,  pray  and  whine  :  it  is  of  no  use : 
a  good  whipping,  well  laid  on,  ten  years 
ago,  would  have  done  more  to  save  me  V 
While  on  a  journey,  in  September, 
1834,  I  met  this  same  only  son,  on  the 
public  road.  He  was  reeling  with  in- 
toxication, and  pouring  forth  a  torrent 
of  profane  and  obscene  language.  Me- 
mory instantly  reverted  to  his  early 
days,  and  to  his  pious,  though  misjudg- 
ing parents,  who  have  since  entered 
their  rest.  He  was  the  only  son  ;  a 
false  tenderness  led  to  indulgence  ;  in- 
dulgence fostered  the  corruptions  of  his 
heart,  and  these  led  him  on  to  ruin. 
The  whole  face  of  society  is  marked 
with  examples  of  the  same  kind. 

119.  Miscellaneous. 

{a)  HE  NEVER  SPEAKS  KIND  TO 
ME. — Conversing  the  other  day,  says 
one,  with  an  interesting  little  girl  be- 
tween six  and  seven  years  old,  I  took 
occasion  to  impress  upon  her  mind  the 
debt  of  gratitude  due  from  her  to  her 
Heavenly  Parent  for  bestowing  upon 
her  so  good  and  kind  a  parent,  whom 
every  body  loves.  1  was  perfectly 
thunderstruck  with  her  answer.  Look- 
ing me  full  in  the  face  with  her  soft 
blue  eyes,  she  replied,  "  He  never 
speaks  kind  to  me."  Perhaps  this 
Christian  father,  harassed  with  the 
cares  of  life,  was  unconscious  that  he 
had  roughly  checked  the  fond  attention 
of  his  child ;  but  could  cares  or  the  in- 
terruptions of  his  child  excuse  unkind- 
ness  or  a  total  want  of  tokens  of  en- 
dearment ?  Will  fathers  examine  their 
habits  on  this  point  1 

(b)  "MY  MOTHER  NEVER 
TELLS  LIES."— Some  females,  says 
the  St.  Louis  Obser/er,  met  at  the  house 
of  a  friend,  in  this  city,  for  an  evenmg 
visit,  when  the  following  scene  and  con- 
versation occurred  : — 

The  child  of  one  of  the  females,  about 
five  years  old,  was  guilty  of  rude,  noisy 
conduct,  very  improper  on  all  occasions, 
and  particularly  so  at  a  stranger's  house. 
The  mother  kindly  reproved  her : 

'*  Sarah,  you  must  not  do  so." 


DISCIPLINE,  CHURCH. 


139,  140 


The  child  soon  forgot  the  reproof  and 
became  as  noisy  as  ever.  The  mother 
firmly  said, 

"  Sarah,  if  you  do  so  again  I  will 
punish  you." 

But  not  long  after,  Sarah  '-  did  so 
again."  When  the  company  were 
about  to  separate,  the  mother  stepped 
into  a  neighbor's  house,  intending  to  re- 
turn for  the  child.  During  her  absence 
the  thought  of  going  home  recalled  to 
the  mind  of  Sarah  the  punishment, 
which  her  mother  told  her  she  might 
expect.  The  recollection  turned  her 
rudeness  and  thoughtlessness  to  sorrow. 
A  young  lady  present,  observing  it,  and 
learning  the  cause,  in  order  to  pacify 
her  said, 

"  Never  mind,  I  will  ask  your  mo- 
ther not  to  whip  you." 

"Oh,"  said  Sarah,  "that  will  do  no 
good.     My  mother  never  tells  lies.^' 

Said  my  informant,  who  is  also  a 
parent,  "  I  learned  a  lesson  from  the 
reply  of  that  child,  which  I  shall  never 
forget.  It  is  worth  every  thing  in  the 
training  of  a  child,  to  make  it  feel,  that 
its  Mother  never  tells  lies.'' 

(c)  THE  SICK  CHILD.—"  A  child," 
says  Mr.  Abbott,  "  a  short  time  since 
was  taken  ill  with  that  dangerous  dis- 
order, the  croup.  It  was  a  child  most 
ardently  beloved,  and  ordinarily  very 
obedient.  But  in  this  state  of  uneasi- 
ness and  pain,  he  refused  to  take  the 
medicine  which  it  was  needful  without 
delay  to  administer.  The  father  find- 
ing him  resolute,  immediately  punished 
his  sick  and  suffering  son ;  under  these 
circumstances,  and  fearing  that  his  son 
might  soon  die,  it  must  have  been  a 
most  severe  trial  to  the  father ;  but  the 
consequence   was,  that  the   child  was 


taught  that  sickness  was  no  excuse  for 
disobedience :  and  while  his  sickness 
continued,  he  promptly  took  whatever 
medicine  was  prescribed,  and  was  pa- 
tient and  submissive.  Sodq  the  child 
was  well.  Does  any  one  say  this  was 
cruel  ?  It  was  one  of  the  noblest  acts 
of  kindness  which  could  have  been  per- 
formed. If  the  father  had  shrunk  from 
duty  here,  it  is  by  no  means  improbable 
that  the  life  of  the  child  would  have 
been  the  forfeit." 

(d)  THE  COUNT  AND  HIS 
FAMILY. — The  following  account  is 
given  by  Milner,  in  his  "  Church  His- 
tory," of  the  family  order  observed  by 
Eleazer,  Count  of  Arian,  in  the  four- 
teenth century  : — I  cannot,  said  the 
count,  allow  blasphemy  in  my  house, 
nor  any  thing  in  word  or  deed  which  of- 
fends the  laws  of  decorum.  Dice,  and 
all  games  of  hazard  are  to  be  prohibited. 
Let  all  persons  in  my  house  divert 
themselves  at  proper  times,  but  not  in  a 
sinful  manner.  In  the  morning,  read- 
ing and  prayer  must  be  attended  to. 
Let  there  be  constant  peace  in  my  fami- 
ly ;  otherwise  two  armies  are  found 
under  my  roof,  and  the  master  is  de- 
voured by  them  both.  If  any  difference 
arise,  let  not  the  sun  go  down  upon  your 
wrath.  We  must  bear  with  something 
if  we  have  to  live  among  mankind. 
Every  evening,  all  the  family  shall  be 
assembled  at  a  godly  conference,  in 
which  they  shall  hear  something  of  God 
and  salvation.  Let  none  be  absent  on 
pretence  of  attending  to  my  affairs.  I 
have  no  affairs  so  interesting  to  me  as 
the  salvation  of  my  domestics.  I  seri, 
ously  forbid  all  injustice  which  may 
cloak  itself  under  color  of  serving  me. 


140.  DISCIPLINE,  CHURCH. 


{a)  THE  TWO  KEYS.— Once  from 
the  pulpit,  at  an  ordination  of  elders,  the 
late  Rev.  Mr.  M'Cheyne  made  the  fol- 
lowing declaration  : — "  When  I  first  en- 
tered upon  the  work  of  the  ministry 
among  you,  I  was  exceedingly  ignorant 
of  the  vast  importance  of  church  disci- 


pline. I  thought  that  my  great  and  al- 
most only  work  was  to  pray  and  preach. 
I  saw  your  souls  to  be  so  precious,  and 
the  time  so  short,  that  I  devoted  all  my 
time,  and  care,  and  strength,  to  labor  in 
word  and  doctrine.  When  cases  of  dis- 
cipline were  brought  before  me  and  the 
277 


140,  141 


DISHONESTY  PUNISHED. 


elders,  I  regarded  them  with  something 
like  abhorrence.  It  was  a  duty  I 
shrank  from  ;  and  I  may  truly  say  it 
nearly  drove  me  from  the  work  of  the 
ministry  among  you  altogether.  But  it 
pleased  God,  who  teaches  his  servants 
in  another  way  than  man  teaches,  to 
bless  some  of  the  cases  of  discipline  to 
i\e  manifest  and  undeniable  conversion 
of  the  souls  of  those  under  our  care  ; 
and  from  that  hour  a  new  light  broke 
in  upon  my  mind,  and  I  saw  that  if 
preaching  be  an  ordinance  of  Christ,  so 
is  church  discipline.  T  now  feel  very 
deeply  persuaded  that  both  are  of  God, 
that  two  keys  are  committed  to  us  by 
Christ,  the  one  the  key  of  doctrine,  by 
means  of  which  we  unlock  the  treasures 
of  the  Bible,  the  other  the  key  of  disci- 


pline, by  which  we  open  or  shut  the 
way  to  the  sealing  ordinances  of  the 
faith.  Both  are  Christ's  gift,  and  neither 
is  to  be  resigned  without  sin." 

(b)  EMPLOYMENT  FOR  A 
CHURCH. — A  minister  of  the  gospel, 
in  excusing  himself  and  his  church  for 
not  exerting  themselves  to  instruct  and 
gather  in  the  multitude  around  them,  said, 
"  It  is  impossible  for  so  large  a  church 
as  ours,  to  do  much  for  those  out  of  our 
body.  It  takes,"  said  he,  "  one-third 
of  us  to  watch  the  other  two-thirds  !" 
What  a  confession  is  this  !  Only  one 
in  three  possessing  the  true  spirit  of 
Christianity,  and  he  is  prevented  from 
being  an  efficient  soldier  of  the  cross, 
by  the  lukewarmness  and  sins  of  his 
brethren ! 


141.  DISHONESTY  PUNISHED. 


(a)  FEIGNING  DEATH  AND 
DYING.— The  Gazette  de  Lyons  pub- 
lished  the  following  fact ;  it  happened 
at  Chenas  not  far  from  Lyons. — A  rich 
widow,  without  children,  had  promised 
to  make  her  will  in  favor  of  her  niece. 
The  aunt  fell  sick,  and  the  niece,  as 
much  through  attachment  as  interest, 
lavished  upon  her  the  tenderest  as  well 
as  the  most  assiduous  cares ;  however, 
the  aunt  died  without  making  a  will. 
The  niece  was  in  despair  for  the  loss  of 
her  friend  and  her  hopes.  She  went 
around,  told  her  story,  and  asked  what 
could  be  done.  Her  perfidious  coun- 
sellors engaged  her  to  play  the  old 
trick  of  hiding  the  death,  and  placing 
herself  in  bed,  calling  for  a  notary  and 
witnesses,  and  dictating  a  convenient 
testament.  She  did  her  part  well,  and 
it  succeeded  wonderfully  in  a  room  that 
was  partially  darkened.  The  young 
girl,  sunk  in  a  pillow  and  curtains,  pro- 
nounced with  a  feeble  and  broken  voice, 
the  last  will  and  testament  of  the  aunt ; 
the  notary  wrote,  and  the  victory  was 
nearly  sure,  when  one  of  the  witnesses, 
who  knew  a  little  more  than  the  others, 
declared,  he  would  sign  no  such  act ; 
for  that  the  pretended  testatrix  had  been 
dead  for  several  hours,  and  he  would 
not  be  the  accomplice  of  a  like  decep- 
278 


tion.  The  unhappy  niece,  confounded 
and  overwhelmed,  could  not  support  the 
idea  of  the  consequent  shame  and  pun- 
ishment of  her  guilt,  and  she  suddenly 
expired.  She  was  buried  at  the  same 
time  with  her  aunt. 

(b)  JOHN  EYRE'S  NEPHEW.-. 
An  anecdote  is  related  of  John  Eyre,  a 
man  whose  name  is  recorded  in  the  an- 
nals of  crime,  as  possessing  30,000/. 
and  yet  being  sentenced  to  transporta- 
tion for  stealing  eleven  quires  of  wri- 
ting paper,  which  shows,  in  a  striking 
manner,  the  depravity  of  the  human 
heart,  and  may  help  to  account  for  the 
meanness  of  the  crime  of  which  he 
stood  convicted.  An  uncle  of  his,  a 
gentleman  of  considerable  property, 
made  his  will  in  favor  of  a  clergyman 
who  was  his  intimate  friend,  and  com- 
mitted it,  unknown  to  the  rest  of  the 
family,  to  the  custody  of  the  divine. 
However,  not  long  before  his  death, 
having  altered  his  mind  with  regard  to 
the  disposal  of  his  wealth,  he  made 
another  will,  in  which  he  left  the 
clergyman  only  500/.,  bequeathing  the 
bulk  of  his  large  property  to  his  nephew 
and  heir-at-law,  Mr.  Eyre.  Soon 
after  the  old  gentleman's  death,  Mr. 
Eyre,  rummaging  over  his  drawers, 
found  this  last  will,  and  perceiving  the 


DISHONESTY  PUNISHED. 


141 


legacy  of  500Z.  in  it  for  the  clergyman, 
without  any  hesitation  or  scruple  of  con- 
science, he  put  it  into  the  fire,  and  took 
possession  of  the  whole  effects,  in  con- 
sequence of  his  uncle  being  supposed 
to  die  intestate.  The  clergyman  coming 
to  town  soon  after,  and  inquiring  into 
the  circumstances  of  his  old  friend's 
death,  asked  if  he  had  made  a  will  be- 
fore he  died.  On  being  answered  by 
Mr.  Eyre  in  the  negative,  the  clergy- 
man very  coolly  put  his  hand  in  his 
pocket,  and  pulled  out  the  former  will, 
which  had  been  committed  to  his  care, 
in  which  Mr.  Eyre  had  bequeathed  him 
the  whole  of  his  fortune,  amounting  to 
several  thousand  pounds,  excepting  a 
legacy  of  200/.  to  his  nephew. 

(c)  LOSS  OF  CHARACTER.— 
Robert  Andrews,  foreman  to  a  respect- 
able nurseryman  at  some  distance  from 
Philadelphia,  who  had  lived  with  his 
employers  ten  years,  and  had  a  good 
character,  one  Saturday  night,  after 
applying  for  his  wages,  claimed  pay  for 
a  young  man  up  to  that  day,  whom  he 
had  discharged  some  days  before.  His 
master  said,  looking  him  steadily  in  the 
face,  "  Robert,  do  you  want  to  cheat  me, 
by  asking  wages  for  a  man  that  you 
discharged  yourself  eight  days  ago  ?" 
He  had  no  sooner  said  this,  than  the 
miserable  conscience-stricken  man's 
blood  forsook  his  face,  as  if  he  had  been 
stabbed  to  the  heart.  When  his  master 
saw  him  so  much  affected,  he  told  him 
that  he  might  still  labor  as  he  had  done, 
but  that  after  such  a  manifestly  dishon- 
est attempt,  his  character,  and  the  con- 
fidence in  it,  were  gone  for  ever.  On 
Monday,  Robert  made  his  appearance, 
but  was  utterly  an  altered  man.  The 
agitation  of  his  mind  had  reduced  his 
body  to  the  feebleness  of  an  infant's. 
He  took  his  spade  and  tried  to  use  it, 
but  in  vain  ;  and  it  was  with  difficulty 
that  he  reached  home.  He  went  to  bed 
immediately ;  medical  aid  was  procured, 
but  to  no  purpose,  and  the  poor  fellow 
sunk  under  the  sense  of  his  degrada- 
tion, and  expired  on  Wednesday  fore- 
noon !  His  neighbors  who  attended  him, 
say,  that  a  short  time  before  he  died,  he 
declared,  that  the  agony  consequent  on 
the  loss  of  his  character  as  an  honest 
man,  which  he  had  for  so  many  years 


maintained,   was  the  sole  cause  of  his 
death. 

{d)  THE  HEIR  INGENIOUSLY 
DISCOVERED.— A  jeweller  who  car- 
ried on  an  extensive  trade,  and  supplied 
the  deficiencies  of  one  country  by  the 
superfluities  of  another,  leaving  his 
home  with  a  valuable  assortment  of 
diamonds,  for  a  distant  region,  took 
with  him  his  son,  and  a  young  slave, 
whom  he  had  purchased  in  his  infancy, 
and  had  brought  up  more  like  an  adopt- 
ed child,  than  a  servant.  They  per- 
formed their  intended  journey,  and  the 
merchant  disposed  of  his  commodities, 
with  great  advantage ;  but  while  pre- 
paring to  return,  he  was  seized  by  a 
pestilential  distemper,  and  died  suddenly 
in  the  metropolis  of  a  foreign  country. 
This  accident  inspired  the  slave  with  a 
wish  to  possess  his  master's  treasures, 
and  relying  on  the  total  ignorance  of 
strangers,  and  the  kindness  every  where 
shown  him  by  the  jeweller,  he  declared 
himself  the  son  of  the  deceased,  and 
took  charge  of  his  property.  The  true 
heir  of  course  denied  his  pretensions,  and 
solemnly  declared  himself  to  be  the  only 
son  of  the  defunct,  who  had  long  be- 
fore purchased  his  opponent  as  a  slave. 
This  contest  produced  various  results. 
It  happened  that  the  slave  was  a  young 
man  of  beautiful  person,  and  of  polished 
manners,  while  the  jeweller's  son  was 
ill-favored  by  nature,  and  said  to  be  in- 
jured in  his  education,  by  the  indul- 
gence of  his  parents.  This  superiority 
operated  in  the  minds  of  many  to  sup- 
port  the  claims  of  the  former  ;  but  since 
no  certain  evidence  could  be  produced 
on  either  side,  it  became  necessary  to 
refer  the  dispute  to  a  court  of  law. 
There,  however,  from  a  total  want  of 
proofs,  nothing  could  be  done.  The 
magistrate  declared  his  inability  to  de- 
cide on  unsupported  assertions,  in  which 
each  party  was  equally  positive.  This 
caused  a  report  of  the  case  to  be  made 
to  the  prince,  who  having  heard  the 
particulars,  was  also  confounded,  and 
at  a  loss  how  to  decide  the  question. 
At  length,  a  happy  thought  occurred  to 
the  chief  of  the  judges,  and  he  engaged 
to  ascertain  the  real  heir.  The  two 
claimants  being  summoned  before  him. 
he  ordered  them  to  stand  behind  a  cur- 
279 


143 


DISINTERESTEDNESS— DISOBEDIENCE  TO  PARENTS. 


tain  prepared  for  the  occasion,  and  to 
project  their  heads  through  two  open- 
ings, when,  after  hearing  their  several 
arguments,  he  would  cut  off  the  head 
of  him  who  should  prove  to  be  the 
slave.  This  they  readily  assented  to  ; 
the  one  from  a  reliance  on  his  honesty, 
the  other  from  a  confidence  of  the  im- 
possibility of  detection.  Accordingly, 
each  taking  his  place  as  ordered,  thrust 
his  head  through  a  hole  in  the  curtain. 
An  officer  stood  in  front  with  a  drawn 
cimeter  in  his  hand,  and  the  judge  pro- 
ceeded to  the  examination.       After  a 


short  debate,  the  judge  cried  out, 
"  Enough,  enough,  strike  off  the  vil- 
Iain's  head !"  and  the  officer,  who 
watched  the  moment,  leaped  towards 
the  two  youths  ;  the  impostor,  startled 
at  the  brandished  weapon,  hastily  drew 
back  his  head,  while  the  jeweller's  son, 
animated  by  conscious  security,  stood 
unmoved.  The  judge  immediately 
decided  for  the  latter,  and  ordered  the 
slave  to  be  taken  into  custody,  to  re- 
ceive the  punishment  due  to  his  diabol- 
ical ingratitude. 


142.  DISINTERESTEDNESS. 


(a)  ADRIAN  AND  THE  BISFIOP. 
— Terantius,  captain  to  the  Emperor 
Adrian,  presented  a  petition  that  the 
Christians  might  have  a  temple  by 
themselves,  in  which  to  worship  God 
apart  from  the  Arians.  The  emperor 
tore  his  petition,  and  threw  it  away, 
bidding  him  ask  something  for  himself, 
and  it  should  be  granted.  Terantius 
modestly  gathered  up  the  fragments  of 
his  petition,  and  said,  with  true  nobility 
of  mind,  "  If  I  cannot  be  heard  in  God's 
cause,  I  will  never  ask  any  thing  for 
myself." 

(b)  CALVIN'S  DISINTEREST. 
EDNESS.— This  celebrated  reformer 
was  remarkable  for  his  disinterested- 
ness. His  goods,  his  books,  and  his 
money,  were  not  equal  to  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  crowns,  and  yet  he  re- 
fused, during  his  sickness,  twenty-five 
crowns,  which  the  Council  of  Geneva 
offered  to  him,  because  he  was  incapa- 


ble of  fulfilling  the  appointed  labors  of 
his  office. 

(c)  WHITEFIELD  REJECTING 
AN  ESTATE.— It  is  difficult,  in  such 
a  world  as  this,  so  to  live  as  that  "  our 
good  "  shall  not  be  "  evil  spoken  of." 
Mr.  Whitefield  has  been  charged  with 
mercenary  motives :  his  whole  life 
showed  the  fallacy  and  weakness  of 
such  a  charge.  During  his  stay  in 
Scotland,  in  1759,  a  young  lady.  Miss 
Hunter,  who  possessed  a  considerable 
fortune,  made  a  full  offer  to  him  of  her 
estate,  both  money  and  lands,  amounting 
to  several  thousand  pounds,  which  he 
generously  refused :  and,  upon  his  de- 
clining it  for  himself,  she  offered  it  to 
him  for  the  benefit  of  his  orphan-house. 
This  also  he  absolutely  refused.  This 
incident  is  given  on  the  authority  of  his 
original  biographer,  Dr.  Gillies,  who 
received  it  from  unquestionable  testi- 
mony. 


143.  DISOBEDIENCE  TO  PARENTS. 


{a)    BEGINNING    OF    EVIL.— 

A  young  man  was  sentenced  to  the 
South  Carolina  penitentiary  for  four 
years.  When  he  was  about  to  be  sen- 
tenced, he  stated  publicly  that  his 
downward  course  began  in  disobedience 
to  his  parents — that  he  thought  he 
knew  as  much  of  the  world  as  his  father 
280 


did,  and  needed  not  his  aid  or  advice, 
but  that  as  soon  as  he  turned  his  back 
upon  his  home,  then  temptations  came 
around  him  like  a  drove  of  hyenas,  and 
hurried  him  on  to  ruin.  There  is  no 
place  so  safe  and  happv  as  a  good  home. 
(b)  REASON  FOR  DISOBEY- 
ING.— The  American  Sunday  School 


DISTILLERS. 


143,  144 


Herald,  states,  that  a  little  girl,  six 
years  old,  in  a  Sunday  school,  was  re- 
Deating  the  fifth  commandment.  Her 
teacher  endeavored  to  show  her  in 
what  way  she  was  to  honor  her  parents, 
and  said,  "  You  must  honor  your  parents 
by  obeying  them."  "  O,  ma'am,"  ex- 
claimed the  child,  "  {  cannot  keep  that 
commandment."  "  Why  cannot  you 
keep  it,  my  dear  ?"  "  Because,  ma'am, 
when  my  mother  tells  me  to  do  one 
thing,  my  father  tells  me  to  do  another. 
Now,  just  before  I  came  here,  my  mo- 
ther told  me  to  stay  up  stairs  and  learn 
my  lesson,  and  my  father  told  me  to 
come  down  and  play :  now  how  could  I 
obey  them  both  ?  No,  no,"  closing  her 
little  hands  as  if  in  despair,  "  no,  no, 
ma'am,  it  is  impossible  for  me  ever  to 
keep  that  commandment."  In  such  a 
case,  however,  a  child  should  obey  the 
father  unless  he  bade  her  to  commit 
some  sin.  Neither  father  or  mother 
should  be  obeyed  then. 

(c)  PHILIP  HENRY'S  PROPHE- 
CY.— The  Rev.  Philip  Henry,  speaking 
once  of  a  wicked  son  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, that  was  very  undutiful  to  his 
mother,  charged  some  of  his  children  to 
observe  the  providence  of  God  concern- 
ing him ;  "  Perhaps,"  said  he,  "  I  may 
not  live  to  see  it,  but  do  you  take  notice, 


whether  God  do  not  come  upon  him 
with  some  remarkable  judgment  in  this 
life,  according  to  the  threatening  im- 
plied in  the  reason  annexed  to  the  fifth 
commandment;"  but  he  himself  lived 
to  see  it  fulfilled  not  long  after,  in  a 
very  signal  providence. 

(d)    THE  DISOBEDIENT  PUN- 
ISHED.— The  Rev.    Herbert  Palmer, 
B.  D.  master  of  Queen's  College,  Cam- 
bridge, who  died  in  1647,  and  who  was 
"  a  burning  and  shining  light "  in  his 
day,  was  remarkable  for  his  dutiful  af- 
fection to  his  parents,  not  only  when  he 
was  a  child,  but  during  his  whole  life. 
He  was  peculiarly  attentive  to  his  pious  ■ 
aged  mother  ;  promoting,  to  the  utmost 
of  his  power,  both   her   temporal    and 
spiritual  comfort,  even  to  the  day  of  her 
death,  which  happened  not  long  before* 
his  own.  He  used  frequently  to  enforce 
this  duty  in  his  ministry,  observing  the 
emphasis    which    God    puts    upon    it 
through   the   whole   of  the  Scriptures. 
He  used  to  say  that  he  had  noticed  the 
effects   of  disobedience    to    parents,  so 
that  he  scarcely  ever  knew  undutiful 
children  escape  some  visible  judgment 
of  God   in   the   present   life ;    he    also 
thought  that  the  mischiefs  which  occur 
in  society  frequently  take  their  rise  in 
contempt  of  parental  authority. 


144.  DISTILLERS. 


(a)     THE   COLPORTEUR   AND 
DISTILLER.— One  day  as  Mr.  R.,  a 

colporteur,  was  passing  along  the  road, 
a  man  engaged  in  making  barrels  hailed 
him,  stating  that  as  Mr.  R.  travelled 
considerably,  he  should  be  glad  to  have 
him  find  a  purchaser  for  his  distillery  ; 
but  the  colporteur,  in  the  spirit  of  his 
Master,  began  to  exhort  him  to  attend 
to  his  eternal  interests  and  prepare  to 
give  up  his  final  account  at  the  judg- 
men:  seat.  "But  what,"  said  he, 
"  shall  I  do  with  my  still-house  ?" 
*'  Repent,  and  get  your  heart  right," 
said  Mr.  R.,  "  and  it  shall  be  shown 
you  what  to  do  with  your  distillery — 
you  will  obtain  light  on  that  subject." 

After  he  left  the  shop,  the  man,  who 
could  not  read  a  line,  and,  as  he  after- 


wards said,  had  never  before  heen  per- 
sonally addressed  by  any  Christian  on 
the  subject  of  his  souVs  salvation,  imme- 
diately fell  down  upon  his  knees  and 
cried  to  Gxl  for  mercy.  Some  time 
after,  he  found  peace  in  Christ.  He 
gave  up  his  distillery  which  cost  $1,000  ; 
and  his  wife,  his  brother  and  wife,  and 
his  mother,  were  ere  long  hopefully  con- 
verted to  God. 

(b)     THE    GRAVE-YARD   AND 
THE  DISTILLERY.— An  elder  of  the 

church  in  ,  New- York,   owned  a 

distillery,  and  manufactured  ardeni 
spirits.  The  elder  was  an  active 
Christian,  and  seemed  quite  awake  to 
the  benevolent  efforts  of  the  day.  His 
pastor  was  grieved  that  so  worthy  a  man 
should  be  engaged  in  a  busuiess  which 
281 


145 


DOUBTS  AND  FEARS  OF  CHRISTIANS. 


brought  ruin  temporal  and  eternal  upon 
his  fellow-men :  and  resolved  to  give 
him  faithful  warning.  While  visiting 
the  elder  at  his  house,  the  elder  looked 
to  the  grave-yard,  and  said,  "  I  love  to 
look  there — it  seems  to  be  the  way  to 


heaT-en."'  "Yes,"  said  the  pastor, 
"  and  that,"  pointing  to  the  distillery, 
"  is  the  way  to  hell."  It  was  a  word 
in  season ;  and  in  a  few  weeks  the 
distillery  was  levelled  to  the  ground. 


145.  DOUBTS  AND  FEARS  OF  CHRISTIANS. 


(a)  THE  CHILD'S  PRAYER.— 

A  girl  of  twelve  years  of  age,  in  one 
of  the  S.  Schools  of  Mass.,  was  known 
for  some  time  to  be  very  serious,  and 
anxious  to  have  her  teacher  converse 
with  her  about  her  soul.  At  length,  a 
beam  of  joy  lighted  up  her  countenance. 
She  said  to  her  superintendent  one  day, 
■"Oh  how  I  love  my  Savior!"  One 
Sabbath,  soon  after  this,  she  came  to 
him,  at  the  close  of  the  school :  as  he 
took  her  by  the  hand,  she  burst  into 
tears.  "  Elizabeth,"  said  he,  "  do  you 
love  the  Savior  now  ?"  "  Yes,"  said 
she,  "but  I  have  been  tempted  this 
week.  Something  seemed  to  say  I  was 
not  a  Christian,  and  it  made  me  very 
unhappy." 

"What  did  you  do  then  ?" 

"  I  prayed  that  I  might  be  delivered 
from  temptation,  and  then  I  felt 
happy." 

She  gave  most  decided  evidence  of 
being  a  child  of  God.  Her  exercise  of 
mind  and  her  prayers  were  like  those 
of  mature  Christians. 

(b)  "  REMEMBER  TORWOOD." 
— Mr.  Kidd,  when  minister  of  Queens- 
ferry,  a  few  miles  from  Edinburgh, 
was  one  day  very  much  depressed  and 
discouraged,  for  want  of  that  comfort 
which  is  produced  by  the  faith  of  the 
gospel  alone.  He  sent  a  note  to  Mr. 
L.,  minister  of  Culross,  a  few  miles  off, 
informing  him  of  his  distress  of  mind, 
and  desiring  a  visit  as  soon  as  possible. 
Mr.  L.  told  the  servant,  he  was  so  busy 
that  he  could  not  wait  upon  his  master, 
but  desired  him  to  tell  Mr.  K.  to 
remember  Torwood  !  When  the  servant 
returned,  he  said  to  his  master,  "  Mr. 
L.  could  not  come,  but  he  desired  me 
to  tell  you,  to  rememher  Torwood .'" 
This  answer  immediately  struck  Mr. 
K.,  and  he  cried  out,  "  Yes,  Lord !  I 

282 


will  remember  Thee,  from  the  hill 
Mizar,  and  from  the  Hermonites  !"  All 
his  troubles  and  darkness  vanished 
upon  the  recollection  of  a  day  which 
he  had  formerly  spent  in  prayer,  along 
with  Mr.  L.  in  Torwood,  where  he  had 
enjoyed  eminent  communion  with  God. 

(c)  WORLDLY  PROFESSOR'S 
DEATH-BED.— Sometimes,  says  the 
late  Rev.  R.  Cecil,  in  his  valuable 
"  Remains,"  we  have  a  painful  part  to 
do  with  sincere  Christians  who  have 
been  going  too  much  into  the  world.  I 
was  called  upon  to  visit  such  a  man. 
"  I  find  no  comfort,"  said  he,  "  God 
veils  his  face  from  me.  Every  thing 
round  me  is  dark  and  uncertain."  I 
did  not  dare  to  act  the  flatterer ;  I  said, 
"Let  us  look  faithfully  into  the  state  of 
things.  I  should  have  been  surprised 
if  you  had  not  felt  thus.  I  believe  you 
to  be  sincere  ;  your  state  of  feeling 
evinces  your  sincerity.  Had  I  found 
you  exulting  in  God,  I  should  have 
concluded  that  you  were  either  deceived 
or  a  deceiver ;  for,  while  God  acts  in 
his  usual  order,  how  could  you  expect 
to  feel  otherwise  on  the  approach  of 
death  than  you  do  feel  ?  You  have 
driven  hard  after  the  world ;  your  spirit 
has  been  absorbed  in  its  cares  ;  your 
sentiments,  your  conversation  have  been 
in  the  spirit  of  the  world.  And  have 
you  any  reason  to  expect  the  repose  of 
conscience,  and  the  clear  evidence  that 
awaits  the  man  who  has  walked  and 
lived  in  close  friendship  with  God  ? 
You  know  that  what  I  say  is  true." 

His  wife  here  interrupted  me,  by 
assuring  me  that  he  had  been  an  excel- 
lent man.  "Silence!"  said  the  dying 
penitent,  "  it  is  all  true." 

{d)  JOHNSON'S  VISIT  TO 
WETHERELL.— The  late  Rev.  Ro- 
bert Johnson  says,  "  In  Bishop  Wilton 


DRESS. 


146 


lived  a  good  man,  named  Thomas  We- 
therell,  much  respected,  with  whom  I 
was  intimately  acquainted  about  twenty 
years  ago.  I  heard  that  he  was  ill,  and 
went  to  Bishop* Wilton  to  see  him.  On 
iny  arrival,  I  said,  '  I  am  an  old  friend 
come  to  see  you.  I  was  afraid  you 
would  make  your  escape  to  heaven  be- 
fore I  had  an  opportunity.'  He  replied, 
'  0,  dear  sir,  1  fear  I  shall  never  get 
there.  I  have  lost  my  way !  I  have 
lost  my  way  !  Oh,  what  a  stumbling- 
block  am  I  now,  after  enjoying  confi- 
dence for  forty  years !'  I  answered, 
'  1  am  very  sorry  that  you  have  turned 
out  so  badly.  I  imagine  my  visit  will 
not  be  acceptable.  J  suppose  you  have 
It;  come  very  wicked,  and  fond  of  tri- 
'  '_:,  vain,  worldly  company.'  He  im- 
liately  rejoined,  '  Oh,  no,  no  !  I  can- 
not bear  them.  I  cannot  bear  them.' 
I  said,  '  I  am  glad  of  that ;  and  you 
m;:y  be  sure  of  this,  that  the  Lord  will 
not  send  you  to  hell  among  them  here- 
al'tcr,  when  you  so  much  dislike  their 
vrays  and  company  now.' 

"  He  was  particularly  struck  with 
tiie  manner  and  language  in  which  I  ad- 
dressed him.  'Come,'  said  I,  '  let  me 
have  the  history  of  your  complaint.' 
lie  proceeded,  and  said,  '  Some  time 
a  140,  I  had  a  paralytic  stroke.  I  was 
wry  ill,  but  very  happy  in  God.  Every 
one  thought  I  was  dying,  and  I  thought 
so  myself;  and  was  full  of  peace  and 
joy.  But,  contrary  to  expectation,  I 
got  so  far  better  as  to  be  able  to  walk 
about,  though  unable  to  work.  I  never 
was  married ;  and  by  frugality  and  in- 
dustry I  saved  about  one  hundred  pounds. 
But  it  occurred  to  me  that  I  might  live 
a  considerable  time  in  this  debilitated 
state ;  my  hundred  pounds  would  soon 
be  gone  ;  and  I  should,  after  all,  become 


a  burden  to  my  friends.  I  entered  into 
a  hurtful  train  of  perplexing  reasoning, 
then  of  doubt,  distrust,  and  fear.  I  have 
grieved  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  he  has 
hid  his  face  from  me,  and  I  am  troubled. 
I  have  lost  my  confidence  in  God  and 
am  now  in  darkness  and  despair.' 

"  I  remarked,  '  My  dear  brother,  I 
clearly  see  your  case.  Your  mind,  as 
well  as  your  body,  is  debilitated,  and 
the  enemy  has  taken  advantage  of  your 
weakness  to  harass  and  distress  you. 
In  your  present  circumstances,  you  are 
not  capable  of  reasoning  with  him,  or  of 
steadfastly  resisting  him  :  he  is  too  cun- 
ning for  you,  and  too  strong.  But  lift 
up  your  heart  to  the  Lord ;  venture  to 
look  unto  Jesus,  who  will  soon  bruise 
him  under  your  feet  who  is  thus  pain- 
fully bruising  your  heel.  You  are  just 
like  a  musical  instrument  when  all  its 
strings  are  slackened.  If  you  try  to 
play,  there  are  only  discordant  sounds  ; 
not  because  it  is  a  bad  instrument,  but 
because  it  is  out  of  tune.' 

"  He  replied  with  earnestness,  '  Do 
you  really  think  so,  sir  ?'  '  Yes,  I 
know  that  it  is  so.  Because  you  are  so 
unhinged  and  slackened  in  your  nerv- 
ous system,  you  are  ready  to  imagine 
that  the  Lord  is  disaffected  towards  you, 
and  that  his  mercy  is  clean  gone  for 
ever.  But,  oh,  venture  to  call  upon  him 
in  your  trouble  and  distress;  looking 
unto  Jesus  who  suffered,  being  tempted, 
and  who  knoweth  how  to  succor  them 
that  are  tempted  ;  and  he  will  most  cer- 
tainly deliver  you,  and  you  shall  praise 
him.' 

"  We  then  prayed  together,  and  he 
was  greatly  encouraged.  In  a  short 
time  afterwards  he  was  completely  set 
at  liberty  from  all  his  fears,  and  was 
filled  with  joy  and  peace  in  believing." 


146.  DRESS. 


(a)  A  GOOD  CAUSE  FOR  WEEP- 
ING.— A  minister  calling  to  visit  a 
lady,  was  detained  a  long  time  while 
she  was  dressing.  At  length  she  made 
her  appearance,  bedizened  in  all  the 
frippery  of  fashion  and  folly.  The  min- 
ister  was    in   tears.       She   asked   the 


cause  of  his  grief;  when  he  replied,  "  I 
weep,  madam,  to  think  that  an  immor- 
tal being  should  spend  so  much  of  tha. 
precious  time,  which  was  given  her  to 
prepare  for  eternity,  in  thus  vainly 
adorning  that  body  which  must  so  soon 
become  a  prey  to  worms." 
283 


146 


DRESS. 


(b)  A  GOOD  RULE.— A  lady 
asked  the  Rev.  John  Newton,  what  was 
the  best  rule  for  female  dress  and  be- 
havior. "  Madam,"  said  he,  "  so  dress 
and  so  conduct  yourself,  that  persons 
who  have  been  in  your  company  shall 
not  recollect  what  you  had  on."  This 
will  generally  be  the  case  where  singu- 
larity of  dress  is  avoided,  and  where  in- 
telligence of  mind  and  gentleness  of 
manners  are  cultivated. 

(c)  WAY  TO  BANKRUPTCY. 
— "  It  is  a  lamentable  fact,"  says  the 
author  of  the  '  Wife  and  Mother,'  "  that 
at  the  present  day,  there  are  hun- 
dreds of  bankrupts  or  tradesmen  on 
the  very  verge  of  bankruptcy,  or  per- 
sons of  limited  income  in  embarrassed 
circumstances,  whose  difficulties  have 
originated  in  the  fondness  of  their  wives 
for  dress  and  display,  and  some  of  these 
wives,  women  professing  godliness! 
Not  very  long  since,  a  professional  man, 
with  an  income,  perhaps  of  from  two  to 
three  hundred  a  year,  on  which  to  sup- 
port himself,  a  wife,  and  one  child,  was 
arrested  for  debt.  The  stir  thus  occa- 
sioned brought  to  light  his  general  cir- 
cumstances, when  it  appeared,  that  he 
owed  about  twelve  hundred  pounds, 
more  than  half  that  sum  being  due  to 
mercei's,  milliners,  and  jewellers,  for 
his  wife's  finery." 

(d)  TWO  EXTREMES  OF 
PRIDE. — Diogenes  being  at  Olympia, 
saw  at  the  celebrated  festival  some 
young  men  of  Rhodes,  arrayed  most 
magnificently.  Smiling,  he  exclaimed, 
"  This  is  pride."  Afterwards  meeting 
with  some  Lacedemonians  in  a  mean 
and  sordid  dress,  he  said,  "  And  this  is 
also  pride." 

Pride  is  found  at  the  same  opposite 
extremes  in  dress  at  the  present  day. 

(e)  LATHROP  AND  HiS  PA- 
RISHIONER.— I  was  once  requested, 
says  Dr.  Lathrop,  to  preach  against  pre- 
vailing fashions.  A  remote  inhabitant 
of  the  parish,  apparently  ni  a  serious 
frame,  called  upon  me  one  day,  and 
pressed  the  necessity  of  bearing  my  tes- 
timony against  this  dangerous  evil.  I 
observed  to  him,  that  as  my  people  were 
generally  farmers  in  middling  circum- 
stances, I  did  not  think  they  took  a  lead 
in  fashions ;  if  they   followed  them,  it 

284 


was  at  an  humble  distance,  and  rather 
to  avoid  singularity,  than  to  encourage 
extravagance  ;  that  as  long  as  people 
were  in  the  liabit  of  wearing  clothes, 
they  must  have  some  fashion  or  other, 
and  a  fashion  that  answered  the  ends  of 
dress,  and  exceeded  not  the  ability  of 
the  wearer,  I  considered  as  innocent, 
and  not  deserving  reproof.  To  this  he 
agreed,  but  said,  what  grieved  him  was 
to  see  people  set  tlieir  hearts  so  much  on 
fashions.  I  conceded  that  as  modes  of 
dress  were  trifles  compared  with  our 
eternal  concerns,  to  set  our  hearts  upon 
them  must  be  a  great  sin.  But  I  ad- 
vised him  to  consider,  that  to  set  our 
hearts  against  such  trifles,  wafe  the  same 
sin,  as  to  set  our  hearts  Kpon  them,  and 
as  his  fixshion  was  different  from  those 
of  his  neighbors,  just  in  proportion  as 
he  set  his  heart  against  theirs,  he  set  his 
heart  upon  his  own.  He  wa^  therefore 
doubly  guilty  of  the  very  sin  he  im- 
puted to  others. 

(/)  DIFFERENT  ADVICE  OF 
TWO  MINISTERS.— A  couple  of 
very  gayly  dressed  ladies  being  in  com- 
pany  with  a  clergyman,  on  his  being 
informed  that  they  were  professed  Chris- 
tians, were  kindly,  but  very  solemnly 
reproved  by  him  for  their  extravagance 
in  dress.  He  reminded  them  that  God 
had  commanded  that  women  adorn  them- 
selves in  modest  ajyparel,  with  shame- 
facedness  and  sobriety  ;  not  with  broider- 
ed  hair,  or  gold,  or  jjearls,  or  costly  ar- 
ray, but  (lahich  becometh  women  profess- 
ing godliness)  with  good  works  ;  whose 
adorning  let  it  not  be  that  outward  adorn- 
ing ofplaiiing  the  liair,  and  the  wearing 
of  gold,  or  0/ PUTTING  ON  OF  AP. 
PAREL ;  but  let  it  be  the  hidden  man 
of  the  heart,  in  tJiat  which  is  not  corrupti- 
ble, even  the  ornament  of  a  MEEK 
AND  QUIET  spirit,  which  in  the  sight 
of  God  is  of  great' price.  They  were 
somewhat  offended,  and  with  the  hope 
of  quieting  their  consciences,  went  to 
another  clergyman,  and  asked  him,  if 
he  thought  there  was  any  harm  in  their 
wearing  feathers  in  their  hats,  with  ar- 
tificial flowers,  &c.,  &c.  He  gravely 
replied,  "  There  is  no  harm  in  feathers 
and  Jlowers.  If  you  have  in  your 
hearts  the  ridiculous  vanity  to  wish  to  be 
thought  pretty,  you  may  as  well  hang 


GUILT  AND  FOLLY  OF  DUELING. 


146— 14§ 


out  the  SIGN,  and  let  every  one  know 
what  is  the  ruling  passion  of  your 
heart." 

(gj  SWIFT  AND  THE  PRIN- 
TER. — Dean  Swift  was  a  regular 
enemy  to  extravagance  in  dress,  and 
particularly  to  that  destructive  osten- 
tation in  the  middling  classes,  which 
led  them  to  make  an  appearance  above 
their  condition  in  life.  Of  his  mode  of 
reproving  this  folly  in  those  persons  for 
whom  he  had  an  esteem,  the  following 
instance  has  been  recorded.  When 
George  Faulkner,  the  printer,  returned 
from  London,  where  he  had  been  solicit- 
ing subscriptions  for  his  edition  of  the 
Dean's  works,  he  went  to  pay  his  re- 
spects to  him,  dressed  in  a  laced  waist- 
coat, a  bag  wig  and  other  fopperies. 
Swift  received  him  with  the  same  cere- 
monies as  if  he  had  been  a  stranger. 
And  pray,  sir,"  said  he,  "  what  are 
your  commands  with  me  ?"  "I  thought 
it  was  my  duty  sir,"  replied  George, 


"  to  wait  on  you  immediately  on  my 
arrival  from  London."  "  Pray,  sir,  who 
are  you  ?"  "  George  Faulkner  the 
printer,  sir."  "  You  George  Faulkner 
the  printer !  why  you  are  the  most  im- 
pudent barefaced  scoundrel  of  an  im- 
postor I  have  ever  met  with !  George 
Faulkner  is  a  plain  sober  citizen,  and 
would  never  trick  himself  out  in  lace 
and  other  fopperies.  Get  you  gone,  you 
rascal,  I  will  immediately  send  you  to 
the  house  of  correction."  Away  went 
George  as  fast  as  he  could,  and  having 
changed  his  dress  he  returned  to  the 
Deanery,  where  he  was  received  with 
the  greatest  cordiality.  "  My  friend 
George,"  says  the  Dean,  "  I  am  glad 
to  see  you  returned  safe  from  London. 
Why,  here  has  been  an  impudent  fellow 
with  me  just  now  dressed  in  lace  waist- 
coat, and  he  would  fain  pass  himself 
off  for  you,  but  I  soon  sent  him  away 
with  a  flea  in  his  ear.'' 


DUELING. 


147.  Gailt  of  Dueling. 


{a)  ANNIVERSARY  OF  A 
DUEL. — It  is  related  of  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  John  Blackader,  formerly  deputy 
governor  of  Stirling  castle,  that  though 
in  early  life  he  had  been  unhappily  en- 
gaged in  a  duel,  and  had  killed  his  an- 
tagonist, yet  being  convinced  of  its  sin- 
fulness, he  observed  the  anniversary  of 
the  day  with  penitence  and  prayer. 

(h)  GARDINER'S  REPLY  TO 
A  Off  ALLENGE.— Colonel  Gardiner 
having  received  a  challenge  to  fight  a 
duel,  made  the  following  truly  noble 
and  Christian  reply  :  "  I  fear  sinning, 
though  you  know,  sir,  I  do  not  fear 
fighting;"  thus  showing  his  conviction 
of  a  fact  too  often  forgotten,  that  the 
most  impressive,  manifestation  of  cour- 
age is  to  "  obey  God  rather  than  man." 

148.  Folly  of  Dueling. 

(a)  COBBETT'S  RECOMMEN- 
DATION.—Cobbett,  when  challenged 
Tjo  fight,   recommended  the  challenger 


to  draw  a  Cobbett  in  chalk  upon  the 
floor,  and  if  he  succeeded  in  hitting  it, 
to  send  him  instant  word,  in  order  that 
he  might  have  an  opportunity  of  ac- 
knowledging that,  had  the  true  Cobbett 
been  there,  he,  in  all  probability,  would 
have  been  hit  too.  But  hit  or  no  hit, 
the  bullets  could  have  no  eflect  what- 
ever, he  maintained,  on  the  original 
causes  of  the  quarrel. 

{h)  OCCASIONS  OF  DUELS.— 
Colonel  Montgomery  was  shot  in  a  duel 
about  a  dog ;  Captain  kamsay  in  one 
about  a  servant ;  Mr.  Fetherston  in  one 
about  a  recruit ;  Sterne's  father  in  one 
about  a  goose ;  and  another  gentleman 
in  one  about  "an  acre  of  anchovies." 
One  oflicer  was  challenged  for  merely 
asking  his  opponent  to  enjoy  the  second 
goblet ;  another  was  compelled  to  fight 
about  a  pinch  of  snuff.  General  Barry 
was  challenged  by  a  Captain  Smith, 
for  declining  a  o-lass  of  wine  with  him 
at  a  dinner  in  a  steamboat,  although 
the  General  had  pleaded  as  an  excuse 
that  wine  invariably  made  his  stomach 
sick  at  sea ;  and  Lieut.  Crowther  lost 
285 


149 


DUELING. 


his  life  in  a  duel,  because  he  was  re- 
fused admittance  to  a  club  of  pigeon 
shooters  !  What  contemptible  folly  in 
men  it  is  to  risk  their  lives  in  order  to 
settle  such  trivial  disputes  as  these ! 
And  then  how  does  the  result  of  a  duel 
really  settle  the  dispute  any  more  than 
the  result  of  jumping  together  from  a 
precipice,  or  any  similar  jeopardy  of 
life  and  limb  ? 

149.  Dueling  Avoided. 

(fl)  ANSWERING  A  CHAL- 
LENGE  MATHEMATICALLY.— 

The  eccentric  mathematician,  Professor 
Vince,  of  King's  College,  Cambridge, 
being  once  engaged  in  a  conversation 
with     a     gentleman     who     advocated 

dueling,"  is  said  to  have  thrown  his 
adversary  completely  hors  du  combat, 
by  the  following  cute  and  characteristic 
reply  to  his  question :  But  what  could 
you  do,  sir,  if  a  man  told  you  to  your 
face,  "  You  lie  ?"  "  What  could  I  do  ? 
why  I  wouldn't  knock  him  down,  but  I'd 
tell  him  to  prove  it.  Prove  it,  sir,  prove 
it,  I'd  say.  If  he  couldn't,  he'd  be  the 
liar,  and  there  I  should  have  him ;  but, 
if  he  did  prove  that  I  lied,  I  must  e'en 
pocket  the  affront ;  and  there  I  expe«t 
the  matter  would  end." 

(b)  THE  DUELIST  OUTWITTED. 
— The  Rev.  J.  Cooke,  of  Maidenhead, 
many  years  ago,  published  a  very  in- 
teresting pamphlet,  containg  the  dying 
confession  of  a  deist,  under  the  title  of, 
"  Reason  paying  homage  to  Revela- 
tion." Soon  after  its  publication,  a 
great  commotion  was  excited  in  Maid- 
enhead and  its  neighborhood.  The 
brother  of  the  deceased  gentleman  con- 
ceived himself  injured,  and  sent  a  mes- 
sage to  Mr.  Cooke,  demanding  the  satis- 
faction of  a  gentleman.     Mr.  C.  replied, 

"  I  am  quite  prepared  to  give  Mr. 

the  satisfaction  of  a  Christian  gentle- 
man ;  and,  according  to  the  laws  of 
honor,  as  he  has  sent  the  challenge,  it 
rests  with  me  to  choose  time,  place,  and 
weapons.  I  do  not  choose  to  fight  with 
pistols  ;  my  weapon  is  a  sword  ;  and  if 
he  will  meet  me  in  this  parlor  to-morrow 
at  noon,  with  any  witnesses  he  may  de- 
sire, I  shall  be  prepared  to  meet  him 
with  *  the  sword  of  the  Spirit,  which  is 
286 


the  word  of  God.'  My  character,  my 
principles,  my  office,  forbid  my  using 
any  other  weapons."  It  need  not  be 
added  that  his  opponent  did  not  admire 
this  method  of  meeting  the  challenge, 
and  Mr.  C.  heard  no  more  of  him. 

{c)  MR.  SCOTT'S  SWORD.— The 
preaching  of  the  Rev.  J.  Scott,  who 
had  been  a  captain  in  the  army,  having 
been  instrumental  in  the  conversion  of  a 
young  lady,  the  daughter  of  a  country 
gentleman,  her  father  was  greatly  ofTend- 
ded,  because  she  would  not  join  in  the 
usual  amusements  of  their  circle. 
Looking  upon  Mr.  Scott  as  the  sole 
cause  of  what  he  regarded  as  the  me- 
lancholy of  his  daughter,  he  lay  in  wait 
to  shoot  him.  Mr.  Scott,  being  providen- 
tially apprised  of  it,  was  enabled  to 
escape  the  danger.  The  diabolical 
design  of  the  gentleman  being  thus  de- 
feated, he  sent  Mr.  Scott  a  challenge. 
Mr.  S.  might  have  availed  himself  of 
the  law,  and  prosecuted  him  ;  but  he 
took  another  method.  He  waited  upon 
him  at  his  house,  was  introduced  to  him 
in  his  parlor,  and,  with  his  character- 
istic  boldness  and  intrepidity,  thus  ad- 
dressed him :  "  Sir,  I  hear  that  you 
have  designed  to  shoot  me,  by  which 
you  would  have  been  guilty  of  murder ; 
failing  in  this,  you  have  sent  me  a  chal- 
lenge. And  what  a  coward  must  you 
be,  sir,  to  wish  to  engage  with  a  blind 
man !"  (alluding  to  his  being  short- 
sighted). "  As  you  have  given  me  the 
challenge,  it  is  now  my  right  to  choose 
the  time,  the  place,  and  the  weapon ;  I 
therefore,  sir,  appoint  the  present  mo- 
ment, the  place  where  we  now  are,  and 
the  sword  for  the  weapon,  to  which 
1  have  been  the  most  accustomed."  The 
gentleman  was  evidently  greatly  terri- 
fied ;  when  Mr.  Scott,  having  attained 
his  end,  produced  a  pocket  JBible,  and 
exclaimed,  "  This  is  my  sword,  sir  ;  the 
only  weapon  I  wish  to  engage  with." 
"  Never,"  said  Mr.  Scott  to  a  friend  to 
whom  he  related  this  anecdote,  "  never 
was  a  poor  careless  sinner  so  delighted 
with  the  sight  of  a  Bible  before  !" 

Mr.  Scott  reasoned  with  the  gentle- 
man on  the  impropriety  of  his  conduct, 
in  treating  him  as  he  had  done,  for  no 
other  reason  but  because  he  had  preached 
the  truth .  The  result  was,  the  gentleman 


DUELING  SUPPRESSED. 


149,  150 


took  him  by  the  hand,  begged  his  par- 
don, expressed  his  sorrow  for  his  con- 
duct, and  became  afterwards  very 
friendly  to  him. 

(d)  THE  STAKES  UNEQUAL.— 
Two  friends  happening  to  quarrel  at  a 
tavern,  one  of  them,  a  man  of  hasty 
disposition,  insisted  that  the  other  should 
fight  him  next  morning.  The  chal- 
lenge was  accepted  on  condition  that 
they  should  breakfast  together  at  the 
house  of  the  person  challenged,  previous 
to  their  coiner  to  the  field.  When  the 
challenger  came  in  the  morning,  ac- 
cording to  appointment,  he  found  every 
preparation  made  for  breakfast,  and  his 
friend  with  his  wife  and  children  ready  to 
receive  him.  Their  repast  being  ended, 
and  the  family  withdrawn,  without  the 
least  intimation  of  their  purpose  having 
transpired,  the  challenger  asked  the 
other  if  he  was  ready.  "  No,  sir," 
said  he,  "not  till  we  are  more  on  a  par  ; 
that  amiable  woman,  and  those  six 
children,  who  just  now  breakfasted  with 
us,  depend,  under  Providence,  on  my 
life  for  subsistence,  and,  until  you  can 
stake  something  equal  in  my  estimation, 
to  the  welfare  of  seven  persons  dearer 
to  me  than  the  apple  of  my  eye,  I  can- 
not think  we  are  matched."  "  We  are 
not  indeed  !"  replied  the  other,  giving 
him  his  hand.  These  two  persons  be- 
came firmer  friends  than  ever. 

(e)  HUMOROUS  REPLY  TO  A 
CHALLENGE.— When  the  question 
for  the  emblems  and  devices  for  the 
national  arms  of  the  United  States, 
was  before  the  old  Congress,  a  member 
from  the  South  warmly  opposed  the 
eagle  as  a  monarchical  bird.  The 
king  of  birds  could  not  be  a  suitable 
representative  of  a  people  whose  insti- 
tutions were  founded  in  hostility  to 
kings.  Judge  Thatcher,  then  repre- 
sentative from  Massachusetts,  in  reply, 
proposed  the  goose,  which  he  said  was 
a  most  humble  and  republican  bird,  and 
would  in  other  respects  prove  advanta- 
geous, inasmuch  as  the  goslings  would 
do  to  put  on  ten  cent  pieces,  &c.  The 
laughter  which  followed  at  the  expense 
of  the  Southerner  was  more  than  he 
could  bear.  He  construed  the  good 
humored  irony  into  an  insult  and  sent 
a  challenge.     The  bearer  delivered  it 


to  Mr.  Thatcher,  who  read  and  returned 
it  to  him,  observing  that  he  should  not 
accept  it  !  "  What,  will  you  be  brand- 
ed as  a  coward  ?"  "  Yes,  sir,  if  he 
pleases  ;  I  always  was  a  coward,  and 
he  knew  it,  or  he  would  never  have 
challenged  me."  The  joke  was  too  good 
to  be  resisted  even  by  the  angry  party. 
It  occasioned  infinite  mirth  in  the  Con- 
gressional  circles,  and  the  former  cor- 
dial and  gentlemanly  intercourse  be- 
tween the  parties  was  soon  restored  in  a 
manner  entirely  satisfactory. 

1§0.  Dueling  Suppressed. 

(a)  GUSTAVUS  AND  HIS  GEN- 
ERAL.— It  was  in  one  of  the  Prussian 
campaigns,  says  Harte,  in  his  Life  of 
Gustavus  Adolphus,  king  of  Sweden, 
that  the  irrational  practice  of  dueling 
rose  to  such  a  height  in  the  Swedish 
army,  not  only  among  persons  of  rank 
and  fashion,  but  even  between  the 
common  soldiers,  that  Gustavus  pub- 
lished a  severe  edict,  denouncing  death 
against  every  delinquent.  Soon  after 
there  arose  a  quarrel  between  two 
officers  very  high  in  command,  and  as 
they  knew  the  king's  firmness  in  pre- 
serving his  word  inviolable,  they  agreed 
to  request  an  audience,  and  besought 
his  permission  to  decide  the  affair  like 
men  of  honor.  His  majesty  repressed 
his  passion,  and  under  the  appearance 
of  pitying  brave  men  who  thought  their 
reputation  injured,  he  told  them,  that 
though  he  much  blamed  their  mistaken 
notions  of  fame  and  glory,  yet  as  this 
unreasonable  determination  appeared  to 
be  the  result  of  deliberate  reflection,  he 
would  allow  them  to  decide  the  affair  at 
a  time  and  place  specified  :  "  And  gen- 
tlemen," said  he,  "  I  myself  will  be  a 
witness  of  your  extraordinary  valor." 
At  the  hour  appointed,  Gustavus  arrived 
accompanied  with  a  small  body  of  in- 
fantry, whom  he  drew  up  around  the 
combatants.  Having  done  this,  he 
desired  them  to  fight  on  till  one  of  them 
should  be  killed,  and  calling  the  execu- 
tioner of  the  army  to  him,  he  ordered 
him,  the  moment  one  of  them  fell,  to 
be  ready  instantly  to  behead  the  survi- 
vor. Astonished  at  such  inflexible 
firmness,  the  two  generals,  after  pausing 
287 


150,  151 


EDUCATION  OF  MINISTERS. 


a  moment,  fell  upon  their  knees,  and 
asked  the  king's  forgiveness,  who  made 
them  embrace  each  other,  and  give 
their  promise  to  continue  faithful  friends 
to  their  last  moments  ;  as  they  both  did 
with  sincerity  and  thankfulness. 

(b)  THE  EMPEROR'S  LETTER. 
— The  following  letter  against  dueling, 
written  by  Joseph,  late  Emperor  of 
Germany,  was  published  in  a  collection 
of  his  letters,  a  few  years  ago  at 
Leipsic. 

"  General ; — I  desire  you  to  arrest 
Count  K —  and  Captain  W —  immedi- 
ately. The  count  is  of  an  imperious 
character,  proud  of  his  birth,  and  full 
of  false  ideas  of  honor.  Captain  W — , 
who  is  an  old  soldier,  thinks  of  settling 
every  thing  by  the  sword  or  the  pistol. 
He  has  done  wrong  in  accepting  a 
challenge  from  the  young  count.  I 
will  not  suffer  the  practice  of  dueling 
in  the  army ;  and  I  despise  the  argu- 
ments of  those  who  seek  to  justify  it. 
I  have  a  high  esteem  for  officers  who 
expose  themselves  courageously  to  the 
enemy,  and  who,  on  all  occasions,  show 
themselves  intrepid,  valiant,  and  deter- 
mined, in  attack  as  well  as  defence. 
But  there  are  men  ready  to  sacrifice 
every  thing  to  a  spirit  of  revenge  and 
hatred.  T  despise  them ;  such  men,  in 
my  opinion,  are  worse  than  the  Roman 
gladiators.  Let  a  council  of  war  be 
summoned  to  try  those  two  officers  with 
all  the  impartiality  which   I    demand 


from  every  judge,  and  let  the  most  cul- 
pable of  the  two  be  made  an  example 
by  the  rigor  of  the  law.  I  am  resolv- 
ed  that  this  barbarous  custom,  which 
is  worthy  of  the  age  of  Tamerlane  and 
Bajazet,  and  which  is  so  often  fatal  to 
the  peace  of  families,  shall  be  punished 
and  suppressed,  though  it  should  cost 
me  half  my  officers.  There  will  be 
still  left  men  who  can  unite  bravery 
with  ihe  duties  of  a  faithful  subject.  I 
wish  for  none  who  do  not  respect  the 
laws  of  the  country.  Joseph." 

"  Vienna  August,  1711." 

(c)  THE  DUELISTS  AND  THE 
GIBBET. — Frederic  the  Great  is  said 
to  have  taken  the  following  summary 
and  very  successful  method  of  sup- 
pressing dueling  in  his  army  : 

An  officer  desired  his  permission  to 
fight  a  duel  with  a  fellow-officer.  He 
gave  his  consent,  with  the  understanding 
that  himself  would  be  a  spectator  of  the 
conflict.  The  hour  of  meeting  arrived, 
and  the  parties  repaired  to  the  place  of 
slaughter.  But  what  was  their  surprise 
to  find  a  gibbet  erected  upon  the  spot. 
The  challenger  inquired  of  Frederic, 
who  was  present  according  to  agreement, 
what  this  meant.  "  I  intend,"  said  he, 
sternly,  "  to  hang  the  survivor  !"  This 
was  enough.  The  duel  was  not  fought ; 
and  by  this  simple  but  effectual  means, 
it  is  said  dueling  was  broken  up  in  the 
army  of  Frederic. 


151.  EDUCATION  OF  MINISTERS. 


(a)  THE  PLOUGHBOY  AND 
THE  PRESIDENT.— The  president 
of  a  well-known  college  in  Kentucky, 
was  one  morning,  while  sitting  in  his 
study,  astonished  by  the  entrance  of  a 
single  visitor. 

The  visitor  was  a  boy  of  some  seven- 
teen years,  rough  and  uncouth  in  his 
appearance,  dressed  in  coarse  homespun, 
with  thick  clumsy  shoes  on  his  feet,  an 
old  tattered  felt  "hat  on  his  head,  sur- 
mounting a  mass  of  uncombed  hair, 
which  relieved  swarthy  and  sunburnt 
features,  marked  by  eyes  quick  and 
sparkling,  but  vacant  and  inexpres- 
288 


sive  from  the  want  of  education.  The 
whole  appearance  of  the  youth  was  that 
of  an  untaught,  uncultivated  ploughboy. 

The  president,  an  affable  and  vene- 
rable man,  inquired  into  the  business  of 
the  person  who  stood  before  him. 

"  If  you  please,  sir,"  said  the  plough- 
boy,  with  all  the  hesitancy  of  an  unedu- 
cated rustic — "  If  you  please,  sir,  I'd 
like  to  get  some  larnin'.  I  heard  you 
had  a  college  in  these  parts,  and  I 
thought  if  I  would  work  a  spell  for  you, 
you  would  help  me  now  and  then  in 
gettin'  an  edication." 

"Well,  my  young  friend,"    replied 


EDUCATION  OF  MINISTERS. 


151 


the  president,  I  scarcely  see  any  way 
in  which  you  might  be  useful  to  us. 
The  request  is  something  singular." 

"  Why,  I  can  bring  water,  cut  wood, 
or  black  boots,"  interrupted  the  boy, 
his  eyes  brightening  with  earnestness. 
"  I  want  to  get  an  edication — I  want  to 
make  something  of  myself.  I  don't 
keer  how  hard  I  work,  only  so  as  to  get 
an  edication.     I  want — " 

He  paused,  at  a  loss  for  words  to  ex- 
press his  ideas,  but  there  was  a  lan- 
guage in  the  expressive  lip,  and  glanc- 
ing eye ;  there  was  a  language  in  his 
manner — in  the  tone  in  which  these 
words  were  spoken,  that  appealed  at 
once  to  the  president's  feelings.  He 
determined  to  try  the  sincerity  of  the 
youth.  "  I  am  afraid,  my  young  friend, 
I  can  do  nothing  for  you.  I  would  like 
to  assist  you,  but  I  see  no  way  in  which 
you  can  be  useful  to  us  at  present." 

The  president  resumed  his  book.  In 
a  moment  he  glanced  at  the  ploughboy, 
who  sat  silent  and  mute,  holding  the 
handle  of  the  door.  He  fingered  his 
rough  hat  confusedly  with  one  hand, 
his  eyes  were  downcast,  and  his  upper 
lip  quivered  and  trembled  as  though  he 
were  endeavoring  to  repress  strong  and 
sudden  feelings  of  intense  disappoint- 
ment. The  effort  was  but  half  success- 
ful. A  tear,  emerging  from  the  down- 
cast eyelid,  rolled  over  the  sunburnt 
cheek,  and  with  a  quick,  nervous  ac- 
tion, the  ploughboy  raised  his  toil-har- 
dened hand  and  brushed  away  the  sign 
of  regret.  He  made  a  well-meant  but 
awkward  mark  of  obeisance,  and  open- 
ing the  door,  had  one  foot  across  the 
threshold,  when  the  president  called  him 
back. 

The  ploughboy  was  in  a  few  minutes 
hired  as  a  man  of  all  work,  and  boot- 
black to  the college. 

The  next  scene  which  we  give  the 
reader,  was  in  a  new  and  magKificent 
church,  rich  with  the  beauties  of  archi- 
tecture, and  thronged  by  an  immense 
crowd,  who  listened  in  deat/ilike  still- 
ness to  the  burning  eloqi:ence  of  the 
minister  of  heaven,  who  delivered  the 
mission  of  his  Master  from  the  altar. — 
The  speaker  was  a  man  in  the  full  glow 
of  middle  age — of  striking  and  impres- 
sive appearance — piercing  and  intellec- 
19 


and 


high 


intellectual   fore- 


tual   eye, 
head. 

Every  eye  is  fixed  on  him — every  lip 
hushed,  and  every  ear,  with  nervous  in- 
tensity, drinks  in  the  eloquent  teaching 
of  the  orator. 

Who  in  all  thai  throng  would  recog- 
nize in  the  famed,  the  learned,  the  elo- 
quent president  of college,  Penn- 
sylvania, the  humble  boot-black  of 

college,  in  Kentucky  ! 

(b)  THE  SCHOOLMASTER  AND 
HIS  POOR  PUPIL.— The  following 
anecdote  was  related  by  a  gentleman 
at  Utica,  at  a  meeting  of  the  friends  of 
education  : — 

In  the  month  of  December,  1807,  Mr. 
Maynard  was  teaching  school  in  the 
town  of  Plainfield,  Mass.  One  cold 
blustering  morning,  on  entering  his 
school-room,  he  observed  a  lad  that  he 
had  not  seen  before,  sitting  on  one  of 
the  benches.  The  lad  soon  made  known 
his  errand  to  Mr.  M.  He  was  fifteen 
years  old  ;  his  parents  lived  seven  miles 
distant ;  he  wanted  an  education  ;  and 
had  come  from  home  oii  foot  that  morn- 
ing, to  see  if  Mr.  M.  could  help  him  to 
contrive  how  to  obtam  it. 

Mr.  M.  asked  h:m  if  he  was  acquaint- 
ed with  any  one  in  that  place.  "  No." 
"Can  your  parents  help  you  towards 
obtaining  an  education  ?" 

"  No."  '■'  Have  you  any  friends  that 
can  give  you  assistance  ?"  "  No." 
"  Well,  -low  do  you  expect  to  obtain  an 
education  ?"  "  I  don't  know,  but  I 
thouofit  I  would  come  and  see  you." 
Mr.  M.  told  him  to  stay  that  day,  and 
hp  would  see  what  could  be  done. 
He  discovered  that  the  boy  was  possess- 
of  good  sense,  but  no  uncommon  bril- 
liancy, and  he  was  particularly  struck 
with  the  cool  and  resolute  manner  in 
which  he  undertook  to  conquer  diffi- 
culties which  would  have  intimidated 
weaker  minds.  In  the  course  of  the 
day,  Mr.  M.  made  provision  for  having 
him  boarded  through  the  winter  in  the 
family  with  himself,  the  lad  paying  for 
his  board  by  his  services  out  of  school. 
He  gave  himself  diligently  to  study,  in 
which  he  made  good,  but  not  rapid  pro- 
ficiency, improving  every  opportunity  of 
reading  and  conversation  for  acquiring 
knowledge,  and  thus  spent  the  winter. 
289 


151,  152 


EDUCATION,  RELIGIOUS. 


When  Mr.  M.  left  the  place  in  the 
spring,  he  engaged  a  minister  who  resided 
about  four  miles  from  the  boy's  father, 
to  hear  his  recitations  ;  and  the  boy  ac- 
cordingly boarded  at  home,  and  pur- 
sued his  studies.  It  is  unnecessary 
to  pursue  the  narrative  further.  Mr. 
M.  had  never  seen  the  lad  since ;  but 
this  was  the  early  history  of  the  Rev. 
Jonas  King,  whose  exertions  in  the  cause 
of  oriental  learning,  and  in  alleviating 
the  miseries  of  Greece,  have  endeared 
him  alike  to  the  scholar  and  philan- 
thropist, and  shed  a  bright  ray  of  glory 
on  his  native  countiy. 

(c)  DR.  BACON'S  ADVICE.— "I 
received  a  most  useful  hint,"  says  Ce- 
cil, "  from  Dr.  Bacon,  then  father  of  the 
University,  when  I  was  at  college.  I 
used  frequently  to  visit  him  at  his  living, 
near  Oxford ;  he  would  frequently  say 
to  me,  '  What  are  you  doing  ?  What 
are  your  studies  V  '  I  am  reading  so 
and  so.'  '  You  are  quite  wrong.  When 
I  was  young,  I  could  turn  any  piece  of 
Hebrew  into  Greek  verse  with  ease. 
But  when  I  can^e  into  this  parish,  and 
had  to  teach  igriorant  people,  I  was 
wholly  at  a  loss ;  1  had  no  furniture. 
They  thought  me  a  great  man,  but  that 
was  their  ignorance,  for  I  knew  as  little 
as  they  did,  of  what  it  w^s  most  impor- 
tant for  them  to  know.  Study  chiefly 
what  you  can  turn  to  good  account  in 
your  future  life.' " 

{d)  THE  UNKNOWN  PKEACH- 
ER.-The  spontaneous  preferencb  which 
all  persons,  free  from  prejudice,  are 
ready  to  yield,  other  things  being  eq^al, 
to  a  preacher  who  has  had  the  adva^a- 
vantages  of  education,  may  be  illustrat- 
ed by  the  following  incident : — 

In  the  vicinity  of  one  of  our  literary 
institutions,  where  several  young  Bap- 


tist ministers  were  at  their  studies,  a 
church,  whose  members  were  violently 
prejudiced  against  colleges  and  college- 
learned  ministers,  had  passed  a  vote  that 
they  would  admit  no  one  from  the 
neighboring  institution  into  their  pulpit. 
Shortly  after  this  they  sent  to  a  minis- 
ter then  residing  near  the  institution, 
whom  they  did  not  know,  but  with 
whose  preaching  they  supposed  from 
information  they  should  be  pleased. 
The  minister  agreed  to  attend  and 
preach  for  them,  on  the  day  named  in 
their  request.  Circumstances,  how- 
ever, prevented  his  going  in  person  ;  he  ■ 
therefore  engaged  a  young  ministering 
brother,  who  had  nearly  completed  his 
studies  at  the  institution  of  which  he  was 
a  member,  to  go  in  his  stead.  This 
young  brother  was  unknown  to  any  of 
the  church.  He  came  to  the  place  at 
the  hour  ap^inted ;  and,  with  a  fluent 
and  ready  utterance,  with  a  warm  heart 
and  fervent  spirit,  and  with  a  well  fur- 
nished mind,  he  delivered  his  Master's 
message.  The  members  of  the  church, 
who  supposed  all  this  while  that  the 
preacher  was  the  individual  for  whom 
they  had  sent,  and  who  had  never  been 
in  a  literary  institution,  were  delighted. 
Their  hearts  were  opened.  They  press- 
ed him  to  visit  them  again,  to  which  he 
consented.  In  the  meantime,  they  as- 
certained who  their  preacher  was,  that 
he  was  a  member  of  the  neighboring 
institution.  But  they  had  committed 
themselves  ;  he  had  gained  their  hearts, 
and  the  approbation  of  their  judgment. 
It  was  the  end  of  their  prejudice  against 
learning  in  a  minister.  After  this  they 
were  ready  to  admit  and  act  on  the 
principle,  that  learning  cannot  make  a 
Minister,  but  that  it  can  greatly  increase 
his  power  of  being  useful. 


152.  EDUCATION,  RELIGIOUS. 


(a)  A  PIOUS  FATHER  AND  HIS 
REFRACTORY  SON.— A  pious,  ten- 
der father,  asked  his  refractory  son,  one 
Sabbath  morning,  if  he  was  going  to  at- 
tend meeting  ?  The  child  answered, 
that  he  was  not.  "  Why  ?''  said  his  fa- 
ther. "  I  have  a  sore  foot,"  was  the 
290 


answer.  ''But  you  shall  ride  and  I 
will  walk."  The  child  being  resolved 
not  to  go,  made  many  objections,  whicji 
the  father  answered  in  a  similar  way ; 
until  the  son,  no  longer  able  to  hide  the 
opposition  of  his  heart,  broke  out  as  fol- 
lows :— "  I  will  go,  but  I  will  not  hear 


EDUCATION,  RELIGIOUS. 


I5d 


one  word."  He  then  went  away  in  a 
passion.  But  God,  who  is  mighty  in 
wisdom,  and  seeth  not  as  man  seeth, 
had  determined  that  he  should  hear. 
His  sins  were  set  in  order  before  him, 
in  such  a  manner,  that  he  was  unable 
to  leave  the  place  without  assistance. 
He  remained  several  days  in  great  dis- 
tress, and  then  found  peace  in  the  blood 
of  Christ.  He  is  now  a  preacher  of  the 
gospel  which  he  so  much  despised. 
Those  parents  who  think  it  will  do  no 
good  to  urge  children  to  attend  public 
worship,  may  derive  from  this  anecdote 
a  valuable  lesson. 

(b)  FIRST  IMPRESSIONS.— A 
respectable  lady  died  in  1845,  near  Ma- 
dison, Wisconsin.  She  was  a  native  of 
Kentucky,  and  educated  a  Protestant. 
All  her  family  were  Protestants.  For 
seven  years  previous  to  her  death  she 
had  no  intercourse  with  j^man  Catho- 
lics. But  when  death  was  approaching 
she  sent  a  hundred  miles  for  a  Catholic 
bishop,  that  she  might  be  received  into 
communion  and  die  in  the  Romish 
Church.  And  wherefore  ?  Her  feel- 
ings were  the  result  of  early  impressions 
received  while  attending  a  Catholic 
school  at  Nazanath,  Kentucky  !  Yet 
how  little  many  parents  think  of  the 
depth  and  permanency  of  the  impres- 
sions made  on  their  infant  offspring  by 
the  school-teacher's  instructions  or  their 
own  !  Of  all  impressions  those  are 
most  enduring  which  are  the  earliest, 
(c)  THE   FATHER'S    PRAYER. 

—Of  the  family  of  Mr.  C ,  the  fol- 

lowing  account  is  given  by  one  of^  the 
sons,  at  the  request  of  a  friend  : — My 
father  was  for  many  years  not  only  a 
member,  but  a  living  member,  of  the 
church  of  Christ.  He  had  ten  children. 
We  were  all  taught  to  "  fear  God  and 
keep  his  commandments."  "  The  Sab- 
bath day"  was  "  remembered."  Well 
do  I  recollect,  with  filial  gratitude,  how 
regularl)^  on  the  Sabbath  we  were  sum- 


moned to  take  our  stand  around  the 
arm-chair  of  my  father,  to  repeat  the 
catechism  and  other  religious  lessons, 
and  his  earnest  entreaties  that  we  would 
"  remember  our  Creator  in  the  days  of 
our  youth."  His  prayers  partook  much 
of  a  wrestling  spirit ;  his  whole  soul 
appeared  to  be  in  the  exercise.  I  never 
can  forget  one  request  which  he  pressed 
with  deep  and  hearty  solicitude  :  "  O 
Lord!  give  my  children  an  interest  in 
Christ :  whatever  else  is  denied  them, 
deny  them  not  this  greatest  of  all  bless- 
ings .'"  In  all  my  profligate  wander- 
ings that  prayer  would  ring  in  my  ears, 
and  the  image  of  my  praying  father 
would  appear  to  my  imagination ;  and 
now,  with  deep  emotions  of  gratitude 
for  God's  abounding  grace,  I  can  say, 
every  one  of  their  children  hope  in  the 
mercy  of  Christ.  Two  of  the  sons  are 
officers  of  churches  ;  and  all  of  us  have 
as  many  responsibilities  as  we  can 
faithfully  discharge  both  of  a  civil  and 
religious  character. 

(c)  NO  SCOTCH  WOMAN 
THERE. -^The  Rev.  Dr.  Waugh  was 
enlarging  one  evening,  at  a  public  Sab- 
bath school  meeting,  on  the  blessings  of 
education;  and,  turning  to  his  native 
country,  Scotland,  for  proof,  told  his 
auditors  the  following  anecdote  : — "  At 
board-day  at  the  Penitentiary  at  Mill- 
bank,  the  food  of  the  prisoners  was  dis- 
cussed, and  it  was  proposed  to  give 
Scotch  broth  thrice  a  week.  Some  of 
the  governors  were  not  aware  what  sort 
of  broth  the  barley  made,  and  desired  to 
taste  some  before  they  sanctioned  the 
measure.  One  of  the  officers  was  ac- 
cordingly directed  to  go  to  the  wards 
and  bring  a  Scotch  woman,  competent 
to  the  culinary  task,  to  perform  it  in  the 
kitchen.  After  long  delay,  the  board 
supposing  the  broth  was  preparing  all 
the  while,  the  officer  returned,  and  told 
their  honors  that  there  was  no  Scotch 
woman  in  the  house. '^ 


291 


153 


ELOQUENCE,  SACRED. 


153.  ELOgXIENCE,  SACRED. 


JUDGING    MIN- 
years     ago,    three 


(a)    INDIANS 
ISTERS.  —  Some 

American  ministers  went  to  preach  to 
the  Cherokee  Indians.  One  preached 
very  deliberately  and  coolly ;  and  the 
chiefs  held  a  council  to  know  whether 
the  Great  Spirit  spoke  to  them  through 
that  man ;  and  they  declared  he  did 
not,  because  he  was  not  so  much  en- 
gaged as  their  head  men  were  in  their 
national  concerns.  Another  spoke  to 
them  in  a  most  vehement  manner  ;  and 
they  again  determined  in  council  that 
the  Great  Spirit  did  not  speak  to  them 
through  that  man,  because  he  was  mad. 
The  third  preached  to  them  in  an  earn- 
est and  fervent  manner ;  and  they 
agreed  that  the  Great  Spirit  might  speak 
to  them  through  him,  because  he  was 
both  earnest  and  affectionate.  The 
last  was  ever  after  kindly  received. 

(h)  TWO  WAYS  OF  TELLING 
.^A  STORY.— The  late  Dr.  Lathrop,  of 
/  West  Springfield,  Mass.,  related  to  Mr. 
Whitefield  a  fact  which  the  Dr.  had 
personally  witnessed  ;  and  he  related  it 
without  much  feeling.  The  same  day 
Mr.  Whitefield  introduced  the  story  in- 
to his  sermon,  and  Dr.  Lathrop  as  he 
heard   it    found    himself    drowned    in 

(c)  ELOQUENCE  OF  STAUGH- 
TON.— The  Rev.  Dr.  Staughton,  of 
Philadelphia,  was  remarkable  for  the 
energy  of  his  delivery,  and  for  the  origi- 
nality of  many  of  his  remarks.  On 
one  occasion,  he  was  preaching  from 
the  words,  "  God  be  merciful  to  me  a 
sinner."  His  soul  kindled,  as  he  pro- 
ceeded, with  intense  ardor  for  the  sal- 
vation of  his  assembly.  He  presented, 
in  a  strain  of  vivid  and  powerful  elo- 
quence, the  joy  of  the  angelic  hosts  on 
the  repentance  of  one  sinner.  Perfect 
silence  reigned  through  the  vast  audi- 
ence. There  was  a  moment's  pause, 
and  it  was  obvious,  from  his  counte- 
nance and  his  attitude,  that  his  mind 
was  preparing  for  some  powerful  and 
bverwhelming  flood  of  feeling.  He 
proceeded :  "  Shall  I  retire  with  the 
292 


desponding  reflection,  that,  in  all  this 
congregation,  there  is  not  one  soul 
humbled  before  God  ?  Shall  angels 
prepare  their  wings  for  flight,  and  the 
voice  of  contrition  be  unheard  ?  It 
cannot  be*^  I  will  cherish  the  hope 
that  there  is,  at  least,  one  sinner  here 
whose  heart  is  melted  down  before  the 
Lord,  and  trembling  at  the  prospect  of 
future  retribution  ;  that  there  is,  even 
now,  one  whose  agony  is  on  the  point 
of  extorting  from  his  lips  the  cry  of  the 
publican. "  Suddenly  throwing  up 
his  arm,  with  a  voice  full,  loud,  and 
rapid,  he  exclaimed,  '*  Flark  !"  The 
effect  it  is  impossible  to  describe.  His 
arm  remained  for  a  time  elevated,  dur- 
ing which  the  most  awful  stillness 
reigned,  interrupted  only  by  an  appar- 
ently delicate  and  indescribable  breath- 
ing, that  seemed  to  pass  over  the  con- 
gregation, midway  in  the  edifice. 
Then,  with  a  grace  and  energy  pecu- 
liar to  himself,  he  brought  down  his-  hand 
upon  his  breast,  and  repeated  the  pray- 
er, "  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner." 
The  feelings  of  the  assembly  were 
wrought  to  the  highest  point,  and  some 
time  elapsed  before  they  were  enabled 
to  breathe  freely. 

{d)  MASSILLON'S  PREACHING. 
— When  Massillon  preached  the  first 
Advent  sermon  at  Marseilles,  Louis  the 
XlVth  paid  a  most  expressive  tribute 
to  his  eloquence  : — "  Father,  when  I 
hear  others  preach,  I  am  very  well 
pleased  with  them ;  when  I  hear  you,  I 
am  dissatisfied  with  myself." 

The  first  time  this  great  preacher  de- 
livered his  sermon  on  the  small  number 
of  the  elect,  the  whole  audience  were,  in 
one  part  of  it,  in  so  violent  a  state  of 
emotion,  that  almost  every  person  half 
rose  from  his  seat,  as  if  to  shake  off 
the  horror  of  being  one  of  those  that 
would  be  cast  out  into  everlasting  dark- 
ness. So  remarkably  were  all  his 
strokes  aimed  at  the  heart. 

When  Baron,  the  actor,  came  from 
hearing  one  of  Massillon's  sermons,  he 
said  to  a  person  of  the  same  profession, 


ELOQUENCE,  SACRED. 


153 


who  accompanied  him,  "  Here  is  an 
orator  ;  we  are  only  actors." 

(e)  QUITE  DIFFERENT 
PREACHERS.— The  different  effects 
produced  by  pulpit  eloquence  are  well 
described  by  the  following  anecdote  of 
two  French  preachers.  Le  Pere  Arrius 
said,  "When  Le  Pere  Bourdaloue 
preached  at  Rouen,  the  tradesmen  for- 
sook their  shops,  lawyers  their  clients, 
physicians  their  sick,  and  tavern-keepers 
their  bars  ;  but,  when  I  preached  the  fol- 
lowing year,  I  set  all  thing  to  rights — 
every  man  minded  his  own  business !" 

(/)  PREACHING  AS  IN  THE 
PRESENCE  OF  GOD.— The  emi- 
nence of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Brown,  of  Had- 
dington, both  as  a  preacher  and  a  writer, 
is  well  known.  On  a  public  occasion, 
where  a  man  who  professed  the  princi- 
ples of  infidelity  was  present,  two  ser- 
mons were  delivered :  the  first  of  them 
by  an  ambitious  young  man,  who  de- 
livered a  very  eloquent  and  florid 
address;  Mr.  Brown  followed,  in  one 
equally  remarkable  for  its  simplicity 
and  earnestness.  "  The  first  preacher," 
said  the  skeptic  to  one  of  his  friends, 
"  spoke  as  if  he  did  not  believe  what 
he  said ;  the  latter,  as  if  he  was  con- 
scious that  the  Son  of  God  stood  at  his 
elbow."  \ 

(g)  NEWTON'S  TRIBUTE  TO' 
WHITEFIELD.— In  a  company  of 
noblemen  and  gentlemen,  at  breakfast, 
Mr.  Whitefield  having  become  the  sub- 
ject of  conversation,  one  of  the  company 
asked  the  Rev.  John  Newton,  who  was 
present,  if  he  knew  Mr.  Whitefield. 
He  answered  in  the  affirmative,  and  ob- 
served, that  as  a  preacher,  Mr.  White- 
field  far  exceeded  every  other  man  of 
his  time.  Mr.  Newton  added,  "  I  bless 
God  that  I  lived  in  his  time  ;  many 
were  the  winter  mornings  1  got  up  at 
four,  to  attend  his  tabernacle  discourses 
at  five ;  and  I  have  seen  Moorfields  as 
full  of  lanterns  at  these  times,  as  I  sup- 
pose the  Maymarket  is  full  of  flam- 
beaux on  an  opera  night."  As  a  proof 
of  the  power  of  Mr.  W.'s  preaching, 
Mr.  Newton  mentioned,  that  an  officer 
at  Glasgow,  who  had  heard  him  preach, 
laid  a  wager  with  another,  that  at  a  cer- 
tain charity  sermon,  though  he  went 
with  prejudice,  he  would  be  compelled 


to  give  something  ;  the  other  to  make 
sure  that  he  would  not,  laid  all  the 
money  out  of  his  pockets;  but,  before 
he  left  the  church,  he  was  glad  to  bor- 
row some,  and  lose  his  bet.  Mr.  New- 
ton mentioned,  as  another  striking  ex- 
ample of  Mr.  Whitefield's  persuasive 
oratory,  his  collecting  at  one  sermon 
£600  for  the  inhabitants  of  an  obscure 
village  in  Germany,  that  had  been 
burned  down.  After  sermon,  Mr. 
Whitefield  said,  "  We  shall  sing  a 
hymn,  during  which  those  who  do  not 
choose  to  give  their  mite  on  this  awful 
occasion,  may  sneak  off."  Not  one 
moved ;  he  got  down  from  the  pulpit, 
ordered  all  the  doors  to  be  shut  but  one, 
at  which  he  held  the  plate  himself,  and 
collected  the  above  large  sum.  Mr. 
Newton  related  what  he  knew  to  be  a 
fact,  that  at  the  time  of  Whitefield's 
greatest  persecution,  when  obliged  to 
preach  in  the  streets,  in  one  week  he 
received  not  fewer  than  a  thousand  let- 
ters from  persons  distressed  in  their 
consciences  by  the  energy  of  his  preach- 

'  %)  HUME'S  TRmUTE  TO 
WHITEFTEDX"— XH~  extraordinary 
attestation  to  the  excellence  of  Mr. 
Whitefield,  as  a  preacher,  was  furnish- 
ed by  Hume,  the  historian,  well  known 
for  his  infidelity.  An  intimate  friend 
having  asked  him  what  he  thought  of 
Mr.  Whitefield's  preaching,  "  He  is, 
sir,"  said  Mr.  Hume,  "  the  most  ingenious 
preacher  I  ever  heard  :  it  is  worth  while 
to  go  twenty  miles  to  hear  him."  He 
then  repeated  the  following  passage, 
which  occurred  towards  the  close  of  the 
discourse  he  had  been  hearing  :  "  After 
a  solemn  pause,  Mr..  Whit&field  thus 
addressed  his  numerous  audience : — 
'  Tlia_attendant  angel  is  just  about  to 
leave  the  thresholdj  and-  -ascend -to  hea- 
ven,,  And  shall  he  a.scend,  and  not  / 
bear  with  him  the  news  of  one  sinner, 
among  all  this  multitude,  reclaimed 
from  the  error  of  his  ways  ?'  To  give 
the  greater  effect  to  this  exclamation, 
he  stamped  with  his  f^ot,  lifted  up  his  eyes 
and  hands  to  heaven,  and  with  gushing 
tears,  cried  aloud,  'Stop,  Gabriel! 
Stop,  Gabriel!  Stop,  ere  you  enter  the 
sacred  portals,  and  yet  carry  with  you 
the  news  of  one  sinner  converted  to 
293 


153 


ELOQUENCE,  SACRED. 


,  God.'  He  then,  in  the  most  simple, 
but  energetic  language,  described  what 
he  called  a  Savior's  dying  love  to  sin- 
ful man,  so  that  almost  the  whole  as- 
sembly melted  into  tears.  This  address 
was  accompanied  with  such  animated, 
yet  natural  action,  that  it  surpassed 
any  thing  I  ever  saw  or  heard  in  any 
other  preacher." 

Happy  had  it  been  for  Mr.  Hume,  if, 
in  addition  to  his  admiration  of  the 
preacher,  he  had  received  the  doctrine 
which  he  taught,  and  afforded  an  in- 
stance of  that  conversion  to  God  which 
Mr.  Whitefield  so  ardently  longed  for 
on  behalf  of  his  hearers. 

(i)  FRANKLIN'S  TRIBUTE  TO 
WHITEFIELD.— The  following  anec- 
dote, related  by  Dr.  Franklin,  which  is 
equally  characteristic  of  the  preacher 
and  himself,  further  illustrates  the 
power  of  Mr.  Whitefield 's  eloquence  : — 
"  I  happened,"  says  the  doctor,  "  to  at- 
tend one  of  his  sermons,  in  the  course 
of  which  I  perceived  he  intended  to 
finish  with  a  collection,  and  I  silently 
resolved  he  should  get  nothing  from  me. 
I  had  in  my  pocket  a  handful  of  copper 
money,  three  or  four  silver  dollars,  and 
five  pistoles  in  gold.  As  he  proceeded, 
I  began  to  soften,  and  concluded  to  give 
the  copper.  Another  stroke  of  his 
oratory  made  me  ashamed  of  that,  and 
determined  me  to  give  the  silver ;  and 
he  finished  so  admirably,  that  I  emptied 
my  pocket  wholly  into  the  collector's 
dish, — gold  and  all.  At  this  sermon 
there  was  also  one  of  our  club;  who, 
being  of  my  sentiments  respecting  the 
building  in  Georgia,  and  suspecting  a  col- 
lection might  be  intended,  had,  by  pre- 
caution, emptied  his^  pockets  before  he 
came  from  home.  Towards  the  conclu- 
sion of  the  discourse,  however,  he  felt  a 
strong  inclination  to  give,  and  applied  to  a 
neighbor,  who  stood  near  him,  to  lend 
him  some  money  for  the  purpose.  The 
request  was  made  to,  perhaps,  the  only 
man  in  the  company  who  had  the  cold- 
ness not  to  be  affected  by  the  preacher. 
His  answer  was,  "  At  any  other  time, 
friend  Hodgkinson,  I  would  lend  to  thee 
freely ;  but  not  now,  for  thee  seems  to 
be  out  of  thv  rio;ht  senses." 

(j)  SCULPTOR'S  OPINION  OF 
WHITEFIELD.— A  baronet  was  one 
294 


day  examining  some  works  of  the  cele- 
brated sculptor,  Mr.  Bacon,  and  observed 
a  bust  of  Mr.  Whitefield  among  them, 
which  led  him  to  remark,  "  After  all 
that  has  been  said,  this  was  truly  a  great 
man  ;  he  was  the  founder  of  a  new  reli- 
gion." "  A  new  religion,  sir !"  replied 
Mr.  B.  "  Yes,"  said  the  baronet  ; 
"  what  do  you  call  it  ?"  "  Nothing," 
was  the  reply,  "  but  the  old  religion  re- 
vived with  new  energy,  and  treated  as 
if  the  preacher  meant  what  he  said." 

(A:)  THE  BROKEN  HEART.— 
When  Whitefield  was  preaching  at  Ex- 
eter,  a  man  was  present  who  had  loaded 
his  pockets  with  stones,  in  order  to  fling 
them  at  that  precious  ambassador  of 
Christ.  He  heard  his  prayer,  however, 
with  patience ;  but  no  sooner  had  he 
named  his  text,  than  the  man  pulled  a 
stone  out  of  his  pocket  and  held  it  in  his 
hand  waiting  for  a  fair  opportunity  to 
throw.  But  God  sent  a  sword  to  his 
heart,  and  the  stone  dropped  from  his 
hand.  After  sermon  he  went  to  Mr.  W. 
and  told  him,  "  Sir,  I  came  to  hear  you 
this  day  with  a  view  to  break  your  head, 
but  the  spirit  of  the  Lord,  through  your 
ministry,  has  given  me  a  broken  heart." 
The  man  proved  to  be  a  sound  convert, 
and  lived  to  be  an  ornament  to  the  Gos- 
pel. 

( 0  THE  SHIPBUILDER'S  OPIN- 
ION  OF  WHITEFIELD.  — A  ship- 
builder  was  once  asked  what  he  thought 
of  Mr.  Whitefield.  "Think!"  he  re- 
plied ;  "  I  tell  you,  sir,  every  Sunday 
that  I  go  to  my  parish  church,  I  can 
build  a  ship  from  stem  to  stern  under 
the  sermon  ;  but  were  I  to  save  my  soul, 
under  Mr.  W.  I  could  not  lay  a  sinsrle 
plank." 

(m)  THE  BLIND  MINISTER.— 
"  I  was  one  Sunday  travelling  through 
the  county  of  Orange,  on  the  eastern 
side  of  the  Blue  Ridge,"  says  Wirt,  in 
his  British  Spy,  "  when  my  eye  was 
caught  by  a  cluster  of  horses  tied  near 
a  ruinous  wooden  house,  in  the  forest, 
not  far  from  the  roadside.  Having  fre- 
quently seen  such  objects  before,  I  had 
no  difficulty  in  understanding  that  this 
was  a  place  of  religious  worship.  Curi- 
osity to"  hear  the  preacher  of  such  a  wil- 
derness induced  me  to  join  the  congre- 
gation.    On  my  entrance,  I  was  struck 


NATURE  OF  LOVE  TO  ENEMIES. 


153,  154 


with  his  supernatural  appearance.  He 
was  a  tall  and  very  spare  old  iman ;  his 
head,  which  was  covered  with  a  white 
linen  cap,  his  shrivelled  hands,  and  his 
voice,  were  all  shaking  under  the  influ- 
ence of  palsy ;  and  a  few  moments  as- 
certained to  me  that  he  was  perfectly 
blind.  It  was  the  day  of  the  sacrament 
— his  subject  was  the  passion  of  our  Sa- 
vior ;  and  he  gave  it  a  new  and  more 
sublime  pathos  than  I  had  ever  before 
witnessed.  When  he  descended  from 
the  pulpit  to  distribute  the  mystic  sym- 
bols, there  was  a  peculiar,  a  more  than 
human  solemnity  in  his  voice  and  man- 
ner, which  made  my  blood  run  cold,  and 
my  whole  frame  shiver.  His  peculiar 
phrases  had  that  force  of  description, 
that  the  original  scene  seemed  acting 
before  our  eyes.  We  saw  the  very 
faces  of  the  Jews  ;  the  staring,  frightful 
distortions  of  malice  and  of  rage.  But 
when  he  came  to  touch  on  the  patience, 
the  forgiving  meekness  of  our  Savior ; 
when  he  drew  to  the  life  his  blessed  eyes 
streaming  with  tears,  his  voice  breathing 
to  God  the  gentle  prayer,  '  Father,  for- 
give them,  for  they  know  not  what  they 
do,' — the  voice  of  the  preacher,  which 
had  all  along  faltered,  grew  fainter  and 
fainter,  until  his  voice  being  entirely 
obstructed  by  the  force  of  his  feelings, 
he  raised  his  handkerchief  to  his  eyes, 
and  burst  into  a  loud  and  irrepressible 
flood  of  grief.  The  effect  was  incon- 
ceivable. The  whole  house  resounded 
with  mingled  groans,  and  sobs,  and 
shrieks.  I  could  not  imagine  how  the 
speaker  could  let  his  audience  down 
from  the  height  to  which  he  had  wound 
them,  without  impairing  the  solemnity 
of  his  subject,  or  shocking  them  by  the 


abruptness  of  his  fall.  But  the  descent 
was  as  beautiful  and  sublime  as  the  ele- 
vation had  been  rapid  and  enthusiastic. 
The  tumult  of  feeling  subsided,  and  a 
death-like  stillness  reiiijned  throui^hout 
the  house,  when  the  aged  man  removed 
his  handkerchief  from  his  eyes,  still  wet 
with  the  torrent  of  his  tears,  and  slowly 
stretching  forth  his  palsied  hand,  he  ex- 
claimed, '  Socrates  died  like  a  philoso- 
pher,'— then  pausing,  clasping  his  hands 
with  fervor  to  his  heart,  lifting  his  '  sight- 
less balls '  to  heaven,  and  pouring  his 
whole  soul  into  his  tremulous  voice,  he 
continued — '  but  Jesus  Christ  died  like 
a  God.'  Had  he  been  an  angel  of  light, 
the  effect  could  have  scarcely  been  more 
divine." 

(tz)  FLETCHER'S  APPEAL.— 
When  the  P^ev.  J.  W.  Fletcher,  of 
Madeley,  was  once  preaching  on  Noah 
as  a  type  of  Christ,  and  while  in  the 
midst  of  a  most  animated  description  of 
the  terrible  day  of  the  Lord,  he  suddenly 
paused.  Every  feature  of  his  expres- 
sive countenance  was  marked  with  pain- 
ful feeling ;  and,  striking  his  forehead 
with  the  palm  of  his  hand,  he  exclaimed, 
"  Wretched  man  that  I  am !  Beloved 
brethren,  it  often  cuts  me  to  the  soul,  as 
it  does  at  this  moment,  to  reflect,  that 
while  I  have  been  endeavoring,  by  the 
force  of  truth,  by  the  beauty  of  holiness, 
and  even  by  the  terrors  of  the  Lord,  to 
bring  you  to  walk  in  the  peaceable  paths 
of  righteousness,  I  am,  with  respect  to 
many  of  you  who  reject  the  gospel,  only 
tying  mill-stones  round  your  neck,  to 
sink  you  deeper  in  perdition !"  The 
whole  church  was  electrified,  and  it 
was  some  time  before  he  could  resume 
his  discourse. 


ENEMIES,  LOVE  TO. 


151.  Nature  of  Love  to  Enemies. 

(a)  THE  HAND  OF  THE  AVEN- 
GER  STAYED.— The  following  inci- 
dent  is  taken  from  the  diary  of  Hans 
Egede  Saabye,  a  grandson  of  the  cele- 
brated Hans  Egede,  first  missionary  to 
Greenland. 


It  has  ever  been  a  fixed  law  in  Green- 
land, that  murder,  and  particularly  the 
murder  of  a  father,  must  be  avenged. 
About  twenty  years  before  the  arrival 
of  Saabye,  a  father  had  been  murdered 
in  the  presence  of  his  son,  a  lad  of 
thirteen,  in  a  most  atrocious  manner. 
The  boy  was  not  able  then  to  avenge  the 
295 


154 


ENEMIES,  LOVE  TO. 


crime,  but  the  murderer  was  not  for- 
gotten. He  left  that  part  of  the  coun- 
try, and  kept  the  flame  burning  in  his 
bosom,  no  suitable  opportunity  offering 
for  revenge,  as  the  man  was  high  in  in- 
fluence, and  many  near  to  defend  him. 
At  length  his  plan  was  laid,  and  with 
some  of  his  relations  to  assist  him,  he 
returned  to  the  province  of  the  murder- 
er, who  lived  near  the  house  of  Saa- 
bye ;  there  being  no  house  unoccupied 
where  they  might  remain,  but  one  owned 
by  Saabye,  they  requested  it,  and  it 
was  granted,  without  any  remark,  al- 
though he  knew  the  object  of  their 
coming. 

The  son  soon  became  interested  in  the 
kind  missionary,  and  often  visited  his 
cabin,  giving  as  his  reason,  "  You  are 
so  amiahle  I  cannot  keep  away  from 
you.^'  Two  or  three  weeks  after,  he 
requested  to  know  more  of  "  the  great 
Lord  of  Heaven,"  of  whom  Saabye  had 
spoken.  His  request  was  ch(5erfully 
granted.  Soon  it  appeared  that  himself 
and  all  his  relatives,  were  desirous  of 
instruction,  and  ere  long,  the  son  re- 
quested baptism.  To  this  request  the 
missionary  answered  :  "  Kunnuk" — for 
that  was  his  name — "  you  know  God  : 
you  know  that  he  is  good,  that  he  loves 
you,  and  desires  to  make  you  happy  : 
but  he  desires  also  that  you  should  obey 
him." 

Kunnuk  answered  ;  "  I  love  him,  I 
will  obey  him." 

"  His  command  is,  '  Thou  shalt  not 
murder.'  "  The  poor  Greenlander  was 
much  affected,  and  silent.  "  I  know," 
said  the  missionary,  "  why  you  have 
come  here  with  your  relations,  but  this 
you  must  not  do,  if  you  wish  to  become 
a  believer." 

Agitated,  he  answered,  "  But  he  mur- 
dered  my  father !" 

For  a  long  time  the  missionary  press- 
ed this  point,  the  poor  awakened  heathen 
promising  to  "  kill  only  one."  Bui  this 
was  not  enough.  "  Thou  shalt  do  no 
murder,"  Saabye  insisted  was  the  com- 
mand of  the  Great  Lord  of  heaven. 
He  exhorted  him  to  leave  the  murderer 
in  the  hand  of  God  to  be  punished  in 
another  world  :  but  this  was  waiting  too 
long  for  revenge.  The  missionary  re- 
fused him  baptism,  without  obedience  to 
296 


the  command.  He  retired  to  consult 
his  friends.  They  urged  him  to  re- 
venge. 

Saabye  visited  him,  and  without  refer- 
ring to  the  subject,  read  those  portions 
of  Scripture  and  hymns  teaching  a  quiet 
and  forgiving  temper.  Some  days  after 
Kunnuk  came  again  to  the  cabin  of 
Saabye.  "  I  will,"  said  he,  "  and  I 
will  not ;  I  hear,  and  I  do  not  hear.  I 
never  felt  so  before  ;  I  will  forgive  him, 
and  I  will  not  forgive  him."  The  mis- 
sionary told  him,  "  When  he  iwuld  for- 
give, then  his  better  spirit  spoke  ;  when 
he  would  not  forgive,  then  his  uncon- 
verted heart  spoke."  He  then  repeated 
to  him  the  latter  part  of  the  life  of 
Jesus,  and  his  prayer  for  his  murderers. 
A  tear  stood  in  his  eye.  "  But  he  was 
better  than  I,"  said  Kunnuk.  "  But 
God  will  give  us  strength,"  Saabye 
answered.  He  then  read  the  martyr- 
dom of  Stephen,  and  his  dying  prayer 
for  his  enemies.  Kunnuk  dried  his 
eyes  and  said,  "  The  wicked  men  ! — He 
is  happy ;  he  is  certainly  with  God  in 
heaven.  My  heart  is  so  moved ;  but 
give  me  a  little  time ;  when  I  have 
brought  the  other  heart  to  silence,  I  will 
come  again."  He  soon  returned  with 
a  smiling  countenance,  saying,  "  Now  I 
am  happy ;  I  hate  no  more  ;  I  have  for- 
given ;  my  wicked  heart  shall  be 
silent."  He  and  his  wife,  having  made 
a  clear  profession  of  faith  in  Christ, 
were  baptized  and  received  into  the 
church.  Soon  afl;er,  he  sent  the  follow- 
ing note  to  the  murderer  of  his  father : 
"  I  am  now  a  believer,  and  you  have 
nothing  to  fear,"  and  invited  him  to 
his  house.  The  man  came,  and  in- 
vited Kunnuk  in  his  turn  to  visit  him. 
Contrary  to  tlie  advice  of  friends, 
Kunnuk  went,  and,  as  he  was  returning 
home,  he  found  a  hole  had  been  cut  in 
his  kajak  (or  boat)  in  order  that  he 
might  be  drowned.  Kunnuk  stepped 
out  of  the  water,  saying,  "  He  is  still 
afraid,  though  I  will  not  harm  him  !" 

What  a  noble  example  of  self-con- 
quest !  What  an  illustrious  exhibition 
of  the  power  of  the  gospel  ! 

(b)  THE  MISSIONARY  ASSAIL- 
ED. -Not  many  years  ago,  a  missionary- 
was  preaching  in  a  chapel  to  a  crowd 
of  idol-loving  Hindoos.       He  had  not 


BLESSING  ENEMIES. 


154,  155 


proceeded  far  in  his  sermon,  when  he  was 
interrupted  by  a  strong  native,  who  went 
behind  the  desk,  intending  to  knock  him 
down  with  his  stick.  Plappily,  the  blow 
aimed  at  the  minister  fell  on  his  shoulder 
and  did  him  little,  if  any,  injury.  The 
congregation  of  hearers  was,  however, 
very  angry  with  the  offender ;  and  they 
seized  him  at  the  very  moment  he  was 
attempting  his  escape.  .  "  Now,  what 
shall  I  do  with  him  ?"  said  the  mission- 
ary to  the  people.  "  What  shall  I  do 
to  him  ?"  "  Give  him  a  good  beating," 
answered  some.  "  I  cannot  do  that,'" 
said  he.  "  Send  him  to  the  Judge," 
cried  others  ;  "  and  he  will  receive  two 
years'  hard  labor  on  the  road."  "  I 
cannot  follow  your  advice,"  said  the 
missionary  again  ;  "  and  I  will  tell  you 
why.  My  religion  commands  me  to 
love  my  enemies,  and  to  do  good  to 
them  who  treat  me  injuriously."  Then, 
turning  to  the  culprit,  he  addressed  him 
in  these  words  :  "  1  forgive  you  from  my 
heart ;  but  never  forget  that  you  owe 
your  escape  from  punishment  to  that 
lesus  whom  you  persecuted  in  me." 

The  effect  of  this  scene  on  the  Hin- 
doos was  most  impressive.  They  saw 
it  and  marvelled ;  and,  unable  any 
longer  to  keep  silence,  they  sprang  on 
their  feet,  and  shouted,  "  Victory  to 
Jesus  Christ !"  "  Victory  to  Jesus 
Christ !" 

(c)  LINKS  AND  THE  MURDER- 
ER.— Peter  Links,  a  Namacqua,  was 
the  brother  of  Jacob  Links,  who  was 
murdered  when  on  a  journey  into  the 
country  with  Mr.  Threlfall,  the  Wes- 
leyan  missionary.  After  we  heard  of 
his  brother  Jacob's  murder,  Peter,  when 
speaking  on  the  subject,  said,  "  Oh  that 
I  could  find  the  murderer  who  took  away 
my  brother's  life  !  I  would  not  care 
what  distance  I  might  have  to  travel ;  I 
would  not  mind  any  exposure,  fatigue, 
or  danger;  I  would  not  care  what  ex- 
pense I  might  incur,  if  I  could  only  lay 
hold  of  that  man."  Being  aware  that 
men  in  their  savage  state  cherish  an  in- 
domitable spirit  of  revenge,  but  believing 
Peter  to  be  a  decidedly  pious  character, 
I  was  a  little  astonished  at  his  language, 
and  rather  hastily  inquired,  "  Well,  sup- 
posing  you  could  find  the  man,  what 
would  you  do  to  him  ?"    "  Do  to  him  ?" 


said  Peter  ;  "  Mynheer,  I  would  bring 
him  to  this  station,  that  he  might  hear 
the  gospel,  and  that  his  soul  might  be 
converted  to  God." 

EXHIBITIONS  OF  LOYE  TO  ENEMIES. 

Uk  Blessing  Enemies. 

{a)  MUNMOTH  AND  THE  PA- 
PIST. — Bishop  Latimer  tells  us,  in  his 
seventh  sermon  on  the  Lord's  prayer,  of 
a  rich  man*  who  had  a  poor  neighbor, 
whom  he  treated  very  kindly.  But  the 
alderman  became  a  Protestant  and  his 
poor  friend  became  his  enemy.  Indeed, 
the  poor  man  would  not  vouchsafe  to 
speak  to  him :  if  he  met  the  rich  man 
j  in  the  street,  he  would  go  out  of  his  way. 
I  "  One  time  it  happened  that  he  met  him 
I  in  so  narrow  a  street  that  he  could  not 
shun  him,  but  must  come  near  him  ;  yet 
for  all  this,  this  poor  man  was  minded  to 
go  forward,  and  not  to  speak  with  him. 
The  rich  man  perceiving  that,  caught 
him  by  the  hand,  and  asked  him,  say- 
ing, '  Neighbor,  what  is  come  into  your 
heart,  to  take  such  displeasure  with  me  ? 
what  have  I  done  against  you  ?  tell  me, 
and  I  will  be  ready  at  all  times  to  make 
you  amends.' 

"  Finally,  he  spoke  so  gently,  so  chari- 
tah/y,  and  friend/y,  that  it  wrought  in 
the  poor  man's  heart,  so  that  by  and  by 
he  fell  down  upon  his  knees,  and  asked 
his  forgiveness.  The  rich  man  forgave 
him,  and  took  him  again  into  his  favor, 
and  they  loved  each  other  as  well  as 
ever  they  did  before.  Many  a  one  would 
have  said,  Set  him  in  the  stocks,  let  him 
have  bread  of  affliction,  and  water  of 
tribulation ;  but  this  man  did  not  so. 
And  here  you  see  an  example  of  the 
practice  of  God's  words ;  so  that  the 
poor  man,  bearing  great  hatred  and 
malice  against  the  rich  man,  was 
brought,  through  the  lenity  and  meek- 
ness of  the  rich  man,  from  his  error 
and  wickedness,  to  the  knowledge  of 
God's  word.  I  would  that  you  would 
consider  this  example  well,  and  fol- 
low it." 

(h)  NARDIN  AND  HIS  ENEMIES. 
— This  excellent  pastor  of  the  church 

*  The  rich  man  here  spoken  of  was  Humphrey 
Munmoth,  sheriff  and  alderman  of  London. 
297 


155,  156 


ENEMIES,  LOVE  TO. 


of  Blamontj  was  so  little  affected  by  the 
unjust  proceedings  and  outrageous  con- 
duct to  which  he  was  exposed,  that  the 
remembrance  of  it  was  soon  effaced 
from  his  mind.  If  he  ever  felt  any 
thing  like  a  desire  to  be  avenged,  no- 
thing of  the  kind  appeared  in  the  case 
about  to  be  related.  Some  time  after 
he  had  been  restored  to  the  ministry, 
and  re-established  at  Blamont,  the  in- 
tendant  of  Besanqon  repaired  to  the 
town,  and  immediately  requested  to  see 
Mr.  Nardin.  The  latter  having  com- 
plied with  his  invitation,  the  other  said 
to  him,  among  several  complimentary 
speeches,  "  Well,  Mr.  Nardin,  you  see 
yourself  well  avenged.  You  ought  to 
be  satisfied  that  your  two  adversa- 
ries, who  labored  to  make  you  end  your 
days  in  the  dungeons  of  the  mighty 
Grison,  have  been  shut  up  there  them- 
selves, whilst  you  have  been  pronounced 
innocent."  The  two  persons,  indeed, 
who  were  most  cruelly  bent  on  his  de- 
struction, were  for  some  time  under  con- 
finement in  the  prisons  of  Besanqon  ; 
one  as  a  dealer  in  contraband  commodi- 
ties, and  the  other  for  disturbing  certain 
rights  claimed  by  the  Roman  Catholics. 
Mr.  Nardin,  feeling  himself  but  little 
flattered  by  this  compliment,  replied,  in 
a  soft  but  unhesitating  tone,  "  My  reli- 
gion, my  lord,  does  not  permit  me  to 
rejoice  in  the  misfortunes  of  my  ene- 
mies. I  pity  them  ;  and  wish  that  a 
wiser  conduct  may  shelter  them  from 
such  punishments." 

(c)  BRUEN  AND  HIS  ENEMY.— 
A  gentleman  once  sent  his  servant  to 
John  Bruen,  Esq.,  of  Bruen,  requesting 
him  never  to  set  a  foot  upon  his  ground  ; 
to  whom  he  sent  this  reply  :  "  If  it 
please  your  master  to  walk  upon  my 
grounds,  he  shall  be  very  welcome  ; 
but  if  he  please  to  come  to  my  house, 
he  shall  be  still  more  welcome."  By 
thus  heaping  coals  of  fire  upon  his  head, 
he  melted  him  down  into  love  and  ten- 
derness, and  made  him  his  cordial 
friend. 


1§6.  Doing  God  to  Enemies. 

(a)  THE  UNRULY  CATTLE.— 

The  horse  of  a  pious  man  living  in  Mas- 
sachusetts, happening  to  stray  into  the 
298 


road,  a  neighbor  of  the  man  who  owned 
the  horse  put  him  into  the  pound.  Meet- 
ing the  owner  soon  after,  he  told  him 
what  he  had  done  ;  '•  and  if  I  catch  him 
in  the  road  again,"  said  he,  "  I'll  do  it 
again."  "  Neighbor,"  replied  the  other, 
"  not  long  since,  I  looked  out  of  my 
window  in  the  night,  and  saw  your  cat- 
tle in  my  meadow,  and  I  drove  them 
out  and  shut  them  in  your  yard ;  and 
I'll  do  it  again."  Struck  with  the  re- 
ply, the  man  liberated  the  horse  from 
the  pound,  and  paid  the  charges  him- 
self.  "A  soft  answer  turneth  away 
wrath." 

(b)  THE  PRINCESS  AND  THE 
WARRIOR.— The  Bechuanas  of  South 
Africa  are  divided  into  many  different 
nations  or  tribes.  Two  of  these  nations 
carried  on  war  for  some  years,  each 
side  trying  to  kill  every  man,  woman 
and  child  of  the  other  nation,  and  prac- 
ticing cruelties  too  horrid  for  children 
to  hear.  The  name  of  the  one  nation 
was  Barolong,  and  that  of  the  other 
Bakueni,  or  People  of  the  Crocodile. 

One  day  the  daughter  of  the  Chief 
of  the  Bakueni  was  gathering  berries  by 
the  river  side ;  she  was  some  way  from 
her  father's  village,  and  all  alone  ;  she 
did  not  think  that  any  enemy  was  near, 
but  there  was  a  wicked  old  warrior  of 
the  Barolong  nation,  creeping  along  the 
borders  as  a  spy,  and  he  saw  her.  She 
had  never  done  him  any  harm,  but  he 
hated  her  because  she  was  one  of  the 
Bakueni.  He  crept  like  a  coward  upon 
his  hands  and  knees,  and  when  he  was 
within  a  few  steps  of  her,  he  sprang 
upon  her  like  a  tiger,  and  with  his  as- 
segai cut  off  both  her  hands  above  the 
v^rists.  He  mocked  at  her  sufferings, 
and  tauntingly  asked,  "  U  tla  'mpona 
kai  ?  Rumela  !"  "  Where  shall  you 
see  me  again  ?  I  salute  you."  The 
cries  of  the  poor  bleeding  girl  soon 
brought  her  friends  from  the  village, 
but  the  wicked  old  man  made  off  with 
all  speed,  and  he  was  far  enough  away 
before  they  reached  her.  There  was 
no  surgeon  at  hand  to  dress  her  wound- 
ed  arms,  so  whether  she  died  from  pain 
and  loss  of  blood  or  not,  remains  to  be 
told. 

At  length  both  nations  suffered  so 
dreadfully  from  war  and  famine,  that 


156 


DOING  GOOD  TO  ENEIMIES. 


fney  wished  to  make  peace.  They 
killed  some  cattle,  and  sat  down  to  eat 
together,  and  thus  made  a  treaty  of 
peace.  Next  season  the  Bakueni  had 
an  abundant  crop  of  corn,  but  the  Baro- 
longs  were  in  great  distress.  Swarms 
of  locusts  ate  up  the  produce  of  their 
fields  and  gardens,  and  they  were  ob- 
liged to  beg  food  from  the  people  they 
once  meant  to  destroy. 

Among  others  the  old  warrior  suffer- 
ed extremely,  and  he  set  out  on  a 
journey  to  the  Bakueni,  in  order  to  save 
his  life.  He  had  a  little  bag  containing 
a  little  meal,  made  from  pounded  lo- 
custs. It  was  all  he  could  get  to  eat  on 
his  way.  He  took  a  pipe  and  tobacco 
also,  and  a  walking-stick  in  his  hand, 
but  he  was  nearly  starved,  and  so  weak 
and  thin,  that  he  could  not  get  on  fast. 
He  reached  the  village  of  the  Chief  of 
the  Bakueni,  and  entered  the  enclosure 
before  the  door  of  the  Chief's  house. 
A  young  woman  was  sitting  near  the 
door.  She  was  dressed  in  a  tiger-skin 
kaross,  which  none  but  the  mofamagari, 
or  "  royal  mistress,"  may  wear.  The 
old  man  addressed  his  petition  to  her  in 
the  most  humble  words,  and  begged  her 
to  give  him,  a  poor  dog,  a  little  food,  as 
he  was  dying  of  hunger.  She  answer- 
ed him,  "  E  !  U  tla  'mpona  kai  ?  Ru- 
mela !"  The  old  man  was  stupified 
by  hunger,  and  did  not  remember  the 
words. 

A  servant  was  cooking  food  while  this 
was  going  on.  Her  mistress  turned  to 
her  and  told  her  to  put  some  into  a  dish  ; 
then  throwing  back  her  kaross,  she  un- 
covered her  arms.  There  were  no 
hands,  only  stumps  left.  She  was  the 
very  girl  whose  hands  this  same  wicked 
old  man  had  cut  off  so  long  before  ! 
She  said  to  her  servant,  "  Give  the 
food  to  that  man  ;  he  does  not  deserve 
it.  It  was  he  who  cut  off  my  hands 
when  I  was  a  girl ;  but  I  will  not  re- 
venge myself;  he  is  now  starving.  He 
little  thought  that  we  should  thus  meet 
each  other."  Then  speaking  to  the  old 
warrior,  she  said,  "  There  ;  take  and 
eat!  U  tla  'mpona  kai?  Rumela !" 
What  the  old  man  felt,  it  would  be  dif- 
ficult to  say.  The  generous  conduct 
of  the  Chief's  daughter  has  never  been 
forgotten  by  the   Barolong  nation.      To 


this  day,  one  of  them  may  be  kept  from 
an  unkind  action  by  the  oppressed 
party  exclaiming,  "  U  tla  'mpona  kai  ? 
Rumela !" 

(c)  SOUTHEY  AND  THE 
BLACK  BOY.— Acts  of  kindness  and 
soft  words  have  an  irresistible  power, 
even  over  an  enemy.  "  When  I  was 
a  small  boy,"  says  Southey,  "  there 
was  a  black  boy  in  the  neighborhood, 
by  the  name  of  Jim  Dick.  I  and  a  num- 
ber of  my  playfellows  were  one  even- 
ing collected  together  at  our  sports,  and 
began  tormenting  the  poor  black,  by 
calling  him  '  negro,  blackamoor,'  and 
other  degrading  epithets :  the  poor  fel- 
low appeared  excessively  grieved  at  our 
conduct,  and  soon  left  us.  We  soon 
after  made  an  appointment  to  go  a  skat- 
ing in  the  neighborhood,  and  on  the  day 
of  the  appointment  I  had  the  misfortune 
to  break  my  skates,  and  I  could  not  go 
without  borrowing  Jim's  skates.  1  went 
to  him  and  asked  him  for  them.  '  O 
yes,  John,  you  may  have  them,  and 
welcome,'  was  his  answer.  When  I 
went  to  return  them,  I  found  Jim  sitting 
by  the  fire  in  the  kitchen,  reading  the 
Bible.  I  told  him  I  had  returned  his 
skates,  and  was  under  great  obligations 
to  him  for  his  kindness.  He  looked  at 
me  as  he  took  his  skates,  and,  with 
tears  in  his  eyes,  said  to  me,  '  John, 
don't  never  call  me  blackamoor  again,' 
and  immediately  lell  the  room.  The 
words  pierced  my  heart,  and  I  burst 
into  tears,  and  from  that  time  I'esolved 
never  again  to  abuse  a  poor  black." 

{d)  THE  SLAVE'S  CONDUCT 
EXPLAINED.— A  slave  in  one  of  the 
West  India  Islands,  originally  from 
Africa,  having  been  brought  under  the 
influence  of  religious  instruction,  be- 
came so  valuable  to  his  owner  on  ac- 
count of  his  integrity  and  general  good 
conduct,  that  his  master  employed  him 
to  assist  in  the  management  of  his 
plantation.  On  one^occasion,  his  owner 
wishing,  to  purchase  twenty  additional 
slaves,  employed  him  to  make  the  se- 
lection from  those  who  were  offered  hv 
sale.  Soon  after  commencing  his  ex- 
amination of  those  who  were  in  the 
market,  he  fixed  his  eye  intently  on  an 
old  decrepit  slave,  and  told  his  mastei 
he  must  take  him  for  one.  The  master 
299 


ENEMIES,  LOVE  10. 


156 


was.  greatly  surprised,  and  objected,  but 
the  slave  entreated  so  earnestly,  for  this 
indulgence,  that  the  offer  of  the  seller 
to  add  the  old  man  to  the  twenty,  with- 
out increasing  the  price,  was  accepted. 
The  newly  purchased  slaves  were  con- 
ducted to  the  plantation  and  placed  under 
the  charge  of  the  slave,  who  had  made 
the  selection.  On  the  poor  old  decrepit 
African  he  bestowed  uncommon  care. 
He  took  him  to  his  own  habitation,  and 
laid  him  down  on  his  own  bed  ;  he  fed 
him  at  his  own  table,  and  gave  him 
drink  out  of  his  own  cup  ;  when  he  was 
cold  he  carried  him  into  the  sunshine  ; 
and  when  he  was  hot  he  placed  him 
mder  the  shade  of  the  cocoanut  trees. 
The  master,  astonished  at  the  careful 
attention  bestowed  by  him  upon  his  fel- 
low slave,  interrogated  him  on  the  sub- 
ject. "  Is  that  old  man,"  said  he, 
"  your  father,  that  you  take  so  much 
interest  in  him  ?"  "  No,  massa,"  an- 
swered the  poor  fellow,  "  he  no  my 
fader."  "  Perhaps  then,  he  is  your 
elder  brother  ?"  "  No,  massa,  he  no 
my  broder."  "  Then  he  must  be  your 
uncle  or  some  other  relation."  "  No, 
massa,  he  be  no  of  my  kindred  at  all ; 
he  be  no  my  friend." 

"  Why  then  do  you  bestow  on  him  so 
much  care  and  attention?"  "Oh, 
massa,"  replied  the  slave,  "  he  be  my 
old  enemy ;  he  sold  me  to  the  slave- 
dealer,  and  my  Bible  tell  me  to  love 
my  enemy  ;  when  he  hunger,  feed  him, 
when  he  thirst,  give  him  drink,  and  so 
me  only  do  what  my  Bible  tell  me." 

(e)  THE  CHEROKEE  WOMEN 
AND  THE  OSAGES.—A  few  poor 
Cherokee  women,  who  had  been  con- 
verted to  Christianity,  formed  them- 
selves into  a  society  for  the  propagation 
of  the  gospel,  which  was  now  become 
so  dear  to  them.  The  produce  of  the 
first  year  was  about  ten  dollars,  and 
the  question  was — to  what  immediate 
object  this  should  be  applied  ?  At 
length,  a  poor  woman  proposed  that  it 
should  be  given  to  promote  the  circu- 
lation of  the  gospel  in  the  Osage  nation  ; 
"  For,"  said  she,  "  the  Bible  tells  us 
to  do  good  to  our  enemies.  Matt.  5 :  44 ; 
and  I  believe  the  Osages  are  the  great- 
est enemies  the  Cherokees  have." 

300 


(/)  THE  SHIPWRECKED  SPAN- 
IARDS.— After  the  dispersion  of  the 
Spanish  Armada  in  1588,  Joan  Lomes 
de  Medina,  whe  had  been  general  of 
twenty  hulks,  was,  with  about  two 
hundred  and  sixty  men,  driven  in  a 
vessel  to  Anstruther  in  Scotland,  after 
suffering  great  hunger  and  cold  for  six 
or  seven  days.  Not^vithstanding  the 
object  for  which  this  fleet  had  been  se^it^ 
and  the  oppressive  conduct  of  the  Span- 
iards to  the  Scottish  merchants  who 
traded  with  them,  these  men  were  hu- 
manely treated.  Mr.  James  Melvil, 
the  minister,  told  the  Spanish  officer 
first  sent  on  shore,  that  they  would  find 
nothing  among  them  but  Christianity 
and  works  of  mercy.  The  laird  of  An- 
struther, and  a  great  number  of  the 
neighboring  gentlemen,  entertained  the 
officers ;  and  the  inhabitants  gave  the 
soldiers  and  mariners  kail,  pottage, 
and  fish ; — the  minister  having  ad- 
dressed his  flock,  as  Elisha  did  the 
King  of  Israel  in  Samaria,  "  Give  them 
bread  and  water." 

(g)  IF  THINE  ENEMY  HUN- 
GER FEED  HIM.— During  the  per- 
secuting  times  in  England,  two  persons 
from  Bedford  went  early  one  morning 
to  the  house  of  a  pious  man,  who  rented 
a  farm  in  the  parish  of  Keysoe,  with  the 
intention  of  apprehending  and  imprison- 
ing him  in  Bedford  jail  for  non-confor- 
mity. The  good  man  knew  their  in- 
tention, and  desired  his  wife  to  prepare 
breakfast,  at  the  same  time  kindly  in- 
viting his  visitors  to  partake  with  them. 
In  asking  a  blessing  or  in  returning 
thanks  for  the  food,  he  pronounced  em- 
phatically these  words,  "  If  thine  enemy 
hunger,  feed  him ;  if  he  thirst,  give 
him  drink ;"  by  which  means  the  hearts 
of  his  persecutors  were  so  far  softened 
that  they  went  away  without  taking  him 
into  custody. 

(h)  PROFITING  BY  READING 
THE  BIBLE.— A  very  little  girl,  who 
often  read  her  Bible,  gave  proof  that 
she  understood  her  obligation  to  obey 
its  precepts.  One  day,  she  came  to 
her  mother,  much  pleased,  to  show  her 
some  fruit  which  had  been  given  to  her. 
The  mother  said  the  friend  was  very 
kind,  and  had  given  her  a  great  many. 
"Yes,"  said  the  child,  "very  indeed; 


PRAYIN(i  FOR  ENEMIES. 


156,  157 


and  she  gave  me  more  than  these,  but 
I  have  given  some  away."  The  mother 
inquired  to  whom  she  had  given  them  ; 
when  she  answered,  "  I  gave  them  to  a 
girl  who  pushes  me  off  the  path,  and 
makes  faces  at  me."  On  being  asked 
why  she  gave  them  to  her,  she  replied, 
"  Because  I  thought  it  would  make  her 
know  that  I  wish  to  be  kind  to  her,  and 
she  will  not,  herhaps,  be  rude  and  un- 
kind to  me  again."  How  admirably 
did  she  thus  obey  the  command  to 
"overcome  evil  with  good!" 

(^•)  DR.  MATHER'S  AMBITION. 
— It  was  the  laudable  ambition  of  Cot- 
ton Mather  to  say,  "  He  did  not  knov/ 
of  any  person  in  the  world  who  had 
done  him  any  ill  office  but  he  had  done 
him  a  good  one  for  it." 

(j)  EXAMPLE  OF  REV.  JOHN 
BROWN.— The  Rev.  Mr.  Brown  of 
Haddington  manifested  a  singular  readi- 
ness to  forgive  his  enemies.  Notwith- 
standing the  abuse  he  received  from 
some  ministers,  when  a  student,  it  was 
remarked,  that  he  was  never  heard  to 
speak  evil  of  them,  nor  so  much  as  to 
mention  the  affair.  A  dissenting  cler- 
gyman, who  had  used  him  rudely,  be- 
ing reduced  to  poverty,  he  sent  him 
money,  and  in  a  way  which  concealed 
the  benefactor.  After  the  clergyman's 
decease,  he  offered  to  take  one  of  his 
destitute  orphans,  and  bring  him  up 
with  his  own  children.  To  certain 
writers  who  reviled  him  from  the  press, 
he  meekly  replied,  "  But  now  that  the 
fact  is  committed,  instead  of  intending 
to  resent  the  injury  these  reverend 
brethren  have  done  me,  I  reckon  my- 
self, on  account  thereof,  so  much  the 
more  effectually  obliged,  by  the  Chris- 
tian law,  to  contribute  my  utmost  en- 
deavors towards  the  advancement  of 
their  welfare,  spiritual  or  temporal,  and 
am  resolved,  through  grace,  to  discharge 
these  obligations,  as  Providence  gives 
me  opportunity,  for  the  same.  Let 
them  do  to,  or  with  me,  what  they  will, 
may  their  portion  be  redemption  through 
the  blood  of  Jesus,  even  the  forgiveness 
of  sins  according  to  the  riches  of  his 
grace ;  and  call  me  what  they  please, 
may  the  Lord  call  them,  "  The  holy 
people,  the  redeemed  of  the  Lord." 


157.  Praying  for  Enemies. 

(a)  JAMES  THE  LESS  AND  THE 
PHARISEES.— About  the  year  A.  D. 
63,  when  Festus  was  dead  and  Albinus 
had  not  come  to  succeed  him,  the  Jews, 
being  exceedingly  enraged  at  the  suc- 
cess of  the  gospel,  Annanus,  son  of  An- 
nas, it  is  said,  ordered  James  to  ascend 
one  of  the  galleries  of  the  temple,  and 
inform  the  people  that  they  had,  with- 
out ground,  believed  Jesus  of  Nazareth 
to  be  the  Messiah.  He  got  up  and  cried 
with  a  loud  voice  that  Jesus  was  the 
Son  of  God,  and  would  quickly  appear 
in  the  clouds  to  judge  the  world.  Many 
glorified  God  and  believed ;  but  the 
Pharisees  threw  him  over  the  battle- 
ment. He  was  sorely  bruised,  but  got 
upon  his  knees  and  prayed  for  his  mur- 
derers amid  a  shower  of  stones  which 
they  cast  at  him,  till  one  of  them  beat 
out  his  brains  with  a  fuller's  club.  To 
the  death  of  this  just  man  some  Jews 
ascribe  the  ruin  of  their  nation. 

(b)  ADVICE  OF  MR.  LAW- 
RENCE. — Mr.  Lawrence  once  going, 
with  some  of  his  sons,  by  the  house  of  a 
gentleman  that  had  been  injurious  to 
him,  gave  a  charge  to  his  sons  to  this 
purpose :  "  That  they  should  never 
think  or  speak  amiss  of  that  gentleman 
for  the  sake  of  any  thing  he  had  done 
against  him ;  but,  whenever  they  went 
by  his  house,  should  lift  up  their  hearts 
in  prayer  to  God  for  him  and  his  fami- 
ly." This  good  man  had  learned  to 
practise  that  admirable  precept  of  our 
Lord,  "  Pray  for  them  which  despitefuliy 
use  you  and  persecute  you." 

(c)  REV.  W.  HERRING  AND 
DR.  LAMB.— Mr.  Herring,  one  of  the 
puritan  ministers,  was  eminently  dis- 
tinguished for  Christian  meekness,  and 
f^r  love  to  his  greatest  enemies.  Dr. 
Lamb,  a  violent  persecutor  of  the  Puri- 
tans,  and  especially  of  this  good  man, 
being  on  a  journey,  unhappily  broke  his 
leg,  and  was  carried  to  the  inn  where 
Mr.  Herring  happened  to  be  staying  for 
the  night.  Mr.  H.  was  called  on  to 
pray  that  evening  in  the  family,  when 
he  prayed  with  so  much  fervor  and 
affection  for  the  doctor  as  to  surprise 
all  who  heard  him.  Being  aflerwards 
asked  why  he  manifested  such  respect 

301 


157 


ENEMIES,  LOVE  TO. 


to  a  man  who  was  so  utterly  unworthy 
of  it,  he  replied,  "  The  greater  enemy 
he  is,  the  more  need  he  hath  of  our 
orayers.  We  must  prove  ourselves  to 
De  the  disciples  of  Christ  by  loving  our 
enemies,  and  praying  for  our  persecu- 
tors." 

id)  MR.  BURKITT  AND  HIS 
INJURIES.— Mr.  Burkitt  observes  in 
his  journal,  that  some  persons  would 
never  have  had  a  particular  share  in 
his  prayers  but  for  the  injuries  they  had 
done  him. 

(e)  OLD  GABRIEL  AND  THE 
PATROL. — At  an  anti-slavery  meet- 
ing, held  at  Pittsburgh,  in  Pennsylvania, 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Dickey,  of  Ohio,  related 
the  following  anecdote. 

I  will  relate  a  case  that  occurred  with- 
in the  circle  of  my  acquaintance.  A 
slave  who  could  neither  read  nor  write, 
heard  the  gospel,  and  the  Spirit  of  God 
made  it  effectual  to  his  conversion. 
Like  all  true  converts,  he  felt  a  mis- 
sionary spirit.  He  was  anxious  for  the 
conversion  of  his  brethren.  And,  at 
length,  it  became  his  uniform  practice, 
frequently  after  the  toils  of  the  day  were 
over,  to  walk  two  or  three  miles,  and 
hold  a  meeting  among  the  slaves.  On 
one  occasion,  this  meeting  was  dis- 
covered by  the  patrol,  who  are  author- 
ized  to  inflict  summary  punishment  of 
ten  lashes  upon  all  slaves  they  find 
assembled  together,  for  any  reason. 
This  was  done  immediately  with  all 
present,  but  Old  Gabriel.  As  he  was 
the  ringleader,  they  thought  he  must 
be  punished  more  severely ;  so  they 
took  him  to  the  magistrate.  As  they 
were  tying  up  his  hands,  he  exclaimed, 
"  Oh  this  is  just  the  way  Pontius  Pilate 
did  to  my  Massa !"  Here  his  persecu- 
tors relented.  One  of  them  afterwards 
was  troubled  in  his  conscience  for  what 
he  had  done;  and  after  a  long  time, 
finding  no  peace,  he  went  to  Old  Ga- 
briel, and  asked  him  if  he  would  forgive 
him.  "  Forgive  you  !"  said  Old  Ga- 
briel ;  "  why  massa,  me  have  been 
praying  for  you  ever  since  you  tied  me 
up!" 

(/)  THE  DYING  NEGRO  BOY. 
— A  poor  little  African  negro,  only  ten 
years  of  age,  went  to  hear  the  preach- 
ing of  one  of  the  missionaries,  and  be- 
302 


came,  through  his  instrumentality,  a 
convert,  to  the  Christian  religion.  His 
master,  (an  inveterate  enemy  to  mis- 
sions,) hearing  of  it,  commanded  him 
never  to  go  again,  and  declared  he 
would  have  him  whipped  to  death  if  he 
did.  The  poor  little  boy,  in  consequence 
of  this  mandate,  was  very  miserable. 
Fie  could  scarcely  refrain  from  going, 
yet  he  knew  his  death  was  inevitable  if 
he  did.  In  this  critical  -  situation,  he 
sought  direction  and  assistance  at  the 
throne  of  grace,  and  after  having  done 
this,  he  felt  convinced  that  it  was  still 
his  duty  to  attend,  but  to  be  careful  that 
he  should  never  interfere  with  his  mas- 
ter's business,  and,  for  the  rest,  to  leave 
himself  in  the  hands  of  God.  He 
therefore  went,  and  on  his  return,  wai 
summoned  to  his  master's  presence) 
and  after  much  violent  and  abusiv< 
language,  received  five-and-twenty  lash, 
es,  and  then  in  a  sarcastic  tone  of  bh 
phemous  ridicule,  his  master  exclaimedj 
"  What  can  Jesus  Christ  do  for  yoi 
now  ?"  "  He  enables  me  to  bear  i 
patiently,"  said  the  poor  child.  "  Givi 
him  five-and-twenty-lashes  more,"  saic 
the  inhuman  wretch.  He  was  obeyed 
"  And  what  can  Jesus  Christ  do  fol 
you  now  ?"  asked  the  unfeeling  mon 
ster.  "  He  helps  me  to  look  forwan 
to  a  future  reward,"  replied  the  little" 
sufferer,  "  Give  him  five-and-twenty 
lashes  more,"  vociferated  the  cruel 
tyrant,  in  a  transport  of  rage.  They 
complied ;  and  while  he  listened  with 
savage  delight  to  the  extorted  groans  ot 
his  dying  victim,  be  again  demanded, 
"  What  can  Jesus  Christ  do  for  you 
now  ?"  The  youthful  martyr,  with  the 
last  effort  of  expiring  nature,  meekly 
answered,  "  He  enables  me  to  pray  for 
you,  massa.''  And  instantly  breathed 
his  last ! 

(g)  SLAVE'S  PRAYER  OVER- 
HEARD. — A  wealthy  planter  in  the 
South  who  had  a  great  number  of  slaves, 
found  one  of  them  reading  the  Bible, 
and  reproved  him  for  the  neglect  of  his 
work,  saying  there  was  time  enough  on 
Sundays  for  reading  the  Bible,  and  that 
on  other  days  he  ought  to  be  in  the  tobac- 
co house.  The  slave  repeating  the  of- 
fence, he  ordered  him  to  be  whipped. 
Going  near  the  place  of  punishment,  soon 


EXAMPLES  AMONG  THEfftEATHEN. 


15§ 


after  its  infliction,  curiosity  led  him  to 
listen  to  a  voice  engaged  in  prayer ; 
and  he  heard  the  poor  black  implore 
the  Almighty  to  forgive  the  injustice  of 
his  master,  to  touch  his  heart  with  a 
sense  of  his  sin  and  to  make  him  a  good 
Christian.  Struck  with  remorse,  h(; 
made  an  immediate  change  in  his  life, 
which  had  been  careless  and  dissipated, 
burnt  his  profane  books  and  cards,  lib- 
erated'all  his  slaves,  and  appeared  now 
to  study  how  to  render  his  wealth  and 
talents  useful  to  others. 

158.  Examples  among  the  Ilcatlieii. 

(a)  PERICLES  AND  THE  RAIL- 

ER. — Pericles  was  of  so  patient  a  spirit, 
that  he  was  hardly  ever  troubled  with 
any  thing  that  crossed  him.  There  was 
a  man  who  did  nothing  all  the  day  but 
rail  at  him  in  the  market-place,  before  all 
the  people,  notwithstanding  Pericles  was 
a  magistrate.  Pericles,  however,  took  no 
notice  of  it,  but,  despatching  sundry 
cases  of  importance  till  night  came,  he 
went  home  with  a  sober  pace.  The 
man  followed  him  all  the  way,  defam- 
ing him  as  he  went.  Pericles,  when  he 
came  home,  it  being  dark,  called  his 
man,  and  desired  him  to  get  a  torch  and 
light  the  fellow  home. 

(h)  EXAMPLE  OF  C^SAR.— Itis 
said  of  Julius  Ccesar,  that  upon  any  pro- 
vocation, he  would  repeat  the  Roman 
alphabet  before  he  suffered  himself  to 
speak,  that  he  might  be  more  just  and 
calm  in  his  resentments  ;  and,  further, 
that  he  could  forget  nothing  but  wrongs 
and  remember  nothing  but  benefits. 

(c)  EXAMPLE  OF  ADRIAN.— It 
is  commonly  said,  that  "  Revenge  is 
sweet ;"  but  it  can  only  be  so  to  those 
weak  minds  that  are  incapable  of  bear- 
ing an  injury.  An  elevated  mind  is 
superior  to  injuries,  and  pardons  them. 
The  Emperor  Adrian,  meeting  a  man 
who  had  insulted  him  before  he  came  to 
the  government,  said  to  him,  "Approach, 
you  have  nothing  to  fear  ;  I  am  an  em- 
peror." This  is  an  example  well 
worthy  of  being  imitated  by  those  who 
are  called  to  return  good  for  evil. 

(d)  EXAMPLE  OF  EUCLID.— 
Euclid,  a  disciple  of  Socrates,  having 
offended  his  brother,  the  brother  cried 


out  in  a  ra^e,  "  Let  me  die,  if  I  am  not 
rovenged  on  you  one  time  or  other :"  to 
whom  Euclid  replied,  "  And  let  me  die, 
if  I  do  not  soften  you  by  my  kindnesses, 
and  make  you  love  me  as  well  as 
ever.''.  What  a  reproof  to  unforgiving 
professors  of  Christianity ! 

(e)  THE  SAYING  OF  SOCRA- 
TES. — Socrates,  who  was  as  pure  a 
teacher  of  morals  and  as  near  like  a 
true  Christian  as  any  of  the  ancient 
heathen,  says,  "  The  person  who  has 
received  an  injury  must  not  return  it, 
as  is  the  opinion  of  the  vulgar." 

(/)  PHOCION'S  DYING  CHARGE 
TO  HIS  SON.— Phocion  was  an  Athen- 
ian, born  some  four  hundred  years  b.  c, 
and  one  of  the  most  upright  and  benev- 
olent heathen  that  ever  lived.  Yet  he 
was  condemned  to  die  as  a  criminal, 
and  denied  even  a  grave  in  the  country 
to  which  he  had  devoted  his  life.  What 
could  be  more  unjust  in  the  Athenians, 
than  putting  their  public  benefactor  to 
death  in  such  a  way  as  this  ?  They 
sadly  repented  their  madness  afterwards, 
put  the  accuser  to  death,  and  erected  a 
statue  to  Phocion's  memory.  But  when 
Phocion  had  taken  the  poison  which  he 
was  condemned  to  drink,  and  was  about 
to  die,  "  he  charged  his  son,  with  his  last 
breath,  that  he  should  show  no  resentment 
against  his  persecutors." 

What  taught  him  to  feel  such  forbear- 
ance and  kindness  towards  those  who 
had  so  wickedly  wronged  him  ?  The 
voice  of  conscience — the  law  God  hath 
written  on  the  heart. 

(g)  THE  INDIAN  AND  THE 
ENGLISHMAN.— A  short  time  before 
the  war  between  the  English  and  the 
Indians  in  Pennsylvania  broke  out,  an 
English  gentleman,  who  lived  on  the 
borders  of  the  province,  was  standing 
one  evening  at  his  door,  when  an  Indian 
came  and  desired  a  little  food.  '  He  an- 
swered, he  had  none  for  him ;  he  then 
asked  for  a  little  beer,  and  received  the 
same  answer.  Not  yet  discouraged,  he 
begged  for  a  little  water;  but  the  gen- 
tleman only  answered,  "  Get'  ye  gone 
for  an  Indian  dog."  The  Indian  fixed 
his  eye  for  a  little  time  on  the  English- 
man, and  then  went  away. 

Some  time  after,  this  gentleman,  who 
was  fond  of  shooting,  pursued  his  game 
303 


15S 


I^MIES,  LOVE  TO. 


till  he  was  lost  in  the  woods.  After 
wandering  a  while,  he  saw  an  Indian  hut, 
and  went  to  it  to  inquire  his  way  to  some 
plantation.  The  Indian  said,  "  It  is  a 
great  way  off,  and  the  sun  is  near  going 
down ;  you  cannot  reach  it  to-night,  and 
if  you  stay  in  the  woods  the  wolves  will 
eat  you  up ;  but  if  you  have  a  mind  to 
lodge  with  me,  you  may."  The  gen- 
tleman gladly  accepted  the  invitation, 
and  went  in.  The  Indian  boiled  a  lit- 
tle venison  for  him,  gave  him  some  rum 
and  water,  and  then  spread  some  deer 
skins  for  him  to  lie  upon  ;  having  done 
this,  himself  and  another  Indian  went 
and  lay  at  the  other  side  of  the  hut. 

He  called  the  gentleman  in  the  morn- 
ing, telling  him  that  the  sun  was  up, 
and  that  he  had  a  great  way  to  go  to  the 
plantation,  but  that  he  would  show  him 
the  way.  Taking  their  guns,  the  two 
Indians  went  forward,  and  he  followed. 
When  they  had  gone  several  miles,  the 
Indian  told  him  he  was  within  two  miles 
of  the  plantation  he  wanted :  he  then 
stepped  before  him,  and  said,  "  Do  you 
know  me  ?"  In  great  confusion,  the 
gentleman  answered, "  I  have  seen  you." 
The  Indian  replied,  "  Yes,  you  have 
seen  me  at  3^our  own  door ;  and  I  will 
give  you  a  piece  of  advice :  when  a 
poor  Indian,  that  is  hungry,  and  dry, 
and  faint,  again  asks  you  for  a  little 
meat,  or  drink,  do  not  bid  him  ^et  him 
gone  for  an  Indian  dog."  So  he  turned 
and  went  away. 

Which  of  these  two  was  to  be  com- 
mended, or  which  acted  most  agreeably 
to  the  Salvor's  golden  rule  in  Matt. 
vii.  12  ? 

(h)  THE  SLAVE'S  REVENGE.— 
When  the  Romans  besieged  Grumen- 
tum  in  Lucania,  and  the  city  was  re- 
duced to  the  last  extremity,  two  slaves 
escaped  into  the  camp  of  the  besiegers. 
The  place  was  soon  afterwards  taken 
by  storm,  and  plundered.  The  two 
slaves  then  ran  to  the  house  of  their 
mistress,  whom  they  seized  with  a  kind 
of  violence,  and  carried  off.  When 
they  were  asked  who  she  was,  they 
answered,  she  was  their  mistress,  and  a 
most  cruel  mistress ;  upon  whom  they 
were  going  to  take  revenge  for  all  the 
barbarous  treatment  they  had  suffered 
from  her.  In  this  way  they  compelled  | 
304 


her  to  quit  the  city,  and  conveyed  her  to 
a  safe  retreat,  where  they  concealed  her 
with  great  care ;  and  when  the  fury  of 
the  soldiers  was  abated,  and  tranquillity 
was  restored  in  the  city,  they  brought 
her  back  to  her  house,  and  obeyed  her 
as  before.  She  gave  thehi  their  liberty, 
which  was  the  greatest  reward  in  her 
power  to  bestow  ;  but  certainly  far  short 
of  the  services  they  had  rendered  her. 
(i)  LIVIA'S  ADVI(!e  TO  AUGUS- 
TUS. — The  Emperor  Augustus  being 
informed  of  a  conspiracy  against  his 
life,  headed  by  Lucius  Cinna,  was  at 
first  moved  by  resentment  to  resolve 
upon  the  crudest  punishment.  But  re- 
flecting afterwards  that  Cinna  was  a 
young  man  of  an  illustrious  family,  and 
nephew  to  the  great  Pompey,  he  broke 
out  into  bitter  fits  of  passion.  "  Why 
live  I,  if  it  be  for  the  god  of  mercy  that 
I  should  die  ?  Must  there  be  no  end  of 
my  cruelties  ?  Is  my  life  of  so  great  a 
value,  that  oceans  of  blood  must  be  shed 
to  preserve  it  ?"  His  wife  I  ivia,  find- 
ing him  in  this  perplexity,  "  Will  you 
take  a  woman's  counsel  ?"  said  she. 
"  Imitate  the  physicians,  who,  when  or- 
dinary  remedies  fail,  make  trial  of  what 
are  extraordinary.  By  severity  you 
have  prevailed  nothing.  Lepidus  has 
followed  Savidienus ;  Murena,  Lepidus ; 
Coepio,  Murena  ;  and  Egnatius,  Coepio. 
Begin  now,  and  try  whether  sweetness 
and  clemency  may  not  succeed.  Cinna 
is  detected.  Forgive  him;  he  will 
never  henceforth  have  the  heart  to  hurt 
thee,  and  it  will  be  an  act  of  glory." 
Augustus  was  a  man  of  sense  ;  and 
calling  Cinna  to  a  private  conference, 
he  spoke  as  follows  :  "  Thou  knowest, 
Cinna,  that  having  joined  my  enemies, 
I  gave  thee  thy  life,  restored  thee  all  thy 
goods,  and  advanced  thy  fortune  equally 
with  the  best  of  those  who  had  always 
been  my  friends.  The  sacerdotal  office 
I  conferred  upon  thee,  after  having 
denied  it  to  others  who  had  borne  arms 
in  my  service.  And  yet  after  so  many 
obligations,  thou  hast  undertaken  to 
murder  me."  Seeing  Cinna  astonished 
and  silent  with  the  consciousness  of  guilt, 
Augustus  went  on  as  follows  :  "  Well, 
Cinna,  go  thy  way ;  I  again  give  thee 
that  life  as  a  traitor,  which  I  gave  thee 
before  as  an  enemy.      Let  friendship 


IT  OFTEN  CHECKS  AND  REFORMS  THEM. 


159 


from  this  time  forward  commence  be- 
twixt us  ;  and  let  us  make  it  appear 
whether  thou  hast  received  thy  life,  or 
I  have  given  it,  with  the  better  faith." 
Some  time  aftei*,  he  preferred  Cinna  to 
the  cosular  dignity,  complaining  of  him 
that  he  had  not  resolution  to  solicit  it. 
Their  friendship  continued  uninterrupt- 
ed till  the  death  of  Cinna  ;  who,  in  token 
of  his  gratitude,  appointed  Augustus  to 
be  his  sole  heir.  And  it  is  remarkable, 
that  Augustus  reaped  the  due  reward 
of  a  clemency  so  generous  and  ex- 
emplary ;  for  from  that  time  there  never 
was  the  slightest  conspiracy  or  attempt 
against  him. 

MOTIVES  FOR  LOVE  TO  ENEMIES. 
159.  It  often  checks  and  reforms  them. 

(a)    A    KISS    FOR  A  BLOW.— I 

once  lived  in  Boston,  says  Mr.  Wright, 
and  was  one  of  the  city  school  com- 
mittee. 

One  day  I  visited  one  of  the  primary 
schools.  There  were  about  fifty  chil- 
dren in  it,  between  four  and  eight  years 
old. 

"  Children,"  said  I,  "  have  any  of 
you  a  question  to  ask  to-day  ?" 

"  Please  tell  us,"  said  a  little  boy, 
"  what  is  meant  by  '  overcoming  evil 
with  good .?' " 

"  I  am  glad,"  said  I,  "  you  have  ask- 
ed that  question ;  for  I  love  to  talk 
to  you  about  peace,  and  show  you  how 
to  settle  all  difficulties  without  fighting." 

I  went  on,  and  tried  to  show  them 
what  the  precept  meant,  and  how  to  ap- 
ply it,  and  carry  it  out.  1  was  trying 
to  think  of  something  to  make  it  plain 
to  the  children,  when  the  following  in- 
cident occurred. 

A  boy  about  seven,  and  his  sister 
about  five  years  old,  sat  near  me.  As 
I  was  talking,  George  doubled  up  his 
fist,  and  struck  his  sister  on  her  head, 
as  unkind  and  cruel  brothers  often  do. 
She  was  angry  in  a  moment,  and 
raised  her  hand  to  strike  him  back. 
The  teacher  saw  her,  and  said,  "  Mary, 
you  had  better  kiss  your  brother.'^  Mary 
dropped  her  hand,  and  looked  up  at  the 
teacher  as  if  she  did  not  fully  under- 
stand her.  She  had  never  been  taught 
20 


to  return  good  for  evil.  She  thought  if 
her  brother  struck  her,  she,  of  course, 
must  strike  him  back.  She  had  alwayy 
been  taught  to  act  on  this  savage  maxim, 
as  most  children  are.  Her  teacher 
looked  very  kindly  at  her,  and  at 
George,  and  said  again.^  '^  My  deai 
Mary,  you  had  better  kiss  your  brother . 
See  how  angry  and  unhappy  he  looks  !" 
Mary  looked  at  her  brother.  He  look- 
ed very  sullen  and  wretched.  Soor 
her  resentment  was  gone,  and  love  for 
her  brother  returned  to  her  heart.  She 
threw  both  her  arms  about  his  neck, 
and  kissed  him !  The  poor  boy  was 
wholly  unprepared  for  such  a  kind  re- 
turn for  his  blow.  He  could  not  en- 
dure the  generous  aflfection  of  his  sister. 
It  broke  his  heart,  and  he  burst  out  cry- 
ing. The  gentle  sister  took  the  comer 
of  her  apron  and  wiped  away  his  tears, 
and  sought  to  comfort  him,  by  saying, 
with  most  endearinof  sweetness  and  c^e- 
nerous  affection,  ^' DonH  cry  ,  George  ; 
you  did  not  hurt  me  much.^'  But  he 
only  cried  the  harder.  No  wonder. 
It  was  enough  to  make  any  body  cry. 

(b)  PLEDGE  OF  THE  HINDOO 
BOYS. — Mr.  Abbot,  a  missionary  of 
the  American  Board  of  Commissioners 
for  Foreign  Missions,  had  under  his 
care  three  schools  in  the  villages  around 
Ahmednugger,  a  city  on  the  peninsula 
between*  the  Arabian  Sea  and  the  bay 
of  Bengal.  These  schools  contained 
about  a  hundred  Hindoo  boys.  In  one 
of  these,  the  following  scene  occurred. 
The  reading  lesson  on  this  occasion 
contained  the  instructions  of  our  Savior 
in  regard  to  the  manner  we  should  treat 
those  who  injure  us. 

Mr.  Abbot  says,  I  asked  the  boys 
what  their  practice  was.  They  said, 
"  We  strike  those  who  strike  us,  and 
abuse  those  who  abuse  us."  I  asked 
them  what  they'^thought  would  be  the 
consequence,  if,  instead  of  this,  they 
should  bless  those  who  curse  them. 
They  replied,  "  Among  our  people,  we 
should  only  be  abused  the  more."  1 
told  them  I  thought  differently ;  but  as 
Hindoos  were  someM^hat  different  from 
my  people,  I  should  like  to  see  the  ex- 
periment tried.  I  then  explained  to 
them,  that  however  much  they  were  in 
suited,  they  must  not  retaliate  ;  and  if 
305 


159 


ENEMIES,  LOVE  TO. 


they  thought  they  could  not  endure  this, 
they  might  sit  down.  Two  or  three 
sat  down.  After  talking  a  while  longer, 
all  got  up  and  said,  they  would  try  it 
one  month,  and  would  let  any  one  beat 
them  "  till  their  life  began  to  go,"  be- 
fore they  would  resist.  At  the  next  ex- 
amination, every  one  declared  that  they 
had  kept  their  promise.  It  was  after- 
wards found  that  three  had  failed.  I 
then  asked  those  who  had  been  faithful, 
if  they  had  suffered  in  consequence  of 
it.  "  No,"  said  they,  "  why  should 
they  abuse  us  now  ?" 

But,  said  I,  what  do  you  do  when 
they  abuse  you  ? 

One  boy  said,  "  When  they  curse 
me,  I  say  to  them,  '  A  blessing  attend 
you.' " 

Well,  what  then  ? 

"  Then  I  laugh,  and  they  laugh  too." 

Another  boy  said,  he  "  shut  his  lips 
tight,  and  said  nothing." 

Well,  what  did  the  other  party  do  to 
you  ? 

"  O,  thev  turned  up  their  noses,  and 
walked  offV' 

(c)  TWO  NEIGHBORS  AND 
THE  HENS.— A  man  in  New  Jersey 
told  me  the  following  circumstances 
respecting  himself  and  one  of  his  neigh- 
bors : — 

"  I  once  owned  a  large  flock  of  hens. 
I  generally  kept  them  shut  up.  But, 
one  spring,  I  concluded  to  let  them  run 
in  my  yard,  after  I  had  clipped  their 
wings,  so  they  could  not  fly.  One  day, 
when  I  came  home  to  dinner,  I  learned 
that  one  of  my  neighbors  had  been 
there,  full  of  wrath,  to  let  me  know  my 
hens  had  been  in  his  garden,  and  that 
he  had  killed  several  of  them,  and  thrown 
them  over  into  my  yard.  I  was  great- 
ly enraged  because  he  had  killed  my 
beautiful  hens,  that  I  valued  so  much. 
I  determined,  at  once,  fo  be  revenged, 
to  sue  him,  or  in  some  way  get  redress. 
I  sat  down  and  ate  my  dinner,  as  calmly 
as  I  could.  By  the  time  I  had  finished 
my  meal,  I  became  more  cool,  and 
thouglit  that  perhaps  it  was  not  best  to 
fight  with  my  neighbor  about  hens,  and 
thereby  make  him  my  bitter,  lasting 
enemy.  I  concluded  to  trj^  another 
way,  being  sure  that  it  would  do  better. 
"  After  dinner,  I  went  to  my  neigh 
306 


bor's.  He  was  in  his  garden.  I  went 
out,  and  found  him  in  pursuit  of  one  of 
my  hens  with  a  club,  trying  to  kill  it. 
I  accosted  him.  He  turned  upon  me, 
his  face  inflamed  with  wrath,  and  broke 
out  in  a  great  fury — 

"  'You  have  abused  me.  I  will  kill 
all  your  hens,  if  I  can  get  at  them.  I 
never  was  so  abused.  My  gkrden  is 
ruined.' 

"  '  I  am  very  sorry  for  it,'  said  I.  *  I 
did  not  wish  to  injure  you,  and  now  see 
that  I  have  made  a  great  mistake  in 
letting  out  my  hens.  I  ask  your  for- 
giveness, and  am  willing  to  pay  you  six 
times  the  damage.' 

"  The  man  seemed  confounded.  He 
did  not  know  what  to  make  of  it.  He 
looked  up  to  the  sky — then  down  to  the 
earth — then  at  his  neighbor — then  at 
his  club — and  then  at  the  poor  hen  he 
had    been  pursuing,  and  said  nothing. 

"  '  Tell  me,  now,'  said  I,  '  what  is 
the  damage,  and  I  will  pay  you  six- 
fold ;  and  my  hens  shall  trouble  you  no 
more.  I  will  leave  it  entirely  to  you 
to  say  what  I  shall  do.  I  cannot  afford 
to  lose  the  love  and  good  will  of  my 
neighbors,  and  quarrel  with  them,  for 
hens,  or  any  thing  else.' 

^'  ^  I  am  a  great  fool,''  said  the  neigh- 
bor. '  The  dairjage  is  not  worth  talk- 
ing about;  and  I  have  more  need  to 
compensate  you  than  you  me,  and  to 
ask  your  forgiveness  than  you  mine.'  " 
(d)  CRUELTY  KILLED  BY 
KINDNESS.— A  young  woman  in  Ver- 
mont  married  a  poor,  but  worthy  man, 
against  her  father's  wish.  He  drove 
them  from  his  house,  and  closed  his 
door  and  heart  against  them.  They 
came  down  near  Boston,  went  to  work, 
and  prospered.  After  many  years,  the 
father  had  occasion  to  come  to  Boston. 
He  concluded  to  go  and  see  his  daugh- 
ter, expecting  a  cold  reception.  His 
daughter  and  her  husband  received  him 
most  kindly  and  lovingly.  After  stay- 
ing with  them  awhile,  he  went  back  to 
Vermont. 

One  of  his  neighbors,  hearing  where 
he  had  been,  asked  him  how  his  daugh- 
ter and  her  husband  had  treated  him. 

"  I  never  was  so  treated  before  in  my 
life,"  said  the  weeping  and  broken- 
hearted father.      "  They  have  broken 


IT  OFTEN  CHECKS  AND  REFORMS  THEM. 


159 


my  heart — they  have  killed  me — I  don't 
feel  as  though  I  could  live  under  it." 

"  What  did  they  do  to  you  ?"  asked 
the  neighbor.     "  Did  they  abuse  you  ?" 

"  They  loved  me  to  death,  and  killed 
me  with  kindness,"  said  he.  1  can 
never  forgive  myself  for  treating  so 
cruelly  my  own  darling  daughter,  who 
loved  me  so  affectionately.  I  feel  as  if 
I  should  die  to  think  how  I  grieved  the 
precious  child  when  I  spurned  her  from 
my  door.  Heaven  bless  them,  and 
forgive  me  my  cruelty  ani  injustice  to 
them." 

Who  does  not  see  in  this  an  infallible 
cure  for  difficulties  between  man  and 
man  ?  There  is  not  a  child  nor  man  on 
earth,  who  would  not  feel  and  say,  that 
that  daughter,  though  so  deeply  wrong- 
ed and  outraged  by  her  angry  father, 
did  right  in  treating  him  as  she  did. 
That  father  was  her  enemy,  but  she 
was  not  his.  He  hated  her,  while  she 
loved  him. 

(e)  THE  REVENGEFUL  TEN- 
ANT.— A  gentleman  had  a  garden, 
in  which  he  took  great  delight.  It  was 
surrounded  by  the  cottages  of  his  tenants 
and  laborers,  to  whom  he  justly  looked 
as  the  protectors  of  his  property,  and 
felt  secure,  inasmuch  as  no  person  could 
approach  his  premises  but  through  theirs. 
He  had  for  some  days  watched  the  pro- 
gress of  a  fine  bed  of  tulips.  "  To-mor- 
row," said  he,  "  they  will  be  in  full  per- 
fection," and  he  invited  a  company  of 
friends  to  witness  the  display  of  their 
beauties.  In  the  morning  he  hastened 
to  the  spot ;  but  to  his  utter  astonish- 
ment, the  whole  bed  was  a  scene  of 
shrivelled  desolation.  Some  unaccount- 
able influence  had  withered  every  stem, 
and  each  flower  lay  prostrate  and  fa- 
ding on  the  ground. 

A  short  time  afterwards,  a  bed  of 
ranunculuses  shared  the  same  fate  ;  and 
in  succession  several  other  choice  and 
favorite  productions.  At  length,  the 
gentleman  became  persuaded  that  the 
destruction  did  not  proceed  from  any 
natural  cause,  such  as  blight  or  light- 
ning, but  that  it  must  have  been  occa- 
sioned by  the  intentional  mischief  of 
some  treacherous  and  malignant  in- 
dividual who  had  access  to  the  grounds. 
He  resolved  therefore  to  watch,  and  en- 


gaged  a  friend  to  accompany  him  for 
that  purpose.  After  remaining  in  their 
station  some  time,  they  saw  a  person 
come  out  of  one  of  the  cottages,  and  ap- 
ply some  destructive  preparation  to  the 
roots  of  such  flowers  as  were  advancing 
to  blossom.  The  gentleman  at  once 
recognized  him  as  a  workman  whom  a 
few  weeks  before  he  had  had  occasion 
to  reprove,  and  who  thus  malignantly 
gratified  his  resentment.  His  friend 
strongly  urged  that  the  offender  should 
be  prosecuted,  and  offered  to  bear  wit- 
ness against  him.  But  the  proprietor  re- 
plied, "  No ;  I  am  much  obliged  by  your 
kindness  in  remaining  with  me  ;  I  have 
ascertained  the  author  of  the  mischief, 
and  am  satisfied  ;  I  must  use  another 
method  of  dealing  with  him." 

In  the  morning,  the  gentleman  or- 
dered his  servant  to  purchase  a  fine 
joint  of  meat,  and  carry  it  to  the  cot- 
tage of  this  man,  desiring  he  would  en- 
joy it  with  his  family.  This  treatment, 
so  contrary  to  his  deserts  and  expecta- 
tions, proved  the  means  of  effectually 
humbling  and  softening  his  stubborn 
and  malignant  heart.  The  offender 
presented  himself  before  his  injured 
master,  freely  confessed  his  guilt,  im- 
plored forgiveness,  and  proved,  from 
that  day  forward,  a  most  faithful,  dili- 
gent, and  devoted  servant.  "  If  thine 
enemy  hunger,  feed  him ;  if  he  thirst, 
give  him  drink  ;  for  in  so  doing  thou 
shalt  heap  coals  of  fire  on  his  head. 
Be  not  overcome  of  evil,  but  overcome 
evil  with  good." 

(/)  WILLIAM  LADD  AND  HIS 
NEIGHBOR.— "I  had,"  the  Apostle 
of  Peace  used  to  say,  in  relating  the 
anecdote,  "  a  fine  field  of  grain,  grow- 
ing  upon  an  out- farm  at  some  distance 
from  the  homestead.  Whenever  I 
rode  by  I  saw  my  neighbor  Pulcifer's 
sheep  in  the  lot,  destroying  my  hopes 
of  a  harvest.  These  sheep  were  of  the 
gaunt,  long-legged  kind,  active  as  span- 
iels ;  they  would  spring  over  the  high- 
est fence,  and  no  partition  wall  could 
keep  them  out.  I  complained  to  neigh- 
bor Pulsifer  about  them,  sent  him  fre- 
quent messages,  but  all  without  avail. 
Perhaps  they  would  be  kept  out  for  a 
day  or  two ;  but  the  legs  of  his  sheep 
were  long,  and  my  grain  more  tempting 
307 


159 


ENEMIES,  LOVE  TO. 


than  the  adjoining  pasture.  I  rode  by 
again — the  sheep  were  still  there;  I 
became  angry,  and  told  my  men  to  set 
the  dogs  on  them ;  and  if  that  would  not 
do,  I  would  pay  them  if  they  would 
shoot  the  sheep. 

"  I  rode  away  much  agitated ;  for  I 
was  not  so  much  of  a  peace  man  then 
as  I  am  now,  and  1  felt  literally  full  of 
fight.  All  at  once  a  light  flashed  in 
upon  me.  I  asked  myself,  '  Would  it 
not  be  well  for  you  to  try  in  yo,ur  own 
conduct  the  peace  principle  you  are 
teaching  to  others  V  I  thought  it  all 
over,  and  settled  down  in  my  mind  as 
to  the  best  course  to  be  pursued. 

"The  next  day  I  rode  over  to  see 
neighbor  Pulsifer.  I  found  him  chop- 
ping wood  at  his  door.  '  Good  morning, 
neighbor !'  No  answer.  '  Good  morn- 
ing!' I  repeated.  He  gave  a  kind  of 
grunt  without  looking  up.  '  I  came,' 
continued  I,  'to  see  about  the  sheep.' 
At  this,  he  threw  down  his  axe  and  ex- 
claimed, in  an  angry  manner :  '  Now 
aren't  you  a  pretty  neighbor,  to  tell  your 
men  to  kill  my  sheep  ?  I  heard  of  it ; 
a  rich  man,  like  you,  to  shoot  a  poor 
man's  sheep !' 

" '  I  was  wrong  neighbor,'  said  I ; 
*  but  it  won't  do  to  let  your  sheep  eat  up 
all  that  grain ;  so  I  came  over  to  say 
that  I  would  take  your  sheep  to  my 
homestead  pasture  and  put  them  in  with 
mine  ;  and  in  the  fall  you  may  take 
them  back,  and  if  any  one  is  missing 
you  may  take  your  pick  out  of  my 
whole  flock.' 

"  Pulsifer  looked  confounded  ;  he  did 
not  know  how  to  take  me.  At  last  he 
stammered  out :  '  Now,  'Squire,  are  you 
in  earnest?'  'Certainly  I  am,'  I  an- 
swered ;  '  it  is  better  for  me  to  feed 
your  sheep  in  my  pasture  on  grass,  than 
to  feed  them  here  on  grain  ;  and  I  see 
the  fence  can't  keep  them  out.' 

"After  a  moment's  silence,  'The 
sheep  shan't  trouble  you  any  more,'  ex- 
claimed  Pulsifer.  'I  will  fetter  them 
all.  But  I'll  let  you  know  that,  when 
any  man  talks  of  shooting,  I  can  shoot, 
too ;  and  when  they  are  kind  and  neigh- 
borly, I  can  be  kind,  too.'  The  sheep 
never  again  trespassed  on  my  lot.  And, 
my  friends,"  he  would  continue,  address- 
ing the  audience,  "  remember  that  when 
308 


you  talk  of  injuring  your  neighbors, 
they  will  talk  of  injuring  you.  When 
nations  threaten  to  fight,  other  nations 
will  be  ready,  too.  Love  will  beget 
love ;  a  wish  to  be  at  peace  will  keep 
you  in.  peace.  You  can  overcome  evil 
with  good.     There  is  no  other  way." 

(g)  SUBDUED  PRIDE  AND 
SCORN. — A  lady  in  one  of  the  towns 
of  Mass.  had  repeatedly  treated  a  well 
disposed  young  man  with  marked  con- 
tempt and  unkindness.  Neither  of  them 
moved  in  the  upper  circles  of  society  ; 
but  the  lady,  without  cause,  took  numer- 
ous  occasions  to  cast  reproachful  reflec- 
tions on  the  young  man  as  beneath  her 
notice,  and  unfit  to  be  treated  with  com- 
mon respect.  This  lady  had  the  mis- 
fortune to  meet  with  a  considerable  loss 
in  the  destruction  of  a  valuable  chaise, 
occasioned  by  the  running  away  of  an 
untied  horse.  She  had  borrowed  the 
horse  and  vehicle,  and  was  required  to 
make  good  the  damage.  This  was  a 
serious  draft  on  her  pecuniary  resour- 
ces, and  she  felt  much  distressed  by  her 
ill  fortune.  The  young  man,  being  of  a 
kind  and  generous  disposition,  and  de- 
termined to  return  good  for  evil,  instant- 
ly set  himself  about  collecting  money 
for  her  relief.  Subscribing  liberally 
himself,  and  actively  soliciting  others, 
he  soon  made  up  a  generous  sum,  and 
before  she  became  aware  of  his  move- 
ment, appeared  before  her  and  placed 
his  collection  modestly  at  her  disposal. 
She  was  thunderstruck.  He  left  her 
without  waiting  for  thanks  or  commen- 
dation. She  was  entirely  overcome, 
wept  like  a  child,  and  declared  she 
would  never  be  guilty  again  of  showing 
contempt,  speaking  reproachfully  of,  or 
treating  with  unkindness,  him  or  any 
other  fellow-creature.  Was  there  any 
thinij  in  all  this  contrary  to  nature  ? 

(h)  MR.  POWELL  AND  THE 
OFFICER.— Mr.  Powell,  a  minister  of 
the  gospel,  being  informed  that  an  offi- 
cer was  come  to  apprehend  him  for 
preaching  the  gospel,  quietly  resigned 
himself  into  his  hands,  requesting  only 
that  he  might  be  permitted  to  join  with 
his  wife  and  children  in  prayer  before 
he  was  dragged  to  prison.  With  this 
request  the  officer  complied  ;  and  the 
family  being  together,  the  officer  was 


IT  OFTEN  CHANGES  THEM  INTO  FRIENDS. 


160 


so  struck  with  the  ardent  and  tender 
prayers  of  this  suffering  servant  of  God 
for  his  family,  for  the  church,  and  for 
his  persecutors  in  particular,  that  he  de- 
clared he  would  die  rather  than  have  a 
hand  in  apprehending  such  a  man. 

160.  It  often  changes  tliem  into  friends. 

(a)  PHILIP  AND  THE  ARGIVE. 

— Arcadius,  an  Argive,  was  incessantly 
railing  at  Philip  of  Macedon.  Ventur- 
ing once  into  the  dominions  of  Philip, 
thd  courtiers  reminded  their  prince  that 
he  had  now  an  opportunity  to  punish 
Arcadius  for  his  past  insolences,  and  to 
put  it  out  of  his  power  to  repeat  them. 
The  king,  however,  instead  of  seizing 
the  hostile  stranger  and  putting  him  to 
death,  dismissed  him  loaded  with  cour- 
tesies  and  kindnesses.  Some  time  after 
Arcadius's  departure  from  Macedon, 
word  was  brought  that  the  king's  old 
enemy  was  become  one  of  his  warmest 
friends,  and  did  nothing  but  diffuse  his 
praises  wherever  he  went.  On  hearing 
this,  Philip  turned  to  his  courtiers  and 
asked,  with  a  smile :  "  Am  not  I  a  bet- 
ter physician  than  you  ?" 

(b)  ALEXANDER'S  VICTORIES. 
— Alexander  the  Great  being  asked  how 
he  had  been  able,  at  so  early  an  age 
and  in  so  short  a  period,  to  conquer  such 
vast  regions  and  establish  so  great  a 
name,  replied  :  "  I  used  my  enemies  so 
well  that  I  compelled  them  to  be  my 
friends  ;  and  I  treated'  my  friends  with 
such  constant  regard  that  they  became 
unalterably  attached  to  me." 

(c)  SIGISMOND  AND  HIS  ENE- 
MIES.  — Some  courtiers  reproached  the 
Emperor  Sigismond,  that  instead  of  de- 
stroying his  conquered  foes  he  admitted 
them  to  favor.  "  Do  I  not,"  replied  this 
illustrious  monarch,  "  effectually  destroy 
my  enemies  when  I  make  them  my 
friends?" 

(d)  THE  CHINESE  MONARCH 
AND  THE  REBELS.— A  Chinese  em- 
peror being  told  that  his  enemies  had 
raised  an  insurrection  in  one  of  the  dis- 
tant provinces  —  "  Come,  then,  my 
friends,"  said  he,  "  follow  me,  and  I 
promise  you  that  we  shall  quickly  de- 
stroy them."  He  marched  forward, 
and  the  rebels  submitted  upon  his  ap- 


proach. All  now  thought  that  he  would 
take  the  most  signal  revenge  ;  but  were 
surprised  to  see  the  captives  treated  with 
mildness  and  humanity.  "  Hov/,"  cried 
the  first  minister,  "  is  this  tlie  manner  in 
which  you  fulfil  your  promise  ?  Your 
royal  word  was  given  that  you  enemies 
should  be  destroyed ;  and  behold  you 
have  pardoned  them  all,  and  even  ca- 
ressed some  of  them  !"  "  I  promised," 
replied  the  emperor,  with  a  generous 
air,  "  to  destroy  my  enemies.  I  have 
fulfilled  my  word ;  for,  see,  they  are 
enemies  no  longer ;  I  have  made  friends 
of  them."  Let  every  Christian  imitate 
so  noble  an  example,  and  learn  "to 
overcome  evil  with  good." 

(e)  TAKING  CARE  OF  AN  ENE- 
MY'S  HAY. — A  college  professor  once 
related  the  following  fact  to  his  class, 
in  order  to  show  the  power  of  kindness 
in  effecting  a  change  in  the  disposition 
and  conduct  of  our  enemies  towards  us. 

There  were  two  farmers  who  lived 
near  neighbors,  and  whose  farms  laid 
side  by  side.  One  of  these  farmers  was 
a  pious,  good  man,  of  gentle,  inoffensive 
character.  The  character  of  the  other 
was  just  the  reverse.  His  temper  was 
like  a  tinder,  taking  fire  at  every  spark 
that  came  in  his  vv^ay.  He  hated  his 
pious  neighbor  ;  but  more,  probably,  on 
account  of  his  piety  than  any  thing  else. 
He  was  always  vexing  and  tormenting 
the  good  man,  quarreling  about  mere 
trifles,  as  much  as  one  can  quarrel  who 
has  no  one  to  quarrel  with  him. 

One  summer  he  had  mowed  down  a 
good  deal  of  grass  ;  and  he  had  gone 
away  from  home,  leaving  it  out  in  the 
field  to  dry.  But  while  he  was  absent 
there  came  up  a  storm  of  rain.  While 
the  clouds  were  gathering  the  pious  man 
saw  the  exposed  condition  of  his  neigh- 
bor's, hay,  and  it  struck  him  that  there 
was  now  a  fine  chance  to  show  a  good 
man's  revenge — that  is,  to  return  good 
for  evil.  So  he  took  with  him  his  hired 
men,  and  got  his  neighbor's  hay  all 
safely  into  the  barn.  What  was  the 
result  ? 

When  the  quarrelsome  man  came 
home,  expecting  to  see  his  hay  all  soaked 
by  the  rain,  and  found  it  had  been  taken 
care  of  by  the  man  he  had  so  much  in- 
jured, it  cut  him  to  the  very  core.  From 
309 


160 


ENEMIES,  LOVE  TO. 


that  hour  the  evil  spirit  was  cast  out  of 


him. 


No  more  abuse  did  he  give  the 


good  man  after  that ;  but  he  became  as 
obliging  and  kind  to  his  pious  neighbor 
as  the  latter  had  been  to  him. 

(/)  HOW  TO  OVERCOME  EVIL. 
— "  I  once  had  a  neighbor,"  says  Mr. 
White,  "  who,  though  a  clever  man, 
came  to  me  one  hay-day,  and  said : 
'  Esquire  White,  I  want  you  to  come 
and  get  your  geese  away.'  'Why,' 
said  I,  'what  are  my  geese  doing?' 
*  They  pick  my  pigs'  ears  when  they 
are  eating,  and  drive  them  away,  and  I 
will  not  have  it.'  'What  can  I  do?' 
said  I.  '  You  must  yoke  them.'  '  That 
I  have  not  time  to  do  now,'  said  I ;  '  I  do 
not  see  but  they  must  run.'  '  U you  do 
not  take  care  of  them  I  shall,'  said  the 
clever  shoemaker,  in  anger.  '  What  do 
you  say.  Esquire  White  V  'I  cannot 
take  care  of  them  now ;  but  I  will  pay 
you  for  all  damages.'  '  Well,'  said  he, 
'  you  will  find  that  a  hard  thing,  I  guess.' 

"  So  offhe  went,  and  I  heard  a  terrible 
squalling  among  the  geese.  The  next 
news  from  the  geese  was,  that  three  of 
them  were  missing.  My  children  went 
and  found  them  terribly  mangled  and 
dead,  and  ihro^'n  into  the  bushes. 

'•' '  Now,'  said  I,  '  all  keep  still,  and 
let  me  punish  him.'  In  a  few  days  the 
shoemaker's  hogs  broke  into  my  corn. 
1  saw  them,  but  let  them  remain  a  long 
time.  At  last  I  drove  them  all  out,  and 
picked  up  the  corn  which  they  had  torn 
down  and  fed  them  M'ith  it  in  the  road". 
By  this  time  the  shoemaker  came  in 
great  haste  after  them. 

" '  Have  you  seen  any  thing  of  my 
hogs?'  said  he.  'Yes,  sir;  you  will 
find  them  yonder,  eating  some  corn 
which  they  tore  down  in  my  field.'  '  In 
your  field  ?'  '  Yes,  sir,'  said  I ;  '  hogs 
love  corn,  you  know — they  were  made 
to  eat. 
done? 

"  Well,  off  he  went  to  look,  and  esti- 
mated the  damage  to  be  equal  to  a 
bushel  and  a-half  of  com. 

"  '  Oh,  no,'  said  I,  '  it  can't  be.' 
'  Yes,'  said  the  shoemaker  ;  '  and  I  will 
pay  you  every  cent  of  damage.'  '  No,' 
said  I,  '  you  shall  pay  me  nothing.  My 
geese  have  been  a  great  trouble  to  you.' 

"  The  shoemaker  blushed,  and  went 
310 


'    '  How  much  mischief  have  they 
O,  not  much,'  said  I. 


home.  The  next  winter,  when  we  came 
to  settle,  the  shoemaker  determined  to 
pay  me  for  my  corn.  '  No,'  said  I ;  '  I 
shall  take  nothing.' 

"  After  some  talk  we  parted ;  but  in 
a  day  or  two  I  met  him  in  the  road,  and 
fell  into  conversation  in  the  most  friend- 
ly manner.  But  when  I  started  on  he 
seemed  loth  to  move,  and  I  paused. 
For  a  moment  both  of  us  were  silent. 
At  last  he  said :  '  I  have  something  la- 
boring on  my  mind.'  'Well,  what  is 
it?'  'Those  geese.  I  killed  three  of 
your  geese,  and  shall  never  rest  until 
you  know  how  I  feel.  I  am  sorry.' 
And  the  tears  came  in  his  eyes.  '  Oh, 
well,'  said  I,  'never  mind;  I  suppose 
my  geese  were  provoking.' 

"I  never  took  any  thing  of  him  for 
it ;  but  whenever  my  cattle  broke  into 
his  field  after  this,  he  seemed  glad  ;  be- 
cause he  could  show  how  patient  he 
could  be. 

"  Now,"  said  the  narrator,  "  conquer 
yourself,  and  you  can  conquer  with 
kindness  where  you  can  conquer  in  no 
other  way." 

(g)  LIVING  SWINE  FOR  DEAD 
ONES.  —  There  was  a  Christian  in 
New  Jersey,  that  had  a  neighbor  of 
such  a  malevolent  and  savage  charac- 
ter, as  made  him  a  plague  and  terror  to 
those  with  whom  he  became  offended. 
Forgiveness,  or  m*cy,  nobody  expected 
from  him. 

One  day  he  found  the  hogs  of  his 
good  neighbor  in  his  corn-field.  He 
drove  them  out,  and  came  to  their  own- 
er in  a  storm  of  passion,  making  a 
great  bluster,  about  the  damage  done  to 
his  crop.  "  If  I  ever  see  them  in  my 
corn  again,"  said  he,  "  I'll  kill  them — 
that  I  will." 

On  he  went,  raving  and  scolding,  his 
eyes  flashing  fire  every  word  he  spoke. 
But  the  good  man  kept  calm  as  a 
summer's  evening,  and  said  nothing  but 
what  was  kind  and  good-natured  in 
reply. 

Mr.  Wrath,  after  he  had  spent  all 
his  fury,  went  off  very  much  vexed  to 
see  that  none  of  it  took  effect. 

The  good  man  shut  up  his  swine  at 
once.  But,  impatient  for  their  favorite 
and  new-found  food,  they  soon  made 
their  escape ;    and  got  into  the  same 


IT  OFTEN  CHANGES  THEM  INTO  FRIENDS. 


160 


corn-field  again,  without  the  knowledge 
of  their  owner. 

Mr.  Wrath  discovered  them,  and  at 
once  attacked  them  with  might  and 
main  ;  as  much  as  to  say  (like  a  duel- 
ist), "  Nothing  but  your  blood  will  give 
me  satisfaction !"  He  did,  indeed, 
slaughter  three  or  four  of  them,  before 
they  could  make  their  retreat.  Then, 
to  cap  the  climax,  and  aggravate  his 
neighbor's  feelings  to  the  utmost,  he  put 
the  dead  bodies  on  a  sled,  or  cart,  and 
drew  them  over  to  his  neighbor's  house. 
He  threw  them  down  before  the  door, 
saying  with  sarcastic  bitterness,  "  Your 
hogs  got  into  my  corn  again,  and  I 
thought  I  would  bring  them  home  !" 

The  owner  of  the  swine  kept  per- 
fectly cool,  giving  no  look  or  word  of 
resentment  at  the  injury  done  to  him. 
He  might  have  gone  to  law  with  Mr. 
Wrath,  and,  perhaps,  made  him  smart 
severely  for  destroying  his  property  and 
insulting  him  as  he  did.  But  he 
thought  it  best  to  keep  out  of  the  law  ; 
and  every  man  should  think  so,  except 
when  driven  to  it  by  a  sense  of  duty. 

The  next  year  he  himself  had  a 
corn-field  situated  in  a  similar  way  be- 
side the  road.  Now  it  so  happened  that 
neighbor  Wrath  had  some  unruly  swine 
running  in  the  street,  which  got  into  the 
good  man's  corn-field,  and  committed  a 
depredation  similar  to  that  which  his 
had  done  in  Mr.  Wrath^s  corn-field  the 
year  before.  He  went  to  Mr.  Wrath, 
and  told  him  what  mischief  his  vagrant 
swine  had  done,  and  requested  him  to 
shut  them  up.  But  he  paid  no  atten- 
tion to  the  request. 

Soon  after  they  got  into  the  same 
field  again.  The  Christian  discovered 
them  ;  and  he  hit  on  a  good-natured 
and  witty  expedient  of  contrasting  his 
own  temper  and  conduct  with  those  of 
his  neighbor  under  similar  circumstan- 
ces. Instead  of  killing  them,  and  car- 
rying them  home  dead,  he  caught  them, 
tied  their  legs  carefully,  and  drew  them 
with  his  team  to  their  owner's  door. 
*'  Neighbor,"  said  he,  kindly,  "  I  found 
your  hogs  in  mij  corn  again,  and  I 
thought  I  would  bring  them  home  .'" 

Never  was  a  man  more  completely 
confounded  !  He  saw  the  wide  differ- 
ence between   his   neighbor's   conduct 


and  his  own ;  he  looked  on  the  living 
swine,  but  he  thought  of  the  dead  ones  ! 
It  was  too  much.  He  told  his  neigh- 
bor that  he  was  very  sorry,  and  that  he 
would  pay  all  damages  the  hogs  had 
done.  He  offered  to  pay  him,  too,  for 
the  hogs  he  had  killed  the  year  before  ! 
"  No,"  replied  the  other,  "  I  shall  make 
no  account  of  the  damtiges  your  hogs 
have  done ;  and  I  shall  take  nothing  for 
what  you  did  to  mine.  I  lot  that  pass." 
Mr.  Wrath  was  completely  over- 
come. He  concluded  at  once  to  yield, 
and  retreat  from  a  contest  where  such 
unequal  odds  were  against  him.  He 
was  as  kind  and  generous  to  his  Chris- 
tian neighbor  afterwards,  as  he  was 
mischievous  and  cruel  before. 

Thus  evil  was  overcome  with  good  ; 
and  wrath  made  over  into  friendship. 

(A)  A  CHRISTIAN  COLONY.— 
One  of  thirty  or  forty  New  Englanders, 
who  went  out  to  settle  in  the  Western 
wilderness,  related  to  Mrs.  Child  the 
following  particulars.  They  were 
mostly  neighbors,  and  had  been  drawn 
to  unite  together  in  emigration  from  a 
general  unity  of  opinion  on  various 
'  subjects.  For  some  years  previous, 
they  had  been  in  the  habit  of  meeting 
occasionally  at  each  others'  houses,  to 
talk  over  their  duties  to  God  and  man, 
in  all  simplicity  of  heart.  Their  libra- 
ry was  the  Gospel,  their  priesthood  the 
inward  light.  There  were  then  no  an- 
ti-slavery societies;  but  thus  taught, 
and  reverently  willing  to  learn,  they 
had  no  need  of  such  agency,  to  discover 
their  duties  to  the  enslaved.  The 
efforts  of  peace  societies  had  reached 
this  secluded  band  only  in  broken 
echoes  ;  and  non-resistance  societies 
had  no  existence.  But  with  the  vol- 
ume  of  the  Prince  of  Peace,  and  hearts 
open  to  his  influence,  what  need  had 
they  of  preambles  and  resolutions  ? 

"  Rich  in  God-culture,  this  little  band 
started  for  the  far  West.  Their  inward 
homes  were  blooming  gardens ;  they 
made  their  outward  in  a  wilderness. 
They  were  industrious  and  frugal,  and 
all  things  prospered  under  their  hands. 
But  soon  wolves  came  near  the  fold,  in 
the  shape  of  reckless  unprincipled  ad. 
venturers ;  believers  in  force  and  cun- 
ning, who  acted  according  to  their 
311 


160 


ENEMIES.  LOVE  TO. 


creed.  The  colony  of  practical  Chris- 
tians spoke  of  their  depreciations  in 
terms  of  gentlest  remonstrance,  and  re- 
paid them  with  mivarying  kindness. 
They  went  farther  —  they  openly  an- 
nounced, "  You  may  do  us  what  evil 
you  choose ;  we  will  return  nothing  but 
good."  Lawyers  came  into  the  neigh- 
borhood, and  offered  their  services  to 
settle  disputes.  They  answered,  "  We 
have  no  need  of  you.  As  neighbors  we 
receive  you  in  the  most  friendly  spirit ; 
but  for  us  your  occupation  has  ceased 
to  exist."  "  What  will  you  do,  if 
rascals  burn  your  barns,  and  steal  your 
harvests?"  "  We  will  return  good  for 
evil.  We  believe  this  is  the  highest 
truth,  and  therefore  the  best  expedi- 
ency." 

"When  the  rascals  heard  this,  they 
considered  it  a  marvellous  good  joke,  and 
said  and  did  many  provoking  things, 
which  to  them  seemed  witty.  Bars  were 
taken  down  in  the  night,  and  cows  let 
into  the  corn-fields.  The  Christians 
repaired  the  damage  as  well  as  they 
could,  put  the  cows  in  the  barn,  and  at 
twilight  drove  them  gently  home  ;  say- 
ing, "  Neighbor,  your  cows  have  been 
in  my  field.  1  have  fed  them  well 
during  the  day,  but  I  would  not  keep  | 
them  all  night,  lest  the  children  should 
suffer  for  their  milk." 

"  If  this  was  fun,  those  who  planned 
the  joke  found  no  heart  to  laugh  at  it. 
By  degrees  a  visible  change  came  over 
these  troublesome  neighbors.  They 
ceased  to  cut  off  horses'  tails,  and  break 
the  legs  of  poultry.  Rude  boys  would 
say  to  a  younger  brother,  "  Don't 
throw  that  stone,  Bill !  When  I  killed 
the  chicken  last  week,  did'nt  they  send 
it  to  mother,  because  they  thought 
chicken-broth  would  be  good  for  poor 
Mary  ?  I  should  think  you'd  be 
ashamed  to  throw  stones  at  their  chick- 
ens." Thus  was  evil  overcome  with 
good  ;  till  not  one  was  found  to  do  them 
wilful  injury. 

"  Years  passed  on,  and  saw  them 
thriving  in  worldly  substance,  beyond 
their  neighbors,  yet  beloved  by  all. 
From  them  the  lawyer  and  the  consta- 
ble obtained  no  fees.  The  sheriff  stam- 
mered and  apologized,  when  he  took  their 
hard  earned  goods  in  payment  for  the  war 
312' 


tax.  They  mildly  replied,  '  'Tis  a  bad 
trade,  friend.  Examine  it  in  the  light 
of  conscience  and  see  if  it  be  not  so.' 
But  while  they  refused  to  pay  such  fees 
and  taxes,  they  v^'ere  liberal  to  a  pro- 
verb in  their  contributions  for  all  useful 
and  benevolent  purposes. 

"  At  the  end  of  ten  years,  the  public 
lands,  which  they  had  chosen  for  their 
farms,  were  advertised  for  sale  at  auc- 
tion. According  to  custom,  those  who 
had  settled  and  cultivated  the  soil,  were 
considered  to  have  a  right  to  bid  it  in  at 
the  government  price;  which  at  that 
time  was  $1  25  per  acre.  But  the 
fever  of  land  speculation  then  chanced 
to  run  unusually  high.  Adventurers 
from  all  parts  of  the  country  Avere 
flocking  to  the  auction  ;  and  capitalists 
in  Baltimore,  Philadelphia,  New- York, 
and  Boston,  were  sending.agents  to  buy 
up  western  lands.  No  one  supposed 
that  custom,  or  equity,  would  be  regard- 
ed. The  first  day's  sale  showed  that 
speculation  ran  to  the  verge  of  insanity. 
Land  v/as  eagerly  bought  in  at  seven- 
teen, twenty-five,  and  forty  dollars  an 
acre.  The  Christian  colony  had  small 
hope  of  retaining  their  farms.  As  first 
settlers,  they  had  chosen  the  best  land; 
and  persevering  industry  had  brought  it 
into  the  highest  cultivation.  Its  market 
value  was  much  greater  than  the  acres 
already  sold  at  exorbitant  prices.  In 
view  of  these  facts,  they  had  prepared 
their  minds  for  another  remove  into  the 
wilderness,  perhaps  to  be  again  ejected 
by  a  similar  process.  But  the  morning 
their  lot  was  offered  for  sale,  they  ob- 
served with  grateful  surprise,  that  their 
neighbors  were  everywhere  busy  among 
the  crowd,  begging  and  expostulating : 
"  Don't  bid  on  these  lands  !  These  men 
have  been  working  hard  on  them  for  ten 
years.  During  all  that  time,  they 
never  did  harm  to  man  or  brute.  They 
are  always  ready  to  do  good  for  evil. 
They  are  a  blessing  to  any  neighbor- 
hood. It  would  be  a  sin  and  a  shame 
to  bid  on  llieir  land.  Let  them  go  at 
the  government  price." 

"  The  sale  came  on  ;  the  cultivators 
of  the  soil  offered  8l  25 ;  intending  to 
bid  higher  if  necessary.  But  among 
all  that  crowd  of  selfish,  reckless  spec- 
ulators, not  one  bid  over  them  !     With- 


IT  OFTEN  LEADS  THEM  TO  BECOME  CHRISTIANS. 


161 


out  one  opposing  voice,  the  fair  acres 
returned  to  them  !  I  do  not  know  a 
more  remarkable  instance  of  evil  over- 
conie  with  good.  The  wisest  political 
economy  lies  folded  up  in  the  maxims 
of  Christ." 

161.  It  often  leads  tliem  to  become  Chris- 
tians. 
(a)  RAVENCROSS  AND  HIS 
SLAVE. — Mr.  Ravencross  was  a  slave- 
holder in  Virginia,  and  reputed  a  hard 
master.  His  poor  distressed  slaves  were 
in  the  habit  of  meeting  at  night  in  a 
distant  hut,  for  the  purpose  of  worship- 
ping God.  He  was  informed  of  this, 
and  at  the  same  time  put  on  his  guard, 
as  it  was  suspected  their  motives  for 
meeting  were  different  from  what  they 
held  out,  and  that  an  insurrection  might 
be  the  consequence.  Under  this  im- 
pression, he  determined  to  prevent  their 
assembling  in  future,  chastised  the  pro- 
moters of  this  work,  and  gave  positive 
orders,  under  the  most  serious  penalty, 
that  they  should  never  assemble  again 
under  any  pretence  whatever,  A  short 
time  after  he  was  told  they  had  been 
seen  going  in  a  body  into  the  hut.  Much 
displeased  at  their  disobedience,  and  re- 
solving that  night  to  put  a  stop  to  their 
proceedings,  he  approached  the  hut  with 
all  the  feelings  of  an  offended  master. 
When  he  reached  the  door,  it  was  partly 
open.  He  looked  in ;  they  were  on 
their  knees.  He  listened  ;  there  was  a 
venerable  old  man,  who  had  been  long 
in  his  service,  pouring  out  his  soul  in 
prayer  to  God.  The  first  v/ords  which 
caught  his  ear  were,  "  Merciful  God,  turn 
my  poor  massa's  heart ;  make  him  mer- 
ciful, that  he  may  obtain  mercy  ;  make 
him  good,  that  he  may  inherit  the  king- 
dom of  heaven."  He  heard  no  more,  but 
fainted.  Upon  coming  to  himself,  he 
wept ;  went  into  the  sacred  hut,  knelt 
by  the  side  of  his  old  slave,  and  prayed 
also !  From  this  period  he  became  a 
true  penitent,  studied  the  Scriptures, 
took  orders,  and  became  a  shining  light. 
He  preached  at  the  General  Convention 
of  the  Episcopal  Church,  in  the  city  of 
Philadelphia,  before  more  than  two  hun- 
dred of  the  clergy,  in  the  year  1820. 

{b)  THE  CRUEL  SLAVE-HOLD- 
ER  CONVERTED.— A   slave-holder 


in  the  South,  extremely  irascible  and 
severe,  found  at  length  a  slave  as  bad- 
tempered  as  himself.  No  severity  of 
punishment  could  subdue  or  bow  his 
stern,  indomitable  spirit;  and,  even 
when  smarting  under  the  lash,  and 
reeking  with  blood  from  head  to  foot,  he 
would  still  defy  that  master  to  his  face, 
and  pour  upon  him  a  torrent  of  bold, 
fierce,  withering  imprecations.  It  was 
Turk  meeting  Turk.  But  the  gospel 
came  ere  long  to  that  negro's  heart ;  it 
tamed  the  tiger  into  a  lamb ;  and  then 
did  that  very  slave,  once  so  full  only  of 
wrath  and  revenge,  make  it  the  burden 

I  of  his  daily  prayers,  that  God  would 
have  mercy  on  his  cruel,  relentless  op- 
pressor. His  infidel  master,  doubting 
his  sincerity,  and  an  utter  stranger  to 
his  present  spirit,  treated  him  with  great- 
er severity  than  ever,  and  fiercely  swore 
"  he'd  whip  the  devil  out  of  the  villain ;" 
but  the  poor  slave,  even  while  smarting 
and  writhing,  and  bleeding  under  the 
lash,  would  fall  on  his  knees,  and  pray 
so  much  the  more,  "  God  bless  massa! 
God  bless  my  massa!"  This  was  too 
much  even  for  depravity  like  his  to  bear 
long ;  and  that  very  master,  under  the 
blessing  of  God  upon  such  an  exhibition 

;  of  the  Christian  spirit,  good  returned  for 
evil,  love  for  hatred,  prayers  for  bloody 
stripes,  at  length  came  himself  to  pray, 
and  weep,  and  rejoice  in  Christ  with 
his  much  abused,  yet  still  affectionate 
and  devoted,  solely  because  regenerated 
slave.  And  when  the  time  came  for  a 
public  profession  of  their  faith  in  their 
common  Savior,  you  might  have  seen 
that  master  and  his  slave  going  hand  in 
hand  down  into  the  water,  there  to  seal 
the  consecration  of  themselves  to  Him 
whose  matchless  love  it  is,  rather  than 
his  almighty  wrath,  that  subdues  rebel- 
lious hearts  to  his  sceptre. 

(c)  THE  SAILOR  CONVERTED. 
— Kindness  and  forgiveness  to  those 
who  insult  and  abuse  us,  is  often  the 
means,  in  the  hands  of  God,  of  making 
them  Christians.  You  exhibit  religion 
before  them  in  a  most  attractive  and  en- 
gaging form,  if  you  are  known  as  one 
of  its  professors.  Besides,  when  by 
treating  an  enemy  in  this  way  you  have 
roused  his  conscience,  and  led  him  to 
feel  shame  and  contrition  for  what  he 
313 


163 


ENEMIES,  LOVE  TO. 


has  done  to  you,  it  is  natural  at  such  a 
time  that  his  excited  conscience  should 
turn  on  his  sins  towards  God,  and  lead 
him  to  repentance. 

The  Holy  Spirit,  I  doubt  not,  often 
avails  itself  of  this  softened  state  of  the 
heart,  to  break  it  down  into  penitence 
before  God. 

As  some  rude  and  irreligious  sailors 
were  at  work  calking  a  vessel  in  a 
certain  harbor,  they  noticed,  at  a  little 
distance,  a  very  aged  and  exemplary 
Christian  quietly  engaged  in  his  busi- 
ness. He  was  noted  for  his  generous, 
peaceful,  forgiving  disposhion. 

One  sailor  says  to  another,  "  You 
can't  make  that  old  man  angry  by  any 
offence  you  can  offer  him." 

The  sailor  who  was  addressed,  at  once 
accepted  the  challenge.  He  snatched 
up  the  bucket  of  tar  that  stood  by  him, 
ran  up  to  the  old  man,  and  very  un- 
expectedly dashed  its  contents  upon 
him. 

He  looked  up  at  the  sailor  with  sur- 
prise at  this  wanton  and  unprovoked  act 
of  malignity,  and  said  to  him  in  a  mild 
voice,  "  Young  man,  the  Savior  says, 
'  Whoso  shall  offend  one  of  these  little 
ones  that  believe  in  me,  it  were  better 
for  him  that  a  millstone  were  hanged 
about  his  neck  and  that  he  were  cast 
into  the  depths  of  the  sea.'  Now  if  I 
am  one  of  these  little  ones,  you  have 
very  much  offended  me." 

The  young  sailor  turned  away  per- 
plexed and  chagrined  at  the  spirit  the 
injured  saint  exhibited.  He  felt  con- 
vinced that  the  man's  religion  was  of  a 
more  sublime,  noble  and  vital  character 
than  he  had  usually  thought  the  Chris- 
tian religion  to  be.  He  came  back  to 
his  companions  confessing  that  the  old 
man  had  triumphed. 

The  image  of  the  old  man  bearing 
the  marks  of  his  abuse,  and  looking  with 
so  much  mingled  pity  and  displeasure 
at  him,  was  painted  indelibly  upon  his 
memory.  He  was  gone,  but  the  sailor 
seemed  to  see  him  still  !  And  that  mild, 
but  terrible  reproof,  too,  the  language 
still  rung  in  his  ear.  The  more  he 
thought  of  the  old  man,  the  more  he 
thought  of  the  power  and  beauty  of  re- 
ligion. The  more  he  thought  of  himself,  ; 
the  more  ashamed  and  miserable  did  he  j 
314 


feel.  The  entire  wickedness  of  his 
heart  and  life  seemed  to  come  under  the 
review  of  conscience  also.  His  distress 
became  insupportable. 

Some  time  afterwards  he  went  to  see 
the  old  man  whom  he  had  so  wickedly 
treated  ;  he  asked  him  to  forgive  him, 
and  to  pray  for  him  too.  He  was  very 
ready  to  do  both  ;  and  not  long  after,  if 
I  remember  right,  the  sailor  became  a 
hopeful  Christian. 

There  is  reason  to  believe  that  many 
sinners  might  be  converted  from  tlie 
error  of  their  ways,  if  they  should  meet 
such  a  spirit  as  the  sailor  did  in  every 
professed  Christian  whom  they  might 
insult  or  abuse. 

162.  Miscellaneous. 

(a)  LOVE  TO  ENEMIES  OB- 
TAINED BY  PRAYER.— There  was 

a  man  of  middle  age,  of  cold,  slow, 
doubting  tendency  of  soul,  who  obtained, 
at  last  a  Christian's  hope.  He  hoped 
his  name  was  in  the  book  of  life,  but 
he  was  a  weakly  infant.  He  seemed 
to  grow  a  little  in  the  course  of  six  or 
eight  years,  but  slowly.  He  dreaded 
his  deficiency  in  one  feature  of  Christian 
character.  The  apprehension  gave 
him  pain.  He  read  in  one  section  of 
his  Master's  letter,  "  Love  your  en-  j 
emies."  For  a  long  time,  like  thousands! 
of  others,  he  concluded  he  would  not 
hurt  them,  or  fight  them,  or  return  evil 
for  evil,  and  he  hoped  this  was  love. 
Ho  could  hear  others  say  of  injuries  re- 
ceived, ^' I  can  forgive,  but  I  will  not  for- 
get it  ;  "  and  he  could  see  in  their  case 
clearly,  that  this  was  Satan's  kind  of  J 
forgiveness.  It  made  him  fear  in  his" 
own  case  that  he  did  not  love  his  enemies. 
He  remembered  that  Christ  would  not 
accept  of  a  false  love.  He  knew  that 
it  did  not  mean  a  love  of  approbation 
for  their  sins,  but  the  love  of  compas- 
sion. He  tried  to  feel  it,  tried  again, 
and  for  a  year,  but  did  not  succeed. 
He  read,  thought,  prayed  over  the  sub- 
ject. He  did  not  love  his  enemies. 
He  continued  trying  for  several  years. 
He  thought,  at  times,  that  his  feelings 
were  softer ;  but  he  soon  found  it  was 
not  love.  At  length  he  found  that  by 
mere  effect  of  will  he  could  not  move 


ENVY. 


1C2,  163 


his  affections.  He  became  alarmed. 
He  fasted  and  prayed  in  earnest ;  and 
at  an  hour  when  he  was  not  looking  for 
it,  at  a  moment  when  he  was  least  ex- 
pecting, he  loved  his  enemies.  It  was  a 
real  love.  He  knew  it  in  the  same  way, 
reader,  that  you  know  mirth  from  wo, 
when  you  feel  it  yourself 

When  he  afterwards  forgot  the  need 
of  thi^  heavenly  help,  he  would  some- 
times fall  again  into  liis  former  feelings, 
and  be  almost  as  far  from  loving  his 
enemies  as  before.  But  when  he  threw 
himself  on  his  knees  again,  and  re- 
ceived the  dew  of  heavenly  influence, 
the  drooping  grace  of  love  to  his  en- 
emies was  quickened  into  new  life,  and 
bloomed  with  its  wonted  beauty  and 
fragance. 

{b)  EXAMPLE  OF  THE  EARLY 
CHRISTLA.NS.— Justin  Martyr,  one  of 
the  earliest  writers,  in  his  '•'  Apology  " 
to  the  heathen  in  behalf  of  the  Chris- 
tians, says:  "  We  who  once  hated  and 
murdered  one  another,  we  who  would 
not  enjoy  the  hearth  in  common  with 
strangers,  on  account  of  the  difference 
of  our  customs,  now  live  in  common 
with  them,  since  the  appearance  of 
Christ ;  loe  pray  for  our  enemies  ;  we 
seek  to  persuade  those  who  hate  us  un- 
justly, that  they  may  direct  their  lives 
according  to  the  glorious  doctrines  of 
Christ,  and  may  share  with  us  the  joy- 
ful hopeof  enjoying  the  same  privileges 
from  God  the  Lord  of  all  things." 

(c)  EXAMPLE  OF  ORIGEN.— 
Origen,  one  of  the  greatest  scholars  and 
theologians  of  the  Christian  church  in 


the  third  century,  when  he  was  cruelly 
persecuted  by  Demetrius,  and  through 
his  efforts  excommunicated  by  the  Sy- 
nod, beautifully  exhibited  the  same  mild 
and  forgiving  spirit.  Speaking,  in  his 
defence  against  the  Synod,  he  mentions 
wicked  priests  and  rulers  thus :  "  We 
must  pity  them  rather  than  hate  them, 
pray  for  them  rather  than  curse  them, 
for  we  are  created  for  blessing  rather 
than  cursing." 

(d)  THE  CARTHAGENIAN 
CHRISTIANS.— In  the  time  of  a  great 
pestilence,  Cyprian,  Bishop  of  the  church 
in  Carthage,  in  the  third  century,  ex- 
horts his  flock  to  take  care  of  the  sick 
and  dying,  not  only  among  their  friends, 
but  their  foes.  "  If,"  says  he,  "  we  only 
do  good  to  our  own  people  we  do  na 
more  than  publicans  and  heathens.  But 
if  we  are  the  children  of  God,  who 
makes  his  sun  to  shine  and  his  rain  to 
descend  upon  the  just  and  upon  the  un- 
just, who  sheds  abroad  his  blessings,  not 
upon  his  friends  alone,  but  upon  those 
whose  thoughts  are  far  from  him,  we 
must  show  this  by  our  actions,  blessing 
those  who  curse  us  and  doinfj  eood  to 
those  who  persecute  us." 

Stimulated  by  their  bishop's  admoni- 
tion, the  members  of  the  church  ad- 
dressed themselves  to  the  work,  the  rich 
contributing  their  money  and  the  poor 
their  labor.  Thus  the  sick  were  at- 
tended to,  the  streets  soon  cleared  of  the 
corpses  that  filled  them,  and  the  city 
saved  from  the  dangers  of  a  universal 
pestilence. 


163.  ENVY. 


{a)  ENVY  OF  DIONYSIUS.— 
"  Dionysius  the  tyrant,"  says  Plutarch, 
"  out  of  envy,  punished  Philoxenius  the 
musician  because  he  could  sing,  and 
Plato  the  philosopher  because  he  could 
dispute,  better  than  himself." 

{h)  SADNESS  OF  MUTIUS.— 
Mutius,  a  citizen  of  Rome,  was  noted  to 
be  of  so  envious  and  malevolent  a  dis- 
position, that  Publius  one  day  observing 
him  to  be  very  sad,  said,  "  Either  some 
great  evil  is  happened  to  Mutius,  or 
some  great  good  to  another." 


(c)  CAMBYSES  AND  CALIGU- 
LA.— Cambyses,  king  of  Persia,  slew 
his  brother  Smerdis,  out  of  envy,  be- 
cause he  could  draw  a  stronger  bow 
than  himself  or  any  of  his  followers  ; 
and  the  monster  Caligula  slew  his  bro- 
ther because  he  was  a  beautiful  young 
man. 

"  Base  envy  withers  at  another's  joy, 
And  hates  that  excellence  it  cannot  reach." 

{d)  CONVERSION    HINDERED. 

— Mary   was  one   of    the   first  youths 
315 


164,  165 


ETERNITY— ETIQUETTE,  UNDUE  REGARD  TO. 


(says  a  correspondent  of  the  New-York 
Evangelist)  who  were  awakened  dur- 
ing an  interesting  revival.  When  many 
of  her  companions  submitted,  she  linger- 
ed. Her  convictions  were  powerful, 
her  anguish  was  severe.  At  length 
she  felt  that  she  must  and  would  sub- 
mit, and  said  that  she  was  willing  to  be 
in  the  hands  of  God.  Still  all  was 
darkness  and  trouble  within.  She  re- 
mained awhile  in  this  wretched  state, 
and  then  became  calm  and  joyful. 
Her  evidences  of  regeneration  were 
bright,  and  she  well  adorned  the  profes- 
sion which  she  subsequently  made. 
When  her  spiritual  teacher  beheld  the 


sinile  of  joy  kindled  upon  her  grief- 
worn  countenance,  he  said  to  her, 
"  Mary,  what  was  it  that  kept  you  back 
from  Christ  ?"  She  replied,  "  I  was 
unwilling  that  any  of  my  companions 
should  rejoice  in  hope,  until  I  did  my- 
self. I  knew  this  was  wrong,  but  felt 
unwilling  to  mention  it,  because  I 
thought  no  other  person  ever  felt  so. 
But  I  was  brought  to  feel  willing,  and 
even  anxious,  that  they  should  have 
comfort,  if  I  did  not.  I  felt  that  I  could 
not  claim  it,  and  if  I  should  receive 
comfort,  even  at  the  close  of  life,  it 
would  be  a  mercy  that  I  did  not  de- 
serve." 


164.  ETERNITi. 


(a)  DUMB  BOY'S  EXPLANA- 
TION. — The  following  question  was 
put  in  writing  to  a  boy  in  the  deaf  and 
dumb  school  at  Paris  :  "  What  is  eter- 
nity ?"  He  wrote  as  an  answer,  "  It  is 
the  life-time  of  the  Almighty." 

{h)  THE  TROUBLESOME  WORD. 
— A  lady,  having  spent  the  afternoon 
and  evening  at  cards  and  in  gay  com- 
pany, when  she  came  home,  found  her 
servant-maid  reading  a  pious  book. 
She  looked  over  her  shoulders  and  said, 
*'  Poor  melancholy  soul !  what  pleasure 
canst  thou  find  in  poring  so  long  over 
that  book  ?"  That  night  the  lady  could 
not  sleep,  but  lay  sighing  and  weeping 
very  much.  Her  servant  asked  her 
once  and  again  what  was  the  matter. 
At  length  she  burst  out  into  a  flood  of 
tears,  and  said,  "  Oh  !  it  is  one  word  I 
saw  in  your  book  that  troubles  me : 
there  I  saw  that  word  eternity.  Oh  how 
happy  should  I  be  if  I  were  prepared 


for  eternity  !"  The  consequence  of  this 
impression  was,  that  she  laid  aside  her 
cards,  forsook  her  gay  company,  and 
set  herself  seriously  to  prepare  for 
another  world. 

(c)  A  GOD— A  MOMENT— AN 
ETERNITY.— How  sad  it  is  that  an 
eternity  so  solemn  and  so  near  us  should 
impress  us  so  slightly  and  should  be  so 
much  forgotten  !  A  Christian  travel- 
ler tells  us,  that  he  saw  the  following 
religious  admonition  on  the  subject  of 
eternity  printed  on  a  folio  sheet,  and 
hanging  in  a  public  room  of  an  inn  in 
Savoy ;  and  it  was  placed,  he  under- 
stood, in  every  house  in  the  parish : — 
"  Understand  well  the  force  of  the  words 
— a  God,  a  moment,  an  eternity.  A 
God  who  sees  thee,  a  moment  which 
flies  from  thee,  an  eternity  which  awaits 
thee.  A  God  whom  you  serve  so  ill,  a 
moment  of  which  you  so  little  profit,  an 
eternity  which  you  hazard  so  rashly." 


165.  ETIQUETTE,  UNDUE  REGARD  TO. 


(a)  SPANISH  ETIQUETTE.— 
Philip  the  Third  was  gravely  seated  by 
the  fireside  ;  the  firemaker  of  the  court 
had  kindled  so  great  a  quantity  of  wood 
that  the  monarch  was  nearly  suffocated 
with  heat,  and  his  grandeur  would  not 
suffer  him  to  rise  from  the  chair  ;  the 
domestics  could  not  presume  to  enter  the 
316 


apartment,  because  it  was  against  the 
etiquette.  At  length  the  Marquis  de 
Pota  appeared,  and  the  king  ordered 
him  to  damp  the  fires ;  but  he  excused 
himself,  alleging  that  he  was  forbidden 
by  the  etiquette  to  perform  such  a  func- 
tion, for  which  tie  Duke  d'Usseda 
oufjht  to  be  called  uoon,  as  it  was  his 


EXAMPLE,  CHRISTIAN. 


165,  160 


business.  The  duke  was  gone  out,  the 
iire  burned  fiercer,  and  the  king  en- 
dured it  rather  than  derogate  from  his 
dignity ;  but  his  blood  was  heated  to 
such  a  degree  ;  that  an  erysipelas  of  the 
head  appeared  the  next  day,  which,  suc- 
ceeded by  a  violent  fever,  carried  him 
off  in  1621,  in  the  twenty- fourth  year 
of  his  age. 

The  palace  was  once  on  fire ;  a  sol- 
dier, who  knew  the  king's  sister  was  in 
her  apartment,  and  must  inevitably  have 
been  consumed  in  a  few  moments  by 
the  flames,  at  the  risk  of  his  life  rushed 
in,  and  brought  her  highness  safe  out 
in  his  arms;  but  the  Spanish  etiquette 
was  here  wofully  broken  into !  The 
loyal  soldier  was  brought  to  trial,  and 
as  it  was  impossible  to  deny  that  he  had 
entered  her  apartment,  the  judges  con- 
demned him  to  die !  The  Spanish 
princess,  however,  condescended,  in  con- 
sideration of  the  circumstances,  to  par- 
don the  soldier,  and  very  benevolently 
saved  his  life ! 

{h)  VlCTIiM  OF  ETIQUETTE. 
— The  preposterous  degree  of  etiquette 
for  which  the  court  of  Spain  has  always 
been  remarkable  proved  the  ruin  of  one 


of  the  most  illustrious  of  Spaniards,  in 
the  person  of  the  Duke  of  Ossuna.  He 
was  viceroy  of  Naples,  and  greatly  re- 
nowned for  his  talents  as  a  soldier  and 
a  statesman.  In  consequence  of  some 
calumnious  reports,  he  was  called  to 
court  to  give  an  account  of  his  admi- 
nistration ;  and  on  presenting  himself 
to  the  king,  being  troubled  with  the 
gout  and  of  short  stature,  he  carried,, 
for  matter  of  convenience,  his  sword  in 
his  hand.  His  majesty,  it  seems,  did 
not  like  this  sword-in-hand  style  of  ap- 
proaching him,  and,  turning  his  back 
on  Ossuna,  left  the  room  without  speak- 
ing. The  duke,  probably  unconscious 
of  the  cause  of  the  king's  displeasure, 
was  much  incensed  at  this  treatment, 
and  was  overheard  to  mutter,  '•  This 
comes  of  serving  boys."  The  words 
being  reported  to  his  majesty,  an  order 
was  given  for  Ossuna's  arrest.  He 
was  committed  prisoner  to  a  monastery 
not  far  from  Madrid,  and  there  he  con- 
tinued till  his  beard  reached  his  girdle. 
Growing  then  very  ill,  he  was  per- 
mitted to  go  to  his  house  at  Madrid, 
where  he  died  about  the  year  1622. 


166.  EXAMPLE,  CHRISTIAN. 


{a)  THE  MINISTER  AND  THE 
INFIDEL.— The  Rev.  Mr.  R.  resided 
in  a  house  where  an  apprentice  lived, 
who  was  compelled  to  hear  him  preach 
every  Sabbath  day,  but  who  always  re- 
joiced when  the  services  of  the  day  were 
over.  He  had  been  drawn  into  the 
paths  of  infidelity,  and  cherished  a  ma- 
lignant hatred  to  religion  and  its  profes- 
sors. He  considered  Mr.  R.  either  as 
a  superior  spirit  in  human  form,  or  a 
consummate  hypocrite,  whose  exhibitions 
in  the  pulpit,  and  in  private  life,  were 
alike  intended  to  deceive  the  spectators 
for  his  own  purposes.  Our  young 
skeptic  resolved,  however,  very  close- 
ly to  watch  his  conduct.  "  For  several 
years,"  said  he  to  the  writer  of  this  pa- 
per, "  I  watched  him  with  incessant 
vigilance.  My  opportunities  of  know- 
ing his  character  were  such  as  occur 
in  the  variety  and  minutise  of  domestic 


life  and  family  transactions;  but  his 
temper,  and  conduct,  and  speech,  and 
devotion,  were  only  beautiful  represen- 
tations of  the  same  object — all  having 
one  character,  and  that  stamped  upon 
them  by  Heaven.  I  began  to  admire, 
rather  than  love  him,  until  a  circum- 
stance occurred  that  produced  an  in- 
delible impression  upon  my  mind.  My 
apprenticeship  was  just  out,  and  in  a 
few  days  I  was  to  set  off  to  a  situation 
in  London.  He  seized  an  occasion  of 
calling  me  into  his  room,  warned  me  of 
the  dangers  which  I  should  meet  in  the 
metropolis,  told  me  of  the  duty  of  pray- 
er, and  the  pleasures  of  piety,  put  into 
my  hands '  as  a  parting  present,  "  Dod- 
ridge's  Rise  and  Progress,"  and,  kneel- 
ing down,  commended  me  fervently  to 
the  grace  of  God,  and  the  guidance  of 
infinite  wisdom.  This  united  me  to 
the  man  for  ever.  I  went  to  London 
317 


160 


EXAMPLE,  C?IRISTIAN. 


under  the  impressions  he  had  made  on 
my  mind  ;  did  not  give  way  to  compa- 
ny, nor  launch  out  into  dissipation,  but 
attended  the  house  of  God  with  some- 
thing like  regularity.  And  a  sermon, 
which  I  heard  Mr.  S.  preach  when  he 
had  been  recently  brought  back  from 
the  gates  of  death,  was  the  means  of 
awakening  me  to  a  sense  of  my  danger, 
and  of  directing  me  to  the  cross." 
Many  persons,  whom  we  do  not  suspect, 
are  watching  our  temper  and  general 
conversation,  and  the  convictions  which 
they  receive  will  tell  on  their  future 
principles  and  final  destiny.  Our  Lord 
knew  the  power  of  example  was  far  be- 
yond precept,  when  he  said  to  his  dis- 
ciples, "  Ye  are  the  salt  of  the  earth," 
— "ye  are  the  light  of  the  world." 
Happy  are  those  ministers  who  can  use 
the  same  reference  as  the  apostle  :  "  Be 
ye  followers  of  me,  even  as  1  also  am 
of  Christ,"  1  Cor.  xi.  1. 

(b)  PETERBOROUGH  AND 
FENELON.— When  Lord  Peterbo- 
rough  lodged  for  a  season  with  Fenelon, 
Archbishop  of  Cambray,  he  was  so  de- 
lighted with  his  piety  and  virtue,  that 
he  exclaimed  at  parting,  "  If  I  stay 
here  any  longer,  I  shall  become  a 
Christian  in  spite  of  mvself." 

(c)  IRREFUTABLE  ARGUMENT. 
— Mr.  Innes,  in  his  work  on  Domestic 
Religion,  mentions  a  fact  strikingly  il- 
lustrative of  the  power  of  consistent  con- 
duct. A  young  man,  when  about  to  be 
ordained  as  a  Christian  minister,  stated, 
that  at  one  period  of  his  life  he  had  been 
nearly  betrayed  into  the  principles  of 
infidelity;  "but,"  he  added,  "there 
was  one  argument  in  favor  of  Christian 


ity 


which  I   could  never  refute — the 


consistent  conduct  of  my  own  father!" 
(d)  THE  MOTHER'S  CONFES- 
SION.— Children,  says  the  Rev.  W. 
Jay,  have  conveyed  religion  to  those 
from  whom  they  ought  to  have  derived 
it.  "Well,"  said  a  mother  one  day, 
weeping,  her  daughter  being  about  to 
make  a  public  profession  of  religion  by 
going  to  the  Lord's  table,  "  I  will  resist 
no  longer.  How  can  I  bear  to  see  my 
dear  child  love  and  read  the  Scriptures, 
while  I  never  look  into  the  Bible — to 


see  her  retire  and  seek  God,  while  I 
never  pray — to  see  her  going  to  the 
Lord's  table,  while  his  death  is  nothing 
to  me  !"  "  Ah,"  said  she  to  the  minis- 
ter who  called  to  inform  her  of  her 
daughter's  intention,  wiping  her  eyes  ; 
"  yes,  sir,  I  know  she  is  right,  and  I  am 
wrong — I  have  seen  lier  firm  under  re- 
proach, and  patient  under  provocation, 
and  cheerful  in  all  her  sufferings.  When, 
in  her  late  illness,  she  was  looking  for 
dissolution,  heaven  stood  in  her  face. 
Oh  that  I  was  as  fit  to  die  !  I  ought  to 
have  taught  her,  but  I  am  sure  she  has 
taught  mo.  How  can  I  bear  to  see  her 
joining  the  church  of  God,  and  leaving 
me  behind — perhaps  for  ever  !" 

From  that  hour  she  prayed  in  earnest, 
that  the  God  of  her  child  would  bo  her 
God,  and  was  soon  seen  walking  with 
her  in  the  way  everlasting. 

(e)  SUCCESS  WITH  THE  IM- 
PENITENT.— It  is  said  of  a  follower 
of  Christ  who  lived  many  years  ago  in 
Western  New- York,  that  she  had  prob- 
ably been  instrumental  in  the  conver- 
sion of  more  sinners  than  any  minister 
in  the  same  region  of  country.  She 
was  once  asked  how  it  was  that  she, 
while  she  was  in  the  habit  of  speaking 
to  every  class  of  individuals,  always 
spoke  with  effect  without  giving  offence. 
Her  reply  was  this  :  "  Whenever 
such  an  individual  comes  within  the 
circle  of  my  influence,  I  at  once  set 
my  heart  upon  saying  and  doing 
what  I  can  to  secure  his  salvation. 
As  soon  as  a  fit  opportunity  presents, 
my  plan  is  to  converse  with  him  on  the 
'  things  which  concern  his  peace.'  As 
preparatory  to  such  an  event,  my  aim 
is  to  order  my  entire  deportment  in  his 
presence  so  that  what  I  say  shall  be  im- 
pressed upon  his  heart  and  conscience 
by  all  that  he  has  previously  seen  in 
me."  Here  was  the  secret  of  her  pow- 
er. What  was  spoken  was  always  in 
time,  and  rendered  like  "  apples  of  gold 
in  pictures  of  silver,"  by  its  correspond- 
ence with  her  entire  character.  It  is  in 
place  for  the  truly  good  to  urge  the 
practice  of  goodness  upon  all  around 
them.  Nor  is  it  fitting  in  any  others  to 
engage  in  this  hallowed  employment. 


318 


EXPERIENCE,  CHRISTIAN. 


167,  16S 


EXPERIENCE,  CHRISTIAN. 


167.  Effect  of  relating,  &c. 

(a)  THE  CAPTAIN  AND  THE 
INFIDEL. — A  few  years  ago,  on  a 
voyage  to  the  west  of  America,  a 
young  man  sauntering  on  deck  ob- 
serving one  of  the  sailors  more  sedate 
than  his  companions,  stepped  up  to  him, 
and  abruptly  asked  him  :  "  George,  are 
you  not  a  Christian?"  His  counte- 
nance brightened  up  as  he  replied  :  "  I 
trust  that  1  am ;  I  think  I  can  testify  to 
the  goodness  of  God  in  giving  his  Son 
to  die  for  me."  The  manner  in  which 
he  uttered  this  sentence  interested  his 
companion,  who  requested  to  know  his 
history.  His  reply  in  substance  was  as 
follows : 

"  I  have  always  been  a  sailor.  My 
father  was  a  sailor  before  me.  My 
mother  was  a  pious  woman ;  and  when- 
ever I  went  on  shore  to  see  her  she  used 
to  say  a  great  many  things  to  me  about 
my  soul.  I  paid  no  attention  to  them  ; 
but  lived  as  though  I  had  no  soul.  I 
was  a  fool,  as  I  said  in  my  heart, 
'  There  is  no  God.'  Boldly  did  I  pro- 
fane his  name.  Thus  I  went  on  from 
year  to  year,  till  I  entered  a  ship  that 
was  under  a  pious  captain.  He  was  a 
good  man,  and  did  much  for  the  good  of 
his  crew.  He  read  the  Scriptures  to 
us,  and  prayed  with  us.  After  some 
time,  however,  I  began  to  tremble.  The 
word  of  God  convinced  me  of  sin,  and  of 
righteousness,  and  of  judgment  to  come. 
I  saw  my  danger,  and  felt  it,  too.  My 
sins  came  up  before  me,  and  appeared 
as  mountains  that  must  for  ever  separate 
me  from  peace  and  happiness.  I  was  a 
miserable  man,  and  thought  I  must  al- 
ways be  so.  At  last  I  opened  my  heart 
to  the  captain.  He  felt  for  me,  and  told 
me  of  the  mercy  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus. 
With  tears  in  his  eyes  he  directed  me 
to  behold  the  Lamb  of  God  which  taketh 
away  the  sin  of  the  world.  My  heart 
broke.  Tears  of  penitence  ran  down 
my  cheeks  ;  my  faith  took  hold  on  the 
Son  ®f  God." 


At  this  time  the  young  man  who  had 
elicited  the  narrative  was  not  truly  re- 
ligious. The  narrative  of  the  sailor, 
given  with  simplicity  and  deep  emotion, 
went  to  his  heart  and  brought  him  to 
the  feet  of  the  Savior.  He  soon  after 
publicly  professed  his  faith  in  Christ. 

{h)  THE  LAWYER  AT  THE 
LOVE-FEAST.— The  simple  relation 
of  Christian  experience  always  produces 
a  powerful  effect  upon  the  hearers. 
Revivals  of  religion  are  often  greatly 
promoted  by  this  means.  Some  years 
ago,  a  young  lawyer  in  Vermont,  found 
his  way  into  a  Methodist  love-feast. 
Supposing  that  he  should  hear  some 
strange  things  there,  he  went  prepared 
to  take  notes.  At  the  close  of  the  meet- 
ing, he  arose,  and  addressed  the  assem- 
bly as  follows :  "  My  friends,  I  hold  in 
my  hands  the  testimony  of  no  less  than 
sixty  persons,  who  have  spoken  here, 
this  morning,  who  all  testify  with  one 
consent,  that  there  is  a  divine  reality 
in  religion,  they  having  experienced  its 
power  in  their  own  hearts.  Many  of 
these  persons  I  know.  Their  word  would 
be  received  in  any  court  of  justice.  Lie, 
they  would  not,  I  know ;  and  mistaken 
they  cannot  all  be.  I  have  heretofore 
been  skeptical  in  relation  to  these  mat- 
ters. I  now  tell  you  that  I  am  fully 
convinced  of  the  truth,  and  that  I  intend 
to  lead  a  new  life.  Will  you  pray  for 
me  ?"  Thus  while  we  "  speak  that  which 
we  do  know,  and  testify  to  that  which 
we  have  seen,"  some  will  receive  "  our 
witness,"  even  if  others  do  not. 

168.  Every  where  similar. 

(a)  GOD'S  WORK  UNIVERSAL- 
LY THE  SAME.— The  eminently  pi- 
ous  and  learned  theologian.  Dr.  Living- 
ston, related  to  me,  (says.  Dr.  Alexan- 
der,) not  many  years  before  his  decease, 
a  pleasing  anecdote,  which  will  serve  to 
illustrate  the  point  under  consideration, 
and  which  I  communicate  to  the  public 
more  willingly,  because  I  do  not  know 
319 


168,  169 


FAITH. 


that  he  has  left  any  record  of  it  behind 
him.  While  a  student  at  the  University 
of  Utrecht,  a  number  of  pious  persons, 
from  the  town  and  among  the  students, 
were  accustomed  to  meet  for  free  con- 
versation on  experimental  religion,  and 
for  prayer  and  praise,  in  a  social  capa- 
city. On  one  of  these  occasions,  when 
the  similarity  of  the  exercises  of  the 
pious,  in  all  countries  and  ages,  was  the 
subject  of  conversation,  it  was  remarked 
by  one  of  the  company,  that  there  was 
then  present  a  representative  from  each 
of  the  four  quarters  of  the  world.  These 
were  Dr.  Livingston,  from  America,  a 
young  man  from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope 
in.  Africa,  another  student  from  one  of 
the  Dutch  possessions  in  the  East  Indies, 
and  many  natives  of  Europe,  of  course. 
It  was  therefore  proposed,  that  at  the 
next  meeting,  the  three  young  gentle- 
men first  referred  to,  together  with  an 
eminently  pious  young  nobleman  of 
Holland,  should  each  give  a  particular 
narrative  of  the  rise  and  progress  of  the 
work  of  grace  in  his  soul.     The  pro- 


posal was  universally  acceptable  ;  and 
accordingly,  a  narrative  was  heard  from 
a  native  of  each  of  the  four  quarters  of 
the  globe — of  their  views  and  feel- 
ings, of  their  trials  and  temptations,  &c. 
The  result  was  highly  gratifying  to  all 
present;  and  I  think  Dr.  Livingston 
said,  that  it  was  generally  admitted  by 
those  present,  that  they  had  never  before 
witnessed  so  interesting  a  scene. 

(b)  JOHN  NEWTON  AND  MR. 
OCCAM.— When  Mr.  Occam,  the  In- 
dian preacher,  was  in  England,  he 
visited  Mr.  Newton  of  London,  and 
they  compared  experiences.  "  Mr. 
Occam,"  says  Mr.  Newton,  "  in  des- 
cribing to  me  the  state  of  his  heart, 
when  he  was  a  blind  idolater,  gave  me, 
in  general,  a  striking  picture  of  what 
my  own  was  in  the  early  part  of  my 
life  ;  and  his  subsequent  views  corres- 
pond with  mine,  as  face  answers  to  face 
in  a  glass,  though  I  dare  say,  when  he 
received  them,  he  had  never  heard  of 
Calvin's  name." 


FAITH. 


169.  Nature  of  Faith. 

(a)  WHAT  WE  ARE  TO  BE- 
LIEVE.—Rev.  Mr.  P.,  of  New- York, 

when   settled   in   B ,  N.  Y.,   was 

called  to  see  a  young  lady  on  the  brink 
of  the  grave.  In  the  course  of  the  con- 
versation he  says,  "  I  inquired,  *  Do  you 
not  feel  that  you  are  a  great  sinner  be- 
fore God  V  Bursting  into  an  agony  of 
tears  and  raising  her  attenuated  hands, 
she  cried,  '  Oh  !  yes,  that  is  all  that 
pains  me.  Oh,  I  have  been  such  a  sin- 
ner, and  God  has  been  so  good  to  me — 
Christ  so  good,  and  I  have  sinned  so 
much !' 

"  Being  satisfied  that  she  was  sincere- 
ly penitent  for  sin,  I  spoke  of  the  atone- 
ment of  Christ — its  necessity  and  nature 
and  terms,  and  asked  her  if  she  could  see 
in  that  plan  to  save,  that  there  was  room 
for  her.  '  No,  not  for  me,  I  am  such 
a  sinner,'  she  said,  and  the  fresh  tor- 
rents of  tears  attested  the  sincerity  of 
her  confession.  Then  I  told  her  of  the 
J>20 


love  of  Jesus,  and  besought  her  by  the 
dying  compassion  of  the  Son  of  God,  to 
believe  in  his  name.  But  still  she  re- 
fused to  trust  herself  in  his  hands. 
Making  one  more  effort,  said  I,  '  Per- 
haps you  do  not  understand  precisely 
what  you  are  to  believe.  You  say, 
that  you  think  that  Christ  is  willing  to 
save  unto  the  uttermost  all  that  come 
unto  God,  repenting  of  their  sins.  You 
say  that  you  repent.  Now,  trusting 
with  all  your  heart  in  the  promises 
which  he  has  made,  believe  that  he  is 
willing  to  save  you.^ 

"  A  smile  as  from  heaven  played  on 
her  pale  cheek,  as  she  exclaimed,  '  Is 
that  it?'  and  trusting 'in  Christ,  she 
found  joy.  Lingering  for  many  weeks 
afterwards,  her  faith  never  wavered  ; 
her  views  of  divine  things  grew  brighter 
and  brighter ;  her  confidence  in  God, 
deeper  and  stronger  ;  and  as  death  ap- 
proached, she  welcomed  his  coming  as 
of  a  friend. 


NECESSITY  OF  FAITH. 


169,  170 


(h)  THE  SAILOR'S  EXPLANA- 
TION. — Mr.  Stewart,  in  his  Journal 
of  a  Residence  in  the  Sandwich  Islands, 
relates  that  whilst  on  board  a  ship  sail- 
ing from  America  to  those  islands,  he 
felt  it  his  duty  to  instruct  the  sailors ; 
and  he  had  several  proofs  that  his  labors 
were  not  in  vain.     One  sailor,  named 

R ,  had  been  brought  to  trust  in 

Christ  for  salvation  ;  and,  shortly  after, 
meeting  with  another  who  was  anxious- 
ly inquiring  the  way  of  salvation,  he 
thus  addressed  him :  "  It  was  just  so 
with  myself  once  ;  I  did  not  know  what 
faith  was,  or  how  to  obtain  it;  but  I 
know  now  what  it  is,  and  I  believe  I 
possess  it.  But  I  do  not  know  that  I 
can  tell  you  what  it  is,  or  how  to  get  it. 
I  can  tell  you  what  it  is  not :  it  is  not 
knocking  off  swearing,  and  drinking, 
and  such  like  ;  and  it  is  not  reading  the 
Bible,  nor  praying,  nor  being  good :  it 
is  none  of  these  ;  for  even  if  they  would 
answer  for  the  time  to  come,  there  is 
the  old  score  still,  and  how  are  you  to 
get  clear  of  that  ?  It  is  not  any  thing 
you  have  done  or  can  do  :  it  is  only  be- 
lieving and  trusting  to  what  Christ  has 
done ;  it  is  forsaking  your  sins,  and 
looking  for  their  pardon  and  the  salva- 
tion of  your  soul,  because  he  died  and 
shed  his  blood  for  sin  ;  and  it  is  nothing 
else."  The  most  learned  divine  could 
not  have  given  a  more  simple  or  scrip- 
tural exposition  of  this  important 
subject,  or  one  better  adapted  to  carry 
conviction  to  the  heart.  The  simplest 
terms  are  the  most  dilEIicult  of  explana- 
tion, while  the  unsophisticated  feelings 
of  genuine  piety  find  a  ready  re^onse 
in  every  awakened  mind. 

(c)  A  VENTURESOME  BELIEV- 
ING. — The  Rev.  John  Butterworth,  a 
minister  of  England,  speaking  of  his 
religious  experiences,  says,  "  One  day 
as  I  was  reading  in  a  book  called  the 
'  Marrow  of  Modern  Divinity,'  a  sen- 
tence from  Luther  was  quoted,  which 
was  this,  '  I  would  run  into  the  arms 
of  Christ,  if  he  stood  with  a  drawn  sword 
in  his  hand.'  This  thought  came  bolt- 
ing into  my  mind — '  so  will  I  too  :'  and 
those  words  of  Job  occurred — '  Though 
he  slay  me,  yet  will  I  trust  him.'  My 
burden  dropped  off;  my  soul  was  filled 
with  joy  and  peace  through  believing 
21 


in  Christ;  a  venturesome  ielieving,  as 
Mr.  Belcher  calls  it,  was  the  means  of 
setting  me  at  liberty ;  nor  have  I  ever 
been  in  such  perplexity,  respecting  my 
interest  in  Christ,  since  that  time ;  though 
I  have  had  various  trials  in  other  re- 
spects." 

(d)  NOTHING  BUT  TRUE 
FAITH. — A  good  man  was  consider- 
ably harassed  as  to  the  nature  of  true 
faith,  and  very  properly  resolved  to  ask 
the  assistance  of  his  minister.  Going 
to  his  house,  he  stated  that  his  fears  had 
been  great,  that  he  had  sinned  beyond 
the  reach  of  mercy ;  but  that  while  he 
was  thinking  on  the  subject  that  portion 
of  Scripture  was  suggested  to  his  mind, 
"  The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  his  Son 
cleanseth  us  from  all  sin,"  and  that 
resting  on  this  truth,  he  had  lost  all  his 
anxiety.  The  minister  very  properly 
told  him  that  this  was  nothing  else  than 
true  faith. 

170.  Necessity  of  Faith. 

(a)  LUTHER  ON  PILATE'S 
STAIRCASE.— For  some  time  after 
the  light  of  truth  began  to  dawn  on  the 
mind  of  Luther,  he  submitted  to  all  the 
vain  practices  which  the  Romish  church 
enjoins  in  order  to  purchase  the  remis- 
sion of  sins.  One  day  during  his  visit 
to  Rome,  wishing  to  obtain  an  indul- 
gence promised  by  the  pope  to  any  one 
who  should  ascend  on  his  knees  what 
is  called  Pilate's  Staircase,  the  poor 
Saxon  monk  was  slowly  climbing  those 
steps,  which  they  told  him  had  been 
miraculously  transported  from  Jerusa- 
lem to  Rome.  But  while  he  was  going 
through  with  his  meritorious  work  he 
thought  he  heard  a  voice  like  thunder 
speaking  from  the  depth  of  his  heart, 
"  the  just  slmll  live  hy  faith.''  He 
started  up  in  terror  on  the  steps  up 
which  he  had  been  crawling ;  he  was 
horrified  at  himself;  and  struck  with 
shame  for  the  degradation  to  which  su- 
perstition had  bebased  him,  he  fled  from 
the  scene  of  his  folly.  This  was  the 
decisive  epoch'  in  the  inward  life  of  Lu- 
ther. 

{h)  THE  FARMER'S  FAITH.— 
A  king  of  Sweden  was  under  great  im- 
pressions of  spiritual  religion  for  some 
time  before  his  death.  A  peasant  being 
321 


170,  171 


FAITH. 


once,  on  a  particular  occasion,  admitted 
to  his  presence,  the  king,  knowing  him 
to  be  a  person  of  singular  piety,  asked 
him,  "  What  he  took  to  be  the  iiue  na- 
ture of  faith  ?"  The  peasant  entered 
deeply  ir^to  the  subject,  and  much  to 
the  king's  comfort  and  satisfaction.  The 
king,  at  last,  lying  on  his  death-bed,  had 
a  return  of  his  doubts  and  fears  as  to 
the  safety  of  his  soul ;  and  still  the  same 
question  was  perpetually  in  his  mouth, 
to  those  about  him,  " "  What  is  real 
faith  ?"  His  attendants  advised  him  to 
send  for  the  Archbishop  of  Upsall :  who, 
coming  to  the  king's  bedside,  began  in 
a  learned,  logical  manner,  to  enter  into 
the  scholastic  definition  of  faith.  The 
prelate's  disquisition  lasted  an  hour. 
When  he  had  done  the  king  said  with 
much  energy,  "  All  this  is  ingenious, 
but  not  comfortable  ;  it  is  not  what  I 
want.  Nothing,  after  all,  but  the  far- 
mer's faith  will  do  for  me." 

(c)  RIDDLE'S  DYING  TESTI- 
MONY.—Mr.  Edward  Riddle,  an  aged 
Christian  in  Hull,  remarked,  a  few  days 
before  his  death,  to  one  present,  "  Some 
may  suppose,  that  a  person  at  my  time 
of  life,  and  after  so  long  making  a  pro- 
fession of  religion,  has  nothing  to  do  but 
to  die  and  go  to  heaven  ;  but  I  find  that 
1  have  as  much  need  to  go  to  God, 
through  Christ,  as  a  sinner,  at  the  last 
hour  as  at  the  beginning.  The  blood 
of  Christ,  the  death  of  Christ,  his  victory 
and  fulness,  are  my  only  ground  of 
faith,  hope,  and  confidence ;  there  is 
the  same  need  of  him  to  be  the  Finisher 
of  my  faith,  as  there  was  to  be  the 
Author  of  it." 

(d)  DODDRIDGE'S  RIGHTEOUS- 
NESS.—" My  confidence  is,"  said  the 
pious  Dr.  Doddridge  shortly  before  his 
death,  "  not  that  I  have  lived  such  or 
such  a  life,  or  served  God  in  this  or  the 
other  manner ;  1  know  of  no  prayer  I 
ever  offered,  no  service  I  ever  perform- 
ed, but  there  has  been  such  a  mix- 
ture of  what  was  wrong  in  it,  that 
instead  of  recommending  me  to  the 
favor  of  God,  I  needed  his  pardon, 
through  Christ,  for  the  same.  Yet  I  am 
full  of  confidence  ;  and  this  is  my  con- 
fidence— there  is  a  hope  set  before  me  : 
I  have  fled,  I  still  fly,  for  refuge  to  that 
hope." 

322 


(e)  MRS.  JUDSON'S  EXPERT- 
ENCE.— '•  It  is  just  a  year  this  day," 
says  Mrs.  Judson,  "  since  I  enter- 
tained hope  in  Christ.  About  this 
time  in  the  evening,  when  reflecting  on 
the  words  of  the  lepers,  '  If  we  enter 
into  the  city,  then  the  famine  is  in  the 
city,  and  we  shall  die  there ;  and  if  we 
sit  still  here,  we  die  also ;'  and  felt 
that  if  I  returned  to  the  world,  I  should 
surely  perish ;  if  I  staid  where  I  then 
was,  I  should  perish ;  and  I  could 
but  perish,  if  I  threw  myself  on  the 
mercy  of  Christ.  Then  came  light,, 
and  relief,  and  comfort,  such  as  I  never 
knew  before." 

(/)  PAYSON'S  HAPPINESS.^ 
"  Christians  might  avoid  much  trouble 
and  inconvenience,"  says  Dr.  Payson, 
"if  they  would  only  believe  what  they 
profess — that  God  is  able  to  make  them 
happy  without  any  thing  else.  They 
imagine,  if  such  a  dear  friend  were  to 
die,  or  such  and  such  blessings  to  be 
removed,  they  should  be  miserable; 
whereas  God  can  make  them  a  thousand 
times  happier  without  them.  To  men- 
tion my  own  case, — God  has  been  de- 
priving me  of  one  blessing  after  another ; 
but  as  every  one  was  removed,  he  has 
come  in,  and  filled  up  its  place  ;  and 
now,  when  I  am  a  cripple,  and  not  able 
to  move,  I  am  happier  than  ever  I  was  in 
my  life  before,  or  ever  expected  to  be  ; 
and  if  I  had  believed  this  twenty  years 
ago,  I  might  have  been  spared  much 
anxiety." 

(g)  I  AM  ON  THE  ROCK.— 
One  day  a  female  friend  called  on  the 
Rev.  William  Evans,  a  pious  minister 
in  England,  and  asked  how  he  felt  him- 
self. "  I  am  weakness  itself,"  he  re- 
plied ;  "  but  I  am  on  the  Rock.  I  do 
not  experience  those  transports  which 
some  have  expressed  in  the  view  of 
death ;  but  my  dependence  is  on  the 
jnercy  of  God  in  Christ.  Here  ray  re- 
ligion began,  and  here  it  must  end," 

171.  Example  of  Faitli. 

(a)  CHALLENGING  THE  PROM, 
ISES. — Mr.  John  Avery,  a  minister, 
having  been  driven  from  his  native 
country  by  the  persecution  of  Arch- 
bishop  Laud,    fled   to   New   England. 


TRIUMPHS  OF  FAITH. 


172 


Upon  his  arrival,  he  settled  for  a  short 
time  at  Newbury ;  but,  receiving  an 
invitation  to  Marblehead,  he  determined 
upon  a  removal  to  that  place.  Having 
embarked  in  a  small  vessel,  together 
with  Mr.  Anthony  Thacker,  another 
worthy  minister,  there  arose  a  tremen- 
dous  storm,  by  which  the  vessel  struck 
against  a  rock,  and  was  dashed  to 
pieces.  The  whole  company,  consist- 
ing of  twenty-three  persons,  got  upon 
the  rock,  but  were  successively  washed 
off  and  drowned,  except  Mr.  Thacker 
and  his  wife.  Mr.  Thacker  and  Mr. 
Avery  held  each  other  by  the  hand  a 
long  time,  resolving  to  die  together,  till, 
by  a  tremendous  wave,  the  latter  was 
washed  away,  and  drowned.  The  mo- 
ment before  this  happened,  he  lifted  up 
his  eyes  to  heaven,  saying,  "  We  know 
not  what  the  pleasure  of  God  may  be. 
I  fear  we  have  been  too  unmindful  of 
former  deliverances.  Lord,  I  cannot 
challenge  a  promise  of  the  preservation 
of  my  life ;  but  thou  hast  promised  to 
deliver  us  from  sin  and  condemnation, 
and  to  bring  us  safe  to  heaven,  through 
the  all-sufficient  satisfaction  of  Jesus 
Christ.  This,  therefore,  I  do  challenge 
of  thee."  He  had  no  sooner  uttered 
these  words,  than  he  was  swept  into  the 
mighty  deep,  and  no  more  seen.  Mr. 
Thacker  and  his  wife  were  also  washed 
off  the  rock  ;  but,  after  being  tossed  in 
the  waves  for  some  time,  the  former 
was  cast  on  shore,  where  he  found  his 
wife  a  sharer  in  the  deliverance. 

172.  Triumphs  of  Faith. 

[a]  CASE  OF  REV.  DR.  AIL- 
MER. — This  excellent  man  was  rector 
of  Much  Hadham,  Herts.,  and  died  in 
1025,  heroically  closing  his  own  eye- 
lids, and  with  these  words  on  his  lips  ; 
"  Let  my  people  know  that  their  pastor 
died  undaunted,  and  not  afraid  of  death !  I 
bless  my  God,  I  have  no  fear,  no  doubt,  no 
reluctance,  but  a  sure  confidence  in  the 
sin-overcoming  merits  of  Jesus  Christ." 

(h)  CASE  OF  BISHOP  BUTLER. 
— When  this  eminent  prelate  lay  on  his 
dying  bed,  he  called  for  his  chaplain, 
and  said,  "  Though  I  have  endeavored 
to  avoid  sin  and  please  God  to  the  ut- 
most of  my  power,  yet,  from  the  con- 


sciousness of  perpetual  infirmities,  I  am 
still  afraid  to  die." 

"  My  lord,"  said  the  chaplain,  "  you 
have  forgotten  that  Jesus  Christ  is  a 
Savior." 

"True,"  was  the  answer,^  "but 
how  shall  I  know  that  he  is  a  Savior  for 
me  ?" 

"  My  lord,  it  is  written,  '  Him  that 
Cometh  to  me  I  will  in  no  wise  cast 
out.'  " 

"  True,"  said  the  bishop,  "  and  I  am 
surprised  that,  though  I  have  read  that 
Scripture  a  thousand  times  over,  I  never 
felt  its  virtue  till  this  moment ;  and  now 
I  die  happy  !" 

(c)  A  ROCK  TO  REST  ON.— 
The  Rev.  John  Rees,  of  Crown-Street, 
Soho,  London,  was  visited  on  his  death- 
bed by  the  Rev.  John  Leifchild,  who 
very  seriously  asked  him  to  describe 
the  state  of  his  mind.  This  appeal  to 
the  honor  of  his  religion  roused  him ;  it 
freshened  his  dying  lamp,  and  raising 
himself  up  in  his  bed  he  looked  his 
friend  in  the  face,  and  with  great  de- 
liberation, energy,  and  dignity,  uttered 
the  following  words  : — "  Christ  in  his 
person,  Christ  in  the  love  of  his  heart, 
and  Christ  in  the  power  of  his  arm  is  the 
Rock  on  which  I  rest ;  and  now  (re- 
clining his  head  gently  on  the  pillow) 
death,  strike !" 

(d)  VENTURING  ON  CHRIST. 
— The  Rev.  Dr.  Simpson  was  for  many 
years  tutor  in  the  college  at  Hoxton, 
and  while  he  stood  very  low  in  his  own 
esteem,  he  ranked  high  in  that  of  others. 
After  a  long  life  spent  in  the  service  of 
Christ,  he  approached  his  latter  end  with 
holy  joy*  Among  other  expressions 
which  indicated  his  love  to  the  Re- 
deemer, and  his  interest  in  the  favor  of 
God,  he  spoke  with  disapprobation  of  a 
phrase  often  used  by  some  pious  people, 
"Venturing  on  Christ."  "When," 
said  he,  "I  consider  the  infinite  dignity 
and  all-sufficiency  of  Christ,  I  am 
ashamed  to  talk  of  venturing  on  him. 
Oh,  had  I  ten  thousand  souls,  I  would, 
at  this  moment,  cast  them  all  into  his 
hands  with  the  utmost  confidence."  A 
few  hours  before  his  dissolution,  he  ad- 
dressed himself  to  the  last  enemy,  in  a 
strain  like  that  of  the  apostle,  when  he 
exclaimed,    "  O   death,  where   is  thy 

323 


172 


FAITH. 


sting  ?"  Displaying  his  characteristic 
fervor,  as  though  he  saw  the  tyrant  ap- 
proaching, he  said,  "  What  art  thou  ? 
I  am  not  afraid  of  thee.  Thou  art  a 
vanquished  enemy  through  the  blood  of 
the  crqps." 

(e)  ACKNOWLEDGMENT  OF 
STAUPICIUS.— Luther  relates  con- 
cerning  one  Staupicius,  a  German  di- 
vine, that  he  acknowledged  that  before 
he  came  to  understand  the  free  and 
powerful  grace  of  Christ,  he  resolved, 
and  vowed  a  hundred  times  against  a 
particular  sin ;  yet  could  never  get 
power  over  it,  nor  his  heart  purified 
from  it,  till  he  came  to  see  that  he  trust- 
ed too  much  to  his  own  resolutions,  and 
too  little  to  Jesus  Christ ;  but  when  his 
faith  had  engaged  against  his  sin,  he  ob- 
tained the  victory. 

(/)  I  HAVE  SO  LEARNED 
CHRIST.— Of  Mr.  Stephen  Marshall, 
an  eminent  divine  of  the  17th  century, 
Mr.  Giles  Firman,  who  knew  him  in 
life,  and  attended  him  in  death,  says, 
"  That  he  left  behind  him  few  preachers 
like  himself;  that  he  was  a  Christian  in 
practice  as  well  as  profession ;  that  he 
lived  by  faith,  and  died  by  faith,  and 
was  an  example  to  the  believers,  in 
word,  in  conversation,  in  charity,  in 
faith,  and  in  purity.  And  when  he, 
together  with  some  others,  conversed 
with  him  about  his  death,  he  replied,  *  I 
cannot  say  as  one  did,  I  have  not  so 
lived  that  I  should  now  be  afraid  to  die  ; 
but  this  I  can  say,  I  have  so  learned 
Christ,  that  I  am  not  afraid  to  die.'  " 

{g)  COWPER'S  VIEW  OF 
DEATH. — "  1  have  not  time  to  add 
more,"  says  Cowper  the  poet,  in  a  let- 
ter, "  except  just  to  add,  that  if  I  am 
ever  enabled  to  look  forward  to  death 
with  comfort,  which  I  thank  God  is 
sometimes  the  case  with  me,  I  do  not 
take  my  view  of  it  from  the  top  of  my 
own  works  and  deservings,  though  God 
is  witness  that  the  labor  of  my  life  is  to 
keep  a  conscience  void  of  offence  to- 
ward him.  Death  is  always  formidable 
to  me  except  when  see  him  disarm- 
ed of  his  sting  by  having  sheathed  it 
in  the  body  of  Jesus  Christ." 

{h)    WATTS  AND    THE    PRO- 
MISES.— The  faith  of  Dr.  Watts  in  the 
promises   of  God  was   lively  and    un- 
324 


shaken.  "I  believe  them  enough," 
said  he,  "  to  venture  an  eternity  on 
them."  To  a  religious  friend,  at  ano- 
ther time  he  thus  expressed  himself:  "  I 
remember  an  aged  minister  used  to  say, 
that  the  most  learned  and  knowing 
Christians,  when  they  come  to  die,  have 
only  the  same  plain  promises  for  their 
support,  as  the  common  and  unlearned  ; 
and  so,"  continued  he,  "  I  find  it.  It 
is  the  plain  promises  of  the  gospel  that 
are  my  support :  and  I  bless  God,  they 
are  plain  promises,  which  do  not  re- 
quire much  labor  and  pains  to  under- 
stand them  ;  for  I  can  do  nothing  now 
but  look  into  my  Bible  for  some  pro- 
mise to  support  me,  and  live  upon  that." 
{i)  DEATH  OF  JOHN  HUSS.— 
When  John  Huss,  the  Bohemian  martyr, 
was  brought  out  to  be  burnt,  they  put 
on  his  head  a  triple  crown  of  paper, 
with  painted  devils  on  it.  On  seeing 
it,  he  said,  "  My  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  for 
my  sake,  wore  a  crown  of  thorns  ;  why 
should  not  I  then,  for  his  sake,  wear 
this  light  crown,  be  it  ever  so  ignomi- 
nious ?  Truly  I  will  do  it,  and  that 
willingly."  When  it  was  set  upon  his 
head,  the  bishops  said,  "  Now,  we  com- 
mend thy  soul  to  the  devil."  "  But  I," 
said  Huss,  lifting  up  his  eys  to  heaven, 
"  do  commit  my  spirit  into  thy  hands, 

0  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  to  thee  I  com- 
mend my  spirit,  which  thou  hast  redeem- 
ed." When  the  fagots  were  piled  up 
to  his  very  neck,  the  Duke  of  Bavaria 
was  officious  enough  to  desire  him  to 
abjure.  "  No,"  said  Huss,  "  I  never 
preached  any  doctrine  of  an  evil  ten- 
dency ;  and  what  I  taught  with  my  lips 

1  now  seal  with  my  blood." 

(j)  A  NOBLE  REPLY.— In  the 
reign  of  Charles  II,  Margaret  Wilson, 
a  girl  of  eighteen,  along  with  an  aged 
widow  of  sixty-three,  was  adjudged  to 
die,  because  she  refused  to  acknowledge 
the  supremacy  of  any  other  than  Christ 
in  the  church.  The  sentence  pronounc- 
ed against  them  was,  that  they  should 
be  fastened  to  stakes  driven  deep  into 
liie  oozy  sand  that  covers  the  beach, 
and  left  to  perish  in  the  rising  tide. 
The  stake  to  which  the  aged  female  was 
fastened  was  further  down  the  beach 
than  that  of  the  young  woman,  in  order 
that,  being  soonest  destroyed,  her  ex- 


FIRMNESS,  CHRISTIAN. 


173 


piring  sufferings  might  shake  the  firm- 
ness of  faith  of  Margaret  Wilson.  The 
tide  began  to  flow — the  waters  swelled  ; 
they  mounted  from  the  knee  to  the 
waist,  and  from  the  waist  to  the  chin, 
and  from  the  chin  to  the  lip  of  the 
venerable  matron,  and  when  she  was 
almost  stifled  by  the  rising  tide,  when 
the  bubbling  groan  of  her  last  agony 
was  reaching  her  fellow-sufferer  further 


up  the  beach,  one  heartless  ruffian 
put  to  Margaret  Wilson  the  question, 
"  What  think  you  of  your  friend  now  ?" 
And  what  was  the  calm  and  noble  re- 
ply ?  "  What  do  I  see  but  Clyist  in 
one  of  his  members  wrestling  there  ? 
Think  you  that  we  are  the  sufferers  ? 
No,  it  is  Christ  in  us — He  who  sendeth 
us  not  a  warfare  upon  our  own  charges." 


173.  FIRMNESS,  CHRISTIAN. 


{a)  DEATH  PREFERRED  TO  LY- 
ING.— Jerome  writes  of  a  brave  woman, 
who  being  upon  the  rack,  bade  her  per- 
secutors do  their  worst,  for  she  was  re- 
solved to  die  rather  than  lie. 

(b)  FIRMNESS  OF  ARETHUSUS. 
— In  the  reign  of  Constantine,  there 
was  one  Marcus  Arethusus,  an  eminent 
servant  of  God,  who  had  been  the  cause 
of  overthrowing  an  idol  temple  ;  but 
Julian  coming  to  be  Emperor,  com- 
manded the  people  of  that  place  to  build 
it  up  again.  All  were  ready  to  do  so, 
only  he  refused  it ;  whereupon  his  own 
people,  to  whom  he  had  preached,  fell 
upon  him,  stript  off  his  clothes,  then 
abused  his  naked  body,  and  gave  it  up 
to  children  and  school-boys  to  be  lanced 
with  their  penknives  ;  but  when  all  this 
would  not  do,  they  caused  him  to  be  set 
in  the  sun,  his  naked  body  anointed  all 
over  with  honey,  so  that  he  might  be 
bitten  and  stung  to  death  by  flies  and 
wasps.  All  this  cruelty  they  exercised 
upon  him  because  he  would  not  do  any 
thing  towards  rebuilding  that  idol  tem- 
ple. Nay,  they  came  so  far,  that  if  he 
would  give  but  one  half-penny  towards 
the  charge  they  would  release  him.  But 
with  a  noble  Christian  disdain,  he  refused 
l!ie  offer,  though  the  advancing  of  one 
I'alf-penny  might  have  saved  his  life.  In 
so  doing  he  only  lived  up  to  that  prin- 
ciple so  much  commended  and  so  little 
practised  ;  that  Christians  should  en- 
dure the  greatest  sufferings,  rather  than 
commit  the  least  sins. 

(c)  PRINCE  OF  CONDfi  AND 
CHARLES  IX.— The  prince  of  Conde 
being  taken  prisoner  by  Charles  IX, 
king  of  France,   and  put  to  his  choice 


whether  he  would  go  to  mass  or  be  put 
to  death,  or  suffer  perpetual  imprison- 
ment, his_  noble  answer  was,  that,  by 
God's  help  he  would  never  do  t'-e  nrst, 
and  for  either  of  the  latter  he  left  it  to 
the  king's  pleasure  and  God's  provi- 
dence. 

(d)  KAPIOLANI'S  CONTEMPT 
OF  THE  GODDESS.— Owyhee  is  an 
island  very  remarkable  for  its  volcanoes. 
One  of  these,  named  Peli,  was  long  the 
object  of  religious  worship  by  the  na- 
tives, who  believed  it  to  be  the  residence 
of  their  gods.  This  worship  has  ceased. 
It  has  been  abolished  by  the  Christian 
courage  of  a  female  of  rank,  named 
Kapiolani.  She  proceeded  fearlessly  to 
Peli,  accompanied  by  many  friends  and 
dependents.  At  the  first  precipice  a 
number  of  them  became  alarmed  and 
turned  back.  At  the  second,  the  rest 
earnestly  entreated  her  to  desist  from 
her  dangerous  enterprise,  and  to  tempt 
no  further  the  powerful  gods  of  the 
fires.  But  she  proceeded,  saying,  "  I 
will  descend  into  the  crater,  and  if  I  do 
not  return  safe,  then  continue  to  worship 
Peli ;  but  if  I  come  back  unhurt,  you 
must  learn  to  adore  the  God  that  created 
Peli."  With  unhesitating  step  she 
reached  the  gloomy  abyss,  stirred  the 
fiery  lake,  and  completed  an  achieve- 
ment seldom  equalled  in  the  annals  of 
magnanimity.  When  she  pushed  the 
stick  into  the  glowing  lava,  the  idolatrous 
natives  expected  to  see  her  instantly  fall 
a  sacrifice  to  their  insulted  goddess.  Her 
safety  effectually  convinced  them  of 
their  folly. 

(e)    FIRMNESS    OF    VARIOUS 
MARTYRS.— Cyprian,   when   on   his 
325 


173 


FIRMNESS,  CHRISTIAN. 


road  to  suffer  martyrdom,  was  told  by 
the  emperor,  that  he  would  give  him 
time  to  consider  whether  he  had  not 
better  cast  a  grain  of  incense  into  the 
fire,  in  honor  of  idols,  than  die  so  de- 
graded a  death.  The  martyr  nobly 
answered,  "  There  needs  no  deliberation 
in  the  case;" 

John  Huss  was  offered  a  pardon  when 
at  the  stake,  about  to  suffer  for  his  at- 
tachment to  Christ,  if  he  would  recant ; 
his  reply  was,  "  I  am  here  ready  to  suf- 
fer death." 

Anne  Askew,  when  asked  under  simi- 
lar circumstances  to  avoid  the  flames, 
answered,  "  I  came  not  here  to  deny  my 
God  and  Master." 

Mr.  Thomas  Hawkes,  an  Essex  gen- 
tleman, said,  on  a  like  occasion,  "  If  I 
had  a  hundred  bodies,  I  would  suffer 
them  all  to  be  torn  in  pieces,  rather  than 
recant." 

When  the  cruel  Bonner  told  John 
Ardly  of  the  pain  connected  with  burn- 
ing, and  how  hard  it  must  be  to  endure 
it,  with  a  view  of  leading  the  martyr  to 
recant,  he  replied,  "  If  I  had  as  many 
lives  as  I  have  hairs  on  my  head,  1 
would  lose  them  all  in  the  fire,  before  I 
would  lose  Christ." 

Galeazius,  a  gentleman  of  great 
wealth,  who  suffered  martyrdom  at  St. 
Angelo,  in  Italy,  being  much  entreated 
by  his  friends  to  recant,  replied,  "  Death 
is  much  sweeter  to  me  with  the  testimo- 
ny of  truth,  than  life  with  its  least  de- 
nial." 

(/)  THE  POTTER  AND  HENRY 
III. — Bernard  de  Palissy,  a  native  of 
Agen,  in  France,  was  a  maker  of  earthen- 
ware, at  Saintes,  and  distinguished  him- 
self by  his  knowledge  and  talents.  He 
was  a  Calvinist,  and  the  French  king, 
Henry  III,  said  to  him  one  day,  that  he 
should  be  compelled  to  give  him  up  to 
his  enemies,  unless  he  changed  his  re- 
ligion. "You  have  often  said  to  me, 
sire,"  was  the  undaunted  reply  of  De 
Palissy,  "  that  you  pitied  me  ;  but  as  for 
me,  I  pity  you,  who  have  given  utterance 
to  such  words  as, '  I  shall  be  compelled.' 
These  are  unkingly  words ;  and  I  say 
to  you  in  royal  phrase,  that  neither  the 
Guises,  nor  all  your  people,  nor  your- 
self, are  able  to  compel  an  humble 
manufacturer  of  earthenware  to  bend 
326 


his  knee  before  statues."  Bernard 
was  a  man  of  humor,  as  well  as  of  cour- 
age ;  and  he  would  sometimes  say,  al- 
luding to  his  trade,  and  his  trust  in 
Providence,  "  My  only  property  is 
heaven  and  earth." 

(g)  THE  PRAYING  NEGRO.— 
Mr.  Knibb  relates  the  following  cir- 
cumstances relative  to  David,  a  deacon 
of  his  church: — A  few  years  ago, ..one 
of  the  slave  members  belonging  to  the 
Baptist  church,  at  Montego  Bay,  was 
banished  from  his  home,  and  sent  to  the 
estate  where  David  lived,  to  be  cured  of 
his  praying.  By  the  pious  conversation 
of  this  exiled  Christian  negro,  David 
was  brought  under  serious  concern  for 
his  soul,  which  ended  in  his  conversion 
to  God.  David  spoke  to  his  fellow 
slaves  about  Jesus,  and  his  love  in 
dying  for  poor  sinners.  God,  who  de- 
spises not  the  humblest  instruments, 
blessed  the  efforts  of  this  poor  negro, 
and,  in  a  short  time,  about  thirty  on  the 
estate  began  to  pray,  and  at  length 
built  a  small  hut,  in  which,  after  the 
labors  of  the  day,  they  might  assem- 
ble and  worship  God.  Tidings  of  these 
things  reached  the  ears  of  the  white 
persons  employed  on  the  estate,  and 
David  was  summoned  before  his  attor- 
ney, and  asked  whether  he  was  teach- 
ing the  slaves  to  pray.  On  replying  in 
the  affirmative,  the  hut  was  demolished 
and  burnt,  and  David  was  stretched 
upon  the  earth,  and  flogged  with  the 
cart-whip  till  his  flesh  was  covered  with 
blood.  Next  Lord's  day  I  missed  my 
faithful  deacon  at  the  house  of  God. 
His  afflicted  wife  came,  and  told  me  the 
sad  tale  of  his  sufferings,  and  informed 
me  that  his  hands  were  bound,  and  his 
feet  made  fast  in  the  stocks.  Often  did 
I  inquire  after  him,  and  for  him,  and  the 
same  answered  was  returned,  "  Massa, 
him  in  the  stocks :"  till  one  morning, 
as  I  sat  in  my  piazza,  he  appeared  be- 
fore the  window.  There  he  stood — I 
have  his  image  now  before  me — he  was 
handcuffed,  barefoot,  unable  to  wear 
his  clothes  from  his  yet  unhealed  back  ; 
his  wife  had  fastened  some  of  her  gar- 
ments round  his  lacerated  body.  I 
called  him  in,  and  said, 

"  David,  David,  what  have  you 
done  ?" 


FIRMNESS,  CHRISTIAN. 


173 


With  a  look  of  resignation  I  shall 
neve^  forget,  he  replied, 

"  Don't  ask  me  ;  ask  him  that  bring 
me,  massa." 

Turning  to  the  negro  who  had  him 
in  charge,  I  said, 

"  Well,  what  has  this  poor  man 
done  ?" 

"  Him  pray,  massa,"  was  the  reply  ; 
"and  buckra  send  him  to  the  work- 
house for  punishment." 

I  gave  him  some  refreshment,  (for  in 
the  state  I  have  described  he  had  walk- 
ed thirteen  miles  under  a  burning  sun,) 
and  followed  him  to  the  work-house. 
He  was  chained  to  a  fellow-slave  by  the 
neck,  and  sent  to  work  on  the  public 
roads.  The  next  day  I  went  to  visit 
him  again,  when  I  was  informed  by  the 
supervisor  of  the  work-house,  that  he 
had  received  orders  to  have  him  flogged 
again,  as  soon  as  his  back  was  well 
enough  to  bear  it.  In  these  chains 
David  remained  for  months  ;  frequently 
1  saw  him,  but  never  did  I  hear  one 
murmur  or  one  complaint  except  when 
he  heard  that  the  partner  of  his  joys  and 
sorrows  was  ill  on  the  estate,  and  he 
was  forbidden  to  go  and  see  her. 

At  the  end  of  three  months  he  was 
liberated,  and,  returning  to  the  estate, 
was  asked, 

"Now,  sir,  will  you  pray  again?" 
"Massa,"  said  the  persecuted  disciple, 
"  you  know  me  is  a  good  slave  ;  but,  if 
trouble  come  for  dis,  me  must  pray,  and 
me  must  teach  me  broder  to  pray  too." 
Again  he  was  immured  in  a  dungeon 
and  his  feet  made  fast  in  the  stocks. 

(h)  NOT  FOR  HIS  KINGDOM.— 
The  circumstances  of  the  appointment 
of  Dr.  Ken  as  Bishop  of  Bath  and 
Wells,  were  remarkable.  King  Charles 
the  Second  was  engaged  in  erecting 
a  palace  at  Winchester,  and  went  down 
with  his  usual  attendants  to  that  city. 
One  of  the  harbingers  employed  to  ar- 
range lodginc;^s  for  the  party,  marked 
out  the  doctor's  house,  which  he  had  in 
right  of  his  prebend,  for  the  temporary 
residence  of  Mrs.  Eleanor  Gwynne. 
The  doctor,  however,  absolutely  refused 
her  admittance,  declaring  that  "  a 
woman  of  ill  repute  was  not  to  be  en- 
dured for  a  moment  in  the  house  of  a 
clergyman  ;"  and  Mrs.  G.  was,  in  con- 


sequence, compelled  to  seek  an  abode 
elsewhere,  to  her  own  great  inconven- ' 
ience,  and  the  indignation  of  those  who 
urged  the  doctor  to  a  compliance  in  the 
king's  name  ;  who,  however,  could  ob- 
tain' no  other  reply  than  the  short  sen- 
tence, "Not  for  his  kingdom."  No 
sooner,  however,  was  application  made 
to  King  Charles  on  behalf  of  another, 
for  the  bishopric  of  Bath  and  Wells, 
which  became  vacant  immediately  after, 
than  the  king  promptly  replied,  "  Who 
shall  have  Bath  and  Wells,  but  the  little 
fellow  who  would  not  give  poor  Nelly  a 
lodging  ■?"  Dr.  Ken  was,  in  conse- 
quence, appointed  to  the  vacant  see  in 
the  commencement  of  1684. 

(i)  CALVIN  AND  ECKIUS.— 
Eckius  being  sent  by  the  Pope,  legate 
into  France,  upon  his  return  took  Ge- 
neva in  his  way,  on  purpose  to  see  Cal- 
vin ;  and  if  occasion  presented,  to 
attempt  reducing  him  to  the  Romish 
church.  Eckius  went  privately  to  Cal- 
vin's house  and  introduced  himself  as  a 
stranger  who  had  heard  much  of  his 
fame,  and  was  come  to  wait  upon  him. 
Calvin  invited  him  to  come  in,  and  he 
entered  the  house  with  him ;  where, 
discoursing  of  many  things  concerning 
religion,  Eckius  perceived  Calvin  to  be 
an  ingenuous  and  learned  man,  and 
desired  to  know  if  he  had  not  a  garden 
to  walk  in.  To  which  Calvin  replying 
he  had,  they  both  went  into  it;  and 
there  Eckius  began  to  inquire  of  him, 
why  he  left  the  Roman  church,  and 
offered  some  arguments  to  persuade 
him  to  return ;  but  Calvin  could  by  no 
means  be  inclined  to  think  of  it.  At 
last  Eckius  told  him  that  he  would  put 
his  life  in  his  hands ;  and  then  said,  he 
was  Eckius  the  Pope's  legate.  At  this 
discovery  Calvin  was  not  a  little  sur- 
prised, and  begged  his  pardon  that  he  had 
not  treated  him  with  that  respect  which 
was  due  to  his  quality.  Eckius  re- 
turned the  compliment,  and  told  him  if 
he  would  come  back  to  the  Roman 
church,  he  would  certainly  procure  for 
him  a  Cardinal's  cap.  But  Calvin  was 
not  to  be  moved  by  such  an  offer. 
Eckius  then  asked  him  what  revenue  he 
had.  He  told  the  Cardinal  he  had  that 
house  and  garden,  and  fifty  livres  per 
annum,  besides  an  annual  present  of 
327 


1T4,  1Y5 


FLATTERY— FORBEARANCE. 


some  wine  and  corn ;  on  which  he  lived 
very  contentedly.  Eckius  told  him, 
that  a  man  of  his  parts  deserved  a 
greater  revenue  ;  and  then  renewed  his 
invitation  to  come  over  to  the  Romish 
church,  promising  him  a  better  stipend 
if  he  would.  But  Calvin,  giving  him 
thanks,  assured  him  ne  was  wed  satis- 
fied with  his  condition. 

Eckius  accepted  Calvin's  invitation  to 
(line  with  him  ;  and  after  dinner,  at  the 
request  of  Eckius,  they  visited  the 
church  which  anciently  was  the  cathe- 
dral.   On  their  way  Eckius  pressed  upon 


Calvin  the  present  of  a  hundred  pistoles 
to  buy  him  books  and  to  express  fiis  re- 
spect for  him.  But  as  they  were  coming 
out  of  the  church,  Calvin  stopped  him  a 
little,  and  having  explained  to  the  per- 
sons who  accompanied  them  how  he  had 
been  presented  oy  tne  stranger  with  a 
purse  of  gold,  he  said  he  would  give 
it  to  the  poor,  and  so  deposited  it  in  the 
poor-box  that  was  kept  there  !  Eckius 
was  now  convinced  that  all  efforts  to 
secure  the  apostacy  of  Calvin  would  be 
in  vain,  and  made  no  further  attempt. 


174.  FLATTERY. 


(a)  BEAUTY  AND   VANITY.— 

"  I  once  knew,"  says  Mr.  Abbott, 
''  a  little  boy  of  unusually  bright  and 
animated  countenance.  Every  one  who 
entered  the  house  noticed  the  child,  and 
spoke  of  his  beauty.  One  day  a  gen- 
tleman called  upon  business,  and  being 
engaged  in  conversation,  did  not  pay 
that  attention  to  the  child  to  which  he 
was  accustomed,  and  which  he  now 
began  to  expect  as  his  due.  The  vain 
little  fellow  made  many  efforts  to  at- 
tract notice,  but  not  succeeding,  he 
at  last  placed  himself  full  in  front  of 
the  gentleman,  and  asked,  '  Why  don't 
you  see  how  beautiful  I  be  '' 


{b)  THE  MONARCH'S  PROHIBI- 
TION.— One  of  the  first  acts  performed 
by  George  III  after  his  accession  to 
the  throne,  was  to  issue  an  order,  pro- 
hibiting any  of  the  clergy  who  shouM 
be  called  to  preach  before  him,  from 
paying  him  any  compliment  in  their 
discourses.  His  majesty  was  led  to 
this  from  the  fulsome  adulation  which 
Dr.  Thomas  Wilson,  Prebendary  of 
Westminster,  thought  proper  to  deliver 
in  the  chapel  royal ;  and  for  which,  in- 
stead of  thanks,  he  received  from  his 
royal  auditor  a  pointed  reprimand,  his 
majesty  observing,  "  that  he  came  to 
chapel  to  hear  the  praises  of  God,  and 
not  his  own." 


175    FORBEARANCE. 


(a)   DR.  WALL'S  INJURERS.— 

Dr.   Wall,  sometime  Bishop    of  Nor- 
wich, who  was  as  humble  and  courteous 
as  he  was  learned  and  devout,  used  to  ! 
say,  "  I  would  suffer  a  thousand  wrongs  i 
rather  than  do  one ;  I  would  suffer  a  | 
hundred  rather  than  return  one  ;    and  ! 
endure  many  rather  than  complain  of  j 
one,  or  obtain  my  right  by  contending  : 
for  I  have   always  observed,  that  con- 
tending with  one's  superiors  is  foolish  ; 
with  one's  equals,  is  dubious  ;  and  with 
one's    inferiors,    is    mean-spirited  and 
sordid.       Suits  at  law  may  be    some- 
times  necessary,  but  he  had  need  be 
328 


more  than  a  man  who  can  manage  them 
with  justice  and  innocence." 

{bj  MAKING  A  DIFFERENCE.— 
Rev.  Legh  Richmond  was  once  con- 
versing with  a  brother  clergyman  on 
the  case  of  a  poor  man  who  had  acted 
inconsistently  with  his  religious  pro- 
fession. After  some  angry  and  severe 
remarks  on  the  conduct  of  such  per- 
sons, the  gentleman  with  whom  he  was 
discussing  the  case  concluded  by  say- 
ing, "  I  have  no  notion  of  such  pre- 
sences ;  I  will  have  nothing  to  do  with 
him."  "  Nay,  brother,  let  us  be  hum- 
ble and  moderate.     Remember  who  ha» 


FORBEARANCE. 


1T5 


said,  '  making  a  dilFerence  :'  with  oppor- 
tunity on  the  one  hand,  and  Satan  at  the 
other,  and  the  grace  of  God  at  neither, 
where  should  you  and  I  be  ?" 

(c)  ELIOT  AND  HIS  BRETHREN. 
— The  attachment  of  the  Rev.  John 
Eliot,  usually  called  "  the  apostle  to  the 
Indians,"  to  peace  and  union  among 
Christians  was  exceedingly  great. 
When  he  heard  ministers  complain  that 
some  in  their  congregation^  were  too 
difficult  for  them,  the  substance  of  his 
advice  would  be,  "  Brother,  compass 
them  !"  ''  Brother,  learn  the  meaning  of 
those  three  little  words — bear,  forbear, 
forgive."  His  love  of  peace,  indeed, 
almost  led  him  to  sacrifice  right  itself. 

(d)  SOUTH  SEA  ISLANDERS. 
—On  February  2,  1817,  Mr.  Ellis,  a 
Christian  missionary,  and  his  compan- 
ions, on  their  voyage  to  Tahiti,  touched 
at  the  island  of  Tubooi,  to  obtain  pro- 
visions. Two  Europeans,  who  were  on 
the  island,  informed  them  that  a  canoe, 
bound  for  Anaa,  one  of  the  Paumotu 
islands,  had  recently  touched  at  Tubooi, 
being  driven  out  of  its  course  by  the 
northerly  winds.  The  people  on  board 
the  canoe,  forty  in  number,  had  been  to 
Tahiti,  to  receive  instruction  in  Chris- 
tianity, and  were  returning  to  their  own 
country.  They  were  intelligent,  peace- 
able, and  strict  in  their  observance  of 
the  Sabbath.  They  exerted  their  in- 
fluence to  persuade  the  natives  of  Tu- 
booi to  cast  away  their  idols,  telling  them 
of  the  one  true  God,  and  the  Lord  Jesus. 
The  natives,  however,  treated  them  as 
enemies,  destroyed  their  canoe,  and  for- 
cibly took  from  them  a  musket.  The 
Christians,  on  being  asked  why  they  did 
not  resent  these  injuries,  replied,  that 
had  they  been  heathens,  they  would  im- 
mediately have  fought :  but  having  be- 
come Christians,  they  had  embraced  a 
religion  opposed  to  war,  and  they  were 
afraid  of  incurring  the  displeasure  of 
Jehovah  by  unnecessarily  engaging  in 
it.  Happy  would  it  be  were  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  more  civilized  parts  of  the 
world,  who  profess  the  Christian  religion, 
to  imitate  the  conduct  of  the  South  Sea 
Islanders. 

(e)  EXAMPLE  OF  KILPIN.— Mr. 
Kilpin,  of  Bedford,  father  of  the  Rev. 
S.  Kilpin,  of  Exeter,  was  distinguished 


for  many  Christian  excellences.  The 
following  anecdote  is  related  in  the 
life  of  his  son,  in  reference  to  his 
Christian  forbearance. 

Passing  up  the  street  one  evening,  a 
drunken  man  knocked  Mr.  Kilpin  down, 
and  rolled  him  into  the  gutter,  exclaim- 
ing, "  That's  the  place  for  you,  John 
Bunyan  !"  The  good  man  arose  calmly, 
and  returning  to  his  family,  related  the 
circumstance  ;  adding,  that  the  honor 
of  bearing  such  a  name  had  outweighed 
the  insult. 

'  (/)  CLAUDE  AND  THE  PRI- 
SONER. — In  the  early  part  of  the  last 
century,  when  a  violent  spirit  of  oppo- 
sition to  true  piety  raged  in  France,  M. 
de  St.  Claude,  a  man  of  eminent  piety, 
was  imprisoned  in  the  Bastile.  At  the 
same  time  there  was  a  man  confined, 
of  so  ferocious  and  brutal  a  disposition, 
that  no  one  dared  to  approach  him. 
He  seldom  spoke  without  a  volley  of 
oaths  and  blasphemies,  and  struck  every 
one  who  approached  him  with  the  ut- 
most violence.  Every  expedient  to 
humanize  this  monster  had  proved  in 
vain,  when  the  governor  entreated 
Claude  to  undertake  the  work.  His 
humility  would  have  induced  him  to  de- 
cline it,  but  persuasion  prevailed. 

Accordingly,  the  humble  Christian 
was  shut  up  with  this  human  brute, 
who  exhausted  his  ferocity  in  revilings, 
blows,  and  yet  more  savage  tokens  of 
the  barbarity  of  his  disposition.  Whilst 
this  treatment  continued,  silence,  pa- 
tience, and  mildness,  were  the  only  re- 
ply of  the  man  of  God.  His  prayers 
achieved  the  rest.  The  monster,  at 
length,  looked  on  the  face  of  his  com- 
panion ;  suddenly  threw  himself  at  his 
feet,  and  embracing  them,  burst  into  a 
flood  of  tears;  entreating  his  forgive- 
ness, and  besought  him  to  give  him  in- 
struction in  the  religion  which  thus  in- 
fluenced his  conduct.  He  became  en- 
tirely changed  ;  pious,  meek,  and  cheer- 
ful ;  and,  even  when  his  liberty  was 
given  him,  he  could  scarcely  be  pre- 
vailed on  to  leave  his  Christian  friend. 

(g)  THE  CONVERTED  PRIZE- 
FIGHTER.—The  Rev.  Mr.  Symes,  a 
Christian  missionary  in  India,  baptized 
a  soldier  who  had  been  a  noted  prize- 
fighter, eminent  in  the  ring  in  England, 
329 


175 


FORBEARANCE. 


a  powerful,  lion-looking,  lion-hearted 
man.  With  one  blow  he  could  level  a 
strong  man  to  the  ground.  He  was  the 
terror  of  many  in  the  regiment.  That 
man,  to  use  his  own  phrase,  "  saunter- 
ed into  Mr.  Symes's  chapel,"  and 
heard  the  gospel,  and  was  alarmed. 
He  returned  again  and  again,  and  at 
last  light  broke  in  upon  his  mind,  and 
he  became  a  new  creature.  The 
change  in  such  a  character  was,  of 
course,  marked  and  decisive :  the  lion 
was  changed  into  a  lamb.  Two  months 
after  that,  in  the  mess-room,  some  of 
those  who  stood  in  awe  of  him  before, 
began  to  ridicule  him.  One  of  them 
said,  "  I'll  put  it  to  the  test  whether  he 
is  a  Christian  or  not;"  and  taking  a 
basin  of  hot  soup,  he  threw  it  into  his 
breast.  The  whole  company  gazed,  in 
breathless  silence,  expecting  that  the 
lion  would  have  started  up,  and  mur- 
dered him  on  the  spot;  but,  after  he 
had  torn  open  his  waistcoat,  and  wiped 
his  scalded  breast,  he  calmly  turned 
round,  and  said,  "  This  is  what  I  must 
expect :  if  I  become  a  Christian,  I  must 
suffer  persecution."  His  comrades 
were  filled  with  astonishment. 

(h)  BISHOP  COWPER  AND 
HIS  WIFE.— Bishop  Cowper's  wife,  it 
is  said,  was  much  afraid  that  her  hus- 
band would  prejudice  his  health  by  an 
excess  of  study.  When  he  was  com- 
piling his  celebrated  dictionary,  she  got 
into  his  study,  during  his  absence,  and 
collected  all  the  notes  he  had  been 
writing  for  eight  years,  and  burned 
them ;  and  when  she  had  acquainted 
him  with  the  fact,  assured  of  the  feeling 
of  kindness  in  which  even  this  impro- 
per act  originated,  he  only  remarked, 
"  Woman,  thou  hast  put  me  to  eight 
5'ears'  study  more." 

(i)  COTTON  MATHER'S  LI- 
BELS. — Dr.  Cotton  Mather  wis  re- 
markable for  the  sweetness  of  his  tem- 
per. He  took  some  interest  in  the  poli- 
tica.  concerns  of  his  country,  and,  oil 


this  account,  as  well  as  because  he 
faithfully  reproved  iniquity,  he  had 
many  enemies.  Many  abusive  letters 
were  sent  him,  all  of  which  he  tied  up 
in  a  packet,  and  wrote  upon  the  cover,' 
"  Libels  ; — Father  forgive  them." 

(j)  THE  TWO  ^STUDENTS.— 
Two  students  of  one  of  our  Universities 
had  a  slight  misunderstanding.  One  of 
them  was  a  warm-blooded  Southron. 
He  concey^ed  himself  insulted,  and  be- 
gan to  demand  satisfaction,  according 
to  his  perverse  notions  of  honor.  Ho 
was  met  with  a  Christian  firmness  and 
gentleness.  The  other  calmly  told  his 
excited  fellow-student  he  could  give 
only  Christian  satisfaction  in  any  case  ; 
that  he  was  not  conscious  of  having  in- 
tended him  either  injury  or  insult,  and 
that  if  he  could  be  convinced  he  had 
wronged  him  at  all,  he  was  willing  to 
make  ample  reparation.  Fired  with 
chivalrous  indignation  for  a  fev/  mo- 
ments, he  discharged  a  volley  of  re- 
proachful epithets,  and  threatened  to 
chastise  •  his  cowardly  insolence.  But 
nothing  could  move  the  other's  equani- 
mity. Without  the  slightest  indication 
of  fear  or  servility,  he  met  his  oppo- 
nent's violence  with  true  heroism,  de- 
clared that  they  had  hitherto  been 
friends,  and  he  meant  to  maintain  his 
friendly  attitude,  however  he  might  be 
treated,  and  conjured  the  threatener  to 
consider  how  unworthy  of  himself  his 
present  temper,  language  and  conduct 
were.  His  manner,  look,  words,  tone, 
had  their  effect.  The  flush  of  anger 
turned  to  a  blush  of  shame  and  com- 
punction. The  subdued  Southron  step- 
ped frankly  forward,  reached  forth  his 
trembling  hand,  and  exclaimed — "  1 
have  spoken  and  acted  like  a  fool ;  can 
you  forgive  me  ?"  "  With  all  my 
heart,"  was  the  cordial  response.  In- 
stantly they  were  locked  in  each  other's 
embrace  ;  reconciliation  was  complete  ; 
and  they  were  evermore  fast  friends. 


330 


FORGIVENESS  OF  INJURIES. 


176 


176.  FORGIVENESS  OF  INJURIES. 


(a)  PHILIP  AND  THE  AMBAS- 
SADOR. — Philip,  king  of  Macedon,  dis- 
covered great  moderation,  even  when  he 
was  spoken  to  in  shocking  and  injurious 
terms.  At  the  close  of  an  audience 
which  he  gave  to  some  Athenian  am- 
bassadors who  were  come  to  complain 
of  some  act  of  hostility,  he  asked 
whether  he  could  do  them  any  service. 
"  The  greatest  service  thou  couldst  do 
us,"  said  Demochares,  "  would  be  to 
hang  thyself."  Philip,  though  he  per- 
ceived  all  the  persons  present  were  high- 
ly offended  at  these  words,  answered  with 
the  utmost  calmness  of  temper,  "  Go, 
tell  your  superiors,  that  those  who  dare 
make  use  of  such  insolent  language,  are 
more  haughty,  and  less  peaceably  in- 
clined than  those  who  can  forgive  them." 

(b)  CRANMER  AND  THE  TRAI- 
TORS. — Archbishop  Cranmer  appear- 
ed almost  alone,  in  the  higher  classes, 
as  the  friend  of  truth  in  evil  times,  and 
a  plot  was  formed  to  take  away  his  life. 
The  providence  of  God,  however,  so  or- 
dered it,  that  the  papers  which  would 
have  com.pleted  the  plan  were  intercept- 
ed, and  traced  to  their  authors,  one  of 
whom  lived  in  the  archbishop's  family, 
and  the  other  he  had  greatly  served. 
He  took  these  men  apart  in  his  palace, 
and  told  them  that  some  persons  in  his 
confidence  had  disclosed  his  secrets,  and 
even  accused  him  of  heresy.  They 
loudly  censured  such  villany,  and  de- 
clared the  traitors  to  be  worthy  of  death  ; 
one  of  them  adding,  that  if  an  execu- 
tioner was  wanted,  he  would  perform 
the  office  himself.  Struck  with  their 
perfidy,  after  lifting  up  his  voice  to 
heaven,  lamenting  the  depravity  of  man, 
and  thanking  God  for  his  preservation, 
he  produced  their  letters,  and  inquired 
if  they  knew  them.  They  now  fell  on 
their  knees,  confessed  their  crimes,  and 
implored  forgiveness.  Cranmer  mildly 
expostulated  with  them  on  the  evil  of 
their  conduct,  forgave  them,  and  never 
again  alluded  to  their  treachery.  His 
forgiveness  of  injuries  was  so  well 
known,  that  it  became  a  by- word,   "  Do 


my  lord  of  Canterbury  an  ill  turn,  and 
you  make  him  your  friend  for  ever." 

(c)  GENERAL  OGLETHORPE 
AND  HIS  SERVANT.— The  Rev.  J. 
Wesley,  in  the  course  of  his  voyage  to 
America,  hearing  an  unusual  noise  in 
the  cabin  of  General  Oglethorpe,  the 
governor  of  Georgia,  with  whom  he 
sailed,  stepped  in  to  inquire  the  cause 
of  it.  The  general  addressed  him,  "  Mr. 
W.  you  must  excuse  me,  I  have  met 
with  a  provocation  too  great  for  man  to 
bear.  You  know  the  only  wine  I  drink 
is  Cyprus  wine ;  I  therefore  provided 
myself  with  several  dozens  of  it,  and  this 
villain  Grimaldi,"  (his  foreign  servant, 
who  was  present,  and  almost  dead  with 
fear,)  "  has  drank  up  the  whole  of  it ; 
but  I  will  be  revenged  on  him.  I  have 
ordered  him  to  be  tied  hand  and  foot,  and 
be  carried  to  the  man-of-war  which  sails 
with  us.  The  rascal  should  have  taken 
care  how  he  used  me  so,  for  I  never 
forgive."  "  Then  I  hope,  sir,"  said 
Mr.  W.  looking  calmly  at  him,  "  you 
never  sin."  The  general  was  quite 
confounded  at  the  reproof ;  and  putting 
his  hand  into  his  pocket,  took  out  a 
bunch  of  keys,  which  he  threw  at  Gri- 
maldi :  "There,  villain,"  said  he,  "take 
my  keys,  and  behave  better  for  the  fu- 
ture." 

(d)  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  PERSE- 
CUTOR.— "  What  great  matter,"  said 
a  heathen  tyrant  to  a  Christian,  while 
he  was  beating  him  almost  to  death — 
"  What  great  matter  did  Christ  ever  do 
you  ?"  "  Even  this,"  answered  the 
Christian,  "  that  I  can  forgive  you, 
though  you  use  me  so  cruelly." 

(e)  MATTHEW  HALE'S  ENE- 
MY. — A  person  who  had  done  Sir 
Matthew  Hale  a  great  injury,  came  af- 
terwards to  him  for  his  advice  in  the 
settlement  of  his  estate.  Sir  Matthew 
gave  his  advice  very  frankly  to  him,  but 
would  accept  of  no  fee  for  it.  When 
he  was  asked  how  he  could  use  a  man 
so  kindly  who  had  wronged  him  so  much, 
his  answer  was,  he  thanked  God,  he  had 
learned  to  forgive  injuries. 

331 


176,  177 


FORTUNE-  TELLING. 


(/)  THE  NOBLEMAN'S  PRAY- 
ER. — In  1831,  when  the  cholera  first 
broke  out  in  Hungary,  the  Sclavack 
peasants  of  the  North  were  fully  per- 
suaded  they  were  poisoned  by  the  nobles, 
to  get  rid  of  them,  and  they,  in  conse- 
quence, rose  in  revolt,  and  committed 
the  most  dreadful  excesses.  One  gentle- 
man  was  seized  by  the  peasants  of  the 
village,  among  whom  he  had  been,  up 
to  that  moment,  exceedingly  popular, 
dragged  from  his*  home  to  the  public 
street,  and  then  beaten  for  several  suc- 
cessive hours,  to  make  him  confess 
where  he  had  concealed  the  poison.  At 
last  wearied  with  the  trouble  of  inflict- 
ing blows,  they  carried  him  to  the  smith, 
and  applied  hot  ploughshares  to  his  feet, 
three  several  times.  As  the  poor  man, 
exhausted  with  this  dreadful  torture,  and 
finding  all  his  entreaties  and  explanations 
vain,  fell  back  from  weakness,  and  was 
apparently  about  to  expire,  those  beau- 
tiful words  of  our  dying  Savior  es- 
caped from  his  lips,  ''  Lord,  forgive 
them  ;  for  they  know  not  what  they 
do !"  As  by  a  miracle,  the  savage  rage 
of  the  peasantry  was  calmed.  Struck 
at  once  with  the  innocence  of  the  vic- 
tim, and  enormity  of  their  crime,  they 
fled  on  every  side,  and  concealed  them- 
selves from  view. 


(g)    COLORED    WOMAN    AND 

THE  SAILOR.— A.  worthy  old  colored 
woman  in  the  city  of  New-York,  was 
one  day  walking  along  the  street,  on 
some  errand  to  a  neighboring  store,  with 
her  tobacco  pipe  in  her  mouth,  quietly 
smoking.  A  jovial  sailor,  rendered  a 
little  mischievous  by  liquor,  came  saw- 
ing down  the  street,  and,  when  opposite 
our  good  Phillis,  saucily  crowded  her 
aside,  and  wiljp  a  pass  6f  his  hand  knock- 
ed her  pipe  out  of  her  mouth.  He  then 
halted  to  hear  her  fret  at  his  trick,  and 
enjoy  a  laugh  at  her  expense.  But 
what  was  his  astonishment,  when  she 
meekly  picked  up  the  pieces  of  her 
broken  pipe,  without  the  least  resent- 
ment in  her  manner,  and  giving  him  a 
dignified  look  of  mingled  sorrow,  kind- 
ness and  pity,  said,  "  God  forgive  you, 
my  son,  as  I  do."  It  touched  a  tender 
cord  in  the  heart  of  the  rude  tar.  He 
felt  ashamed,  condemned  and  repentant. 
The  tear  started  in  his  eye ;  he  must 
make  reparation.  He  heartily  confess- 
de  his  error,  and  thrusting  both  hands 
into  his  two  full  pockets  of  "  change,'' 
forced  the  contents  upon  her,  exclaim- 
ing, "  God  bless  you,  kind  mother,  I'll 
never  do  so  again." 


177.  FORTUNE-TELLING. 


(a)  BYRON  AND  THE  FORTUNE- 
TELLER. — Lord  Byron,  when  a  boy, 
was  warned  by  a  fortune-teller,  that  he 
should  die  in  the  37th  year  of  his  age. 
That  idea  haunted  him,  and  in  his  last 
illness,  he  mentioned  it  as  precluding 
all  hope  of  his  recovery.  It  repressed, 
his  physician  says,  that  energy  of  spirit 
so  necessary  for  nature  in  struggling  with 
disease.  He  talked  of  two  days  of  the 
week  as  unlucky  days,  on  which  noth- 
ing would  tempt  him  to  commence  any 
matter  of  importance;  and  mentioned 
as  an  excuse  for  indulging  such  fancies, 
that  his  friend  Shelley,  the  poet,  had  a 
familiar  who  had  warned  him  that  he 
should  perish  by  drowning,  and  such 
was  the  fate  of  that  highly  gifted  but 
misguided  man. 

332 


(/;)  THE  PENITENT  FORTUNE- 
TELLER.— A  reformed  gipsy,  making 
a  visit  to  a  parish  in  which  one  of  her 
children  was  born,  near  Basingstoke, 
entered  the  cottage  of  an  old  couple  who 
scld  fruit,  &c.  Tea  being  proposed,  the 
old  woman  expressed  her  surprise  that 
she  had  not  seen  her  visitor  for  so  long 
a  time,  saying  she  was  glad  she  was 
come,  as  she  wanted  to  tell  her  many 
things,  meaning  future  events.  She 
mentioned  a  great  deal  that  another 
gipsy  woman  had  told  her  ;  on  which 
the  reformed  one  exclaimed — "  Don't 
believe  her,  dame.  It  is  all  lies.  She 
knows  no  more  about  it  than  you  do.  If 
you  trust  to  what  she  says,  you  will  be 
deceived."  The  old  woman  was  still 
more  surprised,  and  asked  how  she,  who 


FRETFULNESS— FRIENDSHIP. 


iy§,  179 


had  so  often  told  their  fortunes,  and  had 
promised  them  such  good  luclc,  could  be 
so  much  altered  ?  The  woman,  taking 
her  Testament  from  her  bosom,  replied, 
"  I  have  learned  from  this  blessed  book, 


and  from  my  kind  friends,  '  that  all  liars 
shall  have  their  portion  in  the  lake 
that  burneth  with  fire  and  brimstone ;' 
and  rather  than  tell  fortunes  again,  I 
wouM  starve." 


178.  FRETFULNESS. 


(a)  «I  DON'T  WANT  TO  GO 
TO  HEAVEN."— Ther^  was  a  cler- 
gyman,  who  was  of  nervous  tempera- 
ment, and  often  became  quite  vexed,  by 
finding  his  little  grandchildren  in  his 
study.  One  day,  one  of  these  little 
children  was  standing  by  his  mother's 
side,  and  she  was  speaking  to  him  of 
heaven. 

"  Ma,"  said  he,  "  I  don't  want  to  go 
to  heaven." 

"  Do  not  want  to  go  to  heaven,  my 
son  ■?" 

"No,  Ma,  I'm  sure  I  don't." 

"  Why  not,  my  son  ?" 

"  Why,  grandpa  will  be  there,  won't 
he  ?" 

"  Why,  yes,  I  hope  he  will." 

"  Well,  as  soon  as  he  sees  us,  he  will 
come  scolding  along,  and  say,  '  Whew, 
whew,  what  are  these  boys  here  for  V 
I  don't  want  to  go  to  heaven  if  grandpa 
is  going  there." 

(/>)  BAIT  FOR  EVERY  AGE.— 
Mr.  Rumsey,  a  pious  physician,  speak- 
ing of  his  sinful  infirmities,  observed, 
"  I  have  to  lament  the  irritability  of  my 
temper  in  my  old  age."  He  had  been 
fond  of  repeating  a  conversation  which 
he  had  in  the  early  part  of  his  life  with 
a   pious  friend.      He  observed  to  this 


person,  that  he  thought  if  he  arrived  at 
old  age,  he  should  be  subject  to  fewer 
temptations  than  at  an  earlier  period ; 
but  his  more  experienced  friend  told 
him,  that  "the  devil  had  a  bait  for 
every  age,"  and  Mr.  Rumsey  was  at 
length  fully  convinced  of  the  truth  of 
the  remark. 

(c)  THE  TWO  GARDENERS.— 
Two  gardeners,  who  were  neighbors, 
had  their  crops  of  early  peas  killed  by 
frost ;  one  of  them  came  to  condole  with 
the  other  on  this  misfortune.  "  Ah  !" 
cried  he,  "  how  unfortunate  we  have 
been,  neighbor !  do  you  know  I  have 
done  nothing  but  fret  ever  since.  But 
you  seem  to  have  a  fine  healthy  crop 
coming  up  already  ;  what  are  these  1" 
"  These !"  cried  the  other  gardener, 
"  why  these  are  what  I  sowed  immedi- 
ately after  my  loss."  "What!  coming 
up  already  ?"  cried  the  fretter.  "  Yes ; 
while  you  were  fretting,  I  was  work- 
ing."  "What!  don't  you  fret  when 
you  have  a  loss  ?"  "  Yes  ;  but  I  al- 
ways put  it  off*  until  after  I  have  re- 
paired the  mischief."  "  Why  then  you 
have  no  need  to  fret  at  all."  "  True," 
replied  the  industrious  gardener ;  "  and 
that's  the  very  reason." 


179.  FRIENDSHIP. 


(a)  PYTHIAS  AND  DAMON. 
— When  Damon  was  sentenced,  by 
Dionysius  of  Syracuse,  to  die  on  a  cer- 
tain day,  he  begged  permission,  in  the 
interim,  to  retire  to  his  own  country,  to 
set  the  aflJairs  of  his  disconsolate  fam- 
ily in  order.  This  the  tyrant  intended 
peremptorily  to  refuse,  by  granting  it, 
as  he  conceived,  on  the  impossible  con- 
ditions of  his   procuring   some  one   to 


remain  as  hostage  for  his  return,  under 
equal  forfeiture  of  life.  Pythias  heard 
the  conditions,  and  did  not  wait  for  an 
application  upon  the  part  of  Damon :  he 
instantly  offered  himself  as  security  for 
his  friend ;  which  being  accepted, 
Damon  was  immediately  set  at  liberty. 
The  king  and  all  the  courtiers  were  as- 
tonished at  this  action;  and  therefore, 
when  the  day  of  execution  drew  near, 
333 


1T9 


FRIENDSHIP. 


his  majesty  had  the  curiosity  to  visit 
Pythias  in  his  confinement.  After  some 
conversation  on  the  subject  of  friendship, 
in  which  the  tyrant  delivered  it  as  his 
opinion,  that  self-interest  was  the  sole 
mover  of  human  actions  ;  as  for  virtue, 
friendship,  benevolence,  love  of  one's 
country,  and  the  like,  he  looked  upon 
them  as  terms  invented  by  the  wise  to 
keep  in  awe  and  impose  upon  the  weak, 
"My  lord,"  said  Pythias,  with  a  firm 
voice  and  noble  aspect,  "  I  would  it 
were  possible  that  I  might  suffer  a 
thousand  deaths,  rather  than  my  friend 
should  fail  in  any  article  of  his  honor. 
He  cannot  fail  therein,  my  lord :  I  am 
as  confident  of  his  virtue,  as  I  am  of  my 
own  existence.  But  I  pray,  I  beseech 
the  gods,  to  preserve  the  life  and  in- 
tegrity of  my  Damon  together :  oppose 
him,  ye  winds,  prevent  the  eagerness 
and  impatience  of  his  honorable  en- 
deavors, and  suffer  him  not  to  arrive, 
till  by  death  I  have  redeemed  a  life  a 
thousand  times  of  more  consequence, 
of  more  value,  than  my  own ;  more  es- 
timable to  his  lovely  wife,  to  his  pre- 
cious little  children,  to  his  friends,  to 
his  country.  Oh  leave  me  not  to  die 
the  worst  of  deaths  in  my  Damon." 
Dionysius  was  awed  and  confounded 
by  the  dignity  of  these  sentiments,  and 
by  the  manner  in  which  they  were  ut- 
tered :  he  felt  his  heart  struck  by  a 
slight  sense  of  invading  truth  :  but  it 
served  rather  to  perplex  than  undeceive 
him.  The  fatal  day  arrived.  Pythias 
was  brought  forth,  and  walked  amidst 
the  guards  with  a  serious  but  satisfied 
air,  to  the  place  of  execution.  Diony- 
sius was  already  there,  he  was  exalted 
on  a  moving  throne,  which  was  drawn 
by  six  white  horses,  and  sat  pensive 
and  attentive  to  the  prisoner.  Pythias 
came,  he  vaulted  lightly  on  the  scaffold, 
and  beholding  for  some  time  the  appa- 
ratus of  his  death,  he  turned  with  a 
placid  countenance,  and  addressed  the 
spectators:  "My  prayers  are  heard," 
he  cried,  "  the  gods  are  propitious ;  you 
know,  my  friends,  that  the  winds  have 
been  contrary  till  yesterday.  Damon 
could  not  come,  he  could  not  conquer 
impossibilities  ;  he  will  be  here  to-mor- 
row, and  the  blood  which  is  shed  to-day 
shall  have  ransomed  the  life  of  my 
334 


friend.  Oh,  could  I  erase  from  your 
bosoms  every  doubt,  every  mean  sus- 
picion of  the  honor  of  the  man  for 
whom  I  am  about  to  suffer,  I  should  go 
to  my  death,  even  as  I  would  to  my 
bridal.  Be  it  sufficient  in  the  mean 
time,  that  my  friend  will  be  found  no- 
ble ;  that  his  truth  is  unimpeachable ; 
that  he  will  speedily  prove  it ;  that  he 
is  now  on  his  way,  hurrying  on,  accus- 
ing himself,  the  adverse  elements,  and 
the  gods:  but  I  haste  to  prevent  his 
speed;  executioner  do  your  office." 
As  he  pronounced  the  last  words,  a 
buzz  began  to  rise  among  the  remotest 
of  the  people ;  a  distant  voice  was 
heard,  the  crowd  caught  the  words,  and 
"  Stop,  stop  the  execution  !"  was  re- 
peated by  the  whole  assembly :  a  man 
came  at  full  speed  :  the  throng  gave 
way  to  his  approach :  he  was  mounted 
on  a  steed  of  foam  :  in  an  instant  he 
was  off  his  horse,  on  the  scaffold,  and 
clasped  Pythias  in  his  arms.  "You 
are  safe,"  he  cried,  "  you  are  safe,  my 
friend,  my  beloved  friend  :  the  gods  be 
praised,  you  are  safe,  I  now  havq  no- 
thing but  death  to  suffer,  and  am  de- 
livered from  the  anguish  of  those  re- 
proaches which  I  gave  myself  for  hav- 
ing endangered  a  life  so  much  dearer 
than  my  own."  Pale,  cold,  and  half- 
speechless  in  the  arms  of  his  Damon, 
Pythias  replied  in  broken  accents, 
"  Fatal  haste  !  Cruel  impatience  ! 
What  envious  powers  have  wrought 
impossibilities  in  your  favor !  But  I 
will  not  be  wholly  disappointed.  Since 
I  cannot  die  to  save,  I  will  not  survive 
you."  Dionysius  heard,  beheld,  and 
considered  all  with  astonishment.  His 
heart  was  touched,  he  wept,  and  leaving 
his  throne,  he  ascended  the  scaffold : 
"  Live,  live,  ye  incomparable  pair !" 
cried  he  :  "  ye  have  borne  unquestion- 
able testimony  to  the  existence  of  vir- 
tue ;  and  that  virtue  equally  evinces 
the  existence  of  a  God  to  reward  it. 
Live  happily,  and  with  renown :  andj 
Oh  !  form  me  by  your  precepts,  as  ye 
have  invited  me  by  your  example,  to  be 
worthy  of  the  participation  of  so  sacred 
a  friendship." 

(h)  THE  VICAR  AND  MASSIL- 
LON. — Some  years  ago,  a  traveller, 
passing  through    Clermont,    wished  to 


FRIENDSHIP. 


179 


see  the  country  house  in  which  the  cel- 
ebrated Massillon  used  to  spend  the 
greater  part  of  the  year,  and  therefore 
applied  to  an  old  vicar,  who,  since  the 
death  of  the  bishop,  had  never  entered 
the  house.  He  consented,  however,  to 
gratify  the  traveller,  notwithstanding 
the  profound  grief  he  expected  to  suffer 
from  revisiting  a  place  dear  to  his  re- 
membrance. They  accordingly  set  out 
together,  and  the  vicar  pointed  out  to 
the  stranger  the  different  places  of  im- 
portance. "  There,"  said  he,  with 
tears  in  his  eyes,  "  is  the  alley  in  which 
the  excellent  prelate  used  to  walk  with 
us;  there  is  the  arbor  in  whiclj  he 
used  to  sit  and  read  ;  this  is  the  garden 
he  took  pleasure  in  cultivating  with  his 
own  hands."  Then  they  entered  the 
house,  and  when  they  came  to  the  room 
where  Massillon  died,  "  This,"  said  the 
vicar,  "  is  the  place  where  we  lost 
him;"  and  as  he  pronounced  these 
words  his  affectionate  feelings  overcame 
him,  and  he  fainted  away. 

(c)  DR.  WATTS'  LONG  VISIT.— 
A  lady  of  quality  being  on  a  visit  to 
Dr.  Watts,  the  doctor  thus  accosted  her : 
"  Madam,  your  ladyship  is  come  to  see 
me  on  a  very  remarkable  day  !" 
"  Why  is  this  day  so  remarkable  ?" 
answered  the  Countess.  "  This  very 
day  thirty  years,"  replied  the  doctor, 
"  I  came  to  the  house  of  my  good  friend 
Sir  Thomas  Abney,  intending  to  spend 
but  one  single  week  under  his  friendly 
roof,  and  I  have  extended  my  visit  to 
his  family  to  the  length  of  exactly  thirty 
years."  Lady  Abney,  who  was  pres- 
ent, immediately  said  to  the  doctor, 
"  Sir,  what  you  term  a  long  thirty  years' 
visit,  1  consider  as  the  best  visit  my 
family  ever  received." 

{d)  CUD  JOE  AND  MURRAY.— 
The  following  account  of  the  conduct  of 
an  unenlightened  African  negro,  is  fur- 
nished in  Captain  Snelgrave's  account 
of  his  voyage  to  Guinea : 

A  New  England  sloop,  trading  there 
in  1752,  left  a  second  mate,  William 
Murray,  sick  on  shore,  and  sailed  with- 
out him.  Murray  was  at  the  house  of 
a  blqick  named  Cudjoe,  with  whom  he 
contracted  an  acquaintance  during  their 
trade.  He  recovered,  and  the  sloop  be- 
ing gone,  he  continued  with  his  black 


friend  till  some  other  opportunity  should 
offer  of  his  getting  home.  In  the  mean 
time,  a  Dutch  ship  came  into  the  road, 
and  some  of  the  blacks,  coming  on 
board  her,  were  treacherously  seized, 
and  carried  off  as  their  slaves.  The  rela- 
tions and  friends,  transported  with  sud- 
den rage,  ran  into  the  house  of  Cudjoe, 
to  take  revenge  by  killing  Murray. 
Cudjoe  stopped  them  at  the  door,  and 
demanded  what  they  wanted.  "  The 
white  men,"  said  they,  "  have  carried 
away  our  brothers  and  sons,*  and  we 
will  kill  all  white  men.  Give  us  the 
white  man  you  have  in  your  house,  for 
we  will  kill  him."  "  Nay,"  said  Cud- 
joe, "  the  white  men  that  carried  away 
your  relations  are  bad  men  ;  kill  them 
when  you  can  take  them :  but  this 
white  man  is  a  good  man,  and  you  must 
not  kill  him."  "But  he  is  a  white 
man,"  they  cried,  "  and  the  white  men 
are  all  bad  men,  and  we  will  kill  them 
all."  "Nay,"  said  he;  "you  must 
not  kill  a  man  who  has  done  no  harm, 
only  for  being  white.  This  man  is  my 
friend  ;  my  house  is  his  post ;  I  am  his 
soldier,  and  must  fight  for  him ;  you 
must  kill  me  before  you  can  kill  him. 
What  good  man  will  ever  come  again 
under  my  roof,  if  I  let  my  floor  be 
stained  by  a  good  man's  blood  ?"  The 
negroes,  seeing  his  resolution,  and  be- 
ing convinced  by  his  discourse  that  they 
were  wrong,  went  away  ashamed.  In 
a  few  days  Murray  ventured  abroad 
again  with  his  friend  Cudjoe,  when  sev- 
eral of  them  took  him  by  the  hand,  and 
told  him  they  were  glad  they  had  not 
killed  him,  for  he  was  a  good  man. 

(e)  COL.  BYRD  AND  THE 
CHIEF.— It  is  related  in  Mr.  Jeffer- 
son's Notes  on  Virginia,  that  Col.  Byrd 
of  that  state  was  sent  at  a  certain  time 
to  the  Cherokee  nation  to  transact  some 
business  with  them.  "  It  happened," 
says  this  writer,  "that  some  of  our  dis- 
orderly people  had  just  killed  one  or  two 
of  that  nation.  It  was  therefore  pur- 
posed in  the  council  of  the  Chorokees, 
that  Col.  Byrd  should  be  put  to  death  in 
revenge  for  the  loss  of  their  countrymen. 
Among  them  was  a  chief  called  Si- 
louee,  who,  on  some  former  occasion, 
had  contracted  an  acquaintance  and 
friendship  with  Col.  Byrd.  He  came 
335 


1§0 


GAMBLING. 


to  him  every  night  in  his  tent,  and  told 
him  not  to  be  afraid,  they  should  not  kill 
him.  After  many  days'  deliberation, 
however,  the  determination  was,  contra- 
ry to  Silouee's  expectation,  that  Byrd 
should  be  put  to  death,  and  some  war- 
riors were  dispatched  as  executioners. 
Silouee  attended  them,  and  when  they 


entered  the  tent,  he  threw  himself  be- 
tween  them  and  Byrd,  and  said  to  the 
warriors,  '  This  man  is  my  friend  ;  be. 
fore  you  can  get  at  him,  you  must  kill 
me.'  On  this  they  returned,  and  the 
council  respected  the  principle  so  much 
as  to  recede  from  their  determination." 


GAMBLING. 


180.  Sustained  by  Fraud. 

(a)  THE  CHEATER  CHEATED. 

— There  is  no  end  to  the  dishonest  tricks 
of  professional  gamblers.  One  of  these 
gentry  will  often  deal  himself  six  or 
seven  cards  when  he  should  have  but 
five,  and  if  he  can  make  a  good  hand 
by  laying  out  the  two  poorest  in  his  lap 
he  will  do  so ;  or  if  he  cannot  make  a 
good  hand,  he  will  take  the  two  best  to 
help  him  in  his  next  hand.  The  follow- 
ing case,  which  occurred  on  a  western 
steamboat,  shows  how  men  will  play 
more  than  their  number.  A  gambler 
was  playing  with  a  man  whom  he  mis- 
took for  a  green  Hoosier  that  knew  no- 
thing of  playing  scientifically.  But  he 
was  sadly  deceived.  The  gambler, 
from  the  beginning  played  somewhat 
carelessly,  supposing  it  needed  no 
science  to  beat  the  Hoosier;  but  the 
gambler  lost  and  commenced  playing  as 
scientifically  as  he  could.  He  still  lost, 
and  finally  lost  nearly  all  he  had,  before 
he  quit ;  and  after  quitting  they  went 
to  the  bar  to  drink.  The  gambler  said 
to  the  Hoosier,  "  You  beat  any  man  for 
luck  I  ever  played  with ;  I've  lost  my 
money  with  you,  and  it  makes  no  dif- 
ference ;  I  will  be  honest  with  you  ;  you 
did  not  know  it,  but  I  played_  six  cards 
all  the  time  and  your  luck  beat  it." 
"  Well,"  said  the  Hoosier,  "  since  you 
have  been  so  frank,  I  will  also  be  frank  ; 
I  have  played  seven  cards  all  the  way 
through  from  the  word  go;  besides 
stocking  and  palming  occasionally  for 
the  sake  of  variety.  The  gambler  was 
greatly  surprised  and  swore  that  he 
would  not  have  supposed,  that  he  much 
more  than  knew  one  card  from  another  ; 
but  he  was  deceived  in  the  man,  and  it 
a3« 


would  not  have  done  for  him  to  have 
shown  any  anger,  as  he  first  confessed 
having  cheated  the  Hoosier,  who  was  in 
fact  a  most  expert  gambler,  and  had 
purposely  assumed  that  disguise. 

(b)  A  PRIZE  IN  A  LOTTERY.— 
The  proprietors  of  lotteries  are  some- 
times swindled  through  the  unfaithful- 
ness of  their  agents ;  and  thus  it  hap- 
pens that  a  large  prize  is  sometimes 
drawn  and  trumpeted  forth,  which  the 
craft  of  the  proprietors  would  otherwise 
have  retained.  A  case,  says  Mr.  Green, 
came  to  my  knowledge,  of  a  man 
who  drew  a  capital  prize.  The  mode 
of  effecting  this  was  as  follows : — An 
agent  who  was  stationed  in  a  town  some 
distance  from  the  principal  establish- 
ment, made  two  confidents,  who  doubt- 
lessly acted  readily  with  him  from  the 
hope  of  gain.  One  of  these  was  the 
post-master  of  the  town,  and  the  other  an 
acquaintance,  a  patron  of  the  lottery. 
The  duty  of  the  agent  was  to  transmit 
to  the  principal  office  all  unsold  tickets, 
by  the  first  mail  that  left  after  the  known 
hour  of  drawing.  This  mail  also  con- 
veyed the  lists  of  the  drawing  ;  but,  in 
a  regular  manner  of  proceeding,  they 
would  not  have  been  accessible  to  the 
agent  before  the  departure  of  the  agent 
with  his  unsold  tickets.  By  making  a 
confident  of  the  post-master,  however, 
he  received  the  lists  as  quick  as  possi- 
ble after  the  mail  arrived  and  before  it 
had  been  assorted.  He  then  examined 
his  unsold  tickets,  and  if  any  consider- 
able prize  remained,  he  "vvould  take  it 
from  among  the  unsold  tickets,  and  de- 
spatch the  remainder  to  the  principal 
office,  and  give  the  prize  to  the  other 
confident,  each  one  givi;ig  out  that  the 
ticket  had  been  sold  to  him;  and  ac- 


DESTROYS  NATURAL  SENSIBILITY. 


1§0,  181 


cordingly  the  prize  would  be  claimed 
and  paid  though  fraudulently  obtained. 
In  this  particular  case  the  capital  prize 
was  drawn,  and  it  appeared  that  the 
ticket-holder  appropriated  all  the  money 
to  his  own  use,  as  he  was  known  to  buy 
much  property  shortly  afterwards.  It 
is  believed  also  by  those  who  were  ac- 
quainted with  the  incident  that  he  never 
divided  with  the  rascally  agent ;  and 
thus  was  the  cheater  cheated,  who  in  his 
wrath,  let  out  some  of  the  secrets  of  the 
manner  in  which  the  prize  was  obtained, 
(c)  THE  HORSE-RACE.—Cheats 
are  used  in  horse-racing  as  in  other 
species  of  gambling.  There  was  a  man 
in  Kentucky  noted  for  making  match 
races ;  and  a  club  of  men  went  to  the 
expense  of  procuring  a  fast  horse  in 
order  to  beat  one  he  boasted  much  of 
The  jockey  closed  the  agreement  for 
the  race,  with  a  bet  of  about  two  thou- 
sand dollars;  and  the  club  was  very 
certain  of  beating  the  jockey.  When 
the  day  arrived  for  the  race,  and  the 
horses  started,  the  club  horse  went  ahead 
of  the  jockey's  immediately,  and  took 
the  inside  track  nearest  the  fence.  At 
the  first  turn,  he  fell  to  his  knees,  and 
while  recovering  himself,  the  slow  horse 
got  ahead  of  him,  and  after  running 
some  distance,  the  fast  horse  fell  again, 
and  the  slow  horse  won  the  race.  The 
fast  horse  became  lame  from  his  fall; 
his  owners  were  much  chagrined  at 
their  misfortune,  and  on  the  next  morn- 
ing, went  to  the  jockey's  lodgings  in  or- 
der to  close  another  race  with  him.  The 
landlord  informed  them  that  he  had  left 
the  night  before,  soon  after  the  race  was 
over.  His  sudden  departure,  after  a 
successful  race,  excited  their  suspicions 
of  foul  play.  They  then  examined  the 
track  and  found  the  jockey  had  dug  a 
number  of  small  holes  on  the  inside  of 
the  track,  placing  gourds  in  them  and 
spreading  a  little  loose  dirt  over  them  ; 
and  when  the  fast  horse  ran  close  to  the 
fence  he  would  tread  on  these  gourds,  and 
Would  sink  and  stumble ;  thus  giving 
the  slow  the  advantage.  When  this  dis- 
covery was  made,  they  decided  on  hav- 
ing a  race  at  all  events,  and  so  chased 
the  jockey  nearly  a  hundred  miles,  but 
did  not  succeed  in  overtaking  him. 


(d)  TABLE  WITH  A  HOLLOW 
LEG. — There  are  men  apparently  en- 
gaged in  business,  whose  stores  are,  in 
the  upper  apartments,  extensive  gam- 
bling establishments.  Of  those  who  go  to 
such  places,  few  ever  come  out  winners ; 
because  there  are  fixed  contrivances  h7 
cheating  those  who  are  invited  in  to  play, 
of  which  they  are  wholly  ignorant.  A 
reformed  gambler  states  that  he  became 
acquainted  with  a  merchant  in  New  Or- 
leans, who  had  in  his  store  such  a  room. 
He  had  a  great  number  to  play  with 
him,  and  all  of  them  continually  lost. 
Men  who  were  professed  gamblers,  here 
found  their  tricks  and  artifices  set  at 
nought,  and  themselves  losing  at  every 
trial.  They  became  dissatisfied,  and 
suspected  some  extraordinary  trick  be- 
ing used.  They  combined  for  the  sake 
of  ascertaining,  and  soon  learned  from 
some  person  in  his  employment,  the 
whole  secret.  His  table  was  construct- 
ed with  a  hollow  leg,  and  in  that  leg, 
where  the  knee  would  rest  against  it, 
was  fixed  a  small  peg,  which  would 
strike  against  his  knee  on  a  small  wire 
being  pulled,  which  was  attached  to  the 
peg,  and  passed  out  under  the  bottom  of 
the  leg  and  under  the  floor  to  the  side 
of  the  room,  thence  up  stairs  directly 
over  the  table.  And  from  the  centre  of 
a  fine  moulding  in  plaster,  hung  a  rich 
lamp  ;  the  moulding  was  hollow,  and  so 
constructed  that  a  man  who  was  a  secret 
partner,  could  be  overhead,  and  see  into 
the  hands  below,  and  give  his  partner 
signs  from  above,  previously  agreed 
upon  by  pulling  the  wire.  This  ad- 
vantage was  sufficient  to  ruin  any  man 
who  played  with  him,  and  enabled  him 
to  make  money  faster  than  by  mercantile 
business,  which  in  fact  he  cared  nothing 
about  only  as  a  cover  for  his  gambling. 
This  man's  establishment  was  broken 
up  and  he  fled. 

181.  Destroys  Natural  SensiMIity. 

(a)  A  SCANDALOUS  WAGER. 
—Well  did  Dr.  Nott  say,  "  The  finish- 
ed gambler  has  no  heart  —  he  would 
play  at  his  brother's  funeral — he  would 
gamble  upon  his  mother's  coffin." 
Horace  Walpole  mentions  an  anecdote 


22 


337 


ISl,  182 


GAMBLING. 


of  a  man  having  in  his  time  dropped 
down  dead  at  the  door  of  White's  club 
house,  into  which  he  was  carried ;  the 
members  of  the  club  immediately  made 
bets  whether  he  was  dead  or  not ;  and 
upon  its  being  proposed  to  bleed  him, 
the  wagerers  for  his  death  interposed, 
alleging  that  it  would  effect  the  fair- 
ness  of  the  bet. 

{b)  A  GAME  WITH  A  CORPSE.— 
The  desperate  depravity  to  which  gam- 
bling reduces  its  votaries  is  strikingly 
illustrate^  in  the  case  of  three  gamblers 
here  related.  They  determined  on  a 
game,  which  was  doubtless  meant  to 
show  their  utter  contempt  of  all  things 
sacred  in  this  world  and  the  next.  Ac- 
cordingly they  enter  at  night  the  char- 
nel  house  and  take  from  thence  a  corpse 
that  very  day  placed  in  the  vault.  They 
bear  the  deceased  into  the  cathedral, 
pass  within  the  chancel,  light  up  one  of 
the  candles  before  the  altar,  seat  the 
grim  corpse  by  the  communion  table, 
and  gathering  around  the  table  them- 
selves, proceed  to  engage  in  a  game  of 
cards ! !  Shameless,  sacrilegious  doings 
that  none  but  gamblers  could  think  of 
without  shuddering ! ! 

The  above  fact  is  said  by  Rev.  Wm. 
B.  Tappan  of  Boston,  to  rest  on  good 
authority  and  he  has  accordingly  made 
it  the  subject  of  a  short  poem  on  gam- 
bling. 

18i  leads  to  Bankruptcy   and  Snicide. 

(a)  NINE  HUNDRED  DOLLARS 
FOR  A  BUTTON.—*'  I  was  well  ac- 
quainted,"  says  Mr.  Green,  the  reformed 
gambler,  "  with  the  circumstance  of  a 
young  man  starting  to  go  to  the  hot 
springs  of  Arkansas.  He  was  a  man 
who  had  acquired  by  honesty  and  in- 
dustry about  nine  hundred  dollars.  He 
had  been  in  bad  health  for  some  time, 
and  concluded  to  visit  the  springs  to  re- 
cruit his  health.  On  his  arrival  at  the 
mouth  of  White  River,  he  was  detained 
for  a  boat,  and  while  there  he  was  in- 
duced to  play  cards.  I  am  unable  to  say 
at  this  time,  what  was  the  game  that  he 
played,  but  he  won  some  forty  or  fifty 
dollars  and  the  game  broke  up.  After 
the  game  was  broken  up,  one  of  the 
gamblers  pulled  cut  a  button  and  ban- 
338 


tered  the  young  man  to  win  it  at  "  faro" 
and  he  pulled  out  a  quarter  and  bet  it 
against  the  button,  and  the  banker  won. 
He  tried  again  and  again,  until  he  lost 
some  three  or  four  dollars,  to  win  the 
button,  and  then  went  to  bed.  The  bank- 
er had  now  several  persons  betting  small 
bets  on  the  game,  and  1  ac  won  some 
eight  or  ten  dollars,  and  there  was  quite 
a  noise  and  bustle  going  on.  The  young 
man,  who  had  quit  and  gone  to  bed,  got 
up,  and  felt  a  strong  propensity  to  win 
all.  He  began  betting  on  the  game 
again,  and  in  a  short  time  lost  the  whole 
of  his  nine  hundred  dollars  trying  to 
win  a  button  ;  for  that  was  all  he  could 
have  won,  as  the  man  had  no  money  at 
first  but  what  he  had  won  from  the 
young  man.  The  young  man  was 
obliged  to  make  his  way  home,  without 
his  health  being  benefited,  and  without 
his  money. 

(b)  THE  RUINED  MERCHANT. 
— A  writer  in  the  N.  Y.  Observer  for 
1831  says :  A  few  years  since,  the  large 

steamer    M set    out    from    New 

Orleans  on  an  upward  voyage,  having 
on  board  much  freight,  and  many  pas- 
sengers. Among  them  were  several 
merchants  who  had  large  amounts  in 
sugar,  molasses,  coffee,  &c.,  on  board. 
Soon  after  the  boat  started  they  com- 
menced gambling,  and  continued  with- 
out intermission  until  after  ten  o'clock 
at  night.  The  captain  informed  them, 
that  it  was  contrary  to  the  rules  of  the 
boat  that  they  should  play  in  the  cabin 
after  that  hour.  They  protested,  de^ 
murred,  and  entreated.  But  he  was  in- 
exorable. At  length  he  consented  to 
their  going  to  a  small  private  room ; 
but  enjoined  it  upon  them  that  there 
must  be  no  fighting.  Four  of  them  re- 
newed the  game  with  excited  interest. 
The  captain  having  occasion  to  be  up 
all  night,  went,  about  three  o'clock,  into 
their  room.  To  his  surprise  he  found 
them  just  on  the  point  of  fighting.  Pis- 
tols and  dirks  were  drawn  !  At  his  in- 
terposition and  command,  their  weapons 
were  put  up.  The  cause  of  the  quar- 
rel was  this :  One  merchant  had  lost 
all  the  money  he  had  with  him,  and  all  his 
large  cargo  on  board.  The  loser  de- 
sired his  merchandise  to  be  estimated 
at  the    retail  price  where  he  resided, 


LEADS  TO  BANKRUPTCY  AND  SUICIDE. 


1§3 


and  to  which  place  the  boat  was  bound. 
But  the  marble-hearted  winner  insisted 
upon  the  New  Orleans  price  as  the 
basis  of  the  calculation,  and  which  would 
have  left  the  loser  in  his  debt  to  a  large 
amount,  for  which  he  demanded  a  due- 
bill  !  At  the  remonstrance  of  the  cap- 
tain, he  ceased  to  insist  upon  this,  and 
the  bill  of  lading  having .  been  trans- 
ferred in  due  form  to  the  winner,  the 
miserable  loser  went  home  without  a 
dollar  to  pay  even  his  passage,  to  tell  (if 
he  could  do  it)  to  his  wife  and  children 
the  story  of  his  folly,  and  to  become  a 
bankrupt  f 

(c)  THE  FIREMAN'S  STAKES. 
— A  colored  fireman,  on  board  a  steam- 
boat running  from  St.  Louis  to  New 
Orleans,  having  lost  all  his  money 
at  poker  with  his  companions,  staked 
his  clothing,  and  being  still  unfortunate, 
pledged  his  own  freedom  for  a  small 
amount.  Losing  this,  the  bets  were 
doubled,  and  he  finally,  at  one  desperate 
hazard,  ventured  his  own  value  as  a 
slave,  and  laid  down  his  free  papers  to 
represent  the  stake.  He  lost,  suffered 
his  certificates  to  be  destroyed,  and  was 
actually  sold  by  the  winner  to  a  slave 
dealer,  who  hesitated  not  to  take  him  at 
a  small  discount  upon  his  asserted  vaiuq. 

(d)  THE  FATAL  GAME.— By 
the  device  called  hockelty  in  playing/aro, 
professional  gamesters  in  the  Southern 
States,  have  been  known  to  make  thou- 
sands of  dollars  out  of  the  uninitiated  in 
a  single  season.  "  There  is  one  in- 
stance," says  J.  H.  Green,  "  that  I 
shall  never  forget.  It  occurred  in  New 
Orleans  about  the  year  1833.  A  plant- 
er, who  lived  near  Vicksburgh,  was 
very  fond  of  play.  He  went  to  New 
Orleans  to  trade  and  sell  his  produce  ; 
and  while  there  was  invited  to  a  faro 
bank.  He  lost,  and  during  his  play,  he 
was  caught  in  hockelty  for  twenty-two 
hundred  dollars  at  one  bet.  The  deal- 
er had  Avon  from  him  about  eighteen 
thousand  dollars,  and  this  bet  was  the 
last  of  his  money.  The  effect  of  this 
loss  may  be  more  easily  imagined  than 
described.  In  a  few  moments  he  drew 
a  pistol  and  blew  out  his  brains.  I 
have  no  doubt  that  the  citizens  of  War- 
rington, Mississippi,  will  know  the  per- 
son   here   spoken  of,   as  I   understand 


his  family  or  relatives  lived  in  or  near 
that  place.  Such  have  been  the  bane- 
ful efTects  of  this  game,  that  it  was  a 
matter  of  almost  daily  occurrence  for 
some  one  to  stab  or  be  stabbed  in  the 
vile  haunts  of  these  wicked  men." 

(e)  LOTTERY  AND  SUICIDE.— 
In  1833  an  adventurer  in  lotteries 
committed  suicide  in  the  city  of  Boston, 
by  drowning  himself.  The  fate  of  this 
unfortunate  man  contains  one  of  those 
impressive  moral  lessons,  which  address 
us  with  a  power  which  no  uninspired 
lips  can  do.  He  was  in  the  employ- 
ment of  one  of  the  most  respectable 
houses  in  the  city,  highly  esteemed  and 
respected  by  the  members  of  it,  and  in 
the  receipt  of  a  liberal  salary.  About 
a  year  before,  he  had  the  misfortune  to 
draw  a  prize  in  the  lottery,  and  from 
that  moment  his  ruin  was  sealed.  The 
regular  earnings  of  honest  industry 
were  no  longer  enough  for  him — visions 
of  splendid  prizes  were  continually 
flitting  before  his  eyes,  and  he  plunged 
at  once  into  the  intoxicating  excitement 
of  lotteries.  He  soon  became  deeply 
involved,  and  his  access  to  the  funds  of 
the  firm,  held  out  to  him  a  temptation 
which  he  could  not  resist.  He  appro- 
priated to  himself  considerable  sums 
from  time  to  time,  continually  deluded 
by  the  hope  that  a  turn  of  the  wheel 
would  give  him  the  means  of  replacing 
them.  But  that  turn  never  came  ;  for- 
tune gave  him  but  one  smile,  and  that 
was  a  fatal  one.  He  saw  that  detection 
would  soon  come,  and  that  the  punish- 
ment and  the  shame  of  a  felon  would 
succeed  to  the  consideration  and  respect 
he  had  always  enjoyed,  and  he  had  not 
courage  to  wait  the  moment  of  disclo- 
sure. He  sought  refuge  in  death  ;  and 
added  to  his  other  sins  the  horrible  act 
of  self-murder !  He  left  a  memoran- 
dum  which  contained  an  account  of  the 
circumstances  that  made  life  intolerable 
to  him. 

(/)  SUICIDE  OF  THE  OFFICER 
OF  THE  GUARD.— A  writer  in  the 
London  New  Monthly  Magazine,  who 
\  resided  some  time  in  Paris,  relates  the 
following  account  of  a  fact  which  passed 
under  his  own  observation. 

"  Though  I  never  in  my  life  won  or 
lost  five  pounds  at  play,  I  was  a  fre- 
339 


183,  1S4 


GENEROSITY. 


quent  visitor  at  Frascati.  I  went  as  a 
looker-on,  and  to  confess  the  truth,  for 
the  purpose  of  indulging  in  the  excite- 
ment occasioned  by  watching  the  vari- 
ous chances  and  changes  of  the  game, 
and  their  effects  upon  those  who  were 
more  seriously  interested  in  them. 
Upon  one  occasion,  I  absolutely  grew 
giddy  from  anxiety,  whilst  watching  the 
countenance  of  an  officer  of  the  Garde 
Royale,  who  stood  opposite  me,  and 
waiting  the  turn  of  a  card  which  was  to 
decide  whether  he  should,  at  once,  re- 
turn a  beggar.to  his  home,  or  his  cer- 
tain fate  be  deferred  till  a  few  hours,  or 
a  few  nights  later.  It  appeared  to  be 
his  last  stake.  The  perspiration  was 
falling  from  his  brow,  not  in  drops,  but 
in  a  stream.  He  won  ;  and  a  friend 
who  accompanied  him  dragged  him  out 
of  the  room.  Some  nights  afterwards  I 
saw  this  person  again.  He  was  losing 
considerably,  yet  he  endured  his  losses 
with  apparent  calmness.  Once  when  a 
large  stake  was  swept  from  him,  he  just 
muttered  between  his  teeth,  whilst  his 
lips  were  curled  with  a  bitter  smile, 
"C'est  bien;  tres  bien."  After  this, 
he  silently  watched  the  game  through 
five  or  six  deals,  but  did  not  play.  I 
concluded  he  had  lost  all.  Suddenly 
and  fiercely  he  turned  to  the  dealer,  and 
in  a  tone  of  voice  almost  amounting  to  a 
scream,  he  exclaimed,  "  C'est  mon  sang 
que  vous  voulez — le  voila."  He  at  the 
same  time  drew  from  his  pockets  two 
notes  of  five  hundred  francs  each,  and, 
dashing  them  down  on  the  table,  he 
rushed  into  a  corner  of  the  room,  hid 
his  face,  covered  his  ears  with  his 
hands,  as  if  dreading  to  hear  the  an- 


nouncement of  the  result  of  his  specula- 
tion, and  literally  yelled  aloud.  It  was 
awful !  After  a  few  seconds  he  return- 
ed to  his  place.  His  last  stake  was 
lost !  He  twice  drew  his  handkerchief 
across  his  forehead,  but  he  uttered  not  a 
word.  Presently  he  asked  for  a  glass 
of  eau-sucre,  and  having  swallowed  it, 
he  slowly  walked  away.  The  next 
morning  his  servant  found  him  sitting 
in  an  arm  chair,  with  his  sword  thrust 
to  the  very  hilt,  sticking  in  his  throat. 

183.  Miscellaneous. 

(a)  GAMBLERS  CONFOUNDED 
BY  A  BIBLE.— The  Rev.  Mr.  W., 
now  a  Missionary  at  the  Sandwich  Isl- 
ands, a  short  time  before  he  left  this 
country,  took  passage  from  New  York 
to  New  Haven,  in  a  packet.  In  the 
evening  a  company  of  fellow  passen- 
gers, who  were  quite  profane,  gathered 
round  a  table  on  which  was  the  only 
light  burning  in  the  cabin,  and  soon 
became  deeply  engaged  in  gambling. 
Mr.  W.,  after  reflecting  some  time  on 
the  best  means  of  reproving  them,  drew 
a  Bible  from  his  trunk,  and  politely 
requested  that  he  might  have  a  seat 
at  the  same  table  for  the  purpose  of 
reading.  The  sight  of  the  Bible  at 
once  stopped  their  swearing  ;  and  after 
gambling  in  total  silence  about  ten 
minutes,  they  all  left  the  table  and 
went  upon  deck  !  thus  evincing  that  the 
silent  reproofs  of  a  good  man,  with 
the  Bible  in  his  hand,  are  too  loud 
and  too  pointed  for  the  guilty  consciences 
of  gamblers  to  endure. 


184.  GENEROSITY. 


(a)  DEMETRIUS  AND  THE 
ATHENIANS.— It  is  related  of  De- 
metrius, (surnamed  the  Conqueror  of 
cities,)  that  having  received  a  marked 
and  undoubted  provocation,  he  laid 
siege  to  the  city  of  Athens.  The  inha- 
bitants made  a  desperate  resistance  ;  but 
were  at  last  obliged  to  surrender,  in 
consequence  of  great  scarcity  of  pro- 
visions. Demetrius  then  ordered  them, 
S40 


with  the  exception  of  the  women  and 
children,  to  be  assembled  together  in 
one  place,  and  to  be  surrounded  with 
armed  soldiers.  Every  one  was  in  the 
greatest  fear,  conscious  how  much  they 
had  injured  him,  and  expecting  every 
moment  to  be  put  to  death.  It  is  not 
surprising,  that  they  were  overwhelmed 
with  joy  and  admiration,  when  they 
heard  him  with  a  magnanimity  honor- 


GENEROSITY. 


184 


able  to  Jiuman  nature,  thus  address 
them: — "I  wish  to  convince  you,  O 
Athenians,  how  ungenerously  you  have 
treated  me ;  for  it  was  not  to  an  enemy 
that  your  assistance  was  refused,  but  to 
a  prince  who  loved  you,  who  still  loves 
you,  and  who  wishes  to  revenge  himself 
only  by  granting  your  pardon,  and  being 
still  your  friend.  Return  to  your  own 
homes;  while  you  have  been  here  my 
soldiers  have  been  filling  your  houses 
with  provisions." 

(b)  PARKHURST'S  GENEROSI- 
TY. — Mr.  Parkhurst,  the  celebrated 
lexicographer,  had  a  tenant  who  fell 
considerably  behind  in  the  payment  of 
the  rent  for  his  farm,  which  he  had  taken 
at  five  hundred  pounds  per  annum.  It 
was  represented  to  Mr.  P.  that  the  rent 
was  too  high,  and  a  new  valuation  was 
made.  It  was  then  agreed  that  four 
hundred  and  fifty  pounds  should  be  the 
annual  payment;  and  when  this  was 
done,  Mr.  P.  considering  that  the  rent 
must  always  have  been  too  high,  unask- 
ed, immediately  struck  off  fifty  pounds 
a  year  from  the  commencement  of  the 
lease,  and  refunded  to  the  farmer  all 
that  he  had  received  more  than  the 
above  sum.  In  this  act  justice  and  gen- 
erosity  were  combined. 

(c)  GLANVILLE  AND  HIS  BRO- 
THER.  The  father  of  that  eminent 

lawyer,  Mr.  Sergeant  Glanville,  who 
lived  in  the  days  of  Charles  II.  had  a 
good  estate,  which  he  intended  to  settle 
on  his  eldest  son  ;  but  he  proving  vicious, 
and  afibrding  no  hope  of  reformation, 
he  devolved  it  upon  the  sergeant,  who 
was  his  second  son.  Upon  his  father's 
death,  the  eldest  son,  finding  that  what 
he  had  hitherto  considered  as  the  mere 
threat  of  his  father  was  really  true,  be- 
came greatly  dejected,  and,  in  a  short 
period,  his  character  underwent  an  en- 
tire change.  His  brother,  observing 
this,  invited  him,  with  a  party  of  his 
friends,  to  a  feast ;  and  after  several 
other  dishes  had  been  removed,  he  or- 


dered one,  covered  up,  to  be  set  before 
his  brother,  which,  on  being  examined, 
was  found  to  contain  the  writings  of  the 
estate.  The  sergeant  then  told  him  that 
he  had  now  done  what  he  was  sure  their 
father  would  have  done,  had  he  lived  to 
witness  the  happy  change  they  all  saw  ; 
and  that  he  therefore  freely  conveyed  to 
him  the  whole  property. 

(d)  THE  GENEROUS  HEIR.— 
In  the  month  of  September,  1801,  W. 
T.  M.,  dying  without  a  will,  his  large 
property,  which  was  chiefly  in  landed 
estates,  devolved  to  his  eldest  son.  By 
this  circumstance  the  eight  younger 
children  were  unprovided  for ;  but  this 
gentleman,  with  a  generosity  seldom 
equalled,  and  which  does  honor  to 
Christianity,  immediately  made  over  to 
his  younger  brothers  and  sisters  three 
considerable  estates,  which  were  about 
two-thirds  of  the  whole  property.  This 
munificence  is  the  more  extraordinary, 
as  he  had  a  young  and  increasing  fa- 
mily of  his  own.  On  a  friend  remon- 
strating with  him  on  his  conduct,  his 
answer  was,  "  I  have  enough  ;  and  am 
determined  that  all  my  brothers  and 
sisters  shall  be  satisfied." 

(e)  A  RARE  EXECUTOR.— About 
the  year  1772,  a  grocer,  of  the  name  of 
Higgins,  died,  and  left  a  considerable 
sum  to  a  gentleman  in  London,  saying 
to  him,  at  the  time  that  he  made  his  will, 
"  I  do  not  know  that  I  have  any  relations, 
but  should  you  ever  by  accident  hear 
of  such,  give  them  some  relief."  The 
gentleman,  though  thus  left  in  full  and 
undisputed  possession  of  a  large  fortune, 
on  which  no  person  could  have  any  legal 
claim,  advertised  for  the  next  of  kin  to 
the  deceased ;  and,  after  some  months 
were  spent  in  inquiries,  he  at  length  dis- 
covered a  few  distant  relatives.  He 
called  them  together  to  dine  with  him, 
and  after  distributing  the  whole  of  the 
money,  according  to  the  different  degrees 
of  consanguinity,  paid  the  expenses  of 
advertising  out  of  his  own  pocket. 


341 


185,  186        GOD,  EXISTENCE  OF— GRACE  AND  MERCY  OF  GOD. 


185.  GOD,  EXISTENCE  OF. 


(a)  GOD'S  SPIRIT  AND  MAN'S 
SPIRIT. — As  a  missionary  in  India 
was  catechising  the  children  of  one  of 
the  schools,  a  Brahmin  interrupted  him, 
by  saying  that  the  spirit  of  man  and  the 
Spirit  of  God  were  one.  In  order  to 
show  him  the  absurdity  of  such  a  decla- 
ration, the  missionary  called  upon  the 
boys  to  refute  it,  by  stating  the  difference 
between  the  spirit  of  man  and  God. 
They  readily  gave  the  following  an- 
swers : — "  The  spirit  of  man  is  created 
— God  is  its  Creator :  the  spirit  of  man 
is  full  of  sin — God  is  a  pure  Spirit :  the 
spirit  of  man  is  subject  to  grief— God  is 
infinitely  blessed,  and  incapable  of  suf- 
fering :  these  two  spirits,  therefore,"  re- 
plied the  boys,  "  can  never  be  one." 

(b)  A  MUTE'S  IDEA  OF  GOD'S 
ETERNITY.— One  of  the  deaf  and 
dumb  pupils  in  the  institution  of  Paris, 
being  desired  to  express  his  idea  of  the 
eternity  of  the  Deity,  replied,  "  It  is 
duration,  without  beginning  or  end; 
existence  without  bound  or  dimension ; 
present,  without  past  or  future.  His 
eternity  is  youth  without  infancy  or  old 
age ;  life  without  birth  or  death ;  to-day 
without  yesterday  or  to-morrow." 

(c)  LESSON  FROM  A  LEAF.— 
When  the  Rev.  John  Thorpe,  of  Masbo- 
rough,  in  Yorkshire,  (Eng.)  had  preach- 
ed for  about  two  years,  he  was  greatly 
harassed  with  temptations  to  atheism, 
which  continued,  with  a  few  intervals, 
many  months.  His  distress  sometimes, 
on  this  account,  was  so  great,  as  to  em- 
barrass  his  mind  beyond  description.  At 
length,  however,  he  was  happily  de- 
livered, by  the  following  occurrence  : — 

Passing  through  a  wood,  with  a  design 
t(»  preach  in  a  neighboring  village, 
while  he  was  surveying  his  hand,  a  leaf 


accidentally  stuck  between  his  fingers. 
He  felt  a  powerful  impression  to  exa- 
mine the  texture  of  the  leaf.  Holding 
it  between  his  eye  and  the  sun,  and  re- 
flecting upon  its  exquisitely  curious  and 
wonderful  formation,  he  was  led  into  an 
extensive  contemplation  on  the  works  of 
creation.  Tracing  these  back  to  their 
first  cause,  he  had,  in  a  moment,  such  a 
conviction  of  the  existence  and  ineffable 
perfections  of  God,  which  then  appeared, 
that  his  distress  was  removed  ;  and  he 
prosecuted  his  journey,  rejoicing  in 
God,  and  admiring  him  in  every  object 
that  presented  itself  to  his  view. 

(d)  STRUCTURE  OF  THE 
JOINTS. — Dr.  Marshall,  a  lecturer  on 
anatomy,  had  deeply  studied  the  con- 
struction and  laws  of  man,  and  was 
never  happier  than  when  explaining 
them.  He  once  devoted  a  whole  lecture 
to  display  the  profound  science  that  was 
visible  in  the  formation  of  the  double 
hinges  of  our  joints.  Such  was  the  effect 
of  his  demonstrations,  that  an  inquisitive 
friend,  who  had  accompanied  Dr.  Tur- 
ner to  the  lecture,  with  skeptical  incli- 
nations, suddenly  exclaimed  with  great 
emphasis,  "  A  man  must  be  a  fool  in- 
deed, who  after  duly  studying  his  own 
body  can  remain  an  atheist."   ^ 

(e)  ATHEISTICAL  ANATOMIST. 
— When  Galen,  a  celebrated  physician, 
but  atheistically  inclined,  had  anato- 
mized the  human  body,  and  carefully 
surveyed  the  frame  of  it,  viewed  the  fit- 
ness and  usefulness  of  every  part  of  it, 
and  the  many  several  intentions  of  every 
little  vein,  bone  and  muscle,  and  the 
beauty  of  the  whole,  he  fell  into  a  fit  of 
devotion,  and  wrote  a  hymn  to  his  Crea- 
tor. 


GRACE  AND  MERCY  OF  GOD. 

186.  As  Revealed  in  Jesus  Christ. 


(a)  FIRST  GREENLAND    CON- 
VERT.—It   is   well   known    that  the 
Moravian    missionaries    in    Greenland 
342 


labored  for  several  years  without  any 
apparent  success.  They  seem  to  have 
thought,  with  many  in  the  present  day, 
that  they  should  first  instruct  the  na- 
tives in  the  existence  of  God,  the  crea- 


AS  REVEALED  IN  JESUS  CHRIST. 


1S6 


tion  of  the  world,  the  nature  of  their 
souls,  &c.  ;  and  all  this  they  did  with- 
out exciting  any  degree  of  attention. 
On  one  occasion,  however,  while  one  of 
these  good  men  was  occupied  in  trans- 
lating the  gospels,  he  was  visited  by  a 
number  of  these  savages,  who  were  de- 
sirous of  knowing  the  contents  of  the 
book.  He  began  an  address  to  them  by 
giving  them  some  general  scriptural  in- 
formation, and  then  slid  into  an  account 
of  the  sufferings  of  Jesus  ;  reading  them 
the  account  of  his  agony,  and  speaking 
much  of  the  anguish  which  made  him 
sweat  great  drops  of  blood. 

Now  began  the  Spirit  of  God  to  work. 
One  of  these  men,  named  Kaiarnack, 
stepped  forward  to  the  table,  and  said, 
in  an  earnest  an  affecting  tone,  "  How 
was  that  ?  Tell  me  that  once  more  :  for 
I  would  fain  be  saved  too !"  Never 
had  such  language  been  heard  from  a 
Greenlander  before.  A  full  statement 
of  the  gospel  was  given  :  this  man  be- 
came indeed  converted  to  God,  and  emi- 
nently useful.  A  change  took  place  in 
the  general  character  of  the  preaching 
of  the  brethren,  and  their  subsequent 
success  is  well  known. 

(h)  MR.  NOTT  AND  THE 
SOUTH  SEA  ISLANDER.  — Mr. 
Nott,  missionary  in  the  South  Sea  Isl- 
ands, was  on  one  occasion  reading  a 
portion  of  the  gospel  of  John  to  a  num- 
ber of  the  natives.  When  he  had  finish- 
ed the  sixteenth  verse  of  the  third  chap- 
ter,  a  native,  who  had  listened  with  avi- 
dity and  joy  to  the  words,  interrupted 
him,  and  said,  "  What  words  were 
those  you  read  ?  What  sounds  were 
those  I  heard  ?  Let  me  hear  those 
words  again  !"  Mr.  Nott  read  again  the 
verse,  "  God  so  loved,"  etc.,  when  the 
native  rose  from  his  seat,  and  said,  "  Is 
that  true  ?  Can  that  be  true  ?  God 
love  the  world,  when  the  world  not  love 
him  !  God  so  love  the  world,  as  to  give 
his  Son  to  die  that  man  might  not  die  ! 
Can  that  be  true  ?"  Mr.  Nott  again 
read  the  verse,  "  God  so  loved  the 
world,"  etc.,  told  him  it  was  true,  and 
that  it  was  the  message  God  had  sent  to 
them;  and  that  whosoever  believed  in 
him  should  not  perish,  but  be  happy 
after  death.  The  overwhelming  feel- 
ings of  the  wondering  native  were  too  ' 


powerful  for  expression  or  restraint. 
He  burst  into  tears,  and  as  these  chased 
each  other  down  his  countenance,  he  re- 
tired  to  meditate  in  private  on  the  great 
love  of  God  which  had  that  day  touched 
his  soul.  There  is  every  reason  to  be- 
lieve he  afterwards  enjoyed  the  peace 
and  happiness  resulting  from  the  love  of 
God  shed  abroad  in  his  heart. 

(c)  "THE  SWORE)  OF  THE 
SPIRIT."— It  is  related  of  the  Rev. 
John  Wesley,  that  he  was  once  stopped 
by  a  highwayman  who  demanded  his 
money.  After  he  had  given  it  to  him, 
he  called  him  back,  and  said,  "  Let  me 
speak  one  word  to  you ;  the  time  may 
come  when  you  may  regret  the  course 
of  life  in  which  you  are  engaged.  Re- 
member this :  The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ 
cleanseth  from  all  sin.''  He  said  no 
more,  and  they  parted.  Many  years 
afterwards,  when  he  was  leaving  a 
church  in  which  he  had  been  preaching, 
a  person  came  up  and  asked  him  if  he 
remembered  being  waylaid  at  such  a 
time,  referring  to  the  above  circum- 
stances. Mr.  Wesley  replied  that  he 
recollected  it.  "  I,"  said  the  individual, 
"  was  that  man  ;  that  single  verse  on 
that  occasion  was  the  means  of  a  total 
change  in  my  life  and  habits.  I  have 
long  since  been  attending  the  house  of 
God  and  the  Word  of  God,  and  I  hope  I 
am  a  Christian." 

(d)  THE  THREE  PREACHERS. 
— The  following  interesting  address  was 
delivered  by  an  Indian,  named  Johannes, 
who  became  one  of  the  missionaries  of 
the  United  Brethren,  in  North  Ameri- 
ca:— 

Brethren,  I  have  been  a  heathen,  and 
have  grown  old  amongst  them  :  therefore 
I  know  very  well  how  it  is  with  the  hea- 
then, and  how  they  think.  A  preacher 
once  came  to  us,  desiring  to  instruct  us ; 
and  began  by  proving  to  us  that  there 
was  a  God.  On  which  we  said  to  him, 
"  Well,  and  dost  thou  think  we  are  ig. 
norant  of  that  ?  Now  go  back  again  to 
the  place  from  whence  thou  camest." 

Then,  again,  another  preacher  came, 
and  began  to  instruct  us,  saying, "  You 
must  not  steal,  nor  drink  too  much,  nor 
lie,  nor  lead  wicked  lives."  We  answer- 
ed him,  "  Fool  that  thou  art,  dost  thou 
think  that  we  do  not  know  that?  Go. 
343 


187 


GRACE  AND  MERCY  OF  GOD. 


and  learn  it  first  thyself,  and  teach  the 
people  whom  thou  belongest  to,  not  to  do 
these  things.  For  who  are  greater  drunk- 
ards, or  thieves,  or  liars,  than  thine  own 
people  ?"  Thus  we  sent  him  away  also. 
Some  time  after  this,  Christian  Henry, 
one  of  the  Brethren,  came  to  me  into  my 
hut,  and  sat  down  by  me.  The  con- 
tents of  his  discourse  to  me  were  nearly 
these  :  "  1  come  to  thee  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord  of  heaven  and  earth.  He  sends  me 
to  acquaint  thee,  that  he  would  gladly 
save  thee,  and  make  thee  happy,  and  de- 
liver thee  from  the  miserable  state  in 
which  thou  liest  at  present.  To  this  end 
he  became  a  man,  gave  his  life  a  ransom 
for  man,  and  he  shed  his  blood  for  man. 
All  that  believe  in  the  name  of  this  Jesus, 
obtain  the  forgiveness  of  sin.  To  all 
those  that  receive  him  by  faith,  he  giveth 
power  to  become  the  sons  of  God.  The 
Holy  Spirit  dwelleth  in  their  hearts,  and 
they  are  made  free,  through  the  blood  of 
Christ,  from  the  slavery  and  dominion 
of  sin.  And  though  thou  art  the  chief 
of  sinners,  yet  if  thou  prayest  to  the 
Father  in  his  name,  and  believest  in  him 
as  a  sacrifice  for  thy  sins,  thou  shalt  be 
heard  and  saved,  and  he  will  give  thee 
a  crown  of  life,  and  thou  shalt  live  with 
him  in  heaven  for  ever.'^ 

When  he  had  finished  his  discourse, 
he  lay  down  upon  a  board  in  my  hut, 
fatigued  by  his  journey,  and  fell  into  a 
sound  sleep.  1  thought  within  myself, 
vi^hat  manner  of  man  is  this  ?  There  he 
lies,  and  sleeps  so  sweetly  :  I  might  kill 
him,  and  throw  him  into  the  forest,  and 
who  would  regard  it  ?  But  he  is  uncon- 
cerned. This  cannot  be  a  bad  man  ;  he 
fears  no  evil,  not  even  from  us,  who  are 
so  savage ;  but  sleeps  comfortably,  and 
places  his  life  in  our  hands. 

However,  I  could  not  forget  his  words  ; 
they  constantly  recurred  to  my  mind ; 
even  though  I  went  to  sleep,  I  dreamed 
of  the  blood  which  Christ  had  shed  for 
us.  I  thought,  This  is  very  strange,  and 
quite  different  from  ^vhat  I  have  ever 
heard.  So  I  went,  and  interpreted 
Christian  Henry's  words  to  the  other  In- 
dians.  Thus  through  the  grace  of  God, 
an  awakening  took  place  among  us.  I 
tell  you  therefore,  brethren,  preach  to 
the  heathen  Christ,  and  his  blood,  and  his 
sufferings,  and  his  death,  if  you  would 
344 


have  your  words  to  gain  entrance 
among  them — if  you  wish  to  confer  a 
blessing  upon  them. 

187.  As  Seen  in  Pardoning  the  Guilty. 

(a)  THE  DEVIL'S  CASTAWAYS. 

— Some  ladies  called  one  Saturday 
morning  to  pay  a  visit  to  Lady  Hun- 
tingdon, and,  during  the  visit,  her  lady- 
ship inquired  of  them  if  they  had  ever 
heard  Mr.  Whitefield  preach.  Upon  be- 
ing answered  in  the  negative,  she  said, 
"  I  wish  you  would  hear  him  ;  he  is  to 
preach  to-morrow  evening."  They  pro- 
mised her  ladyship  they  would  certainly 
attend.  They  fulfilled  their  promise ; 
and  when  they  called  the  next  Monday 
morning  on  her  ladyship,  she  anxiously 
inquired  if  they  had  heard  Mr.  White- 
field  on  the  previous  evening,  and  how 
they  liked  him.  The  reply  was,  "  Oh 
my  lady,  of  all  the  preachers  we  ever 
heard,  he  is  the  most  strange  and  unac- 
countable !  Among  other  preposterous 
things,  would  your  ladyship  believe  it, 
he  declared  that  Jesus  Christ  was  so 
willing  to  receive  sinners,  that  he  did 
not  object  to  receive  even  the  devil's 
castaways  f  Now,  my  lady,  did  you  ever 
hear  of  such  a  thing  since  you  were 
born  ?"  To  which  her  ladyship  made 
the  following  reply :  "  There  is  some- 
thing, I  acknowledge,  a  little  singular 
in  the  invitation,  and  I  do  not  recollect 
to  have  ever  met  with  it  before  ;  but  as 
Mr.  Whitefield  is  below  in  the  parlor, 
we  will  have  him  up,  and  let  him  an- 
swer for  himself"  Upon  his  coming  up 
into  the  drawing-room,  Lady  Hunting- 
don said,  "  Mr.  Whitefield,  these  ladies 
have  been  preferring  a  very  heavy 
charge  aginst  you,  and  I  thought  it  best 
that  you  should  come  up  and  defend 
yourself.  They  say,  that,  in  your  ser- 
mon last  evening,  in  speaking  of  the 
willingness  of  Jesus  Christ  to  receive 
sinners,  you  expressed  yourself  in  the 
following  terms  :  '  That  so  ready  was 
Christ  to  receive  sinners  who  came  to 
him,  that  he  was  willing  to  receive  even 
the  devil's  castaways.'"  Mr.  White- 
field  immediately  replied  :  "  I  certainly, 
my  lady,  must  plead  guilty  to  the 
charge  ;  whether  I  did  what  was  right, 
or  otherwise,  your  ladyship  shall  judge 


AS  SEEN  IN  PARDONING  THE  GUILTY. 


187 


from  the  following  circumstance.  Did 
your  ladyship  notice,  about  half  an  hour 
ago,  a  very  modest  single  rap  at  the 
door  ?  It  was  given  by  a  poor,  miser- 
able-looking, aged  female,  who  request- 
ed to  speak  with  me.  I  desired  her  to 
be  shown  into  the  parlor,  when  she  ac- 
costed me  in  the  following  manner  : — 
'  I  believe,  sir,  you  preached  last  even- 
ing at  such  a  chapel.'  '  Yes,  I  did.'  'Ah, 
sir,  I  was  accidentally  passing  the  door 
of  that  chapel,  and  hearing  the  voice  of 
some  one  preaching,  I  did  what  I  never 
had  been  in  the  habit  of  doing, — I  went 
in  ;  and  one  of  the  first  things  I  heard 
you  say  was,  that  Jesus  Christ  was  so 
willing  to  receive  sinners,  that  he  did 
not  object  to  receive  the  devil's  casta- 
ways. Do  you  think,  sir,  that  Jesus 
Christ  would  receive  me  ?'"  Mr. 
Whitefield  answered  her  there  was  not 
a  doubt  of  it,  if  she  was  but  willing  to 
go  to  him.  This  was  the  case ;  it  ended 
in  the  conversion  of  the  poor  creature 
to  God.  When  she  died,  she  left  highly 
satisfactory  evidence  that  her  great 
and  numerous  sins  had  been  forgiven, 
through  the  atonement  of  the  Lord 
Jesus. 

(b)  INTENDED  SUICIDE'S 
HYMN. — A  gentleman  was  known  by 
his  nearest  and  dearest  friend,  his  wife, 
never  to  lie  down  upon  his  pillow  some 
years  before  his  death,  or  raise  his  head 
from  it  in  the  morning,  without  repeat- 
ing the  short  hymn  annexed  to  this 
anecdote  ;  and  sometimes  he  would  in- 
advertently burst  into  ejaculations  in 
company,  when  two  or  three  lines  of  it 
were  distinctly  heard  before  he  could 
recollect  himself:  the  cause  at  that  time 
was  unknown  ;  but,  after  his  decease,  a 
paper  was  found  in  his  bureau  to  the 
following  purport :  "  You  will  no  longer 
be  surprised  at  my  involuntary  effusions 
of  feeble  gratitude  to  the  Almighty, 
which  broke  forth  occasionally  in  gay 
company,  when  you  shall  read  that 
many  years  since  the  dread  of  approach- 
ing poverty,  disgrace,  humiliation,  and 
desertion  of  friends,  had  brought  me  to 
the  fatal  resolution  of  putting  an  end  to 
my  existence.  Conscious  that  I  had 
brought  misfortune  upon  a  numerous 
family  by  my  own  imprudence,  dissi- 
pation, and  pride,  I  considered  my  pun- 


ishment as  an  act  of  justice.  The  des- 
tined moment  arrived ;  already  had  I 
loaded,  primed,  and  cocked ;  when, 
strange  to  relate  !  though  I  had  not  read 
a  page  in-  the  Bible  for  years,  a  reflec- 
tion came  suddenly  across  my  mind ; 
'Jesus  of  Nazareth,'  said  I  to  myself, 
'  was  a  man  (for  I  disbelieved  in  his  di- 
vinity) acquainted  with  sorrows,  endur- 
ed a  life  of  poverty,  was  exposed  to 
public  scorn  and  derision,  suffered  pain 
of  body  and  agony  of  mind,  and  had  no- 
thing to  reproach  himself  with,  yet  this 
reformer  of  the  morals  of  mankind,  this 
benefactor  to  society,  this  illustrious  pat- 
tern of  fortitude,  patience,  and  humility, 
was,  by  an  unthankful  world,  put  to 
death  :  he  was  crucified  !  but  he  cruci- 
fied not  himself!'  Repeating  these  last 
words  a  second  time  with,  unusual  en- 
ergy, pride,  disdain,  shame,  and  con- 
tempt of  my  inability  humbly  to  imitate 
this  striking  example  of  bearing  afflic- 
tions manfully,  produced  a  passionate 
conflict  of  mind,  in  which  paroxysm  I 
madly  flung  the  pistol  some  distance 
from  me  ;  to  add  to  the  affecting  scene, 
it  went  off,  unheard  but  by  my  affection- 
ate wife,  who  religiously  kept  the  secret : 
her  consolations  restored  me  to  tempo- 
rary tranquillity,  but  the  work  of  Pro- 
vidence was  not  yet  completed  ;  not  a 
week  had  elapsed,  and  settled  melan- 
choly was  again  taking  possession  of  my 
soul,  when  a  letter  announced  the  death 
of  a  distant  relation,  and  summoned  me 
to  the  reading  of  his  will,  by  which  he 
had  bequeathed  me  sufficient  not  only 
to  clear  me  of  all  encumbrances,  but  to 
enable  me,  with  the  assistance  of  a  con- 
siderable surplus,  to  exert  my  abilities 
in  the  line  of  my  profession  for  the  sup- 
port of  my  family,  and  even  to  aim  at  a 
moderate  independence,  which  you  will 
find  I  have  at  length  acquired." 

"  Rise,  oh  my  soul !  the  hour  review. 
When,  awed  by  guilt  and  fear. 
Thou  durst  not  Heaven  for  mercy  sue. 
Nor  hope  for  pity  here ! 

Dried  are  thy  tears,  thy  griefs  are  fled, 

Dispell'd  each  bitter  care  ; 
For  Heaven  itself  did  send  its  aid. 

To  snatch  thee  from  despair ! 

Then  here,  oh  God,  thy  work  fulfil ; 
And  from  thy  mercy's  throne 
345 


18T 


GRACE  AND  MERCY  OF  GOD 


^  Vouchsafe  me  strength  to  do  thy  will, 
And  to  resist  my  own. 

So  shall  my  soul  each  power  employ 

Thy  mercies  to  adore. 
While  Heaven  itself  proclaims  with  joy 

One  rescued  sinner  more  !" 

(c)  WHITEFIELD'S  BROTHER 
CONVERTED.—Mr.  Whitefield,  bro- 
ther of  the  noted  preacher,  had  fallen 
into  a  backslidden  state  ;  but  under  a 
sermon  preached  by  his  brother  in  the 
Countess  of  Huntingdon's  chapel,  Bath, 
it  pleased  God  to  arouse  him  from  that 
state  ;  after  which,  however,  he  became 
melancholy  and  despairing.  He  was 
taking  tea  with  the  Countess  of  Hunt- 
ingdon, on  a  service  evening,  in  the 
chapel  house,  and  her  ladyship  endeav- 
ored to  raise  his  desponding  hopes  by 
conversing  on  God's  infinite  mercy 
through  Jesus  Christ ;  but,  for  a  while, 
in  vain.  "  My  lady,"  he  replied,  "  I 
know  what  you  say  is  true.  The  mer- 
cy of  God  is  infinite :  I  see  it  clearly. 
But,  ah  !  my  lady,  there  is  no  mercy  for 
me — I  am  a  wretch,  entirely  lost."  "  I 
am  glad  to  hear  it,  Mr.  Whitefield," 
said  Lady  H.  "I  am  glad  at  my 
heart  that  you  are  a  lost  man."  He 
looked  with  great  surprise.  "  What, 
my  lady,  glad  !  glad  at  your  heart  that 
I  am  a  lost  man  ?"  "  Yes,  Mr.  White- 
field,  truly  glad  ;  for  Jesus  Christ  came 
into  the  world  to  save  the  lost !"  He 
laid  down  his  cup  of  tea  on  the  table. 
"  Blessed  be  God  for  that,"  said  he, 
"  Glory  to  God  for  that  word,"  he  ex- 
claimed.  "  Oh  what  unusual  power  is 
this  which  I  feel  attending  it !  Jesus 
Christ  came  to  save  the  lost !  then  I 
have  a  ray  of  hope,"  and  so  he  went  on. 
As  he  finished  his  last  cup  of  tea,  his 
hand  trembled,  and  he  complained  of 
illness.  He  went  out  into  the  chapel 
court  for  the  benefit  of  the  air,  but  stag- 
gered to  the  wall,  exclaiming,  "  1  am 
ver}^  ill."  A  poor  old  woman,  who 
was  going  into  the  chapel,  lent  him  her 
staff'  to  support  him  into  the  house,  say- 
ing she  would  call  for  it  when  Divine 
service  was  over,  and  inquire  after  him. 
But  his  time  was  come.  Soon  after  he 
was  brought  into  the  house  he  expired. 

(d)  MR.  FULLER'S  SERMON.— 
When  the  Rev.  Andrew  Fuller  first  vis- 
ited Scotland,  a  notoriously  wicked  and 

346 


abandoned  woman,  seeing  a  number  of 
persons  thronging  the  doors  of  a  chapel, 
felt  her  curiosity  awakened,  and  being 
informed  that  an  Englishman  was  to 
preach,  she  mingled  with  the  crowd, 
and  entered  the  place.  Mr.  Fuller  took 
for  his  text  the  words,  "  Come  unto  me 
all  ye  ends  of  the  earth,  and  be  ye 
saved."  "  What  then,"  she  exclaimed 
in  her  heart,  "  surely  there  is  hope  even 
for  me  !  Wretch  as  I  am,  I  am  not  be- 
yond the  ends  of  the  earth."  She  lis- 
tened with  eager  delight,  while  the  good 
man  proclaimed  the  free  salvation  of  the 
gospel.  Hope  sprung  up  in  her  heart, 
a  hope  which  purified  as  well  as  com- 
forted ;  and  the  grace  of  God  taught 
her  to  "deny  ungodliness  and  worldly 
lusts,  and  to  live  soberly,  righteously, 
and  godly,  in  the  present  world." 

(e)  "  WHO  CAN  TELL  ?"— "  1 
have  heard,"  says  Mr.  Daniel  Wilson, 
in  a  sermon  of  his,  "  of  a  certain  per- 
son, whose  name  I  could  mention,  who 
was  tempted  to  conclude  his  day  over, 
and  himself  lost ;  that,  therefore,  it  was 
his  best  course  to  put  an  end  to  his  life, 
which,  if  continued,  would  but  serve  to 
increase  his  sin,  and  consequently  his 
misery,  from  which  there  was  no  es- 
cape ;  and  seeing  he  must  be  in  hell, 
the  sooner  he  was  there  the  sooner  he 
should  know  the  worst;  which  was 
preferable  to  his  being  worn  away  with 
the  tormenting  expectation  of  what  was 
to  come.  Under  the  influence  of  such 
suggestions  as  these,  he  went  to  a  river, 
with  a  design  to  throw  himself  in ;  but 
as  he  was  about  to  do  it,  he  seemed  to 
hear  a  voice  saying  to  him,  Who  can 
tell  ?  as  if  the  words  had  been  audibly 
delivered.  By  this,  therefore,  he  was 
brought  to  a  stand ;  his  thoughts  were 
arrested,  and  thus  began  to  work  on  the 
passage  mentioned  :  Who  can  tell  (Jo- 
nah iii.  9,)  viz.,  what  God  can  do 
when  he  will  proclaim  his  grace  glori- 
ous ?  Who  can  tell  but  such  an  one  as 
I  may  find  mercy  ?  or  what  will  be  the 
issue  of  humble  prayer  to  heaven  for  it  ? 
Who  can  tell  what  purposes  God  will 
serve  in  my  recovery  ?  By  such 
thoughts  as  these,  being  so  far  influ- 
enced as  to  resolve  to  try,  it  pleased 
God  graciously  to  enable  him,  through 
all  his  doubts  and  fears,  to  throw  him- 


GRATITUDE  TO  GOD. 


18S 


self  by  faith  on  Jesus  Christ,  as  able  to 
save  to  the  uttermost  all  that  come  to 
God  by  him,  humbly  desiring  and  ex- 
pecting mercy  for  his  sake,  to  his  •  own 
soul.     In  this  he  was  not  disappointed ; 


but  aftewards  became  an  eminent  Chris- 
tian and  minister ;  and  from  his  own 
experience  of  the  riches  of  grace,  was 
greatly  useful  to  the  conversion  and 
comfort  of  others. 


GRATITUDE. 


i  Gratitude  to  God. 


(a)  REV.  J.  BROWN'S  CONFES- 
SION.—"  No  doubt,"  said  the  late 
Rev.  J.  Brown,  of  Haddington,  Scot- 
land, "  I  have  met  with  trials  as  well  as 
others  :  yet  so  kind  has  God  been  to  me, 
that  I  think,  if  He  were  to  give  me  as 
many  years  as  I  have  already  lived  in 
the  world,  I  should  not  desire  one  single 
circumstance  in  my  lot  changed,  except 
that  I  wish  I  had  less  sin.  It  might  be 
written  on  my  coffin,  '  Here  lies  one  of 
the  cares  of  Providence,  who  early 
wanted  both  father  and  mother,  and  yet 
never  missed  them.' " 

(b)  THE  POOR  FAMILY'S  GRAT- 
ITUDE.— As  a  poor  pious  man  was 
sitting  by  his  little  fire,  one  cold  eve- 
ning, with  his  wife  and  children,  he 
said  to  them,  "  I  have  been  thinking  a 
great  deal  to-day  about  that  part  of 
Scripture — '  The  Son  of  man  hath  not 
where  to  lay  his  head.'  How  wonder- 
ful it  is,  that  we,  who  are  so  sinful,  un- 
worthy, and  helpless,  should  be  more 
favored  than  he  was  !"  "  It  is  wonder- 
ful, indeed,  father,"  said  the  eldest  girl ; 
"  for  though  our  house  is  mean,  and  our 
food  scanty,  compared  with  the  houses 
and  way  of  living  of  great  folks,  yet  it 
seems  that  Jesus  Christ  was  not  so  well 
provided  for  as  we  are."  "  I  am  right 
glad  to  hear  you  speak  in  that  way,  Sa- 
rah," said  the  wife.  "  How  happy  we 
all  are  in  our  little  dwelling  this  cold 
night ;  and  as  soon  as  we  wish  we  have 
beds  to  rest  ourselves  upon :  there, 
sharp  and  piercing  as  the  frost  is,  and 
bleak  and  stormy  as  the  wind  blows,  we 
shall  be  comfortable  and  warm  ;  and 
yet  the  Son  of  man,  as  your  father  has 
just  told  us,  '  had  not  where  to  lay  his 
head.'  Oh!  that  this  thought  may 
make  us  thankful  for  our  many  mer- 
cies !"     "  Tommy,"    said    the   father. 


"  reach  that  hymn,  which  our  dear  min- 
ister gave  you  last  Sabbath  at  the  Sun- 
day school ;  and  as  our  hearts  are  in  a 
good  frame,  let  us  try  to  keep  them  so 
by  singing  it."  The  whole  company, 
father,  mother,  and  children,  then,  with 
a  glow  of  sacred  ardor  and  pleasure, 
sung  the  hymn  entitled,  "  The  Son  of 
man  had  not  where  to  lay  his  head." 

(c)  LOSSES  FROM  RELIGION.— 
An  aged  couple,  in  the  vicinity  of  Lon- 
don, who  in  the  early  part  of  life  were 
poor,  but  who,  by  the  blessing  of  Grod 
upon  their  industry,  enjoyed  a  comfort- 
able independency  in  their  old  age, 
were  called  upon  by  a  Christian  minis- 
ter, who  solicited  their  contributions  to 
a  charity.  The  old  lady  was  disposed 
to  make  out  some  excuse,  and  to  an- 
swer in  the  negative,  both  for  her  hus- 
band and  herself;  and  therefore  re- 
plied, "  Why,  sir,  we  have  lost  a  deal 
by  religion  since  we  began  :  my  hus- 
band knows  that  very  well."  And  be- 
ing willing  to  obtain  her  husband's  con- 
sent to  the  assertion,  she  said,  "  Have 
we  not,  Thomas  ?"  Thomas,  after  a 
long  and  solemn  pause,  replied,  "  Yes, 
Mary,  we  have  lost  a  deal  by  our  reli- 
gion !  I  have  lost  a  deal  by  my  religion. 
Before  I  got  religion,  Mary,  I  had  got 
a  water  pail,  in  which  I  carried  water, 
and  that  you  know  I  lost  many  years 
ago.  And  then  I  had  an  old  slouched 
hat,  a  patched  old  coat,  and  mended 
shoes  and  stockings ;  but  I  have  lost 
them  also  long  ago.  And,  Mary,  you 
know  that,  poor  as  I  was,  I  had  a  habit 
of  getting  drunk,  and  quarreling  with 
you ;  and  that  you  know  I  have  lost. 
And  then  I  had  a  burdened  conscience, 
and  a  wicked  heart ;  and  then  I  had  ten 
thousand  guilty  feelings  and  fears  :  but 
all  are  lost,  completely  lost,  and  like  a 
millstone  cast  into  the  deepest  sea. 
And,  Mary,  you  have  been  a  loser  too, 
347 


18§,  189 


GRATITUDE  TO  MAN. 


though  not  so  great  a  loser  as  myself. 
Before  we  got  religion,  Mary,  you  had 
got  a  washing-tray,  in  which  you  wash- 
ed for  hire  ;  and  God  Almighty  blessed 
your  industry  :  but  since  we  got  reli- 
gion, you  have  lost  your  washing-tray. 
And  you  had  got  a  gown  and  bonnet 
'  much  the  worse  for  wear,  though  they 
were  all  you  had  to  wear;  but  you 
have  lost  them  long  ago.  And  you  had 
many  an  aching  heart  concerning  me, 
at  times ;  but  those  you  happily  have 
lost.  And  I  could  even  wish  that  you 
had  lost  as  much  as  I  have  lost,  and 
even  more  ;  for  what  we  lose  by  our 
religion,  Mary,  will  be  our  eternal 
gain."  We  need  not  add,  the  preacher 
did  not  go  away  without  substantial 
proof  that  Thomas  deemed  his  losses  for 
religion  his  most  weighty  obligations  to 
the  goodness  of  Almighty  God,  as  the 
richest  boon  of  grace  on  earth,  and  the 
most  authentic  pledge  of  glory  in  the 
world  to  come. 

(d)  ORIGIN  OF  THANKSGIV- 
ING  DAY. — When  New  England  was 
first  planted,  the  settlers  met  with  many 
difficulties  and  hardships,  as  is  necessa- 
rily the  case  when  a  civilized  people 
attempt  to  establish  themselves  in  a  wil- 
derness  country.  Being  piously  dis- 
posed, they  sought  relief  from  Heaven, 
by  laying  their  wants  and  distresses  be- 
fore the  Lord  in  frequent  set  days  of 
fasting  and  prayer.  Constant  medita- 
tion, and  discourse  on  the  subject  of 
their  difficulties,  kept  their  minds 
gloomy  and  discontented,  and,  like  the 
children  of  Israel,  there  were  many  dis- 
posed to  return  to  the  land  which  perse- 
cution had  determined  them  to  abandon. 
At  length,  when  it  was  proposed  in 
the  assembly  to  proclaim  another  fast,  a 
farmer,  of  plain  sense,  rose,  and  re- 
marked, that  the  inconveniences  they 
suffered,  and  concerning  which  they  had 
so  often  wearied  Heaven  with  their 
complaints,  were  not  so  great  as  might 
have  been  expected,  and  were  diminish- 
ing every  day  as  the  colony  strengthen- 
ed ;  that  the  earth  began  to  reward 
their  labors,  and  to  furnish  liberally  for 
their  sustenance  ;  that  the  seas  and  riv- 
ers were  full  of  fish,  the  air  sweet,  the 
climate  wholesome ;  above  all,  they 
were  in  the  full  enjoyment  of  liberty, 
348 


civil  and  religious.  He  therefore 
thought,  that  reflecting  and  conversing 
on  these  subjects  would  be  more  com- 
fortable, as  tending  to  make  them  more 
contented  with  their  situation;  and 
that  it  would  be  more  becoming  the 
gratitude  they  owed  to  the  Divine  Be- 
ing,  if,  instead  of  a  fast,  they  should 
proclaim  a  thanksgiving.  His  advice 
was  taken  ;  and,  from  that  day  to  this, 
they  have  in  every  year  observed  cir- 
cumstances of  public  happiness  sufficient 
to  furnish  employment  for  a  thanksgiv- 
ing day. 

(e)  APT  SAYING  OF  BOWDLER 
— Sir  W.  W.  Pepys,  in  a  letter  to  Mrs. 
Hannah  More,  1825,  says,  "  We  are  just 
now  reading  in  an  evening  a  memoir 
of  Mr.  John  Bowdler,  written  by  his  son, 
which  shows  him  to  have  been  worthy 
of  that  excellent  family  to  which  he  be- 
longed. I  have  long  known  and  highly 
respected  Thomas  Bowdler,  but  of  John 
I  knew  nothing,  except  an  admirable 
saying,  which  I  remember  was  attribu- 
ted to  him,  some  years  ago,  when  it  was 
the  fashion  to  lament  over  the  state  of 
this  unhappy  country.  "  If,"  said  he, 
"  a  man  were  to  go  from  the  northern 
to  the  southern  extremity  of  this  island, 
with  his  eyes  shut  and  his  ears  open, 
he  would  think  that  the  country  was 
sinking  into  an  abyss  of  destruction: 
but  if  he  were  to  return  with  his  ears 
shut  and  his  eyes  open,  he  would  be 
satisfied  that  we  had  the  greatest  reason 
to  be  thankful  for  our  prosperity." 


189.   Gratitude  to  Man. 

(a)  "  WHY  DO  YOU  PLANT 
TREES  ?" — A  very  poor  and  aged  man, 
busied  in  planting  and  grafting  an  apple 
tree,  was  rudely  interrupted  by  the  in- 
terrogation, "  Why  do  you  plant  trees, 
who  cannot  hope  to  eat  the  fruit  of  them?" 
He  raised  himself  up,  and,  leaning  upon 
his  spade,  replied,  "  Some  one  planted 
trees  before  I  was  born,  and  I  have  eat- 
en the  fruit;  I  now  plant  for  others, 
that  the  memorial  of  my  gratitude  may 
exist  when  I  am  dead  and  gone." 

(h)  GRATITUDE  FOR  GRATI- 
TUDE.— A  complete  reverse  having 
taken  place  in  a  gentleman's  circum- 
stances,  by  his  too  great  readiness  to 


HAPPINESS,  RELIGIOUS. 


189,  190 


lend  his  money  to  those  who  deceived 
him,  he  was  obliged  in  his  old  age  to 
dismiss  all  his  domestics.  It  was,  how- 
ever, his  happiness  to  have  one  among 
them,  who,  knowing  the  cause,  said  to 
him  with  tears,  "  I  have  now,  sir,  been 
your  servant  five-and-twenty  years  ;  I 
have  always  honored  and  respected 
you :  you  have  treated  me  with  the 
kindness  of  a  master,  a  father,  and  a 
friend.  I  have  saved  some  scores  of 
pounds  in  your  service,  that  I  might  be 
comfortable  in  my  old  age ;  but  I  can- 
not live  in  peace,  while  I  see  you  in  dis- 
tress. To  you,  under  the  good  care  of 
Providence,  I  owe  my  life  ;  to  you  I  am 
indebted  for  much  good  instruction,  and 
for  the  salvation  of  my  soul.  I  beg  you 
will  accept  of  my  purse,  and  all  it  con- 
tains. He  that  feedeth  the  ravens,  and 
letteth  not  a  sparrow  fall  unheeded  to 
the  ground,  will  not  forsake  me  !  I  am 
yet  able  for  service :  suffer  me  to  at- 
tend your  fortunes,  and  be  your  servant 
still."  She  drew  tears  from  her  old 
master  by  these  and  other  affectionate 
expressions  ;  he  wept  at  her  generosity, 
accepted  her  offer  of  service,  and  she 
remained  with  him. 

Now,  reader,  mark  the  result;  and 
be  encouraged  to  every  act  of  kindness 
to  others  within  your  power,  especially 
to  those  from  whom  you  have  derived 
your  best  enjoyments,  and  who  may 
have  seen  better  days.  Not  long  after 
she  had  resumed  her  place,  a  relation 
of  her  master  died,  and  left  him  a  good 
fortune.  How  must  this  have  rejoiced 
the  heart  of  a  servant  so  attached  !  But 
one  particular  yet  remains.  When  her 
master  died,  he  bequeathed  this  faithful 
servant  a  comfortable  maintenance. 

(c)  MR.  CATHCART'S  DIARY.— 
Mr.  Cathcart,  of  Drum,  was  in  the  prac- 
tice of  keeping  a  diary,  which  however 
included    one     particular    department. 


seldom  to  be  found  in  like  cases.  Mr. 
Cathcart  describes  his  plan  and  object 
in  the  following  words  : — "  A  memorial 
of  acts  of  kindness,  that  as  memory  is 
liable  to  fail,  and  as  the  kindness  and 
friendship  of  former  times  may  be  for- 
gotten, the  remembrance  of  friendly 
offices  done  to  the  writer  or  to  his 
family,  or  to  his  particular  friends, 
might  be  preserved,  in  order  that  he 
may  himself  repay  the  debt  in  grateful 
acknowledgements  while  he  lived,  and 
that  his  family  after  him  might  know  to 
whom  their  father  owed  obligations,  and 
might  feel  every  debt  of  gratitude  due 
by  him  as  obligations  on  themselves." 

(d)  THE  GRATEFUL  NEGRO. 
— An  Englishman,  a  native  of  York- 
shire, going  to  reside  at  Kingston,  in 
Jamaica,  was  reduced  from  a  state  of 
affluence  to  very  great  distress ;  so 
much  so,  that  in  the  time  of  sickness 
he  was  destitute  of  home,  money,  med- 
icine, food,  and  friends.  Just  in  this 
time  of  need,  an  old  negro  Christian 
offered  his  assistance ;  which  being 
gladly  accepted,  this  "  neighbor  to  him" 
bought  medicine,  and  administered  it 
himself;  furnished  nourishment;  sat 
up  three  nights  ;  and,  in  short,  acted 
the  part  of  doctor,  nurse,  and  host. 
Through  the  blessing  of  God,  the  old 
negro's  efforts  were  rendered  success- 
ful in  the  recovery  of  the  sick  man  : 
who  then  inquired  what  expenses  he 
had  been  at,  and  promised  remuneration 
as  soon  as  possible.  The  generous  old 
Christian  replied,  "  Massa,  you  no  owe 
me  nothing  ;  me  owe  you  much  still." 
"  How  do  you  make  that  out  ?"  said 
the  restored  man.  "  Why,  massa,  me 
neber  able  to  pay  you ;  because  you 
taught  me  to  read  de  word  of  God !" 
This  reply  so  affected  the  man,  that  he 
resolved,  from  that  time,  to  seek  the 
Lord. 


HAPPINESS,  RELIGIOUS. 


190.  In  Perils  and  Dangers. 

(a)  CHRISTIAN  CALMNESS.— 
"Some  impressions,"  says  a  young 
man,  who  went  out  as  a  missionary  to 


the  heathen,  "  of  the  importance  and 
necessity  of  true  religion,  were  made 
upon  my  mind  at  a  very  early  period. 
The  first  particular  one  that  I  recollect 
was,  I  think,  when  I  was  about  five 
349 


190 


HAPPINESS,  RELIGIOUS. 


years  of  age.  There  happened  one  day 
a  very  violent  storm  of  thunder  and 
lightning  in  our  neighborhood ;  on 
which  occasion  a  few  Christian  friends, 
who  lived  near  us,  terrified  by  its  vio- 
lence, came  into  my  father's  house. 
When  under  his  roof,  in  a  moment  there 
came  a  most  vivid  flash,  followed  by  a 
dreadful  peal  of  thunder,  which  much 
alarmed  the  whole  company  except  my 
father,  who  turning  towards  my  mother 
and  our  friends,  with  the  greatest  com- 
posure, repeated  these  words  of  Dr. 
Watts : 

"  The  God  that  rules  on  high, 
And  thunders  when  he  please ; 

That  rides  upon  the  stormy  sky, 
And  manages  the  seas: 

This  awful  God  is  ours  ; 

Our  father  and  our  love,"  &c. 

These  words,  accompanied  with  such 
circumstances,  sunk  deep  into  my  heart. 
I  thought  how  safe  and  happy  are  those 
who  have  the  great  God  for  their  father 
and  friend  ;  but,  being  conscious  that  I 
had  sinned  against  him,  I  was  afraid  he 
was  not  my  father,  and  that,  instead  of 
loving  me,  he  was  angry  with  me  ;  and 
this,  for  some  time  after,  continued  to 
distress  and  grieve  my  mind."  He 
then  proceeds  to  say,  that  these  early 
impressions  were  succeeded  by  others 
which  terminated  in  his  conversion. 

(b)  PASSENGERS  OF  THE 
KENT.— The  efficacy  of  faith  in  the 
word  of  God,  to  support  the  mind  in  the 
hour  of  trouble,  has  often  been  the  sub- 
ject of  conversation,  and  its  power  has 
been  very  strikingly  illustrated.  The 
writer  of  the  interesting  "Narrative 

OF    THE    Loss    OF    THE    KeNT    EaST     In- 

DiAMAN,"  in  1825,  states  that,  when 
that  vessel  was  on  fire,  several  of  the 
soldiers'  wives  and  children,  who  had 
fled  for  temporary  shelter  into  the  afler- 
cabins  on  the  upper  deck,  were  engaged 
in  prayer  and  in  reading  the  Scriptures 
with  the  ladies ;  some  of  whom  were 
enabled,  with  wonderful  self-possession, 
to  offer  to  others  those  spiritual  consola- 
tions, which  a  firm  and  intelligent  trust 
in  the  Redeemer  of  the  world  appeared 
at  this  awful  hour  to  impart  to  their  own 
breasts.  The  dignified  deportment  of 
two  young  ladies,  in  particular,  formed 
a  specimen  of  natural  strength  of  mind, 
350 


finely  modified  by  Christian  feeling, 
that  failed  not  to  attract  the  notice  and 
admiration  of  every  one  who  had  an  op- 
portunity of  witnessing  it.  On  the  me- 
lancholy announcement  being  made  to 
them,  that  all  hope  must  be  relinquish- 
ed, and  that  death  was  rapidly  and  in- 
evitably approaching,  one  of  the  ladies 
above  referred  to,  calmly  sinking  down 
on  her  knees,  and  clasping  her  hands 
together,  said,  "  Even  so,  come.  Lord 
Jesus!"  and  immediately  proposed  to 
read  a  portion  of  the  Scriptures  to  those 
around  her;  her  sister,  with  nearly 
equal  composure  and  coUectedness  of 
mind,  selected  the  forty-sixth  and  other 
appropriate  Psalms;  which  were  ac- 
cordingly read,  with  intervals  of  prayer, 
by  those  ladies  alternately,  to  the  as- 
sembled females. 

(c)  THE  CAPTAIN  AND  THE 
PILOT. — A  pious  captain,  when  sail- 
ing down  the  Mississippi,  had  the  mis- 
fortune to  have  his  vessel  so  much  in- 
jured, that  there  was  great  danger  of  the 
loss  of  both  ship  and  cargo.  Though 
placed  in  this  perilous  situation,  he  ma- 
nifested a  composure  which  evinced  that 
his  mind  was  stayed  on  his  God,  while 
he  omitted  nothing  that  could  be  done 
to  save  the  property  intrusted  to  his  care. 

While  in  this  situation,  there  came 
to  his  aid  one  of  the  pilots  on  that  station, 
who,  by  his  own  account,  neither  feared 
God  nor  regarded  man ;  and,  after  of- 
fering his  services,  began  to  storm  and 
swear.  After  a  little  time,  however,  he 
began  to  contrast  his  conduct  with  the 
captain's  and  said  to  himself,  "  How  is 
it  that,  while  I  have  nothing  at  risk,  I 
am  swearing  as  though  it  were  mine ; 
and  the  captain,  who  has  property  and 
reputation  at  stake,  seems  perfectly 
calm  ?  It  must  be  his  religion,  and,  as 
I  have  a  Bible  on  board  my  boat,  I  will 
immediately  commence  reading  it,  and 
see  if  I  can  find  what  his  religion  is.'* 
He  did  read,  and  the  Spirit  of  God  ap- 
plied the  truth.  He  became  convinced 
that  he  was  a  lost  sinner,  and  that  with- 
out the  religion  which  he  had  seen  so 
impressively  exhibited,  he  must  be  lost. 
Conviction  resulted  in  conversion  ;  and 
he  afterwards  called  on  the  captain,  to 
tell  him  what  the  Lord  had  done  for  his 
soul. 


IN  ILLNESS— MISCELLANEOUS  EXAMPLES. 


191,  192 


191.  In  Illness. 

(a)  APOSTOLICAL  REPLY.—"  I 
was  called  upon,"  says  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Trefit,  an  American  minister,  "some 
years  ago,  to  visit  an  individual,  a  part 
of  whose  face  had  been  eaten  away  by 
a  most  loathsome  cancer.  Fixing  my 
eyes  on  this  man  in  his  agony,  I  said, 
'  Supposing  that  Almighty  God  were  to 
give  you  your  choice :  whether  would 
you  prefer,  your  cancer,  your  pain,  and 
your  sufferings,  with  a  certainty  of 
death  before  you,  but  of  immortality 
hereafter;  or,  health,  prosperity,  long 
life  in  the  world,  and  the  risk  of  losing 
your  immortal  soul  V  '  Ah,  sir  !'  said 
the  man,  '  give  me  the  cancer,  the  pain, 
the  Bible,  the  hope  of  heaven ;  and 
others  may  take  the  world,  long  life,  and 
prosperity !'  " 

(b)  THE  CABINET  OF  JEWELS. 
— As  I  entered  the  apartment  where  a 
sick  person  was  confined,  says  a  gentle- 
man in  England,  she  looked  at  me  with 
a  peaceful  smile  upon  her  countenance, 
and,  grasping  my  hand,  exclaimed,  "  I 
know  you  are  one  of  the  servants  of  my 
Lord  and  Master,  by  coming  with  my 
worthy  kind  friend.  Oh,  how  good, 
how  very  good  is  my  dear  Savior,  in 
sending  one  and  another  of  his  children  to 
visit  so  poor  and  worthless  a  sinner  as  I 
am  !  I  weep,  but  they  are  not  the  tears 
of  grief,  but  of  gratitude."  She  re- 
quested me  to  sit  down  by  her  bed-side, 
and  said,  "As  you  are  a  stranger,  let 
me  tell  you  what  the  Lord  my  God  hath 
done  for  my  soul.  You  perceive,  dear 
sir,  I  am  in  the  furnace ;  but  my  hap- 
piness is  this,  that  Zion's  God  sits  by  as 
the  skilful  refiner,  watching  with  an  ob- 
servant eye,  that  nothing  be  lost  but 
that  which  is  vile  and  refuse  ;  and  when 
I  am  thoroughly  tried,  I  shall  come  forth 
like  gold  seven  times  purified,  either  to 
join  the  celestial  choirs,  or  to  be  spared 
a  little  longer  in  the  world,  that  I  may 
honor  Him  that  remembered  me  in  my 
low  estate.  And  shall  I  tell  you,  dear 
sir,  that  I  have  been  confined  to  this  bed 
eighteen  months,  but  not  one  moment 
too  long  ;  no !  thanks  be  to  his  dear 
name,  I  have  had  the  staff  of  consolation 
to  support  me,  as  well  as  his  rod  to  cor- 


rect me,  and  every  twig  of  it  is  an  em- 
blem of  love." 


192.  Miscellaneons  Examples. 

(a)  ONE  OF  THE  DAYS  OF 
HEAVEN.— Mr.  Flavel,  at  one  time 
on  a  journey,  set  himself  to  improve  his 
time  by  meditation ;  when  his  mind 
grew  intent,  till  at  length  he  had  such 
ravishing  tastes  of  heavenly  joy,  and 
such  full  assurance  of  his  interest  there- 
in, that  he  utterly  lost  the  sight  and 
sense  of  this  world  and  all  its  concerns, 
so  that  he  knew  not  where  he  was.  At 
last,  perceiving  himself  faint  through  a 
great  loss  of  blood  from  his  nose,  he 
alighted  from  his  horse,  and  sat  down  at 
a  spring,  where  he  washed  and  refresh- 
ed himself,  earnestly  desiring,  if  it  were 
the  will  of  God,  that  he  might  there 
leave  the  world.  His  spirits  reviving, 
he  finished  his  journey  in  the  same  de- 
lightful frame.  He  passed  that  night 
without  any  sleep,  the  joy  of  the  Lord 
still  overflowing  him,  so  that  he  seemed 
an  inhabitant  of  the  other  world.  After 
this,  a  heavenly  serenity  and  sweet 
peace  long  continued  with  him  ;  and  for 
many  years  he  called  that  day  "  one  of 
the  days  of  heaven  !"  and  professed  that 
he  understood  more  of  the  life  of  heaven 
by  it,  than  by  all  the  discourses  he  had 
heard,  or  the  books  he  ever  read. 

(b)  GLORIOUS  VIEWS  OF  GOD. 
— rThe  Rev.  William  Tennent  had 
preached  one  Lord's  day  morning  to 
his  congregation,  and  in  the  intermis- 
sion had  walked  into  the  woods  for  med- 
itation, the  weather  being  warm.  He 
was  reflecting  on  the  infinite  wisdom  of 
God,  as  manifested  in  all  his  works,  and 
particularly  in  the  wonderful  method  of 
salvation  through  the  death  and  suffer- 
ings  of  his  beloved  Son.  This  subject 
suddenly  opened  on  his  mind  with  such 
a  flood  of  light,  that  his  views  of  the 
glory  and  the  infinite  majesty  of  Jeho- 
vah were  so  inexpressibly  great,  as  en- 
tirely to  overwhelm  him ;  and  he  fell 
almost  lifeless  to  the  ground.  When  he 
had  revived  a  little,  all  he  could  do  was 
to  raise  a  fervent  prayer,  that  God 
would  withdraw  himself  from  him,  or 
that  he  must  perish  under  a  view  of  his 
inefl^able  glory.     When  able  to  reflect 

351 


192 


HAPPINESS.  RELIGIOUS. 


on  his  situation,  he  could  not  but  abhor 
himself  as  a  weak  and  despicable  worm  ; 
and  seemed  to  be  overcome  with  aston- 
ishment, that  a  creature  so  unworthy 
and  insufficient,  had  ever  dared  to  at- 
tempt the  instruction  of  his  fellow  men 
in  the  nature  and  attributes  of  so  glori- 
ous a  Being.  Overstaying  his  usual 
time,  some  of  his  elders  went  in  search 
of  him,  and  found  him  prostrate  on  the 
ground,  unable  to  rise,  and  incapable  of 
informing  them  of  the  cause.  They 
raised  him  up,  and,  after  some  time, 
brought  him  to  the  church,  and  support- 
ed him  to  the  pulpit,  which  he  ascend- 
ed on  his  hands  and  knees,  to  the  no 
small  astonishment  of  the  congregation. 
He  remained  silent  a  considerable  time, 
earnestly  supplicating  Almighty  God  to 
hide  himself  from  him,  that  he  might  be 
enabled  to  address  his  people,  who  were 
by  this  time  lost  in  wonder  to  know 
what  had  produced  this  uncommon 
event.  His  prayers  were  heard,  and 
he  became  able  to  stand  up,  by  holding 
the  desk  :  and  in  a  most  affecting  and 
pathetic  address,  he  gave  an  account  of 
the  views  he  had  of  the  infinite  wisdom 
of  God,  and  deplored  his  own  incapaci- 
ty to  speak  to  them  concerning  a  Being 
so  infinitely  glorious  beyond  all  his 
powers  of  description.  He  then  broke 
out  into  so  fervent  and  expressive  a 
prayer,  as  greatly  to  surprise  the  con- 
gregation, and  draw  tears  from  every 
eye.  A  sermon  followed  which  con- 
tinued the  solemn  scene,  and  made  veiy 
lasting  impressions  on  the  hearers. 

(c)  ENJOYING  GOD.— I  have  here, 
said  Rev.  Mr.  Fuller,  two  religious 
characters,  who  were  intimately  ac- 
quainted in  early  life.  Providence  fa- 
vored one  of  them  with  a  tide  of  pros- 
perity. The  other,  fearing  for  his 
friend,  lest  his  heart  should  be  over- 
charged with  the  cares  of  this  life  and 
the  deceitfulness  of  riches,  one  day  ask- 
ed him  whether  he  did  not  find  prosper- 
ity a  snare  to  him.  He  pau.sed,  and 
answered,  "  I  am  not  conscious  that  I 
do,  for  I  enjoy  God  in  all  things." 
Some  years  after,  his  affairs  took  anoth- 
er turn.  He  lost,  if  not  the  whole,  yet 
the  far  greater  part  of  what  he  had 
once  gained,  and  was  greatly  reduced. 
His  old  friend  being  one  day  in  his 
352 


company,  renewed  his  question,  wheth- 
er he  did  not  find  what  had  lately  be- 
fallen him  to  be  too  much  for  him. 
Again  he  paused,  and  answered,  "  I  am 
not  conscious  that  I  do,  for  now  I  enjoy 
all  things  in  God."  This  was  truly  a 
life  of  faith. 

(d)  POOR  MAN'S  GRATITUDE. 
— A  gentleman  of  very  considerable 
fortune,  but  a  stranger  both  to  personal 
and  family  religion,  one  evening  took  a 
solitary  walk  through  part  of  his 
grounds.  He  happened  to  come  near 
to  a  mean  hut,  where  a  poor  man  lived 
with  a  numerous  family,  who  earned 
their  bread  by  daily  labor.  He  heard 
a  continued  and  pretty  loud  voice.  Not 
knowing  what  it  was,  curiosity  prompt- 
ed him  to  listen.  The  man,  who  was 
piously  disposed,  happened  to  be  at 
prayer  with  his  family.  So  soon  as  he 
could  distinguish  the  words,  he  heard 
him  giving  thanks,  with  great  afliection, 
to  God  for  the  goodness  of  his  provi- 
dence, in  giving  them  food  to  eat  and 
raiment  to  put  on,  and  in  supplying 
them  with  what  was  necessary  and 
comfortable  in  the  present  life.  He 
was  immediately  struck  with  astonish- 
ment and  confusion,  and  said  to  himself, 
"  Does  this  poor  man,  who  has  nothing 
but  the  meanest  fare,  and  that  pur- 
chased by  severe  labor,  give  thanks  to 
God  for  his  goodness  to  himself  and  fam- 
ily ;  and  I,  who  enjoy  ease  and  honor, 
and  every  thing  that  is  pleasant  and  de- 
sirable, have  hardly  ever  bent  my  knee, 
or  made  any  acknowledgment  to  my 
Maker  and  Preserver !"  It  pleased 
God  to  make  this  providential  occur- 
rence the  means  of  bringing  him  to  a 
real  and  lasting  sense  of  religion. 

(e)  THE  FAMILY  HERITAGE.— 
The  Rev.  W.  Thorpe,  of  Bristol,  (Eng.) 
was  once  preaching  in  London,  from 
Rom.  viii.  28  :  "  We  knovV  that  all 
things  work  together  for  good  to  them 
that  love  God,  to  them  who  are  the  called 
according  to  his  purpose."  After  re- 
marking that  these  words  were  doubtless 
intended  for  the  common  benefit  of  the 
Christian  church,  he  added,  "  But  I  have 
looked  upon  them  likewise  as  a  kind  of 
family  heritage.  They  formed  the  favor- 
ite  text  of  my  venerated  father,  who  found 
in  it  consolation  and  support  in  the  course 


MISCELLANEOUS  EXAMPLES. 


192 


of  a  difficult  and  laborious  ministry.  It 
was  no  less  dear  to  the  heart  of  my 
mother,  who  used  to  quote  it  in  her  easy 
chair,  and  on  her  pillow  of  rest.  When 
the  weight  of  affliction  overcame  her 
feelings  in  the  hour  of  trial,  then  she 
used  to  say,  '  Let  me  sit  down  and  rest 
myself,  for  we  know  that  all  things 
work  together  for  good  to  them  that 
love  God,  to  them  who  are  the  called 
according  to  his  purpose.'  My  father 
was  removed  in  the  midst  of  his  pious 
career,  and  in  the  vigor  of  his  manhood, 
leaving  behind  him  a  large  and  unedu- 
cated family,  and  but  little  of  the  goods 
of  earth.  My  mother  was  then  confined 
in  childbed,  having  been  delivered  the 
day  before  my  father  expired.  The 
last  words  uttered  by  him  to  my  mother, 
in  this  distressing  situation  were,  '  Call 
the  child  Christiana;  all  things  must 
work  together  for  good  to  them  that  love 
God.'  To  make  the  measure  of  sorrow 
full,  it  happened  that  all  the  rivers  of 
the  neighborhood  were  overflowing  at 
that  season,  causing  on  all  sides  incon- 
venience, damage,  and  distress ;  and 
the  water  was  a  foot  deep  on  the  ground- 
floor  of  the  house !  Still  she  always 
affirmed  that  this  season  of  calamity 
was  the  happiest  period  of  her  life,  in 
which  she  derived  the  fulness  of  consola- 
tion from  the  words  of  our  text.  When, 
a  few  days  after  my  father  had  been 
carried  to  his  place  of  rest,  our  house 
was  robbed  of  every  thing  that  could  be 
borne  away,  and  also  of  the  last  quar- 
ter's salaiy  which  my  mother  had  re- 
ceived ;  and  when,  having  discovered 
our  loss,  my  eldest  sister  ran  breathless 
into  her  mother's  chamber,  exclaiming, 
'  Mother,  the  thieves  have  stolen  all  we 
had  in  this  world ;  will  this  also  work 
together  for  good  V  this  Christian  re- 
plied, '  Yes,  for  we  know  that  all  things 
work  together  for  good  to  them  that 
love  God.'  And  the  result  justified  her 
confidence." 

(/)  GLORYING  IN  TRIBULA- 
TION.— Guy  de  Brez,  a  French  mmis- 
fer,  was  prisoner  in  the  castle  of  Tour- 
nay,  in  Belgium.  A  lady  who  visited 
him  said,  "  She  wondered  how  he  could 
eat,  or  drink,  or  sleep  in  quiet."  "  Mad- 
am," said  he,  "  my  chains  do  not  terrify 
me,  or  break  my  sleep  ;  on  the  contrary, 
23 


I  glory  and  take  delight  therein,  es-    I 
teeming  them    at    a  higher  rate  than    I 
chains  and  rings  of  gold,  or  jewels  of 
any  price  whatever.     The  rattling  of 
my  chains  is  like  the  effect  of  an  instru-     I 
ment  of  music  in  my  ears :  not  that 
such  an  effect  comes  merely  from  my     \ 
chains,  but  it  is  because  1  am  bound     | 
therewith  for  maintaining  the  truth  of 
the  gospel." 

(g)  HOWARD  IN  TRIALS.— The 
celebrated  philanthropist,  Howard,  who 
spent  the  best  part  of  his  life  in  travel- 
ing over  all  the  countries  of  Europe, — 
"  to  plunge  into  the  infection  of  hospi- 
tals,— to  survey  the  mansions  of  sorrow 
and  pain, — to  remember  the  forgotten, 
and  to  visit  the  forsaken,  under  all 
climes," — was  not  unhappy  amidst  his 
toils.  In  a  letter  from  Riga,  during  his 
last  journey,  he  says,  "  I  hope  I  have 
sources  of  enjoyment  that  depend  not  on 
the  particular  spot  I  inhabit ;  a  rightly 
cultivated  mind,  under  the  power  of  re- 
ligion and  the  exercise  of  beneficent 
dispositions,  affords  a  ground  of  satisfac- 
tion little  affected  by  heres  and  theres^ 

(h)  SCIENCE  AND  RELIGION. 
— It  was  a  usual  saying  of  Pascal,  that 
the  sciences  produced  no  consolation  in 
the  times  of  affliction ;  but  the  know, 
ledge  of  Christianity  was  a  comfort  both 
in  adversity,  and  defect  of  all  other 
knowledge. 

(0  THE  CRIPPLE  AND  HIS  BL 
BLE. — At  a  meeting  of  the  Blackheath 
Auxiliary  Bible  Society,  in  the  year 
1815,  Dr.  Gregory,  of  Woolwich,  (Eng.) 
related  the  following  very  interesting 
facts : — More  than  twelve  months  ago, 
I  went,  pursuant  to  the  request  of  a 
poor,  but  benevolent-hearted  woman  in 
my  neighborhood,  to  visit  an  indigent 
man  deeply  afflicted.  On  entering  the 
cottage,  I  found  him  alone,  his  wife 
having  gone  to  procure  him  milk  from  a 
kind  neighbor.  I  was  startled  by  the 
sight  of  a  pale,  emaciated  man,  a  living 
image  of  death,  flistened  upright  in  his 
cnair,  by  a  rude  mechanism  of  cords 
and  belts  hanging  from  the  ceiling.  He 
was  totally  unable  to  move  either  hand 
or  foot,  having  more  than  four  years 
been  entirely  deprived  of  the  use  of  his 
limbs,  yet  the  whole  time  suffering  ex- 
treme anguish  from  swellings  at  all  his 
353 


192 


HAPPINESS,  RELIGIOUS. 


/    joints.     As  soon  as  I   had  recovered  a 

'  little  from  my  surprise  at  seeing  so  piti- 
able an  object,  I  asked,  "  Are  you  left 
alone,   my   friend,   in    this   deplorable 

I  situation  ?"  "  No,  sir,"  replied  he,  in 
a  touchingly  feeble  tone  of  mild  nesigna- 
tion,    (nothing   but   his   lips   and   eyes 

'^  moving  while  he  spake,)  "I  am  not 
alone,  for  God  is  with  me."  On  ad- 
vancing, I  soon  discovered  the  secret  of 
his  striking  declaration  ;  for  his  wife 
had  left  on  his  knees,  propped  with  a 
cushion  formed  for  the  purpose,  a  Bible, 
lying  open  at  a  favorite  portion  of  the 
Psalms  of  David  !  I  sat  down  by  him, 
and  conversed  with  him.  On  ascertain- 
ing that  he  had  but  a  small  weekly  al- 
lowance certain,  I  inquired  how  the  re- 
mainder of  his  wants  were  supplied. 
"  Why,  sir,"  said  he,  "  'tis  true,  as  you 
say,  seven  shillings  a  week  would  never 
support  us ;  but,  when  it  is  gone,  I  rely 
upon  the  promise  I  found  in  this  book  : 
'  Bread  shall  be  given  him ;  his  waters 
shall  be  sure ;'  and  I  have  never  been 
disappointed  yet ;  and  so  long  as  God  is 
faithful  to  his  word,  I  never  shall."  I 
asked  him  if  he  ever  felt  tempted  to  re- 
pine under  the  pressure  of  so  long-con- 
tinued and  heavy  a  calamity.  "  Not 
for  the  last  three  years,"  said  he, 
"blessed  be  God  for  it;"  the  eye  of 
faith  sparkling  and  giving  life  to  his 
pallid  countenance  while  he  made  the 
declaration :  "for  1  have  learned  from 
this  book  in  whom  to  believe :  and, 
though  I  am  aware  of  my  weakness  and 
unworthiness,  I  am  persuaded  that  He 
will  'not  leave  me,  nor  forsake  me.' 
And  so  it  is,  that  often,  when  my  lips 
are  closed  with  locked  jaw,  and  I  can- 
not speak  to  the  glory  of  God,  He  ena- 
bles me  to  sing  His  praises  in  my  heart." 
Gladly  would  I  sink  into  the  obscuri- 
ty of  the  same  cottage;  gladly  even 
would  I  languish  in  the  same  chair ; 
could  I  but  enjoy  the  same  uninterrupt- 
ed communion  with  God,  be  always 
filled  with  the  same  "  strong  consolar 
tion,"  and  constantly  behold,  with  equal- 
ly vivid  percGf  tion,  the  same  celestial 
crown  sparkling  before  me. 

(j)  EXAMPLE  OF   HALL.— Mr. 
Hall,  after  the  death  of  one  of  his  chil- 
dren, appeared  as  usual  in  his  pulpit  on 
the  following   Sabbath,  and,  under  the 
354 


influence  of  chastened  and  holy  feeling, 
addressed  his  congregation  from  the 
language  of  David,  after  he  had  been 
deprived  of  his  son :  "  I  shall  go  to  him, 
but  he  shall  not  return  to  me."  He 
very  properly  remarked,  that  while  the 
child  was  living,  but  doomed  to  die,  the 
afflicted  saint  fasted,  prayed,  and  wept, 
if  peradventure  his  days  mignt  still  be 
prolonged  ;  but  when  the  event  was  de- 
cided, he  evinced  his  fortitude  and  deep 
submission  to  the  will  of  Heaven.  He 
arose  from  the  earth,  changed  his  mourn- 
ing attire,  and  went  up  to  the  house  of 
the  Lord.  The  ordinary  custom  of  ab- 
staining from  public  worship,  was  ac- 
commodating ourselves  to  the  false 
maxims  of  the  world,  and  injurious  to 
our  spiritual  interests.  In  a  season  of 
calamity,  whither  should  we  go,  but  to 
Him  who  alone  is  able  to  sustain  and 
comfort  us,  and  to  the  place  where  he 
has  promised  to  meet  with  us  and 
bless  us  ? 

(k)  JOY  IN  GRIEF.— The  Cleve- 
land  Herald  relates  the  following  touch- 
ing incident,  connected  with  the  burn- 
ing of  the  steamboat  Vermillion,  on 
Lake  Erie : 

"  Among  the  sufferers  was  a  young 
man  by  the  name  of  Robinson,  mate  of 
the  schooner  Ohio.  Young  and  active, 
he  delighted  in  his  profession,  and  bid 
fair  to  become  an  ornament  to  it.  He 
had  but  a  day  or  two  before  united  him- 
self in  that  '  holiest  of  ties,  wedded  love,' 
to  the  fair  girl  of  his  choice ;  and  was 
on  the  way  with  his  bride  to  spend  the 
'  honey-moon'  with  his  aged  mother, 
who  resides  in  this  city,  when  death, 
with  all  its  most  appalling  horrors,  came 
upon  them  both  in  a  moment,  and  sum- 
moned them  hence  to  that  '  bourne  from 
whence  no  traveller  returns.' 

"  The  mother  was  anxiously  expect- 
ing their  arrival,  when  the  sad  news  of 
their  untimely  fate  was  communicated 
to  her.  Folding  her  hands  upon  her 
breast,  and  lifting  her  eyes  to  heaven, 
she  exclaimed  in  the  spirit  of  the  true 
Christian, — 'The  Lord  gave,  and  the 
Lord  hath  taken  away ;  blessed  be  the 
name  of  the  Lord.'  " 

(I)  A  SINGULAR  BOND.— I  have 
read  of  a  godly  man,  says  Mr.  Brooks, 
who    living  near  a    philosopher   often 


HEARERS  OF  THE  GOSPEL. 


192,  193 


strove  to  persuade  him  to  become  a 
Christian.  Oh,  but,  said  the  philosopher, 
I  must,  or  may,  lose  my  all  for  Christ. 
To  which  the  good  man  replied,  If  you 
lose  any  thing  for  Christ,  he  will  repay 
it  a  hundred-fold.  Ay,  but,  said  the 
philosopher,  will  you  be  bound  for 
Christ,  that  if  he  doth  not  pay  me,  you 
will  ?  Yes,  that  I  will,  said  the  good 
man !  So  the  philosopher  became  a 
Christian,  and  the  good  man  entered  in- 
to bond  for  the  performance  of  covenants. 
Some  time  after  it  happened  that  the 
philosopher  fell  sick.  On  his  death-bed, 
and  holding  the  bond  in  his  hand,  he  sent 
for  the  party  engaged,  to  whom  he  gave 
up  the  bond,  and  said,  Christ  hath  paid 
all,  there  is  nothing  for  you  to  pay  ;  take 
your  bond  and  cancel  it ;  no  man  shall 


ever  have  occasion  to  say  that  he  has 
been  loser  by  Christ. 

(m)  GOD  WITH  THE  EXILES. 
— I  have  read,  says  Brooks,  of  a  com- 
pany of  poor  Christians  who  were  ban- 
ished into  some  remote  part;  and  one 
standing  by  seeing  them  pass  along, 
said,  that  it  was  a  very  sad  condition 
those  poor  people  were  in,  to  be  thus 
hurried  from  the  society  of  men  and 
made  companions  with  the  beasts  of  the 
field.  True,  said  another,  it  were  a  sad 
condition  indeed  if  they  were  carried  to 
a  place  where  they  should  not  find  their 
God  ;  but  let  them  be  of  good"  cheer,  God 
goes  along  with  them,  and  will  exhibit 
the  comforts  of  his  presence  whitherso- 
ever they  go.  God's  presence  with  his 
people  is  a  spring  that  never  fails. 


\ 


193.  HEARERS  OF  THE  GOSPEL. 


(a)  INFLUENCE  OF  FAULT- 
FINDING.—The  Rev.  Mr.  Beckwith 
says  : — "  I  was  once  conversing  with  a 
young  and  successful  minister  of  the 
gospel,  who  related  to  me  the  following 
circumstances.  When  he  was  quite  a 
child,  he  heard  a  minister  preach  on 
repentance.  This  was  on  the  forenoon 
of  a  Sabbath.  His  feelings  were  ex- 
cited, and  he  had  almost  determined, 
before  the  conclusion  of  the  sermon,  to 
perform  the  duty  without  delay.  In 
this  state  of  mind  he  went  to  the  house 
of  God  in  the  afternoon,  and  heard  the 
same  minister  on  the  judgment.  He 
was  still  more  deeply  impressed,  and 
came  to  the  resolution  to  attend  to  re- 
ligion immediately.  But,  as  he  passed 
from  the  sanctuary,  he  overheard  two 
professing  Christians  conversing  on  the 
sermon.  '  A  very  solemn  discourse,' 
said  one.  '  Yes,'  replied  the  other, 
but — '  and  he  proceeded  to  make  some 
critical  remark,  the  effect  of  which  was, 
for  that  time  at  least,  to  erase  all  serious 
impressions  from  the  mind  of  the 
youth."  How  often  do  we  witness  this 
evil ! 

(b)  BURNING  THE  BUSHEL— 
— A  poor  woman  went  to  hear  a  sermon, 
wherein,  among     other    evil    practices 


the  use  of  dishonest  weights  and  mea- 
sures was  exposed .  W  ith  this  discourse 
she  was  much  affected.  The  next  day 
when  the  minister,  according  to  his  cus- 
tom, went  among  his  hearers,  and  called 
upon  the  woman,  he  took  occasion  to 
ask  her  what  she  remembered  of  his 
sermon.  The  poor  woman  complained 
much  of  her  bad  memory,  and  said  she 
had  forgotten  almost  all  that  he  deliver- 
ed. "  But  one  thing,"  said  she,  "  I  re- 
membered ;  I  remembered  to  burn  my 
bushel."  A  doer  of  the  word  cannot  be 
a  forgetful  hearer. 

(c)  THE  DEAF  WORSHIPER. 
— "  I  have  in  my  congregation,"  said  a 
venerable  minister  of  the  gospel,  "  a 
worthy  aged  woman,  who  has  for  many 
years  been  so  deaf  as  not  to  distin- 
guish the  loudest  sound,  and  yet  she  is 
always  one  of  the  first  in  the  meeting. 
On  asking  the  reason  of  her  constant  at- 
tendance (as  it  was  impossible  for  her  to 
hear  my  voice),  she  answered,  '  Though 
I  cannot  hear  you,  I  come  to  God's 
house  because  1  love  it,  and  would  be 
found  in  his  ways;  and  he  gives  me 
many  a  sweet  thought  upon  the  text 
when  it  is  pointed  out  to  me :  another 
reason  is  because  there  I  am  in  the  best 
company,  in  the  more  immediate  pres- 
355 


193 


HEARERS  OF  THE  GOSPEL. 


/ 


ence  of  God,  and  among  his  saints,  the 
honorable  of  the  earth.  I  am  not  sat- 
isfied with  serving  God  in  private ;  it  is 
my  duty  and  privilege  to  honor  him 
regularly  in  public'  "  What  a  reproof 
this  is  to  those  who  have  their  hearing, 
and  yet  always  come  to  a  place  of  wor- 
ship late  or  not  at  all ! 

(d)  "  YOU  AND  ME."— When  sit- 
ting under  the  ministry  of  a  devoted 
servant  of  God,  says  a  gentleman,  he 
on  one  occasion  preached  upon  the 
Diotrephesian  spirit.  In  his  usual  faith- 
ful manner,  he  pointed  out  its  sad 
effects  upon  a  church,  until  in  his  ap- 
plication he  came  so  close,  that  I  was 
surprised,  knowing,  as  I  did,  how  de- 
lightful the  harmony  had  always  been 
in  that  church.  I  soon  began  to  per- 
suade myself,  however,  that  there  was 
a  Diotrephes  there,  but  could  not  sat- 
isfy myself  who  it  was.  Finally,  I 
ventured  to  seek  information,  and  turn- 
ing to  a  good  brother,   an  elder  in  the 

church,  I  said,  Mr.   L ,  who  does 

Mr.  S.  mean  ?  "  You  and  me,''  was  his 
quick  reply.  I  have  never  asked 
since,  who  my  minister  meant,  when  he 
was  delivering  the  message  of  his 
M^  aster 

(e)  FAULT-FINDING  AND 
PRAYING. — Tavo  young  men,  who 
were  members  of  the  same  church  in 
New  England,  were  one  day  engaged 
in  conversation  respecting  their  minis- 
ter ;  when  one  asked  the  other,  "Are 
you  interested  in  our  pastor's  preach- 
ing?" "Yes,"  replied  the  other,  "I 
am  indeed ;  I  derive  instruction  and 
profit  from  his  discourses."  "Well," 
said  his  friend,  "  I  am  sure  I  can't  feel 
so ;  I  am  very  far  from  being  interested 
in  his  labors,  or  getting  any  benefit  from 
them."  "  Perhaps,"  rejoined  the  other, 
"  you  don't  pray  for  our  minister ;  do 


you 


?" 


No,   I   confess   I   do   not." 


"  Well,  it  strikes  me  that  your  neglect 


of  this  duty  explains  your  want  of  in- 
terest in  his  ministry.  Now  let  me 
urge  you  to  remember  him  daily  in 
your  closet  supplications,  and  I  presume 
the  more  you  are  exercised  in  praying 
for  him,  the  more  you  will  be  blessed 
in  hearing  from  him."  The  fault-find- 
ing brother  took  the  advice ;  and  some 
months  afterwards  he  met  with  his 
friend  and  stated  the  result.  He  had 
given  his  minister  a  large  place  in  hia 
petitions,  and  meanwhile  his  minister 
had  taken  an  equally  large  place  in  hia 
aftections  ;  and  if  the  minister  derived 
no  benefit  from  his  praying,  he  surely 
derived  great  benefit  from  his  preaching. 
(/)  DR.  CHALMERS'  CONGRE- 
GATION.—It  is  well  known,  that  the 
genius  and  eloquence  of  this  popular 
clergyman,  during  his  stay  in  Glasgow, 
attracted  immense  crowds  to  his  church, 
and  the  feeling  of  disappointment  when 
a  stranger  entered  his  pulpit,  was  but 
too  visible  for  any  one  to  mistake  it. 

On  one  occasion  the  Rev.  Dr. of 

-,  having   made  an  exchange  with 


Dr.  Chalmers,  was  so  struck  and  irri- 
tated,  on  entering  the  pulpit,  with  the 
reluctant  advance  of  the  assembling 
auditory,  and  the  quick  retreat  of  many 
from  the  pews,  that  he  stood  up,  and  ad- 
dressing the  congregation,  said,  "  We 
will  not  begin  the  public  worship  of 
God,  till  the  chaff  blows  off."  We 
need  not  say  that  these  words  had  the 
desired  effect,  and  that  the  audience  be- 
came stationary  under  this  severe  re- 
buke. 

(g)  HEARING  AND  PRAYING. 
— Mr.  Philip  Henry  notes  in  his  diary 
the  saying  of  a  pious  hearer  of  his  own, 
as  what  much  affected  him  : — "  I  find  it 
easier,"  said  the  good  man,  "  to  go  six 
miles  to  hear  a  sermon,  than  to  spend 
one  quarter  of  an  hour  in  meditating 
and  praying  over  it  in  secret,  as  I  should, 
when  I  come  home." 


356 


HEAVEN,  VIEWS  AND  FORETASTES  OF. 


194 


194.  HEAVEN,  VIEWS  AND  FORETASTES  OF. 


(a)  DYING  SAYING  OF  PRES- 
TON.— The  more  you  are  acquainted 
with  God  while  you  live,  the  more  wil- 
ling you  will  be  to  die,  to  go  to  him ; 
for  death,  to  a  child  of  God,  is  nothing 
else  but  a  resting  with  God,  in  whose 
bosom  he  hath  often  been  by  holy  me- 
ditation, when  he  was  alive.  Dr.  Pres- 
ton, when  he  was  dying,  used  these 
words :  "  Blessed  be  God,  though  1 
change  my  place  I  shall  not  change  my 
company ;  for  I  have  walked  with  God 
while  living,  and  now  I  go  to  rest  with 
God." 

(b)  THREE  WONDERS  IN 
HEAVEN.— John  Newton  said, 
"  When  I  get  to  heaven,  I  shall  see 
three  wonders  there  ; — the  first  wonder 
will  be  to  see  many  people  there  whom 
I  did  not  expect  to  see — the  second  won- 
der will  be  to  miss  many  people  whom 
I  did  expect  to  see — and  the  third,  and 
greatest  wonder  of  all,  will  be  to  find 
myself  there." 

(c)  DISTINCTIONS  OF  NO  SER- 
VICE.— A  distinguished  character  had 
an  extraordinary  mark  of  distinction 
and  honor  sent  him  by  his  prince  as  he 
lay  on  his  death-bed.  "  Alas !"  said  he, 
looking  coldly  upon  it,  "  this  is  a  mighty 
fine  thing  in  this  country;  but  I  am 
just  going  to  a  country  where  it  will  be 
of  no  service  to  me." 

(d)  "  I  SHALL  KNOW  BY  NEXT 
CHRISTMAS."  —  The  author  of  a 
pamphlet,  entitled,  "  Circumstantial  De- 
tails of  the  Last  Moments  of  Mr.  Fox," 
relates  the  following  particulars  : — A 
nobleman  mentioning  that  he  had  form- 
ed a  party  of  pleasure  for  Christmas,  in 
which  he  had  included  Mr.  Fox,  added, 
"It  will  be  a  new  scene,  sir;  and  I 
think  you  will  approve  of  it."  "  I  shall 
indeed  be  in  a  new  scene  by  Christmas 
next,"  said  Mr.  Fox.  "  My  lord,  what 
do  you  think  of  the  state  of  the  soul 

after  death  ?"     Lord ,  confounded 

by  the  unexpected  turn  of  the  conversa- 
tion, made  n6  reply.  Mr.  Fox  continu- 
ed, "  That  it  is  immortal,  I  am  con- 
vinced. The  existence  of  the  Deity  is 
a   proof  that   spirit   exists ;    why   not, 


therefore,  the  soul  of  man  ?  And  if 
such  an  essence  as  the  soul  exists,  by 
its  nature  it  may  exist  for  ever.  I 
should  have  believed  in  the  immortality 
j  of  the  soul,  though  Christianity  had 
never  existed  ;  but  how  it  acts  as  sepa- 
rated from  the  body,  is  beyond  my  ca- 
pacity of  judgment.  This,  however,  I 
shall  know  by  next  Christmas." 

(e)  "YOU  WILL  BE  A  DUKE 
BUT  I  SHALL  BE  A  KING."— A 
consumptive  disease  seized  the  eldest 
son  and  heir  of  the  Duke  of  Hamilton, 
which  ended  in  his  death.  A  little  be- 
fore his  departure  from  the  world,  he 
lay  ill  at  the  family  seat  near  Glasgow. 
Two  ministers  came  to  see  him,  one  of 
whom  at  his  request  prayed  with  him. 
After  the  minister  had  prayed,  the  dy- 
ing youth  put  his  hand  back,  and  took 
his  Bible  from  under  his  pillow,  and 
opened  it  at  the  passage,  "  I  have  fought 
a  good  fight,  I  have  finished  my  course, 
I  have  kept  the  faith ;  henceforth  there 
is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of  righteous- 
ness, which  the  Lord,  the  righteous 
Judge,  shall  give  me  at  that  day,  and 
not  to  me  only,  but  unto  all  them  that 
love  his  appearing."  "  This,  sirs,"  said 
he,  "is  all  my  comfort."  As  he  was 
lying  one  day  on  the  sofa,  his  tutor  was 
conversing  with  him  on  some  astrono- 
mical subject,  and  about  the  nature  of 
the  fixed  stars.  "  Ah,"  said  he,  "  in  a 
little  while  I  shall  know  more  of  this 
than  all  of  you  together."  When  his 
death  approached,  he  called  his  brother 
to  his  bed-side,  and,  addressing  him  with 
the  greatest  affection  and  seriousness, 
he  closed  with  these  remarkable  words : 
"  And  now  Douglas,  in  a  little  time  you 
will  be  a  duke,  but  I  shall  be  a  king." 
(/)  THE  CHILD'S  ANSWERS. 
— A  little  child,  when  dying,  was  asked 
where  it  was  going;  "To  heaven," 
said  the  child.  "  And  what  makes  you 
wish  to  be  there  ?"  "  Because  Christ  is 
there."  "  But,"  said  a  friend,  "  what 
if  Christ  should  leave  heaven  ?" 
"Well,"  said  the  child,  "I  will  go 
with  him." 

357 


194 


HEAVEN,  VIEWS  AND  FORETASTES  OF. 


(g)  WORDS  OF  REV.  THOMAS 
HALYBURTON.— "Oh,  blessed  be 
God  that  I  was  born,"  said  this  holy 
man  when  dying.  "  I  have  a  father  and 
a  mother,  and  ten  brethren  and  sisters 
in  heaven,  and  I  shall  be  the  eleventh. 
Oh,  blessed  bo  the  day  that  I  was  ever 
born  !  Oh,  that  I  were  where  he  is ! 
And  yet,  were  God  to  withdraw  from 
me,  I  should  be  weak  as  water.  All  that 
I  enjoy,  though  it  be  miracle  on  miracle, 
would  not  support  me  without  fresh  sup- 
plies from  God.  The  thing  I  rejoice  in 
is  this,  that  God  is  altogether  full ;  and 
that  in  the  Mediator,  Christ  Jesus,  is  all 
the  fulness  of  the  Godhead,  and  it  will 
never  run  out.  If  there  be  such  a  glory 
in  Christ's  conduct  towards  me  now, 
what  will  it  be  to  see  the  Lamb  in  the 
midst  of  the  throne  !  My  peace  hath 
been  like  a  river.  Blessed  be  God  that 
I  was  ever  born." 

(h)  GLORIOUS  THING  TO  DIE. 
— Mr.  N.  R.  Cobb,  of  Boston,  so  much 
noted  for  his  benevolence,  a  short  time 
before  his  death  said  :  "  Within  the  few 
last  days,  I  have  had  some  glorious 
views  of  heaven.  It  is  indeed  a  glorious 
thing  to  die.  I  have  been  active  and 
busy  in  the  world.  I  have  enjoyed  it  as 
much  as  any  one.  God  has  prospered 
me.  I  have  every  thing  to  tie  me  here. 
I  am  happy  in  my  family ;  I  have  pro- 
perty enough  ;  but  how  small  and  mean 
does  this  world  appear  when  we  are  on 
a  sick  bed !  Nothing  can  equal  my  en- 
joyment in  the  near  prospect  of  heaven. 
My  hope  in  Christ  is  worth  infinitely 
more  than  all  other  things.  The  blood 
of  Christ,  the  blood  of  Christ ;  none  but 
Christ." 

(0  DYING  WORDS  OF  MR.  H.  S. 
GOLDING.— A  little  before  his  death, 
when  his  brother  said  to  him,  "  You 
seem  to  enjoy  foretastes  of  heaven,"  he 
replied,  "Oh,  this  is  no  longer  a  fore- 
taste ;  this  is  heaven !  I  not  only  feel 
the  climate,  but  I  breathe  the  fine  am- 


brosial air  of  heaven,  and  soon  shall  en- 
joy the  company !"  The  last  words 
which  he  was  heard  to  utter,  were, 
"Glory,  glory,  glory."  He  died  in  the 
twenty-fourth  year  of  his  age. 

(j)  MR.  REN  WICK'S  JOY.— Mr. 
Renwick,  the  last  of  the  Scottish  mar- 
tyrs, speaking  of  his  sufferings  for  con- 
science' sake,  says:  "Enemies  think 
themselves  satisfied  that  we  are  put  to 
wander  in  mosses,  and  upon  mountains  ; 
but  even  amidst  the  storms  of  these  last 
two  nights,  I  cannnot  express  what  sweet 
times  I  have  had,  when  I  had  no  cover- 
ing but  the  dark  curtains  of  night.  Yea, 
in  the  silent  watch,  my  mind  was  led 
out  to  admire  the  deep  and  inexpressible 
ocean  of  joy,  wherein  the  whole  family 
of  heaven  swim.  Each  star  led  me  to 
wonder  what  He  must  be,  who  is  the 
star  of  Jacob,  of  whom  all  stars  borrow 
their  shining." 

(k)  ADRIANUS  AND  THE  MAR- 
TYRS.— One  Adrianus,  in  ancient 
times,  seeing  the  martyrs  suffer  such 
grievous  things  in  the  cause  of  Christ, 
asked,  "What  is  that,  which  enables 
them  to  bear  such  sufferings  ?"  One  of 
them  replied,  "  Eye  hath  not  seen,  nor 
ear  heard,  neither  hath  it  entered  into 
the  heart  of  man,  the  things  which  God 
hath  prepared  for  them  that  love  him." 
These  words  were  like  apples  of  gold  in 
a  '  net-work'  of  silver,  for  they  made  him 
not  only  a  convert  but  a  martyr  too. 

(/)  THE  DYING  HOTTENTOT. 
— An  old  Hottentot  having  been  taken 
ill,  was  visited  by  Mr.  Reid,  a  mission- 
ary. He  said,  "  This  is  the  message  of 
death  !  I  shall  now  go  and  see  the 
other  country,  where  I  have  never  been, 
but  which  I  long  to  see !  I  am  weary 
of  every  thing  here  !  I  commit  too  much 
sin  here.  I  wish  to  be  free  from  it ;  I 
cannot  understand  things  well  here,  and 
you  cannot  understand  me.  The  Lord 
has  spoken  much  to  me,  though  I  can- 
not explain  it." 


S58 


HOLY  SPIRIT,  AGENCY  OF,  ETC. 


195 


195.  HOLY  SPIRIT,  AGENCY  OF,  IN  CONVICTION  AND 
CONVERSION.* 


(a)  THE  INFIDEL  AND  THE 
FIRST  CHAPTER  OF  JOHN.— 
Francis  Junius  the  younger  was  a  con- 
siderable scholar,  but  by  no  means  pre- 
judiced in  favor  of  the  Scriptures,  as 
appears  by  his  own  account,  which  is 
as  follows : — My  father,  who  was  fre- 
quently reading  the  New  Testament, 
and  had  long  observed  with  grief  the 
progress  I  had  made  in  infidelity,  had 
put  that  book  in  my  way  in  his  library, 
in  order  to  attract  my  attention,  if  it 
might  please  God  to  bless  his  design, 
though  without  giving  me  the  least  inti- 
mation of  it.  Here,  therefore,  I  unwit- 
tingly opened  the  New  Testament,  thus 
providentially  laid  before  me.  At  the 
very  first  view,  as  I  was  deeply  engaged 
in  other  thoughts,  that  grand  chapter  of 
the  evangelist  and  apostle  presented  it- 
self to  me,  "  In  the  beginning  was  the 
Word,"  &c.  I  read  part  of  the  chapter, 
and  was  so  affected,  that  I  instantly  be- 
came struck  with  the  divinity  of  the  ar- 
gument, and  the  majesty  and  authority 
of  the  composition,  as  infinitely  surpass- 
ing the  highest  flights  of  human  elo- 
quence. My  body  shuddered  ;  my  mind 
was  all  in  amazement;  and  I  was  so 
agitated  the  whole  day,  that  I  scarce 
knew  who  I  was.  "  Thou  didst  re- 
member me,  O  Lord  my  God,  according 
to  thy  boundless  mercy,  and  didst  bring 
back  the  lost  sheep  to  thy  flock."  From 
that  day  God  wrought  so  mightily  in  me 
by  the  power  of  his  Spirit,  that  I  began 
to  have  less  relish  for  all  other  studies 
and  pursuits,  and  bent  myself  with 
greater  ardor  and  attention  to  every 
thing  which  had  a  relation  to  God. 

(b)  "  OH  THE  GRACE  OF  GOD !" 
— John  Dickson  was  a  farmer  in  the 
parish  of  Ratho,  near  Edinburgh,  and 
was  for  a  long  time  negligent  and  irre- 

*  Scripture  bids  us  trace  all  genuine  cases 
of  conviction  and  conversion  to  the  operations 
of  the  Holy  Spirit;  but  in  the  cases  here  pre- 
sented, reason  too  bids  us  recognize  this  divine 
agency,  as  the  other  agencies  employed  are  not 
those  which  would  naturally  produce  such  re- 
sults. 


ligious.  It  pleased  God  to  take  away 
his  wife,  and  it  became  necessary  for 
him  to  have  a  nurse  in  the  house,  who 
happily  was  a  pious  woman.  When 
his  infant  daughter  was  about  twenty 
months  old,  she  was  in  the  room  with 
her  father  and  several  of  his  profane 
companions.  Most  unexpectedly  the 
child  repeated,  in  its  infantine  tones, 
"  Oh  the  grace  of  God  !"  an  exclamation 
she  had  often  heard  from  her  nurse. 
The  attention  of  the  father  was  thus  ex- 
cited, the  Holy  Spirit  led  him  to  deep 
and  serious  reflections,  and  thus  was  his 
conversion  to  God  effected. 

(c)  "AND  HE  DIED."— A  certain 
libertine,  of  most  abandoned  character, 
happened  to  stroll  into  a  church,  where 
he  heard  the  fifth  chapter  of  Genesis 
read,  stating  that  such  and  such  persons 
lived  so  long  a  time,  and  yet  the  con- 
clusion was,  they  "died;"  Seth  lived 
912  years,  "  and  he  died;"  Enos,  905, 
"  and  he  died."  The  frequent  repetition 
of  the  words,  "he  died,"  notwithstanding 
the  great  length  of  years  they  had  lived, 
impressed  him  so  forcibly  with  the 
thought  of  death  and  eternity,  that, 
through  Divine  grace,  he  became  an  ex- 
emplary Christian. 

{d)  THE  PERTINENT  TEXT. 
— One  Sabbath  morning,  while  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Bedell,  of  Philadelphia,  was  preach- 
ing, a  young  man  passed  by,  with  a 
number  of  companions,  as  gay  and 
thoughtless  as  himself.  One  of  them 
proposed  to  go  into  the  church,  saying, 
"  Let  us  go  and  hear  what  this  man  has 
to  say,  that  every  body  is  running  af- 
ter." The  young  man  made  this  awful 
answer,  "  No,  1  would  not  go  into  such  a 
place  if  Christ  himself  was  preaching." 
Some  weeks  after,  he  was  again  passing 
the  church,  and  being  alone,  and  having 
nothing  to  do,  he  thought  he  would  go 
in  without  being  observed.  On  opening 
the  door  he  was  struck  with  awe  at  the 
solemn  silence  of  the  place,  though  it 
was  much  crowded.  Every  eye  was 
fixed  on  the  preacher,  who  was  to  be- 
gin his  discourse.  His  attention  was 
359 


195 


HOLY  SPIRIT,  AGENCY  OF,  ETC 


instantly  caught  by  the  text,  "  I  dis- 
cerned among  the  youths  a  young  man 
void  of  understanding :"  Prov.  vii.  7. 
His  conscience  was  smitten  by  the 
power  of  truth.  He  saw  that  he  was 
the  young  man  described.  A  view  of 
his  profligate  life  passed  before  his  eyes, 
and,  for  the  first  time,  he  trembled  un- 
der the  feeling  of  sin.  He  remained  in 
the  church  till  the  preacher  and  congre- 
gation had  passed  out ;  then  slowly  re- 
turned to  his  home.  He  had  early 
received  infidel  principles,  but  the  Holy 
Spirit  who  had  aroused  him  in  his  folly, 
led  him  to  a  constant  attendance  on  the 
ministry  of  Dr.  B.,  who  had  been  the 
instrument  of  awakening  his  mind.  He 
cast  away  his  besetting  sin,  and  gave  him- 
self to  a  life  of  virtue  and  holiness,  ^e 
afterwards  declared  openly  his  faith  in 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  his  desire  to 
devote  himself  to  his  service. 

(e)  "WHAT  HAST  THOU 
DONE  FOR  ME  ?"— A  clergyman  in 
Germany,  who  had  exercised  the  minis- 
terial office  for  twelve  years,  while  des- 
titute of  faith  in,  and  love  to  the 
Redeemer,  one  day  was  invited,  by 
a  wealthy  citizen,  one  of  the  members 
of  his  congregation,  with  some  other 
guests,  to  a  collation  at  his  house.  Di- 
rectly opposite  to  him  on  the  wall,  hung 
a  picture  of  Christ  on  the  cross,  v/ith 
two  lines  written  under  it : — 

"  I  did  this  for  thee  ; 
What  hast  thou  done  for  me  ?" 

The  picture  caught  his  attention: 
as  he  read  the  lines  they  seemed  to 
pierce  him,  and  he  was  involuntarily 
seized  with  a  feeling  he  never  experi- 
enced before.  Tears  rushed  into  his 
eyes :  he  said  little  to  the  company,  and 
took  his  leave  as  soon  as  he  could.  On 
the  way  home  these  lines  constantly 
sounded  in  his  ears, — divine  grace  pre- 
vented all  philosophical  doubts  and  ex- 
planations from  entering  his  soul, — he 
could  do  nothing  but  give  himself  up 
entirely  to  the  overpowering  feeling: 
even  during  the  night,  in  his  dreams, 
the  question  stood  always  before  his 
mind,  "  What  hast  thou  done  for  me  ?" 
He  died  in  about  three  months  after  this 
remarkable  and  happy  change  in  his 
temper  and  views,  triumphing  in  the 
360 


Savior,   and  expressing  his  admiration 
of  his  redeeming  love. 

(/)  "  ME  TELL  THE  GREAT 
MASSA."— A  poor  black  boy,  the 
property  of  a  slave-holder  in  Africa, 
having  heard  of  the  preaching  of  the 
missionaries,  felt  a  strong  desire  to  go 
and  hear  about  Jesus  Christ.  For  this 
purpose  he  crept  secretly  away  one 
evening,  but  being  obliged  to  pass  un- 
der the  window  of  the  house,  his  master 
observed  him,  and  called  out,  "  Where 
are  you  going  ?"  The  poor  fellow 
came  back  trembling,  and  said,  "  Me  go 
to  hear  the  missionaries,  massa."  "  To 
hear  the  missionaries,  indeed ;  if  ever 
you  go  there,  you  shall  have  nine  and 
thirty  lashes,  and  be  put  in  irons." 
With  a  disconsolate  look,  the  poor  black 
replied,  "  Me  tell  Massa,  me  tell  the 
great  Massa."  "  Tell  the  great  Massa," 
replied  the  master,  "  what  do  you 
mean  V  "  Me  tell  the  great  Massa, 
the  Lord  in  Heaven,  that  my  massa  was 
angry  with  me,  because  I  wanted  to  go 
and  hear  his  word."  The  master  was 
struck  with  astonishment,  his  color 
changed,  and  unable  to  conceal  his 
feelings,  he  hastily  turned  away,  say- 
ing, "  Go  along,  and  hear  the  missiona- 
ries." Being  thus  permitted,  the  poor 
boy  gladly  complied.  In  the  mean 
time,  the  mind  of  the  master  became 
restless  and  uneasy.  He  had  not  been 
accustomed  to  think  that  he  had  a  Mas- 
ter in  heaven,  who  knew  and  observed 
all  his  actions ;  and  he  at  length  deter- 
mined to  follow  his  slave,  and  see  if 
there  could  be  any  peace  obtained  for 
his  troubled  spirit ;  and  creeping  unob- 
served, he  slunk  into  a  secret  corner, 
and  eagerly  listened  to  the  words  of  the 
missionary.  That  day  Mr.  Kircherer 
addressed  the  natives  from  those  Avords, 
— "  Lovest  thou  me  ?"  "Is  there  no 
poor  sinner,"  said  he,  "  who  can  an- 
swer this  question  ?  not  one  poor  slave 
who  dares  to  confess  him  ?"  Here  the 
poor  slave  boy,  unable  to  refrain  any 
longer,  sprang  up,  and  holding  up  both 
his  hands,  while  the  tears  streamed 
down  his  cheeks,  cried  out  with  eager- 
ness, "  Yes,  massa,  me  love  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ ;  me  do  love  him,  me  love 
him  with  all  my  heart."  The  master 
was  still  more  astonished,  and  he  went 


HOLY  SPIRIT,  AGENCY  OF,  ETC. 


«*«j/ 


home  convinced  of  the  blessings  the 
gospel  brings,  and  became  a  decided 
Christian. 

(g)  THE  DEAF  MAN'S  CON- 
VERSION.— One  of  the  most  remark- 
able cases  of  conversion  in  the  great 
revival  at  Wilton,  Ct.,  in  1822,  was  that 
of  an  aged  deaf  man.  This  person  had 
not  been  able  to  hear  a  sermon  for  thirty 
years,  and  had  long  been  totally  stupid 
on  the  subject  of  religion.  But  without 
knowing  there  was  any  such  thing  as  a 
revival  in  the  place,  he  became  deeply 
impressed  in  regard  to  his  soul.  How 
or  by  what  means  he  could  not  tell ; 
but  he  was  brought  under  pungent  con- 
victions, and  at  length  led  to  hope  and 
rejoice  in  Christ. 

(h)  REMARKABLE  INSTANCES 
OF  CONVERSION.— Rev.  Roswell 
Burrows,  of  Groton,  Ct.,  speaking  of  a 
great  revival  which  occurred  in  1819, 
in  the  Second  Baptist  church  in  that 
town,  mentions  the  following  facts, 
which  strikingly  exhibit  the  divine 
agency  in  conviction  and  conversion. 
Mr.  B.  says :  Convictions  have  gene- 
rally taken  place  in  the  attendance  on 
the  word  preached ;  but  in  many  in- 
stances without  any  special  means,  and 
under  circumstances  seemingly  the 
most  forbidding,  some  of  which  I  would 
notice. 

A  Mr.  ,  who  had  not  attended 

any  religious  meeting  for  six  mcyiths  or 
more,  and  but  one  day  previous  was  al- 
most blaspheming  respecting  this  work, 
was  taken  on  his  bed  at  night  with  such 
horror  as  to  prevent  further  sleep,  or 
his  taking  but  little  sustenance  for  sev- 
eral days  ;  when  he  went  to  the  man 
he  previously  hated  the  most  of  all 
men,  and  made  a  most  humble  and  peni- 
tent confession  of  secret  injuries  he 
had  done,  earnestly  begging  his  forgive- 
ness, and  asking  his  prayers.  He  soon 
after  was  brought  to  admire  the  grace 
he  had  despised. 

A  similar  case  was  that  of  one  who 
had  not  attended  any  religious  meetings 
for  perhaps  ten  years  or  more,  and 
whose  conduct,  a  little  before,  had  been 
of  the  most  daring  nature. 

In  two  instances,  in  close  succession, 
he  was  in  imminent  danger  ;  he  made 
promises  to  God  if  he  would  spare  him 


he  would  fear  and  serve  him.  He  ob- 
tained his  request  in  what  he  thought  a 
miraculous  deliverance.  In  both  in- 
stances he  turned  round  and  laughed, 
as  though  in  defiance  of  God  !  In  a 
few  weeks  afterwards,  without  any  spe- 
cial means,  either  of  worship,  reading 
or  religious  instruction,  his  awful  state 
was  set  before  him. 

His  distress  continued  about  two 
weeks,  when  all  hope  of  forgiveness  left 
him.  In  his  agony  of  soul  he  was 
heard  in  the  woods  more  than  half  a 
mile,  which  brought  his  neighbors  to 
the  place  to  learn  the  cause.  They 
did  not  approach  until  they  perceived  his 
voice  to  fail.  They  went  to  him  and 
found  him  prostrate  and  helpless.  Soon 
after  they  had  carried  him  to  his  house, 
he  came  to,  in  as  great  an  ecstasy  of  joy 
as  any  pardoned  criminal  ever  experi- 
enced. 

(?:)  THE  BUTCHER  AND  HIS 
WIFE.— The  Rev.  Mr.  Fletcher,  the 
pious  vicar  of  Madely,  Eng.,  relates 
that  going  into  the  pulpit  one  Sabbath 
morning,  he  could  recollect  no  part  of 
his  sermon,  not  even  the  text.  Feeling 
exceedingly  perplexed  in  his  mind,  and 
not  willing  to  dismiss  the  people  without 
saying  any  thing,  he  thought  that  he 
would  endeavor  to  make  a  few  remarks 
upon  the  "morning's  lesson,  which  was 
respecting  the  three  worthies  who  were 
cast  into  the  furnace  of  fire.  Finding 
uncommon  and  unexpected  enlargement 
of  spirit  in  so  doing,  he  announced  to 
the  congregation  at  the  close,  that  if 
there  was  any  person  present  to  whom 
those  remarks  more  particularly  applied, 
he  desired  that  they  would  call  upon 
him,  in  the  course  of  the  week.  On 
Wednesday  a  woman  called,  and  in- 
formed him  that  she  had  been  under  se- 
rious impressions  for  some  time  ;  but 
that  her  husband,  who  was  a  butcher, 
constantly  opposed  her,  and  forbid  her 
attending  any  of  the  religious  meetings, 
even  at  the  parish  church,  on  Sunday ; 
that  on  the  last  Sabbath  morning  he  told 
her  that  if  she  should  presume  to  go  to 
church,  he  would  build  up  a  great  fire 
in  the  oven,  and  throw  her  into  it,  as 
soon  as  she  came  home.  But  she  re- 
solved to  go,  and  says  she,  "  Sir,  while 
you  were  speaking  of  the  three  young 
361 


19ft 


HOLY  SPIRIT,  AGENCY  OF,  ETC. 


men  who  were  thrown  into  the  fiery  fur- 
nace, because  they  would  not  sin  against 
God,  I  thought  it  was  just  my  case, 
and  it  pleased  the  Lord  then  and  there 
to  set  my  soul  at  liberty.  I  went  home 
with  a  light  heart,  trusting  that  the 
Lord  would  be  with  me.  When  I  came 
near  the  house,  I  saw  the  flames  issuing 
from  the  oven,  and  knowing  what  a  man 
my  husband  was,  I  expected  to  be  im- 
mediately thrown  into  it.  But  what 
was  my  amazement  upon  opening  the 
door,  instead  of  being  thrown  into  the 
oven,  to  find  my  husband  upon  his  knees 
crying  for  mercy."  Says  Mr.  Fletch- 
er, "I  then  knew  why  1  had  forgotten 
my  sermon,  and  was  led  to  speak  upon 
something  else." 

0)  A  DIFFICULT  CASE.—"  It  is 
unphilosophical,"  says  a  modem  writer, 
"  to  introduce  divine  agency  when  ade- 
quate human  means  are  in  exercise." 
Suppose  we  should,  for  argument's  sake, 
grant  it ;  there  are  still  left  multitudes 
of  problems,  that  this  writer  and  kindred 
errorists  will  not  easily  solve  ;  cases 
where  "  adequate  human  means"  were 
not  in  exercise.  Were  any  such  means 
employed  in  the  following  instance  ? 

A  young  man  who  was  very  thought- 
less and  negligent  of  religion,  and  to 
whom  no  person  had  spoken  on  the  sub- 
ject, as  he  was  standing  engaged  in  an 
engrossing  employment,  became  sud- 
denly and  remarkably  impressed  with  a 
sense  of  the  being  and  character  of  God. 
His  unutterable  emotions  were  not  those 
of  fear,  but  of  reverence,  solemnity  and 
tenderness.  His  mental  exclamation  was, 
"  Oh  the  being,  the  majesty,  the  goodness 
of  God !  And  ,how  have  I  neglected 
Him  !"  His  frame  trembled,  and  tears, 
floods  of  tears,  gave  vent  to  his  feelings.* 

Was  there  any  adequate  human 
means  here  ?  Do  men  get  excited  upon 
politics,  poetry  or  philosophy  in  this 
way  ?  How  can  any  body  be  so  wil- 
fully  blind  to  the  operations  of  God's 
Spirit,  as  to  say  such  convictions  are  all 
very  natural  and  no  special  tower  of 
God  exhibited  in  them  ? 

(k)  "  THE  WIND  BLOWETH, 
&c." — It  was  on  Sunday  evening  follow- 
ing   the   old   Thanksgiving   in  Mass., 


»  See 


Lettera  on  Revivals." 
362 


(says  a  writor  in  the  S.  S.  Treasury,) 
that  I  left  my  father's  house  to  attend  a 
religious  meeting  in  the  neighborhood. 
The  moon,  as  I  distinctly  recollect,  had 
just  appeared  above  the  horizon,  and 
cast  its  gentle  beams  full  in  my  face, 
while  all*  around  was  hushed  in  silent 
repose.  I  had  walked  but  a  few  steps, 
when  a  strange  solemnity  stole  in  upon 
my  heart.  Whence  it  came  I  knew 
not.  Why  I  should  feel  thus,  I  could 
not  tell.  But  I  was  solemn,  I  was 
grieved :  and  as  I  walked  slowly  along, 
my  burden  increased,  for  a  burden  it 
was,  and  while  I  live  I  shall  not  forget 
the  spot  where  I  thought  I  should  soon 
be  pressed  down  to  the  earth. 

At  length  I  reached  the  place  of  wor- 
ship. It  was  a  private  house  that  had 
seen  many  a  hard  winter,  the  humble 
abode  of  a  widow  in  Israel.  I  entered 
and  took  my  seat  with  some  boys  of  my 
own  age  ;  I  was  then  but  little  more 
than  nine  years  old.  They  soon  began 
to  whisper  and  play,  wishing  me  to  join 
them.  But  I  was  wounded  in  spirit.  I 
could  not  join  them.  1  had  no  disposi- 
tion to  do  so,  and  wondered  that  they 
could  act  thus  in  a  place  so  sacred  as 
that  seemed  to  me.  I  kept  silence  and 
wished  to  remove  from  their  company. 

The  neighbors  having  assembled,  the 
services  commenced.  It  was  a  confer- 
ence and  prayer  meeting,  the  pastor  be- 
ing present  and  taking  an  active  part. 
What  was  said  by  him,  or  by  others,  I 
cannot  tell  now,  nor  have  I  been  able  to 
tell  from  that  day  to  this.  I  know  that 
all  who  took  part  in  the  services  were 
much  engaged,  and  the  effect  on  my 
mind  was  to  increase  my  seriousness.  I 
wept ;  I  could  not  refrain  from  it.  My 
heart  was  pained.  I  was  in  distress. 
My  pious  father,  I  think  it  was,  sitting 
near  me,  and  seeing  my  trouble,  took 
me  in  his  arms  and  labored  to  quiet  me, 
thinking  me  unwell.  But  no,  I  was  not 
sick.  My  body  was  not  in  pain.  The 
arrows  of  the  Almighty  were  in  my 
heart,  and  under  his  rebuke  I  trembled. 

I  do  not  recollect  as  any  one  at  the 
meeting  found  out  the  true  cause  of  my 
sorrow;  if  so,  I  was  not  aware  of  it. 
After  I  returned  home,  however,  my 
aged  grandfather,  a  man  that  feared 
God,  ascertained  it.     He  was  overcome 


HOLY  SPIRIT,  AGENCY  OF,  ETC. 


195 


by  his  feelings,  as  were  indeed  all  in 
the  house.  It  was  a  place  of  tears, — 
parents  and  grandparents  mingled  theirs 
with  mine.  But  this  did  not  relieve 
me  ;  nor  did  I  experience  essential  re- 
lief before  retiring  for  the  night,  though, 
as  1  well  remember,  my  father  did  so 
far  compose  himself  as  to  commend  me 
to  God  in  fervent  prayer. 

I  am  the  more  inclined  to  think  that 
the  state  of  mind  described  above  was 
the  effect  of  Divine  influence,  from  the 
fact  that  nothing  had  been  said  to  me 
personally  on  the  subject  of  religion. 
There  was  no  revival  among  the  peo- 
ple, and  so  no  chance  for  the  operation 
of  sympathy  ;  a  powerful  source  of  in- 
fluence among  children,  as  I  have  since 
had  occasion  to  observe.  From  that 
day  to  this  I  have  loved  the  church  of 
God,  and  hoped  for  salvation  through 
grace  in  Christ  Jesus. 

(Z)     THE    TWO    DUELISTS.— 

B was  a  member  of  one  of  the 

New  England  Colleges,  from  a  southern 
section  of  the  country.  He  left  his 
class  before  the  completion  of  the  Col- 
lege course,  with  habits  of  dissipation. 
As  was  anticipated,  on  his  return  to  the 
south  he  plunged  into  vice  without  re- 
straint. "  My  life,"  to  use  his  own 
words,  "  was  a  continual  round  of  dissi- 
pation, criminal  in  the  extreme,  and 
ruinous  in  its  effects  both  to  my  body 
and  soul." 

But  the  lowest  depth  of  depravity  had 
not  yet  been  reached.  An  extract  from 
a  letter  dated  Dec.  1832,  will  give  his 
own  account: — "  I  continued  this  course 
of  life,  as  above  described,  until  a  few 
days  before  the  protracted  meeting  com- 
menced. And,  sir,  what  think  you 
brought  me  to  a  pause  ?  Doubtless  you 
will  say,  to  compose  my  mind,  and  to 
strive  for  a  blessing.  Oh  !  no,  sir ;  it 
was  to  prepare  myself  for  mortal  comhai 
with  a  fellow  being !  The  time  of  our 
meeting  was  fixed,  and  it  happened  to 
be  the  day  on  which  the  people  of  God 
were  to  assemble  together.  Within  less 
than  half  a  mile  from  that  solemn  as- 
sembly, we  met,  and  exchanged  shots 
with  pistols.  To  give  you  an  idea  of 
my  utter  recklessness  and  depravity  of 
heart  at  that  time — when  I  saw  the 
weapon  of  my  antagonist  directed  to- 


wards me,  and  by  one  who  was  esteemed 
sure  and  deadly  in  his  aim,  the  last 
thought  that  I  recollect  was,  that  I  should 
now  have  an  opportunity  of  gratifying 
my  curiosity  respecting  the  nature  of  a 
future  state  !  His  ball  struck  the  earth 
very  near  my  feet — my  own  passed  a 
few  inches  from  his  breast.  I  returned 
home  to  a  mother  and  relations,  hall 
dead  with  grief  and  anxiety." 

Let  us  turn  from  this  scene  to  one  of 
a  different  character.  "  The  next  day 
found  my  antagonist  and  myself  on  the 
same  bench  at  an  inquiry  meeting,  over- 
whelmed with  grief  and  tears  for  our 
sins.  The  conflict  was  truly  great. 
For  six  days  I  seldom  ate  or  slept.  I 
was  at  last  so  much  reduced  and  en- 
feebled I  had  scarcely  strength  to  rise 
from  my  knees.  A  consciousness  of 
pardon  and  acce]ptance  with  God  was  at 
length  obtained — a  new  song  has  been 
put  into  my  mouth." 

{m)  THE  PERSECUTED  SON.— 
After  his  conversion.  Dr.  Tafl  was  one 
day  in  conversation  with  a  young  man 
of  a  respectable  family,  with  whom  he 
was  connected,  and  had  occasion  to  re- 
prove him  for  some  improper  expression 
of  which  he  had  made  use.  The  re- 
proof went  to  his  heart ;  and  thoughtless 
as  he  had  been,  so  deeply  did  he  feel  it, 
that  passing  in  an  instant  from  gay  to 
grave,  he  begged  the  Doctor  to  pray 
with  him.  The  transition  was  so  sud- 
den and  unexpected,  that  at  first  he 
thought  him  in  jest,  and  hesitated  to 
comply.  In  the  end,  the  young  man 
was  convinced  of  sin,  and  was  brought 
to  God,  and  became  a  minister  of  the 
Gospel. 

(n)  INFIDEL  CONVERTED  BY 
ONE  WORD.— In  a  work  entitled, 
"  Religion  considered  as  the  only  basis 
of  happiness  and  true  philosophy,"  is 
mentioned  the  following  incident: — 
Others,  after  having  doubted  all  their 
lives,  change  in  a  moment  their  senti- 
ments. I  know  a  man  of  great  sense 
and  very  high  character,  whose  conver- 
sion was  brought  about  by  a  single  ex- 
pression. He  was  yet  in  the  age  of  the 
passions;  he  had  never  possessed  the 
least  principle  of  religion ;  and  he  prided 
himself  upon  being  an  atheist.  One 
day,  in  the  presence  of  an  ecclesiastic 
363 


195,  196 


HOLY  SPIRIT  GRIEVED. 


equally  distinguished  by  his  eminent 
virtues  and  talents,  he  affected  to  brave 
all  decorum,  which  ought  at  that  instant 
to  have  constrained  him  to  hold  his 
tongue  at  least,  and  after  havnig  given 
him  a  detail  of  his  sentiments  and  opin- 
ions, he  ironically  added,  that  according 
to  every  appearance  he  should  never  be 
converted.  "Ah!"  exclaimed  the  ec- 
clesiastic, who  till  then  had  been  si- 
lent, "  if  you  could  then  but  hope  /" 
He  said  no  more — he  got  up,  and  went 
out.  But  these  words  made  a  deep  im- 
pression upon  the  heart  of  the  atheist. 
He  had  no  difficulty  to  comprehend  their 
energetic  meaning.  A  crowd  of  new 
reflections  presented  themselves  to  his 
mind — he  longed  to  see  and  converse 
with  the  man  who  had  produced  in  him 
so  strange  a  revolution.  The  next  day 
he  went  and  opened  to  him  his  heart, 
asked  his  advice,  hearkened  to  him  with 
attention,  with  eagerness,  and  from  that 
moment  renounced  forever  the  vain 
sophisms  of  false  philosophy.  Such  is 
the  power  of  the  spirit  of  grace,  it  pro- 
duces the  most  sudden  and  surprising 
changes,  and  its  effects  confound  the 
incredulous  observer,  who  professes  to 
be  acquainted  with  the  human  heart. 

(o)  THE  TWO  SWISS  SOL- 
DIERS.— Two  Swiss  soldiers,  says  the 
Western  Recorder,  had  been  brought 
up  in  ignorance  of  the  great  truths  of  the 
gospel.  One  of  them  became  danger- 
ously sick ;  and  as  his  life  was  appa- 
rently near  its  close,  began  to  see  that 
he  was  a  great  sinner,  to  tremble  with 
awful  apprehensions  about  his  future 
state,  and  to  cry  for  mercy.  The  other, 
who  was  his  cousin,  had  compassion 
upon  him,  and  finally  recollecting  him- 
self, he  said,  not  comprehending  the  im- 
port of  his  own  words — "  I  have  heard 
that  there  is  one  Jesus  somewhere,  who 
saves  sinners;  you  had  better  try  to 
find  him."  It  was  enough.  The  sick 
man  recollected  indistinctly  that  he  had 
heard  such  a  name.  He  sought  him ; 
he  found  him ;  and  contrary  to  all  ex- 
pectation recovered  from  his  sickness, 
and  became  in  his  turn  a  successful 
preacher  to  his  distant  relative.  Both 
went  on  their  way  rejoicing,  ignorant 
and  simple-hearted,  knowing  scarcely 
any  thing  about  the  subject  of  religion, 
364 


excepting  as  they  were  taught  by  the 
Spirit. 

ip)  A  SINGULAR  REVIVAL.— 
In  the  township  of  R.,  in  the  western 
par .  of  New  York,  says  a  writer  in  the 
Ch.  Watchman,  without  any  special 
or  known  cause,  numbers  of  individuals 
were  suddenly  aroused  to  anxious  in- 
quiry and  trembling  respecting  their 
souls.  Some  in  different  parts  of  the 
town,  without  any  knowledge  of  the  af- 
fections of  others,  were  alarmed  by  the 
consideration  of  their  sins.  Two  men, 
from  different  directions,  came  to  a 
clergyman  in  the  morning,  asking  What 
shall  we  do  ?  About  nine  o'clock  in 
the  same  morning,  one  of  the  members 
of  the  church  called  upon  the  same 
clergyman,  to  go  and  visit  several  anx- 
ious individuals  in  his  neighborhood ; 
and  before  night  it  was  ascertained,  that 
almost  the  whole  population  of  a  con- 
siderable district,  were  solemnly,  and 
with  weeping,  asking  the  prayers  and 
instructions  of  the  people  of  God. 

Accompanied  by  the  pastor,  on  that 
and  the  subsequent  day,  we  visited  from 
house  to  house  ;  but  wherever  we  went 
the  Spirit  had  preceded  us.  The  whole 
region  was  a  Bochim.  A  solemn  awe 
pervaded  our  soul,  and  we  could  not  but 
feel  that,  "  God  is  in  very  deed  in  our 
midst." 

Revivals,  thus  commencing,  are,  in- 
deed, rare;  but  where  they  do  occur 
they  show  very  clearly  the  agency  of 
the  Holy  Spirit. 


196.  Holy  Spirit  Grieved. 

{a)  PRICE  OF  VAIN  AMUSE- 
MENT.— Rev.  Caleb  Benson,  a  minis- 
ter of  my  acquaintance,  was  invited  by 
a  lady  in  Plymouth,  Mass.,  to  visit  her 
daughter  who  was  lying  at  the  point  of 
death.  As  he  entered  the  room  and 
commenced  with  her,  he  inquired  why 
she  wished  to  see  him.  She  said,  she 
had  only  consented  to  see  him  for  the 
sake  of  gratifying  her  friends,  that  it 
would  do  her  no  good  to  be  visited  by 
him  or  any  other  minister.  He  asked 
why.  She  said,  the  time  had  been 
when  her  mind  was  powerfully  wrought 
upon  by  God's  Spirit,  and  occupied  with 


HOLY  SPIRIT  GRIEVED. 


196 


serious  thoughts  about  her  eternal  wel- 
fare. She  was  convinced  then,  that  shfe 
was  a  guilty,  condemned  sinner,  that  she 
needed  pardoning  mercy.  Her  con- 
victions, instead  of  being  of  a  transient 
character,  had  distressed  her  for  months. 
At  length  she  was  invited  to  be  present 
at  a  ball,  or  party  of  pleasure.  She  was 
respectfully  and  urgently  solicited  by 
her  young  and  unconverted  acquaint- 
ances to  attend.  But  conscience  strong- 
ly remonstrated — she  felt  convinced 
that  if  she  went  to  that  scene  of  vain 
amusement,  it  would  be  jeopardizing 
the  interests  of  her  soul.  Still  Satan 
urged  her  to  accede  to  their  requests. 
While  she  was  preparing  to  go,  how- 
ever, and  while  she  was  on  her  way  to 
the  place  where  the  gay  circle  met,  she 
felt  that  she  was  doing  wickedly,  and 
that  if  she  joined  them,  perhaps  God 
would  leave  her  to  herself,  and  her  soul 
be  lost  for  ever.  She  came  near  the 
house — she  hesitated — doubting  whether 
to  go  in  or  not.  But  at  last  she  yielded  to 
the  suggestions  of  Satan  and  trembling- 
ly crossed  the  threshold.  But  no  sooner 
had  she  entered  and  begun  to  partici- 
pate in  the  evening's  amusements,  than 
her  convictions  all  left  her.  Since  that 
time  she  said,  she  had  had  no  compunc- 
tions of  conscience  whatever  ; — power- 
ful preaching,  personal  appeals,  judg- 
ments and  mercies,  and  even  the  firm 
belief  that  she  must  soon  die,  had  not 
affected  her  hard  heart,  or  awakened 
the  least  anxiety  of  mind.  Her  case 
she  said  was  hopeless.  The  minister 
told  her  that  Christ  had  saved  a  Ma- 
nasseh,  a  Mary  Magdalen,  the  thief  up- 
on the  cross,  the  persecuting  Saul,  and 
that  he  was  able  to  save  her.  Yes,  she 
said,  she  knew  all  that ;  she  knew  he 
was  able  to  save  all  that  came  unto  him 
for  mercy,  but  she  had  no  desire  to 
come — that  the  Spirit  had  taken  its 
flight  and  left  her  to  hardness  of  heart, 
and  blindness  of  mind.  Mr.  Benson 
proposed  prayer ;  but  she  told  him  his 
prayers  would  do  her  no  good.  She  con- 
sented, however,  to  gratify  her  friends, 
that  he  should  pray ;  "but  in  prayer," 
says  Mr.  Benson,  "  I  had  no  unction, 
no  liberty.  Heaven  seemed  closed 
against  all  my  petitions  in  her  behalf." 


It  was  a  heart-rending  case.  "You 
will  hear  in  a  short  time,  Mr.  Benson," 
said  she,  "  that  I  am  gone,  but  remem- 
ber that  my  soul  is  lost."  He  visited 
her  afterwards,  but  gained  no  satisfac- 
tion ;  the  wretched  girl  died  as  she  had 
lived,  without  hope  and  without  God. 

(b)  NO  PLACE  FOR  REPENT- 
ANCE. — "I  have  always  believed," 
said  a  despairing  sinner,  just  on  the 
brink  of  eternity,  "  that  there  was  a 
horrible  thought  in  dating  the  possible 
departure  of  the  Spirit  of  God  from  the 
soul.  We  shudder  at  the  idea  of  de- 
sertion, without  reflecting  on  its  particu- 
lars. But  it  is  tolerable  while  wrapt  in 
the  mystery  of  ignorance — ignorance  of 
its  manner,  its  cause,  and  its  time.  And 
yet,  at  this  very  hour,  I  can  look  back 
to  the  turning  point  of  my  hopes.  I  can 
remember  my  struggles  under  convic- 
tion. I  can  recall  the  weariness  of  ef- 
fort, the  distaste,  the  compunctions 
which  preceded  the  first  bold  act  of 
worldliness ;  and  which,  in  their  depar- 
ture, declared  the  issue  decisive.  In  all 
the  confusion  of  my  thoughts,  there  is 
an  unchanging  spot  in  the  survey  of  the 
past.  There  it  remains  and  no  hand 
can  blot  it  out.  No,  you  are  not  to  im- 
agine my  judgment  impaired  in  such  a' 
review.  I  can  deliberately  retrace  the 
seasons  departed.  My  return  to  the 
world  was  not  designated  by  an  act 
which  the  common  rules  of  morality 
would  impeach.  But  it  was  by  one, 
which,  it  is  plain,  put  an  end  to  the 
struggle.  And  I  could  not  renew  the 
conflict  when  I  would  willingly  have 
done  so.  Conviction  did  not  leave  me. 
But  it  sat  on  my  spirits  like  a  lifeless 
weight,  that  instead  of  giving  them  acti- 
vity, crushed  them  down.  My  judg- 
ment is  as  much  convinced  as  ever. 
But  it  avails  me  nothing.  The  bright- 
ness of  a  holy  law,  and  that  of  the  world 
which  I  am  approaching,  only  render 
my  condition  more  awful,  as  the  mid- 
night lightning  does  that  of  the  wrecked 
mariner,  by  showing  him  the  impossi- 
bility of  escape.  I  can  see,  I  can  com- 
prehend, but  I  can  lay  hold  of  nothing, 
I  can  compel  no  play  of  that  interest 
which  the  near  approach  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  once  created  in  my  bosom."  We 
365 


196,  197 


HONESTY. 


will  drop  the  curtain  here,  for  in  less 
than  an  hour,  the  sufferer  knew  more 
of  eternity  than  you  or  I. 

(c)  AWFUL  PRAYER  ANSWER- 
ED.— "  About  twenty  years  ago,"  said 

a  dying  man,  in  G ,  New- York,  "I 

was  convinced  of  sin  ;  and  so  pungent 
were  my  convictions,  that  my  life  seem- 
ed insupportable.  Instead  of  going,  as 
urged  by  the  word  and  Spirit  of  God,  to 
him  who  gives  rest  to  the  weary  and 
heavy-laden,  I  retired  to  a  grove — knelt 
before  God  ;  but  instead  of  pleading  for 
his   reconciled   favor,   prayed   tnat   he 


would  unburden  my  soul,  by  taking  his 
Holy  Spirit  from  me.  My  prayer  was 
answered.  For  I  had  no  sooner  risen 
upon  my  feet,  than  my  sense  of  sin  and 
fear  of  hell  were  gone.  From  that  day 
to  this,  I  have  had  no  anxiety  about  my 
eternal  state.  In  that  grove  I  prayed 
away  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  He  will 
never  return  to  offer  me  pardon  and 
eternal  life  through  the  blood  of  Christ. 
I  know  that  I  shall  soon  be  in  hell.  No- 
thing can  save  me.  My  doom  is  sealed, 
and  yet,  I  am  quite  indifferent  to  the 
future." 


HONESTY. 


197.  Examples  of. 


(a)  COLLECTOR  AND  PEAS- 
ANT.—M.  Drouillard,  collector  of 
taxes  for  the  arrondissement  of  Condom, 
France,)  father  of  a  numerous  family, 
,  lappening  to  arrive  very  late  in  the  even- 
ing, in  the  town  of  Auch,  on  his  way  to 
the  receiver-general,  in  order  to  convey 
to  that  gentleman  the  sum  of  six  thousand 
francs  in  specie,  found,  on  his  arrival 
there,  that  he  had  lost  the  bag  containing 
the  money  he  thus  intended  to  pay. 

Though  the  unfortunate  man  caused 
immediate  search  to  be  made,  no  traces 
of  the  lost  treasure  could  be  discovered. 
The  next  morning,  he  applied  to  a 
friend,  for  the  loan  of  a  horse,  in  order 
to  be  enabled  to  pursue  his  inquiries 
with  more  effect ;  but  his  friend's  horses 
happening  to  be  out,  that  gentleman  went 
himself  to  a  neighbor,  named  Roussel, 
a  peasant  in  comparatively  low  circum- 
stances, to  borrow  one,  mentioning,  at 
the  same  time,  for  whom  it  was  wanted, 
as  well  as  the  heavy  loss  M.  Drouillard 
had  sustained. 

No  sooner  had  Roussel  heard  what 
had  happened,  thafl  he  exclaimed,  "  Do 
not  give  yourself  any  further  trouble ; 
I  know  where  the  money  is ;"  and  he 
immediately  delivered  to  him  the  iden- 
tical bag  containing  the  six  thousand 
francs. 

It  appears,  that  having  found  this  bag, 
on   his   return  from  his  daily  occupa- 
366 


tions,  he  had  placed  it,  though  not 
without  some  difficulty  on  account 
of  its  weight,  upon  his  horse,  and 
carried  it  home,  without  ascertaining 
how  much  it  contained,  or  communi- 
cating his  good  fortune  to  his  family  ; 
that,  the  next  morning,  he  had  got  up  at 
an  early  hour,  and  spent  about  an  hour 
in  going  to  the  market  place  and  else- 
where, in  order  to  learn  whether  any 
person  had  made  any  inquiries  about  it ; 
and  that  he  was  but  just  then  returned 
home,  without  having  been  able  to  ascer- 
tain who  had  lost  it,  when  he  was  thus 
introduced  to  the  delighted  owner. 

(b)  TRIBUTE  TO  M.  CORNET. 
— In  Bossuet's  funeral  oration  for  M. 
Cornet,  he  mentioned  the  following 
fact : — One  of  his  friends  having  a  law- 
suit, M.  Cornet  exerted  his  interest  in 
favor  of  his  friend,  with  a  judge  who 
was  to  try  the  cause  ;  and  it  was  de- 
cided in  his  favor.  Some  time  after- 
wards, M.  Cornet  had  doubts  of  the 
justice  of  the  decision  ;  and  being  ap- 
prehensive that  it  had  been  influenced 
by  his  conversations  with  the  judge,  he 
paid  to  the  adversary  the  whole  amount 
of  the  sum  in  dispute. 

(c)  THE  POOR  HOTEL-KEEPER. 
— The  following  interesting  anecdote 
occurs  in  a  German  work,  entitled,  "  A 
Picture  of  St.  Petersburgh." 

In  a  little  town,  five  miles  from  St. 
Petersburgh,  lived  a  poor  German  wo- 
man.     A  small  cottage  was  her  only 


EXAMPLES  OF. 


197 


possession,  and  the  visits  of  a  few  ship- 
masters, on  their  way  to  Petersburgh, 
her  only  livelihood.  Several  Dutch 
shipmasters  having  supped  at  her  house 
one  evening,  she  found,  when  they  were 
gone,  a  sealed  bag  of  money  under  the 
table.  Some  one  of  the  company  had 
no  doubt  forgotten  it,  but  they  had  sail- 
ed over  to  Cronstadt,  and  the  wind  being 
fair,  there  was  no  chance  of  their  putting 
back.  The  woman  put  the  bag  into 
her  cupboard,  to  keep  it  till  it  should  be 
called  for.  Full  seven  years,  however, 
elapsed,  and  no  one  claimed  it;  and 
though  often  tempted  by  opportunity, 
and  oftener  by  want,  to  make  use  of  the 
contents,  the  poor  woman's  good  princi- 
ples prevailed  and  it  remained  untouched. 

One  evening,  some  shipmasters  again 
stopped  at  her  house  for  refreshment. 
Three  of  them  were  English,  and  the 
fourth  a  Dutchman.  Conversing  on 
various  matters,  one  of  them  asked  the 
Dutchman,  if  he  had  ever  been  in  that 
town  before.  "  Indeed  I  have,"  replied 
he  ;  "  I  know  the  place  but  too  well :  my 
being  here  cost  me  once  seven  hun- 
dred rubles."  "How  so?"  "Why, 
in  one  of  these  wretched  hovels,  I  ono^ 
left  behind  me  a  bag  of  rubles."  "  Was 
the  bag  sealed  ?"  asked  the  woman,  who 
was  sitting  in  a  corner  of  the  room,  and 
whose  attention  was  aroused  by  the  sub- 
ject. "Yes,  yes,  it  was  sealed,  and 
with  this  very  seal  here  at  my  watch- 
chain."  The  woman  knew  the  seal  in- 
stantly. "  Well,  then,"  said  she,  "  by 
that  you  may  recover  what  you  have 
lost."  "  Recover  it,  mother !  No,  no ; 
I  am  rather  too  old  to  expect  that :  the 
world  is  not  quite  so  honest :  besides,  it 
is  full  seven  years  since  I  lost  the 
money ; — say  no  more  about  it,  it  al- 
ways makes  me  melancholy." 

Meanwhile,  the  woman  slipped  out, 
and  presently  returned  with  the  bag. 
"  See  here,"  said  she  ;  "  honesty  is  not 
so  rare,  perhaps,  as  you  imagine  ;"  and 
she  threw  the  bag  on  the  table. 

{d)  EPAMINONDAS  NOT  TO 
BE  BRIBED.— When  great  presents 
were  sent  to  Epaminondas,  the  celebrat- 
ed Theban  general,  he  used  to  observe, 
— "  If  the  thing  you  desire  be  good,  I  will 
do  it  without  any  bribe,  even  because  it  is 
good;  if  it  be  not  honest,  I  will  not  do  it 


for  all  the  goods  in  the  world."  He  was  so 
great  a  contemner  of  riches,  that,  when 
he  died,  he  left  not  enough  to  discharge 
the  expenses  of  his  funeral. 

(e)  THE  HONEST  HORSE 
TRADERS.— Two  aged  men  near 
Marsh a;lton,  Va.,  traded,  or  according 
to  Virginia  parlance,  swapped,  horses 
on  this  condition :  that  on  that  day 
week,  the  one  who  thought  he  had  the 
best  of  the  bargain,  should  pay  to  the 
other  two  bushels  of  wheat.  The  day 
came,  and,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  they 
met  about  half  way  between  their  re- 
spective homes.  "  Where  art  thou 
going  ?"  said  one.  "  To  thy  house 
with  the  wheat,"  answered  the  other. 
"  And  whither  art  thou  riding  ?" 
"  Truly,"  replied  the  other,  "  I  was 
taking  the  wheat  to  thy  house."  Each 
pleased  with  the  bargain,  had  thought 
the  wheat  justly  due  to  his  neighbor 
and  was  going  to  pay  it. 

(/)  THE  TWO  FARMERS.— 
Two  neighboring  farmers  had  a  dispute 
respecting  the  right  to  a  certain 
meadow,  and  they  could  not  compro- 
mise the  matter.  An  action  at  law  was 
accordingly  brought  to  determine  it. 
On  the  day  appointed  for  the  trial,  one 
of  the  farmers,  having  dressed  himself 
in  his  Sunday  clothes,  called  upon  his 
opponent  to  accompany  him  to  the 
Judge.  Finding  his  neighbor  at  work 
on  his  ground,  he  said  to  him,  "  Is  it 
possible  you  can  have  forgotten  that  our 
cause  is  to  be  decided  to-day  ?"  "  No," 
said  the  other,  "  I  have  not  forgotten  it ; 
but  I  cannot  well  spare  time  to  go.  I 
knew  you  would  be  there,  and  I  am 
sure  you  are  an  honest  man,  and  will 
say  nothing  but  the  truth.  You  will 
state  the  case  fairly,  and  justice  will  be 
done."  And  so  it  proved  ;  for  the  far- 
mer who  went  to  the  Judge,  stated  his 
neighbor's  claims  so  clearly,  that  the 
cause  was  decided  against  himself; 
and  he  returned  to  inform  his  opponent 
that  he  had  gained  the  property. 

(g)  THE  MAGNANIMOUS  NE- 
PHEW. — A  farmer  in  Bucks  County, 
Penn.,  died  and  left  his  farm,  stock,  &c., 
to  one  of  his  sons  :  to  the  other,  who 
had  offended  him,  he  bequeathed  £600. 
Notwithstanding  the  utmost  efforts  of 
the  poorer  brother,  he  found  himself  un- 
367 


lo-y 


HONESTY. 


able  to  obtain  the  £600  from  his  more 
wealthy  brother,  and  with  a  family,  he 
was  obliged  to  struggle  through  life 
without  getting  any  portion  of  the  money 
left  him  by  the  will  of  his  father.  At 
length  the  wealthy  brother  died,  and  the 
property  fell  to  an  only  son.  So  soon 
as  he  got  possession  of  the  property,  he 
ascertained  the  amount  of  the  legacy 
bequeathed  by  his  grandfather  to  his  un- 
cle ;  he  then  added  the  interest  which 
had  accrued  all  the  time  the  legacy  had 
been  withheld,  and  for  the  whole  amount 
he  forthwith  sent  a  check  to  his  uncle. 

(h)  THE  HONEST  OSTIAK.— 
A  Russian  was  travelling  from  Tobolsk 
to  Beresow.  On  the  road  he  stopped 
one  night  at  the  hut  of  an  Ostiak.  In 
the  morning,  on  continuing  his  journey, 
he  discovered  that  he  had  lost  his  purse 
containing  about  one  hundred  rubles. 

The  son  of  the  Ostiak  found  the 
purse,  while  out  a  hunting,  but  instead 
of  taking  it  up,  went  and  told  his  father  ; 
who  was  equally  unwilling  to  touch  it, 
and  ordered  his  son  to  cover  it  with 
some  bushes. 

A  few  months  after  this,  the  Russian 
returned,  and  stopped  at  the  same  hut, 
but  the  Ostiak  did  not  recognize  him. 
He  related  the  loss  he  had  met  with.   . 

The  Ostiak  listened  very  attentively, 
and  when  he  had  finished,  "  You  are 
welcome,"  said  he ;  "  here  is  my  son 
who  will  show  you  the  spot  where  it 
lies;  no  hand  has  touched  it  but  the 
one  which  covered  it  over,  that  you 
might  recover  what  you  have  lost." 

(i)  THE  TURKISH  POSTMAN. 
— Keppel  relates,  in  his  "Journey  across 
the  Balcan,"  that,  in  the  winter  of  1828, 
a  Turkish  postman  was  sent  to  some 
distant  part  with  a  considerable  sum  of 
money  in  specie.  The  money,  in  such 
cases,  is  carried  in  bags,  which  the 
merchants  call  "groupes."  They  are 
given  to  the  postman,  and  without  re- 
ceiving any  written  document  as  proof 
of  the  receipt.  This  man,  on  returning 
from  his  journey,  was  applied  to  by  a 
French  house  for  fifteen  thousand  pias- 
tres; a  sum,  at  that  time,  equal  to 
fifteen  thousand  dollars.  He  made  no 
attempt  to  evade  the  demand,  but  imme- 
diately said,  "  I  have  doubtless  lost  the 
bag,  and  must  therefore  pay  you  as  soon 
368 


as  I  can  raise  the  money."  After  ma 
turely  thinking  of  the  loss,  he  returned 
by  the  same  road,  quite  confident  that  if 
any  Mohammedan  should  find  the  mo- 
ney, it  would  be  returned  to  him.  He 
had  travelled  nearly  the  whole  distance, 
when  he  arrived,  in  a  very  melancholy 
mood,  at  a  small,  miserable  coffee-house, 
where  he  remembered  to  have  stopped 
a  few  moments  on  his  way.  He  was 
accosted  at  the  door,  by  the  cafe-jee, 
who  called  out  to  him,  "  Halloo,  sheriff"! 
when  you  were  last  here,  you  left  a  bag, 
which  I  suppose  to  contain  gold.  You 
will  find  it  just  where  you  placed  it." 
The  postman  entered,  and  discovered 
the  identical  bag,  evidently  untouched, 
although  it  must  have  been  left  exposed 
to  the  grasp  of  the  numerous  chance 
customers  of  a  Turkish  cafe. 

(j )  DISCHARGED  FOR  HON- 
ESTY.— ^^A  country  gentleman,  says 
the  N.  E.  Galaxy,  placed  a  son  with  a 

merchant   in street.     And    for  a 

season  all  went  on  well.  But  at  length 
the  young  man  sold  a  dress  to  a  lady, 
and  as  he  was  folding  it  up,  he  observed 
a  flaw  in  the  silk,  and  remarked, 
'i  Madam,  I  deem  it  my  duty  to  tell  you 
there  is  a  fracture  in  the  silk."  This 
spoiled  the  bargain .  But  the  merchant 
overheard  the  remark  ;  and  had  he  I'e- 
flected  a  moment,  he  might  have  reason- 
ed thus  with  himself,  "  Now  I  am  safe, 
while  my  affairs  are  committed  to  the 
care  of  an  honest  clerk."  But  he  was 
not  pleased  ;  so  he  wrote  immediately 
to  the  father  to  come  and  take  him 
home ;  for,  said  he,  "  Jie  will  never  make 
a  merchant." 

The  father,  who  had  brought  up  his 
son  with  the  strictest  care,  was  not  a 
little  surprised  and  grieved,  and  hasten- 
ed to  the  city  to  ascertain  wherein  his  ' 
son  had  been  deficient.  Said  the  anx- 
ious father.  And  why  will  he  not  make  i 
a  merchant  ? 

Merchant. — Because  he  has  no  tact. 
Only  a  day  or  two  since,  he  voluntarily 
told  a  lady  who  was  buying  silk  that  the 
goods  were  damaged,  and  so  I  lost  the 
bargain.  Purchasers  must  look  out  for 
themselves.  If  th#y  cannot  discover 
flaws,  it  will  be  foolishness  in  me  to  tell 
them  of  their  existence. 

Father. — And  is  this  all  the  fault  ? 


HONESTY  THE  BEST  POLICY. 


198 


Merchant, — Yes  :  he  is  very  well  in 
other  respects. 

Father. — Then  I  love  my  son  better 
than  ever ;  and  I  thank  you  for  telling 
me  of  the  matter ;  I  would  not  have 
him  in  YOUR  STORE  another  day 
for  the  world. 

198.  Honesty  the  Best  Policy. 

{a)  THE  POOR  BOY  AND  THE 
WALLET. — A  lad  was  proceeding  to 
an  uncle's  to  petition  him  for  aid  for  a 
sick  sister  and  her  children,  when  he 
found  a  wallet  containing  fifty  dollars. 
The  aid  was  refused,  and  the  distressed 
family  were  pinched  for  want.  The 
boy  revealed  the  fortune  to  his  mother ; 
but  expressed  a  doubt  about  using  any 
portion  of  the  money.  His  mother  con- 
firmed the  doubt,  and  they  resolved  not 
to  use  it.  The  pocket-book  was  adver- 
tised, and  the  owner  found.  Being  a 
man  of  wealth,  upon  learning  the  histo- 
ry of  the  family,  he  presented  the  fifty 
dollars  to  the  sick  mother  and  took  the 
boy  into  his  service,  and  he  became  one 
of  the  most  successful  merchants  in 
Ohio.  Honesty  always  brings  its  re- 
ward— to  the  mind,  if  not  to  the  pocket. 

{h)  THE  MASTER  AND  THE 
APPRENTICE.— A  gentleman,  one 
day  conversing  with  a  watchmaker  upon 
the  dishonest  practices  of  persons  in  his 
way  of  business,  was  thus  addressed  by 
him  :  "  Sir,  1  served  my  apprenticesiiip 
with  a  man  who  did  not  fear  God,  and 
who  consequently  was  not  very  scrupu- 
lous in  the  charges  which  he  made  to 
his  customers.  He  used  frequently  to 
call  me  a  fool,  and  tell  me  I  should  die 
in  a  workhouse,  when,  in  his  absence,  I 
used  to  make  such  charges  as  appeared 
to  me  fair  and  honest.  In  course  of  time 
I  set  up  in  business  for  myself,  and  have 
been  so  successful  as  never  to  have 
wanted  a  shilling,  whilst  my  master, 
who  used  to  reproach  me  for  my  hones- 
ty, became  so  reduced  in  circumstances 
as  to  apply  to  me  for  a  couple  of  guin- 
eas, and  did  at  length  himself  actually 
die  in  a  workhouse." 

(c)  CECIL  AND  THE  ROBBERS. 
— On  one,  occasion  when  the  Rev.  Rich- 
ard Cecil  had  to  travel  on  horseback 
from  London  to  Lewes  to  serve  his 
churches,  instead  of  leaving  town  early 
24 


in  the  morning  he  was  detained  till 
noon,  in  consequence  of  which  he  did 
not  arrive  on  East  Grinstead  Common 
till  after  dark.  On  this  common  he 
met  a  man  on  horseback  who  appeared 
to  be  intoxicated  and  ready  to  fall  from 
his  horse  at  every  step.  Mr.  C.  called 
to  him  and  warned  him  of  his  danger, 
which  the  man  disregarding,  with  his 
usual  benevolence  he  rode  up  to  him  in 
order  to  prevent  his  falling,  when  the 
man  immediately  seized  the  reins  of  his 
horse.  Mr.  C.  perceiving  he  was  in 
bad  hands  endeavored  to  break  away, 
on  which  the  man  threatened  to  knock 
him  down  if  he  repeated  the  attempt. 
Three  other  men  on  horseback  immedi- 
ately rode  up,  placing  Mr.  C.  in  the 
midst  of  them.  On  perceiving  his  dan- 
ger it  struck  him,  "  Here  is  an  occasion 
for  faith  !"  and  that  gracious  direction 
also  occurred  to  him :  "  Call  upon  me 
in  the  time  of  trouble ;  I  will  deliver 
thee."— Psa.  50  :  15.  He  secretly  lifted 
up  his  heart  to  God,  entreating  the  de- 
liverance which  he  alone  could  effect. 
One  of  the  men,  who  seemed  to  be  the 
captain  of  the  gang,  asked  him  who  he 
was  and  whither  he  was  going.  Mr.  C. 
here  recurred  to  a  principle  to  which  his 
mind  was  habituated,  that  "nothing 
needs  a  lie;"  he  therefore  told  them 
very  frankly  his  name  and  whither  he 
was  going.  The  leader  said  :  "  Sir,  I 
know  you,  and  have  heard  you  preach 
at  Lewes.  Let  the  gentleman's  horse 
go.  We  wish  you  good-night."  Mr. 
C.  had  about  him  sixteen  pounds,  which 
he  had  been  to  town  to  receive,  and 
which  at  that  time  was  to  him  a  large 
sum. 

{d)  THE  SWEEP  AND  THE 
WATCH. — A  poor  chimney-sweeper's 
boy  was  employed  at  the  house  of  a 
lady  of  rank  to  clean  the  chimney  of 
her  chamber.  Finding  himself  on  the 
hearth  of  the  lady's  dressing-room,  and 
perceiving  no  one  there,  he  waited  a  few 
moments  to  take  a  view  of  the  beautiful 
things  in  the  apartment.  A  gold  watch, 
richly  set  with  diamonds,  particularly 
caught  his  attention,  and  he  could  not 
forbear  taking  it  in  his  hand.  Immedi- 
ately the  wish  arose  in  his  mind  :  "  Ah, 
if  thou  hadst  such  a  one  !"  After  a 
pause  he  said  to  himself:  "  But  if  I  take 
369 


19§ 


HONESTY. 


it  I  shall  be  a  thief.  And  yet,"  con- 
tinued he,  "  no  one  sees  me.  No  one  ? 
Does  not  God  see  me,  who  is  present 
every  where  ?  Should  I  then  be  able  to 
say  my  prayers  to  him  after  I  had  com- 
mitted this  theft  ?  Could  I  die  in  peace  ?" 
Overcome  by  these  thoughts  a  cold  shiv- 
ering seized  him.  "  No  !"  said  he,  lay- 
ing down  the  watch  ;  "  I  had  much  ra- 
ther be  poor  and  keep  my  good  con- 
science  than  rich  and  become  a  rogue." 
At  these  words  he  hastened  back  into 
the  chimney. 

The  countess,  who  was  in  the  room 
adjoining,  having  overheard  his  solilo- 
quy, sent  for  him  the  next  morning  and 
thus  accosted  him :  "  My  little  friend, 
why  did  you  not  take  the  watch  yester- 
day ?"  The  boy  fell  on  his  knees, 
speechless  and  astonished.  "I  heard 
every  thing  you  said,"  continued  her 
ladyship  ;  "  thank  God  for  enabling  you 
to  resist  this  temptation,  and  be  watchful 
over  yourself  for  the  future.  From  this 
moment  you  shall  be  in  my  service ;  I 
will  both  maintain  and  clothe  you — nay, 
more :  I  will  procure  you  good  instruc- 
tion, that  shall  ever  guard  you  from  the 
danger  of  similar  temptations."  The 
boy  burst  into  tears ;  he  was  anxious  to 
express  his  gratitude,  but  he  could  not. 
The  countess  strictly  kept  her  promise, 
and  had  the  pleasure  to  see  him  grow 
up  a  pious  and  intelligent  man. 

(e)  THE  EARL  AND  THE  FAR- 
MER.— A  farme;-  called  on  the  Earl 
Fitz William,  (of  Eng.)  to  represent 
that  his  crop  of  wheat  had  been  se- 
riously injured  in  a  field  adjoining  a 
certain  wood,  where  his  lordship's 
hounds  had,  during  the  winter,  fre- 
quently met  to  hunt.  He  stated  that 
the  young  wheat  had  been  so  cut  up 
and  destroyed,  that,  in  some  parts,  he 
could  not  hope  for  any  produce. 
"  Well,  my  friend,"  said  his  lordship, 
"  I  am  aware  that  we  have  frequently 
met  in  that  field,  and  that  we  have  done 
considerable  injury ;  and  if  you  can 
procure  an  estimate  of  the  loss  you  have 
sustained,  I  will  repay  you."  The  '. 
farmer  replied,  that,  anticipating  his 
lordship's  consideration  and  kindness, 
he  had  requested  a  friend  to  assist  him  in 
estimating  the  damage,  and  they  thought 
that  as  the  crop  seemed  quite  destroyed, 
370 


£50  would  not  more  than  repay  him. 
The  earl  immediately  gave  him  the 
money.  As  the  harvest,  however,  ap- 
proached, the  wheat  grew,  and  in  those 
parts  of  the  field  which  were  most 
trampled,  the  corn  was  strongest  and 
most  luxuriant.  The  farmer  went 
again  to  his  lordship,  and  being  intro- 
duced, said,  "  I  am  come,  my  lord,  re- 
specting the  field  of  wheat  adjoining 
such  a  wood."  His  lordship  imme- 
diately recollected  the  circumstance. 
"  Well,  my  friend,  did  not  I  allow  you 
sufficient  to  remunerate  you  for  your 
loss?"  "Yes,  my  lord,  I  find  that  I 
have  sustained  no  loss  at  all,  for  where 
the  horses  had  most  cut  up  the  land, 
the  crop  is  most  promising,  and  I  have, 
therefore  brought  the  £50  back  again." 
"Ah,"  exclaimed  the  venerable  earl, 
"  this  is  what  I  like  ;  this  is  as  it  should 
be  between  man  and  man."  He  then 
entered  into  conversation  with  the 
farmer,  asking  him  some  questions 
about  his  family — how  many  children 
he  had,  etc.  His  lordship  then  went  into 
another  room,  and  returning,  presented 
the  farmer  with  a  check  for  £100,  say- 
ing, "  Take  care  of  this,  and  when  your 
eldest  son  is  of  age,  present  it  to  him, 
and  tell  him  the  occasion  that  produced 
it."  We  know  not  which  to  admire 
most — the  benevolence  or  the  wisdom 
displayed  by  this  illustrious  man ;  for 
while  doing  a  noble  act  of  generosity, 
he  was  handing  down  a  lesson  of  in- 
tregity  to  another  generation. 

(/)  THE  BEGGAR  AND  DR. 
SMOLLETT.— A  beggar  asking  Dr. 
Smollett  for  alms,  he  gave  him  through 
mistake  a  guinea.  The  poor  fellow 
perceiving  it,  hobbled  after  him  to  re- 
turn it ;  upon  which  Smollett  returned 
it  to  him,  with  another  guinea  as  a  re- 
ward for  his  honesty,  exclaiming  at  the 
same  time,  "  What  a  lodging  has  hon- 
esty taken  up  with  !" 

{g)  SAVED  BY  INTEGRITY.— 
A  plain  farmer,  Richard  Jackson  by 
name,  was  apprehended,  during  the 
revolutionary  war,  under  such  circum- 
stances as  proved  beyond  all  doubt  his 
purpose  of  joining  the  king's  forces ;  an 
intention  which  he  was  too  honest  to 
deny.  Accordingly,  he,  was  delivered 
over  to  the  high  sheriff,  and  committed 


HONORS,  WORLDLY,  VANITY  OF. 


199 


to  the  county  gaoL  The  prison  was  in 
such  a  state  that  he  might  have  found 
little  difficulty  in  escaping  ;  but  he  con- 
sidered himself  in  the  hands  of  authori- 
ty, such  as  it  was,  and  the  same  con- 
scientiousness— (whether  misguided  or 
not,  we  do  not  say) — which  led  him  to 
take  up  arms,  made  him  equally  ready 
to  endure  the  consequences.  After  ly- 
ing there  a  few  days,  he  applied  to  the 
sheriff  for  leave  to  go  out  and  work  by 
the  day,  promising  that  he  would  return 
regularly  at  night.  His  character  for 
simple  integrity  was  so  well  known,  that 
permission  was  given  without  hesitation, 
and  for  eight  months  Jackson  went  out 
every  day  to  labor,  and  as  duly  came 
back  to  the  prison  at  night.  In  the 
month  of  May,  the  sheriff  prepared  to 
conduct  him  to  Springfield,  where  he 
was  to  be  tried  for  high  treason.  Jack- 
son said  this  would  be  a  needless  trouble 
and  expense ;  he  could  save  the  sheriff 
both,  and  go  just  as  well  by  himself. 
His  word  was  once  more  taken,  and  he 
set  off  alone,  to  present  himself  for  trial 
and  certain  condemnation.  On  the  way, 
he  was  overtaken  in  the  woods  by  Mr. 
Edwards,  a  member  of  the  council  of 
Massachusetts,  which  at  that  time  was 
the  supreme  executive  of  the  state. 
This  gentleman  asked  him  whither  he 
was  going.  To  Springfield,  sir,  was 
his  answer,  to  be  tried  for  my  life.     To 


this  casual  interview,  Jackson  owed  his 
escape.  Having  been  found  guilty  and 
condemned  to  death,  application  was 
made  to  the  council  for  mercy.  The 
evidence  and  the  sentence  were  stated, 
and  the  president  put  the  question 
whether  the  pardon  should  be  granted. 
It  was  opposed  by  the  first  speaker. 
The  case,  he  said,  was  perfectly  clear ; 
the  act  was  unquestionably  high  treason, 
and  the  proof  complete ;  and  if  mercy 
was  shown  in  this  case,  he  saw  no  rea- 
son why  it  should  not  be  gi%,nted  in  ev- 
ery other.  Few  governments  have  un- 
derstood how  just  and  politic  it  is  to  be 
merciful.  This  hard-hearted  opinion 
accorded  with  the  temper  of  the  times, 
and  was  acquiesced  in  by  one  member 
after  another,  till  it  came  Mr.  Edwards' 
turn  to  speak.  Instead  of  delivering  his 
opinion,  he  simply  related  the  whole 
story  of  Jackson's  singular  demeanor, 
and  what  had  passed  between  them  in 
the  woods.  For  the  honor  of  Massachu- 
setts and  of  human  nature,  not  a  man  was 
found  to  weaken  the  natural  effect  of 
Mr.  Edwards'  statements  on  their  minds. 
The  council  began  to  hesitate,  and  when 
a  member  ventured  to  say  that  such  a 
man  certainly  ought  not  to  be  sent  to 
the  gallows,  a  natural  feeling  of  hu- 
manity and  justice  prevailed,  and  a  par- 
don was  immediately  made  out. 


199.  HONORS,  WORLDLY,  VANITY  OF. 


{a)  THE  SUPERSEDED  AMBAS- 
SADOR.—In  1664,  Sir  Richard  Fan- 
shawe  was  ambassador  from  Charles  II. 
to  Madrid.  This  gentleman  had  been 
remarkable  for  his  fidelity  to  the  cause 
of  Charles  I,  in  whose  service  he  had 
not  only  endured  great  privations,  but 
had  lost  the  whole  of  his  family  proper- 
ty. The  fealty  he  had  shown  to  the 
father  was  shown  to  the  son,  who,  in  re- 
warding him  with  an  embassy  to  Spain, 
by  that  very  elevation  only  made  his 
fall  the  greater,  for  his  disgrace  in  being 
superseded  by  another  so  affected  him, 
that  he  died  of  a  broken  heart ;  such  is 
the  gratitude  of  princes !  Lady  Fan- 
shawe's    account  of   their    arrival    at 


Cadiz,  confirms  the  truth  of  the  fore- 
going observations.  After  mentioning 
that  when  they  landed  they  were  wel- 
comed by  volleys  of  guns,  received  by 
a  very  large  number  of  people,  and  met 
by  the  governor  and  his  lady,  she  adds, 
"  When  we  came  to  the  house  where 
we  were  to  lodge,  we  were  nobly  treated, 
and  the  governor's  wife  did  me  the 
honor  to  sup  with  me.  We  had  a 
guard  who  constantly  waited  on  us,  and 
sentries  at  the  gate  below,  and  at  the 
stairs-head  above.  We  were  visited 
by  all  the  persons  of  quality  in  that 
town ;  our  house  was  richly  furnished, 
both  my  husband's  quarter  and  mine. 
The  richness  of  the  gilt  and  silver  plate, 
371 


11W 


HONORS,  WORLDLY,  VANITY  OF. 


which  we  had  in  great  abundance,  was 
fit  only  for  the  entertainment  of  so  great 
a  prince  as  his  majesty  our  master,  in 
the  representation  of  whose  person  my 
husband  received  this  great  entertain- 
ment ;  yet,  I  assure  you,  notwithstand- 
ing this  temptation,  that  your  father  and 
myself  both  wished  ourselves  in  a  re- 
tired country  life  in  England,  as  more 
agreeable  to  our  inclinations."  But 
"  as  never  any  ambassador's  family 
went  into  Spain  more  gloriously,  so 
never  went  cfGt  any  so  sad  ;"  for  the  de- 
parture of  this  lady  was  little  else  than 
expulsion  from  a  situation  where  every 
earthly  honor  had  been  heaped  upon 
her  to  satiety,  and  her  company  was  the 
dead  body  of  her  beloved  lord  !  She 
found,  however,  strength  and  consola- 
tion where  only  they  are  to  be  found,  in 
God. 

(b)  EXPERIENCE  OF  WOTTON. 
— Sir  Henry  Wotton,  in  the  reign  of 
Queen  Elizabeth,  who  had  great  honors 
conferred  on  him,  on  account  of  his  near 
relation  to  the  Queen's  great  favorite, 
Robert,  Earl  of  Essex,  was  very  inti- 
mate with  the  Duke  of  Tuscany,  and 
with  James,  then  King  of  Scotland, 
(and  afterwards  of  England,)  and  had 
been  sent  on  several  embassies  to  Hol- 
land, Germany,  and  Venice :  after  all, 
he  desired  to  retire  with  this  motto, 
"  That  he  had  learned  at  length,  that 
the  soul  grew  wiser  by  retirement,"  and 
consequently,  that  a  man  was  more 
happy  in  a  private  situation,  than  it  was 
possible  for  him  to  be  with  those  worldly 
honors  which  were  accompanied  with  so 
many  troubles.  In  short,  the  utmost  of  his 
aim  in  this  life,  for  the  future,  was  to  be 
Provost  of  Eton,  that  there  he  m'ght  en- 
joy his  beloved  study  and  devotion. 

(c)  THE  PRIME  MINISTER'S 
MISERY. — On  a  court  day  in  Decem- 
ber, 1795,  Sir  John  Sinclair  happened 
to  meet  Mr.  Secretary  Dundas  at  St. 
James's,  who  pressed  him  to  name  a 
day  for  visiting  him  at  Wimbledon. 
The  day  fixed  upon  chanced  to  be  the 
last  of  the  year.  The  party  was  nu- 
merous, and  included  Mr.  Pitt.  Sir 
John  remained  all  night  ;  and  next 
morning,  according  to  Scottish  custom, 
resolved  to  pay  his  host  an  early  visit  in 


his  own  apartment.  He  found  the  sec- 
retary in  the  library,  reading  a  long  pa- 
per on  the  importance  of  conquering 
the  Cape,  as  an  additional  security  to 
our  Indian  possessions.  His  guest 
shook  him  by  the  hand,  adding  the  usual 
congratulation,  "  I  come,  my  friend,  to 
wish  you  a  good  new  year,  and  many 
happy  returns  of  the  season."  The 
secretary,  after  a  short  pause,  replied 
with  some  emotion,  "  I  hope  this  year 
will  be  happier  than  the  last,  for  1  can 
scarcely  recollect  having  spent  one 
happy  day  in  the  whole  of  it."  This 
confession,  coming  from  an  individual 
whose  whole  life  hitherto  had  been  a 
series  of  triumphs,  and  who  appeared 
to  stand  secure  upon  the  summit  of  po- 
litical ambition,  was  often  dwelt  upon 
by  Sir  John  as  exemplifying  the  vanity 
of  human  wishes. 

(d)  THE  SERVANT'S  DOCTOR- 
ATE.— When  the  University  of  St. 
Andrew's,  Scotland,  sold  her  honors,  a 
certain  minister,  who  deemed  that  his 
ministration  would  be  more  acceptable, 
if  he  possessed  what  the  Germans  call 
the  doctor-hat,  put  £15  in  his  purse  and 
went  to  St.  Andrew's  to  "  purchase  for 
himself  a  good  degree."  His  man- 
servant accompanied '  him,  and  was 
present  when  his  master  was  formally 
admitted  to  the  long-desired  honor.  On 
his  return  "  the  doctor "  sent  for  his 
servant,  and  addressed  him  as  follows : 
"  Noo  Saunders,  ye'll  aye  be  sure  to 
ca'  me  the  doctor ;  and  gin  ony  body 
spiers  at  you  about  me,  ye'll  be  aye 
sure  to  say  the  doctor's  in  his  study,  or 
the  doctor's  engaged,  or  the  doctor  will 
see  you  in  a  crack."  "That  a'  de- 
pends," was  the  reply,  "whether  ye 
ca'  me  the  doctor,  too!"  (The  Rev. 
Dr.  started.)  ''Ay,  it's  just  so,"  con- 
tinued  the  other ;  "for  when  I  foonu 
that  it  cost  so  little,  I  e'en  got  a  diploma 
myself,  sa  ye'll  be  just  good  enough  to 
say,  'doctor,  put  on  some  coals,'  or, 
'  doctor,  bring  the  whiskey  and  hot 
water,'  and  gin  ony  body  spiers  at  ye 
about  me,  ye'll  be  aye  sure  to  say,  '  the 
doctor's  in  the  stable,'  or,  '  the  doctor's 
in  the  pantry,'  or,  '  the  doctor's  digging 
potatoes,'  as  the  case  may  be." 


372 


HOPE,  POWER  OF 


200 


200.  HOPE,  POWER  OF. 


(a)  THE  SWEEP  AND  THE 
CLERGYMAN.—"  Passing  down  Hud- 
son-street  in  New- York  one  day,"  says 
a  clergyman,  "  a  sooty,  noisy  chimney- 
sweep crossed  my  path.  I  had  often 
noticed  this  class  of  persons  before  ;  and 
as  I  heard  their  hideous  cries  and 
marked  their  filthy  dress  and  the  sooty 
implements  of  their  calling,  I  had  thought 
their  lot  among  the  most  miserable  of 
our  race.  Pity  and  curiosity  promjpted 
me,  as  this  chimney-sweep  was  now 
passing,  to  address  a  few  kind  words. 
After  a  salutation  I  said  :  '  My  friend, 
this  must  be  a  hard  life  that  you  live  V 
*  O,  no,'  said  he,  and  his  eye  kindled  as 
he  spoke  ;  '  it's  not  a  hard  life  ;  it  will 
soon  be  over,  and  then  we  shall  have 
rest.'  I  was  silent  for  a  moment ;  but 
recovering  from  my  surprise  I  replied  : 
'Yes,  indeed,  we  shall  have  rest  in  hea- 
ven if  we  love  and  serve  the  Savior  on 
earth.  Do  you  love  him?'  'I  do  not 
wish  to  presume,'  said  he,  '  but  I  trust  I 
do  love  the  Savior !'  What  was  my 
gratification  to  learn  that  he  was  a  pro- 
fessor of  religion  and  had  been  for  years 
a  member  of  a  church  of  the  same  de- 
nomination with  myself.  And  when  I 
told  him  who  I  was — a  minister  of 
Christ  and  one  of  his  own  brethren — he 
was  full  of  joy.  With  a  few  words  of 
advice  and  congratulation  I  passed  on. 
'  O,  happy  man,'  thought  I.  '  Happier 
in  hope  of  heaven  than  the  kings  of  the 
earth  without  it.  Is  not  such  a  hope 
like  an  anchor  to  the  soul  V  " 

(b)  BISpOP  BEVEPJDGE  AND 
HIS  FRIENDS.— When  the  pious  Bish- 
op  Beveridge  was  on  his  death-bed  he 
did  not  know  any  of  his  friends  or  con- 
nexions. A  minister  with  whom  he  had 
been  well  acquainted  visited  him,  and 
when  conducted  into  his  room  he  said  : 
"  Bishop  Beveridge,  do  you  know  me  ?" 
"  Who  are  you  ?"  said  the  bishop.  Be- 
ing told  who  the  minister  was,  he  said 
that  he  did  not  know  him.  Another 
friend  came  who  had  been  equally  well 
known,  and  accosted  him  in  a  similar 


manner :  "  Do  you  know  me,   Bishop 
Beveridge?"     "Who  are  you?"  said 


he. 


Being  told  it  was  one  of  his  inti- 


mate friends,  he  said  he  did  not  know 
him.  His  wife  then  came  to  his  bed- 
side and  asked  him  if  he  knew  her. 
"  Who  are  you  ?"  said  he.  Being  told 
she  was  his  wife,  he  said  he  did  not 
know  her.  "  Well,"  said  one  of  them, 
"  Bishop  Beveridge,  do  you  know  the 
Lord  .Fesus  Christ  ?"  "  Jesus  Christ !" 
said  he,  reviving  as  if  the  name  had 
produced  upon  him  the  influence  of  a 
charm  ;  "  Oh  !  yes,  I  have  known  Him 
these  forty  years ;  precious  Savior,  he 
is  my  only  hope !" 

(c)  REMEMBERING  JESUS 
CHRIST. — A  good  old  minister  who 
died  in  this  country  in  1807,  at  nearly 
ninety  years  of  age,  had  lost  his  recol- 
lection and  been  long  incapable  of  en- 
gaging in  public  services.  Towards 
the  last  days  of  his  life  he  was  removed 
to  the  house  of  a  beloved  son,  where  he 
was  attended  to  with  the  most  filial 
affection.  On  the  evenin^r  before  his^ 
death  a  neighboring  minister  visited  him, 
but  he  did  not  know  him.  Being  told 
who  he  was  he  answered :  "  No,  1  do 
not  remember  any  such  person."  His 
beloved  son  was  introduced  to  him  ;  but 
no,  he  did  not  know  him.  "  I  do  not 
remember  that  I  have  a  son,"  said  the 
good  old  man.  In  short,  his  memory 
was  so  impaired  that  he  knew  none  of 
his  family  or  friends  about  him.  At 
last  he  was  asked :  "  Do  you  not  re- 
member the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  ?"  On 
this  his  eyes  brightened  ;  and  attempt- 
ing to  lift  his  hands  in  the  hour  of  death 
he  exclaimed  :  "  Oh  !  yes ;  I  do,  I  do ! 
I  remember  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ !  He 
is  my  Lord  and  my  God,  by  whom  I 
hope  to  be  saved  !"  May  we  not  be  as- 
sured that  the  gracious  Redeemer  of  sin- 
ners will  not  forsake  those  who  thus  re- 
gard him  with  a  love  that  even  the  de- 
cay of  nature  cannot  destroy  ?  Blessed 
are  they  that  put  their  trust  in  him ! 
Reader,  hast  thou  done  so?  If  not, 
373 


201 


HOSPITALITY. 


what  will  be  thy  state  when  thou  com- 
est  to  die  ? 

(d)  WITNESS  OF  THE  SPIRIT. 
— The  celebrated  Philip  de  Morney, 
prime  minister  to  Henry  the  IVth  of 
France,  one  of  the  greatest  statesmen, 
and  the  most  exemplary  Christian  of 
his  age,  being  asked  a  little  before  his 
death,  if  he  still  retained  the  same  as- 
sured hope  of  future  bliss,  Avhich  he  had 
so  comfortably  enjoyed  during  his  ill- 
ness, he  made  this  memorable  reply  :  "  I 
am,"  said  he,  "  as  confident  of  it,  from 
the  incontestable  evidence  of  the  Spirit 
of  God,  as  ever  I  was  of  any  mathema- 
tical truth  from  all  the  demonstrations 
of  Euclid." 

(e)  THE  AFFLICTED  SUGAR. 
BOILER. — A  negro  named  Robert,  a 
sugar-boiler,  was  dreadfully  afflicted  for 
several  years;  his  affliction  arose,  as 
was  supposed,  from  a  drop  of  boiling 
sugar  falling  on  his  arm  when  he  was 
at  work.  The  place  broke  out,  and  the 
sore  spread,  so  that  his  fingers  fell  off. 
The  disorder  ascended  into  his  head, 
and  his  eyes  fell  out,  as  also  pieces  of 


his  skull.  His  feet  were  likewise  af- 
fected, and  came  otf.  Yet  he  bore  all 
this  with  remarkable  patience,  and,  at 
times,  rejoiced  in  the  hope  of  being  re- 
ceived to  that  place  where  there  is  no 
death,  neither  sorrow  nor  crying.  The 
last  time  I  visited  him,  said  the  minister, 
I  could  not  bear  to  look  upon  him,  but 
only  talked  to  and  prayed  with  him  at 
liis  chamber  door.  When  I  asked  how 
he  was,  he  said  he  was  just  waiting  the 
Lord's  time,  when  he  should  please  to 
call  for  him.  "  Massa,"  said  he,  "  two 
hands  gone ;  two  eyes  gone  ',  two  feet 
gone  ;  no  more  dis  carcase  here.  Oh, 
massa !  de  pain  sometimes  too  strong 
for  me  ;  I  am  obliged  to  cry  out,  and 
pray  to  de  Lord  for  his  assistance." 
When  he  came  to  close  his  life,  he  ex- 
horted all  about  him  to  be  sure  to  live 
to  God ;  and  especially  his  wife,  who 
had  remained  with  him  all  the  time 
of  his  affliction ;  a  very  rare  circum- 
stance then  with  negroes.  But  she  con- 
tinued faithful ;  and  he  died  happy,  ex- 
horting her  to  live  to  God. 


201.  HOSPITALITY. 


{a)  PARK  AND  THE  NEGRESS. 

-^When  the  celebrated  Mungo  Park 
was  in  Africa,  he  was  directed  by  one 
of  the  native  kings  to  a  village  to  pass 
the  night.  He  went,  but  as  the  order 
was  not  accompanied  with  any  provi- 
sion for  his  reception,  he  found  every 
door  shut.  Turning  his  horse  loose  to 
graze,  he  was  preparing,  as  a  security 
from  wild  beasts,  to  climb  a  tree,  and 
sleep  among  the  branches,  where  a 
beautiful  and  &,ffecting  incident  occur- 
red, which  gives  a  most  pleasing  view 
of  the  negro  female  character.  An  old 
woman,  returning  from  the  labors  of  the 
field,  cast  on  him  a  look  of  compassion, 
and  desired  him  to  follow  her.  She  led 
him  to  an  apartment  in  her  hut,  procur- 
ed a  fine  fish,  which  she  broiled  for  his 
supper,  and  spread  a  mat  for  him  to 
sleep  upon.  She  .then  desired  her 
maidens,  who  had  been  gazing  in  fixed 
astonishment  on  the  white  man,  to  re- 
sume their  tasks,  which  they  continued 
374 


to  ply  through  a  great  part  of  the  night. 
They  cheered  their  labors  with  a  song, 
which  must  have  been  composed  extem- 
pore, as  Mr.  Park,  with  deep  emotion, 
discovered  that  he  himself  was  the  sub- 
ject of  it.  It  said,  in  a  strain  of  affect- 
ing simplicity  : — "  The  winds  roared, 
and  the  rains  fell.  The  poor  white  man, 
faint  and  weary,  came  and  sat  under 
our  tree.  He  has  no  mother  to  bring 
him  milk,  no  wife  to  grind  his  corn." 
Chorus.  "  Let  us  pity  the  white  man, 
no  mother  has  he,"  etc.  Our  traveller 
was  much  affected,  and  next  morning 
could  not  depart,  without  requesting  his 
landlady's  acceptance  of  the  only  gift 
he  had  left,  two  out  of  the  four  brass 
buttons  that  still  remained  on  his  waist- 
coat. 

{h)  GETTING  AN  INVITATION. 

— Rev.  Mr. had   travelled    far  to 

preach  to  a  congregation  at .  Af- 
ter the  sermon,  he  waited  very  patient- 
ly, expecting  some  one  of  the  brethren 


HOSPITALITY. 


201 


to  invite  him  home  to  dinner.  In  this 
he  was  disappointed.  One  and  another 
departed,  until  the  house  was  ahnost  as 
empty  as  the  minister's  stomach.  Sum- 
moning resolution,  however,  he  walked 
up  to  an  elderly-looking  gentleman,  and 
gravely  said — 

"  Will  you  go  home  to  dinner  with 
me  to-day,  brother  ?"  "  Where  do  you 
live  ?" 

"About  tv/enty  miles  from  this,  sir." 
"  No,"  said  the  man,  coloring,  "  but  you 
must  go  with  me."  "  Thank  you — I 
will  cheerfully." 

After  that  time,  the  minister  was  no 
more  troubled  about  his  dinner." 

(c)  HOSPITALITY  AMONG 
TURKS.— Mr.  Arundel,  in  his  Dis- 
coveries in  Asia  Minor,  says :  We  dis- 
mounted at  the  Oda,  a  lodging  house 
for  travellers,  in  the  village  of  Coose- 
lare,  or  Cuselare.  It  was  certainly  not 
a  palace,  for  we  shared  it  with  our 
horses,  and  there  were  holes,  called 
windows,  without  glass  or  shutters  ;  but 
the  hospitality  of  our  hosts  more  than 
compensated  for  every  thing  else. 

We  had  trakana  soup,  pilau,  cheese, 
and  petmes,  and  surprised  were  we  to 
see  our  table-cloth,  or  table-skin,  soon 
after  laid,  the  pancake  bread  placed  all 
around,  and  the  smoking  viands  in  the 
midst.  It  was  the  more  surprising, 
since  we  were  unexpected  guests  ;  and, 
as  the  village  seemed  wretchedly  poor, 
we  ventured  to  ask  an  explanation  ;  and 
we  learned  that  our  fare  was  the  con- 
tribution of  many  families  :  the  trakana 
soup  was  supplied  by  one,  the  pilau  by 
a  second,  the  petmes  by  a  third,  the 
bread  by  a  fourth  ;  but  all  were  emulous 
to  feed  the  famished  strangers  with  as 
little  loss  of  time  as  possible  :  and  these 
were  Turks ! 

{d)  THE  CZAR  AND  THE  PEA- 
SANT.— The  Czar  Ivan,  who  reigned 
over  Russia  about  the  middle  of  the  six- 
teenth century,  frequently  went  out  dis- 
guised, in  order  to  discover  the  opinion 
which  the  people  entertained  of  his  ad- 
ministration. One  day,  in  a  solitary 
walk  near  Moscow,  he  entered  a  small 
village,  and  pretending  to  be  overcome 
by  fatigue,  implored  relief  from  several 
of  the  inhabitants.  His  dress  was  rag- 
ged,  his  appearance  mean;   and  what 


ought  to  have  excited  the  compassion  of 
the  villagers  and  ensured  his  reception 
was  productive  of  refusal.  Full  of  in- 
dignation at  such  inhuman  treatment, 
he  was  just  going  to  leave  the  place, 
when  he  perceived  another  habitation, 
to  which  he  had  not  yet  applied  for  as- 
sistance. It  was  the  poorest  cottage  in 
the  village.  The  emperor  hastened  to 
this,  and,  knocking  at  the  door,  a  peasant 
opened  it,  and  asked  him  what  he  wanted. 
"I  am  almost  dying  with  fatigue  and 
hunger,"  answered  the  Czar ;  "  can  you 
give  me  a  lodging  for  one  night  ?" 
"  Alas  !"  said  the  peasant,  taking  him 
by  the  hand,  "  you  will  have  but  poor 
fare  ;  you  are  come  at  an  unlucky  time  ; 
my  wife  is  in  labor  ;  her  cries  will  not 
let  you  sleep ;  but  come  in,  come  in ; 
you  will  at  least  be  sheltered  from  the 
cold,  and  such  as  we  have  you  shall  be 
welcome  to." 

The  peasant  then  made  the  Czar  enter 
a  little  room  full  of  children  ;  in  a  cradje 
were  two  infants  sleeping  soundly  !  A 
girl  three  years  old  was  sleeping  on  a 
rug  near  the  cradle  ;  while  her  two  sis- 
ters, the  one  five  years  old,  the  other 
almost  seven,  were  on  their  knees,  cry- 
ing, and  praying  to  God  for  their  mother, 
who  was  in  a  room  adjoining,  and  whose 
piteous  plaints  and  groans  were  distinct- 
ly heard.  "  Stay  here,"  said  the  peasant 
to  the  emperor ;  "I  will  go  and  get 
something  for  your  supper." 

He  went  out  and  soon  returned  with 
some  black  bread,  eggs,  and  honey. 
"  You  see  all  I  can  give  you,"  said  the 
peasant ;  "partake  of  it  with  my  chil- 
dren. I  must  go  and  assist  my  wife." 
"  Your  hospitality,"  said  the  Czar, 
"  must  bring  down  blessings  upon  your 
house  ;  I  am  sure  God  will  reward  your 
goodness."  "  Pray  to  God,  my  good 
friend,"  replied  the  peasant,  "  pray  to 
God  Almighty  that  she  may  have  a  safe 
delivery :  that  is  all  I  wish  for."  "  And 
is  that  all  you  wish  to  make  you  happy  ?" 
"  Happy !  judge  for  yourself;  I  have  five 
fine  children;  a  dear  wife  that  loves 
me  ;  a  father  and  mother  both  in  good 
health  ;  and  my  labor  is  sufficient  to 
maintain  them  all."  "  Do  your  father 
and  mother  live  with  you  ?"  "  Cer- 
tainly  ;  they  are  in  the  next  room  with 
my  wife."     "  But  your  cottage  here  is 

375 

if 


201 


HOSPITALITY. 


so  very  small !"  "  It  is  large  enough  ;  it 
can  hold   us  all." 

The  good  peasant  then  went  to  his 
wife,  who  in  about  an  hour  after  was 
happily  delivered.  Her  husband,  in  a 
transport  of  joy,  brought  the  child  to  the 
Czar  ;  "  Look,"  said  he,  "  look  ;  this  is 
the  sixth  she  has  brought  me  !  May 
God  preserve  him  as  he  has  done  my 
others  !"  The  Czar,  sensibly  affected 
at  this  scene,  took  the  infant  in  his  arms : 
"  I  know,"  said  he,  "  from  the  physiog- 
nomy of  this  child,  that  he  will  be  quite 
fortunate.  He  will  arrive,  I  am  certain, 
at  preferment."  The  peasant  smiled  at 
the  prediction ;  and  at  that  instant  the 
two  eldest  girls  came  to  kiss  their  new- 
born brother,  and  their  grandmother 
came  also  to  take  him  back.  The  little 
ones  followed  her;  and  the  peasant, 
laying  himself  down  upon  his  bed  of 
straw,  invited  the  stranger  to  do  the 
same. 

I^In  a  moment  the  peasant  was  in  a 
sound  and  peaceful  sleep  ;  but  the  Czar, 
sitting  up,  looked  around,  and  contem- 
plated every  thing  with  an  eye  of  tender- 
ness and  emotion  ;  the  sleeping  children 
and  their  sleeping  father.  An  undisturb- 
ed silence  reigned  in  the  cottage.  ''  What 
a  happy  chasm  !  What  delightful  tran- 
quillity !"  said  the  emperor ;  "avarice 
and  ambition,  suspicion  and  remorse, 
never  enter  here.  How  sweet  is  the 
sleep  of  innocence  !"  In  such  reflections 
and  on  such  a  bed  did  the  mighty  em- 
peror of  the  Russias  spend  the  night ! 
The  peasant  awoke  at  the  break  of  day, 
and  his  guest,  after  taking  leave  of  him, 
said,  "  I  must  return  to  Moscow,  my 
friend ;  I  am  acquainted  there  with  a 
very  benevolent  man,  to  whom  I  shall 
take  care  to  mention  your  kind  treat- 
ment of  me.  I  can  prevail  upon  him  to 
stand  godfather  to  your  child.  Promise 
me,  therefore,  that  you  will  wait  for  me, 
that  I  may  be  present  at  the  christening ; 
I  will  be  back  in  three  hours  at  the 
farthest."  The  peasant  did  not  think 
-inuch  of  this  mighty  promise  ;  but  in 
the  good  nature  of  his  heart,  he  consent- 
ed, however,  to  the  stranger's  request. 

The  Czar  immediately  took  his  leave  : 
the  three  hours  were  soon  gone,  and  no- 
body appeared.  The  peasant,  therefore, 
followed  by  his  family,  was  preparing  to 
376 


carry  his  child  to  church ;  but  as  he 
was  leaving  his  cottage,  he  heard  on  a 
sudden  the  trampling  of  horses  and  the 
rattling  of  many  coaches.  He  knew  the 
imperial  guards,  and  instantly  called  his 
family  to  come  and  see  the  emperor  go 
by.  They  all  ran  out  in  a  hurry  and 
stood  before  their  door.  The  horses, 
men  and  carriages  soon  formed  a  cir- 
cular line,  and  at  last  the  state  coach  of 
the  Czar  stopped  opposite  the  peasant's 
door. 

The  guards  kept  back  the  crowd, 
which  the  hopes  of  seeing  their  sovereign 
had  collected  together.  The  coach  door 
was  opened,  the  Czar  alighted,  and,  ad- 
vancing to  his  host,  thus  addressed  him : 
"  I  promised  you  a  godfather ;  I  am 
come  to  fulfil  my  promise :  give  me  your 
child,  and  follow  me  to  church."  The 
peasant  stood  like  a  statue  ;  now  looking 
at  the  emperor  with  the  mingled  emo- 
tions of  astonishment  and  joy ;  now  ob- 
serving his  magnificent  robes  and  the 
costly  jewels  with  which  they  were 
adorned,  and  now  turning  to  a  crowd  of 
nobles  that  surrounded  him.  In  this  pro- 
fusion of  pomp  he  could  not  discover 
the  poor  stranger  who  lay  all  night  with 
him  upon  straw. 

The  emperor  for  some  moments  si- 
lently enjoyed  his  perplexity,  and  then 
addressed  him  thus  :  "  Yesterday  you 
performed  the  duties  of  humanity ;  to- 
day I  am  come  to  discharge  the  most 
delightful  duty  of  a  sovereign,  that  of  re- 
compensing virtue.  I  shall  not  remove 
you  from  a  situation  to  which  you  do  so 
much  honor,  and  the  innocence  and 
tranquillity  of  which  I  envy  ;  but  1  will 
bestow  upon  you  such  things  as  may  be 
useful  to  you.  You  shall  have  numerous 
flocks,  rich  pastures,  and  a  house  that 
will  enable  you  to  exercise  the  duties  of 
hospitality  with  pleasure.  Your  new- 
bom  child  shall  become  my  ward  ;  for 
you  may  remember,"  continued  the 
emperor,  smiling,  "  that  1  prophesied  he 
would  be  fortunate." 

The  good  peasant  could  not  speak  ; 
but,  with  tears  of  sensibility  in  his  eyes, 
he  ran  instantly  to  fetch  the  child, 
brought  him  to  the  emperor,  and  laid 
him  respectfully  at  his  feet.  This  ex- 
cellent sovereign  was  quite  affected  ;  he 
took  the  child  in  his  arms,  and  carried 


HUMANITY. 


209 


him  himself  to  church ;  and,  after  the 
ceremony  was  over,  unwilling  to  de- 
prive him  of  his  mother's  milk,  he  took 
him  back  to  the  cottage,  and  ordered 
that  he  should  be  sent  to  him  as  soon 
as  he  could  be  weaned.  The  Czar  faith- 


fully observed  his  engagement,  caused 
the  boy  to  be  educated  in  his  palace, 
provided  amply  for  his  farther  settle- 
ment in  life,  and  continued  ever  after 
to  heap  favors  upon  the  virtuous  pea- 
sant and  his  family. 


HUMANITY. 


201.  Humanity  Exemplified. 

(a)  CESAR  AT  PHARSALIA.— 
Julius  Csesar  was  not  more  eminent  for 
his  valor  in  overcoming  his  enemies, 
than  for  his  humane  efforts  in  reconcil- 
ing and  attaching  them  to  his  dominion. 
In  the  battle  of  Pharsalia  he  rode  to  and 
fro,  calling  vehemently  out,  "Spare, 
spare  the  citizens  !"  Nor  were  any 
killed  but  such  as  obstinately  refused  to 
accept  life.  After  the  battle,  he  gave 
every  man  on  his  own  side  leave  to  save 
any  of  the  opposite  from  the  list  of  pro- 
scription ;  and  at  no  long  time  after  he 
issued  an  edict,  permitting  all  whom  he 
had  not  yet  pardoned,  to  return  in  peace 
to  Italy,  to  enjoy  their  estates  and  hon- 
ors. It  was  a  common  saying  of  Csesar 
that  no  music  was  so  charming  to  his 
ears,  as  the  requests  of  his  friends,  and 
the  supplications  of  those  in  want  of  his 
fl  SSI  st3.n  f*p 

(b)  A    GOVERNOR'S   HUMANI- 

TY. — When  Catharine  of  Medicis  had 
persuaded  Charles  IX  to  massacre  all 
the  Protestants  in  France,  orders  were 
sent  to  the  governors  of  the  different 
provinces  to  put  the  Huguenots  to  death 
in  their  respective  districts.  One  Cath- 
olic governor,  whose  memory  will  ever 
be  dear  to  humanity,  had  the  courage 
to  disobey  the  cruel  mandate.  "  Sire," 
said  he,  in  a  letter  to  his  sovereign,  "  I 
have  too  much  respect  for  your  majesty 
not  to  persuade  myself  that  the  order  I 
have  received  must  be  forged ;  but  if, 
which  God  forbid,  it  should  be  really 
the  order  of  your  majesty,  I  have  too 
much  respect  for  the  personal  character 
of  my  sovereign  to  obey  it." 

(c)  LOUIS  XIV  AND  THE  EN- 
GLISH AMBASSADOR— After  the 
revocation  of  the  famous  edict  of  Nantz, 


when  the  Protestants  were  persecuted 
in  every  part  of  France,  an  English 
Ambassador  demanded  of  Louis  XIV 
the  liberty  of  all  those  who  were  sent  to 
the  galleys  on  account  of  their  religion. 
"And  what,"  answered  the  royal  bigot, 
"  would  the  king  of  England  say,  were 
I  to  require  the  release  of  all  his  prison- 
ers in  Newgate  ?"  "  Sir,"  returned 
the  ambassador,  "  the  king  my  master 
would  immediately  comply  with  your 
requisition,  if  your  majesty  interposed 
for  them,  not  as  malefactors,  but  as  your 
brethren." 

(d)  MEASURING  FEELING.— A 
respectable  merchant  of  London,  having 
been  embarrassed  in  his  circumstances, 
and  his  misfortunes  having  been  one  day 
the  subject  of  conversation  in  the  Royal 
Exchange,  several  persons  expressed 
great  sorrow  ;  when  a  foreigner  who 
was  present,  said,  "  I  feel  five  hundred 
pounds  for  him,  what  do  you  feel  ?^* 

(e)  HENRY  IV  AND  THE 
SIEGE.— When  Henry  IV  of  France 
was  advised  to  attempt  taking  Paris  by 
an  assault,  before  the  King  of  Spain's 
troops  arrived  to  succor  the  leaguers, 
he  absolutely  protested  against  the 
measure,  on  the  principle  of  humanity. 
"  I  will  not,"  said  he,  "  expose  the  capi- 
tal to  the  miseries  and  horrors  which 
must  follow  such  an  event.  I  am  the 
father  of  my  people,  and  will  follow  the 
example  of  the  true  mother  who  pre- 
sented herself  before  Solomon.  I  had 
much  rather  not  have  Paris,  than  obtain 
it  at  the  expense  of  humanity,  and  by 
the  blood  and  death  of  so  many  innocent 
persons." 

Henry  reduced  the  city  to  obedience 

without  the  loss  of  blood,  except  two  or 

three  burgesses  who  were  killed.     "  If 

it  was  in  my  power,"  said  this  humane 

377 


202,  203 


HUMANITY. 


monarch,  "  I  would  give  fifty  thousand 
crowns  to  redeem  those  citizens,  to  have 
the  satisfaction  of  informing  posterity 
that  I  had  subdued  Paris  without  spill- 
ing a  drop  of  blood." 

(/)  THE  CHILD'S  RESCUE.— An 
English  gentleman  relates  the  following 
affecting  fact : 

I  was  once  going  in  my  gig  up  the 
hill  in  the  village  of  Frankford,  near 
Philadelphia,  when  a  little  girl,  about 
two  years  old,  who  had  travelled  away 
from  a  small  house,  was  lying  basking 
in  the  sun  in  the  middle  of  the  road. 
About  two  hundred  yards  before  I  got  to 
the  child,  the  teams,  five  big  horses  in 
each,  of  three  wagons,  the  drivers  of 
which  had  stopped  to  drink  at  a  tavern 
at  the  brow  of  the  hill,  started  off*,  and 
came  nearly  abreast,  galloping  down 
the  road.  I  got  my  gig  off*  the  road  as 
speedily  as  I  could,  but  expected  to  see 
the  poor  child  crushed  to  pieces.  A 
ywmg  man,  a  journeyman  carpenter, 
who  was  shingling  the  shed  by  the  road- 
side, seeing  the  child,  and  aware  of  the 
danger,  though  a  stranger  to  the  pa- 
rents, jumped  from  the  top  of  the  shed, 
ran  into  the  road,  and  snatched  up  the 
child  when  scarcely  an  inch  before  the 
hoof  of  the  leading  horse.  The  horse's 
leg  knocked  him  down,  but  he,  catching 
the  child  by  its  clothes,  flung  it  out  of 
the  way  of  the  other  horses,  and  saved 
himself  by  rolling  back  with  surprising 
agility.  The  mother  of  the  child,  who 
had  apparently  been  washing,  seeing 
teams  coming,  and  knowing  the  situa- 
tion of  the  child,  rushed  out,  and  catch- 
ing it  up  just  as  the  carpenter  had  flung 
it  back,  hugged  it  in  her  arms,  and  ut- 
tered a  shriek  such  as  I  never  heard  be- 
fore. Then  she  dropped  down  as  if  en- 
tirely dead.  By  the  application  of  the 
usual  means,  she  was  restored,  howev- 
er, in  a  little  while ;  and  I,  being  about 
to  depart,  asked  the  carpenter  if  he  was 
a  married  man,  and  whether  he  was  a 
relation  of  the  parents  of  the  child.  He 
said  he  was  neither.  "Well  then," 
said  I,  "  you  merit  the  gratitude  of  eve- 
ry lather  and  mother  in  the  world  ;  and 
I  will  show  you  mine  by  giving  you 
what  I  have,"  puUmg  out  the  nine  or 
ten  dollars  which  I  had  in  my  pocket. 
"  No,  I  thank  you,  sir,"  said  he ;  "  I  have 
378 


only  done  what  it  was  my  duty  to 
do." 

(g)  LESSON  TO  CONQUERORS. 
— When  Edward  the  Confessor  had  en- 
tered  England  from  Normandy  to 
recover  the  kingdom,  and  was  ready  to 
give  the  Danes  battle,  one  of  his  cap- 
tains assured  him  of  victory,  adding, 
"  We  will  not  leave  one  Dane  alive." 
To  which  Edward  replied,  "  God  forbid 
that  the  kingdom  should  be  recovered 
for  me,  who  am  but  one  man,  by  the 
death  of  thousands.  No  :  I  will  rather 
live  a  private  life,  unstained  by  the  blood 
of  my  fellow-men,  than  be  a  king  by 
such  a  sacrifice."  Upon  which  he 
broke  up  his  camp,  and  again  retired  to 
Normandy,  until  he  was  restored  to  his 
throne  without  blood. 

(A)  KNOX'S  REPLY  TO  THE 
PRISONERS.— The  prisoners  in  St. 
Michael,  once  consulted  John  Knox,  as 
to  the  lawfulness  of  attempting  to 
escape,  by  breaking  their  prison ;  which 
was  opposed  by  some  of  their  number, 
lest  their  escape  should  subject  their 
brethren  who  remained  in  confinement 
to  a  more  severe  treatment.  He  re- 
turned for  answer,  that  such  fears  were 
not  a  sufficient  reason  for  relinquishing 
the  design,  and  that  they  might  with  a 
safe  conscience  effect  their  escape,  pro- 
vided it  could  be  done  "  without  the 
blood  of  any  shed  or  spilt.  To  the 
shedding  of  any  man's  blood  for  their 
freedom  he  would  never  consent." 

(i)  ANTHONY'S  OPINION  OF 
REVENGE— Anthony  behaved  with 
such  lenity  towards  those  who  had  been 
engaged  for  Cassius,  that  he  wrote  to 
the  Senate,  requesting  them  to  spare  the 
shedding  of  blood  ;  and  requesting  this 
honor  to  be  allowed  to  his  reign,  that 
even  under  the  misfortunes  of  a  rebellion, 
none  had  lost  their  lives,  except  in  the 
first  heat  of  the  tumult.  "  I  wish," 
said  he,  "that  I  could  even  recall  to 
life  many  of  those  who  have  been 
killed  ;  for  revenge  in  a  prince  hardly 
ever  pleases,  since  even  when  just,  it  is 
considered  as  severe." 

201.  linmanity   Rewarded. 

(a)     HUMANE     DRIVER     RE- 
WARDED. — A  poor  Macedonian  sol- 


HUMANITY. 


303 


dier  was  one  day  leading  before  Alex- 
ander a  mule  laden  with  gold  for  the 
king's  use  ;  the  beast  being  so  tired  that 
he  was  not  able  either  to  go  or  sustain 
the  load,  the  mule-driver  took  it  off,  and 
carried  it  himself  with  great  difficulty  a 
considerable  way.  Alexander  seeing 
him  just  sinking  under  the  burthen,  and 
about  to  throw  it  on  the  ground,  cried 
out,  "  Friend,  do  not  be  weary  yet ;  try 
and  carry  it  quite  through  to  thy  tent, 
for  it  is  all  thy  own." 

(b)  AGRIPPA  AND  THAUMAS- 
TUS. — When  Agrippa  was  in  a  private 
station,  he  was  accused,  by  one  of  his 
servants,  of  having  spoken  injuriously 
of  Tiberius,  and  was  condemned  by  the 
emperor  to  be  exposed  in  chains  before 
the  palace  gate.  The  weather  was 
very  hot,  and  Agrippa  became  exces- 
sively thirsty.  Seeing  Thaumastus,  a 
servant  of  Caligula,  pass  by  with  a 
pitcher  of  water,  he  called  to  him,  and 
entreated  leave  to  drink.  The  servant 
presented  the  pitcher  with  much  cour- 
tesy ;  and  Agrippa  having  allayed  his 
thirst,  said  to  him,  "  Assure  thyself, 
Thaumastus,  that  if  I  get  out  of  this 
captivity,  I  will  one  day  pay  thee  well 
for  this  draught  of  water."  Tiberius 
dying,  his  successor  Caligula,  soon  after 
not  only  set  Agrippa  at  liberty,  but 
made  him  king  of  Judea.  In  this  high 
situation  Agrippa  was  not  unmindful  of 
the  glass  of  water  given  to  him  when  a 
captive.  He  immediately  sent  for 
Thaumastus,  and  made  him  comptroller 
of  his  household. 

(c)  TRIUMPH  OF  METELLUS.— 
When  Nertobrigia  was  invested  by  Q. 
Csecilius  Metellus,  the  Roman  pro- 
consul, Rhetogenes,  a  chief  lord  of  the 
place,  came  out  and  surrendered  him- 
self to  the  Romans.  The  inhabitants, 
enraged  at  his  desertion,  placed  his  wife 
and  children,  whom  he  had  left  behind, 
in  the  breach  which  the  legionaries 
were  to  mount.  The  Roman  general 
hearing  of  this,  and  finding  that  he 
could  not  attack  the  city  without 
sacrificing  them,  abandoned  a  certain 
conquest,  and  raised  the  siege.  No 
sooner  was  this  act  of  humanity  known 
through  Tarraconian  Spain,  than  the  in- 
habitants of  the  revolted  cities  strove 
who  should   first   submit  to  him  ;  and 


thus  was  a  whole  country  recovered  by 
one  humane  act. 

(d)  MERCY  BETTER  THAN 
SACRIFICE.— When  the  Romans  had 
ravaged  the  province  of  Azazene,  and 
seven  thousand  Persians  were  brought 
prisoners  to  A  mida,  where  they  suffered 
extreme  want,  Acases,  Bishop  of  Amida, 
assembled  his  clergy,  and  represented 
to  them  the  misery  of  these  unhappy 
prisoners.  He  observed  that  as  God 
had  said,  "  I  love  mercy  better  than 
sacrifice,"  he  would  certainly,  be  better 
pleased  with  the  relief  of  his  suffering 
creatures,  than  with  being  served  with 
gold  and  silver  in  the  churches.  The 
clergy  were  of  the  same  opinion.  The 
consecrated  vessels  were  sold  ;  and  with 
the  proceeds,  the  seven  thousand  Per- 
sians were  not  only  maintained  during 
the  war,  but  sent  home  at  its  conclusion 
with  money  in  their  pockets.  Varenes, 
the  Persian  monarch,  was  so  charmed 
with  this  humane  action,  that  he  invited 
the  bishop  to  his  capital,  where  he  re- 
ceived him  with  the  utmost  reverence, 
and  for  his  sake  conferred  many  favors 
on  the  Christians. 

(e)  CLEMENCY  OF  ALPHON- 
SUS. — The  city  of  Cajeta  having  re- 
belled against  Alphonsus,  was  invested 
by  that  monarch  with  a  powerful  army. 
Being  sorely  distressed  for  want  of  pro- 
visions, the  citizens  put  forth  all  their 
old  men,  women  and  children,  and  shut 
the  gates  upon  them.  The  king's  min- 
isters advised  his  majesty  not  to  permit 
them  to  pass,  but  to  force  them  back 
into  the  city  ;  by  which  means  he  would 
speedily  become  master  of  it.  Alphon- 
sus, however,  had  too  humane  a  disposi- 
tion to  hearken  to  counsel,  the  policy  of 
which  rested  on  driving  a  helpless  mul- 
titude into  the  jaws  of  famine.  He 
suffered  them  to  pass  unmolested  ;  and 
when  afterwards  reproached  with  the 
delay  which  this  produced  in  the  siege 
he  feelingly  said,  "  I  had  rather  be  the 
preserver  of  one  innocent  person,  than 
be  the  master  of  a  hundred  Cajetas." 

Alphonsus  was  not  without  the  re- 
ward which  such  noble  clemency  merit- 
ed. The  citizens  were  so  affected  by 
it,  that,  repenting  of  their  disloyalty, 
they  soon  afterwards  yielded  up  the  city 
to  him  of  their  own  accord. 
379 


203,  204 


HUMILITY. 


(/)  THE  ARCHDUKE  AND  HIS 
WOUNDED  SOLDIERS.  —  When 
the  Archduke  Charles  was  on  his  way 
from  Bohemia,  to  take  the  command  of 
his  army,  as  he  drew  near  the  scene  of 
action,  he  met  a  number  of  wounded  men 
abandoned  by  their  comrades  on  the 
road,  for  want  of  horses  to  draw  the 
carriages  in  their  retreat.  The  prince 
immediately  ordered  the  horses  to  be 
taken  from  several  pieces  of  cannon 
that  were  already  retreating,  saying 
that  these  brave  men  were  better  worth 
saving  than  a  few  cannon.  When  Gen- 
eral Moreau,  into  whose  hands  the  can- 
non of  course  fell,  heard  of  this  benev- 
olent trait,  he  ordered  them  to  be 
restored  lo  the  Austrian  army,  observing 
that  he  would  take  no  cannon  that  were 
abandoned  from  such  humane  motives. 

ig)  HAPPY  EFFECTS  OF  HU- 
MANITY.— The  following  facts  of  a 
young  chief  of  the  Pawnee  nation,  and 
son  of  Old  Knife,  one  of  the  Indians 
who  visited  the  city  of  Washington,  in 
America,  a  few  years  ago,  from  the  foot 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  are  highly 
creditable  to  his  courage,  his  generosity, 
and  his  benevolence_i__  This  young  war- 
rior, when  these  events  occurred,  was 
about  twenty-five  years  old.  At  the 
age  of  twenty-one,  his  heroic  deeds  had 
acquired  for  him,  among  his  people,  the 
rank  of  "  bravest  of  the  brave."  The 
savage  practice  of  torturing  and  burn- 
ing to  death  their  prisoners  existed  in 
this  nation.  An  unfortunate  female, 
taken  in  war,  of  the  Paduca  nation, 
was  destined  to  this  horrible  death. 
The  fatal  hour  had  arrived :  the  trem- 
bling victim,  far  from  her  home  and  her 
friends,  was  fastened  to  the  stake :  the 
whole  tribe  was  assembled  on  the  sur- 
rounding plain,  to  witness  the  awful 
scene.     Just  when  the  wood  was  about 


to  be  kindled,  and  the  spectators  were 
on  the  tiptoe  of  expectation,  this  young 
warrior,  who  sat  composedly  among  the 
chiefs,  having  before  prepared  two  fleet 
horses,  with  the  necessary  provisions,  , 
sprang  from  his  seat,  rushed  through  the 
crowd,  loosed  the  victim,  seized  her  in 
his  arms,  placed  her  on  one  of  the  hor- 
ses, mounted  the  other  himself,  and 
made  the  utmost  speed  towards  the 
nation  and  friends  of  the  captive.  The 
multitude,  dumb  and  nerveless  with 
amazement  at  the  daring  deed,  made  no 
effort  to  rescue  their  victim  from  her 
deliverer.  They  viewed  it  as  the  act  of 
their  deity,  submitted  to  it  without  a 
murmur,  and  quietly  retired  to  their 
village.  The  released  captive  was  ac- 
companied through  the  wilderness  to- 
ward her  home,  till  she  was  out  of 
danger.  He  then  gave  her  the  horse 
on  which  she  rode,  with  the  necessary 
provisions  for  the  remainder  of  her 
journey,  and  they  parted.  On  his  re- 
turn to  the  village,  such  was  the  respect 
entertained  for  him,  that  no  inquiry  was 
made  into  his  conduct ;  no  censure  was 
passed  on  it :  and,  since  this  transaction, 
no  human  sacrifice  has  been  offered  in 
this  or  any  of  the  Pawnee  tribes.  Of 
what  influence  is  one  bold  act  in  a  good 
cause ! 

On  the  publication  of  this  anecdote 
at  Washington,  the  young  ladies  of  a 
female  seminary,  in  that  city,  presented 
this  brave  and  humane  Indian  with  a 
handsome  silver  medal,  on  which  was 
engraven  an  appropriate  inscription ; 
accompanied  by  an  address,  of  which 
the  following  is  the  close  : — "  Brother, 
accept  this  token  of  our  esteem  ;  always 
wear  it  for  our  sake  ;  and,  when  you 
have  again  the  power  to  save  a  poor 
woman  from  death  and  torture,  think  of 
this  and  of  us,  and  fly  to  her  rescue." 


204.  HUMILITY. 


(a)  "  BY  THE  GRACE  OF  GOD 
I  AM  WHAT  I  AM."— Two  or  three 
years  before  the  death  of  John  Newton, 
when  his  sight  was  so  dim  that  he  was 
no  longer  able  to  read,  an  aged  friend 
and  brother  in  the  ministry  called  on 
380 


him  to  breakfast.  Family  prayer  suc- 
ceeding, the  portion  of  Scripture  for  the 
day  was  read  to  him.  It  was  suggested 
by  "  Bogatsky's  Golden  Treasury :" 
•'  By  the  grace  of  God,  I  am  what  I 
am."     It  was  the  good  man's  custom. 


HUMILITY. 


d04 


on  these  occasions,  to  make  a  few  short 
remarks  on  the  passage  read.  After 
the  reading  of  this  text,  he  paused  for 
some  moments,  and  then  uttered  the  fol- 
lowing affecting  soliloquy  : — "  I  am  not 
\\  liat  I  ought  to  be  !  Ah  !  how  imperfect 
and  deficient !  I  am  not  what  I  wish  to 
be  !  I  abhor  that  which  is  evil,  and  I 
would  cleave  to  what  is  good  !  I  am 
not  what  1  hope  to  be !  Soon,  soon,  I 
shall  put  off  mortality,  and  with  mortal- 
ity all  sin  and  .  imperfection  !  Yet, 
though  1  am  not  what  I  ought  to  be,  nor 
what  1  wish  to  be,  nor  what  I  hope  to 
be,  I  can  truly  say  I  am  not  what  I  once 
was,  a  slave  to  sin  and  Satan  ;  and  I 
can  heartily  join  with  the  apostle,  and 
acknowledge,  "  By  the  grace  of  God, 
I  am  what  I  am  !"  Let  us  pray  !" 

(b)  MATHER'S  RETRACTION. 
— Dr.  Cotton  Mather  had  maintained, 
with  much  earnestness,  a  particular 
opinion  in  the  prime  of  life.  In  ad- 
vanced age,  he  re-examined  the  wri- 
tings of  his  opponent  which  he  had  re- 
plied to,  and  was  convinced  of  his 
error.  This  fact  he  was  careful  to  ac- 
icnowledge. 

(c)  REYNOLDS  AND  THE  OR- 
PHAN.— A  lady  applied  to  the  emi- 
nent philanthropist  of  Bristol,  Richard 
Reynolds,  on  behalf  of  a  little  orphan 
boy.  After  he  had  given  liberally,  she 
said,  "  When  he  is  old  enough,  I  will 
teach  him  to  name  and  thank  his  bene- 
factor." "  Stop,"  said  the  good  man, 
"  Thou  art  mistaken.  We  do  not 
thank  the  clouds  for  rain.  Teach  him 
to  look  higher,  and  thank  him  who 
giveth  both  the  clouds  and  the  rain." 

{d)  THE  NOBLEMAN  AND  THE 
PRAYER  MEETING.— A  nobleman 
was  in  the  habit  of  attending  a  prayer 
meeting  in  the  country  village  where  he 
lived,  and  where  a  iew  poor  people  were 
accustomed  to  assemble  to  seek  the 
presence  of  the  Divine  Majesty.  It 
was  at  first  customary  for  these  humble 
persons  to  make  way  for  him  if  he 
came  in  a  little  after  the  appointed 
time  ;  but  he  expressed  his  unwilling- 
ness to  receive  this  mark  of  respect, 
saying  he  should  be  satisfied  to  occupy 
the  lowest  station.  In  other  places  he 
thought  he  had  a  right  to  claim  the  dis- 
tinctions of  his  rank  ;  but  there  he  felt 


himself  in  the  same  situation  as  them- 
selves. Such  conduct  displayed  the 
genuine  feelings  of  piety,  which  rising 
superior  to  the  artificial  distinctions  of 
society,  rejoices  in  the  fellowship  of  the 
body  of  Christians. 

(e)  LOUIS  IX  AND  THE  KIT- 
CHEN  BOY.— Louis  the  IXth,  king  of 
France,  was  found  instructing  a  poor 
kitchen  boy ;  and  being  asked  why  he 
did  so,  replied,  "  The  meanest  person 
hath  a  soul  as  precious  as  my  own,  and 
bought  with  the  same  blood  of  Christ." 

(/)  OVERLOOKING  SELF.— 
"  On  a  visit  to  London,"  says  the  Rev. 
.1.  Campbell,  in  a  letter  to  a  minister, 
"  I  was  expressing  a  great  desire  to  see 
the  late  Mr.  Charles  of  Bala,  with 
whom  I  had  corresponded  for  three 
years  concerning  a  remarkable  revival 
which  had  taken  place  under  his  minis- 
try. Mr.  C.  happening  to  be  in  town  at 
the  same  time,  your  father  kindly  took 
me  to  Lady  Ann  Erskine's,  where  he 
resided.  We  spent  there  two  happy 
hours.  Your  father  requested  Mr.  C. 
to  favor  us  with  a  brief  outline  of  the 
circumstances  which  led  to  the  remark- 
able revival  at  Bala,  and  its  surround- 
ing region,  its  progress,  &c.  He  did  so 
for  upwards  of  an  hour.  On  our  leav- 
ing him,  your  father  said,  '  Did  you  not 
observe  the  wonderful  humility  of  Mr.  C. 
in  the  narrative  he  gave  ?  Never  having 
once  mentioned  himself,  though  he  was 
the  chief  actor  and  instrument  in  the 
whole  matter."  ' 

{g)  ELEVATION  BY  HUMIL- 
ITY— In  the  evening  of  the  day  that 
Sir  Eardley  Wilmot  kissed  the  hand  of 
his  majesty,  on  being  appointed  chief 
justice,  one  of  his  sons,  a  youth  of 
seventeen,  attended  him  to  his  bed-side. 
"  Now,"  said  he,  "  my  son,  I  will  tell 
you  a  secret  worth  your  knowing  and 
remembering.  The  elevation  I  have 
met  with  in  life,  particularly  this  last 
instance  of  it,  has  not  been  owing  to 
any  superior  merit  or  abilities,  but  to 
my  humility  ;  to  my  not  having  set  up 
myself  above  others,  and  to  a  uniform 
endeavor  to  pass  through  life  void  of 
offence  towards  God  and  man." 

(h)  THE  CONVERTED  INDIAN. 
— In  the  year  1742,  a  veteran .  warrior 
of  the  Lenape  nation  and  Monsey  tribe, 
381 


204 


HUMILITY. 


renowned  among  his  friends  for  his 
bravery,  and  dreaded  by  his  enemies, 
joined  the  Christian  Indians  at  Bethle- 
hem, Pa.  He  was  now  at  an  advanced 
age,  full  of  scars,  and  all  over  tattooed 
with  the  scenes  of  the  actions  in  which 
he  had  been  engaged.  All  who  heard 
his  history  thought  that  it  could  never 
be  surpassed.  This  man  was  brought 
under  the  influence  of  religion ;  and 
when  he  was  afterwards  questioned  re- 
specting his  warlike  feats,  he  modestly 
replied,  "that  being  now  taken  captive 
by  Jesus  Christ,  it  did  not  become  him 
to  relate  the  deeds  done  while  in  the 
service  of  the  evil  spirit :  but  that  he 
was  willing  to  give  an  account  of  the 
manner  in  which  he  had  been  con- 
quered." 

(z)  "  THE  SONS  OF  GOD."— An 
individual,  says  a  missionary,  employed 
in  the  translation  of  the  Scriptures  at  a 
station  where  I  resided,  on  arriving  at 
the  passage ,  "  Now  are  we  the  sons  of 
God  !"  etc.,  1  John  iii.  2,  came  run- 
ning to  me  in  great  haste,  exclaiming, 
"  No,  no,  it  is  too  much  ;  allow  me  to 
render  it,  *  Now  are  we  permitted  to  kiss 
his  feet.'  "  A  simple  and  beautiful  re- 
presentation of  those  feelings  with  which 
Christians  should  ever  contemplate  the 
dignity  of  their  character,  and  the  hon- 
or conferred  on  them. 

(j)  THE  PREACHER  AND  THE 

FARMER.— The  Rev.  Mr.  R ,  in 

a  sermon  before  a  numerous  audience, 
composed  in  part  of  preachers,  related 
the  following  anecdote,  illustrative  ot 
the  influence  of  humility  in  subduing 
a  suspicious  and  repugnant  mind. 

A  young  preacher,  said  he,  on  going 
to  a  distant  field  of  labor,  had  occasion 
to  stop  over  night  with  a  farmer,  a 
member  of  a  church,  an  honest  man, 
hut,  unhappily,  of  a  peevish,  suspicious 
temper,  that  had  been  exasperated  by 
several  instances  of  imposture,  in  which 
vagrant  men  had  availed  themselves  of 
his  hospitality  under  the  character  of 
Christian  ministers.  The  young 
preacher  had  just  commenced  his  min- 
isterial career,  his  appearance  was  not 
prepossessing,  and  he  was  depressed 
with  anxiety  respecting  his  untried  field 
of  labor.  It  was  late  in  the  evening 
when  he  reached  the  gate  of  the  farm- 
382 


yard.  The  farmer  came  forth  to  meet 
him  with  chilling  coldness.  He  made 
surly  inquiries  about  his  name,  whence 
he  came,  whither  he  was  going,  etc., 
expressing,  meanwhile,  by  his  looks  his 
suspicions  ;  and  giving  very  direct  inti- 
mations about  false  pretensions,  etc. 
Weary  and  depressed  as  was  the  stran- 
ger, he  felt  a  momentary  indignation, 
but,  repressing  it,  he  resolved  to  copy 
the  meekness  of  his  Master,  and,  by  his 
example,  if  not  otherwise,  attempt  to 
cure  the  perversity  of  his  rustic  host. 
He  was  pointed  to  the  stable,  with  per- 
mission to  feed  his  horse,  and  come  into 
the  house.  As  he  approached  the 
house  he  was  directed  to  the  kitchen. 
Some  food  was  spread  on  a  rude  table 
for  him.  The  hired  men  in  the  kitchen 
whispered  to  each  other  their  surprise 
that  he  was  not  invited  into  the  parlor. 
Though  of  humble  origin  himself,  he 
felt  keenly  the  indignity  of  his  treat- 
ment :  the  pride  of  his  heart  for  a  mo- 
ment revolted,  and  he  arose  to  resume 
his  journey,  with  the  prospect  of  a  rainy 
night :  but  he  suddenly  checked  his 
feelings,  and,  looking  to  God,  resolved 
to  await  patiently  the  result  of  this 
strange  scene. 

It  was  not  long  before  all  were  called 
into  another  room  for  family  prayers. 
The  preacher  followed  the  hired  labor- 
ers, and  took  his  seat  in  a  corner.  The 
farmer  read  a  chapter  in  the  Bible.  At 
the  end  of  it  he  was  evidently  embar- 
rassed by  an  inward  struggle,  not  know- 
ing what  to  do  ;  but,  finally,  turning  to 
the  preacher,  he  abruptly  asked  him  to 
pray. 

They  knelt  down,  and  the  young 
man,  oppressed  with  feelings  which 
prayer  could  best  relieve,  poured  out 
his  soul  and  tears  before  God.  A  di- 
vine influence  came  down  on  all  pres- 
ent, they  sobbed  around  him.  The 
meek  pathos  of  his  tones,  the  spirituali- 
ty of  his  sentiments,  the  evangelical 
views  involved  in  the  prayer,  and  its 
prevailing  earnestness,  struck  all  pres- 
ent. The  morose  farmer,  subdued  and 
melted,  approached  him  at  the  conclu- 
sion of  the  prayer,  and,  in  the  presence 
of  the  family,  with  flowing  tears,  begged 
his  pardon.  "  I  should  not  have  been 
so   suspicious,"  said    he,  "  but  I  have 


HUiMILITY. 


204 


been  all  day  under  a  strong  temptation 
of  the  adversary — my  mind  has  been 
irritable — my  conduct  towards  you  to- 
night, is  a  mystery  to  myself;  I  cannot 
account  for  it,  even  by  the  state  of  my 
mind  during  the  day.  I  have  not  been 
myself,  or  I  would  not  have  so  treated 
you.  Forgive  me,  sir.  How  have  you 
been  able  to  endure  it  ?"  "  My  Lord," 
replied  the  youthful  preacher,  "  has 
said,  '  Learn  of  me,  for  I  am  meek  and 
lowly  in  heart.'  It  is  my  ambition  to 
do  so.  Try,  my  brother,  to  learn  the 
same  lesson."  It  was  the  keenest  re- 
buke that  could  be  given  to  the  farmer ; 
he  felt  its  pertinency,  made  the  hum- 
blest acknowledgments,  and  begged  his 
^maltreated  guest  to  tarry  at  the  house 
several  days,  and  preach  to  the  family 
and  neighbors.  His  engagements 
would  not  allow  him  to  remain  so  long ; 
but,  such  was  the  importunity  of  his 
host,  that  he  consented  to  preach  next 
day.  That  night  he  reposed  in  the  best 
chamber  in  the  house,  and  his  rest  was 
sweetened  by  the  thought  that  he  had 
conquered  a  perverse  mind  by  an  ex- 
ample of  meekness.  The  next  day  he 
preached  with  deep  effect,  and  went  on 
his  journey  with  the  prayers  and  bless- 
ings of  the  farmer. 

"  And  what  do  you  suppose,"  said  the 

Rev.  Mr.    R ,  "was    the    result? 

The  old  farmer  was  a  better  man  ever 
after  :  the  sermon  had  a  salutary  influ- 
ence on  the  whole  neighborhood,  several 
were  awakened,  and  among  them,  three 
of  the  farmer's  children  ;  two  of  them 
have  since  gone  safe  to  heaven.  Ah  ! 
it  is  the  temper  of  Christ  that  fits  us  for 
usefulness  ! 

(k)  TRUE  MISSIONARY  SPIRIT. 
— The  Rev.  Dr.  Morrison,  of  China,  af- 
ter having  for  some  years  labored  at 
Canton,  earnestly  requested  the  Direc- 
tors of  the  London  Missionary  Society 
to  send  him  out  a  colleague  ;  their  at- 
tention was  directed  to  Mr.  (afterwards 
Dr.)  Milne.  A  circumstance  occurred 
on  his  first  introduction  to  the  friends  of 
that  Society,  which  at  once  showed  his 
devotedness  to  the  Savior's  cause,  and 
the  humble  opinion  he  entertained  of 
himself  On  his  appearance  before  the 
committee  at  Aberdeen,  he  seemed  so 
rustic  and  unpromising,  that  a  worthy 


member  took  Dr.  Philip  aside,  and  ex- 
pressed his  doubts  whether  he  had  the 
necessary  qualifications  for  a  missiona- 
ry ;  but  added,  that  he  would  have  no 
objection  to  unite  in  recommending  him 
as  a  servant  to  a  mission,  provided  he 
would  be  willing  to  engage  in  that  ca- 
pacity. "  At  the  suggestion  of  my 
worthy  friend,"  says  Dr.  Philip,  "  I  de- 
sired to  speak  with  him  alone.  Having 
stated  to  him  the  objection  which  had 
been  made,  and  asked  him  if  he  would 
consent  to  the  proposal,  he  replied,  with- 
out hesitation,  and  with  the  most  signifi- 
cant  and  animated  expression  of  coun- 
tenance, "  Yes,  sir,  most  certainly  ;  I 
am  willing  to  be  any  thing,  so  that  I  am 
in  the  work.  To  be  '  a  hewer  of  wood 
and  a  drawer  of  water'  is  too  great  an 
honor  for  me  when  the  Lord's  house  is 
building." 

(/)  "  NONE  TO  SPEAK  OF."— 
Dr.  Lathrop  was  a  man  of  generous  pi- 
ety, but  much  opposed  to  the  noisy  zeal 
that  seeketh  the  praise  of  men.  A 
young  divine  who  was  much  given  to 
enthusiastic  cant,  one  day  said  to  him — 
"  Do  you  suppose  you  have  any  real  re- 
ligion .?"  "  None  to  speak  of,"  was  the 
excellent  reply. 

(m)  DR.  CAREY'S  HUMILITY.— 
When  Dr.  Carey,  the  Missionary,  was 
suffering  from  a  dangerous  illness,  the 
inquiry  was  made,  "  If  this  sickness 
should  prove  fatal,  what  passage  would 
you  select  as  the  text  of  your  funeral 
sermon?"  He  replied,  "Oh,  I  feel 
that  such  a  poor  sinful  creature  as  I,  is 
unworthy  to  have  any  thing  said  about 
him ;  but  if  a  funeral  sermon  should  be 
preached  let  it  be  from  the  51st  Psalm, 
and  first  verse — '  Have  mercy  upon 
me,  O  God,  according  to  thy  loving- 
kindness  ;  according  unto  the  multitude 
of  thy  tender  mercies,  blot  out  my 
transgressions.' " 

The  following  extract  from  the  will 
of  this  eminent  Missionary,  is  equally 
illustrative  of  the  general  humility  of 
his  character.  "  I  direct  that  my  fu- 
neral be  as  plain  as  possible,  and  that 
the  following  inscription  and  nothing 
more  be  cut  out  on  my  grave-stone,  viz. : 
William  Carey,  b6rn  August  17th,  1761 ; 

DIED 

"  A  wretched,  poor  and  helpless  worm, 
On  thy  kind  arms  I  fall." 
383 


205 


HYPOCRISY. 


205.  HYPOCRISY. 


{a)  THE  HYPOCRITE'S  END.— 

The  foliowing  fact  is  related  by  the  au- 
thor of  Pastoral  Letters.     N was  a 

branch  of  a  pious  family,  some  of  whose 
ancestors  were  martyrs.  She  was  re- 
ligiously educated  by  her  pious  parents  ; 
and  her  education,  particularly  her 
knowledge  of  history,  was  extensive. 
In  her  study  of  history  the  progress  of 
religion  had  attracted  her  chief  atten- 
tion. Religious  topics  were  her  ele- 
ment ;  her  remarks  often  evinced  the 
correctness  and  vigor  of  her  judgment ; 
and  she  often  delighted  the  social  circle 
by  her  striking  application  of  the  cur- 
rent matters  of  conversation  to  the  sub- 
ject of  religion.  Like  the  rest  of  the 
pious  family,  she  seemed  devoted  to  all 
the  duties  of  a  Christian,  with  only  one 
exception,  and  this  they  wondered  at ; 
that  she  did  not  attend  with  them  at  the 
Lord's  table.  All  regarded  her  as  an 
ornament  of  religion,  and  urged  her  to 
take  a  part  in  this  ordinance. 

In  one  year  N lost  both  her  pi- 
ous parents,  and  she  had  just  put  off 
mourning,  when  she  was  taken  desper- 
ately ill.  Having  been  on  terms  of  in- 
timacy with  the  family,  I  was  sent  for 
at  her  request  to  visit  the  dying  sister. 
I  certainly  went  prepared,  to  see  a 
Christian  die  :  but  what  was  my  aston- 
ishment to  behold  those  features,  instead 
of  smiling  in  death,  as  I  expected, 
clothed  in  all  the  horrors  of  mental  ago- 
ny !  Bidding  me  sit  down,  and  ascer- 
taining there  weri^  no  witnesses,  she 
addressed  me  in  nearly  these  terms : 
I  am  glad  you  are  come  :  I  cannot  bear 
to  go  out  of  the  world  a  deceiver,  but  I 
am  unable  to  tell  the  sad  secret  of  my 
heart  to  those  about  me,  it  would  be  too 
much  for  them  to  hear.  I  am  not  the 
character  my  friends  have  supposed.  I 
am  not  religious — do  not  interrupt  me — 
I  have  talked  about  religion,  my  pas- 
sions have  dften  felt  the  powers  of  the 
world  to  come,  and  *  my  imagination 
roved  at  large  among  things  unseen  ;  I 
have  amused  myself  with  these  matters, 
384 


and  regarded  with  the  interest  of  an 
amateur  their  effects  upon  minds  whom 
I  reckoned  of  an  inferior  order,  though 
ennobled  by  a  birth  from  heaven.  But 
amidst  all,  my  own  heart  has  never 
loved  religion  as  a  personal  thing :  in- 
deed, I  have  never  concerned  myself 
about  it  for  myself,  and  now  I  must  die 
without  any  of  its  prospects,  and  be  shut 
out  forever  from  all  its  enjoyments." 

I  paused  a  moment  and  began  to  ob- 
serve that  "  Life  is  the  season  of  hope," 
and  admitting  all  I  heard  to  be  correct, 
still  the  Savior's  saying,  "  Whosoever 
Cometh  unto  me  I  will  in  no  wise  cast 
out,"  is  equally  entitled  to  credit.  But 
she  cut  me  short,  observing,  "  The  vig- 
or of  my  youth  and  the  strength  of  my 
intellect  I  have  wasted  in  living 
to  myself;  I  never  cared  for  the 
divine  approbatiort ;  and  God  is  justly 
my  adversary.  Cast  down  as  I  am,  I 
cannot  go  with  a  piteous  tale  of  misery 
to  petition  for  mercy  for  which  I  car 
plead  no  services,  nor  live  to  show  any 
gratitude.  I  know  already  what  you 
would  say  to  these  sentiments — you 
would  hold  out  mercy  as  yet  attainable  ; 
but  my  heart  revolts  at  it.  Heaven 
would  be  no  heaven  to  me  on  the  terms 
I  can  only  enter  it.  I  have  been  a 
worthless  idler,  and  cannot  endure  to 
receive  the  reward  of  a  faithful  sol- 
dier." 

Surprised  as  I  was,  I  endeavored  to 
enforce  the  necessity  of  renouncing  such 
sentiments,  and  was  urging  that  a  good 
confession,  though  late,  would  find  ac- 
ceptance, when  she  interrupted  me  with 
some  energy  :  "  No,  sir,  spare  me,  spare 
yourself,  my  character  is  finished  ;  what 
I  am  that  shall  I  be  forever.  The  tree 
is  even  now  falling  :  it  is  too  late  to  di- 
rect where  .its  trunk  shall  be  extended 
on  the  earth." 

The  doctor  coming  in,  I  soon  after 
took  my  leave,  intending  to  renew  my 
visit,  but  in  the  morning  learned  that 
N had  expired  in  the  night. 


IDLENESS. 


305,  206 


(b)  HYPOCRITES  INACCESSI- 
BLE.— President  Edwards  remarks,  as 
the  result  of  long  and  close  observation, 
that,  of  all  sinners,  unconverted  profes- 
sors of  religion  are  the  most  hopeless. 
In  his  account  of  the  great  New  Eng- 
land revival  in  which  he  labored  very 


extensively,  he  states  that  whilst  such 
immense  multitudes,  and  a  large  pro- 
portion of  all  ages  and  conditions  in 
life  were  powerfully  wrought  upon,  and 
driven  to  seek  refuge  from  the  wrath  to 
come,  unconverted  professors  stood  alone 
unmoved. 


206.  IDLENESS. 


(a)  BLOWING  THE  BELLOWS. 

— The  happiness  to  be  derived  from  re- 
tirement from  the  bustle  of  the  city,  to  the 
peaceful  and  rural  scenes  of  the  coun- 
try, is  more  in  idea,  than  it  often  proves 
to  be  in  reality.  A  tradesman  in  Lon- 
don, who  had  risen  to  wealth  from  the 
humble  ranks  of  life,  resolved  to  retire 
to  the  country  to  enjoy,  undisturbed,  the 
rest  of  his  life.  For  this  purpose,  he 
purchased  an  estate  and  mansion  in  a 
sequestered  corner  in  the  country,  and 
took  possession  of  it.  While  the  alter- 
ations and  improvements  which  he  di- 
rected to  be  made  were  going  on,  the 
noise  of  hammers,  saws,  chisels,  etc. 
around  him,  kept  him  in  good  spirits. 
But  when  his  improvements  were  fin- 
ished, and  his  workmen  discharged,  the 
stillness  every  where  disconcerted  him, 
and  he  felt  quite  miserable.  He  was 
obliged  to  have  recourse  to  t  smith  up- 
on his  estate  for  relief  to  his  mind,  and 
he  actually  engaged  to  blow  the  bel- 
lows for  a  certain  number  of  hours  in 
the  day.  In  a  short  time  this  ceased  to 
afford  the  relief  he  desired  ;  he  return- 
ed to  London,  and  acted  as  a  gratuitous 
assistant  to  his  own  clerk,  to  whom  he 
had  given  up  his  business. 

(h)  DISEASE  A  RELIEF.— A 
tradesman  Avho  had  acquired  a  large 
fortune  in  London,  retired  from  busi- 
ness, and  went  to  reside  in  Worcester. 
His  mind,  without  its  usual  occupation, 
and  having  nothing  else  to  supply  its 
place,  preyed  upon  itself,  so  that  exist- 
ence became  a  torment  to  him.  At  last 
he  was  seized  with  the  stone  ;  and  a 
friend,  who  found  him  in  one  of  its  se- 
verest attacks,  having  expressed  his 
condolence,  "No,  no,  sir,"  said  he,  "do 
not  pity  me  ;  for  I  assure  you  what  I 
25 


now  feel  is  ease  compared  with  the  tor- 
ture of  mind  from  which  it  relieves  me." 

(c)  CLARENDON'S  NEIGHBOR. 
— "  When  I  visited  a  country  neighbor 
of  mine"  (says  Lord  Clarendon)  "  in  the 
morning,  I  always  found  him  in  bed ; 
and  when  I  came  in  the  afternoon,  he 
was  asleep,  and  to  most  men  besides 
myself,  access  was  denied.  Once  walk- 
ing with  him,  I  doubted  he  was  melan- 
choly, and,  by  spending  his  time  so 
much  in  bed,  and  so  much  alone,  that 
there  was  something  that  troubled  him  ; 
otherwise  that  it  could  not  be  that  a  man 
upon  whom  God  had  poured  so  many 
blessings  should  be  so  little  contented  as 
he  appeared  to  be.  To  which  he  an- 
swered, '  that  he  thought  himself  the 
most  happy  man  alive  in  a  wife  who 
was  all  the  comfort  he  could  have  in 
this  world  ;  that  he  was  at  so  much  ease 
in  his  fortune,  he  did  not  wish  it  great- 
er ;  but  he  said  he  would  deal  freely 
with  me,  and  tell  me,  if  he  were  mel- 
ancholy, (which  he  suspected  himself 
of,)  what  was  the  true  cause  of  it ;  that 
he  had  somewhat  he  knew  not  what  to  do 
with ;  he  knew  not  how  to  spend  his 
time  ;  which  was  the  reason  he  loved  his 
bed  so  much,  and  slept  at  other  times, 
which  he  said  he  found  did  him  already 
no  good  in  his  health.' "  Lord  Claren- 
don adds,  that  the  unhappy  gentleman's 
melancholy  daily  increased  with  the  ag- 
ony of  his  thoughts,  till  he  contracted 
diseases  which  carried  him  off  at  the 
age  of  thirty-six. 

{d)  IDLENESS  AND  IRRELl- 
GION. — Dr.  Dwight  says,  "  Among 
all  those,  who,  within  my  knowledge, 
have  appeared  to  become  sincerely  pen- 
itent and  reformed,  I  recollect  only  a 
single  lazy  man :  and  this  man  became 
385 


206,  20Y 


IDOLATRY,  FOLLY  OF. 


industrious  from  the  moment  of  his  ap- 
parent, and,  I  doubt  not,  real  conver- 
sion." 

(e)  THE  SPIRITUAL  MONK.— 
A  certain  brother  came  to  the  convent 
at  Mount  Sinai,  and  finding  all  the 
monks  at  work,  shook  his  head  and  said 
to  the  Abbot,  "  Labor  not  for  the  meat 
which  perisheth,"  and,  "  Mary  hath  cho- 
sen that  good  part."  "Very  well," 
said  the  Abbot,  and  ordered  the  good 
brother  to  a  cell  and  gave  him  a  book 
to  read.  The  monk  retired,  and  sat 
hour  after  hour  all  day  long  alone ; 
wondering  much  that  nobody  called 
him  to  dinner,  or  offered  him  any  re- 
freshment. Hungry  and  wearied  out, 
the  night  at  Ijength  arrived :  he  left  his 


solitary  cell  and  repaired  to  the  apart- 
ment of  the  Abbot.  "  Father,"  says  he, 
"do  not  the  brethren  eat  to-day?" 
"  Oh  yes,"  replied  the  Abbot,  "  they 
have  eaten  pleniifully."  "Then  how 
is  it.  Father,"  said  the  monk,  "  that  you 
did  not  call  me  to  partake  with  them  ?" 
"  Because,  brother,"  replied  the  Abbot, 
"  you  are  a  spiritual  man,  and  have  no 
need  of  carnal  food.  For  our  part,  we 
are  obliged  to  eat,  and  on  that  account 
we  work ;  but  you,  brother,  who  have 
chosen  'the  good  part,'  you  sit  and 
read  all  the  day  long,  and  are  above  the 
want  of  the  meat  that  perisheth." 
"  Pardon  me.  Father,"  said  the  monk, 
"  I  perceive  my  mistake." 


207.  IDOLATRY,  FOLLY  OF. 


(a)  A  BECHUANA'S  VIEW  OF 
IDOLATRY. — A  Bechuana  man,  says 
a  missionary,  once  came  into  my  house 
and  sat  himself  down.  He  took  up  one 
of  our  missionary  sketches  that  was  ly- 
ing near  him ;  having  looked  at  it,  he 
concluded  that  the  figures  upon  it — ug- 
ly ones — represented  living  animals.  It 
never  entered  into  his  mind  that  man 
would  make  a  thing  that  never  existed. 
He  asked  my  little  daughter  Mary, 
"  What  game  is  this  ?"  She  said, 
"  They  are  not  game  ;  there  are  na- 
tions that  worship  these  things." 
"  Oh  !"  said  he,  "  how  you  tell  fibs." 
She  replied,  "  I  am  not  telling  fibs.  I 
heard  mamma  say  so,  and  my  mamma 
does  not  tell  fibs."  He  asked  her  again 
what  game  they  were,  and  she  again 
told  him  that  they  were  things  that  w  ere 
worshipped,  for  they  have  no  name  for 
idols.  He  burst  out  into  an  exclama- 
tion of  wonder,  questioned  her  again, 
but  received  the  same  answer- — that 
people  worshipped  these  things  the  same 
as  her  papa  wished  them  to  worship  Je- 
hovah and  Jesus.  The  man  was  full  of 
amazement,  and  repeated  that  she  was 
telling  fibs ;  but  she  maintained  the 
truth  of  what  she  said,  and  told  him  to 
go  to  her  papa.     He  came  to  me  and 


said, 


Look    at  that;  your    daughter 
386 


says  so  and  so.  Is  it  true  ?"  I  said, 
"  It  is."  Having  looked  at  me  with  as- 
tonishment, he  said,  "  I  know  you  do 
not  tell  lies ;"  and  laying  the  paper 
down  upon  a  piece  of  timber  that  I  was 
planing,  he  looked  at  it,  put  his  hands  to 
both  sides  of  his  head,  and  waving  it 
backwards  and  forwards,  said,  "  The 
people  that  make  these  things  of  wood 
and  stone, — have  they  got  heads  like 
Bechuanas^"  "  Yes,"  I  replied,  "  they 
have  heads."  "  Have  they  got  legs  ?" 
"  Yes,  they  have  legs."  "  Have  they 
got  a  pair  of  bellows  to  breathe 
through  ?"  (he  meant  lungs.)  "  Yes." 
The  man's  wonder  continued  to  in- 
crease, and  he  then  asked>  "  Can  they 
talk,  and  think,  and  speak  ?  Can  they 
reason  ?  Can  they  explain  a  diflicult 
thing  ?  Can  they  speak  in  a  public 
meeting  like  our  senators  ?"  On  being 
told  that  they  could  do  all  these  things, 
he  said,  "  After  this,  never  say  that  the 
Bechuanas  are  either  foolish  or  igno- 
rant." Taking  from  his  neck  a  whistle 
made  of  ivory,  and  carved  with  some 
device,  perhaps  a  man's  head,  or  a 
buffalo,  or  a  giraffe,  he  looked  at  the 
whistle  with  great  reverence,  and  nod- 
ding his  head  in  a  very  solemn  way,  he 
said,  "  What  would  my  people  think  if 
1  were  to  worship  that?"     Just  at  that 


IDOLATRY,  FOLLY  OF. 


207 


moment,  while  he  was  talking  with 
much  animation,  his  staff  dropped  from 
his  hand.  He  grasped  it,  and  pointing 
to  the  picture,  he  held  up  his  staff  and 
said,  "  This  looks  as  well  as  this  mon- 
ster, and  I  might  as  well  worship  my 
staff  just  as  you  worship  Jehovah. 
What  would  my  people  think  if  I  were 
to  do  so  ?  They  would  think  I  was  a 
madman,  and  would  throw  me  over  a 
precipice,  and  cover  me  with  stones." 

{h)  THROWING  DOWN  THE 
IDOLS. — A  native  gentleman  of  India, 
in  relating  his  history  to  one  of  the  mis- 
sionaries, said : — 

My  father  was  an  officiating  priest  of  i 
a  heathen  temple,  and,  was  considered 
in  those  days,  a  superior  English  ! 
scholar  ;  and,  by  teaching  the  English  ! 
language  to  wealthy  natives,  realized  a 
very  large  fortune.  At  a  very  early  i 
period,  when  a  mere  boy,  I  was  em-  1 
ployed  by  my  father  to  light  the  lamps 
in  the  pagoda,  and  attend  to  the  various 
things  connected  with  the  idols.  I 
hardly  remember  the  time  when  my 
mind  was  not  exercised  on  the  folly 
of  idolatry.  These  things,  I  thought, 
were  made  by  the  hand  of  man,  can 
move  only  by  man,  and,  whether  treat- 
ed well  or  ill,  are  unconscious  of  either. 
Why  all  this  cleaning,  anointing,  illum- 
inating, etc.?  One  evening,  these  con- 
siderations so  powerfully  wrought  on 
my  youthful  mind,  that  instead  of  plac- 
ing the  idols  according  to  custom.  I 
threw  them  from  their  pedestals,  and 
left  them  with  their  faces  in  the  dust. 
My  father,  on  witnessing  what  I  had 
done,  chastised  me  so  severely,  as  to 
leave  me  almost  dead.  I  reasoned  with 
him,  that  if  they  could  not  get  up  out 
of  the  dust,  they  were  not  able  to  do 
what  I  could  ;  and  that  instead  of  being 
worshipped  as  gods,  they  deserved  to  lie 
in  the  dust,  where  I  had  thrown  them. 
He  was  implacable,  and  vowed  to  dis- 
inherit me,  and,  as  the  first  step  to  it, 
sent  me  away  from  his  house.  He  re- 
lented on  his  death-bed,  and  left  me  all 
his  wealth. 

(c)     A    JEW'S    ARGUMENT.— 
"Some  Roman  senators  examined  the 


Jews  in  this  manner :  '  If  God  had  no 
delight  in  the  worship  of  idols,  why  did 
he  not  destroy  them  V  The  Jews  made 
answer,  'If  men  had  worshipped  only 
things  of  which  the  world  had  had  no 
need,-  he  would  have  destroyed  the  ob- 
jects of  their  worship  ;  but  they  also 
worship  the  sun  and  moon,  stars  and 
planets ;  and  then  he  must  have  de- 
stroyed his  worlds  for  the  sake  of  these 
deluded  men.'  '  But  still,'  said  the 
Romans,  '  why  does  not  God  destroy  the 
things  which  the  world  does  not  want, 
and  leave  those  things  which  the  world 
cannot  be  without  V  '  Because,'  replied 
the  Jews,  '  this  wc.uld  strengthen  the 
hands  of  such  as  worship  these  neces- 
sary things,  who  would  say.  Ye  allow 
now  that  these  are  gods,  since  they  are 
not  destroyed.' " 

id)  SERVING  GOD  WORSE 
THAN  A  THIEF.— As  Mr.  Kincaid 
was  preaching  to  the  people,  in  Arracan, 
a  man  took  up  manfully  on  the  side  of 
Gaudama,  while  another  man,  who  had 
been  a  great  opposer,  occasionally  threw 
in  a  word  in  favor  of  Mr  K.,  when  the 
following  conversation  took  place  be- 
tweenthe  two  men : 

"  You  have  become  a  disciple  of 
Christ,  have  you  ?  You  join  with  this 
foreign  teacher,  do  you,  to  prove  that 
our  god  is  no  god,  and  that  our  religion, 
which  has  stood  a  thousand  years,  is 
only  a  cheat  and  a  fable  ?  You  are 
like  a  dog  that  is  coaxed  away  by  a 
thief — you  may  as  well  lick  honey  from 
the  edge  of  a  razor  as  tft  listen  to  this 
foreigner."  Very  well,"  replied  my 
new  ally,  "  I  have  reviled  this  religion, 
and  this  teacher  more  than  you  have, 
but  I  was  a  fool  with  both  my  eyes  shut 
— this  religion  is  true,  and  every  body 
would  believe  it  if  they  knew  what  it  is. 
We  make  a  god  of  wood,  and  then  put  a 
rope  around  his  neck,  and  carry  him  off 
to  his  own  place,  and  then  put  a  fence 
around  him,  and  keep  him  there  till  the 
white  ants  eat  him  up.  We  would  not 
serve  a  thief  as  bad  as  this.  There  is 
as  much  evidence  to  prove  that  Gauda- 
ma was  a  monkey,  as  that  he  was  a 
I  god." 


387 


908 


IMPRECATIONS  ANSWERED. 


208.  IMPRECATIONS  ANSWERED. 


(a)  THE  PERJURER'S  IMPRE- 
CATION. — A  man  once  waited  on  a 
magistrate  near  Hitchin,  in  the  county 
of  Hertford,  (Eng.)  and  informed  him 
that  he  had  been  stopped  by  a  young 
gentleman  in  Hitchin,  who  had  knocked 
him  down  and  searched  his  pockets  ; 
but  not  finding  any  thing,  he  had  suffered 
him  to  depart.  The  magistrate,  aston- 
ished at  this  intelligence,  despatched  a 
messenger  to  the  young  gentleman, 
ordering  him  to  appear  immediately, 
and  answer  to  the  charge  exhibited 
against  him.  The  youth  obeyed  the  sum- 
mons,  accompanied  by  his  guardian  and 
an  intimate  friend.  Upon  their  arrival  at 
the  seat  of  justice,  the  accused  and  accus- 
er were  confronted ;  when  the  magistrate 
hinted  to  the  man,  that  he  was  afraid  he 
had  made  the  charge  with  no  other  view 
than  that  of  extorting  money,  and  bade 
him  take  care  how  he  proceeded  ;  ex- 
horting him,  in  the  most  earnest  and 
pathetic  manner,  to  beware  of  the 
dreadful  train  of  consequences  attending 
perjuiy.  The  man  insisted  upon  mak- 
ing oath  to  what  he  had  advanced  ;  the 
oath  was  accordingly  administered,  and 
the  business  fully  investigated,  when  the 
innocence  of  the  young  gentleman  was 
established,  by  the  most  incontrovertible 
evidence.  The  infamous  wretch,  find- 
ing his  intentions  thus  frustrated,  re- 
turned home  •  much  chagrined  ;  and 
meeting  soon  afterwards  with  one  of  his 
neighbors,  he  declared  he  had  not  sworn 
to  any  thing  but  the  truth,  calling  God 
to  witness  the  same  in  the  most  solemn 
manner,  and  wished,  if  it  was  not  as  he 
had  said,  his  jaws  might  be  locked,  and 
that  his  flesh  might  rot  upon  his  bones  ; 
when,  terrible  to  relate,  his  jaws  were 
instantly  arrested,  and  he  was  deprived 
of  the  use  of  the  faculty  he  had  so 
awfully  perverted  !  After  lingering 
nearly  a  fortnight,  he  expired  in  the 
greatest  agonies,  his  flesh  literally  rot- 
ting upon  his  bones. 

(b)  THEN  LET  IT  CRUSH  ME 
TO  ATOMS.— I  knew  a  man,  says  a 
correspondent  of  the  "  Tract  Maga- 
zine," in  1825,  who  was  very  much  ad- 

388 


dieted  to  swearing,  and  attempts  to  con- 
vince  him  of  the  error  of  his  ways  were 
in  vain  ;  all  reproof  was  lost  upon  him. 
He  was  a  laborer  in  a  stone  quarry,  and 
having  one  day  fastened  a  stone  to  a 
rope,  for  the  purpose  of  being  hoisted 
up,  the  man  at  the  top  of  the  quarry 
said  he  thought  the  rope  was  not  strong 
enough ;  the  man  below  immediately 
replied,  with  a  most  dreadful  oath, 
"  Then  let  it  crush  me  to  atoms."  7^he 
wretched  man  had  hardly  uttered  these 
words,  when  the  stone  fell,  and  hurried 
his  unprepared  soul  into  the  presence  of 
his  offended  God. 

(c)  INSCJ^IPTION  AT  DEVIZES. 
— The  following  inscription  is  to  be  seen 
in  the  market-place  at  Devizes  (Eng.) ; 
— "  The  mayor  and  corporation  of  De- 
vizes avail  themselves  of  the  stability 
of  this  building  to  transmit  to  future 
times  the  record  of  an  awful  event, 
which  occurred  in  this  market-place,  in 
the  year  1753,  hoping  that  such  a  re- 
cord may  serve  as  a  salutary  warning 
against  the  danger  of  impiously  invok- 
ing the  Divine  vengeance,  or  of  calling 
on  the  holy  name  of  God,  to  conceal  the 
devices  of  falsehood  and  fraud.  On 
Thursday,  the  25th  of  January,  1753, 
Ruth  Pierce,  of  Pottern,  in  this  county, 
ag^'eed  with  three  other  women  to  buy  a 
sack  of  wheat  in  the  market,  each  pay- 
ing her  due  proportion  towards  the  same. 
One  of  these  women,  in  collecting  the, 
several  quotas  of  money,  discovered  a 
deficiency,  and  demanded  of  Ruth 
Pierce  the  sum  which  was  wanting  to 
make  good  the  amount.  Ruth  Pierce 
protested  that  she  had  paid  her  share, 
and  said,  she  wished  she  might  drop 
down  dead,  if  she  had  not.  She  rashly 
repeated  this  awful  wish,  when,  to  the 
consternation  of  the  surrounding  multi- 
tude, she  instantly  fell  down  and  expired, 
having  the  money  concealed  in  her 
hand." 

(d)  THE  OPPOSER'S  PRAYER. 
— A  candidate  for  the  Christian  ministry 
was  once  invited  to  settle  in  New  En- 
gland. In  giving  the  invitation,  there 
was  a  general  union  in  the  church  and 


IMPRECATIONS  ANSWERED. 


30§ 


society.  A  few,  however,  were  opposed 
to  the  settlement.  Among  the  opposers, 
one  man  was  exceedingly  bitter.  This 
person  was  open  and  explicit  in  express- 
ing the  hatred  of  his  heart  toward  those 
doctrines,  commonly  called  the  doc- 
trines of  grace,  that  were  preached  by 
the  candidate.  A  few  weeks  previous 
to  the  ordination,  in  conversation  with 
some  neighbors  on  the  subject  of  the 
candidate's  settlement  among  them,  the 
man  expressed  himself  in  the  following- 
manner  : — "  I  wish  I  may  die  before  he 
is  settled  here."  The  appointed  day 
approached,  and  the  man  remained  un- 
relenting in  his  opposition.  On  the 
morning  of  the  Sabbath  preceding  the 
day  of  ordination,  being  in  usual  health 
and  busied  in  some  domestic  concern,  he 
was  seized  in  a  very  surprising  manner. 
In  a  moment,  he  was  struck  into  a 
state  of  insensibility,  speechless,  and 
hopeless.  In  this  melancholy  state  he 
continued  till  Wednesday  morning,  the 
day  of  ordination,  when,  about  two  hours 
before  the  commencement  of  the  public 
solemnities,  according  to  his  own  desire, 
he  expired  !  His  case  was  so  extra- 
ordinary as  to  baffle  the  attempts  of 
skilful  physicians,  either  to  restore  him 
or  to  satisfy  themselves  as  to  the  natural 
cause  of  his  situation. 

(e)  A  COCK-FIGHTER'S  CURSE. 
— A  person  who  lived  in  the  parish  of 
Sedgley,  near  Wolverhampton,  (Eng.) 
having  lost  a  considerable  sum  by  a 
match  at  cock-fighting,  to  which  prac- 
tice he  was  notoriously  addicted,  swore 
in  the  most  horrid  manner,  that  he  would 
never  fight  another  cock  as  long  as  he 
lived  ;  frequently  calling  upon  God  to 
damn  his  soul  to  all  eternity  if  he  did, 
and  with  dreadful  imprecations,  wishing 
the  devil  might  fetch  him  if  he  ever 
made  another  bet.  It  is  not  to  be  won- 
dt^red  at,  if  resolutions  so  impiously 
formed,  should  be  broken ;  for  a  while 
however,  they  were  observed ;  but  he 
continued  to  indulge  himself  in  every 
other  abomination  to  which  his  depraved 
heart  inclined  him.  But,  about  two 
years  afterwards,  Satan,  whose  willing 
servant  he  was,  inspired  him  with  a 
violent  desire  to  attend  a  cocking  at 
Wolverhampton  ;  and  he  complied  with 
the  temptation.     When  he  came  to  the 


place,  he  stood  up,  as  in  defiance  of 
Heaven,  and  cried,  "  I  hold  four  to  three 
on  such  a  cock."  "  Four  what  ?"  said 
one  of  his  companions  in  inquity. 
"Four  shillings,"  replied  he.  "I'll 
lay,"  said  the  other.  Upon  which  they 
confirmed  the  wager,  and,  as  his  custom 
was,  he  threw  down  his  hat,  and  put  his 
hand  in  his  pocket  for  the  money  ; 
when,  awful  to  relate,  he  instantly  fell 
a  ghastly  corpse  to  the  ground.  Ter- 
rified at  his  sudden  death,  some  who 
were  present,  for  ever  after  desisted 
from  this  infamous  sport ;  but  others, 
hardened  in  iniquity,  proceeded  in 
the  barbarous  diversion,  as  soon  as  the 
dead  body  was  removed  from  the  spot. 

(/)  BETTING  AND  DYING.— 
The  following  relation  of  facts  was  pre- 
sented to  the  public,  in  several  of  the 
London  newspapers  of  February  13, 
1814  : — A  melancholy  event  occurred 
yesterday  evening,  between  seven  and 
eight  o'clock,  at  the  cock-pit,  St.  Giles's. 
Whilst  preparations  were  making  for 
the  setting-to  of  the  cocks,  to  engage  in 
this  cruel  sport,  a  Mr.  Thorpe,  from  the 
country,  a  well-known  character,  had 
taken  his  seat  in  the  front  of  the  pit,  and 
not  two  minutes  before  his  death,  had 
offered  to  back  the  Huntingdon  birds 
for  ten  guineas.  He  was  observed  to 
lean  his  head  forward,  and  appeared 
somewhat  ill.  He  made  a  kind  of  moan, 
and  instantly  his  color  changed,  and  he 
was  a  corpse.  *Surgical  aid  was  imme- 
diately procured,  but  the  spark  of  life 
was  extinct.  The  body' was  removed  to 
a  neighboring  public-house,  for  the  in- 
spection of  a  coroner's  inquest.  The 
wife  and  sister  of  the  deceased  soon  ar- 
rived to  see  the  body,  and  the  reader 
may  judge  of  their  feelings.  It  is  a  fact 
no  less  singular  than  true,  that  the  de- 
ceased, half  an  hour  before  his  death, 
had  said,  "  The  last  time  I  was  here,  I 
said,  if  ever  I  attended  the  pit  again,  I 
hoped  I  should  die  there." 

fe)  THE  FATHER'S  WISH.— In 
the  neighborhood  of  Hitchin,  in  Hert- 
fordshire, there  lived  a  few  years  ago  a 
laboring  man,  who  having  a  cross  child, 
frequently  wished,  with  an  oath,  that 
his  next  child  might  be  both  deaf  and 
dumb.  He  afterwards  had  three  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  were  deaf  and  dumb. 
389 


909 


INCONSISTENCY  OF  PROFESSED  CHRISTIANS. 


209.  INCONSISTENCY  OF  PROFESSED  CHRISTIANS. 


{a)  THE  INDIAN'S  INFER. 
ENCE. — Mr.  Brainerd  informs  us,  that 
when  among  the  American  Indians,  he 
stopped  at  a  place  where  there  was  a 
great  number,  and  offered  to  instruct 
them  in  the  truths  of  Christianity. 
"  Why,"  said  one  of  them,  "  should  you 
desire  the  Indians  to  become  Christians, 
seeing  the  Christians  are  so  much  worse 
than  the  Indians  ?  The  Christians  lie, 
steal,  and  drink,  worse  than  the  Indians. 
They  first  taught  the  Indians  to  be  drunk. 
They  steal  to  so  great  a  degree,  that 
their  rulers  are  obliged  to  hang  them 
for  it ;  and  even  that  is  not  enough  to 
deter  others  from  the  practice.  But 
none  of  the  Indians  were  eve>r  hanged 
for  stealing  ;  and  yet  they  do  not  steal 
halt  so  much.  We  will  not  consent, 
therefore,  to  become  Christians,  lest  we 
should  be  as  bad  as  they.  We  will 
live  as  our  fathers  lived,  and  go  where 
our  fathers  are,  when  we  die."  Not- 
withstanding that  Mr.  B.  did  all  he  could 
to  explain  to  them  that  these  were  not 
Christians  in  heart,  and  that  he  did  not 
want  them  to  become  such  as  these,  he 
could  not  prevail  on  them  to  accept  his 
doctrine,  but  left  them,  mortified  at  the 
thought  that  the  wickedness  of  some, 
who  professed  Christianitj,  should  pro- 
duce such  prejudices.     * 

(i)  "  IT  IS  ALL  A  FARCE."— 
I  heard,  says  a  Christian  minister,  an 
excellent  sermon  to  young  people,  on  a 
New  Year's  day,  in  the  morning.  The 
text  was,  "  Redeeming  the  time,  be- 
cause the  days  are  evil,"  Eph.  v.  16. 
The  minister  then  went  to  dine  and 
spend  the  rest  of  the  day  with  a  party, 
where  the  time  was  spent  in  feasting, 
levity,  and  folly.  Late  in  the  evening, 
one  of  the  party  observed,  "  Really  this 
is  a  poor  way  of  redeeming  the  time." 
"  Poh  !"  said  another,  "  it  is  all  a  farce." 
Let  ministers  and  others  beware  lest 
their  inconsistencies  should  lead  any  to 
deride  the  religion  they  profess. 

(c)  AN  ATHEIST  QUIETING  CON- 
SCIENCE .-^An  atheist  being  asked  by 
a  professor  of  Christianity,   "  how    he 
could  quiet  his  conscience  in  so  desper- 
390 


ate  a  state  ?"  replied,  "  As  much  am  I 
astonished  as  yourself,  that  believing  the 
Christian  religion  to  be  true,  you  can  qui- 
et your  conscience  in  living  so  much  like 
the  world.  Did  I  believe  what  you  pro- 
fess, I  should  think  no  care,  no  diligence, 
no  zeal  enough."  Alas !  that  there  should 
still,  by  Christians,  be  so  much  cause 
given  for  the  astonishment  of  atheists ! 

(d)  UNIVERSALIST'S  ARGU- 
MEN T.— Said  a  Universalist  to  a  Cal- 
vinist,  "  Do  you  believe  in  eternal  pun- 
ishment ?"  "Yes,"  said  the  Calvinist. 
"  No,"  said  the  other,  "  you  do  not  be- 
lieve any  such  thing.  Why,"  contin- 
ued the  Universalist,  "  do  you   believe 

that  Mr.  S.  of believes  in  if?  No, 

he  does  not  believe  any  such  thing." 
Again  the  Universalist  added,  "  Do  you 
believe  that  Rev.  Mr.  of be- 
lieves that  I  am  going  to  hell  ?  He  and 

I    have  lived  here  these  years ; 

he  has  met  me  hundreds  of  times  in  the 
streets,  and  has  never  said  a  word  to  me 
on  the  subject — he  does  not  believe  any 
such  thing." 

(e)  THE  TWO  MINISTERS.-^ 
As  deep  and  ardent  piety  exerts  its  most 
powerful  influence  upon  those  most  in- 
timately  acquainted,  so  a  want  of  it  will 
be  soonest  detected,  and  most  deeply 
felt,  in  the  domestic  circle.  This  is  il- 
lustrated by  the  following  facts. 

In  the  village  of  O — ,  N.  Y.,  there 
lived  a  minister  noted  for  the  depth  and 
ardor  of  his  piety.  During  an  interest- 
ing revival,  his  eldest  daughter  became 
concerned  about  her  eternal  welfare. 
At  an  evening  meeting,  the  anxious 
were  invited  to  occupy  a  particular 
seat,  in  token  of  their  desire  for  an  inte- 
rest in  the  prayers  of  God's  people. 
The  minister's  daughter  did  not  go  for- 
ward, but  upon  the  arrival  of  the  fami- 
ly at  home,  she  said,  "  Father,  I  want 
you  to  pray  for  me."  The  father  in- 
quired why  she  had  not  taken  the  anx- 
ious seat.  The  immediate  and  earnest 
reply  was,  "  I  had  rather  you  would 
pray  for  me,  than  any  body  else  in  the 
world."  At  a  time  of  similar  interest 
in    the  village  of  P ,  there  lived  a 


INDUSTRY. 


210 


minister  who  was  perhaps  equally  ac- 
counted of  in  public,  whose  eldest 
daughter  was  also  convicted  of  sin. 
She  passed  her  time  as  usual,  under  the 
paternal  roof,  but  with  a  sad  counte- 
nance and  heavy  heart.  Three  days 
passed,  while  deep  distress  of  soul 
was  daily  growing  deeper.  She  then, 
without  the  knowledge  of  her  parents, 
(neither  of  them  having  yet  inquired  af- 


I  ter  the  state  of  her  mind,)  wrote  a  note 
to  a  neighboring  lady,  most  earnestly 
!  soliciting  her  to  come  and  pray  for  her 
as  a  poor  lost  sinner.  Christian  fathers 
;  and  mothers !  beware  you  do  not  des- 
I  troy  the  confidence  of  your  children  in 
i  your  piety  by  your  inconsistency,  so  that 
I  when  under  conviction  for  sin,  and  de- 
'  sirous  of  the  prayers  of  others,  they 
I  should,  in  like  manner,  pass  you  by. 


210.  INDUSTRY. 


(a)  CRESSIN'S  DEFENCE.— Pli- 
ny tells  us  of  one  Cressin,  who  so  tilled 
and  manured  a  piece  of  ground,  that  it 
yielded  him  fruits  in  abundance,  while 
the  lands  around  him  remained  extreme- 
ly poor  and  barren.  His  simple  neigh- 
bors could  not  account  for  this  wonder- 
ful differenee  on  any  other  supposition 
than  that  of  his  working  by  enchant- 
ment ;  and  they  accordingly  proceeded 
to  arraign  him  for  his  supposed  sorcery, 
before  the  justice  seat.  "  How  is  it," 
said  they,  "  unless  it  be  that  he  enchants 
us,  that  he  can  contrive  to  draw  such  a 
revenue  from  his  inheritance,  while  we, 
with  equal  lands,  are  wretched  and 
miserable  ?"  Cressin  was  his  own  ad- 
vocate ;  his  case  was  one  which  re- 
quired not  either  ability  to  expound,  or 
language  to  recommend.  "  Behold," 
said  he,  "  this  comely  damsel  ;  she  is 
my  daughter,  my  fellow  laborer  ;  be- 
hold, too,  these  implements  o^  husband- 
ry, these  carts,  and  these  oxen.  Go 
with  me,  moreover,  to  my  fields,  and 
behold  there  how  they  are  tilled,  how 
manured,  how  weeded,  how  watered, 
how  fenced  in  !  And  when,'"  added  he, 
raising  his  voice,  "  you  have  beheld  all 
these  things,  you  will  have  beheld  all 
the  art,  the  charms,  the  magic,  which 
Cressin  has  used  !" 

The  judges  pronounced  his  acquittal, 
passing  a  high  eulogium  on  that  indus- 
try and  good  husbandry  which  had  so 
innocently  made  him  an  object  of  suspi- 
cion and  envy  to  his  neio;hh")rs. 

(&)  THE  CLERICAL  GARDEN- 
ER.— As  Peter  the  Great,  of  Russia, 
was  travelling  through  a  village  in 
France,  he  saw  in  a  garden,  belonging 


to  a  parsonage,  a  man  in  a  cassock, 
with  a  spade  in  his  hand,  digging  hard 
at  some  beds  of  vegetables. 

The  czar,  much  pleased  with  the 
sight,  alighted,  and  asked  him  who  he 
was.  "Sir,"  answered  the  man,  "I 
am  the  clergyman  of  the  village."  "  I 
took  you  for  a  gardener ;  why  are  you 
employed  in  this  manner  ?" 

"  The  revenues  of  my  living  being 
but  very  moderate,  I  do  not  choose  to 
be  an  expense  to  my  parishioners,  but 
wish  rather  to  have  it  in  my  power  to 
assist  them  ;  they  respect  me  the  more 
when  they  see  that,  to  procure  myself 
some  of  the  conveniences  of  life,  I  im- 
prove this  garden,  and  in  this  humble 
occupation  spend  as  much  of  my  time 
as  the  duties  of  my  ministry  will  al- 
low." 

"You  are  an  honest  man,"  replied 
the  czar  ;  "  and  I  esteem  you  the  more 
for  thinking  and  acting  in  this  manner ; 
tell  me  your  name."  He  drew  out  his 
tablets,  and  wrote  down  the  name  of  the 
worthy  clergyman  ;  and,  after  telling 
him  who  he  himself  was,  and  giving  him 
many  proofs  of  kindness,  he  took  leave 
of  him,  and  returned  to  his  carriage. 

When  he  went  back  to  Moscow,  he 
did  not  forget  this  scene,  and  endeavor- 
ed to  induce  the  priests  in  his  empire  to 
imitate  so  virtuous  an  example. 

(c)  "COME  AND  GO."— A  gentle- 
man in  Surrey,  (Eng.,)  once  held  a  farm 
worth  £200  a  year  in  his  own  hands,  till 
he  was  obliged  to  sell  half  of  it  to  pay  his 
debts,  and  let  the  other  half  to  a  farmer, 
on  a  lease  of  21  years.  After  a  while, 
the  farmer  wanted  to  buy  the  land. 
"  How  is  this,"  said  the  gentleman, 
391 


210—212 


IMPULSES— INFIDELITY. 


*'  that  I  could  not  live  upon  the  farm, 
being  my  own,  while  you  have  paid 
rent,  and  yet  are  able  to  purchase  it?" 
'•  O,"  said  the  farmer,  "  two  words 
make  all  the  difference :  you  said  go, 
and  I  say  come  ;  you  lay  in  bed,  or 
took  your  pleasure,  and  sent  others 
about  your  business  ;  and  I  rise  be- 
times, and  see  my  business  done  my- 
self" 

{d)  A  DILIGENT  STUDENT.— 
A  correspondent  of  the  New  York 
Evangelist  gives  a  striking  notice  of  the 
B.ev.  John,  A.  Sherman,  a  Missionary  in 
Benares,  upon  the  Ganges,  500  miles 
above  Calcutta.  While  at  Andover, 
Mass.,  though  on  a  passing  visit,  and  in 
a  foreign  land,  where  he  wished  to  no- 
tice things  around  him,  he  read,  during 
the  ten  days  of  his  stay,  Henry's  Life  of 
Calvin,  a  recent  German  work  in  three 
large  octavos,  besides  much  in  p/eriodi- 
cals,  and  besides  spending  considerable 
time  in   social    intercourse,   preaching 


twice,  and  delivering  a  most  interesting 
lecture,  of  two  hours'  length,  on  India. 

About  two  years  of  his  time  in  India 
has  been  spent  in  Calcutta,  in  translat- 
ing and  printing  the  Bible  in  the 
Hindostan  language,  for  the  British  and 
Foreign  Bible  Society.  While  engaged 
on  this  translation,  he  applied  himself 
from  four  in  the  morning  till  eight  in 
the  evening,  notwithstanding  the  intense 
and  sultry  heat  of  Calcutta.  And 
strange  as  it  may  seem  to  some,  he  as- 
signs this  very  fact  of  his  intense  appli- 
cation, as  a  leading  cause  of  his  unin- 
terrupted health  and  vigor.  "  The  man 
who  would  live  in  India,"  he  says, 
"  must  have  plenty  of  work  ;  if  not,  he 
will  yield  to  the  enervating  influence  of 
the  climate,  and  lounge  away  his  days 
upon  the  sofa,  and  consequently  be  toss- 
ing all  night  on  his  sleepless  couch,  for 
want  of  the  requisite  fatigue.  Then 
comes  dejection  of  spirits,  and  utter 
prostration  of  the  whole  man." 


2n.  IMPULSES. 


(a)  THE  TEN  COMMAND- 
MENTS  AND  IMPULSES.—"  Seve- 
ral of  you,"  said  Rev.  R.  Robison  in  a 
sermon,  "  know  a  good  old  man  who  de- 
parted this  life  twenty  years  ago,  and 
who  often  exhorted  you  to  live  by  the 
Ten  Commandments,  and  not  by  im- 
pulses. He  used  to  tell,  you  know, 
how  he  got  free  from  that  delusion  fifty 
years  before.  Then  he  was  pious  and 
poor,  and,  being  only  a  lad,  thought  all 
suggestions  in  Scripture  style  came 
from  heaven.     Walking  in  the  fields  in 


want  of  firewood,  by  the  side  of  a  neigh- 
bor's hedge,  he  wished  some  of  it  to 
burn,  and  the  impulse  came  clothed  in 
Scripture  language,  "  In  all  this  Job 
sinned  not."  Believing  this  suggestion 
to  be  the  teaching  of  the  Spirit,  he  began 
to  make  free  with  his  neighbor's  wood. 
Presently  he  discovered  his  mistake  by 
trying  his  impulse  with  the  eighth  com- 
mandment, "  Thou  shah  not  steal,"  and 
so  got  rid  of  an  error  which  might  have 
led  him  out  of  the  church  into  a  jail. 


INFIDELITY. 


CAUSES  OF  INEIDELITY. 
212.  Ignorance. 

{a)     GENERAL     HAMILTON'S 

CONFESSION.— A  young  lawyer,  in 
conversation  with  Bishop  Chase,  related 
the  following  fact  respecting  General 
Hamilton  which  had  occurred  but  a  short 
time  before.  The  young  lawyer  had 
392 


been  an  infidel,  but  his  mind  was  now 
changed,  and  this  narration  was  given  in 
answer  to  Bishop  Chase's  inquiry  how 
the  change  was  brought  about.  "  In 
pursuit  of  his  professional  duties  Gen- 
eral Hamilton  passes  from  New  York  to 
Albany,  to  attend  the  highest  courts, 
and  Poughkeepsie  is  his  stopping-place 
for  rest  and  social  chat.     We  young 


CAUSES  OF  INFIDELITY. 


312 


lawyers  delight  to  meet  him  at  Hen- 
drickson's  tavern,  and  there  breathe  to- 
gether the  atmosphere  of  wit  and  satire. 
Not  long  since,  he  passed  by  :  we  gath- 
ered round  him,  and  he  greeted  us  with 
his  usual  cordiality.  But  there  was 
something  altered  in  his  wit — it  was 
solemn,  yet  more  affectionate.  At 
length,  to  break  the  spell,  I  ventured,  as 
erst,  a  story,  the  edge  of  which  was 
ridicule  against  Christians  and  their 
creed.  As  I  finished  the  anecdote,  in- 
stead of  the  loud  laugh,  and  responsive 
tale,  the  General  gravely  asked  me,  if  I 
knew  what  I  had  been  talking  of  ? 
Confusion  is  the  best  name  I  can  give 
my  feelings  and  behavior  before  the 
great  man  at  such  a  question  from  his 
lips.  Seeing  my  embarrassment,  he  said 
he  did  not  design  to  give  me  pain,  but 
by  his  question,  to  call  my  attention  to 
his  own  case. 

'• '  Not  many  months  ago,'  said  he,  '  I 
was,  as  you  are,  doubtful  of  the  truths 
of  Christianity ;  but  some  circumstan- 
ces turned  my  thoughts  to  the  investiga- 
tion of  the  subject,  and  I  now  think 
differently.  I  had  been  in  company 
with  some  friends  of  a  similar  sentiment 
in  New  York.  1  had  indulged  in  re- 
marks much  to  the  disadvantage  of 
Christians,  and  disparagement  of  their 
religion.  I  had  gone  further  than  ever 
before  I  had  done  in  this  way.  Coming 
home,  I  stood,  late  at  night,  on  the  door 
steps,  waiting  for  my  servant.  In  this 
moment  of  stillness,  my  thoughts  re- 
turned to  what  had  just  passed  at  my 
friend's  and  on  what  I  had  said  there. 
And  what  if  the  Christian  religion  be 
true,  after  all  ?  The  thought  certainly 
was  natural,  and  it  produced  in  my  bo- 
som the  most  alarming  feelings.  I  was 
conscious  that  I  had  never  examined  it 
— not  even  with  that  attention  which  a 
small  retaining  fee  requires  in  civil 
cases.  In  this  I  hold  myself  bound  to 
make  up  my  mind  according  to  the  laws 
of  evidence  ;  and  shall  nothing  be  done 
of  this  sort,  in  a  question  that  involves 
the  fate  of  man's  immortal  being? 
Where  every  thing  is  at  stake,  shall  I 
bargain  all  without  inquiry  ? — Wilfully 
blinding  my  own  eyes,  shall  I  laugh  at 
that,  which,  if  true,  will  laugh  me  to 
scorn  in  the  day  of  judgment  ?     These 


questions  did  not  allow  me  to  sleep 
quietly.  In  the  morning  I  sent  to  my 
friends,  the  clergy,  for  such  books  as 
treated  on  the  evidence  of  Christianity 
— I  read  them,  and  the  result  is,  I  be- 
lieve the  religion  of  Christians  to  be 
the  truth — that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Son 
of  God — that  he  made  an  atonement  for 
our  sins  by  his  death,  and  that  he  rose 
for  our  justification.' 

"  This  is  the  substance  of  General 
Hamilton's  declaration  to  me  at  Hen- 
drickson's,  and  you  may  judge  how  I 
feel  since.  As  I  have  followed  the  Ge- 
neral in  many  other  respects,  so  would 
I  imitate  him  here." 

(b)  SIR  ISAAC  NEWTON  AND 
H ALLEY. — Sir  Isaac  Newton  set  out 
in  life  a  clamorous  infidel^  but  on  a 
nice  examination  of  the  evidences  for 
Christianity,  he  found  reason  to  change 
his  opinions.  When  the  celebrated  Dr. 
Edmund  Halley  was  talking  infidelity 
before  him.  Sir  Isaac  addressed  him 
in  these  or  like  words  ?  "  Dr.  Hal- 
ley,  I  am  always  glad  to  hear  you  when 
you  speak  about  astronomy  or  other 
parts  of  the  mathematics,  because  that 
is  a  subject  you  have  studied  and  well 
understand ;  but  you  should  not  talk 
of  Christianity,  for  you  have  not  stu- 
died it.  I  have,  and  am  certain  that 
you  know  nothing  of  the  matter." 
This  was  a  just  reproof,  and  one  that 
would  be  very  suitable  to  be  given  to 
half  the  infidels  of  the  present  day, 
for  they  often  speak  of  what  they 
have  never  studied,  and  what,  in  fact, 
they  are  entirely  ignorant  of.  Dr. 
Johnson,  therefore,  well  observed,  that 
no  honest  man  could  be  a  Deist,  for  no 
man  could  be  so  after  a  fair  examina- 
tion of  the  proofs  of  Christianity.  On 
the  name  of  Hume  being  mentioned  to 
him,  "  No,  sir,"  said  he  ;  "  Hume  own- 
ed to  a  clergyman  in  the  bishopric  of 
Durham  that  he  had  never  read  the  New 
Testament  with  attention." 

(c)  CONFESSION  OF  COUNT 
STRUENSEE.— From  the  written  and 
published  confessions  of  many  converted 
infidels,  it  would  be  easy  to  show  that 
the  most  violent  opposers  of  the  Bible  are 
generally  those  who  are  most  ignorant 
of  its  contents.  An  illustration  of  this 
remark  may  be  drawn  from  the  history 

393 


213 


INFIDELITY. 


of  the  unfortunate  Count  Struensee, 
prime  minister  of  Denmark,  under 
Christian  VII.  whose  downfall  produced 
the  tragical  revolution  in  the  Danish 
Cabinet  of  1772. 

This  distinguished  individual  had 
long  been  an  avowed  and  zealous  infi- 
del, when  hfe  was  suddenly  hurled  from 
the  summit  of  power  to  the  horrors  and 
gloom  of  a  dungeon.  During  the  four 
months  he  spent  in  prison  under  the 
pious  and  zealous  instruction  of  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Munter,  he  became  thoroughly  con- 
vinced of  the  truth  of  Christianity,  and, 
as  it  appeared,  a  true  penitent.  In  the 
memorable  confession  which  he  wrote 
before  he  went  to  the  scaffold,  he  says, 
"  My  former  unbelief  and  aversion  to 
religion,  were  founded  neither  upon  an 
accurate  inquiry  into  its  truth,  nor  upon 
a  critical  examination  of  those  doubts 
which  are  generally  made  against  it. 
They  arose,  as  is  usual  in  such  cases, 
from  a  very  general  and  superficial 
knowledge  of  religion  on  one  side,  and 
much  inclination  to  disobey  its  precepts 
on  the  other,  together  with  a  readiness 
to  entertain  every  objection  which  I  dis- 
covered against  it."  In  another  place, 
after  having  carefully  examined  the 
evidences  of  Christianity  and  his  former 
objections  by  the  aid  of  Dr.  Munter,  he 
exclaims  like  a  man  awakened  from  a 
dream,  "  I  never  imagined  that  Chris- 
tianity was  founded  on  such  strong  evi- 
dences or  that  they  would  have  convin- 
ced me  so.  After  a  calm  examination 
I  have  found  them  to  be  unexception- 
able, and  none,  if  they  only  take  the 
proper  time,  and  are  not  against  the 
trouble  of  meditating,  can  ever  examine 
it  without  being  convinced  of  its  truth. 
Every  thing  is  naturally  and  well  con- 
nected, and  recommends  itself  to  a  mind 
given  to  reflection.  I  never  found  in 
Deistical  writings  a  system  so  well 
connected,  and  upon  the  whole  I  am  in- 
clined to  believe  there  is  no  such  thing 
as  a  regular  system  of  infidelity." 

m.  Corruption  of  the  Heart  and  life. 

(a)  THE  WAY  TO  ATHEISM.— 

I  was,  says  a  New   England  minister, 

some  time  before  my  conversion,  under 

serious  impressions  on  the  subject  of  re- 

394 


ligion.  I  had  a  pious  education,  and 
my  awakened  conscience  now  alarmed 
me  on  account  of  my  danger,  and  pain- 
ed me  on  account  of  my  guilt.  I 
would  not  submit  to  God,  and  I  accord- 
ingly tried  to  find  relief  in  Universal- 
ism.  But  I  had  to  wrest  and  rack  the 
Scriptures  so  much  to  support  that 
wretched  theory,  that  I  soon  became 
convinced  of  the  absurdity  of  trying 
to  believe  the  Bible  and  disbelieve  in 
future  punishment.  I  next  threw  away 
the  Bible,  and  tried  to  find  a  solid  foun- 
dation in  Deism.  But  t  was  still  unsat- 
isfied ;  and  my  next  plunge  was  into 
blank  and  utter  Atheism.  What  pre- 
sumption !  A  youth  less  than  eighteen 
years  of  age  rejecting  the  Bible,  deny- 
ing the  being  of  a  God,  and  the  immor- 
tality  of  the  soul !  But  my  belief  in  all 
this  unbelief,  was  firm  and  unshaken. 
I  looked  upon  myself  as  possessed  of 
superior  wisdom.  Christians  as  simple- 
tons>  and  religion  as  downright  lolly  and 
superstition. 

Here  I  thought  I  had  found  relief — 
then  no  fear  of  God,  man  or  devil  dis- 
turbed me. 

I  went  to  board  in  a  pious  family. 
One    evening    after    prayer,   Mr.   and 

Mrs ,  who  were  pious  persons,  en- 

tered  into  personal  conversation  with 
me  on  the  subject  of  religion.  I  frank- 
ly told  them  it  was  in  vain  to  talk  with 
me — that  I  was  a  downright  Atheist. 
They  were  astonished  and  thunder- 
struck at  the  declaration.  After  recov- 
ering from  the  shock,  they  kindly  en- 
treated me  to  review  the  ground  on 
which  I  stood,  and  to  seek  my  soul's  sal- 
vation. A  singularly  incongruous  ex- 
hortation, as  some  would  say,  to  a  person 
who  believed  he  had  no  God  to  pray  to, 
and  no  soul  to  be  saved.  But  had  they 
been  inspired  their  words  could  scarcely 
have  been  more  adapted  to  meet  my 
case.  Their  tenderness  had  an  effect 
upon  me  which  all  the  arguments  of 
theologians  would  pot  have  accomplish- 
ed. I  retired  to  bed,  but  not  to  rest.  I 
was  led  to  look  back  over  my  past 
career ;  and  my  progress  in  skepti- 
cism was  all  revealed  before  me  as  under 
a  blaze  of  light.  I  saw  I  had  disbeliev- 
ed, and  that  because  I  wished  to  disbe- 
lieve.    I  saw  then  what  I  had  forgotten, 


CURE  OF  INFIDELITY. 


213,214 


or  never  distinctly  known  before,  that  I 
had  deceived  myself  into  it,  and  I  be- 
held the  course  which  1  had  taken  to 
blind  my  own  eyes.  The  self  imposi- 
tion and  iiijluence  of  desire  upon  my  in- 
fidel opinions  was  just  as  plain  to  me  as 
any  fact  in  my  past  life.  That  review 
of  the  process  by  which  T  had  become 
an  infidel,  (a  process  of  which  I  was 
previously  unconscious,)  convinced  me 
of  the  folly  and  falsity  of  infidelity.  I 
was  led  to  renounce  its  unholy  dogmas, 
and  brought  step  by  step  to  embrace  the 
humbling,  and  self-denying  truths  of  the 
gospel.  I  have  often  thought  that  if 
the  infidels  of  the  present  day  could 
have  the  heart  in  like  manner  bared  be- 
fore them,  and  see  how  its  depraved 
wishes  have  influenced  their  judgments, 
in  rejecting  religion,  they  would  lose 
confidence,  like  myself,  in  their  skepti- 
cal notions,  and  come  to  a  similar  happy 
result. 

(b)  CAUSE  OF  INFIDELITY 
AVOWED.  — Mr.  Wilberforce  once 
told  the  Rev.  Wm.  Jay  that,  some  years 
ago,  passing  through  Dorchester  during 
Carlile's  confinement  there,  he  went  to 
see  him  in  prison,  and  endeavored  to  en- 
gage him  in  a  conversation  upon  the 
Scriptures  ;  but  he  refused  :  he  said  he 
had  made  up  his  mind,  and  did  not  wish 
it  to  be  perplexed  again  ;  and,  pointing 
to  the  Bible  in  the  hands  of  his  visitor, 
he  said  in  an  awful  manner,  "  How,  sir, 
can  you  suppose  that  I  can  like  that 
Book  ?  for  if  it  be  true,  I  am  undone 
forever  !"  "  No,"  said  the  pious  phi- 
lanthropist, "  this  is  not  the  necessary 
consequence,  and  it  need  not  be ;  that 
Book  excludes  none  from  hope  who  will 
seek  salvation  by  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ." 

(c)  LOOSE  tlFE,  LOOSE  CREED. 
— It  has  often  been  a  matter  of  wonder, 
that  the  principles  and  reasonings  of  infi- 
dels, though  frequently  accompanied 
with  great  natural  and  acquired  abili- 
ties, are  seldom  known  to  make  any  im- 
pression on  thoughtful  people.  It  is  said 
of  a  deceased  gentleman,  who  was  emi- 
nent in  the  literary  world,  that  in  early 
life,  he  drank  deeply  into  the  free-think- 
ing scheme.  IJe,  and  one  of  his  com- 
panions of  the  same  turn  of  mind,  often 
carried  on  their  conversations   in   the 


hearing  of  a  religious,  but  illiterate 
countryman.  This  gentleman  after- 
wards became  a  true  Christian,  and  felt 
concern  for  the  countryman,  lest  his 
faith  in  Christianity  should  have  been 
shaken i  One  day,  therefore,  he  asked 
him,  whether  what  had  so  frequently 
been  advanced  in  his  hearing,  had  not 
produced  this  effect  upon  him.  "  By 
no  means,"  answered  the  countryman ; 
"  it  never  made  the  least  impression 
upon  me."  "  No  impression  upon 
you  !"  said  the  gentleman  ;  "  why  you 
must  have  known  that  we  had  read  and 
thought  on  these  things  much  more  than 
you  had  any  opportunity  of  doing." 
"  Oh,  yes,"  replied  the  man ;  "  but  I 
knew  also  your  manner  of  living ;  I 
knew  that  to  maintain  such  a  course  of 
conduct,  you  found  it  necessary  to  re- 
nounce Christianity." 

(d)  THEY  WISHED  IT  TO  BE 
SO. — Three  young  men  who  were  ex- 
ecuted in  Edinburgh,  in  1812,  imme- 
diately afler  committing  the  robberies 
for  which  they  suffered,  had  gone  to 
Glasgow  ;  and  one  evening  they  heard 
the  family  with  whom  they  lodged,  em- 
ployed in  the  worship  of  God.  This 
struck  their  minds  exceedingly,  and 
suggested  the  question, — Whether  there 
is  a  God,  and  a  world  to  come  ?  After 
some  discussion,  they  came  to  this  con- 
clusion,— '  That  there  is  no  God,  and 
no  world  to  come !' — a  conclusion,  as 
they  themselves  acknowledged,  to 
which  they  came  on  this  sole  ground — 
and  how  much  infidelity  that  abounds 
in  the  world  rests  on  no  better — that 
they  wished  it  to  be  so. 

214.  Core  of  Infidelity. 

(a)  DR.  NELSON'S  TESTIMO- 
NY.— Dr.  Nelson,  of  Illinois,  in  his 
work  on  Infidelity,  says,  that  for  many 
years  he  had  endeavored  to  persuade 
every  infidel  to  read  some  work  on  the 
evidences  of  Christianity,  and  he  never 
knew  but  tivo  instances  fail  of  convic- 
tion, and  in  these  he  did  not  know  the 
result  for  want  of  opportunity. 

(b)  OPPOSER  TURNED  APOL- 
OGIST. — Athenagoras,  a  famous  Athe- 
nian philosopher  in  the  second  century, 
not  only  doubted  the  truth  of  the  Chris- 

395 


214,  215 


INFIDELITY. 


tian  religion,  but  was  determined  to 
write  against  it.  However,  upon  an  in- 
timate inquiry  into  the  facts  on  which  it 
was  supported,  in  the  course  of  his  col- 
lecting materials  for  his  intended  publi- 
cation, he  was  convinced  by  the  blaze 
of  its  evidence,  and  turned  his  designed 
invective  into  an  elaborate  apology, 
which  is  still  in  existence. 

(c)  WEST  AND  LITTLETON.— 
Perhaps  few  events  tend  more  power- 
fully to  impress  the  mind,  as  to  the 
overwhelming  power  of  the  evidence  at- 
tending true  Christianity,  than  the  fact, 
that  many  who  have  sat  down  to  read 
the  sacred  volume  with  the  view  of  op- 
posing it,  have  been  compelled,  by  the 
force  of  conviction,  cordially  to  embrace 
its  truths.  From  many  instances  of  this 
kind  we  select  the  following,  as  related 
by  the  Rev.  T.  T.  Biddulph  :  The  effect 
which  was  wrought  on  the  mind  of  the 
celebrated  Gilbert  West,  by  that  partic- 
ular evidence  of  our  Lord's  resurrection 
which  was  afforded  to  his  apostles,  was 
very  remarkable.  He  and  his  friend 
Lord  Littleton,  both  men  of  acknow- 
ledged  talents,  had  imbibed  the  princi- 
ples of  infidelity  from  a  superficial  view 
of  the  Scriptures.  Fully  persuaded 
that  the  Bible  was  an  imposture,  they 
were  determined  to  expose  the  cheat. 
Mr.  West  chose  tjie  resurrection  of 
Christ,  and  Lord  Littleton  the  conver- 
sion  of  St.  Paul,  for  the  subject  of  hos- 
tile criticism.  Both  sat  down  to  their 
respective  tasks,  full  of  prejudice,  and  a 
contempt  for  Christianity.  The  result 
of  their  separate  attempts  was  truly  ex- 
traordinary. They  were  both  convert- 
ed by  their  endeavors  to  overthrow  the 
truth  of  Christianity.  They  came  to- 
gether, not,  as  they  expected,  to  exult 
over  an  imposture  exposed  to  ridicule, 
but  to  lament  their  own  folly,  and  to 
congratulate  each  other  on  their  joint 
conviction,  that  the  Bible  was  the  word 
of  God.  Their  able  inquiries  have  fur- 
nished  two  most  valuable  treatises  in 
favor  of  revelation ;  one  entitled,  "  Ob- 
servations on  the  Conversion  of  S^ 
Paul,"  and  the  other,  "  Observations  on 
the  Resurrection  of  Christ." 

(d)  TAKING  THE  PART  OF 
THE  CHRISTIAN.— The  following 
is  from  the  communication  of  an  Ameri- 

396 


can  clergyman  who  writes  (in  1827) 
for  a  Missionary  to  be  sent  to  the  place 
referred  to  in  this  extract. 

A  settlement  was  commenced  at  S. 
some  ten  years  ago,  by  emigrants  from 
various  sections  of  our  country,  but  the 
largest  number,  it  is  believed,  were  from 
New  England,  many  of  whom  were 
men  of  intelligence  and  active  industry. 
There  was  not  a  single  professor  of  re- 
ligion among  them,  and  nearly  or  quite 
all  had  embraced  Deistical  sentiments, 
and  they  manifested  a  disposition  to  shut 
out  the  gospel  from  their  settlement. 
They  frequently  met  for  the  sole  pur- 
pose  of  strengthening  each  other  in 
these  sentiments.  Nothing,  for  a  time, 
disturbed  them.  But,  behold  the  Sove- 
reignty of  God  !  It  was  suggested  by 
one  of  their  number,  as  their  meetings 
had  been  rather  dull,  "  to  appoint  some 
one  to  take  the  part  of  the  Christian." 
The  plan  was  approved,  and  the  duty 
was  .assigned  to  my  informant.  He  un- 
dertook the  defence  of  Christianity.  To 
this  end,  it  was  necessary  that  he  should 
have  a  Bible,  and  also  that  he  should 
read  it.  But  to  use  his  own  expression, 
"  he  thought  Christianity  should  be  the 
last  thing  he  would  ever  embrace."  He 
was  first  delighted,  then  astonished,  then 
alarmed,  with  his  own  reasoning.  He 
continued  to  read,  and  soon  found  evi- 
dence of  the  truth  of  Christianity  which 
his  conscience  could  no  longer  resist. 
He  was  humbled  before  God,  and  soon 
after  rejoicing  in  hope  of  his  mercy ; 
and  set  himself  in  good  earnest  to  con- 
vince his  neighbors  of  his  lost  condition. 
A  little  church  is  there  organized,  but 
they  have  no  one  to  break  to  them  the 
bread  of  life.  What  Missionary  would 
not  be  willing  to  enter  a  field  like  this  ? 


21§.  Moral  Character  and  Influence  of  the 
Doctrines  and  Supporters  of  Infidelity. 

(a)  GREATEST  TERROR  RE- 
MOVED. — A  servant,  upon  whom  the 
irreligious  conversation  continually 
passing  at  his  master's  table,  had  pro- 
duced its  natural  effect,  took  an  oppor- 
tunity to  rob  him.  Being  apprehended, 
and  urged  to  give  a  reason  for  his  mis- 
conduct, he  said,  "  Sir,  I  had  heard  you 


i 


MORAL  CHARACTER  AND  INFLUENCE. 


215 


so  often  talk  of  the  impossibility  of  a  fu- 
ture state,  and  that  after  death  there 
was  no  reward  for  virtue,  nor  punish- 
ment for  vice,  that  I  was  tempted  to 
commit  the  robbery."  "  Well,  but  had 
you  no  fear,"  asked  the  master,  "  of  the 
death  which  the  law  of  your  country  in- 
flicts upon  the  crime?"  "Sir,"  re- 
joined the  servant,  looking  sternly  at  his 
master,  "  what  is  that  to  you,  if  I  had  a 
mind  to  venture  that  ?  You  had  re- 
moved my  greatest  terror  ;  why  should 
I  fear  the  less  ?" 

{b)  INFIDELS  AT  THE  LORD'S 
SUPPER.— Collins,  though  he  had  n\ 
belief  in  Cliristianity,  yet  qualified  him 
self  for  civil  office  by  partaking  of  the 
Lord's  Supper;  Shaftesbury  did  the 
same  ;  and  the  same  is  done  by  hun- 
dreds of  infidels  to  this  day.  Yet  thesi 
are  the  men  who  are  continually  d( 
claiming  against  the  hypocrisy 
priests  ! 

(c)  DYING  TESTIMONY  OF  A 
SOCIALIST. — ^A  town  missionary,  in 
Bifmingbarn,  attended  a  misguided  infi- 
del on  his  death-bed,  and  the  system  of 
Socialism  being  referred  to,  the  dying 
man  exclaimed,  "  Call  it  not  Socialism  ; 
call  it  Devilism !  for  it  has  made  me 
more  like  a  devil  than  a  man.  I  got 
into  company,  which  led  me  to  Social- 
ism and  to  drinking.  I  rejected  the 
Bible,  denied  the  Savior,  and  persuad- 
ed myself  that  there  was  no  hereafter ; 
and  as  the  result,  I  acted  the  part  of  a 
bad  father  and  a  bad  husband.  I  have 
the  testimony  of  my  master,  that  I  was 
a  steady  and  respectable  man  until  I 
listened  to  the  Owenites ;  but,  since 
that  time,  I  have  become  a  vagabond, 
and  those  who  formerly  knew  me  have 
shunned  me  in  the  streets.  The  system 
of  the  Owenite  is  worse  than  that  of 
Paine."  Such  was  the  testimony  of  a 
dying  victim  of  Socialism. 

(d)  SEVERAL  NOTED  INFI- 
DELS— If  we  look  at  the  writings  and 
conduct  of  the  principal  adversaries  of 
Christianity,  we  shall  form  no  very  fa- 
vorable opinion  of  their  system,  as  to  its 
moral  effects.  The  morals  of  Roches- 
ter and  Wharton  need  no  comment. 
Woolston  was  a  gross  blasphemer. 
Blount  solicited  his  sister-in-law  to  mar- 
ry him ;  and,  being  refused,  shot  him- 


self. Tindal  was  originally  a  Protest- 
ant, then  turned  Papist,  then  Protestant 
again,  merely  to  suit  the  times  ;  and 
was,  at  the  same  period,  infamous  for 
vice  in  general,  and  the  total  want  of 
principle.  He  is  said  to  have  died  with 
this  prayer  in  his  mouth,  "  If  there  be  a 
God,  I  desire  that  he  may  have  mercy 
upon  me."  Hobbes  wrote  his  "  Levia- 
than" to  serve  the  cause  of  Charles  I ; 
but  finding  him  fail  of  success,  he  turn- 
ed it  to  the  defence  of  Cromwell,  and 
made  a  merit  of  this  fact  to  the  usurper, 
as  Hobbes  himself  unblushingly  de- 
clared to  Lord  Clarendon.  Morgan  had 
no  regard  for  truth,  as  is  evident  from 
his  numerous  falsifications  of  Scripture, 
as  well  as  from  the  vile  hypocrisy  of 
^professing  himself  a  Christian  in  thos3 
very  writings  in  which  he  labors  to  des- 
troy Christianity.  Voltaire,  in  a  letter 
now  in  existence,  requested  his  friend, 
D'Alembert,  to  tell  for  him  a  direct  and 
palpable  lie,  by  denying  that  he  was  the 
author  of  the  Philosophical  Dictionary. 
D'Alembert,  in  his  answer,  informed 
him  that  he  had  told  the  lie.  Voltaire 
has,  indeed,  expressed  his  own  moral 
character  perfectly  in  the  following 
words :  "  Monsieur  Abbe,  I  must  be 
read ;  no  matter  whether  I  am  believed 
or  not."  He  also  solemnly  professed  to 
believe  the  Roman  Catholic  religion,  al- 
though, at  the  same  time,  he  elsewhere 
professed  to  doubt  the  existence  of  God. 
{e)  FOUR  SONS  RUINED.— 
There  was  a  place  in  New  York,  called 
the  "  Hall  of  Science,"  which  was 
opened  on  Sundays  for  public  lectures  : 
in  the  day-time  lectures  were  given  on 
some  of  the  sciences,  and  in  the  evening 
a  lecture  was  given  in  opposition  to  the 
Christian  or  any  other  religion,  and  in 
support  of  the  doctrines  of  infidelity.  In 
order  to  show  the  effect  of  this  institu- 
tion on  the  young  mind,  the  N.  Y.  Eve- 
ning Journal  gives  an  extract  from  the 
register  of  the  House  of  Refuge,  of  the 
progress  of  a  boy  in  that  institution. 
He  was  about  16  years  of  age,  and  had 
been  a  clerk  for  a  merchant  in  New 
York,  who,  on  declining  business,  ex- 
pressed his  great  satisfaction  at  the  con- 
duct of  the  boy.  An  elder  brother  had 
been  in  the  habit  of  attending  the  lec- 
tures at  the  Hall  of  Science,  and  by  de- 
397  / 


315,  216 


INFIDELITY. 


grees  became  an  infidel,  and  he  instilled 
his  notions  into  the  mind  of  this  boy  ; 
the  consequence  of  which  was  that  he 
threw  off  all  restraint  and  united  with 
loose  young  men  and  boys  in  rioting, 
&;c.  ;  neglected  all  business ;  wander- 
ed about  the  streets  and  slept  often  in 
stables,  till  finally  his  parents  were  ob- 
liged to  send  him  to  the  House  of  Refuge, 
fearful  that  he  would  t^e  to  stealing  to 
support  himself.  The  father  said  that 
the  influence  of  the  doctrines  taught  at 
the  Hall  of  Science  had  ruined  his 
whole  family  of  promising  boys,  (four 
in  number,)  and  that  hearts  almost  bro- 
ken, ^and  much  mental  misery,  had  been 
entailed  upon  the  other  portions  of  his 
family  and  relatives. 

(/)  AN  INFIDEL  FAMILY.— 
"  Mr.  J.  H.,"  says  a  writer  in  the 
Christian  Mirror,  "was  an  inhabitant  of 
my  native  town,  and  with  whom  and  his 
family  I  was  well  acquainted.  He  was 
a  man  of  good  common  sense,  and  was 
blessed  with  more  than  a  common 
share  of  intellectual  powers.  His  ac- 
quired abilities  were  considerable,  be- 
ing a  great  reader,  and  possessing  a  te- 
nacious memory.  But  he  was  a  tho- 
rough-going infidel  !  He  early  em- 
braced the  sentiments  of  Thomas  Paine, 
whose  writings  were  his  oracle.  He 
was  often  heard  to  make  the  most  vul- 
gar and  blasphemous  expressions  con- 
cerning our  blessed  Savior,  and  to  re- 
vile his  religion  !  He  was  consistent 
with  his  sentiments  in  all  things ;  and 
early  educated  his  children  to  believe 
and  embrace  his  own  opinions,  and  imi- 
tate his  practices.  The  old  man  lived 
and  died  without  any  thing  remarkable 
befalling  him  personally.  But  not  so 
with  his  family — particularly  his  sons, 
of  whom  he  had  five,  all  of  whom  lived 
to  become  men  and  Infidels.  The  his- 
tory of  four  of  them  will  illustrate  the 
influence  of  parental  instruction  and  ex- 
ample, and  show  that  infidelity  leads  to 
vice  and  ruin.  They  were  all,  without 
exception,  dissipated  and  given  to  world- 
ly pleasures  in  their  youth.  The  eld- 
est son  soon  became  very  intemperate. 
He  had  a  wife,  and  a  large  family  of 
little  children,  dependent  on  his  labor 
for  their  support.  He  removed  to  Bos- 
ton, where  he  soon  became  a  sot  and 
398 


vagabond.  The  city  was  obliged  to 
support  his  family  ;  and  after  a  long  fit 
of  drunkenness,  he  was  found  dead  one 
morning  in  the  street ! 

The  next  son  never  married.  He 
was  a  drunkard,  a  gamblerand  a  spend- 
thrift from  his  youth.  He  removed  into 
Vermont,  and  after  a  drunken  and  gam- 
bling frolic,  he  arose  one  morning  and 
plunged  himself  from  the  second  story 
of  his  boarding-house,  which  stood  up- 
on the  bank  of  the  Onion  river,  into  the 
water  and  was  drowned  ! 

The  third  son  was  equally  dissipated, 
and  having  destroyed  his  constitution, 
and  squandered  his  earnings,  he  took  a 
rope  and  went  and  hanged  himself! 
The  fourth,  being  unable  to  obtain  the 
means  to  support  his  dissipation  by  la- 
bor, commenced  with  purchasing  and 
passing  counterfeit  money  ;  was  soon 
apprehended,  examined  and  bound  for 
his  appearance  at  court.  He  obtained 
bonds  which  he  forfeited,  by  fleeing  his 
country.  What  will  be  the  end  of  the 
youngest,  who  is  now  left  in  possession 
of  his  father's  property,  time  will  deter- 


INFIDELITY  AT  VARIANCE  WITH  THE 
REASON  AND  CONSCIENCE  OF  ITS 
VOTARIES. 

216.  Shown  by  their  own  Confessions  of 
the  Moral  Tendency  of  Infidel  Doctrines. 

(a)  WHAT  MADE  HIM  A  MUR- 
DERER ? — Cook,  who  was  executed 
for  a  very  awful  murder  at  Leicester, 
(Eng.,)  in  his  confession  to  the  town 
clerk,  alluded  to  being  connected  with 
a  society,  formed  principally  of  deisti- 
cal  young  men,  who  frequented  a  pub- 
lic house  in  that  town,  in  which  the 
writings  of  Paine,  Carlile,  and  other 
infidel  authors,  were  taken  in  and  en- 
couraged. He  emphatically  added,  "  I 
considered  myself  a  moral  young  man, 
attending,  as  I  did,  some  place  of  Chris- 
tian worship  three  times  a  day  ;  till  un- 
fortunately, I  got  connected  with  the 
above,  and  other  infidel  associations." 

(b)    HliaiElS.  TESTIMONY 

"Disbelief  in  futurity,"  says  Hume, 
"  loosens  in  a  great  measure  the  ties  of 
morality  and  may  be  supposed  for  that 


CONFESSIONS  IN  FAVOR  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 


216,  217 


reason  to  be  pernicious  to  the  peace  of 
civil  society." 

(c)  HUME  AND  INFIDELITY 
IN  WOMEN.— It  is  stated,  in  the 
"Life  of  Dr.  Beattie,"  by  Sir  W. 
Forbes,  that  Mr.  Hume  was  one  day 
boasting  to  Dr.  Gregory,  that,  among 
his  disciples  in  Edinburgh,  he  had  the 
honor  to  reckon  many  of  the  fair  sex. 
"  Now  tell  me,"  said  the  doctor, 
"whether,  if  you  had  a  wife  or  a 
daughter,  you  would  wish  them  to  be 
your  disciples  ?  Think  well  before  you 
answer  me ;  for  I  assure  you,  that 
whatever  your  answer  is,  1  will  not 
conceal  it."  Mr.  Hume,  with  a  smile, 
and  some  hesitation,  made  this  reply  : — 
"  No ;  I  believe  skepticism  may  be  too 
sturdy  a  virtue  for  a  woman." 

( d )  VOLTAIRE'S  CONFESSIONv 
— One  day  that  D'Alembert  and  Con-\ 
dorcet  were  dining  with  Voltaire,  they  ^ 
proposed  to  converse  of  atheism,  but 
Voltaire  stopped  them  at  once.  "  Wait," 
said  he,  "  till  my  servants  have  with- 
drawn ;  I  do  not  wish  to  have  my 
throat  cut  to-night."  y 

217.  Shown  by  their  Confessions  in  favor 
of  Christianity. 

(a)  THE  TWO  TRAVELLERS. 

— Two  men  were  once  travelling  in  the 
far  west ;  one  was  a  skeptic,  the  other 
a  Christian.  The  former  was  on  every 
occasion  ready  to  denounce  religion  as 
an  imposture  and  professors  as  hypo- 
crites. According  to  his  own  account 
of  the  matter,  he  always  suspected 
those  who  made  pretensions  to  piety, 
felt  particularly  exposed  in  the  com- 
pany of  Christians,  and  took  special 
care  of  his  horse  and  watch  when  the 
saints  were  around  him.  They  had 
travelled  late  one  evening  and  were  in 
the  wilderness.  They  at  last  drew  near 
to  a  solitary  hut  and  rejoiced  in  the 
prospect  of  a  shelter,  however  humble. 
They  asked  admission  and  obtained  it. 
But  it  was  almost  as  dreary  and  com- 
fortless within,  as  without;  and  there 
was  nothing  prepossessing  in  the  ap- 
pearance of  its  inhabitants.  These 
were  an  elderly  man,  his  wife,  and  two 
sons,  sunburnt,  hardy  and  rough.  They 
were  apparently  hospitable,  and  wel- 


comed our  travellers  to  such  homely 
fare  as  the  forest  afforded  ;  but  this  air 
of  kindness  might  be  assumed  to  de- 
ceive them  ;  and  the  travellers  became 
seriously  apprehensive  that  evil  was 
intended.  It  was  a  lonely  place  well 
suited  to  deeds  of  robbery  and  blood. 
No  help  was  at  hand.  The  two  friends 
communicated  to  each  other  their  sus- 
picions, and  resolved  that  on  retiring  to 
their  part  of  the  hut,  they  would  bar- 
ricade the  door  against  the  entrance  of 
their  host,  that  they  would  have  their 
weapons  of  defence  at  hand,  that  they 
would  alternate  in  watching,  so  that 
one  should  be  constantly  on  his  guard 
while  his  companion  slept.  Having 
hastily  made  their  arrangements,  they 
joined  the  family,  partook  of  the 
homely  meal  and  spoke  of  retiring  to 
rest.  The  old  man  said  it  had  been 
his  practice  in  better  times  and  he  con* 
tinued  it  still,  before  his  family  retired, 
to  commend  them  to  God,  and  if  the 
strangers  had  no  objection  he  would  do 
so  now.  The  Christian  rejoiced  to  find 
a  brother  in  the  wilderness,  and  even 
the  skeptic  could  not  conceal  his  satis- 
faction at  the  proposition.  The  old 
man  then  took  down  a  well-worn  Bilple 
on  which  no  dust  had  gathered  though 
age  had  marked  it,  and  read  with  em- 
phasis a  portion  of  the  Sacred  Scrip- 
tures. He  then  supplicated  the  divine 
protection,  acknowledged  the  divine 
goodness,  and  prayed  for  grace,  guid- 
ance, and  salvation.  He  prayed  too  for 
the  strangers — that  they  might  be  pros- 
pered in  their  journey,  and  when  their 
earthly  journey  f^as  done,  they  might 
have  a  home  in  heaven.  He  was  evi- 
dently a  man  of  prayer,  and  that  hum- 
ble cottage  was  a  place  where  prayer 
was  wont  to  be  made.  The  travellers 
retired  to  their  apartment ;  according 
to  their  arrangement  the  skeptic  was  to 
have  the  first  watch  during  the  night ; 
but  instead  of  priming  his  pistols  and 
bracing  his  nerves  for  an  attack  he  was 
for  lying  down  to  sleep  as  quietly  as 
if  he  had  never  thought  of  danger. 
His  friend  reminded  him  of  their  en- 
gagement, and  asked  where  he  had  lost 
his  apprehension  of  danger.  Ah ;  the 
infidel  felt  the  force  of  the  question  and 
all  it  implied ;  and  had  the  frankness 
399 


217,  21S 


INFIDELITY. 


to  confess  that  he  could  not  but  feel  as 
safe  as  at  a  New  England  fireside,  in 
any  house  or  in  any  forest  where  the 
Bible  was  read  as  the  old  man  read  it, 
and  prayer  was  offered  as  that  old  man 
prayed. 

(b)  THE  SUICIDE'S  MANU- 
SCRIPT. — An  avowed  infidel,  whose 
language  and  conduct  had  been  most 
profane,  and  who  had  boldly  argued  for 
man's  right  to  kill  himself  when  he 
found  it  expedient,  swallowed  a  quan- 
tity of  opium  which  put  an  end  to  his 
life.  Among  his  papers  was  found  one, 
on  which  was  written,  "  I  have  this 
moment  swallowed  a  vial  of  tincture  of 
opium,  consequently  my  life  will  be 
but  short.  Whether  there  will  be  a 
heaven  or  a  hell,  I  leave  parsons  to 
divine."  The  part  of  the  manuscript 
which  followed  was  blotted,  and  con- 
cluded thus :  "  My  hand  trembles,  my 
eyes  grow  dim,  I  can  see  to  write  no 
more;  but  he  that  would  be  happy 
should  be  religious." 

(c)  MASON'S  REPLY  TO  THE 
SCOFFER.— To  a  young  infidel  who 
was  scoffing  at  Christianity  because  of 
the  misconduct  of  its  professors,  the 
late  Dr.  Mason  said,  "  Did  you  ever 
know  an  uproar  to  be  made  because  an 
infidel  went  astray  from  the  paths  of 
morality  ?"  The  infidel  admitted  that 
he  had  not.  "  Then  don't  you  see," 
said  Dr.  M.,  "  that,  by  expecting  the 
professors  of  Christianity  to  be  holy, 
you  admit  it  to  be  a  holy  religion,  and 
thus  pay  it  the  highest  compliment  in 
your  power?"  The  young  man  was 
silent.  4 

(d)  BOWNOBROKE'S  TESTI- 
MONY.— Lord  Bolingbroke,  a  man  of 
giant  intellect,  of  great  political  influ- 
ence during  his  life,  but  an  avowed  in- 
fidel, declares  that  "  The  doctrine  of 
rewards  and  punishments  in  a  future 
state,  has  so  great  a  tendency  to  enforce 
the  civil  laws  and  restrain  the  vices  of 
men,  that  though  reason  would  decide 
against  it  on  the  principles  of  theo- 
logy, she  will  not  decide  against  it  on 
the  principles  of  good  policy."  Again 
he  says ;  "  No  religion  ever  appeared 
in  the  world,  whose  natural  tendency 
was  so  much  directed  to  promote  the 
peace   and  happiness  of  mankind,   as 

400 


the  Christian.  The  Gospel  of  Christ  is 
one  continual  lesson  of  the  strictest 
morality,  of  justice,  benevolence,  and 
universal  charity.  Supposing  Christian- 
ity to  be  a  human  invention,  it  is  the 
most  amiable,  and  successful  invention, 
that  ever  was  imposed  on  mankind  for 
their  good." 

218.  Shown  by  their  Confessions  in  favor 
of  the  Moral  Character  of  Christ. 

(a)  LEGUINIA'S  CONFESSION. 

— "  He  called  himself  the  Son  of  God  ; 
who  among  mortals  dare  to  say  he  was 
not  ?  He  always  displayed  virtue  ;  he 
always  spoke  according  to  the  dictates 
of  reason  ;  he  always  preached  up  wis- 
dom ;  he  sincerely  loved  all  men,  and 
wished  to  do  good  even  to  his  perse- 
cutors ;  he  developed  all  the  principles 
of  moral  equality  and  of  the  purest 
patriotism  ;  he  met  danger  undismayed ; 
he  described  the  hard-heartedness  of 
the  rich ;  he  attacked  the  pride  of 
kings ;  he  dared  to  resist,  even  in  the 
face  of  tyrants  ;  he  despised  glory  and 
fortune  ;  he  was  sober ;  he  solaced  the 
indigent ;  he  taught  the  unfortunate 
how  to  suffer  ;  he  sustained  weakness  ; 
he  fortified  decay  ;  he  consoled  misfor- 
tune ;  he  knew  how  to  shed  tears  with 
those  that  wept ;  he  taught  men  to  sub- 
jugate their  passions,  to  think,  to  re- 
flect, to  love  one  another,  and  to  live 
happily  together ;  he  was  hated  by  the 
powerful,  whom  he  offended  by  his 
teaching  ;  and  persecuted  by  the  wick- 
ed, whom  he  unmasked  ;  and  he  died 
under  the  indignation  of  the  blintl  and 
deceived  multitude  for  whose  good  he 
had  always  lived." 

If  such  was  the  testimony  of  the 
French  atheist  Leguinia,  surely  the 
true  Christian  is  at  no  loss  to  enlarge 
the  admirable  portraiture. 

(b)  CONFESSION  OFvJRpUS- 
.^^AU. — I  will  confess  to  you,  says 
Rousseau,  in  his  Treatise  on  Educa- 
tion, that  the  majesty  of  the  Scriptures 
strikes  me  with  admiration,  as  the 
purity  of  the  Gospel  hath  its  influence 
on  my  heart.  Peruse  the  works  of  our 
philosophers,  with  all  their  pomp  of  dic- 
tion, how  mean,  how  contemptible  are 
they  compared  with  Scripture  !      Is  it 


CONFESSIONS  IN  FAVOR  OF  CHRIST. 


21§ 


possible  that  a  book,  at  once  so  sim- 
ple and  sublime,  should  be  merely  the 
work  of  man  ?  Is  it  possible  that  the 
sacred  personage  whose  history  it  con- 
tains should  be  himself  a  mere  man  ? 
Do  we  find  that  he  assumed  the  tone  of 
an  enthusiast,  or  ambitious  sectary  ? 
What  sweetness,  what  purity  in  his 
manner  !  What  an  affecting  graceful- 
ness in  his  delivery  !  What  sublimity 
in  his  maxims !  What  profound  wis- 
dom in  his  discourses  !  What  presence 
of  mind,  what  subtlety,  what  truth  in 
his  replies !  How  great  the  command 
of  his  passions!  Where  is  the  man, 
where  the  philosopher,  who  could  so 
live,  and  so  die,  without  weakness  and 
witho*ut  ostentation?  When  Plato  de- 
scribed his  imaginary  good  man,  loaded 
with  all  the  shame  of  guilt,  yet  merit- 
ing the  highest  rewards  of  virtue,  he 
described  exactly  the  character  of 
Jesus  Christ ;  the  resemblance  was  so 
striking,  that  all  the  Fathers  perceived  it. 
What  prepossession,  what  blindness 
must  it  be,  to  compare  the  son  of  Som- 
broniscus  to  the  son  of  Mary  ?  What 
an  infinite  disproportion  there  is  be- 
tween them  !  Socrates  dying  without 
pain  or  ignominy  easily  supported  his 
character  to  the  last ;  and  if  his  death, 
however  easy,  had  not  crowned  his  life, 
it  might  have  been  doubted  whether 
Socrates,  with  all  his  wisdom,  was  any 
thing  more  than  a  vain  sophist.  He  in- 
vented, it  is  said,  the  theory  of  morals. 
Others,  however,  had  before  put  them 
in  practice  ;  he  had  only  to  say,  there- 
fore, what  they  had  done,  and  to  reduce 
their  examples  to  precepts.  Aristides 
had  been  just  before  Socrates  defined 
justice ;  Leonid  as  had  given  up  his  life 
for  his  country  before  Socrates  declared 
patriotism  to  be  a  duty ;  the  Spartans 
were  a  sober  people  before  Socrates 
recommended  sobriety  ;  before  he  had 
even  defined  virtue,  Greece  abounded 
in  virtuous  men.  But  where  could 
Jesus  learn,  among  his  competitors, 
that  pure  and  sublime  morality,  of 
which  he  only  hath  given  us  both  pre- 
cept and  example  ?  The  greatest  wis- 
dom was  made  known  amongst  the  most 
bigoted  fanaticism,  and  the  simplicity 
of  the  most  heroic  virtues,  did  honor  to 
the  vilest  people  on  earth.  The  death 
26 


of  Socrates  peaceably  philosophizing 
with  his  friends,  appears  the  most  agree- 
able that  could  be  wished  for — that  of 
Jesus  expiring  in  the  midst  of  agoniz- 
ing pains,  abused,  insulted,  and  accused 
by  a  whole  nation,  is  the  most  horrible 
that  could  be  feared.  Socrates,  in  re- 
ceiving the  cup  of  poison,  blessed .  the 
weeping  executioner  who  administered 
it,  but  Jesus,  in  the  midst  of  excruciat- 
ing torments  prayed  for  his  merciless 
tormentors. 

Yes,  if  the  life  and  death  of  So- 
crates were  those  of  a  sage,  the  life 
and  death  of  Jesus  were  those  of  a 
God.  Shallwe  suppose  the  evangelic 
history  a  mere  fiction  ?  Indeed,  my 
friend,  it  bears  not  the  niark  of  fiction; 
on  the  contrary,  the  history  of  Socrates,  ^ 
wiiich  nobody  presumes  to  doubt,  is  not 
so  well  attested  as  that  of  Jesus  Christ. 
Such  a  supposition  in  fact,  only  shifts 
the  difficulty  without  obviating  it ;  it  is 
more  inconceivable,  that  a  number  of 
persons  should  agree  to  write  such  a 
history,  than  that  one  only  should  fur- 
nish the  subject  of  it.  The  Jewish 
authors  were  incapable  of  the  diction, 
and  of  the  morality  contained  in  the 
Gospel,  the  marks  of  whose  truth  are 
so  striking  and  inimitable,  that  the  in- 
ventor would  be  a  more  astonishing 
character  than  the  hero. 

(c)  CONFESSION  OF  PAINE.— 
Paine,  after  scandalizing  the  account 
of  Christ's  supernatural  birth  in  his 
Age  of  Reason,  uses  the  following  lan- 
uage:      ...  \ 

"  Nothing  that  is  here  said  can  apply  \ 
even  with  the  most  distant  disrespect  to    ]\J 
the  moral  character  of  Jesus  Christ.    He  j 
was  a  virtuous  and  amiable  man.    The 
morality  that  he  preached  and  practised 
was  of  the  most  benevolent  kind ;  and 
though  similar  systems  of  morality  had 
been   preached   by  Confucius  and    by 
some  of  the  Greek  philosophers  many 
ages  before  ;  by  "the  Quakers   since ; 
and  by  many  good  men  in  all  ages,  it 
has  not  been  exceeded  by  any." 

Again,  Paine  says:  "He  (Christ) 
called  men  to  the  practice  of  moral  vir- 
tues and  the  belief  of  one  God.  The 
great  trait  in  his  character  is  philan- 
thropy." 

Paine,  in  the  first  extract,  would  evi. 
401  I 


21l» 


INFIDELITY. 


dently  put  Christ  on  a  level  with  such 
ancient  sages  as  Socrates  and  others. 
The  mistake  he  here  commits  is  suffi- 
ciently exposed  in  the  foregoing  con- 
fession of  the  infidel  Rousseau.  If 
Christ  was  a  virtuous  man,  then  he 
practised  no  imposition  when  he  pro- 
fessed to  work  miracles ;  and  if  he 
wrought  miracles,  then  his  doctrines, 
which  his  miracles  were  wrought  to 
confirm,  are  all  true. 


219.  Shown  by  Confessions  of  their  Dis- 
quietude and  Misery. 

(a)  AFRAID  THE  BIBLE  IS 
TRUE. — The  following  melancholy 
case  is  well  authenticated  : 

Mr.  S — ,  a  well-known  infidel,  said 
one  day  to  Mr.  N — ,  who  had  also  im- 
bibed the  same  evil  principles,  "  There 
is  one  thing  which  mars  all  the  plea- 
sures of  my  life."  "Ah,"  said  Mr. 
N— ,  "  what  is  that  ?"  "  Why,"  re- 
plied Mr.  S — ,  "I  am  afraid  that  the 
Bible  is  true  !  If  I  could  know  for  cer- 
tain that  death  is  an  eternal  sleep,  I 
should  be  happy — my  joy  would  be 
complete  !  But  here  is  the  thorn  that 
stings  me.  This  is  the  sword  that 
pierces  my  very  soul.  If  the  Bible  is 
true,  I  am  lost  forever  !  Every  pros- 
pect is  gone !  and  I  am  lost  forever  !" 

Mr.  S —  was  just  entering  on  a  voy- 
age— sailed  not  long  after — was  ship- 
wrecked, and  lost !  sinking  probably 
into  the  mighty  deep,  under  all  the  hor- 
rors of  absolute  despair.  Alas !  what  a 
dreadful  tormentor  is  a  guilty  con- 
science !  and  how  ineffectual  are  all 
the  opiates  of  infidelity  and  licentious- 
ness to  assuage  its  anguish  ;  and  if  they 
are  so  in  the  time  of  health  and  prosper- 
ity, what  must  it  be  to  bear  affliction, 
and  to  pass  the  final,  solemn  test,  with- 
out the  hopes  and  consolations  of  the 
gospel ! 

(b)  WE  DON'T  TELL  YOU  ALL. 
— One  of  the  most  sensible  men  I  ever 
knew,  says  one,  but  whose  life  as  well 
as  creed  had  been  rather  eccentric,  re- 
turned me  the  following  answer,  not 
many  months  before  his  death,  when  I 
asked  him  "  whether  his  former  irregu- 
larities were  not  both  accompanied  at 
the  time,  and  succeeded  afterward  by 

402 


some  sense  of  mental  pain."  "  Yes," 
said  he,  "  but  I  have  scarce  ever  owned 
it  until  now.  We"  (meaning  we  infi- 
dels and  men  of  fashionable  morals) 
"  do  not  tell  you  all  that  passes  in  oui 
hearts  !" 

(c)  MR.  HOBBES  AND  DEATH. 
— Mr.  Hobbes,  the  celebrated  infidel,  in 
bravado,  would  often  say  very  unbe- 
coming things  of  God  and  the  Bible, 
yet  when  alone  he  was  haunted  with 
the  most  tormenting  reflections,  and 
would  awake  in  great  terror  if  his  can- 
dle happened  to  go  out  in  the  night.  He 
never  could  bear  any  discourse  about 
death,  and  seemed  to  cast  off  all 
thoughts  of  it.  Notwithstanding  all  his 
high  pretensions  to  learning  and  philos- 
ophy, his  uneasiness  constrained  him  to 
confess,  as  he  drew  near  the  grave,  that 
"  he  was  about  taking  a  leap  in  the 
dark." 

(d)  ATHEIST'S  ACKNOWL- 
EDGMENT.—The  example  of  a  per- 
fect Atheist,  says  Dr.  Spence,  is  very 
rare,  and  has  seldom  been  the  object  of 
my  own  experience :  one,  however,  I 
knew,  a  jurist  and  statesman,  well 
learned  and  of  good  parts  ;  so  well  read 
was  he  in  the  Scriptures  and  divinity  in 
general,  that  he  might  have  passed  for 
no  ordinary  theologian.  He  had,  though 
a  speculative  unbeliever,  maintained 
several  theses  with  great  success ;  on 
the  other  hand,  he  could,  in  his  opinion, 
account  for  every  appearance  in  nature, 
from  a  theory  of  matter  and  motion. 
Still,  says  the  relator,  with  all  his  beliei 
and  unbelief,  he  frankly  confessed  to 
me  "  tJiat  he  was  unhappy.'^  And  being 
then  in  a  state  of  celibacy,  further  ac- 
knowledged that,  •'  should  he  ever 
change  his  situation,  he  was  determined 
never  to  suffer  the  secrets  of  his  heart 
to  transpire  to  his  wife  and  children, 
that  in  all  externals  he  would  strictly 
conform  to  the  church,"  adding  as  one 
of  his  philosophical  and  political  reasons, 
"that  it  was  better  to  be  comforted  upon 
a  false  ground,  than  to  live  without  any 
consolation.'^ 

(e)  CONFESSION  OF  VOL- 
TAIRE.— "Who,"  says  Voltaire,  "can, 
without  horror,  consider  the  whole  world 
as  the  empire  of  destruction  ?  It  abounds 
with  wonders  ;  it  also  abounds  with  vie- 


ADVICE  TO  FRIENDS  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THEM. 


220 


tims.  It  is  a  vast  field  of  carnage  and 
contagion.  Every  species  is  without 
pity  pursued  and  torn  to  pieces  through 
the  earth,  and  air,  and  water.  In  man 
there  is  more  wretchedness  than  in  all 
the  other  animals  put  together.  He 
loves  life  and  yet  he  knows  that  he 
must  die.  If  he  enjoys  a  transient 
good,  he  suffers  various  evils,  and  is  at 
last  devoured  by  worms.  This  know- 
ledge is  his  fatal  prerogative  ;  other  an- 
imals have  it  not.  He  spends  the  tran- 
sient moments  of  his  existence  in  diffus- 
ing the  miseries  which  he  suffers  :  in 
cutting  the  throats  of  his  fellow  crea- 
tures for  pay  ;  in  cheating  and  being 
cheated  ;  in  robbing  and  being  robbed  ; 
in  serving  that  he  might  command  ;  and 
in  repenting  of  all  he  does.  The  bulk 
of  mankind  are  nothing  more  than  a 
crowd  of  wretches,  equally  criminal  and 
unfortunate ;  and  the  globe  contains 
rather  carcasses  than  men.  I  tremble 
atthe-review  of  this  dreadful  picture,  to 
find  it  contains  a  complaint  against 
Providence  itself:  and  I  wish  I  had  nev- 
er been  horn.^^ 


2!0.    Shown  by    their  advice    to   their 
Friends  and  treatment  of  them. 

{a)  THE  INFIDEL'S  ADVICE.— 
A  man  who  had  been  very  much  con- 
nected with  infidels,  was  taken  danger- 
ously ill ;  and  feeling  that  he  could  not 
recover,  became  alarmed  for  the  safety 
of  his  soul.  His  infidel  principles  gave 
him  no  comfort.  He  began,  for  the  first 
time,  to  examine  into  the  Christian  reli- 
gion. He  embraced  it,  and  found  it  to 
be  the  power  of  God  to  his  salvation,  en- 
abling him  to  triumph  over  the  fear  of 
death.  In  the  mean  time,  his  infidel 
friends  hearing  of  his  sickness,  and  that 
he  was  not  likely  to  recover,  showed  a 
degree  of  feeling  and  integrity,  which. 
It  was  hoped,  might  prove  the  first  step 
towards  their  conversion.  They  were 
not  aware  that  their  dying  friend  had 
become  a  Christian.  They  called  to 
see  him,  and  actually  told  him  that  they 
came  on  purpose  to  advise  him  now  to 
embrace  Christianity  :  "  Because,"  said 
they,  "  if  it  be  false,  it  can  do  you  no 
harm  ;  but  if  it  should  prove  true,  you 
will  be  a  great  gainer." 


This,  reader,  is  a  fact.  It  was  the 
united  advice  of  a  number  of  unbeliev- 
ers to  their  dying  friend. 

{b)  PAINE'S  ADVICE  TO  A 
TRAVELLER.— A  writer  in  the  Wes- 
tern Observer,  Bishop  Mcllvaine,  we 
presume,  says  : 

I  have  recently  been  in  conversation 
with  a  gentleman  who  personally  knew 
Tom  Paine,  from  whom  I  have  learned 
some  particulars,  which  it  may  be  use- 
ful to  repeat.  This  gentleman  states, 
that  when  a  young  man  he  was  driving 
his  father's  wagon  from  Sing  Sing  to  a 
place  in  Westchester  county,  N.  Y., 
when  Paine,  travelling  the  same  way, 
requested  to  be  taken  in.  The  young 
man  consenting,  they  rode  about  twenty 
miles  together.  The  fame  and  talk 
about  "  Paine's  Age  of  Reason,"  had 
made  a  skeptical  impression  on  the  mind 
of  the  youth,  and  finding  himself  in  the 
presence  of  its  author,  he  gladly  availed 
himself  of  the  opportunity  to  learn  more 
of  that  sort  of  reason.  In  the  course  of 
the  conversation,  Paine  positively  assert- 
ed that  he  believed  the  Scriptures  to  be 
the  word  of  God,  and  most  seriously 
charged  his  auditor  not  to  read  his  book, 
or  if  he  did,  not  to  suffer  it  to  have  any 
influence  on  his  mind.  He  said  it  did 
not  contain  the  truth ;  that  he  deeply 
regretted  its  publication,  and  would 
have  given  any  thing  had  he  never  writ- 
ten it.  Such  was  the  serious  earnest- 
ness of  Paine  in  these  remarks,  and  so 
conclusively  did  he  reason  against  the 
principles  of  his  "Age  of  Reason,"  that 
he  entirely  removed  all  skeptical  im- 
pressions from  the  mind  of  the  young 
man,  (the  present  informant,)  so  that  the 
latter  has  ever  since  retained  a  grateful 
recollection  of  the  conversation,  and 
now  says,  that  such  was  Paine's  ear- 
nestness to  prevent  his  being  injured  by 
his  writings,  and  to  eradicate  all  such 
evil  impressions  as  they  had  already 
made,  that  he  can  never  lose  the  re- 
membrance of  it. 

(c)  INFIDEL'S  CHOICE  OF  EX- 
ECUTOR.— For  the  purpose  of  illus- 
trating  the  secret  respect  which  is  en- 
tertained by  infidels  for  a  pure  and 
consistent  Christianity,  we  relate  the  fol- 
lowing incidents,  which  have  never  ap- 
peared in  print.  They  may  serve  to 
403 


331 


INFIDELITY. 


show  that  a  testimony  which  under  or- 
dinary circumstances  would  be  studi- 
ously withheld,  may,  by  the  force  of 
circumstances,  be  extorted. 

In  one  .of  the  flourishing  towns  of  a 
distant  state,  resided  two  gentlemen  of 
high  professional  standing,  but  of  infidel 
principles.  In  habits  of  the  closest  in- 
timacy they  encouraged  each  other,  not 
only  in  a  determined  opposition  to  the 
spread  of  religion,  but  in  the  most  pro- 
fane mockery  of  its  doctrines,  institu- 
tions, and  tendencies.  A  third  individ- 
ual in  the  town,  likewise  possessing  in- 
fluence, but  of  truly  consistent  Christian 
character,  was  the  principal  object  of 
their  profane  jests.  They  pretended  to 
hold  his  religion  in  utter  contempt,  and 
often  made  merry  in  ridiculing  his  su- 
perstition and  fanaticism.  How  sincere 
and  hearty  they  were  in  trusting  their 
own  principles  may  be  learned  from  the 
sequel.  In  the  course  of  time  one  of 
them  was  attacked  by  fatal  disease,  and 
died  without  any  happy  change  in  his 
religious  views.  On  opening  his  will  it 
was  ascertained  that  he  had  intrusted 
the  settlement  of  his  estate  to  the  pious 
man,  and  that  his  infidel  friend  was  not 
mentioned  as  an  executor  !  If  an  action 
could  speak,  this  spoke  loudly  of  his 
distrust  of  infidel  principles,  and  of  his 
secret  confidence  in  those  of  Christianity. 

221.  Shown  by  their  Conduct  in  Danger. 

{a)  WITHERSPOON  AND  THE 
ATHEIST.— The  Rev.  Dr.  Wither- 
spoon,  formerly  president  of  Princeton 
College,  N.  J.,  was  once  on  board  a 
packet  ship,  where,  among  other  pas- 
sengers, was  a  professed  atheist.  This 
unhappy  man  was  very  fond  of  troub- 
ling every  one- with  his  peculiar  belief, 
and  of  broaching  the  subject  as  often  as 
he  could  get  any  one  to  listen  to  him. 
He  did  not  believe  in  a  God  and  a 
future  state,  not  he  !  By  and  by  there 
came  on  a  terrible  storm,  and  the  pros- 
pect was  that  all  would  be  drowned. 
There  was  much  consternation  on 
board,  but  not  one  was  so  greatly 
frightened  as  the  professed  atheist.  In 
this  extremity,  he  sought  out  the  cler- 
gyman, and  found  him  in  the  cabin, 
calm  and  collected,  in  the  midst  of  dan- 
404 


ger,  and  thus  addressed  him  :  "  Oh, 
doctor  Witherspoon !  Doctor  Wither- 
spoon  !  we're  all  going ;  we  have  but  a 
short  time  to  stay.  Oh,  how  the  vessel 
rocks  !  we're  all  going ;  don't  you  think 
we  are,  doctor?"  The  doctor  turned 
to  him  with  a  solemn  look,  and  replied 
in  broad  Scotch,  "  Nae  doubt,  nae 
doubt,  man,  we're  a'  ganging  ;  but  you 
and  I  dinna  s^ang  the  same  way." 

{!))  VOLNEY  IN  A  STORM.— 
Samuel  Forester  Bancroft,  Esq.,  ac- 
companied Mr.  Isaac  Weld,  jr.,  in  his 
travels  through  North  America.  As 
they  were  sailing  on  Lake  Erie,  in  a 
vessel,  on  board  of  which  was  Volney, 
celebrated,  (or  rather,  notorious,)  for 
his  atheistical  principles.  He  was  very 
communicative,  allowed  no  opportunity 
to  escape  of  ridiculing  Christianity,  and 
behaved  altogether  in  a  very  profane 
manner.  In  the  course  of  the  voyage, 
a  very  heavy  storm  came  on,  insomuch 
that  the  vessel,  which  had  struck  re- 
peatedly with  great  force,  was  expected 
to  go  down  every  instant.  The  masts 
went  overboard  ;  the  rudder  unshipped ; 
and,  consequently,  the  whole  scene  ex- 
hibited confusion  and  horror.  There 
were  many  female  passengers  and  oth- 
ers on  board ;  but  no  one  exhibited  such 
strong  marks  of  fearful  despair  as  Vol- 
ney— throwing  himself  on  deck ;  now 
imploring,  then  imprecating  the  captain, 
and  reminding  him  that  he  had  engaged 
to  carry  him  safe  to  his  port  of  desti- 
nation ;  vainly  threatening,  in  case  any 
thing  should  happen.  One  moment  he 
was  quite  frantic,  and  raged  like  a  mad- 
man ;  another,  in  wild  consternation, 
he  looked  into  some  of  Voltaire's  works, 
which  he  generally  carried  in  his  bo- 
som;  then  despair  took  hold  on  him, 
and  he  uttered  the  most  incoherent  ex- 
pressions, and  ofiered  a  large  sum  of 
money  to  the  captain,  to  prevail  on  him 
to  attempt  what  was  utterly  impossible, 
namely,  to  put  him  ashore  in  a  small  boat. 

As  the  probability  of  their  being  lost 
increased,  this  great  mirror  of  nature, 
human  or  inhuman,  began  loading  the 
pockets  of  his  coat,  waistcoat,  breeches, 
and  every  thing  he  could  think  of,  with 
dollars,  to  the  amount  of  some  hun- 
dreds; and  this,  as  he  thought,  was 
preparing  to  swim  for  his  life,  should 


CONDUCT  IN  DEATH. 


221,  222 


the  vessel  go  to  pieces.  Mr.  Bancroft 
remonstrated  with  him  on  the  folly  of 
such  acts,  saying  he  would  sink  like  a 
piece  of  lead,  with  so  great  a  weight  on 
him  ;  and  at  length  as  he  became  so  very 
noisy  and  unsteady  as  to  impede  the 
management  of  the  vessel,  Mr.  Ban- 
croft pushed  him  down  the  hatchway. 
Volney  soon  came  up  again,  having 
lightened  himself  of  the  dollars,  and,  in 
the  agony  of  his  mind,  threw  himself  on 
deck,  exclaiming,  with  uplifted  hands 
and  streaming  eyes,  "  Oh,  my  God  !  my 
God  ! — what  shall  I  do — what  shall  I 
do  !" — This  so  surprised  Bancroft,  that 
notwithstanding  the  moment  did  not 
very  well  accord  with  flashes  of  humor, 
yet  he  could'  not  refrain  from  address- 
ing him:  "-Well,  Mr.  Yolney— what ! 
you  have  a  God  now  ii^.^Ta  which 
Volney  replied,  with  the  most  ti'embling 
anxiely-r-i'-'Oy^l-Oyes  !"  The  vessel, 
however,  got  safe,  and  Mr.  Bancroft 
made  every  company  which  he  went 
into,  echo  with  this  anecdote  of  Vol- 
ney's  acknowledgment  of  God.  Vol- 
ney, for  a  considerable  time,  was  so 
hurt  at  his  weakness,  as  he  calls  it, 
that  he  was  ashamed  of  showing  him- 
self in  company  at  Philadelphia.  But 
afterwards  he  said  that  those  words 
escaped  him  in  the  instant  of  alarm, 
but  had  no  meaning. 

Infidelity,  then,  will  do  only  ashore, 
in  fine  weather  ;  but  it  will  not  stand  a 
gale  of  wind  for  a  few  hours. 

Infidels  and  Atheists !  how  will  you 
weather  an  eternal  storm  ? 

(c)  THE  INFIDEL  AND  HIS 
BOX  OF  BOOKS.— Infidels  are  often 
quite  bold  in  calm  weather,  but  at  the 
first  approach  of  danger  their  courage 
vanishes  in  a  moment.  During  a  gale 
on  Lake  Erie,  the  steamer  Robert  Ful- 
ton, among  many  other  vessels,  was 
wrecked  and  lost.  On  board  that  boat, 
as  was  related  by  a  passenger,  and 
published  in  the  Religious  Herald,  was 
an  infidel  with  a  box  of  books  to  dis- 
tribute at  the  West.  He  was  loud  and 
clamorous  in  proclaiming  his  infidelity, 
till  the  gale  came  on — but  then,  like  the 
rest,  he  was  silent,  and  waited  with 
trembling  anxiety  the  uncertain  fate  of 
the  ship.  At  length  they  drew  near 
the  shore,  and  attempted  to  throw  out 


!  their  anchors,  when  the  whole  forward 
I  part  of  the    boat    broke    off,    and   the 
I  waves  rushed  into  the  cabin.     At  once^^ 
the  infidel  was  on  his  knees  crying  for  \ 
mercy — his  voice  could  be  heard  above   ] 
the  raging  elements,  begging  the  Lord  / 
to  forgive  his  blasphemies,  till  a  heavy  / 
sea  swept  over  the  deck,  and  carried 
him  and  his  hooks  to  the  bottom. 

M.  Shown  by  their  Conduct  in  Death. 

(a)   VOLTAIRE'S  LAST  HOURS. 

— In  spite  of  all  the  infidel  philosophers 
who  flocked  around  Voltaire  in  the  first 
days  of  his  illness,  he  gave  signs  of 
wishing  to  return  to^  that  God  whom  he 
had  so  often  blasphemed.  He  called 
for  the  priest ;  his  danger  increasing, 
he  wrote  entreating  the  Abbe  Gaultier 
to  visit  him.  He  afterwards  made  a 
declaration,  in  which  he,  in  fact,  re- 
nounced infidelity,  signed  by  himself 
and  two  witnesses.  D'Alembert,  Di- 
derot, and  about  twenty  others,  who  had 
beset  his  apartment,  he  would  often 
curse,  and  exclaim,  "  Retire ;  it  is  you 
that  have  brought  me  to  my  present 
state.  Begone ;  I  could  have  done 
without  you  all,  but  you  could  not  exist 
without  me  ;  and  what  a  wretched  glory 
have  you  procured  me  !"  They  could 
hear  him,  the  prey  of  anguish  and 
dread,  alternately  supplicating  and 
blaspheming  that  God  whom  he  had 
conspired  against ;  and  in  plaintive  ac- 
cents would  he  cry  out,  "  Oh  Christ ! 
Oh  Jesus  Christ !"  and  then  complain 
that  he  was  abandoned  of  God  and 
man. 

At  one  time  he  v/as  discovered  by 
his  attendant  with  a  book  of  pray- 
ers in  his  hand,  endeavoring,  with 
a  faltering  tongue,  to  repeat  some  of 
the  petitions  for  mercy  addressed  to 
that  Being  whose  name  he  had  blas- 
phemed. He  had  fallen  from  his  bed 
in  convulsive  agonies,  and  lay  foam- 
ing with  impotent  despair  on  the 
floor,  exclaiming,  "  Will  not  this  God, 
whom  I  have  denied,  save  me  too? 
Cannot  infinite  mercy  extend  to  me  ?" 

His  physician,  Mr.  Tronchin,  calling 
in  to  administer  relief,  thunderstruck, 
retired,  declaring  the  death  of  the  im- 
pious man  to  be  terrible  indeed :  the 
405 


322 


INFIDELITY. 


Mareshal  de  Richelieu  flies  from  the 
bed-side,  declaring  it  to  be  a  sight  too 
terrible  to  be  sustained  :  and  Mr.  Tron- 
chin,  that  the  furies  of  Orestes  could 
give  but  a  faint  idea  of  those  of  Vol- 
taire. He  said,  "Doctor,  I  will  give 
you  half  of  what  I  am  worth  if  you  will 
give  me  six  months'  life ;"  the  doctor 
answered,  "  Sir,  you  cannot  live  six 
weeks."  Voltaire  replied,  "  Then  I 
shall  go  to  hell  and  you  will  go  with 
me ;"  and  soon  after  expired. — Such 
were  the  horrors  of  mind  in  which  this 
arch-infidel  quitted  the  world,  that  the 
nurse  who  attended  him,  being  many 
years  afterward  requested  to  wait  on  a 
sick  Protestant  gentleman,  refused,  till 
she  was  assured  he  was  not  a  philoso- 
pher ;  declaring,  if  he  were,  she  would 
on  no  account  incur  the  danger  of  wit- 
nessing such  a  scene  as  she  had  been 
compelled  to  witness  at  the  death  of  M. 
Voltaire.  Bishop  Wilson,  of  Calcutta, 
mentions  that  he  received  this  account 
from  the  son  of  the  gentleman  to  whose 
dying  bed  the  woman  was  invited. 

(b)  "  MOURNING  AT  THE 
LAST." — A  society  of  men,  who  may 
properly  be  termed  "  haters  of  God," 
were  in  the  habit  of  meeting  together  on 
Sabbath  mornings,  to  ridicule  religion, 
and  to  encourage  each  other  in  sin.  At 
length  they  agreed  to  burn  the  Bible ! 
They  had  lately  initiated  a  young  man 
into  their  awful  mysteries,  who  had 
been  brought  up  under  great  religious 
advantages,  but  had  misimproved  them, 
and  now,  throwing  the  holy  book  into 
the  flames,  he  declared  he  would  never 
go  to  a  place  of  religious  worship 
again.  He  was  soon  afterwards  taken 
ill,  and  was  visited  by  a  pious  man, 
who  found  him  in  great  mental  agony. 
In  reference  to  his  conduct,  the  young 
man  remarked,  it  all  did  well  enough 
while  in  health,  and  while  he  could 
keep  off  the  thoughts  of  death:  but 
when  the  Redeemer  was  mentioned  to 
him,  he  hastily  exclaimed,  "What's 
the  use  of  talking  to  me  about  mercy  ?  " 
When  recommended  to  look  to  Christ, 
he  said,  "  I  tell  you  it  is  of  no  use 
now ;  'tis  too  late,  'tis  too  late.  Once 
I  could  pray,  but  now  I  can't."  He 
frequently  repeated,  "  I  cannot  pray,  I 
will  not  pray."  Wh^n  two  of  his 
406 


former  companions  in  sin  entered  his 
room,  and  attempted  to  rally  him  from 
his  despondency  by  some  of  their  blus- 
tering expressions,  he  raised  himself  on 
his  bed,  and,  with  his  hands  lifted  up, 
invoked  the  curse  of  God  upon  them. 
Others  of  the  same  party  afterwards 
came  to  see  him  ;  but  the  sight  of  them 
could  then  give  him  no  pleasure.  He 
repeated,  and  that  in  a  way  which  no 
one  could  hear  without  shuddering,  the 
same  dreadful  imprecations. 

As  death  drew  near,  he  lay  as  if  in- 
sensible to  any  thing  that  was  said  to 
him,  only  rolling  about  on  his  bed,  and 
now  and  then  saying,  "  My  Bible !  oh 
the  Bible  !  "  He  then  concealed  his  face, 
became  violently  convulsed,  groaned, 
and  expired. 

How  unspeakably  awful  to  reject  the 
word  of  God  !  "  The  wicked  is  driven 
away  in  his  wickedness ;  but  the  right- 
eous hath  hope  in  his  death." 

(c)  GIBBON'S  CONFESSION.— 
The  celebrated  Gibbon  just  before  his 
death  confessed  that  when  he  considered 
all  worldly  things,  they  were  all  fleet- 
ing ;  when  he  looked  back  they  had 
been  fleeting  ;  when  he  looked  forward 
"  all  was  dark  and  doubtful.''  Surely 
no  one  can  wish  to  be  an  infidel  for  the 
comfort  of  it. 

(d)  DEATH  OF  HUME'S  MO- 
THER. — Hume,  the  historian,  received 
a  religious  education  from  his  mother, 
and  early  in  life  was  the  subject  of 
strong  and  hopeful  religious  impres- 
sions ;  but,  as  he  approached  manhood, 
they  were  effaced,  and  confirmed  infi- 
delity succeeded. 

Maternal  partiality,  however  alarmed 
at  first,  came  at  length  to  look  with  less 
and  less  pain  upon  this  declension,  and 
filial  love  and  reverence  seemed  to  have 
been  absorbed  in  the  pride  of  philoso- 
phical skepticism ;  for  Hume  applied 
himself  with  unwearied,  and  unhappily 
with  successful  efforts,  to  sap  the  founda- 
tion of  his  mother's  faith. 

Having  succeeded  in  this  dreadful 
work,'  and  as  he  was  returning,  an  ex- 
press met  him  in  London,  with  a  letter 
from  his  mother,  informing  him  that  she 
was  in  a  deep  decline,  and  could  not 
long  survive ;  she  said,  she  found  her- 
self without  any  support  in  her  dis- 


CONDUCT  IN  DEATH. 


223 


tress ;  that  he  had  taken  away  that 
only  source  of  comfort  upon  which,  in 
all  eases  of  affliction,  she  used  lo  rely, 
and  that  she  now  found  her  mind  sink- 
ing into  despair  ;  she  did  not  doubt  that 
her  son  would  afford  her  some  substi- 
tute for  her  religion  ;  and  she  conjured 
liim  to  hasten  to  her,  or  at  least  to  send 
her  a  letter,  containing  such  consola- 
tions as  philosophy  could  afford  tu  a 
dying  mortal. 

Hume  was  overwhelmed  with  an- 
guish on  receiving  this  letter,  and 
hastened  to  Scotland,  travelling  day 
and  night;  but  before  he  arrived  his 
mother  expired. 

No  permanent  impression  seems, 
however,  to  have  been  made  on  his 
mind  by  this  trying  event ;  and  what- 
ever remorse  he  might  have  felt  at  the 
moment,  he  soon  relapsed  into  his  pre- 
vious hardness  of  heart.  Thus  it  is 
that  false  philosophy  restores  the  sting 
to  death,  and  gives  again  the  victory  to 
the  grave. 

(e)  END  OF  NOTED  FRENCH 
INFIDELS.— The  following  affecting 
account  of  the  death  of  several  of  the 
leading  infidels  in  France,  at  the  pe- 
riod of  the  revolution,  is  extracted  from 
Sir  Walter  Scott's  "  Life  of  Buona- 
parte," and  strikingly  shows  that  deism 
can  afford  no  help  in  the  hour  of  trial : 

None  of  all  the  victims  of  the  reign 
of  terror  felt  its  disabling  influence  so 
completely  as  the  despot  Robespierre, 
who  had  so  long  directed  its  sway. 
The  Hotel  de  Ville,  where  he  and  his 
companions  had  assembled,  was  sur- 
rounded by  about  1500  men,  and  can- 
non turned  upon  the  doors.  The  de- 
serted group  of  theorists  within  con- 
ducted themselves  like  scorpions,  which, 
when  surrounded  by  fire,  are  said  to 
turn  their  stings  on  each  other,  and  on 
hemselves.  Mutual  and  ferocious  up- 
braiding took  place  among  these  miser- 
able men.  "  Wretch  !  were  these  the 
means  you  promised  to  furnish  ?  "  said 
Payan  to  Henriot,  whom  he  found  in- 
toxicated, and  incapable  of  resolution 
or  exertion,  and  seizing  on  him  as  he 
spoke,  he  precipitated  the  revolutionary 
general  from  a  window.  Henriot  sur- 
vived the  fall  only  to  drag  himself  into 
a  drain,  in  which  he  was  afterwards 


discovered,  and  brought  out  to  execu- 
tion. The  younger  Robespierre  threw 
himself  from  the  window,  but  did  not 
perijSh  on  the  spot.  Las  Basas  dis- 
patched himself  with  a  pistol-shot.  St. 
Just,  after  imploring  his  comrades  to 
kill  him,  attempted  his  own  life  with  an 
irresolute  hand,  and  failed.  Couthon 
lay  beneath  the  table  brandishing  a 
knife,  with  which  he  repeatedly  wounded 
his  bosom,  without  daring  to  £^dd  force 
enough  to  reach  his  heart.  Robes- 
pierre, in  an  unsuccessful  attempt  to 
shoot  himself,  had  only  inflicted  a  horri- 
ble fracture  on  his  under  jaw. 

In  this  situation  they  were  found,  like 
wolves  in  their  lair,  foul  with  blood, 
mutilated,  despairing,  and  yet  not  able 
to  die.  Robespierre  lay  on  a  table  in 
an  ante-room,  his  head  supported  by  a 
deal  box,  and  his  hideous  countenance 
half  hidden  by  a  dirty  cloth  bound 
round  the  shattered  chin. 

The  captives  were  carried  in  triumph 
to  the  convention,  who,  without  admit- 
ting them  to  the  bar,  ordered  them,  as 
outlaws,  for  instant  execution.  As  the 
fatal  cars  passed  to  the  guillotine,  those 
who  filled  them,  but  especially  Robes- 
pierre, were  overwhelmed  with  execra- 
tions, from  the  friends  and  relatives  of 
victims  whom  he  had  sent  on  the  same 
melancholy  road. 

The  nature  of  his  previous  wound, 
from  which  the  cloth  had  never  been 
removed,  till  the  executioner  tore  it  off, 
added  to  the  torture  of  the  sufferer. 
The  shattered  jaw  dropped,  and  the 
wretch  yelled  aloud,  to  the  horror  of 
the  spectators.  A  masque,  taken  from 
that  dreadful  head,  was  long  exhibited 
in  different  nations  of  Europe,  and  ap- 
palled the  spectators  by  its  ugliness, 
and  the  mixture  of  fiendish  expression 
with  that  of  bodily  agony. 

(/)  LAST  DAYS  OF  THOMAS 
PAINE, — Paine  was  nursed  in  his  last 
illness  by  a  Mrs.  Hedden,  a  very  worthy 
and  pious  woman,  who  did  her  best  to 
serve  him  not  only  as  a  kind  attendant, 
but  also  as  a  spiritual  counsellor.  Du- 
ring the  first  three  or  four  days,  his 
conduct  was  tolerable,  except  that  he 
grew  outrageous  whenever  Madame 
Bonneville  entered  the  room.  About  the 
fifth  day  his  language  to  Mrs.  Hedden 
407 


222 


INFIDELITY. 


was  so  bad,  that  she  resolved  imme- 
diately to  quit  the  house,  but  sensible 
how  necessary  she  was  to  his  comfort, 
he  made  concessions  which  induced  her 
to  remain.  Though  his  conversation 
was  equivocal,  his  conduct  was  singular, 
he  would  not  be  left  alone  night  or  day  ; 
he  not  only  required  to  have  some  per- 
son  with  him,  but  he  must  see  that  he 
or  she  was  there,  and  would  not  allow 
his  curtain  to  be  closed  at  any  time  ; 
and  if,  as  it  would  sometimes  unavoida- 
bly happen,  he  was  left  alone,  he  would 
scream  and  cry  aloud,  until  some  per- 
son came  to  him.  There  was  some- 
thing remarkable  in  his  conduct  about 
this  period,  (which  comprises  nearly  two 
weeks  immediately  preceding  his  death,) 
particularly  when  we  reflect  that  Tho- 
mas Paine  was  author  of  the  Age  of 
Reason.  He  would  call  out  during  his 
paroxysms  of  distress,  without  intermis- 
sion, "OLord  help  me,  God  help  me, 
Jesus  Christ  help  me,  O  Lord  help  me," 
&;c.,  repeating  the  same  expressions  with- 
out the  least  variation,  in  a  tone  of  voice 
that  would  alai-m  the  house.  On  the 
6th  of  June,  Dr.  Manly,  struck  by  these 
expressions,  which  he  so  frequently  re- 
peated, and  seeing  that  he  was  in  great 
distress  of  mind,  put  the  following  ques- 
tions to  him  :  "  Mr.  Paine,  what  must  we 
think  of  your  present  conduct  ?  Why 
f  do  you  call  upon  Jesus  Christ  to  help 
I  you  ?  Do  you  believe  that  he  can  help 
1  you  ?  Do  you  believe  in  the  divinity 
of  Jesus  Christ  ?"  After  a  pause  of  some 
minutes  he  answered,  "  I  have  no  wish 
to  believe  on  that  subject.^ 

A  gentleman   of   the    neighborhood 
occasionally  furnished  him  with  refresh- 
ments from  his  own  table,  of  which  a 
•    respectable  female  of  the  family  was 
the  bearer.     She  being  asked  by  Paine 
her  opinion  respecting  the  Age  of  Rea- 
I  son,  frankly  told  him  that  she  thought  it 
the  most  dangerous  book  she  had  ever 
I  seen  ;  that  the  more  she  read  the  more 
I  she  found  her  mind  estranged  from  all 
i  good  ;  and  that  from  a  conviction  of  its 
/  evil  tendency,  she  had  burnt  it  without 
I   knowing  to  whom  it  belonged.     To  this 
Paine  replied,  that    he    wished  all    its 
.  \  readers  had  been  as  wise  as  she  ;    and 
{%  ■  added,  "  If  ever  the  devil  had  an  accent 
on  earth,  I  have  been  one."     Mrs.  Bon- 
408 


neville,  the  unhappy  female  who  had 
accompanied  him  from  France,  lament- 
ed to  his  neighbor  her  sad  case,  observ- 
ing, "  For  this  man  I  have  given  up 
my  family  and  friends,  my  property  and 
my  religion  ;  judge  then  of  my  distress, 
when  he  tells  me  that  the  princqjles  he 
has  taught  me  will  not  bear  me  out.'' 

{g)  THE  ELDER'S  VISIT  TO 
PAINE. — The_iaU.owing  facts,  says  a 
correspondeiit  of  tlic- "  New  York  Ob- 
server," in  183-,  wer^iately  told  me  by 
an  elder  in  one  of  tlie  Presbyterian 
churches  of  this  city,  who  visited  Paine 
a  few  days  before  his  deafh. 

Approaching  his  bed,  my  informant 
saw  a  loMhsome  Jarid  Jitijil5]e^^ 
His  face  and  particularly  his  nose  was 
greatly  swollen  and  changed  by  liquor 
to  a  dark  color.  The  visitor  said  to 
him,  "  Mr.  Paine,  he  that  believeth  on 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  shall  be  saved, 
but  he  that  believeth  not  shall  he  damned.'^ 
"  What's  that  you  say !"  said  the  dying 
man.  The  visitor  repeated  the  gospel 
declaration.  Paine  immediately  seized 
a  large  black  stick,  that  was  lying  at  his 
side,  nearly  the  thickness  of  a  man's 
wrist,  and  raising  it  over  the  head  of  the 
visitor,  said,  with  great  anger  and  vehe- 
emnce,  "  Away  with  your  popish  nan^ 
sense.''  The  very  name  of  Jesus  Christ 
convulsed  him  withaTT^er.- The  woman 
attending  him  informed  the  visitor,  that 
he  was  occasionally  visited  by  persons 
of  like  principles  and  habits  with  himself, 
and  that  his  orders  were  to  keep  out  of 
his  room  all  who  professed  any  respect 
for  religion.  She  said  tlmL^  was  a 
wretched  man.  That  when  lilone  he 
kept  groaning  day  .and  nightjas  if  in 
great  distress  of  mind.  She  once  told 
him  that  his  groans  disturbed  her  that 
she  could  not  rest,  when  he  replied,  "  / 
have  no  rest  myself,  nor  shall  you  have." 

(h)  PAINE'S  CONFESSION  TO 
RAND^LL.— The  Rev.  Jedediah 
Randall,  a  most  upright  and  excellent 
minister  of  the  gospel,  formerly  of  Nor- 
wich, Chenango  co.,  N.  Y.,  paid  a  visit 
to  Thomas  Paine  on  his  death-bed, 
Though  Paine  was  much  of  the  time 
under  the  influence  of  spirituous  liquors, 
and  the  mere  mention  of  religion  would 
seem  to  rouse  all  his  vindictive  passions 
against  the  one  who    addressed    him, 


MISCELLANEOUS. 


233 


yet  it  must  be  said  in  his  praise,  that 
in  this  case  he  seemed  to  be  sober,  and 
listened  in  a  calm  and  respectful  man- 
ner to  what  the  minister  of  Christ  had 
to  say.  The  reply  of  Mr.  Paine  was 
dispassionate,  and  contained  an  honest 
confession,  such  as  a  troubled  conscience, 
it  seemed,  would  no  longer  allow  his 
proud  heart  to  withhold.  His  words 
were  to  this  effect : 

"  Mr.  Randall,  I  never  confidently 
disbelieved  in  the  Christian  religion; 
my  ""unbelief  and  skepticism  were 
/rather  assumed  than  real.  And  one 
obje6T'of  my  writing  the  Age  of  Reason, 
was  to  cripple  the  power  of  the  corrupt 
and  tyrannical  priesthood  of  the  Romish 
church  in  France.  Should  I  ever  re- 
cover from  this  illness  it  is  my  intention 
to  publish  another  book,  disavowing  the 
infidel  doctrines  contained  in  the  Age  of 
Reason,  and  expressing  my  convictions 
of  the  truth  of  the  Christian  system." 


m.  Miscellaneous. 

(a)  DEISTICAL  HISTORIANS. 
— Gibbon,  who,  in  his  celebrated  "  His- 
tory of  the  Decline  and  Fall  of  the  Ro- 
man Empire,"  has  left  a  memorial  of 
his  emnity  to  the  gospel,  resided  many 
years  in  Switzerland,  where,  with  the 
profits  of  his  works,  he  purchased  a 
considerable  estate.  This  property  has 
descended  to  a  gentleman,  who,  out  of 
his  rents,  expends  a  large  sum  annually 
in  the  promulgation  of  that  very  gospel 
which  his  predecessor  insidiously  en- 
deavored to  undermine. 

Voltaire  boasted  that  with  one  hand 
he  would  overthrow  that  edifice  of 
Christianity  which  required  the  hands 
of  twelve  apostles  to  build  up.  The 
press  which  he  employed  at  Ferney,  for 
printing  his  blasphemies,  was  afterwards 
actually  employed  at  Geneva  in  printing 
the  Holy  Scriptures :  thus  the  very 
engine  which  he  set  to  work  to  destroy 
the  credit  of  the  Bible,  was  employed 
in  disseminating  its  truths. 

It  is  a  remarkable  circumstance  also, 
that  the  first  meeting  of  an  Auxiliary 
Bible  Society  at  Edinburgh,  was  held 
in  the  very  room  in  which  David  Hume, 
the  infidel,  died. 


{h)    INFIDEL    PROPHECIES.— 

Voltaire  said  "he  was  living  in  the" 
twilight  of  Christianity ;"  so  he  was ; 
but  it  was  the  twilight  of  the  morning. 
Tom  Paine,  on  his  return  from 
France,  sitting  in  the  City  Hotel  in  Broad- 
way, surrounded  by  many  of  our  lead- 
ing men,  who  came  to  do  him  homage, 
predicted  that  "  in  five  years  there  would  i 
not  be  a  Bible  in  America."  What 
would  his  spirit  feel  could  it  now  enten 
the  depositories  of  the  American  Biblg 
Society  ? 

(c)  INFIDELS  GOING  MASKED. 
— At  an  infidel  convention,  held  in  New 
York,  John  A  Collins,  one  of  their  prin- 
cipal speakers,  discoursed  at  length 
upon  the  best  means  of  supporting  infi- 
delity. After  a  series  of  railings 
against  God  and  the  Bible,  and  every 
thing  sacred,  he  used  this  language  ;  "  I 
never  deliver  lectures  on  infidelity  ;  but 
I  am  constantly  lecturing  on  the  various 
reforms  of  the  age.  I  lecture  on  tem- 
perance, on  anti-slavery,  on  peace,  on 
moral  reform,  on  socialism,  &c.,  &c., 
but  wherever  I  go  I  lecture  on  infidel 
principles  f  Thus  our  cause  is  promoted 
continually." 

(d)  LAST  DAYS  OF  THE  GOD- 
DESS OF  REASON.— In  the  Paris 
papers  of  August  1,  1817,  we  find 
among  the  obituaries  the  following  an- 
nouncement : — "  Died,  within  these  few 
days,  in  the  hospital  of  pauper  lunatics 
of  Saltpetriere,  where  she  had  lived 
unpitied  and  unknown  for  many  years, 
the  famous  Theroigne  de  Mericourt, 
(the  Goddess  of  Reason,)  the  most  re- 
markable of  the  heroines  of  the  Revo- 
lution." This  female  (nearly  in  a  state 
of  nudity)  was  seated  on  a  throne  by 
Fouche  and  Carnot,  in  the  Champ  de 
Mars,  and  hailed  alternately  as  the 
Goddess  of  Reason  and  Liberty.  There 
was  something  remarkable  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  latter  days  of  this  poor  crea- 
ture, and  her  life  is  not  without  its 
moral.  She  who  was  taught  publicly 
to  blaspheme  her  Creator,  and  dishonor 
her  sex,  was,  for  the  last  twenty  years 
of  her  miserable  life,  subject  to  the 
greatest  of  human  calamities — the  de- 
privation of  her  reason.  She  repented 
severely  of  her  horrible  crimes,  and 
her  few  lucid  intervals  were  filled  up 

409 


923,  224 


INFLUENCE  AFTER  DEATH. 


by  the  most  heart-rending  lamentations. 
She  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-seven. 

(e)  A  CONVERTED  ATHEIST. 
— The  author  of  "  Philosophy  of  the 
Plan  of  Salvation"  gives  an  account 
of  a  man  of  his  acquaintance,  who  had 
been  a  notorious  and  profane  atheist. 
By  the  persuasion  of  pious  relatives, 
w^ho  had  long  prayed  for  his  conversion, 
he  was  induced  to  attend  a  series  of  re- 
ligious meetings,  where  he  was  brought 
to  see  his  condition  as  a  sinner,  and  to 
exercise  saving  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  "  Old  things "  having  now 
"passed  away,  and  all  things  become 
new,"  the  change  was  so  strikingly 
great,  that  it  was  obvious  to  all  who 
knew  him.  He  immediately  sought 
reconciliation  with  his  enemies,  asked 
their  forgiveness,  and  tried  to  benefit 
them  by  leading  them  to  Christ.  He 
began  to  visit  from  house  to  house,  la- 


boring and  praying  with  his  neighbors, 
and  inviting  them  to  attend  religious 
worship  on  the  Sabbath.  "  When  con- 
verted, one  of  his  first  acts,  although  he 
had  heard  nothing  of  any  such  act  in 
others,  was  to  make  out  a  list  of  all  his 
old  associates  then  living  within  reach 
of  his  influence.  For  the  conversion 
of  these  he  determined  to  labor  as  he 
had  opportunity,  and  pray  daily.  On 
his  list  were  one  hundred  and  sixteen 
names,  among  whom  were  skeptics, 
drunkards,  and  other  individuals  as  lit- 
tle likely  to  be  reached  by  Christian 
influence  as  any  other  men  in  the  re- 
gion. Within  two  years  from  the  pe- 
riod of  the  old  man's  conversion,  one 
hundred  of  these  individuals  had  made 
a  profession  of  religion.  This  account 
is  not  exaggerated  :  the  old  man  is  liv- 
ing, and  there  are  a  thousand  living 
witnesses  to  this  testimony." 


INFLUENCE  AFTER  DEATH. 


M,  Influence  Beneficial. 

(a)  SERMON  EFFECTUAL  AF- 
TER    EIGHTY-FIVE    YEARS 

About  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth 
century,  the  venerable  John  Flavel, 
whose  excellent  practical  writings  are 
known  to  many  of  our  readers,  was 
settled  at  Dartmouth,  where  his  labors 
were  greatly  blessed. 

Mr.  Flavel's  manner  was  remarka- 
bly affectionate  and  serious,  often  ex- 
citing very  powerful  emotions  in  his 
hearers.  On  one  occasion,  he  preached 
from  these  words : — "  If  any  man  love 
not  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  let  him  be 
anathema,  maranatha."  The  discourse 
was  unusually  solemn,  particularly  the 
explanation  of  the  words  anathema,  ma- 
ranatha,— "  cursed  with  a  curse,  cursed 
of  God,  with  a  bitter  and  grievous 
curse."  At  the  conclusion  of  the  ser- 
vice, when  Mr.  Flavel  arose  to  pro- 
nounce the  benediction,  he  paused,  and 
said,  "How  shall  I  bless  this  whole 
assembly,  when  every  person  in  it,  who 
loveth  not  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  is 
anathema,  maranatha  ?  "  The  solem- 
nity of  this  address  deeply  affected  the 
410 


audience,  and  one  gentleman,  a  person 
of  rank,  was  so  overcome  by  his  feel- 
ings, that  he  fell  senseless  to  the  floor. 

In  the  congregation  was  a  lad  named 
Luke  Short,  then  about  fifteen  years 
old,  and  a  native  of  Dartmouth.  Shortly 
after  the  event  just  narrated,  he  entered 
into  the  seafaring  line,  and  sailed  to 
America,  where  he  passed  the  rest  of 
his  life. 

Mr.  Short's  life  was  lengthened  much 
beyond  the  usual  term.  When  a  hun- 
dred years  old,  he  had  sufficient  strength 
to  work  on  his  farm,  and  his  mental 
faculties  were  very  little  impaired. 
Hitherto  he  had  lived  in  carelessness 
and  sin  ;  he  was  now  a  "  sinner  a  hun- 
dred years  old,"  and  apparently  ready 
to  "die  accursed."  But  one  day,  as 
he  sat  in  his  field,  he  busied  himself  in 
reflecting  on  his  past  life.  Recurring 
to  the  events  of  his  youth,  his  memory 
fixed  upon  Mr.  Flavel's  discourse  above 
alluded  to,  a  considerable  part  of  which 
he  was  able  to  recollect.  The  affec- 
tionate earnestness  of  the  preacher's 
manner,  the  important  truths  which  he 
delivered,  and  the  effects  produced  on 
the  congregation,  were  brought  fresh  to 


INFLUENCE  BENEFICIAL. 


224 


his  mind.  The  blessing  of  God  ac- 
companied his  meditations  :  he  felt  that 
he  had  not  "loved  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ;"  he  feared  the  dreadful  "ana- 
thema;" conviction  was  followed  by- 
repentance,  and  at  length  this  aged  sin- 
ner obtained  peace  through  the  blood  of 
atonement,  and  was  found  "  in  the  way 
of  righteousness."  He  joined  the  Congre- 
gational church  in  Middleborough,  and 
to  the  day  of  his  death,  which  took 
place  in  his  116th  year,  gave  pleasing 
evidence  of  piety. 

In  this  case,  eighty-five  years  passed 
away  after  the  seed  was  sown,  before  it 
sprang  up  and  brought  forth  fruit.  Let 
the  ministers  of  Christ  be  encouraged  ; 
"  in  due  season  they  shall  reap,  if  they 
faint  not." 

(h)  OBSCURE  WOMAN'S  USE- 
FULNESS.—There  was  once  an  ob- 
scure  and  pious  woman  living  in  a  city 
in  the  South  of  England.  History  is 
silent  respecting  her  ancestry — her 
place  of  birth — or  her  education.  She 
had  an  only  son,  whom  in  his  infancy 
she  made  it  her  great  business  to  in- 
struct, and  train  up  in  the  nurture  and 
admonition  of  the  Lord.  At  seven  years 
of  age  his  mother  died,  and  a  few  years 
after  he  went  to  sea,  and  became  at 
length  a  common  sailor  in  the  African 
slave  trade.  He  soon  became  a  great 
adept  in  vice — a  swearer  most  horribly 
profane ;  and  though  younger  than 
many  of  his  companions  in  years  he 
was  one  of  the  oldest  in  guilt.  But  he 
could  not  shake  ofT  the  remembrance 
of  his  pious  mother's  instructions. — 
Though  dead  and  in  her  grave  she 
seemed  speaking  to  him  still.  After 
many  alarms  of  conscience  and  many 
pungent  convictions  he  became  a  Chris- 
tian, and  subsequently  one  of  the  most 
successful  ministers  of  the  gospel  Great 
Britain  ever  produced.  Of  course 
through  the  labors  of  the  converted 
son,  we  may  now  trace  the  influence 
of  the  pious  mother.  In  addition  to  his 
great  ministerial  labors,  he  wrote  many 
evangelical  works,  and  few  authors 
have  done  more  to  extend  the  power  of 
religion.  He  was  highly  eloquent  and 
greatly  useful  in  religious  conversation  ; 
and  his  hymns,  whose  use  in  Divine 
worship  is  almost  commensurate  with 


the  extension  of  the  English  language, 
are  of  the  most  elevated  and  evangel- 
ical character.  Follow  that  mother's 
influence  farther.  Her  son  was  the 
means  of  the  conversion  of  Claudius 
Buchanan,  who  subsequently  became  a 
minister  of  the  gospel,  and  went  to  the 
East  Indies.  Here  he  occupied  a  re- 
sponsible station  ;  and  his  labors  in  be- 
half of  the  English  .population,  and  for 
the  improvement  of  the  moral  and  spir- 
itual condition  of  the  natives,  are  de- 
servedly ranked  among  the  noblest 
achievements  of  Christian  philanthropy. 
His  little  work  entitled  "  The  Star  in 
the  East,"  was  the  first  thing  that  at- 
tracted the  attention  of  Adoniram  Jud- 
son  to  a  mission  in  the  East  Indies. 
Hence,  had  it  not  been  for  that  mother's 
faithfulness  her  son  might  never  have 
been  converted.  Dr.  Buchanan  never 
been  converted,  nor  that  train  of  causes 
put  in  operation  which  are  now  shed- 
ding such  a  flood  of  light  on  Burmah 
and  the  surrounding  regions. 

The  converted  sailor  was  also  the 
means  of  the  conversion  of  Thomas 
Scott,  from  the  dark  mazes  of  Socinian- 
ism  to  the  belief,  practice  and  preach- 
ing of  evangelical  truth.  He  was  a 
very  successful  preacher  for  a  good 
portion  of  his  long  life  in  the  metropolis 
of  England, — engaged  with  vigor  and 
zeal  in  every  enterprise  that  he  thought 
conducive  to  the  moral  welfare  and  sal- 
vation of  man.  He  was,  too,  the  author 
of  a  very  valuable  commentary  on  the 
Bible,  almost  unequalled  in  its  prac- 
tical tendency  and  the  extent  of  its  cir- 
culation. To  that  pious  mother's  influ- 
ence, operating  through  the  efforts  of 
her  son,  all  this  is  easily  traced.  Be- 
sides, to  the  connection  of  her  son  with 
the  poet  Cowper,  the  evangelical  cha- 
racter and  great  religious  influence  of 
Cowper's  poetry  are  doubtless  to  be 
mainly  attributed.  It  was  by  the  heav- 
enly counsels  and  prayers  and  letters 
of  his  clerical  friend,  that  the  poet's 
piety  was  deepened,  and  the  gloom  of 
his  mind  dispersed.  Again,  to  this 
same  minister's  influence,  in  connection 
with  that  of  Doddridge,  the  conversion 
of  Wilberforce  is  traced  by  some.  For 
during  fourteen  years  after  he  first  saw 
W.,  and  until  his  conversion,  he  made 
411 


224 


INFLUENCE  AFTER  DEATH. 


W.  the  constant  subject  of  his  prayers. 
And  with  what  glorious  results  was  the 
conversion  of  Wilberforce  fraught  to 
the  interests  of  man  !  What  vast  con- 
tributions did  he  make  with  his  princely 
fortune  to  objects  of  benevolence  !  To 
his  influence,  in  a  great  degree,  may 
we  impute  the  abolition  of  the  African 
Slave  Trade,  and,  in  subsequent  years, 
the  emancipation  of  slaves  in  the  Bri- 
tish West  Indies ;  for  the  former  step 
prepared  England  for  taking  the  latter. 
In  addition  to  this,  Wilberforce  was  the 
author  of  "  A  Practical  View  of  Chris- 
tianity," which  did  much  to  commend 
spiritual  religion  to  the  higher  classes 
of  his  countrymen,  and  which,  since 
his  death,  has  been  widely  circulated 
and  widely  useful.  This  book  was  the 
means  of  the  conversion  of  Leigh  Rich- 
mond, the  author  of  the  "  Dairyman's 
Daughter,"  which  has  been  the  means 
of  the  conversion  of  thousands  ! — Such 
are  some  of  the  stupendous  and  glorious 
results  of  one  holy  woman's  efforts 
to  educate  her  son  for  God — a  wide 
and  mighty  posthumous  influence  which 
an  angel  might  feel  honored  to  exert. 
Who  was  she  ?  The  Mother  of  the 
Rev.  John  Newton. 

(c)  INFLUENCE  OF  MR.  COBB'S 
EXAMPLE. — A  correspondent  of  a 
Methodist  paper,  published  at  Rich- 
mond, Va.,  encloses  five  hundred  dol- 
lars for  missions,  and  says,  "  About  ten 
years  ago  I  began  the  world  with  what 
T  saved  from  my  wages  for  attending  a 
store ;  and  about  the  same  time  I  read 
in  the  Christian  Advocate  an  account 
of  certain  resolutions  of  a  Mr.  Cobb,  a 
member  of  the  Baptist  church  in  Bos- 
ton, and  I  concluded,  by  the  grace  of 
God,  not  only  to  follow  his  plan,  but 
also  the  example  and  advice  of  Mr. 
Wesley,  "to  make  all  you  can,  save 
all  you  can,  and  give  all  you  can.^' 

How  powerful  is  the  influence  of  ex- 
ample !  Let  every  Christian  remem- 
ber that  when  he  lays  down  a  correct 
principle  of  action,  and  carries  it  into 
practice,  he  is  influencing  others,  and 
he  knows  not  how  many,  to  do  the  same. 
(d)  THE  SICK  MAN'S  PRAY- 
ERS.— A  pious  man  in  the  western 
part  of  New  York  was  sick  with  a  con- 
sumption. He  was  a  poor  man,  and 
412 


sick  for  years.  An  unconverted  mer- 
chant in  the  place  had  a  kind  heart, 
and  used  to  send  him,  now  and  then, 
some  things  for  his  comfort,  or  for  his 
family.  He  felt  grateful  for  the  kind- 
ness, but  could  make  no  return,  as  he 
wanted  to  do.  At  length  he  deter- 
mined that  the  best  return  he  could 
make  would  be  to  pray  for  his  salva- 
tion ;  he  began  to  pray,  and  his  soul 
kindled  and  he  got  hold  of  God.  There 
was  no  revival  of  religion  there,  but  by 
and  by,  to  the  astonishment  of  every 
body,  this  man  came  right  out  on  the 
Lord's  side.  The  fire  kindled  all  over 
the  place,  and  a  powerful  revival  fol- 
lowed, and  multitudes  were  converted. 

This  poor  man  lingered  in  this  way 
for  several  years,  and  died.  After  his 
death,  I  visited  the  place,  and  his  widow 
put  'into  my  hands  his  diary.  Among 
other  things,  he  says  in  his  diary,  "  I 
am  acquainted  with  about  thirty  min- 
isters and  churches."  He  then  goes 
on  to  set  apart  certain  hours  in  the  day 
and  week  to  pray  for  each  of  these 
ministers  and  churches,  and  also  cer- 
tain seasons  for  praying  for  the  differ^ 
ent  missionary  stations.  Then  followed, 
under  different  dates,  such  facts  as 
these:  "To-day,"  naming  the  date,  "  1 
have  been  enabled  to  offer  what  I  call 
the  prayer  of  faith,  for  the  outpouring 

of  the  Spirit  on church,  and  I  trust 

in  God  there  will  soon  be  a  revival 
there."  Under  another  date,  "  I  have 
to-day  been  able  to  offer  what  I  call  the 
prayer  of  faith,  for  such  a  church,  and 
trust  there  will  soon  be  a  revival  there." 
Thus  he  had  gone  over  a  great  number 
of  churches,  recording  the  fact  that 
he  had  prayed  for  them  in  faith  that  a 
revival  might  soon  prevail  among  them. 
Not  long  after  noticing  these  facts  in 
his  diary,  the  revival  commenced,  and 
went  over  the  region  of  the  country, 
nearly,  I  believe,  if  not  quite,  in  the 
order  in  which  the  different  places  had 
been  mentioned  in  his  diary. 

(e)  INFLUENCE  OF  DAVIES.— 
The  fruits  of  this  devoted  minister  of 
Christ  were  not  ephemeral — they  did 
not  end  in  excitement.  He  went  to  his 
rest  long  since.  But  the  fruits  of  his 
ministry  still  remain,  in  the  consistent 
piety  of  those  who  were  reared  under 


INFLUENCE  INJURIOUS. 


225 


the  influence  of  parents  brought  into 
the  church  by  his  labors.  A  gentle- 
man in  Tennessee  says :  "  The  fruits 
of  the  great  revival  in  Hanover  under 
the  preaching  of  Samuel  Davies,  are 
now  spreading  and  growing  in  the  Val- 
ley of  the  Missisippi.  There  are  many 
of  the  children  and  children's  children 
of  those  persons,  who  professed  religion 
in  Hanover,  under  the  ministry  of 
that  eminent  man  of  God,  now  scat- 
tered in  this  great  valley ;  and  I  know 
of  no  instance  where  they  '^o,  but  an 
altar  is  reared  for  the  worship  of  God 
in  their  families  and  neighborhoods." 

This  is  a  kind  of  greatness — an  im- 
mortality on  earth — which  a  good  man 
might  covet,  as  he  is  permitted  earn- 
estly to  covet  "  the  best  gifts." 

m.  Influence   Injurious. 

(a)  THE  VILLAGE  CURSED.— 
There  is  a  beautiful  village  in  New 
England  from  which  Whitefield  was 
driven  with  such  rancorous  abuse,  that 
he  shook  off  the  dust  of  his  feet  and  pro- 
claimed that  the  Spirit  of  God  would  not 
visit  that  spot,  till  the  last  of  those  per- 
secutors was  dead.  The  good  man's 
language  had  a  fearful  truth  in  it,  though 
he  was  not  divinely  gifted  with  the 
prophet's  inspiration.  A  consciousness 
of  desertion  paralyzed  the  energies  of 
that  church :  for  nearly  a  century  it 
was  nurtured  on  the  unwholesome  food 
of  a  strange  doctrine  ;  in  the  very  gar- 
den of  natural  loveliness  it  sat  like  a 
heath  in  the  desert,  upon  which  there 
could  be  no  rain,  and  not  till  that  whole 
generation  had  passed  from  the  earth 
did  Zion  appear  there  in  her  beauty  and 
strength. 

(b)  HYPOCRITICAL  DEFENCE 
OF  PROTESTANTISM.— An  affect- 
ing account  is  found  among  the  oral  tra- 
ditions of  Lucerne,  one  of  the  Catholic 
cantons  of  Switzerland.  In  the  days  of 
Luther  and  Calvin  almost  half  the  can- 
tons turned  Protestant.  The  magis- 
trates of  Lucerne  were  about  deciding 
in  favor  of  the  Reformers,  when  a  cun- 
ning and  plausible  priest,  under  the 
guise  of  a  Protestant  exile  from  one  of 
the  German  states,  obtained  an  inter- 
view   with    the   principal   magistrates 


friendly  to  the  new  religion  ;  and  under 
the  pretence  of  defending  Protestantism, 
so  caricatured  it  in  its  most  vulnerable 
points,  as  to  prejudice  the  magistrates 
against  it,  and  secure  their  adhesion  to 
the  Pope  with  the  banishment  of  all  the 
Protestant  preachers  from  its  territory. 
Lucerne,  with  its  150,000  inhabitant, 
has  continued  Roman  Catholic  for  ihe 
last  three  centuries,  while  many  of  the 
neighboring  states  are  wholly  Protest- 
ant, and  enjoy  vastly  superior  privileges, 
both  civil  and  religious. 

(c)  APOSTACY  OF  BRICCONET. 
When  those  who  stand  in  a  commanding 
position,  at  a  time  when  society  is  agi- 
tated by  a  great  moral  struggle,  fail  to 
do  and  suffer  what  duty  requires,  their 
influence,  even  after  death,  is  often  sig- 
nally mischievous.  A  noted  and  perti- 
nent example  is  that  of  Bricconet,  bish- 
op of  Meaux  in  France,  in  the  sixteenth 
century.  Catching  the  spirit  of  reform 
at  that  time  pervading  Germany  and 
Switzerland,  he  zealously  opposed  some 
grosser  errors  and  views  of  the  Romish 
church.  Having  been  twice  ambassa- 
dor to  Rome — a  bishop — a  noble — an 
intimate  friend  of  the  reigning  and  pre- 
cedmg  monarch,  he  was  looked  upon  as 
one  of  the  great  pillars  of  the  Reforma- 
tion. A  change  of  government  comes, 
the  inquisition  is  set  up,  and  Bricconet 
becomes  the  first  object  of  their  ven- 
geance. "  The  poor  bishop,"  says 
D'Aubigne,  "  who  had  been  so  sanguine 
in  the  hope  to  see  the  Reformation  grad- 
ually and  silently  winning  its  way  in 
men's  minds,  trembled  in  dismay  when 
he  found  at  the  eleventh  hour  that  it 
must  be  purchased  by  life  itself.  No 
alternatives  were  presented  him  but 
death  or  recantation  ;  and  to  the  latter 
the  minions  of  the  pope  urged  him  by 
the  most  plausible  pretexts.  They  pre- 
tended they  too  were  anxious  for  a  re- 
formartion,  that  all  was  going  on  by  in- 
sensible steps,  that  many  would  be  won 
over  by  his  conceding  and  yielding  a 
little,  who  would  be  stumbled  by  his 
warm  and  open  opposition  to  the  church. 
Bricconet  heard,  considered,  his  resolu- 
tion was  shaken — he  staggered  under 
the  cross — he  stumbled — he  fell !  The 
day  of  his  recantation  was  a  dark  day 
for  France.  The  great  conflict  then 
413 


325 


INFLUENCE  AFTER  DEATH. 


waging  in  that  country  between  truth 
and  error,  was  sadly  affected  by  the 
Bishop's  fall.  "  What  his  enemies  rep- 
resented as  the  saving  of  his  country," 
says  the  historian,  was  perhaps  the 
worst  of  its  misfortunes.  What  might 
not  have  been  the  consequence  if  Bric- 
conet  had  possessed  the  courage  of  Lu- 
ther ?  If  one  of  the  most  eminent  of 
the  French  bishops  had  ascended  the 
scaffold,  and  there,  like  the  poor  of  this 
world,  sealed  by  martyrdom  the  truth 
of  the  gospel,  would  not  France  herself 
have  been  put  upon  reflection  ?  Would 
not  the  blood  of  the  bishop  of  Meaux 
have  served,  like  the  blood  of  Polycarp 
and  Cyprian,  as  the  seed  of  the  church  ? 
And  should  we  not  have  seen  these 
provinces  emancipating  themselves  in 
the  sixteenth  century  from  the  darkness 
in  which  they  are  still  enveloped  ?  The 
mournful  fall  of  Bricconet  was  felt  as  a 
shock  to  the  hearts  of  his  former  friends, 
and  was  the  sad  forerunner  of  those  de- 
plorable apostacies  to  which  the  friend- 
ship of  the  world  so  often  led  in  another 
age  of  French  history," 

(d)  PAINE'S  "  AGE  OF  REA- 
SON."—Though  the  author  of  the 
"  Age  of  Reason"  deplored  before  his 
death  that  he  had  published  it,  and  ad- 
vised others  not  to  read  it,  and  though 
its  sophistry  has  been  often  refuted,  that 
book  still  exists  and  perpetuates  its  au- 
thor's unholy  influence.  A  noted  infidel 
in  New  York,  once  asserted  to  the  edit- 
or, that  he  knew  of  many  who  had  been 
made  "  freethinkers"  by  reading  it. 
And  every  year,  no  doubt,  the  number 
it  ruins  is  legion.  It  has  been  translat- 
ed into  some  of  the  languages  of  India  ; 
and  the  Missionaries  to  those  pagan  na- 
tions find  the  "  Age  of  Reason"  one  of 
the  most  formidable  obstacles  to  the  con- 
version  of  the  more  intelligent  classes. 
Thus,  though  Paine  has  been  dead  for 
years,  his  book  goes  through  edition  af- 
ter edition,  passes  from  language  to  Ian- 
guage,  misleading  men's  minds,  and 
corrupting  their  hearts. 


(e)  INFLUENCE  OF  HOMER'S 
ILIAD. — A  most  pernicious  influence 
is  exerted  by  those  writers  who  array 
in  false  and  glowing  colors  the  wick- 
ed  actions  of  real  or  imaginary  persons. 
It  was  the  perusal  of  Homer's  Iliad, 
which  celebrates  in  such  moving  strains 
the  deeds  of  bloody  and  brutal  heroes, 
that  helped  to  make  Alexander  the 
wholesale  robber  and  murderer  of  man- 
kind. Alexander  had  a  perfect  passion 
for  Homer.  He  used  to  say  that  Ho- 
mer's works  were  the  most  perfect  pro- 
duction of  the  human  mind  and  the  best 
medicine  of  the  warrior.  He  always 
carried  with  him  Aristotle's  edition  of 
Homer.  He  kept  it  in  a  golden  casket 
enriched  with  jewels,  and  laid  it  every 
night,  with  his  sword,  under  his  pillow. 
Again,  reading  the  Life  of  Alexander 
was  the  means,  in  part,  of  making  two 
other  bloody  heroes,  scarce  less  noted 
than  himself.  One  was  Caesar,  whose 
highest  ambition,  we  are  told,  was  to 
walk  in  the  steps  of  Alexander.  An- 
other was  Charles  XII  of  Sweden,  who 
longed  from  his  earliest  years  to  imitate 
the  Macedonian  conqueror,  and  who, 
like  him,  converted  firmness  into  obsti- 
nacy, courage  into  rashness,  and  sever- 
ity into  cruelty.  Caesar,  again,  was  the 
ideal  of  human  greatness  that  fanned  the 
fire  of  martial  zeal  in  the  bosom  of  the 
Turkish  Emperor  Selymus,  who,  after 
defeating  and  poisoning  his  father,  car- 
ried his  merciless  victories  over  Egypt 
and  Persia.  The  highest  ambition  of 
Selymus  was  to  imitate  Caesar,  These 
four  great  conquerors  convulsed  the 
world  with  their  crimes,  and  as  they 
strode  on  to  fame  and  power,  they 
crushed  millions  of  human  hearts  in  the 
giant  footsteps  of  their  ambition.  And 
how  pernicious  has  been  their  influence 
on  the  world,  since  their  day  up  to  the 
present  time,  who  can  tell  ?  Such  have 
been  some  of  the  ruinous  results,  (what- 
ever the  good  results  may  be)  of  Ho- 
mer's writings  on  mankind  since  his 
death  ;  results  which  the  infinite  mind 
can  best  compute. 


414 


INGRATITUDE. 


336 


226.  INGRATITUDE. 


(a)  THE  WIDOW  AND  HER 
TWO  SONS.— In  Birmingham,  Eng- 
land, once  lived  a  family  in  humble 
circumstances.  Some  of  the  younger 
children  and  their  father  died,  leaving 
the  aged  mother  with  two  sons  grown 
up,  and  able  to  assist  her.  This  how- 
ever they  refused  to  do,  and  she  was 
obliged  to  apply  to  the  parish  for  relief; 
and  for  some  years  two  shillings  a  week 
were  allowed  her  by  the  overseers, 
which,  with  a  small  sum  added  by  some 
Christian  friends,  was  all  on  which  she 
had  to  subsist. 

During  this  time  her  youngest  son 
died.  He  had  lived  without  the  fear  of 
God,  and  died  under  a  sense  of  his 
wrath,  in  deep  agonies,  both  of  body 
and  mind,  and  uttering  dreadful  expres- 
sions. 

The  eldest  son  was  clever  in  his  bu- 
siness, got  forward  in  the  world,  and 
became  possessed  of  considerable  prop- 
erty. But  he  still  refused  to  assist  his 
mother,  and  even  while  holding  offices 
of  consideration  and  importance,  left  her 
to  subsist  on  her  allowance  from  the 
parish.  This  conduct  of  course  was 
noticed  ;  he  was  repeatedly  spoken  to 
upon  the  subject ;  and  at  length  he  or- 
dered her  name  to  be  taken  from  the 
parish  books,  and  allowed  her  the  two 
shillings  a  week  out  of  his  own  pocket, 
at  a  time  when  he  possessed  thousands 
of  pounds,  and  was  without  a  family. 

One  day  some  friends  were  assem- 
bled, and  her  case  being  mentioned, 
they  proposed  to  remonstrate  with  the 
ungrateful  son.  "No,"  said  an  aged 
minister,  "  let  him  alone ;  if  he  dies 
possessed  of  the  property  he  is  now 
worth,  I  shall  be  deceived.  God  will 
never  suffer  such  base  ingratitude  to 
prosper." 

In  a  short  time  afterwards,  the  moth- 
er was  removed  to  another  world. 
The  circumstances  of  the  son  at  length 
began  to  change  ;  repeated  losses  en- 
sued, and  finally  he  became  a  bank- 
rupt, and  was  reduced  to  abject  pov- 
erty. 


Sons  and  daughters,  do  not  forget  this 
lesson. 

(b)  MACEDO  AND  HIS  PRE- 
SERVER. — Basilius  Macedo,  the  em- 
peror, exercising  himself  in  hunting,  a 
sport  he  took  great  delight  in,  a  great 
stag,  running  furiously  against  him,  fas- 
tened one  of  the  branches  of  his  horns 
in  the  emperor's  girdle,  and,  pulling 
him  from  his  horse,  dragged  him  a  good 
distance,  to  the  imminent  danger  of  his 
life ;  which  a  gentleman  of  his  retinue 
perceiving,  drew  his  sword  and  cut  the 
emperor's  girdle  asunder,  which  disen- 
gaged him  from  the  beast,  with  little  or 
no  hurt  to  his  person.  But  observe 
what  reward  he  had  for  his  pains : 
"  He  was  sentenced  to  lose  his  head  for 
putting  his  sword  so  near  the  body  of 
the  emperor,"  and  suffered  death  ac- 
cordingly. 

(c)  THE  UNGRATEFUL  GUEST. 
— A  certain  soldier  in  the  Macedonian 
army  had  in  many  instances  distin- 
guished himself  by  extraordinary  marks 
of  valor,  and  had  received  many  marks 
of  Philip's  favor  and  approbation.  On 
some  occasion  he  embarked  on  board  a 
vessel,  which  was  wrecked  by  a  violent 
storm,  and  he  himself  cast  on  the  shore 
helpless  and  naked,  and  scarcely  with 
the  appearance  of  life.  A  Macedonian, 
whose  lands  were  contiguous  to  the  sea, 
came  opportunely  to  be  witness  of  his 
distress;  and,  with  all  humane  and 
charitable  tenderness,  flew  to  the  relief 
of  the  unhappy  stranger.  He  bore  him 
to  his  house,  laid  him  in  his  own  bed, 
revived,  cherished,  comforted,  and  for 
forty  days  supplied  him  freely  with  all 
the  necessaries  and  conveniences  which 
his  languishing  condition  could  require. 
The  soldier,  thus  happily  rescued  from 
death,  was  incessant  in  the  warmest  ex- 
pressions of  gratitude  to  his  benefactor, 
assured  him  of  his  interest  with  the 
king,  and  of  his  power  and  resolution 
of  obtaining  for  him,  from  the  royal 
bounty,  the  noble  returns  which  such 
extraordinary  benevolence  had  merited. 
He  was  now  completely  recovered,  and 

415 


226,  227 


INSTRUMENTALITIES,  FEEBLE. 


his  kind  host  supplied  him  with  money 
to  pursue  his  journey.  In  some  time 
after  he  presented  himself  before  the 
king ;  he  recounted  his  misfortunes, 
magnified  his  services;  and  this  in- 
human wretch,  who  had  looked  with 
an  eye  of  envy  on  the  possessions 
of  the  man  who  had  preserved  his 
life,  was  now  so  abandoned  to  all 
sense  of  gratitude  as  to  request  that 
the  king  would  bestow  upon  him  the 
house  and  lands  where  he  had  been 
so  tenderly  and  kindly  entertained. 
Unhappily,  Philip,  without  examination, 
inconsiderately  and  precipitately  granted 
his  infamous  request ;  and  this  soldier, 
now  returned  to  his  preserver,  repaid 
his  goodness  by  driving  him  from  his 
settlement,  and  taking  immediate  pos- 
session of  all  the  fruits  of  his  honest  in- 
dustry. The  poor  man,  stung  with  this 
instance  of  unparalleled  ingratitude  and 
insensibility,  boldly  determined,  instead 
of  submitting  to  his  wrongs,  to  seek 
relief;  and,  in  a  letter  addressed  to 
Philip,  represented  his  own  and  the  sol- 
dier's conduct  in  a  lively  and  affecting 
manner.  The  king  was  instantly  fired 
with  indignation  ;  he  ordered  that  jus- 
tice should  be  done  without  delay ;  that 
the  possessions  should  be  immediately 
restored  to  the  man  whose  charitable 
offices  had  been  thus  horribly  repaid  ; 
and  having  seized  the  soldier,  caused 
these  words  to  be  branded  on  his  fore- 


head, The  Ungrateful  Guest ;  a  charac- 
ter infamous  in  every  age  and  among 
all  nations,  but  particularly  among  the 
Greeks,  who  from  the  earliest  times 
were  most  scrupulously  observant  of  the 
laws  of  hospitality. 

(d)  HANNAH  MORE'S  VIEW  OF 
INGRATITUDE.— At  a  dinner  party 
at  Bath,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Jay,  by  whom 
the  anecdote  was  communicated,  was 
lamenting  the  ingratitude  which  Mrs. 
Hannah  More  had  recently  met  with 
from  a  person  he  had  recommended  to 
her  beneficence,  upon  which  he  re- 
ceived a  look  from  her  which  silenced 
him ;  and  after  dinner,  drawing  him 
into  a  corner  of  the  room,  she  said, 
"  You  know  we  must  never  speak  of 
such  things  as  these  before  people,  for 
they  are  always  too  backward  to  do 
good,  and  they  are  sure  to  dwell  on 
such  facts  to  justify  their  illiberality." 
She  finely  added,  "  It  is  well  for  us 
sometimes  to  meet  with  such  instancies 
of  ingratitude,  to  show  us  our  motives ; 
for  if  they  have  been  right,  we  shall 
not  repent  of  our  doing,  though  we  \u 
ment  the  depravity  of  a  fellow-creature. 
In  these  instances  also,  as  in  a  glass, 
we  may  see  little  emblems  of  ourselves  ; 
for  what,  after  all,  is  the  ingratitude  of 
any  one  towards  us,  compared  with  our 
ingratitude  towards  our  Infinite  Bene- 
factor?" 


227.  INSTRUMENTALITIES,  FEEBLE. 


{a)  DISPUTE  ABOUT  PAUL  AND 
PLATO.—"  I  once  heard,"  says  Chry- 
sostom,  "  a  Christian  disputing  in  a 
ridiculous  manner  with  a  Greek,  and 
both  parties  in  their  dispute  refuting 
themselves.  For  what  the  Christian 
ought  to  have  said,  this  the  Greek  as- 
serted ;  and  what  one  would  naturally 
suppose  the  Greek  would  say,  this  the 
Christian  maintained.  The  point  of 
controversy  was  the  superiority  of  Paul 
or  Plato;  the  Greek  endeavoring  to 
show  that  Paul  was  unlearned  and  igno- 
rant ;  and  the  Christian  in  his  simpli- 
city being  anxious  to  prove  that  Paul 
was  more  eloquent  than  Plato.  The 
victory  was  on  the  side  of  the  Greek  as 
416 


his  argument  proved  to  be  the  stronger. 
Now  if  Paul  were  a  more  eloquent 
teacher  than  Plato,  many  would  pro- 
bably object  that  it  was  not  by  grace, 
but  by  excellency  of  speech  that  he 
prevailed.  Thus  the  Christian's  asser- 
tion was  in  favor  of  the  cause  of  the 
Greek,  and  what  the  Greek  said  was  in 
the  Christian's  favor.  For  if  Paul  was 
uneducated  and  overcame  Plato  the  vic- 
tory was  brilliant.  The  former,  un- 
learned as  he  was,  persuaded  the  disci- 
ples of  the  latter  and  brought  them  over 
to  his  views,  whence  it  is  evident  that 
the  Gospel  is  not  the  result  of  human 
wisdom  but  of  the  grace  of  God." 


INTEGRITY. 


227,  228 


(b)  THE  SOUDRAH'S  REASON- 
ING.— "  I  am  by  birth,"  said  a  con- 
verted Hindoo,  when  addressing  a  num- 
ber of  his  countrymen,  "of  an  insigni- 
ficant and  contemptible  caste ;  so  low, 
that  if  a  Brahmin  should  chance  to 
touch  me,  he  must  go  and  bathe  in  the 
Ganges  for  the  purpose  of  purification ; 
and  yet  God  has  been  pleased  to  call 
me,  not  merely  to  the  knowledge  of  the 
Gospel,  but  to  the  high  office  of  teach- 
ing it  to  others.  My  friends,  do  you 
know  the  reason  of  God's  conduct  ?  It 
is  this  :  if  God  had  selected  one  of  you 
learned  Brahmins,  and  made  you  the 
preacher,  when  you  were  successful  in 
making  converts,  by-standers  would 
have  said  it  was  the  amazing  learning 
of  the  Brahmin,  and  his  great  weight 
of  character,  that  were  the  cause  ;  but 
now,  when  any  one  is  convinced  by  my 
instrumentality,  no  one  thinks  of  ascrib- 
ing any  of  the  praise  to  me ;  and  God, 
as  is  his  due,  has  all  the  glory." 

(c)  THE  EXHORTER  AND  THE 
STRANGERS.  — A  Baptist  church 
north  of  Utica,  N.  Y.,  being  without  a 
pastor,  used  to  help  the  deficiency  by 
reading  sermons  and  select  passages 
from  edifying  writers.  On  these  occa- 
sions, a  warm-hearted  though  unlettered 
brother  would  always  at  the  conclusion, 
deliver   a    solemn    exhortation.       One 


Lord's  day,  while  pursuing  their  cus- 
tomary practice,  two  gentlemen  entered 
and  took  their  seats  in  the  congregation, 
whose  appearance  indicated  more  than 
ordinary  worldly  respectability.  The 
brethren  became  alarmed,  lest  at  the 
conclusion  of  the  reading,  the  custo- 
mary  exhorter  would  mortify  them  by 
his  rude  and  unpolished  address ;  and 
they  determined  to  close  the  meeting 
quicker  than  usual  and  shut  out  the  ex- 
hortation. But  the  vigilant  brother  with 
his  zealous  spirit  was  too  quick  for 
them  ;  the  reading  was  hardly  finished 
before  he  was  on  his  feet,  and  began 
his  warm-hearted  appeal.  One  hung 
his  head  and  another;  but  neither 
daunted  or  disturbed  the  speaker.  He 
went  on  to  the  end  of  his  message  and 
sat  down.  The  meeting  was  soon  con- 
cluded, and  several  retired  with  great 
fears  as  to  the  opinion  that  would  be 
formed  of  the  respectability  of  the 
church  by  the  two  strangers.  Some 
time  after  this,  at  another  meeting,  one 
of  these  individuals  presented  himself 
among  them,  and  after  a  while,  to  their 
surprise,  rose  up  to  tell  what  the  Lord 
had  done  for  his  soul ;  and  stated  the 
message  of  the  exhorter,  as  the  message 
of  mercy  to  his  soul.  How  careful 
should  we  be  not  to  despise  the  day  of 
small  things. 


228.  INTEGRITY. 


(a)  THE  TWO  OFFERS.— Julius 
Drusus,  a  Roman  tribune,  had  a  house 
that  in  many  places  lay  exposed  to  the 
view  of  the  neighborhood.  A  person 
came  and  offered,  that  for  five  talents 
he  would  so  alter  it,  that  it  should  not 
be  liable  to  that  inconvenience.  "  I 
will  give  thee  ten  talents,"  said  Drusus, 
"if  thou  canst  make  my  house  con- 
spicuous in  every  room  of  it,  that  so  all 
the  city  may  behold  in  what  manner  I 
lead  my  life." 

(b)  CASE  OF  MARVELL.— The 
borough  of  Hull,  in  the  reign  of  Charles 
II,  chose  Andrew  Marvell,  a  young 
gentleman  of  little  or  no  fortune,  and 
maintained  him  in  London  for  the  ser- 
vice of  the  public.     With  a  view  to 

27 


bribe  him,  his  old  school-fellow,  the 
Lord  Treasurer  Danby,  went  to  him  in 
his  garret.  At  parting,  the  lord  treas- 
urer slipped  into  his  hands  an  order 
upon  the  treasury  for  £1000,  and  then 
went  into  his  chariot.  Marvell  looking 
at  the  paper,  called  after  the  treasurer, 
"  My  lord,  I  request  another  moment." 
They  went  up  again  to  the  garret,  and 
Jack,  the  servant  boy,  was  called, 
"  Jack,  what  had  I  for  dinner  yester- 
day ?"  "  Don't  you  remember,  sir, 
you  had  the  little  shoulder  of  mutton 
that  you  ordered  me  to  bring  from  a 
woman  in  the  market  ?"  "  Very  right. 
What  have  I  for  dinner  to-day  ?" 
"  Don't  you  know,  sir,  that  you  made 
me  lay  up  the  blade-bone  to  broil?" 
417 


228 


INTEGRITY. 


"  'Tis  so :  very  right.  Go  away." 
"  My  lord,  do  you  hear  that  ?  Andrew 
Marvell's  dinner  is  provided  ;  there's 
your  piece  of  paper,  I  want  it  not.  I 
knew  the  sort  of  kindness  you  intended. 
I  live  here  to  serve  my  constituents. 
The  ministry  may  seek  men  for  their 
purpose  ;  I  am  not  one." 

(c)  THE  FIRM  JURYMAN— A 
certain  person,  being  on  a  jury  in  a  trial 
of  life  and  death,  he  was  completely 
satisfied  of  the  innocence  of  the  pris- 
oner ;  all  the  other  eleven  were  of  the 
opposite  opinion ;  but  he  was  resolved, 
that  a  verdict  of  guilty  should  not  be 
brought  in.  In  the  first  place,  he  spent 
several  hours  in  trying  to  convince 
them  ;  but  found  that  he  had  made  no 
impression,  and  that  he  was  exhausting 
the  strength  which  was  to  be  reserved 
for  another  mode  of  operation.  He 
therefore  calmly  told  them  it  should 
now  be  a  trial  who  could  endure 
confinement  and  famine  the  longest, 
and  that  they  might  be  quite  assured 
he  would  sooner  die  than  release  them 
at  the  expense  of  the  prisoner's  life.  In 
this  situation  they  spent  about  twenty- 
four  hours,  when,  at  length,  they  all 
acceded  to  his  verdict  of  acquittal. 

(d)  SEWALL  AND  THE  SHOE- 
BRUSHES— Judge  Sewall,  of  Massa- 
chusetts, who  died  in  1760,  went  one 
day  into  a  hatter's  shop,  in  order  to 
purchase  a  pair  of  shoe-brushes.  The 
master  of  the  shop  presented  him  with 
a  couple.  "  What  is  your  price  ?"  said 
the  judge.  "  If  they  will  answer  your 
purpose,"  replied  the  other,  "  you  may 
have  them  and  welcome."  The  judge, 
upon  hearing  this,  laid  them  down,  and 
bowing,  was  leaving  the  shop;  upon 
which  the  hatter  said  to  him,  "Pray 
sir,  your  honor  has  forgotten  the  prin- 
cipal object  of  your  visit."  "  By  no 
means,"  answered  the  judge  ;  "  if  you 
please  to  set  a  price  I  am  ready  to  pur- 
chase :  but  ever  since  it  has  fallen  to 
my  lot  to  occupy  a  seat  on  the  bench,  I 
have  studiously  avoided  receiving  to  the 
value  of  a  single  copper,  lest  at  some 
future  period  of  my  life,  it  might  have 
some  kind  of  influence  in  determining 
my  judgment." 

(e)     CATHARINE    II    AND 
COUNT  MUNICH.— When  Catharine 
418 


the  Second  ascended  the  throne  of  Rus- 
sia, she  solicited  Count  Munich  to  ac- 
cept some  marks  of  her  favor,  although 
she  knew  he  had  been  the  most  formi- 
dable opponent  to  her  accession.  "  No," 
said  the  count,  "  I  am  an  old  man ;  I 
have  already  sufl^ered  many  misfor- 
tunes ;  and  if  I  purchased  a  few  years 
of  life  by  compromising  my  principles, 
I  should  make  but  a  bad  exchange." 

(/)  BONNELL'S  INTEGRITY. 
— James  Bonnell,  Esq.,  was  the  ac- 
comptant-general  of  the  revenue  in  Ire- 
land in  the  seventeenth  century,  and 
was  equally  eminent  for  his  excellen- 
ces as  a  man  and  a  Christian.  He  had 
many  opportunities  of  improving  his 
fortune,  and  met  with  temptations  which 
few  but  himself  would  have  resisted. 
He  despatched  his  business  with  the  ut- 
most readiness,  and  in  the  most  oblig- 
ing manner,  but  never  once  would  re- 
ceive a  gratuity  or  reward.  When 
three  pieces  of  broad  gold  at  one  time, 
and  a  guinea  or  two  at  another,  were 
left  on  his  table  by  persons  whom  he 
had  greatly  served,  he  gave  it  all  away 
among  persons  who  were  in  want,  tell- 
ing his  friends  that  though  he  had 
served  others  greatly,  yet  his  taking  re- 
wards might  hereafter  bias  his  judg- 
ment, and  thus  prove  a  snare  to  him ; 
and  that  therefore  his  principles  should 
be  known,  and  he  would  take  no  more 
than  the  king  allowed  him. 

(g)  FRANKLIN  AND  HIS  PA- 
PER.— Soon  after  his  establishment  in 
Philadelphia,  Franklin  was  oflTered  a 
piece  for  publication  in  his  newspaper. 
Being  very  busy,  he  begged  the  gentle- 
man would  leave  it  for  consideration. 
The  next  day  the  author  called  and 
asked  his  opinion  of  it.  "  Why,  sir," 
replied  Franklin,  "  I  am  sorry  to  say  I 
think  it  highly  scurrilous  and  defama- 
tory. But  being  at  a  loss  on  account 
of  my  poverty,  whether  to  reject  it  or 
not,  I  thought  I  would  put  it  to  this 
issue, — at  night,  when  my  work  was 
done,  I  bought  a  two-penny  loaf,  on 
which  I  supped  heartily,  and  then  wrap- 
ping myself  in  my  great  coat,  slept 
very  soundly  on  the  floor  till  morning ; 
when  another  loaf  and  mug  of  water 
afforded  a  pleasant  breakfast.  Now 
sir,  since  I  can  live  very  comfortablj 


WAY  TO  INTEMPERANCE. 


22§,  329 


in  this  manner,  v/hy  should  I  prostitute 
my  press  to  personal  hatred  or  party 
passion  for  a  more  luxurious  living  V 

One  cannot  read  this  anecdote  of  our 
American  sage,  without  thinking  of  So- 
crates' reply  to  king  Archelaus,  who 
had  pressed  him  to  give  up  preaching 
in  the  dirty  streets  of  Athens,  and  come 
and  live  with  him  in  his  splendid 
courts. — "  Meal,  please  ijour  Majesty  is 
a  half-penny  a  peck  at  Athens,  and  water 
I  get  for  nothing  /" 

(h)  ANCIEiNT  HERNHUTTER.* 
— In  one  of  the  wars  in  Germany,  a 
captain  of  cavalry  was  ordered  out  on 
a  foraging  party.  He  put  himself  at 
the  head  of  his  troop,  and  marched  to 
the  quarter  assigned  him.  It  was  a 
solitary  valley,  in  which  hardly  any 
thing  but  woods  could  be  seen.  In  the 
midst  of  it  stood  a  little  cottage  :  on 
perceiving  it  he  went  up,  and  knocked 

*  Better  known  in  this  country  by  the  name 
of  Moravians  or  United  Brethren. 


at  the  door;  an  ancient  Hernhutter, 
with  a  beard  silvered  with  age,  came 
out.  "  Father,"  said  the  officer,  "  show 
me  a  field  where  I  can  set  my  troops  a 
foraging."  "  Presently,"  replied  the 
Hernhutter.  The  good  old  man  walked 
before,  and  conducted  them  out  of  the 
valley.  After  a  quarter  of  an  hour's 
march,  they  found  a  fine  field  of  bar- 
ley :  "  This  is  the  very  thing  we  want," 
said  the  captain.  "  Have  patience  for 
a  few  minutes,"  replied  the  -  guide  ; 
"you  shall  bo  satisfied."  They  went 
on,  and  at  the  distance  of  about  a  quar- 
ter of  a  league  further,  they  arrived  at 
another  field  of  barley.  The  troop  im- 
mediately dismounted,  cut  down  the 
grain,  trussed  it  up,  and  re-mounted. 
The  officer  then  said  to  his  conductor, 
'•  Father,  you  have  given  to  yourself 
and  us  unnecessary  trouble :  the  first 
field  was  much  better  than  this." 
"  Very  true,  sir,"  replied  the  good  old 
man,  "  but  it  was  not  mine." 


INTEMPERANCE. 


229.  AVay  to  Intemperanee. 

{a)  MODERATE  DRINKERS  BE- 
WARE.— A  respectable  man,  but  a  mo- 
derate drinker,  living  in  ihe  town  of 
Hadlyme,  Conn., was  urged  by  the  State 
Temperance  Agent  some  months  since 
to  join  the  temperance  society.  He  said, 
"  I  am  my  own  master,  and  can  take  care 
of  myself.  I  don't  drink  but  little,  and 
I  won't  give  it  up."  A  short  time  after 
this,  an  appointment  was  made  for  an 
address  from  the  agent. — On  the  same 
day,  in  the  evening  of  which  the  address 
was  to  be  delivered,  this  man  in  com- 
pany with  a  neighbor  crossed  the  river 
in  a  small  skiff  to  a  grogshop  in  Cheshire, 
kept  by  a  professor  of  religion.  There 
they  found  several  of  kindred  spirit, 
and  down  they  sat.  Of  course  the  bottle 
circulated  freely  ;  and  over  it  were  dis- 
cussed the  merits  of  temperance  so- 
cieties. Many  sage  remarks  where 
made  about  trampling  upon  individual 
rights,  and  invading  the  liberties  of  men. 
The  rumselling  professor  joined  them, 
and  thought  it  outrageous  that  retailing 


should  be  reprobated.  Still  the  bottle 
goes  round,  and  much  ridicule  is  cast 
upon  the  cold  water  speech  that  is  ex- 
pected in  the  evening.  Again  they  drink, 
and  the  two  friends  set  out  on  their  re- 
turn. Now  mark  the  result.  In  re- 
crossing  the  river  the  boat  is  carried  by 
the  current  some  distance  below  the  land- 
ing-place. Arriving  at  the  shore  they 
quarrel,  and  this  man  sets  out  alone  to 
take  the  boat  to  its  place.  He  proceeds, 
gets  out  into  the  stream,  and  is  discover- 
ed by  a  negro,  who  calls  him  to  come 
ashore,  telling  him  he  is  intoxicated,  and 
'tis  not  safe  for  him  to  row  the  boat  alone. 
"  Drunkard  !"  says  he,  "  I'm  as  sober  as 
any  man."  But  before  the  negro  could 
get  to  his  assistance,  he  tumbled  over- 
board and  sunk  to  rise  no  more.  The 
race  from  respectability  to  a  drunkard's 
end  was  very  short.  The  exercises  of 
the  temperance  meeting  in  the  evening 
were  commenced  by  relating  this  inci- 
dent to  his  fellow  townsmen. 

(&)  THE  STUDENT'S    FALL.— 

The  parents  of  Henry  H had  placed 

him  in  the  university  of  G— ,  and 
419 


329 


INTEMPERANCE. 


they  hoped,  fondly  hoped  that  he  would 
be  their  stay  in  their  declining  years. 
Oh  !  how  that  fond  father  watched  over 
him  while  he  was  pursuing  his  collegiate 
studies.  And  when  he  received  his  hon- 
ors at  the  university — when  he  received 
his  honors  at  the  hands  of  his  instructors, 
together  with  their  blessing — when  his 
Alma  Mater  gloried  in  having  his  name 
enrolled  upon  her  records — then  the  fond 
parents  received  him  with  open  arms, 
and  rejoiced  that  their  son  had  returned, 
and  had  fulfilled  all  their  expectations. 
In  an  evil  hour  he  consented  to  make  one 
of  a  social  party,  to  celebrate  some  an- 
niversary. The  wine  flowed  freely  and 
plenteously,  and  for  some  time  he  with- 
stood the  jests  and  banterings  of  his  com- 
panions, and  refused  the  proffered  glass. 
At  length,  by  the  persuasions  of  one  of 
his  dearest  friends,  he  took  the  first  glass, 
and  finding  that  his  spirits  became  more 
buoyant,  he  took  another  and  another, 
until  Alcohol  usurped  the  throne  from 
which  Reason  had  fled  abashed — and  the 
proud  scholar  fell  drunk  upon  the  floor. 
He,  who  had  so  often  before  bid  defiance 
to  the  tempter,  and  had  battled  manfully 
against  all  its  arts,  had  been  seduced  by 
hi^kind  friends,  and  in  one  short  night 
the  toil  of  years  had  been  swept  away  ! 
Henry  never  recovered  from  that  fall. 
No  kind  persuasions  of  his  doting  pa- 
rents— no  influence  that  was  exerted  by 
his  dearest  relatives,  could  save  him. 
Headlong  he  rushed  into  the  dark  abyss 
of  intemperance,  and  in  a  few  weeks  fill- 
ed a  drunkarcVs  grave  ! 

(c)  THE  DYING  DRUNKARD'S 
ACCUSATION.— A  respectable  gen- 
tleman at  Edinburgh  related  a  most  af- 
fecting fact,  which  we  will  briefly  re- 
peat. A  religious  lady  at  Edinburgh 
was  sent  to  visit  a  woman  who  was  dy- 
ing, in  consequence  of  disease  brought 
on  by  intemperance.  The  woman  had 
formerly  been  in  the  habit  of  washing  in 
the  lady's  family,  and  when  she  came  to 
the  dying  woman,  she  remonstrated  with 
her  on  the  folly  and  wickedness  of  her 
conduct,  in  giving  way  to  so  dreadful  a 
sin  as  that  of  intemperance.  The  dying 
woman  said,  "  You  have  been  the  au- 
thor of  my  intemperance."  ''  What  did 
you  say  ?"  with  pious  horror,  exclaim- 
'  ed  the  lady  ;  "  I  the  author  of  your  in- 
420 


temperance  !"  "  Yes,  ma'am,  I  never 
drank  whisky  till  I  came  to  wash  in 
your  family:  you  gave  me  some,  and 
told  me  it  would  do  me  good.  I  felt  in- 
vigorated, and  you  gave  it  me  again. 
When  I  was  at  other  houses  not  so  hos- 
pitable as  yours,  I  purchased  a  little, 
and  by  and  by  1  found  my  way  to  the 
spirit  shop,  and  thought  it  was  necessa- 
ry  to  carry  me  through  my  hard  work  ; 
and,  by  little  and  little,  I  became  what 
you  now  see  me."  Conceive  what  this 
lady  felt. 

{d)  "THAT  FIRST  GLASS."— 
So  said  a  drunkard,  after  he  had  waked 
up  from  a  three  weeks'  "  spree,"  whicti 
had  been  preceded  by  several  months  of 
total  abstinence,  which  gave  hope  to  his 
friends  that  lie  would  entirely  reform — 
and  which  abstinence  was  maintained 
without  a  pledge.  "  Why  did  you  give 
up  to  drunkenness  again,  when  you  had 
abstained  so  long?"  "  O  !  it  was  that 
first  glass.  When  that  was  done,  there 
was  no  stopping.  The  dramseller  said, 
'  Just  one  glass  with  me  for  old  acquaint- 
ance sake' — and  I  have  been  three 
weeks  in  his  bar-room,  drunk  day  and 
night."  Mortified,  ashamed,  chagrined 
beyond  measure,  his  confidence  in  his 
own  resolution  destroyed,  this  poor  man 
has  returned  to  the  gutter.  Who  ruin- 
ed this  man  ? 

{e)  TWO  OLD  MEN'S  POSTERI- 
TY. — An  aged  man,  over  whom  had 
rolled  a  hundred  winters  (says  the  N. 
Y.  Evangelist  of  1831),  died  not  many 
years  since  in  New  England,  who  was, 
in  the  estimation  of  all  who  knew  him, 
pious. — But  he  had  early  contracted  a 
fondness  for  ardent  spirits,  and  drank 
temperately  and  daily  for  the  greater 
part  of  his  life.  He  gave  a  little  to  his 
children  as  they  grouped  around  him  ; 
and  they  thought  what  their  father 
loved  must  be  innocent.  But  with  their 
growing  years  a  fondness  for  the  stim- 
ulus increased,  and  this  aged  man 
lived  to  mourn  the  death  of  half  his 
sons  and  forty  descendants,  who  went 
down  to  the  grave  drunkards.  One  son 
yet  lives,  who  was  a  professor  of  religion 
but  has  been  excommunicated, — and  is 
an  exile  and  a  drunkard,  with  a  large 
family  who  are  ruined  by  his  sin. 

Another  aged  man  still  lives  in  the 


EFFECTS  OF  INTEMPERANCE. 


230,  231 


_  vicinity  of  the  same  place,  who  num- 
bers nearly  one  hundred  descendants, 
all  of  whom  are  temperate  persons. 
He  never  was  in  the  habit  of  drinking 
ardent  spirit,  nor  does  he  give  it  to  his 
sons,  and  his  sons'  sons,  but  like  Jona- 
dab,  he  drinks  pure  water. 

What  a  contrast  will  the  day  of 
judgment  disclose,  if  in  one  family  in- 
temperance continues  to  roll  down  like 
a  fiery  deluge,  and  in  the  other  tem- 
perance reigns,  and  descends  from  gen- 


eration to  generation ! 


EFFECTS  OF  INTEMPERANCE. 
210.  Slavery  of  Appetite. 

(a)  THE  DRUNKARD'S  THRAL- 
DOM. — The  writer  of  the  pamphlet 
entitled  The  Confessions  of  a  Drunkard 
says,  ''  Of  my  condition  there  is  no  hope 
that  1  should  ever  change  ;  the  waters 
have  gone  over  me  ;  but  out  of  the 
black  depths  could  I  be  heard,  1  would 
cry  aloud  to  all  those  who  have  set  a 
foot  in  that  perilous  flood.  Could  the 
youth  to  whom  the  flavor  of  his  first 
wine  is  as  delicious  as  the  opening 
scenes  of  life,  or  the  entering  upon 
some  newly  discovered  paradise,  look 
into  my  desolation,  and  be  made  to  un- 
derstand what  a  dreary  thing  it  is,  when 
a  man  shall  feel  himself  going  down  a 
precipice  with  open  eyes  and  a  passive 
will, — to  see  his  destruction,  and  have 
no  power  to  stop  it,  and  yet  to  feel  it  all 
the  way  emanating  from  himself;  to 
perceive  all  goodness  emptied  out  of 
him,  and  yet  not  able  to  forget  a  time 
when  it  was  otherwise ;  to  bear  about 
the  piteous  spectacle  of  his  own  ruin  : — 
could  he  see  my  fevered  eye,  feverish 
with  the  last  ni2:ht's  drinking  and  fever- 
ishly looking  forward  for  this  night's 
repetition  of  the  folly  ;  could  he  feel  the 
body  of  death  out  of  which  I  cry  hour- 
ly, with  feebler  and  feebler  outcry,  to 
be  delivered, — it  were  enough  to  make 
him  dash  the  sparkling  beverage  to  the 
earth  in  all  the  pride  of  its  mantling 
temptation." 

(h)  THE  GENERAL'S  CONFES- 
SION- — A  certain  General,  and  hither- 
to regarded  as  a  very  respectable  citi- 
zen, had  become  so  intemperate  in  his 
habits  as  to  '  mingle  strong  drink,'  three 


or  four  times  a  day.  One  of  his  friends 
visited  him  and  proposed  to  have  a 
"serious  talk,"  with  him  on  the  sub- 
ject. 

The  General  replied — "  Please  to 
hear  what  I  have  to  say  first.  I  am  sen- 
sible I  drink  more  than  is  necessary.  I 
am  sensible  if  I  persist  in  my  present 
course  the  habit  will  increase  upon  me, 
and  my  respectable  standing  in  society 
will  be  lost.  I  am  sensible  that  my 
estate  will  be  wasted  for  want  of  prop- 
er attention.  I  am  sensible  that  my 
amiable  family  will  be  involved  hi  dis- 
grace and  wretchedness.  I  am  sensi- 
ble that  my  constitution  will  be  under- 
mined,  and  my  health  be  gone — my 
countenance  will  carry  marks  of  de- 
pravity— my  mind  become  enfeebled — 
my  soul  lost  forever  except  I  repent. 
Now,  sir,  if  all  these  considerations, 
flashing  full  conviction  on  my  mind, 
and  sometimes  filling  me  with  horror, 
cannot  deter  me  from  this  detestable 
habit  of  drinking,  think  you  that  your 
eloquence  is  going  to  do  it  ?"  His 
friend  made  no  reply,  but  went  away 
sorrowfully.  Surely  wine  is  a  mocker, 
and  strong  drink  is  raging. 

2ii.  Intellectual  and  Moral  Degradation. 

(a)  THE  WELSHMAN  AND  HIS 
GOAT. — A  Welshman  was  for  some 
time  awfully  habituated  to  the  vice  of 
drunkenness,  but  was  at  length  restored 
to  sobriety  by  the  following  singular  in- 
cident. He  had  a  tame  goat,  which 
would  follow  him  to  the  alehouse  «he 
frequented.  One  day,  by  way  of  frolic, 
he  gave  the  animal  so  much  ale  that  it 
became  intoxicated.  What  particularly 
struck  the  Welshman  was,  that  from 
that  time,  though  the  creature  would 
follow  him  to  the  door,  he  never  could 
get  it  to  enter  the  house.  He  was 
thereby  led  to  see  how  much  his  sin 
had  sunk  him  beneath  a  beast,  and  from 
that  period  became  a  sober  man. 

(b)  A  LONG-BEARDED  BED- 
FELLOW. —  The  following  circum- 
stance happened  in  one  of  the  towns  of 
Arkansas. — A  man  had  been  drinking 
until  a  late  hour  at  night  before  he 
started  for  home.  Honest  folks  had 
long  been  in  bed,  and  the  houses  were 

421 


231 


INTEMPERANCE. 


all  shut  and  dark.  The  liquor  he  had 
taken  was  too  much  for  him,  he  did  not 
know  where  to  go.  He  staggered  into 
an  empty  wagon  shed,  and  fell  on  the 
ground.  For  a  long  time  he  lay  in  all 
the  unconsciousness  of  a  drunken  sleep, 
and  would  undoubtedly  have  frozen,  for 
the  snow  on  the  ground  showed  the 
night  to  be  very  cold,  had  not  others 
less  insensible  than  himself,  been  around 
him. — This  shed  was  a  favorite  resort 
for  the  hogs,  which  v/ere  out  when  the 
new  comer  arrived,  but  soon  returned 
to  their  bed.  In  the  utmost  kindness, 
and  with  the  truest  hospitality,  they  gave 
their  biped  companion  the  middle  of  the 
bed  ;  some  lying  on  either  side  of  him, 
and  others  acting  the  part  of  the  quilt. 
Their  warmth  prevented  him  from  be- 
ing injured  by  his  exposure.  Towards 
morning  he  awoke ;  finding  himself 
comfortable,  in  blissful  ignorance  of  his 
whereabouts,  he  supposed  himself  enjoy- 
ing the  accommodations  of  a  tavern,  in 
company  with  other  gentlemen.  He 
reached  out  his  hand,  and  catching  hold 
of  the  stiff  bristles  of  a  hog,  exclaimed, 
"  Why,   mister,   when  did  you  shave 

LAST  ?" 

(c).  THE  BLASTED  GENIUS.— 
How  many  of  the  highest  geniuses  have 
passed  away  from  the  intellectual  firma- 
ment, consumed  like  the  burning  stars 
of  which  astronomers  tell  us !  And 
how  ?  By  the  baleful  fires  of  intem- 
perance and  lust.  Says  a  distinguished 
divine,  "  A  story  of  genius  in  ruins  ri- 
ses on  my  mind.  In  one  of  the  older 
colleges  in  Massachusetts,  some  20  or  25 
years  since,  there  was  seen  a  youth  of 
the  highest  promise,  bearing  an  honored 
name,  and  concentrating  in  his  own  in- 
tellect the  moral  power  of  two  genera- 
tions of  his  ancestors.  He  was  a  prod- 
igy of  learning.  While  others  of  his 
class  were  slowly  plodding  through  the 
daily  tasks  in  Xenophon,  he  would  be 
reading  the  Greek  tragedians  con 
amove.  He  seized  a  language  almost 
by  intuhion,  and  his  heart  entered  into 
the  heart  of  antiquity,  as  he  read  the 
language  of  the  old  and  buried  nations. 
Called  upon  by  the  officers  of  the  col- 
lege to  read  disserta.ions  in  the  chapel 
upon  abstruse  and  difficult  subjects,  he 
was  accustomed  to  read  them  from 
422 


blank  papers,  pouring  forth  spontaneous, 
bursts  of  argument  that  thrilled  while 
they  convinced,  and  charmed  while  they 
persuaded.  With  Eudid,  Newton,  and 
La  Place,  he  seemed  as  familiar  as  with 
Homer  and  Eschylus,  and  he  levied 
large  tribute  from  the  lore  of  every  na- 
tion under  heaven.  His  person  was 
faultless ;  his  hair  like  the  raven's 
wing ;  his  eye  like  the  eagle's.  By  an 
anomaly  in  American  colleges,  he  de- 
manded and  received  his  first  and  second 
degrees  from  his  Alma  Mater  on  the 
same  day,  and  on  the  same  evening  he 
was  joined  in  the  holy  bands  of  wedlock 
with  one  of  the  most  charming  nymphs 
in  the  vale  that  embosoms  the  college. 
His  course  was  still  onward  and  up- 
ward. His  profession,  the  law,  led  him 
to  the  highest  office  of  advocacy  in  the 
state.  He  was  Attorney  General  at  an 
age  when  most  students  are  admitted  to 
the  bar.  Suddenly,  when  as  yet  no  one 
knew  the  cause,  he  resigned  his  high 
appointment,  giving  no  reasons.  He 
was  a  secret  drunkard  !  Too  high  was 
his  sense  of  honor,  and  the  importance 
of  his  station,  to  intrust  himself  longer 
with  the  destinies  of  society.  I  turn 
with  horror  from  the  years  of  degrada- 
tion that  followed.  He  sunk  like  a 
mighty  ship  in  mid  ocean,  not  without 
many  a  lurch,  many  a  sign  of  righting 
once  more  to  plough  the  proud  seas  that 
were  destined  to  entomb  him  forever. 
Long  since  his  lovely  wife  had  quitted 
the  home  wjiich  his  vices  had  made 
wretched  ;  she  had  returned  to  her  pa- 
rents to  grieve  and  to  die.  But  though 
her  husband  bowed  over  her  grave,  and 
wept  bitterly  on  the  head  of  the  sweet 
boy  she  left  behind  her,  he  was  not  per- 
manently affected  by  the  shock.  The 
most  distinguished  men  for  talent  and 
piety  in  the  United  States  wept  and 
prayed  over  him ;  and  at  times  he 
would  get  the  better  of  the  demon  that 
ruled  him,  and  again  put  forth  his  gi- 
gantic powers.  The  greatest  effort  he 
put  forth  during  this  period  was  the 
successful  advocacy  of  an  important 
case  before  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States.  Marshall,  the  patriarch 
of  American  judges,  gazed  with  wonder 
on  the  barrister,  as  burst  uj)on  burst  of 
eloquence  and  argument  followed.  Geo. 


EFFECTS  OF  INTEMPERANCE. 


231 


W.  Briggs,  the  member  of  Congress 
from  Massachusetts,  seeing  his  splendid 
portrait  hanging  in  a  conspicuous  place 
at  Washington,  inquired  whose  likeness 
it  was  ;  and  one  of  the  highest  authori- 
ties answered — that  is  the  portrait  of 
Talcott,  the  most  brilliant  genius — the 
most  talented  man  in  the  United  States. 
In  his  last  spasm  of  temperance  he 
wrote,  The  Trial  and  Condemnation  of 
Alcohol  :  a  popular  tract,  clothed  with 
the  forms  and  phraseology  of  a  criminal 
court.  But  after  a  flitiguing  argument 
before  a  court  in  the  city  of  New  York, 
he  was  over-persuaded  by  an  advocate 
to  take  a  glass  of  beer ;  and  he  com- 
plied. It  was  his  last  sober  moment, 
till  he  was  in  the  agonies  of  death.  As 
the  fabled  Phoenix  is  said  to  rise  from 
the  ashes  of  its  parents,  one  of  tiie  most 
lovely,  eloquent  advocates  of  temper- 
ance in  the  state  of  New-York  was  the 
son  of  this  ruined  genius  ;  the  little  one 
over  whom  he  wept  at  the  grave  of  his 
wife. 

{d)  A  DRUNKARD'S  HEIRS.— 
U — ,  of  V — ,  commenced  the  world  a 
poor  man ;  but  by  industry  and  econo- 
my he  amassed  a  large  property,  so  that 
he  spent  the  latter  part' of  his  life  in  the 
luxury  often  attendant  upon  wealth  when 
not  at  the  disposal  of  religious  principle. 
In  a  pleasant  part  of  his  grounds,  and 
at  a  short  distance  from  his  house,  he 
prepared  an  elegant  family  tomb,  to 
which  were  successively  committed  his 
own  and  his  wife's  remains.  Three 
sons  inherited  his  estate,  and  lived  for 
a  number  of  years  in  luxury  and  lordly 
independence.  Some  years  since  one 
of  these  sons  was  called  to  bury  his 
wife,  whose  remains  were  committed  to 
the  same  family  tomb.  This  lara;e  in- 
dependent estate  is  now  wasted.  These 
heirs  to  unearned  wealth  have  nothing 
which  they  can  call  their  own,  but  are 
dependent  on  daily  labor  for  the  suste- 
nance of  their  families.  The  door  of 
the  tomb  has  been  thrown  down,  and 
for  7  or  8  years  these  sons  have  suffered 
the  remains  of  their  parents,  and  of  the 
wife  of  one  of  them,  though  within  a 
stone's  throw  of  their  door,  to  lie  exposed 
to  the  open  air,  and  the  examination  of 
every  intruder ;  nay,  to  be  scattered 
upon  the  floor,  and  without  the  door  of 


the  tomb ;  and  even  to  be  trampled  up- 
on by  sheep  and  other  animals  that  are 
permitted  to  graze  in  the  field  where  the 
tomb  lies.  Monumental  inscriptions 
have  been  defaced,  and  a  mouse  has 
built  its  nest  among  the  bones  of  her 
whose  husband  lives  near  by  ! 

And  what  has  been  the  cause  of  all 
this  waste  of  property,  this  beastly  in- 
sensibility ?  Habits  of  luxury  and  idle- 
ness, but  the  grand  cause  of  the  whole 
has  been  Intemperance.  "  She  has  cast 
down  many  wounded,  yea,  many  strong 
men  have  been  slain  by  her.  Her  house 
is  the  way  to  hell,  going  down  to  the 
chambers  of  deaih.'^ — Proverbs  7  :  20, 
27. 

(e)  THE  RUINED  PREACHER.— 
vV  gentleman  traveling  in  Essex,  Eng., 
called  at  the  house  of  a  friend,  where 
he  met  with  a  young  minister  who  was 
just  going  to  preach  in  the  neighbor- 
hood. The  lady  of  the  house  offered 
him  a  glass  of  spirits  before  he  entered 
upon  his  work,  which  he  accepted.  An 
elderly  man,  who  was  present,  thus  ad- 
dressed him  : — "  My  young  friend,  let 
me  offer  you  a  word  of  advice  respect- 
ing the  use  of  liquors.  There  was  a 
time  when  I  was  as  acceptable  a 
preacher  as  you  now  may  be  ;  but  by 
too  frequently  accepting  of  the  well-de- 
signed favors  of  my  friends,  I  contract- 
ed a  habit  of  drinking,  so  that  now  I 
never  go  to  bed  sober  if  I  can  get  li- 
quor. I  am,  indeed,  just  as  miserable  as 
a  creature  can  be  on  this  side  of  hell !" 
About  two  years  after  this,  the  traveler 
had  occasion  to  call  again  at  the  same 
house,  and  made  inquiry  concerning  the 
unhappy  old  man,  when  he  was  inform- 
ed that  he  had  been  some  time  dead.  It 
was  stated  that,  towards  the  close  of  his 
life,  he  had  not  drank  to  the  same  ex- 
cess as  formerly ;  but  it  was  only  be- 
cause  he  could  not  obtain  spirituous 
liquors. 

(/)  A  CLASSMATE'S  FATE.— 
When  I  commenced  a  course  of  study, 
says  a  writer  in  the  Pastor's  Journal, 
W.  O.  was  my  classmate.  His  father, 
after  having  spent  many  years  of  faith- 
ful labor  in  the  ministry,  had  gone  to 
his  rest,  and  his  mother  had  fastened  on 
him  her  fondest  affections,  her  highest 
hopes.  He  was  a  youth  of  uncommon 
423 


332,  333 


INTEMPERAT^CE. 


promise.  His  talents  were  of  the  first 
order,  and  every  attention  had  been 
paid  to  their  early  development.  His 
mind  was  penetrating  and  rapid  in  its 
movements ;  his  imagination  was  bril- 
liant ;  his  memory  retentive  and  ready. 
In  his  disposition  he  was  amiable  and 
kind — peculiarly  capable  of  winning 
the  affections  of  all  who  knew  him. 
He  had  every  desirable  facility  of  im- 
provement— enough  of  this  world's  goods 
to  carry  him  through  an  extensive 
course  of  study,  aand  establish  him  in 
professional  life.  For  a  while  his  pro- 
gress rejoiced  the  heart  of  his  friends, 
and  awakened  the  highest  expectations. 
But  he  took  the  poisonous  cup !  He 
drank  it,  and  his  sun  went  down  ere  it 
was  fully  risen. 

Before  I  left  College,  for  which  we 
commenced  our  preparation  together,  I 
looked  out  from  my  window  and  saw 
him  under  its  walls, — a  dirty,  ragged, 
friendless  vagabond.  His  property  had 
been  squandered  away — his  mother  had 
died  of  a  broken  heart,  and  he  was  beg- 
ging worn-out  garments  to  cover  his 
shame.  The  next  that  I  heard  of  him 
was  that  he  was  found  dead  by  the 
wayside.  This  young  man,  in  point  of 
intellectual  endowments  and  prospects 
of  future  eminence,  once  had  few  su- 
periors. And  had  he  but  dashed  from 
his  lips  the  fatal  cup,  and  swore  eternal 
abstinence,  he  might  now  have  been 
standing  at  the  bar  of  justice,  or  in  the 
hall  of  legislation,  an  object  of  admira- 
tion and  envy. 

%U.  Vice  and  Crime. 

(a)  THE  YOUTH'S  EXECUTION. 

— The  sheriff,  says  an  old  man,  took 
out  his  watch,  and  said,  "  If  you  have 
any  thing  to  say,  speak  now,  for  you 
have  only  five  minutes  to  live."  The 
young  man  burst  into  tears,  and  said — 
"  I  have  to  die.  I  had  only  one  little 
brother,  and  he  had  beautiful  blue  eyes, 
and  flaxen  hair,  and  I  loved  him ;  but 
one  day  I  got  drunk,  for  the  first  time 
in  my  life,  and  coming  home,  I  found 
my  little  brother  gathering  strawberries 
in  the  garden,  and  I  became  angry  with 
him  without  a  cause,  and  killed  him,  at 
one  blow,  with  a  rake.  I  did  not  know 
424 


any  thing  about  it  until  the  next  mor- 
ning, when  I  awoke  from  sleep,  and 
found  myself  tied  and  guarded,  and  was 
told  that  when  my  little  brother  was 
found,  his  hair  was  clotted  with  his 
blood  and  brains,  and  he  was  dead. 
Whisky  has  done  this.  It  has  ruined 
me.  I  never  was  drunk  but  once.  I 
have  only  one  more  word  to  say,  and 
then  I  am  going  to  my  final  Judge.  I 
say  it  to  young  people.  Never,  never! 
NEVER ! !  touch  any  tiling  that  can 
intoxicate  .'"  As  he  pronounced  these 
words,  he  sprang  from  the  box  and  was 
launched  into  an  awful  eternity. 

[h)  HALE'S  TESTIMONY.— Lord 
Chief  .Justice  Hale  once  remarked,  "The 
places  of  judication,  which  I  have  long 
held  in  this  kingdom,  have  given  me  an 
opportunity  to  observe  the  original  cause 
of  most  of  the  enormities  that  have  been 
committed  for  the  space  of  nearly  twenty 
years  ;  and  by  a  due  observation,  1  have 
found  that,  if  the  murders  and  man- 
slaughters, the  burglaries  and  robberies, 
the  riots  and  tumults,  the  adulteries,  and 
other  great  enormities  that  have  hap- 
pened in  that  time,  were  divided  into 
five  parts,  four  of  them  have  been  the 
issues  and  product  of  excessive  drink- 
ing, or  of  tavern  and  ale-house  meet- 
ings." The  proportion  is  little  less  m 
our  own  country  at  the  present  time. 

211.  Domestic  and  Social  Wretcliedness. 

(a)  THE  WINE  PARTY.— A  com- 
pany  of  young  men  in  New  Orleans, 
once  assembled  around  the  wine  table, 
for  the  purpose  of  enjoying  the  "  feast  of 
reason  and  the  flow  of  soul."  One  of 
the  party,  who  was  a  mere  novice  in 
drinking,  while  flushed  with  wine,  in 
an  unguarded  moment  made  use  of  ex- 
pressions at  which  one  of  this  social 
party  o^  friends  took  exceptions,  an  al- 
tercation ensued,  and  the  offended  party 
gave  a  peremptory  challenge  to  the 
young  man  above  alluded  to.  Accord- 
ing to  a  custom  handed  down  to  us 
from  the  Goths,  Huns,  Vandals  and  Teu- 
tones,  called  the  code  of  honor,  he  was 
induced  to  accept.  In  the  morning, 
when  reason  had  resumed  her  seat,  he 
found  himself  in  a  dreadful  situation — 
duty  would  have  prompted  him  not  to 


EFFECTS  OF  INTEMPERANCE. 


233 


have  gone  to  what  is  miscalled  the 
"  field  of  honor,"  but  a  morbid  state  of 
public  opinion  prompted  him  to  meet  his 
challenger,  who  was  a  practised  duel- 
ist :  they  met,  and  this  young  man  fell 
a  victim  to  a  ruthless  custom  at  the  first 
fire.  He  was  borne  home  mortally 
wounded  to  his  widowed  mother — for 
he  was  her  only  son — and  died  the  fol- 
lowing day. 

Hardened  men  were  struck  mute  with 
grief,  and  shed  tears  at  his  untimely 
fate  ;  and  if  men  so  unused  to  feel  could 
thus  be  moved,  what  must  have  been 
the  anguish  of  a  mother,  when  she  saw 
her  son  borne  home  in  the  agonies  of 
death,  and  who  had  left  her  in  all  the 
buoyancy  of  youth,  to  join  in  a  party 
of  professed  friends  ! ! 

He  was  the  only  prop  and  stay  of  her 
declining  years.  All  her  hopes  and  af- 
fections were  centred  in  him,  and  as 
she  gazed  upon  his  manly  form  during 
a  brief  struggle  with  the  "  King  of  Ter- 
rors," it  seemed  as  if  her  heart  would 
break. 

The  lonely  widow  followed  to  the 
silent  tomb  the  victim  of  a  barbarous 
custom,  who  met  his  death  by  going  to 
partake   of  a   social  glass   at  a  wine 

PARTY. 

(&)    DEATH    OF    MRS.  S.— Mrs. 

S was  once  the  most  admired  of 

all  the  ladies  in  her  village.  She  could 
sing  the  sweetest,  play  the  prettiest, 
talk  the  most  enchantingly,  dress  the 
most  fashionably  of  all  who  moved  in 
the  gay  circles.  Her  husband  was  a 
man  of  industry,  who  doted  upon  her, 
was  anxious  at  the  least  depression  of 
spirits,  and  allowed  her  every  indul- 
gence. When  the  temperance  reform 
commenced,  he  was  anxious  to  sign  the 
pledge ;  but  she  said  it  was  "  well 
enough  for  the  vulgar,  but  for  people  in 
genteel  life  it  would  never  do ;  they  could 
neither  go  into  parties,  nor  give  parties. 
Besides,"  said  she,  "  how  can  T  ever 
sing  or  dance  without  one  or  two  glasses 
of  wine  to  give  me  a  spring?"  Time 
rolled  on,  when  the  inquiry  began  "to  be 
made,  What  is  the  matter  with  the 
beautiful  Mrs.  S ?  On  the  side- 
walk, she  was  seen  to  reel  to  and  fro, 
and  in  her  parties  she  was  now  as  silly 
as  she  was  once  enchanting.  At  church, 


especially  in  the  afternoon  of  a  Sunday, 
no  sermon  could  keep  up  her  eyelids. 
Her  poor  husband  saw  the  change.  He 
devised  every  method  to  keep  liquor 
from  her,  but  all  in  vain.  He  soon 
died  of  vexation  and  a  broken  heart. 
She  now  gave  herself  up  to  brandy  and 
opium  ;  and  with  a  handsome  property, 
no  resort  was  too  low,  no  indulgence 
too  disgusting.  For  the  last  two  years 
of  her  life,  few  saw  her,  except  as  she 
was  stealing  away,  in  the  twilight  of 
evening,  with  a  cloak  on  her  head,  to 
the  very  lowest  grog-shops,  to  fill  her 
bottle.  One  day  her  neighbors  heard 
that  she  was  dying.  Three  respectable 
women  came  in  to  see  her,  and  found 
her  senseless  and  stupid,  just  surrender- 
ing her  lost  soul  into  the  hands  of  her 
Maker.  How  awful  the  scene  !  If 
there  are  any  young  females  who  read 
this,  let  them  be  admonished  to  beware 
of  the  exhilarating  glass — beware  of 
that  pronounced  most  innocent,  "  spark- 
ling champagne." 

(c)  THE  LITTLE  SUICIDE.— A 
writer  in  the  Vermont  Chronicle  relates 
the  following  as  a  fact  that  he  learned 
from  good  authority  :  "  I  wish  I  was 
dead,"  said  a  little  boy  one  day  to  his 
mother.  "  Why  ?"  asked  his  kind  mo- 
ther. "  Why,  the  boys  all  pester  me  so 
about  father,  and  I  don't  want  to  go 
again,  in  the  night,  to  the  store  after 
him."  His  mother  talked  to  him,  but 
thought  he  did  not  feel  in  earnest  about 
it.  But  one  day,  when  she  had  return- 
ed from  a  visit,  she  inquired  for  the 
children,  and  found  all  but  this  boy. 
She  looked,  she  called,  but  no  answer. 
She  went  to  the  barn  as  it  was  j  ust  grow- 
ing dark.  She  opened  the  door,  and  there, 
in  one  corner,  was  her  little  sensitive 
boy  hanging  by  the  neck.  She  burst  into 
tears.   "  Oh  my  son,  my  son,  is  it  you  ?" 

She  felt  his  cold  hands,  and  he  was 
dead.  And  at  the  funeral,  his  father 
promised  to  drink  no  more  rum :  "I 
have  for  ever  done."  A  long  time  he 
kept  his  promise.  One  day,  how- 
ever. Deacon  P.  was  in  the  store ;  and 
Deacon  P.  was  a  good  man  ;  he  drank ' 
but  little.  He  asked  for  some  brandy. 
And  while  he  drank  it,  he  saw  that 
same  man  who  had  been  a  drunkard 
looking  at  him ;  and  he  saw  too  that 
425 


334 


INTEMPERANCE. 


he  was  very  uneasy  ;  he  walked  about ; 
he  sat  down.  Again  he  would  go  to 
the  door  as  if  going  away.  He  was  in 
silent  thought.  At  length  he  went  to  the 
counter  and  asked  for  a  little  brandy  : 
"  I  may  drink  a  little  as  well  as  Deacon 
P."  He  did  drink,  and  became  a  con- 
firmed drunkard  again. 


M.  Fatal  Accidents,  Untimely  and  Awful 
Deaths. 

(a)  SPONTANEOUS  COMBUS- 
TION.— Dr.  Peter  Schofield,  of  Upper 
Canada,  gives  the  following  case  ;  a  ler- 
rible  monition  to  all  drunkards.  A 
young  man  of  about  25  years  of  age, 
had  been  an  habitual  drinker  for  many 
years.  I  saw  him  about  nine  o'clock 
in  the  evening  on  which  it  happened. 
He  was  thon,  as  usual,  not  drunk  but 
full  of  liquor.  About  eleven  the  same 
evening  I  was  called  to  see  him.  I 
found  him  literally  roasted  from  the 
crown  of  his  head  to  the  soles  of  his 
feet.  He  was  found  in  a  blacksmith's 
shop  just  across  the  way  from  where  he 
had  been.  The  owner  all  of  a  sudden 
discovered  an  extensive  light  in  his 
shop,  as  though  the  whole  building  was 
in  one  general  flame.  He  ran  with  the 
greatest  precipitancy,  and  on  flinging 
open  the  door,  found  a  man  standing 
erect  in  the  midst  of  a  widely-extended, 
silver-colored  blaze,  bearing,  as  he  de- 
scribed it,  exactly  the  appearance  of  the 
wick  of  a  burning  candle,  in  the  midst 
of  its  own  flame.  He  seized  him  by 
the  shoulder  and  jerked  him  to  the  door, 
upon  which  the  flame  was  instantly  ex- 
tmguished. 

There  was  no  fire  in  the  shop,  neither 
was  there  any  possibility  of  fire  having 
b(^en  communicated  to  him  from  any 
external  source.  It  was  purely  a  case 
of  spontaneous  ignition.  A  general 
sloughing  came  on ;  and  his  flesh  was 
consumed  or  removed  in  the  dressing, 
leaving  the  bones  and  a  few  of  the  larger 
blood-vessels  standing.  The  blood,  nev- 
ertheless, rallied  around  the  neart  and 
maintained  the  vital  spark  to  the  thir- 
teenth day,  when  he  died  ;  not  only  the 
most  loathsome,  ill-featured  and  dread- 
fiil  picture  that  was  ever  presented  to 
human  view,  but  his  shrieks,  his  cries 
426 


and  lamentations  were  enough  to  reno 
a  heart  of  adamant.  He  complained  of 
no  pain  of  body  ;  his  flesh  was  gone. 
He  said  he  was  suffering  the  torments 
of  hell ;  that  he  was  just  upon  its  thres- 
hold, and  should  soon  enter  its  dismal 
caverns  ;  and  in  this  frame  of  mind  he 
gave  up  the  ghost. 

In  all  such  cases.  Prof  Silliman  re- 
marks, the  entire  body  becoming  satu- 
rated with  alcohol,  absorbed  into  all  its 
tissues,  becomes  highly  inflammable,  as 
indicated  by  the  vapor  which  reeks 
from  the  breath  and  lungs  of  a  drunk- 
ard ;  this  vapor,  doubtless  highly  alco- 
holic, may  take  fire,  and  then  the  body 
slowly  consume. 

(h)  LOSS  OF  THE  NEPTUNE.— 
This  ship,  carrying  36  men,  sailed  from 
Aberdeen,  in  Scotland,  on  a  fine  morn- 
ing in  May,  with  the  fairest  prospect  of 
good  weather  and  a  prosperous  voyage. 
About  11  o'clock  the  wind  arose  from  the  ■ 
east,  and  swept  over  the  sea  with  over- 
whelming violence.     In  about  an  hour 
she  was  seen  standing  in,  but  under  such 
a  press  of  sail  as,  considering  the  gale, 
astonished  all  on  shore.       But   on  she 
came,  now  bounding  on  the  top  of  the 
sea,    and    then  almost  ingulfed  in  the 
foaming  cavern.     The  harbor  of  Aber- 
deen is  exposed  to  the  east,  and  formed 
by  a  pier  on  one  side,  and  a  breakwater  j 
on  the  other,  and  so  narrow  at  the  en-  * 
trance  as  not  to  admit  two  large  ships  \ 
abreast.     All  saw  that  something  was 
wrong  on  board.  One  attempt  was  made  I 
to  shorten  sail,  but  the  ship  was  then  | 
within  a  cable's  length  of  the  shore,  and  i 
urged  on  with  an  impetuosity  which  no 
human  power  could  withstand.      The 
wives  and  families  of  the  men  who  were 
thus  hastening  to  death  had  assembled 
near  the  pier  ;  but  all  stood  in  silent  hor- 
ror, broke  in  a  moment  by  the  cry,  "  she's 
lost !"  as  the  vessel,  lashed  on  by  the 
tempast,  passed  to  the  outer  side  of  the 
breakwater,  and  struck  with  awful  vio- 
lence between  two  black  rugged  rocks. 
The  cries  of  the  victims  were  mos<  hor- 
ribie.     Tne  dreadful  crisis  had  come, 
and  they  were  lost  indeed.     A  few  brave 
men  on  shore  endeavored  to  man  the  life 
boat,  and  take  it  round  the  breakwater, 
but  it  was  unavailing.     One  heavy  sea  i 
rolling  over  the  wreck  for    a  moment  i 


THE  INTEMPERATE  REFORMED. 


234,  235 


concealed  her,  and  when  the  people 
looked  again  she  was  gone  !  Her  crew 
and  timbers  were  hurled  against  the 
rocks,  and  with  the  exception  of  one  man, 
who  was  washed  up  and  lodged  on  a  pro- 
jecting edge,  none  escaped  of  the  36  who 
had  that  morning  left  the  shore  in  health 
and  spirits.  From  the  man  who  was 
saved,  the  melancholy  truth  was  learnt 
that  the  crew  were  all  intoxicated,  and 
could  not  manage  the  vessel. 

(c)  RUM  AND  RUIN.— The  Rev. 
Mr.  Scoresby,  preacher  to  seamen  in 
Liverpool,  was  for  many  years  the  mas- 
ter of  a  whale  ship  in  the  northern  seas. 
He  relates  the  following  fact,  of  which  he 
was  an  eye-witness.  It  is  given  in  his 
own  words. 

"  A  collier  brig  was  stranded  on  the 
Yorkshire  coast,  and  I  had  occasion  to 
assist  in  the  distressing  service  of  res- 
cuing a  part  of  the  crew  by  drawing 
them  up  a  vertical  cliff,  two  or  three  hun- 
dred feet  in  altitude,  by  means  of  a  very 
small  rope,  the  only  material  at  hand. 
The  first  two  men  who  caught  hold  of 
the  rope  were  hauled  safely  up  to  the 
top  ;  but  the  next,  after  being  drawn  to 
a  considerable  height,  slipped  his  hold 
and  fell ;  and  with  the  fourth  and  last 
who  ventured  upon  this  only  chance  of 
life,  the  rope  gave  way,  and  he  also  was 
plunged  into  the  foaming,  breakers  be- 
neath. Immediately  afterwards  the  ves- 
sel broke  up,  and  the  remnant  of  the  ill- 
fated  crew  perished  before  our  eyes. 
What  now  was  the  cause  of  this  heart- 
rending event  ?  Was  it  stress  of  wea- 
ther, or  a  contrary  wind,  or  unavoidable 
accident  ?  No  such  thing.  It  was  the 
entire  want  of  moral  conduct  in  the  crew. 
Every  sailor,  to  a  man,  was  in  a  state 
of  intoxication  !  The  helm  was  intrusted 
to  a  boy  ignorant  of  the  coast.  He  ran 
the  vessel  upon  the  rock  at  Whitby,  and 
one-half  of  the  miserable  dissipated  crew 
awoke  to  consciousness  in  eternity. 


2?§.  The  Intemperate  Reformed. 

(a)  PERSEVERANCE  REWARD- 
ED.— A  little  girl,  about  eight  years  old, 
once  took  a  temperance  paper,  at  a  tern- 
perance  meeting,  to  see  how  many  she 
could  get  to  sign  it.  The  next  morning 
she  presented  it  to  her  father,  who  had 


been  in  a  drunken  frolic  for  a  fortnight, 
and  came  home  drunk  while  his  little 
daughter  was  at  the  temperance  meet- 
ing the  night  before.  This  cruel  father 
raised  his  hand  and  struck  his  child  a 
blow  which  leveled  her  on  the  floor, 
and  said,  "  I'll  learn  you  to  be  saucy  to 
your  parents."  The  little  girl  got  up, 
and  picked  up  the  constitution,  which 
had  fallen  when  she  received  the  blow. 
She  took  it  with  her  to  school  that  day 
and  got  the  teacher  and  most  of  the  scho- 
lars to  sign  it.  When  she  had  leisure 
she  would  ask  her  mother  if  she  might 
go  to  such  and  such  a  neighbor's  and  see 
how  many  could  be  got  to  join  the  Tem- 
perance Society. 

Her  father  could  not  but  see  what  was 
doing  in  the  neighborhood.  For  two 
weeks  he  remained  at  home,  and  did  not 
use  a  drop  of  intoxicating  liquor,  a  thing 
he  had  not  done  for  years  before.  At 
the  end  of  that  period  he  said  to  his 
daughter,  "  Mary,  how  many  names 
have  you  got  on  your  temperance  con- 
stitution ?"  "  I  will  bring  it  and  see," 
she  replied.  As  her  father  was  count- 
ing the  names  she  stood  between  his 
knees,  and  when  he  had  looked  them 
over  he  said,  "  You  have  one  hundred 
and  fifty."  She  jumped  up  on  his  knee, 
threw  her  little  arms  around  her  faltier's 
neck,  and  impressed  a  sweet  kiss  on  his 
cheek,  and  said,  "  Do  you  sign  it  too, 
father,  and  then  there  will  be  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty-one." 

The  old  drunkard's  heart  was  melted. 
His  bosom  heaved — his  bloated,  haggard 
cheek  was  wet  with  the  tears  of  contri- 
tion— he  pressed  his  Mary  to  his  heart, 
and  said,  "  I  will  sign  it ;"  and  at  once 
affixed  his  name  to  the  constitution  and 
pledge. 

{h)  CURE  FOR  DRUNKENNESS. 
A  man  in  Maryland  notoriously  addict- 
ed  to  this  vice,  hearing  an  uproar  in  his 
kitchen  one  evening,  had  the  curiosity  to 
step,  without  noise,  to  the  door,  to  know 
what  was  the  matter,  when  he  beheld 
his  servants,  indulging  in  the  most  un- 
bounded roar  of  laughter  at  a  couple  ot 
his  negro  boys,  who  were  mimicking 
himself  in  his  drunken  fits ;  showing  how 
he  reeled  and  staggered  ;  how  he  looked 
and  nodded,  and  hickuped  and  tumbled. 
j  The  picture  which  these  children  of  na- 
427 


235 


INTEMPERANCE. 


ture  drew  of  him,  and  which  had  filled 
the  rest  with  so  much  merriment,  struck 
him  so  forcibly,  that  he  became  a  per- 
fectly sober  man,  to  the  unspeakable  joy 
of  his  wite  and  children. 

(c)  THE  DRUNKARD  AND  THE 
MONKEYS.— A  rich  drunkard  kept 
two  monkeys  for  his  sport.  One  day  he 
looked  into  his  dining-room,  where  he 
and  his  guests  had  left  some  wine,  and 
the  two  had  mounted  the  table,  and  were 
helping  themselves  generously  to  the 
wine — ;iabbering  and  gesturing,  as  they 
had  seen  their  master  and  his  guests. 
In  a  little  time  they  exhibited  all  the  ap- 
pearance of  drunken  men.  First  they 
were  merry,  and  jumped  about,  but 
soon  they  got  to  fighting  on  the  floor, 
and  tearing  out  one  another's  hair.  The 
drunkard  stood  in  amazement.  "  What !" 
said  he,  "is  this  a  picture  of  myself? 
Do  the  brutes  rebuke  me  ?"  It  so  affect- 
ed his  mind,  that  he  resolved  he  would 
never  drink  another  drop.  And  from 
that  day  he  was  never  known  to  be  any 
other  than  a  sober  and  a  happy  man. 

{d)  RULING  OVER  RUM.— Col. 

B was  a  man  of  amiable  manners 

and  well-informed  mind.  Being  much 
employed  in  public  business  which  call- 
ed him  from  place  to  place,  ardent  spi- 
rit ^^s  often  set  before  him  with  an  in- 
vitation to  drink.  At  first  he  took  a  so- 
cial glass  for  civility's  sake.  But  at 
length  a  habit  was  formed,  and  appetite 
began  to  crave  its  customary  indulgence. 
He  drank  more  largely,  and  once  or 
twice  was  quite  overcome.  His  friends 
were  alarmed.  He  was  on  the  brink 
of  a  precipice  from  which  many  had 
fallen  to  the  lowest  pitch  of  wretched- 
ness. In  his  sober  hours  he  saw  the 
danger  he  was  in.  Said  he  to  himself 
one  day  when  alone,  "  Shall  Colonel 
B rule,  or  shall  rum  rule  ?  If  Co- 
lonel   B rule,  he    and  his    family 

may  be  respectable  and  happy  ;  but  if 

rum  rule.  Colonel  B is  ruined,  his 

property  wasted,  and  his  family  made 
wretched  !"     At  length,  said  he,   I  set 

down  my  foot,  and  said,  "  Colonel  B 

shall  rule  and  rum  obey."     And  from 

that  day  Colonel  B did  rule.     He 

immediately  broke  off  from  his  intem- 
perate habits,  and  lived  to  a  good  old 
age,  virtuous,  respected,  and  happy.  Let  | 
428 


every  one  who  has  acquired  or  is  acqui- 
ring a  similar  habit,  go  and  do  likewise, 
(e)  REFORMATION  OF  WM. 
WIRT.— The  distinguished  William 
Wirt,  within  six  or  eight  months  af\er 
his  first  marriage,  became  addicted  to 
intemperance,  the  effect  of  which  ope- 
rated strongly  on  the  mind  and  health 
of  his  wife,  and  in  a  few  months  more  i 
she  was  numbered  with  the  dead.  Her  > 
death  led  him  to  leave  the  county  where 
he  resided,  and  he  moved  to  Richmond, 
where  he  soon  rose  to  distinction.  But 
his  habits  hung  about  him,  and  occa- 
sionally he  was  found  with  jolly  and  ' 
frolicsome  spirits,  in  bacchanalian  rev- 
elry. His  true  friends  expostulated 
with  him,  to  convince  him  of  the  injury 
he  was  doing  himself.  But  he  still  per- 
sisted. His  practice  began  to  fall  off, 
and  many  looked  on  him  as  on  the  sure 
road  to  ruin.  He  was  advised  to  get 
married,  with  a  view  of  correcting  his 
habits.  This  he  consented  to  do,  if  the 
right  person  offered.  He  accordingly 
paid  his  addresses  to  a  Miss  Gamble. 
After  some  months'  attention,  he  asked 
her  hand  in  marriage ;  she  replied, — 
"  Mr.  Wirt,  I  have  been  well  aware  of 
your  intentions  for  some  time  back,  and 
should  have  given  you  to  understand 
that  your  visits  and  attentions  were  not 
acceptable,  had  I  not  reciprocated  the 
affection  which  you  evinced  for  me. 
But  I  cannot  yield  my  assent  until  you 
make  me  a  pledge  never  to  taste,  touch, 
or  handle  any  intoxicating  drinks." 
This  reply  to  Mr.  Wirt  was  as  unex- 
pected as  it  was  novel.  His  reply  was, 
that  he  regarded  the  proposition  as  a 
bar  to  all  farther  consideration  of  the 
subject,  and  left  her.  Her  course  to 
him  was  the  same  as  ever — his,  resent- 
ment and  neglect.  In  the  course  of  a 
few  weeks  he  went  again,  and  again  so- 
licited her  hand.  But  her  reply  was, 
her  mind  was  made  up.  He  became 
indignant,  and  regarded  the  terms  she 
proposed  as  insulting  to  his  honor,  and 
vowed  it  should  be  the  last  meeting  they 
should  ever  have.  He  took  to  drinking 
worse  and  worse,  and  seemed  to  run 
headlong  to  ruin.  One  day,  while  lying 
in  the  outskirts  of  the  city,  near  a  little 
grocery  or  grog-shop,  dead  drunk,  a 
young  lady,  whom  it  is  not  necessary 


MISCELLANEOUS. 


236 


to  name,  was  passing  that  way  to  her 
home,  not  far  off,  and  beheld  him  with  his 
face  upturned  to  the  rays  of  the  scorch- 
ing sun.  She  took  her  handkerchief, 
with  her  own  name  marked  upon  it,  and 
placed  it  over  his  face.  After  he  had 
remained  in  that  way  for  some  hours, 
he  was  awakened,  and  his  thirst  being 
so  great,  he  went  into  the  little  grocery 
or  grog-shop  to  get  a  drink,  when  he 
discovered  the  handkerchief,  at  which 
he  looked,  and  the  name  that  was  on  it. 
After  pausing  a  few  minutes,  he  ex- 
claimed— "Great  God!  who  lefl  this 
with  me !  Who  placed  this  on  my 
face  !"  No  one  knew.  He  dropped  the 
glass,  exclaiming,  "  Enough  !  Enough  !" 
He  retired  instantly  from  the  store,  for- 
getting his  thirst,  but  not  the  debauch, 
the  handkerchief,  or  the  lady,  vowing, 
if  God  gave  him  strength,  never  to 
touch,  taste,  or  handle  intoxicating 
drinks. 

To  meet  Miss  G.  again  was  the  hard- 
est effort  of  his  life.  If  he  met  her  in 
her  carriage,  or  on  foot,  he  would  dodge 
round  the  nearest  corner.  She  at  last 
addressed  him  a  note  under  her  own 
hand,  inviting  him  to  her  house,  which 
he  finally  gathered  courage  enough  to 
accept.  He  told  her  if  she  still  bore 
affection  for  him,  he  would  agree  to  her 
own  terms.  Her  reply  was :  "  My 
conditions  are  now  what  they  ever  have 
been."  "  Then,"  said  the  disenthralled 
Wirt,  "  I  accept  them." 

They  were  soon  married ;  and  from 
that  day  he  kept  his  word,  and  his  af- 
fairs brightened,  while  honors  and  glory 
gathered  thick  upon  his  brow.  His 
name  has  been  enrolled  high  in  the 
temple  of  fame,  while  his  deeds,  his 
patriotism  and  renown,  live  after  him 
with  imperishable  lustre.  How  many 
noble  minds  might  the  young  ladies 
save,  if  they  would  follow  the  example 
of  the  heroine-hearted  Miss  G.,  the 
friend  of  humanity,  of  her  country,  and 
the  relation  of  La  Fayette. 


216.  Miscellaneous. 

(a)  DRUNKARDS  OF  THE  RE- 
VOLUTION.— Benedict  Arnold,  the 
traitor  who  attempted  to  betray  his 
country,  was  a  rum-seller  and  a  drunk- 


ard. Three  of  the  most  important  de- 
feats of  the  American  army,  during  the 
Revolution,  were  sustained  by  men  who 
died  drunkards.  Had  a  sober  crew 
been  on  board  the  Chesapeake,  the  brave 
Lawrence  would  never  have  had  to  say 
to  his  men,  "  Don't  give  up  the  ship." 
(b)  MR.  BISHOP'S  DELIRIUM 
TREMENS.— The  delirium  tremens 
is  one  of  the  most  awful  effects  of  in- 
temperance. Says  Mr.  Bishop,  of  New- 
Haven,  "  I  had  been  for  three  weeks 
beastly  drunk.  One  of  my  first  recol- 
lections is  that  I  was  forced  into  my 
own  house.  I  remonstrated,  and  was 
told  that  I  had  endeavored  to  kill  a 
neighbor.  As  soon  as  I  found  an  op- 
portunity, I  seized  a  gun  and  rushed 
out  with  the  intention  of  shooting  my 
friend.  I  was  immediately  disarmed 
and  forced  back  into  the  house.  My 
mind  was  then  seized  with  a  frenzy. 
I  stood  in  the  centre  of  the  room.  I 
thought  I  heard  my  old  companions 
without  whispering  together  about  ap- 
pointing a  committee  to  call  on  me.  I 
refused  to  see  them.  It  seemed  to  me 
they  were  coming  to  murder  me,  and  I 
cried  out  in  the  greatest  terror.  I  was 
then  secured  and  placed  in  bed.  The 
physician  stood  at  the  head  of  the  bed 
and  several  of  his  students  were  with 
him.  He  told  me  I  must  be  still.  They 
were  going  to  perform  an  operation.  I 
did  not  like  the  appearance  of  things. 
The  students  hung  up  wires  all  about 
the  room.  I  saw  them  talking  with  my 
wife  and  telling  her  she  had  better  give 
her  consent.  They  prepared  a  machine 
to  flay  me  alive,  and  began  to  cut  my 
flesh  with  saws,  pull  off  my  skin  in 
strings  and  hang  them  upon  the  wires. 
Then  it  seemed  to  me  a  cage  full  of 
wild  beasts  were  let  loose  upon  me. 
Now  a  tiger  was  ready  to  pounce  upon 
me.  At  one  moment  I  thought  my 
breast  was  full  of  animals.  I  asked  a 
young  man  to  drag  them  out,  which  he 
did ;  and  every  time  he  drew  one  out, 
a  horrid  sensation  of  faintness  came 
over  me.  At  length  I  discovered  that 
all  these  horrid  sensations  of  sawing 
and  flaying,  (fee,  were  occasioned  by  ef- 
forts to  wake  me  up. 

I  am  sometimes  asked  whether   the 
illusions  of  the  delirium  tremens  are  not 
429 


d37 


JEWS. 


always  distressing.  They  are  not.  At 
one  time  I  had  about  five  hours  of  per- 
feet  happiness.  The  asparagus  bush 
which  was  used  to  brush  off  the  flies, 
seemed  to  me  exceedingly  beautiful.  It 
was  full  of  the  birds  of  Paradise,  and 
my  ears  were  enraptured  with  the  most 
delightful  music. 

But  in  general  the  illusion  is  of  the 
most  "horrid  character.  At  one  time  I 
thought  my  companions  were  assaulting 
me  with  hooks,  which  they  endeavored 
to  strike  into  my  flesh.  I  stood  on  the 
defence  in  the  centre  of  the  room  for 
seven  hours,  fighting  with  all  my  might 
until  the  sweat  from  my  body  stood  in 
puddles  on  the  floor.  On  another  oc- 
casion I  thought  my  watchers  were  en- 
deavoring to  murder  me.  I  sprang  from 
my  bed  and  ran  out,  my  pulse  170  a 
minute,  and  I  was  brought  to  death's 
door.  For  18  days  I  endured  the  utmost 
horror  of  mind.  Three  times  my  case 
was  given  over  as  hopeless." 


(c)  GOOD  REASON  FOR  SO- 
BRIETY.— A  gentleman  on  entering 
a  stage  coach,  rubbing  his  head,  with  a 
yawn  said,  "  My  head  aches  dread- 
fully;  I  was  very  drunk  last  night." 
A  person  affecting  surprise,  replied, 
"  Drunk,  sir  !  what !  do  you  get 
drunk?"  "Yes,"  said  he,  "and  so 
does  every  one  at  times,  I  believe.  I 
have  no  doubt  but  you  do."  "No,  sir!" 
he  replied,  "  I  do  not."  "  What !  ne- 
ver ?"  "  No,  never  ;  and  amongst  other 
reasons  I  have  for  it,  one  is,  I  never 
find,  being  sober,  that  I  have  too  much 
sense  ;  and  I  am  loth  to  lose  what  little 
I  have."  This  remark  put  an  end  to 
the  conversation. 

(d)  LAW  OF  PITTACUS.— By 
one  of  the  laws  of  Pittacus,  one  of  the 
seven  wise  men  of  Greece,  every  fault 
committed  by  a  person  when  intoxicat- 
ed, was  deemed  worthy  of  a  double 
punishment. 


237.  JEWS. 


(a)  THE  RABBI'S  CALCULA- 
TION.—-Dr.  South  informs  us,  that  a 
Rabbi,  who  lived  about  fifty  years  be- 
fore Christ,  upon  the  consideration  of 
Jacob's  prophecy.  Gen.  xlix.  10,  and  of 
Daniel's  seventy  weeks,  (Dan.  ix.)  said, 
that  it  was  impossible  for  the  coming  of 
the  Messiah  to  be  deferred  beyond  fifty 
years  ;  a  proportion  of  time  vastly  dif- 
ferent from  that  of  eighteen  hundred. 

(h)  A  QUESTION  FOR  JEWS.— 
Bishop  Patrick  quotes  the  following  af- 
fecting inquiry  addressed  by  Rabbi  Sa- 
muel Moraccanus  to  a  friend  in  the 
eleventh  century : — 

"I  would  fain  learn  from  thee,  out 
of  the  testimonies  of  the  law,  and  the 
prophets,  and  other  scriptures,  why  the 
Jews  are  thus  smitten  in  this  captivity 
wherein  we  are,  which  may  be  properly 
termed  the  perpetual  anger  of  God, 
because  it  hath  no  end.  For  it  is  now 
above  a  thousand  years  since  we  were 
carried  captive  by  Titus ;  and  yet  our 
fathers,  who  worshiped  idols,  killed  the 
Prophets,  and  cast  the  law  behind  their 
back,  were  only  punished  with  a  seven- 
430 


ty  years'  captivity  and  then  brought 
home  again  :  but  now  there  is  no  end  of 
our  calamities,  nor  do  the  prophets  pro- 
mise any." 

"  If,"  says  Bishop  Patrick,  "  this  ar- 
gument was  hard  to  be  answered  then, 
in  his  days,  it  is  much  harder  in  ours, 
who  still  see  them  pursued  by  God's 
vengeance ;  which  can  be  for  nothing 
else  but  rejecting  and  crucifying  the 
Messiah,  the  Savior  of  the  world." 

(c)  THE  RABBI'S  ADMISSIONS. 
— A  learned  rabbi  of  the  Jews,  at  Alep- 
po, being  dangerously  ill,  called  his 
friends  together,  and  desired  them  seri- 
ously to  consider  the  various  former 
captivities  endured  by  their  nation,  as  a 
punishment  for  the  hardness  of  their 
hearts,  and  their  present  captivity, 
which  was  continued  sixteen  hundred 
years,  "the  occasion  of  which,"  said 
he,  "is  doubtless  our  unbelief.  We 
have  long  looked  for  the  Messiah,  and 
the  Christians  have  believed  in  one  Je- 
sus, of  our  nation,  who  was  of  the  seed 
of  Abraham  and  David,  and  bom  in 
Bethlehem,  and,   for  aught  we   know, 


JEWS. 


237 


may  be  the  true  Messiah  ;  and  we  may- 
have  suffered  this  long  captivity  be- 
cause we  have  rejected  him.  There- 
fore my  advice  is,  as  my  last  words, 
that  if  the  Messiah,  which  we  expect, 
do  not  come  at  or  about  the  year  1650, 
reckoning  from  the  birth  of  their  Christ, 
then  you  may  know  and  believe  that 
this  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  and  you  shall 
have  no  other." 

(d)  THE  LEIPSIC  STUDENT.— 
A  poor  student,  of  the  university  of 
Leipsic,  having  occasion  to  undertake 
a  journey  to  his  distant  friends,  was  in 
want  of  the  money  needful  for  the  pur- 
pose, and  was  compelled  to  go  to  a  Jew, 
to  pawn  his  Hebrew  Bible  and  Greek 
Testament.  The  latter  contained  the 
Greek  and  German  text  in  opposite  co- 
lumns. The  Jew,  little  as  he  valued 
this  book,  was  prevailed  on  to  giiie  the 
student  half  a  rix-doUar  for  it.  During 
the  absence  of  the  student  he  deter- 
mined to  read  it  through,  with  a  view 
of  confirming  his  enmity  against  Jesus, 
and  to  be  the  better  prepared  to  testify 
his  zeal  for  the  Jewish  faith.  He  con- 
cealed it  from  his  family,  and  com- 
menced its  perusal,  which,  as  the  young 
man  was  absent  seven  weeks,  he  had 
time  to  do.  As  he  read,  he  was  sur- 
prised and  impressed,  and  at  times  was 
ready  to  exclaim,  "  Oh  that  Jesus  was 
my  Saviour !"  When  he  had  gone 
through  the  book,  he  was  greatly  per- 
plexed and  astonished,  that  he  had  been 
able  to  find  nothing  to  increase  his  ha- 
tred to  Jesus,  but  had  rathered  discov- 
ered much  that  was  sublime  and  heav- 
enly. He  now  charged  himself  with 
folly,  and  resolved  to  open  the  book  no 
more.  He  adhered  to  this  resolution  for 
several  days,  but  was  soon  compelled  to 
peruse  it  a  second  time,  with  the  deter- 
mination to  be  more  careful  in  ascer- 
taining that  Jesus  and  his  apostles  had 
deserved  the  hatred  of  Jews  in  all  ages. 
Still  he  was  unable  to  find  what  he 
wished ;  while  he  was  impressed  with 
the  consolation  it  imparted  to  the  afflict- 
ed, and  the  immortality  of  glory  it  re- 
vealed, which  seemed  to  remove  the 
anxiety  he  had  long  felt  on  this  subject. 
He  was  compelled  a  third  time  to  read 


the  book  ;  and  now  the  history,  the  doc- 
trines, and  the  promises  of  Jesus  des- 
troyed  his  opposition,  and  melted  his 
soul.  He  was  overcome  to  tears,  and 
resolved  on  embracing  the  doctrines  of 
the  cross.  He  announced  his  change 
to  a  Christian  minister,  purchased  the 
New  Testament  of  the  student,  to  whom 
he  became  a  warmly  attached  friend, 
and  continued  to  give  evidence  of  being 
a  consistent  Christian. 

(e)  THE  TRANSLATOR  CON- 
VERTED.— When  the  Rev.  Claudius 
Buchanan  was  traveling  in  India,  he 
obtained  from  the  Jews  in  the  interior 
of  that  country  a  very  singular  copy  of 
the  translation  of  the  New  Testament 
into  Hebrew,  made  in  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury. The  translator  was  a  learned  rab- 
bi, and  the  translation  is,  in  general, 
faithful.  The  design  of  the  translator 
was  to  make  an  accurate  version  of  the 
New  Testament,  for  the  express  purpose 
of  confuting  it,  and  of  repelling  the  ar- 
guments of  his  neighbors,  the  Syrian 
or  St.  Thome  Christians.  But  behold 
the  providence  of  God !  the  translator 
became  a  convert  to  Christianity;  his 
own  work  subdued  his  unbelief;  and 
he  lived  and  died  in  the  faith  of  Christ. 
This  manuscript  is  now  in  the  public 
library  at  Cambridge. 

(/)  DEATH-BED  OF  THE  JEW. 
— In  his  interesting  work,  "  Judah  and 
Israel,"  Mr.  Frey,  a  converted  Jew,  and 
who  for  more  than  forty  years  has  la- 
bored among  this  people  as  a  minister  of 
the  gospel,  says :  "  For  seven  long 
years,  while  officiating  Rabbi  in  the 
synagogue,  it  was  my  painful  lot  to  at- 
tend the  sick  and  dying ;  and  while  I 
found  all  of  them  sensible  of  their  being 
sinners,  and  exposed  to  the  wrath  of  God, 
I  never  found  one  saying,  like  good  old 
Simeon,  '  Now,  Lord,  lettest  thou  thy 
servant  depart  in  peace,  for  mine  eyes 
have  seen  thy  salvation.'  " 

(g)  ROCHESTER'S  CONFES- 
SION.— The  celebrated  Lord  Roches- 
ter had  lived  a  long  while  in  infidelity, 
but  there  was  one  argument  in  favor  of 
Christianity  which  he  declared  he  could 
never  set  aside,  namely :  the  existing 
state  and  circumstances  of  the  Jews. 


431 


238 


JUDGMENT  DAY. 


238.  JUDGMENT  DAY. 


(a)  THE  DARK  DAY  AND  THE 
LEGISLATOR— The  19th  of  May, 
1780,  was  remarkably  dark  in  Connec- 
ticut. Candles  were  lighted  in  many 
houses ;  the  birds  were  silent,  and  dis- 
appeared ;  and  domestic  fowls  retired  to 
roost.  The  people  were  impressed  by 
the  idea,  that  the  day  of  judgment  was 
at  hand.  This  opinion  was  entertained 
by  the  legislature,  at  that  time  sitting  at 
Hartford.  The  house  of  representa- 
tives  adjourned :  the  council  proposed 
to  follow  the  example.  Colonel  Daven- 
port objected.  "  The  day  of  judgment," 
he  said,  "  is  either  approaching,  or  it  is 
not.  If  it  is  not,  there  is  no  cause  for 
an  adjournment :  if  it  is,  I  choose  to  be 
found  doing  my  duty.  I  wish,  there- 
fore, that  candles  may  be  brought." 

(b)  CHILD'S  DREAM  OF  THE 

JUDGMENT. The    Rev.    Herbert 

Mends,  of  Plymouth,  Eng.,  speaking 
of  his  early  religious  impressions,  says-: 
"  If  any  particular  circumstance  might 
be  considered  as  making  a  more  deep, 
lasting,  and  serious'  impression,  than 
others,  it  was  a  dream  which  I  had 
when  at  school  at  Ottery.  I  felt  the 
apprehension  of  the  approach  of  the  last 
great  judgment  day.  I  well  remember 
all  the  attending  circumstances;  and 
observed  that  they  were  perfectly  cor- 
responding to  the  description  of  that 
awful  event,  recorded  in  the  Gospel  of 
Matthew.  After  I  had  perceived  vast 
multitudes  of  the  human  race  appearing 
before  the  throne  of  Christ,  some  being 
approved,  and  others  rejected,  I  at  length 
beheld  my  beloved  father  and  mother, 
and  several  of  the  family,  summoned  to 
appear.  Great  agitation  was  awakened 
in  my  breast ;  but  I  heard  them  distinct- 
ly examined,  and  as  distinctly  heard  the 
Judge  say,  '  Well  done,'  &c.  At  this 
period,  my  whole  soul  was  filled  with 


horror  indescribable,  being  conscious 
that  I  was  not  prepared  to  pass  my  final 
scrutiny.  At  length  my  name  was  an- 
nounced, and  I  felt  all  the  agonies  of  a 
mind  fully  expecting  to  be  banished  from 
the  presence  of  God,  and  the  glory  of 
his  power.  The  Judge  then,  with  a 
stern  countenance,  and  in  language 
which  struck  me  with  mingled  shame 
and  hope,  said,  '  Well,  what  sayest  : 
thou  V  I  fell  at  his  feet,  and  implored 
mercy,  and  prayed,  '  Lord,  spare  me 
yet  a  little  longer,  and  when  thou  shalt 
call  for  me  again,  I  hope  to  be  ready.' 
With  a  smile,  which  tranquilized  my 
spirit!)  the  Lord  replied,  J  Go,  then,  and 
improve  the  time  given  thee.'  The  ex- 
treme agitation  of  my  mind  awoke  me. 
But  so  deep  was  the  impression,  that  I 
have  never  forgotten  it." 

(c)  CONFIDENCE  OF  JANE- 
WAY. — "  I  remember,"  says  the  wri- 
ter of  Mr.  John  Janeway's  life,  "  once 
there  was  a  great  talk  that  one  had  fore- 
told that  doomsday  should  be  on  such  a 
day.  Although  he  blamed  their  daring 
folly  that  could  pretend  to  know  that 
which  was  hid,  yet,  granting  their  sus- 
picion to  be  true,  what  then  ?  said  he  ; 
what  if  the  day  of  judgment  were  come, 
as  it  will  most  certainly  come  shortly  ? 
If  I  were  sure  the  day  of  judgment  were 
to  come  within  an  hour,  I  should  be  glad 
with  all  my  heart.  If,  at  this  very  in- 
stant, I  should  hear  such  thunderings, 
and  see  such  lightnings  as  Israel  did  at 
Mount  Sinai,  I  am  persuaded  my  very 
heart  would  leap  for  joy.  But  this  I  am 
confident  of,  through  infinite  mercy, 
that  the  very  meditation  of  that  day 
hath  even  ravished  my  soul ;  and  the 
thought  of  the  certainty  and  nearness  of 
it,  is  more  refreshing  to  me  than  the 
comforts  of  the  whole  world." 


432 


JUSTICE  AND  EQUITY. 


339 


239.  JUSTICE  AND  EQUITY. 


(a)  SOCRATES  AND  CHERI- 
CLES. — While  Athens  was  governed 
by  thirty  tyrants,  Socrates  the  philoso- 
pher was  summoned  to  the  senate-house, 
and  ordered  to  go  with  some  other  per- 
sons they  named,  to  seize  one  Leon,  a 
man  of  rank  and  fortune,  whom  they 
determined  to  put  out  of  the  way,  that 
they  might  enjoy  his  estate.  This  com- 
mission Socrates  flatly  refused,  and,  not 
satisfied  therewith,  added  his  reasons  for 
such  refusal :  "  I  will  never  willingly 
assist  an  unjust  act."  Chericles  sharp- 
ly replied,  "  Dost  thou  think,  Socrates, 
to  talk  always  in  this  high  style,  and  not 
to  suffer ?"  "Far  from  it,"" added  he  ; 
"  I  expect  to  suffer  a  thousand  ills,  but 
none  so  great  as  to  do  unjustly." 

(b)  THEMISTOCLES'  PROJECT. 
— Themistocles  having  conceived  the 
design  of  transferring  the  government 
of  Greece  from  the  hands  of  the  Lace- 
demonians, into  those  of  the  Athenians, 
kept  his  thoughts  continually  fixed  on  this 
great  project.  Being  at  no  time  very  nice 
or  scrupulous  in  the  choice  of  his  meas- 
ures, he  thought  any  thing  which  could 
tend  to  the  accomplishment  of  the  end 
he  had  in  view,  just  and  lawful.  In  an 
assembly  of  the  people  one  day,  he  ac- 
cordingly intimated  that  he  had  a  very 
important  design  to  propose,  but  he  could 
not  communicate  it  to  the  people  at  large, 
because  the  greatest  secrecy  was  neces- 
sary to  its  success  ;  he  therefore  desired 
that  they  would  appoint  a  person  to  whom 
he  might  explain  himself  on  the  subject. 
Aristides  was  unanimously  pitched  upon 
by  the  assembly,  who  referred  them- 
selves entirely  to  his  opinion  of  the  af- 
fair. Themistocles  taking  him  aside, 
told  him  that  the  design  he  had  conceiv- 
ed, was  to  burn  the  fleet  belonging  to 
the  rest  of  the  Grecian  states,  which 
then  lay  in  a  neighboring  port,  when 
Athens  would  assuredly  become  mis- 
tress of  all  Greece.  Aristides  returned 
to  the  assembly,  and  declared  to  them, 
that  nothing  could  be  more  advantageous 
to  the  commonwealth,  than  the  project 
of  Themistocles  ;  but  that,  at  the  same 

28 


time,  nothing  in  the  world  could  be  more  ^ 
unfair;  Without  inquiring  further,  the 
assembly  unanimously  declared,  that 
since  such  was  the  case,  Themistocles 
should  wholly  abandon  his  project. 
(c)CONSCIENTIOUS  JUDGE.— Sir 
Matthew  Hale,  when  chief  baron  of  the 
exchequer,  was  very  exact  and  impar- 
tial in  his  administration  of  justice.  He 
would  never  receive  any  private  ad- 
dresses or  recommendations  from  the 
greatest  persons  in  any  matter  in  which 
justice  was  concerned.  One  of  the  first 
peers  of  England  went  once  to  his 
chamber,  and  told  him  "  that,  having 
a  suit  in  law  to  be  tried  before  him,  he 
was  then  to  acquaint  him  with  it,  that 
he  might  the  better  understand  it  when 
it  should  come  to  be  heard  in  court." 
Upon  which  Sir  Matthew  interrupted 
him,  and  said  "  he  did  not  deal  fairly 
to  come  to  his  chamber  about  such  af- 
fairs, for  he  never  received  any  infor- 
mation of  causes  but  in  open  court, 
where  both  parties  were  to  be  heard 
alike,"  so  he  would  not  suffer  him  to  go 
on.  Whereupon  his  grace  (for  he  was 
a  duke)  went  away  not  a  little  dissatis- 
fied, and  complained  of  it  to  the  king  as 
a  rudeness  that  was  not  to  be  endur- 
ed. But  his  majesty  bade  him  content 
himself  that  he  was  no  worse  used, 
and  said  "  he  verily  believed  he  would 
have  used  himself  no  better  if  he  had 
gone  to  solicit  him  in  any  of  his  own 
causes." 

Another  passage  ffell  out  in  one  of  his 
circuits,  which  was  somewhat  censured 
as  an  affectation  of  unreasonable  strict- 
ness ;  but  it  flowed  from  the  exactness 
of  the  rules  he  had  set  himself.  A 
gentleman  had  sent  him  a  buck  for  hi3 
table  that  had  a  trial  at  the  assizes ;  so, 
when  he  heard  his  name,  he  asked  "  if 
he  was  not  the  same  person  that  had 
sent  him  venison."  And  finding  that 
he  was  the  same,  he  told  him  "  he 
could  not  suffer  the  trial  to  go  on  till  he 
had  paid  him  for  his  buck."  To  which 
the  gentleman  answered  "  that  he  never 
sold  his  venison,  and  that  he  had  done 
433 


2S9 


JUSTICE  AND  EQUITY. 


nothing  to  him  which  he  did  not  do  to 
every  judge  that  had  gone  that  circuit," 
which  was  confirmed  by  several  gentle- 
men then  present ;  but  all  would  not  do, 
for  the  lord  chief  baron  had  learned  from 
Solomon  that  "  a  gift  perverteth  the  ways 
of  judgment;"  and  therefore  he  would 
not  suffer  the  trial  to  go  on  till  he  had 
paid  for  the  present ;  upon  which  the 
gentleman  withdrew  the  record.  And 
at  Salisbury,  the  dean  and  chapter 
having,  according  to  custom,  presented 
him  with  six  sugar  loaves  in  his  circuit, 
he  made  his  servants  pay  for  the  sugar 
before  he  would  try  their  cause. 

(d )  ARISTIDES  IN  JUDGMENT. 
— Aristides  being  judge  between  two 
private  persons,  one  of  them  declared 
that  his  adversary  had  greatly  injured 
Aristides.  "  Relate  rather,  good  friend," 
said  he,  interrupting  him,  "  what  wrong 
he  hath  done  to  thee,  for  it  is  thy  cause, 
not  mine,  that  I  now  sit  judge  of" 

(e)  BANISHMENT  OF  ARIS- 
TIDES.— A  tragedy  by  ^Eschylus  was 
once  represented  before  the  Athenians, 
in  which  it  was  said  of  one  of  the  charac- 
ters, "  that  he  cared  not  more  to  he  just 
than  to  appear  so."  At  these  words  all 
eyes  were  instantly  turned  upon  Aris- 
tides as  the  man  who,  of  all  the  Greeks, 
most  merited  that  distinguished  charac- 
ter. Ever  after  he  received,  by  uni- 
versal consent,  the  surname  of  the  Just ; 
a  title,  says  Plutarch,  truly  royal,  or, 
rather,  truly  divine.  This  remarkable 
distinction  roused  envy,  and  envy  pre- 
vailed so  far  as  to  procure  his  banish- 
ment for  ten  years  upon  the  tmjust  sus- 
picion that  his  influence  with  the  people 
was  dangerous  to  their  freedom.  When 
the  sentence  was  passed  by  his  country- 
men, Aristides  himself  was  present  in 
the  midst  of  them,  and  a  stranger  who 
stood  near,  and  could  not  write,  applied 
to  him  to  write  for  him  in  his  shell. 
"  What  name  ?"  asked  the  philosopher. 
"  Aristides,"  replied  the  stranger.  "  Do 
you  kr^w  him,  then,"  said  Aristides, 
"or, has  he  in  any  way  injured  you?" 
"  Neither,"  said  the  other  ;  "  but  it  is 
for  this  very  thing  I  would  he  were  con- 
demned. I  can  go  nowhere  but  I  hear 
of  Aristides  the  Just."  Aristides  in- 
quired no  further,  but  took  the  shell  and 
wrote  his  name  in  it  as  desired. 

434 


The  absence  of  Aristides  soon  dissi- 
pated the  apprehensions  which  his 
countrymen  had  so  idly  imbibed.  He 
was  in  a  short  time  recalled,  and  for 
many  years  after  took  a  leading  part 
in  the  affairs  of  the  republic,  without 
showing  the  least  resentment  against  his 
enemies,  or  seeking  any  other  gratifi- 
cation than  that  of  serving  his  country 
with  fidelity  and  honor.  His  disregard 
for  money  was  strikingly  manifested  at 
his  death  ;  for  though  he  was  frequent- 
ly treasurer  as  well  as  general,  he 
scarcely  left  sufl[icient  to  defray  the  ex- 
penses  of  his  burial. 

The  virtues  of  Aristides  did  not  pass 
without  reward.  He  had  two  daughters, 
who  were  educated  at  the  expense  of 
the  state,  and  to  whom  portions  were 
allotted  from  the  public  treasury. 

(/)  LOCKE'S  RESIGNATION.— 
The  integrity  of  this  great  man  was 
eminently  displayed  on  several  occa- 
sions ;  but  the  following  evfent,  which 
closed  his  political  life,  is  worthy  of 
particular  notice : — 

After  the  English  revolution  of  1688, 
his  high  name  and  merits  opened  to  him 
the  prospect  of  honor  and  riches,  which, 
however,  he  declined.  King  William 
III  pressed  him  to  go  on  an  embassy  to 
one  of  the  principal  courts  in  Europe, 
which  he  respectfully  refused.  His 
majesty  then  appointed  him  to  a  seat  as 
one  of  the  commissioners  of  the  Board 
of  Trade  and  Plantations.  This  post, 
which  was  perfectly  suited  to  his  talents, 
he  held  for  some  years ;  but,  at  length, 
when  the  air  of  London  was  found  to 
disagree  with  his  health,  he  resigned 
the  place  to  the  king  in  person,  saying, 
that  his  conscience  would  not  permit 
him  to  retain  a  situation  the  duties  of 
which  he  could  not  discharge.  The 
king  entreated  him  to  continue  in  it, 
telling  him  that  though  he  could  stay  in 
London  but  a  few  weeks,  his  services 
would  be  very  necessary.  Mr.  Locke, 
however,  persisted  in  his  resolution; 
thus  relinquishing  one  thousand  pounds 
a  year,  which  he  might  have  kept  till 
his  death.  When  he  was  told  by  a 
friend  that  he  might  have  made  a  com- 
position with  any  new  candidate,  and 
thereby  have  gained  some  advantage 
without  giving  up  the  whole  income,  he 


JUSTICE  AND  EQUITY. 


239 


replied,  "  I  know  it  very  well,  that  I 
might  have  done  so ;  and  that  was  the 
very  reason  why  I  did  not  communicate 
my  design  to  any  one.  I  received  my 
commission  directly  from  the  king,  and 
to  him  I  resolved  to  restore  it,  that  he 
might  have  the  pleasure  of  bestowing  it 
upon  some  worthy  man  better  able  to 
fulfil  the  duties  than  myself." 

(g)  MORVILLIERS  AND 
CHARLES  IX.— Morvilliers,  keeper 
of  the  seals  to  Charles  the  Ninth  of 
France,  was  one  day  ordered  by  his 
sovereign  to  put  the  seals  to  the  pardon 
of  a  nobleman  who  had  committed  mur- 
der. He  refused.  The  king  then  took 
the  seals  out  of  his  hands,  and  having 
put  them  himself  to  the  instrument  of 
remission,  returned  them  immediately  to 
Morvilliers ;  who  refused  to  take  them 
again,  saying,  "  The  seals  have  twice 
put  me  in  a  situation  of  great  honor ; 
once  when  I  received  them,  and  again 
when  I  resigned  them." 

[h)  LOUIS  XIV  AND  HIS  CHAN- 
CELLOR.— Louis  the  Fourteenth  had 
granted  a  pardon  to  a  nobleman  who 
had  committed  some  very  great  crime. 
M.  Voisin,  the  chancellor,  ran  to  him  in 
his  closet,  and  exclaimed,  "  Sire,  you 
cannot  pardon  a  person  in  the  situation 

of  Mr. ."    "  I  have  promised  him," 

replied  the  king,  who  was  ever  impa- 
tient of  contradiction  ;  "  go  and  fetch 
the  great  seal."  "  But,  sire," — "  Pray, 
sir,  do  as  I  order  you."  The  chancel- 
lor returns  with  the  seals ;  Louis  ap- 
plies them  himself  to  the  instrument, 
containing  the  pardon,  and  gives  them 
again  to  the  chancellor.  "  They  are 
polluted  now,  sire,"  exclaims  the  intre- 
pid and  excellent  magistrate,  pushing 
them  from  him  on  the  table,  "  I  cannot 
take  them  again."  "  What  an  im- 
practicable man !"  cries  the  monarch, 
and  throws  the  pardon  into  the  fi]:e.  "  I 
will  now,  sire,  take  them  again,"  said 
the  chancellor ;  "  the  fire,  you  know, 
purifies  every  thing." 

(i)  ANOTHER  BRUTUS.— In  the 
reign  of  Henry  the  Eighth,  Fitz-Stephen, 
merchant,  Mayor  of  Galway,  sent  his 
only  son,  as  commander  of  a  ship,  to 
Spain,  for  a  cargo  of  wine.  The  son 
kept  the  money  for  the  purchase  of  the 
cargo  ;  and  the  Spanish  merchant,  who 


supplied  the  wine,  sent  his  nephew  to 
receive  the  debt.  To  conceal  his  fraud, 
young  Fitz-Stephen  conceived  the  plan 
of  murdering  the  Spaniard  ;  a  project, 
in  which  he  brought  the  crew  to  com- 
bine. .  The  Spaniard  was  seized  in  bed, 
thrown  overboard,  and  the  ship  arrived 
in  port. 

Some  time  after,  one  of  the  sailors 
was  taken  ill,  and,  being  at  the  point  of 
death,  confessed  the  horrid  deed  in 
which  he  had  participated.  The  father, 
though  struck  with  horror,  shook  off  the 
parent,  and  said,  "  Justice  should  take 
its  course."  And,  as  mayor  he  caused 
his  son  to  be  committed,  with  the  rest 
of  the  crew,  and  the  father,  like  Brutus, 
sat  in  judgment  on  his  son,  and  with  his 
own  lips  pronounced  the  sentence  which 
left  him  childless  ! 

(j)  FITZJAMES  AND  HIS 
SOVEREIGN.— It  is  said  of  Sfr  John 
Fitz-James,  that  the  instant  he  was 
seated  on  the  bench,  he  lost  all  recollec- 
tion of  his  best  friends,  that  would  in  the 
least  degree  have  interfered  with  the  ad- 
ministration of  justice.  A  relation  once 
solicited  a  favor  of  him.  "  Come  to  my 
house,"  said  he,  "  and  I  will  deny  you 
nothing ;  but  in  the  king's  court  I  must 
do  you  justice."  The  attorney-general 
was  weak  and  criminal  enough  to  request 
his  interest  on  the  part  of  the  king,  in 
a  cause  to  be  tried  before  him.  "I  will 
do  the  king  right,"  he  replied.  A  ver- 
dict was  given  against  the  crown,  and 
the  attorney-general  expostulated  with 
Fitz-James,  who  dismissed  the  subject 
by  adding,  "  I  could  not  do  his  majesty 
right,  if  I  had  not  done  justice." 

(k)  THE  MONARCH  AND  THE 
MILLER.— Near  Potsdam  (Prussia), 
in  the  reign  of  Frederick  King  of  Prus- 
sia, was  a  mill  which  interfered  with  a 
view  from  the  windows  of  Sans  Souci. 
Annoyed  by  this  inconvenience  to  his 
favorite  residence,  the  king  sent  to  in- 
quire the  price  for  which  the  mill  would 
be  sold  by  the  owner.  "  For  no  price," 
was  the  reply  of  the  sturdy  Prussian  ; 
and,  in  a  moment  of  anger,  Frederick 
gave  orders  that  the  mill  should  be  pull- 
ed down.  "  The  king  may  do  this," 
said  the  miller,  quietly  folding  his  arms, 
"but  there  are  laws  in  Prussia;"  and 
forthwith  he  commenced  proceedings 
435 


339 


JUSTICE  AND  EQUITY. 


against  the  monarch,  the  result  of  which 
was,  the  court  sentenced  Frederick  to 
rebuild  the  mill,  and  to  pay  besides  a 
large  sum  of  money  as  compensation 
for  the  injury  which  he  had  done.  The 
king  was  mortified,  but  had  the  magna- 
nimity to  say,  addressing  himself  to  his 
courtiers,  "  I  am  glad  to  find  that  just 
laws  and  upright  judges  exist  in  my 
kingdom."  A  few  years  ago,  the  head 
of  the  honest  miller's  family,  who  had 
in  due  course  of  time  succeeded  to 
the  hereditary  possession  of  his  little 
estate,  finding  himself,  after  a  long 
struggle  with  losses  occasioned  by  the 
war,  which  brought  ruin  into  many  a 
house  besides  his  own,  involved  in  pe- 
cuniary difficulties  that  had  become  in- 
surmountable, wrote  to  the  then  king  of 
Prussia,  reminding  him  of  the  refusal 
experienced  by  Frederick  the  Great  at 
the  heftids  of  his  ancestor,  and  stating 
that,  if  his  majesty  now  entertained  a 
similar  desire  to  obtain  possession  of  tl\e 
property,  it  would  be  very  agreeable 
to  him,  in  his  present  embarrassed  cir- 
cumstances, to  sell  the  mill.  The  king 
immediately  wrote,  with  his  own  hand, 
the  following  reply  : — 

"  My  dear  neighbor ; — I  cannot  allow 
you  to  sell  the  mill ;  it  must  remain  in 
your  possession  as  long  as  one  member 
of  your  family  exists ;  for  it  belongs  to 
the  history  of  Prussia.  I  lament,  how- 
ever,  to  hear  that  you  are  in  circum- 
stances of  embarrassment ;  and  there- 
fore send  you  6000  dollars  (about  £1000 
sterling)  to  arrange  your  affairs,  in  the 
hope  that  this  sum  will  be  sufficient  for 
the  purpose.  Consider  me  always  your 
aflTectionate  neighbor, 

"  Frederick  William." 

(Z)THE  EFFECTUAL  APPEAL. 
— It  is  related  of  Philip,  King  of  the  Ma- 
cedonians, that  while  one  was  pleading 
before  him,  he  dropped  asleep,  and,  wak- 
ing on  a  sudden,  passed  sentence  against 
the  righteous  cause :  upon  this  the  in- 
jured person  cried  out,  "  I  appeal." 
The  king,  with  indignation,  asked,  "  To 
whom  ?"  He  replied,  "  From  yourself 
sleeping  to  yourself  waking  ;"  and  had 


the  judgment  reversed  that  was  against 
him. 

(m)  PARDON  REFUSED  TO 
ROYAL  BLOOD.— When  a  prince  of 
the  blood  royal  of  France  disgraced  nim- 
self,  by  committing  robbery  and  mur- 
der in  the  streets  of  Paris,  Louis  XV 
would  not  grant  a  pardon,  though  eager- 
ly solicited  to  do  so  by  a  deputation  from 
the  Parliament  of  Paris,  who  tried  him, 
and  suspended  their  sentence  until  the 
royal  pleasure  should  be  known.  "  My 
lords  and  counsellors,"  said  the  king, 
"  return  to  your  chambers  of  justice, 
and  promulgate  your  decree."  "  Con- 
sider," said  the  first  president,  "  that 
the  unhappy  prince  has  your  majesty's 
blood  in  his  veins."  "  Yes,"  said  the 
king,  '*  but  the  blood  has  become  im- 
pure, and  justice  demands  that  it  should 
be  let  out ;  nor  would  I  spare  my  own 
son  for  a  crime,  for  which  I  should  be 
bound  to  condemn  the  meanest  of  my 
subjects."  The  prince  was  executed 
on  the  scaffold  in  the  court  of  the  grand 
Chatelet,  on  the  12th  of  August,  1729. 

(n)  HENRY  V  AND  THE  JUDGE. 
— One  of  the  favorites  of  King  Henry 
V,  when  Prince  of  Wales,  having  been 
indicted  for  some  misdemeanor,  was 
condemned,  notwithstanding  all  the 
interest  he  could  make  in  his  favor ; 
and  the  Prince  was  so  incensed  at  the 
issue  of  the  trial  that  he  struck  the 
judge  on  the  bench.  This  magistrate, 
whose  name  was  Sir  William  Gascoign, 
acted  with  a  spirit  becoming  his  char- 
acter. He  instantly  ordered  the  Prince 
to  be  committed  to  prison ;  and  young 
Henry,  sensible  by  this  time  of  the  in- 
sult he  had  offered  to  the  laws  of  his 
country,  suffered  himself  to  be  quietly 
conducted  to  jail  by  the  officers  of  jus- 
tice. The  king,  Henry  IV,  who  was 
an  excellent  judge  of  mankind,  was  no 
sooner  informed  of  this  transaction, 
than  he  cried  out  in  a  transport  of  joy, 
"Happy  is  the  king  who  has  a  magis- 
trate possessed  of  courage  to  execute 
the  laws ;  and  still  more  happy  in  hav- 
ing a  son  who  will  submit  to  such  chas- 
tisement." 


TUSTIFICATION  BY  FAITH. 


240 


240.  JUSTIFICATION  BY  FAITH. 


(a)  HERVEY'S  RECANTATION. 

— "  If  it  be  shameful  to  renounce  er- 
ror," says  Mr.  Hervey,  "  and  sacrifice 
all  to  truth,  I  do  very  willingly  take  this 
shame  to  myself,  in  a  copy  of  verses 
which  I  formerly  wrote,  sacred  to  the 
memory  of  a  generous  benefactor.  1 
remember  the  following  lines  : 

"Our  wants  relieved  by  thy  indulgent  care 
Shall  give  thee  courage  at  the  dreadful  bar, 
And  stud  the  crown  thou  shall  for  ever  wear." 

These  lines,  in  whatever  hands  they 
are  lodged,  and  whatever  else  of  a  like 
kind  may  have  dropt  from  my  pen,  I 
now  publicly  disclaim ;  they  are  the 
very  reverse  of  my  present  belief,  in 
which  I  hope  to  persevere  as  long  as  I 
have  any  being.  Far  be  it  from  me  to 
suppose  that  any  work  of  mine  should, 
in  order  to  create  my  peace,  or  cherish 
my  confidence,  be  coupled  with  Christ's 
most  holy  acts.  I  speak  the  words  of 
our  church,  and  I  speak  the  sense  of 
the  prophet,  "  I  will  trust,  and  not  be 
afraid  ;"  wherefore?  because  I  am  in- 
herently holy '?  rather  God  is  my  salva- 
tion ;  God  manifest  in  the  flesh  has 
finished  my  transgression,  and  made  an 
end  of  my  sin  ;  and  in  this  most  magni- 
ficent work  will  I  rejoice.  Thy  Maker 
is  thy  husband :  the  consequence  of 
which  is,  all  thy  debts  and  deficiencies 
are  upon  him,  all  his  consummate  right- 
eousness is  upon  thee." 

(b)  LIBERTY  IN  DUNGEON.— 
Mr.  Fleming,  in  his  Fulfilling  of  the 
Scriptures,  relates  the  case  of  a  man 
who  was  a  very  great  sinner,  and  for 
his  horrible  wickedness  was  put  to  death 
in  the  town  of  Ayr,  Scotland.  This 
man  had  been  so  stupid  and  brutish  a 
fellow,  that  all  who  knew  him  thought 
him  beyond  the  reach  of  all  ordinary 
means  of  grace ;  but  while  the  man 
was   in  prison,  the   Lord  wonderfully 


wrought  on  his  heart,  and  in  such  a 
measure  discovered  to  him  his  sinful- 
ness, that  after  much  serious  exercise 
and  sore  wrestling,  a  most  kindly  work 
of  repentance  followed,  with  great  as- 
surance of  mercy,  insomuch,  that  when 
he  came  to  the  place  of  execution,  he 
could  not  cease  crying  out  to  the  people, 
under  the  sense  of  pardon,  and  the  com- 
forts of  the  presence  and  favor  of  God : 
"  O,  He  is  a  great  forgiver !  He  is  a 
great  forgiver !"  And  he  added  the 
following  words:  "Now  hath  perfect 
love  cast  out  fear.  I  know  God  hath 
nothing  to  lay  against  me,  for  Jesus 
Christ  hath  paid  all ;  and  those  are 
free  whom  the  Son  makes  free." 

(c)  A  GLORIOUS  POSITION.— 
Mr.  Lyford,  a  Puritan  divine,  a  few 
days  previous  to  his  dissolution,  being 
desired  by  his  friends  to  give  them  some 
account  of  his  hopes  and  comforts,  he 
replied,  "  I  will  let  you  know  how  it  is 
with  me,  and  on  what  ground  I  stand. 
Here  is  the  grave,  the  wrath  of  God, 
and  devouring  flames,  the  great  punish- 
ment of  sin,  on  the  one  hand  ;  and  here 
am  I,  a  poor  sinful  creature,  on  the 
other ;  but  this  is  my  comfort,  the  co- 
venant of  grace,  established  upon  so 
many  sure  promises,  hath  satisfied  all. 
The  act  of  oblivion  passed  in  heaven  is, 
"  I  will  forgive  their  iniquities,  and  their 
sins  will  I  remember  no  more,  saith  the 
Lord."  This  is  the  blessed  privilege 
of  all  within  the  covenant,  of  whom  I 
am  one.  For  I  find  the  Spirit  which  is 
promised,  bestowed  upon  me,  in  the 
blessed  effects  of  it  upon  my  soul,  as  the 
pledge  of  God's  eternal  love.  By  this 
I  know  my  interest  in  Christ,  who  is  the 
foundation  of  the  covenant ;  and  there- 
fore my  sins  being  Md  on  him,  shall 
never  be  charged  on  me." 


437 


241 


KINDNESS,  CONJUGAL. 


241.  KINDNESS.  CONJUGAL. 


(a)  "I  WILL  NEVER  LEAVE 
YOU." — The  wife  of  a  pious  man 
told  him  one  day,  that  if  he  did  not 
give  over  running  after  the  missionaries, 
a  name  often  applied  in  the  neighbor- 
hood where  this  event  occurred,  to 
Christian  ministers  of  different  denomi- 
nations, she  would  certainly  leave  him. 
Finding  that  he  continued  obstinate, 
she  on  one  occasion  sent  for  him  from 
the  harvest-field,  and  informed  him  that 
she  was  about  to  carry  her  threats  into 
execution  ;  and  that  before  she  left  the 
house,  she  wished  some  articles  to  be 
divided,  to  prevent  future  disputes.  She 
first  produced  a  web  of  linen,  which  she 
insisted  should  be  divided.  "  No,  no," 
said  the  husband ;  "  you  have  been, 
upon  the  whole,  a  good  wife  to  me :  if 
you  will  leave  me,  though  the  thought 
greatly  distresses  me,  you  must  take 
the  whole  with  you  ;  you  well  deserve 
it  all."  The  same  answer  was  given 
to  a  similar  proposal  respecting  some 
other  articles.  At  last,  the  wife  said, 
"  So  you  wish  me  to  leave  you  ?" 
"  Far  from  that,"  said  the  husband ;  ':  I 
would  do  any  thing,  but  sin,  to  make 
you  stay  ;  but  if  you  will  go,  I  wish  you 
to  go  in  comfort."  "  Then,"  said  she, 
"  you  have  overcome  me  by  your  kind- 
ness ;  I  will  never  leave  you." 

(b)  THE  MIDNIGHT  SUPPER. 
— A  married  woman  was  effectually 
called  by  Divine  grace,  and  became 
an  exemplary  Christian ;  but  her  hus- 
band was  a  lover  of  sinful  pleasure. 
When  spending  an  evening,  as  usual, 
with  his  jovial  companions,  at  a  tavern, 
the  conversation  happened  to  turn  on 
the  excellencies  and  faults  of  their 
wives;  the  husband  just  mentioned 
pronounced  the  highest  encomiums  on 
his  wife,  saying  she  was  all  that  was 
excellent,  only  she  was  a  Methodist, 
"  Notwithstanding  which,"  said  he, 
"  such  is  the  command  which  she  has 
of  her  temper,  that  were  I  to  take  you, 
gentlemen,  home  with  me  at  midnight, 
and  order  her  to  rise  and  get  you  a 
supper,  shi  would  be  all  submission  and 

438 


cheerfulness  !"  The  company  regarded 
this  merely  as  a  vain  boast,  and  dared 
him  to  make  the  experiment,  by  a  con- 
siderable wager.  The  bargain  was 
made,  and  about  midnight  the  company 
adjourned,  as  proposed.  Being  admit- 
ted, "  Where  is  your  mistress  ?"  said 
the  husband  to  the  maid-servant,  who 
sat  up  for  him,  "  She  is  gone  to  bed, 
sir."  "  Call  her  up,"  said  he.  "  Tell 
her  I  have  brought  some  friends  home 
with  me,  and  that  I  desire  she  would 
get  up,  and  prepare  them  a  supper." 
The  good  woman  obeyed  the  unreason- 
able summons ;  dressed,  came  down, 
and  received  the  company  with  perfect 
civility :  told  them  she  happened  to 
have  some  chickens  ready  for  the  spit, 
and  that  supper  should  be  got  as  soon 
as  possible.  It  was  accordingly  served 
up,  when  she  performed  the  honors  of 
the  table  with  as  much  cheerfulness  as 
if  she  had  expected  company  at  the  pro- 
per season. 

After  supper,  the  guests  could  not 
refrain  from  expressing  their  astonish- 
ment. One  of  them  particularly,  more 
sober  than  the  rest,  thus  addressed  him- 
self to  the  lady  :  "  Madam,"  said  he, 
"  your  civility  fills  us  all  with  surprise. 
Our  unreasonable  visit  is  the  conse- 
quence of  a  wager,  which  we  have 
certainly  lost.  As  you  are  a  very  re- 
ligious person,  and  cannot,  therefore, 
approve  of  our  conduct,  give  me  leave 
to  ask,  what  can  possibly  induce  you  to 
behave  with  so  much  kindness  to  us  ?" 
"  Sir,"  replied  she,  "  when  I  married, 
my  husband  and  myself  were  both  un- 
converted. It  has  pleased  God  to  call 
me  out  of  that  dangerous  condition.  My 
husband  continues  in  it.  I  tremble  for 
his  future  state.  Were  he  to  die  as  he 
is,  he  must  be  miserable  for  ever ;  I 
think  it,  therefore,  my  duty  to  render 
his  present  existence  as  comfortable  as 
possible." 

This  wise  and  faithful  reply  affected 
the  whole  company.  It  lefl  a  deep  im- 
pression on  the  husband's  mind.  "  Do 
you,  my  dear,"  said  he,  "  really  think 


KINDNESS,  CONJUGAL. 


241 


I  should  be  eternally  miserable  ?  I 
thank  you  for  the  warnmg.  By  the 
grace  of  God,  I  will  change  my  con- 
duct." From  that  time  he  became 
another  man,  a  serious  Christian,  and 
consequently,  a  good  husband, 

(c)  A  REFORMED  WIFE.— A 
man  once  came  to  tlie  Rev.  Jonathan 
Scott,  of  Matlock,  (Eng.)  complaining 
of  his  wife.  He  said  she  was  so  ex- 
ceedingly ill-tempered,  and  so  studious- 
ly tormented  him  in  such  a  variety  of 
ways,  that  she  was  the  great  burden  of 
his  life  ;  and,  notwithstanding  all  the 
kind  methods  he  had  used  to  bring  her 
to  a  better  disposition,  she  was  not  at  all 
improved,  but  grew  continually  worse 
and  worse.  Mr.  Scott  exhorted  him 
to  try  what  a  redoubled  affection  and 
kindness  would  do ;  observing  to  him, 
that  the  command  of  Scripture  to  hus- 
bands was,  "  to  love  their  wives," 
and  that  "  even  as  Clirist  loved  the 
church." 

This  advice  did  not  appear  to  satisfy 
the  man  ;  and  he  went  away  much  de- 
jected, resolving,  however,  if  possible, 
to  follow  it ;  since,  though  it  had  not 
hitherto  succeeded,  he  could  not  but 
consider  it  as  founded  on  the  word  of 
God.  He  accordingly  increased  his 
attention  ;  and,  as  an  instance  of  his 
kindness,  the  next  Saturday  evening 
brought  to  his  wife  his  whole  week's 
wages,  and,  with  an  affectionate  smile, 
threw  them  into  her  lap,  begging  her 
entire  disposal  of  them.  This  did  not 
succeed :  she  threw  the  wages  in  a 
passion,  accompanied  with  many  bitter 
execrations,  at  his  head ;  and  after- 
wards continued  in  the  practice  of  every 
spiteful  and  malicious  trick  that  she 
could  devise,  or,  according  to  the  poor 
man's  own  conclusion,  that  Satan  him- 
self could  suggest,  to  make  his  life 
miserable. 

Some  years  elapsed,  during  which  he 
sustained,  as  patiently  as  he  could,  this 
wicked  and  undutiful  treatment,  when 
Providence  favored  him  with  another 
interview  with  his  kind  friend,  Mr. 
Scott.  This  happened,  most  opportune- 
ly, at  a  time  when  a  neighbor  had  been 
giving  him  a  supposed  recipe  for  the 
cure  of  refractory  wives  ;  and,  as  a 
strong  recommendation,  mentioned  that 


he  had  tried  it  on  his  own  wife  with  the 
happiest  effects.  The  man  therefore 
came  to  Mr.  Scott  with  a  coiTitenance 
bespeaking  a  considerable  degree  of 
confidence,  which  led  Mr.  Scott,  at  first, 
to  hope  that  his  fonner  advice  had 
proved  successful ;  but  he  was  soon 
informed  that,  through  the  extremely 
vicious  disposition  of  the  woman,  it  had 
operated  in  a  way  precisely  the  reverse 
of  what  was  expected  from  it.  Upon 
being  asked,  why  then  he  smiled  and 
looked  so  pleasantly,  he  said,  he  believ- 
ed he  had  really  found  out  a  remedy, 
which,  if  it  should  meet  Mr.  Scott's  ap- 
probation, would  not  fail  of  effecting  a 
cure  ;  for  it  had  been  tried  by  a  neigh- 
bor of  his  on  a  wife,  who,  though  she 
had  been  in  all  respects  as  bad  as  his, 
was,  by  one  application  only,  become 
one  of  the  most  obedient  and  affectionate 
creatures  living.  "  And  what  is  this 
excellent  remedy  ?"  said  Mr.  Scott. 
"  Why,  sir,  it  is  a  good  horse- whipping  ! 
You  hear,  sir,  what  good  effects  have 
been  produced :  do  you  think  I  may 
venture  to  try  it  ?" 

Mr.  Scott  replied,  "  I  read,  my  friend, 
nothing  about  husbands  horse- whipping 
their  wives  in  the  Bible,  but  just  the 
reverse  ;  namely,  love,  which  I  before 
recommended  ;  and  I  can  by  no  means 
alter  the  word  of  God  :  but  I  doubt  not, 
if  you  persevere,  it  will  be  attended  with 
a  happy  result :"  this  advice  was  ac- 
companied with  exhortations  to  more 
earnest  prayer.  The  man,  though  he 
left  Mr.  Scott  both  with  a  mind  and 
countenance  very  different  from  those 
with  which  he  came,  resolved  to  follow 
his  direction,  as  his  esteem  for  him  was 
very  great ;  and  Providence  calling  Mr. 
Scott  some  time  after  to  preach  at  Bir- 
mingham, his  old  friend,  who  then  re- 
sided there,  came  into  the  vestry  to  him 
after  he  had  concluded  the  service,  and 
with  a  countenance  expressive  of  exalt- 
ed happiness,  said,  that  he  should  have 
reason  to  bless  God  through  eternity  for 
the  advice  he  had  given  him ;  and  that 
he  had  not  been  induced,  by  his  weak 
importunities,  to  alter  or  relax  it ;  ad- 
ding that  his  wife,  who  then  stood 
smiling  with  approbation  by  his  side, 
was  not  only  become  a  converted  wo- 
man, through  a  blessing  on  his  kind 
439 


241,  242 


KINDNESS,  POWER  OF. 


attentions  to  her,  but  was  one  of 
the  most  affectionate  and  dutiful  of 
wives. 

(  d  )  UNKIND  HUSBAND  RE- 
FORMED. — A  decent  countrywoman, 
says  an  English  divine,  came  to  me  one 
market  day,  and  begged  to  speak  with 
me.  She  told  me  with  an  air  of  secre- 
cy, that  her  husband  behaved  unkindly 
to  her,  and  sought  the  company  of  other 
women :  and  that  knowing  me  to  be  a 
wise  man,  I  could  tell  what  would  cure 
him.  "  The  remedy  is  simple,"  said  I ; 
"  always  treat  your  husband  with  a  smile.'' 
The  woman  thanked  me,  dropped  a  cur- 
lesy,  and  Went  away.  A  few  months 
after,  she  came  again,  bringing  a  couple 
of  fine  fowls.  She  told  me  with  great  sa- 
tisfaction, that  I  had  cured  her  husband  ; 
and  she  begged  my  acceptance  of  the 
fowls  in  return.     I  was  pleased  with 


the  success  of  my  prescription,  but  re- 
fused the  fee. 

(e)  THE  PERSECUTOR'S  KIND 
WIFE. — As  I  was  conversing,  says  a 
writer  in  the  New-York  Observer,  with 
a  pious  old  man,  I  inquired  what  were 
the  means  of  his  conversion.  For  a 
moment  he  paused — I  perceived  I  had 
touched  a  tender  string.  Tears  rushed 
from  his  eyes,  while  with  deep  emotion 
he  replied,  "  My  wife  was  brought  to 
God  some  years  before  myself.  I  per- 
secuted and  abused  her  because  of  her 
religion.  She,  however,  returned  noth- 
ing but  kindness  ;  constantly  manifest- 
ing an  anxiety  to  promote  my  comfort 
and  happiness  ;  and  it  was  her  amiable 
conduct,  when  suffering  ill-treatment 
from  me,  that  first  sent  the  arrows  of 
conviction  to  my  soul.  "  Temper," 
added  he,  "  is  every  thing." 


242.  KINDNESS,  POWER  OF. 


(a)  PINEL  AND  THE  LUNA- 
TICS.—In  1792,  Pinel,  who  had  been 
for  some  time  chief  physician  to  the  Bi- 
cetre,  or  mad-house  of  Paris,  begged  re- 
peatedly of  the  public  authorities,  to  let 
him  remove  the  chains  from  the  furious. 
His  applications  having  been  unsuccess- 
ful, he  presented  himself  before  the 
commune  of  Paris,  and  repeating  his 
objections  with  increased  warmth,  urged 
a  reform  of  such  monstrous  treatment. 
"  Citizen,"  said  one  of  the  members  to 
him,  "  I  will  to-morrow  go  to  visit  the 
Bicetre  ;  but  wo  betide  thee,  if  thou  de- 
ceivest  us,  and  concealest  any  of  the 
enemies  of  the  people  amongst  thy  in- 
sane." 

This  member  of  the  commune  was 
Couthon.  The  next  day  he  went  to  the 
Bicetre .  Couthon  was  himsel  f  as  strange 
a  spectacle  as  any  whom  he  visited.  De- 
prived of  the  use  of  his  lowe?  extremi- 
ties, and  compelled  to  be  borne  on  the 
arms  of  others,  he  appeared,  says  Pinel, 
a  fraction  of  humanity  implanted  on 
another's  body ;  and  from  out  of  this 
deformity,  pronounced  in  a  feeble  and 
feminine  voice,  merciless  sentences  pro- 
ceeded, sentences  of  death  ;  for  death 
was  the  only  logic  that  then  prevailed. 
440 


Couthon  visited  the  insane  in  succession, 
and  questioned  them  himself;  but  he 
received  only  imprecations  amidst  the 
clanking  of  chains  on  floors  disgustingly 
filthy  from  the  evacuations  of  the  miser- 
able occupants.  Fatigued  with  the  mo- 
notony and  revolting  character  of  this 
spectacle,  Couthon  returned  to  Pinel. 
"  Citizen,"  said  he,  "  art  thou  thyself 
mad  to  desire  to  unchain  such  animals  ?" 
"Citizen,"  replied  Pinel,  "I  am  con- 
vinced that  these  lunatics  are  intractable 
only  from  being  deprived  of  air  and  liber- 
ty, and  I  expect  much  from  a  different 
course."  "  Well,"  said  Couthon,  "  do 
as  thou  likest ;  I  leave  them  to  thee ; 
but  I  am  afraid  thou  wilt  fall  a  victim 
to  thy  presumption." 

Master  of  his  own  actions,  Pinel  im- 
mediately commenced  his  undertaking, 
fully  aware  of  its  real  difficulties  ;  for 
he  was  going  to  set  at  liberty  about  fifty 
furious  maniacs,  without  injurious  or 
dangerous  consequences,  as  he  hoped, 
to  the  other  peaceable  inmates  of  the 
establishment.  He  determined  to  un- 
chain no  more  than  twelve  at  the  first 
trial ;  and  the  only  precaution  he  took, 
was  to  have  an  equal  number  of  strait 
jackets  prepared,  made  of  strong  linen 


KINDNESS,  POWER  OF. 


242 


^ith  long  sleeves,  which  could  be  tied 
behind  the  back  of  the  maniacj,  should 
it  become  necessary  to  restrict  1  lim  from 
committing  acts  of  violence. 

The  first  person  to  whom  Pinel  ad- 
dressed himself,  had  been  a  resident  for 
the  longest  period  in  this  abode  of  mise- 
ry. He  was  an  English  captain,  whose 
history  was  unknown,  but  who  had  been 
chained  there  for  forty  years.  He  was 
looked  upon  as  the  most  terrible  of  all 
the  insane.  His  attendants  always  ap- 
proached him  with  circumspection  ;  for 
in  a  paroxysm  of  fury,  he ,  had  struck 
one  of  the  servants  on  the  head  with  his 
manacles,  and  killed  him  on  the  spot. 
He  was  confined  with  more  rigor  than 
many  of  the  others,  which  circumstance, 
combined  with  almost  total  neglect  on 
the  part  of  the  keepers,  had  exasperated 
a  disposition  naturally  furious.  Pinel 
entered  his  cell  alone,  and  approached 
him  calmly.  "  Captain,"  said  he,  "  if  I 
were  to  remove  your  chains,  and  to  give 
you  liberty  to  walk  in  the  court,  would 
you  promise  me  to  be  rational,  and  do 
harm  to  no  one?"  "I  promise  thee. 
But  thou  mockest  me ;  they,  as  well  as 
thyself,  are  too  much  afraid  of  me." 
^'  Assuredly  not.  I  have  no  fear ;  for  I 
have  six  men  at  hand  to  make  me  res- 
pected, should  it  be  necessary.  But 
believe  my  word ;  be  confiding  and  do- 
cile. I  will  give  you  liberty,  if  you 
will  allow  me  to  substitute  this  strait 
waistcoat  for  your  ponderous  chains." 

The  captain  yielded  with  a  good  grace 
to  every  thing  required  of  him,  shrug- 
ging his  shoulders,  but  without  uttering 
a  word.  In  a  few  minutes  his  irons 
were  completely  removed,  and  Pinel 
withdrew,  leaving  the  door  of  the  cell 
open.  Several  times  the  maniac  raised 
himself  from  his  seat,  but  fell  back 
again ;  he  had  kept  the  sitting  posture 
so  long  that  he  had  lost  the  use  of  his 
legs.  At  length,  in  about  a  quarter  of 
an  hour,  and  after  repeated  attempts,  he 
succeeded  in  retaining  his  equilibrium, 
and  from  the  depth  of  his  dark  cell  ad- 
vanced staggering  towards  the  door. 
His  first  action  was  to  look  at  the  sky, 
and  exclaim  in  ecstasy,  "  How  beauti- 
ful !"  Through  the  whole  day  he  ran 
about,  ascending  and  descending  the 
stairs,  and  constantly  repeating  the  ex- 


clamation,  "  How  beautiful !  how  good !" 
In  the  evening  he  returned  to  his  cell, 
slept  tranquilly  on  a  better  bed,  which 
had  been  provided  for  him  ;  and  during 
the  two  additional  years  which  he  passed 
in  the  Bicetre,  he  had  no  paroxysm  of 
fury.  He  rendered  himself,  indeed, 
useful  in  the  establishment,  by  exerting 
a  certain  degree  of  authority  over  the 
patients,  whom  he  governed  after  his 
own  fashion,  and  over  whom  he  elected 
himself  a  kind  of  superintendent. 

But  the  case  of  Chevinge,  a  soldier  of 
the  French  guards,  is  looked  upon  as 
one  of  the  most  memorable  feats  of  that 
interesting  and  eventful  day.  While  in 
the  army,  he  had  but  one  fault — drunk- 
enness ;  and  when  in  this  state  he  be- 
came turbulent,  violent,  and  the  more 
dangerous  from  his  strength  being  pro- 
digious. Owing  to  his  repeated  excess- 
es, he  was  dismissed  from  his  regiment, 
and  soon  dissipated  his  limited  resources. 
Shame  and  misery  subsequently  plunged 
him  into  such  a  state  of  depression,  that 
his  intellect  became  disordered.  In  his 
delirium  he  thought  he  had  been  made 
a  general,  and  beat  those  who  did  not 
admit  his  rank  and  quality  ;  and,  in 
consequence  of  a  violent  disturbance 
thus  originating,  he  was  taken  to  the 
Bicetre,  laboring  under  the  most  furious 
excitement.  He  had  been  confined  in 
chains  for  ten  years,  and  with  more  se- 
verity than  most  of  his  fellow  sufferers, 
as  he  had  frequently  broken  asunder  his 
irons  by  the  sole  strength  of  his  hands. 
On  one  occasion,  when  he  obtained  mo- 
mentary liberty  in  this  manner,  he  set 
at  defiance  the  united  efforts  of  all  his 
keepers  to  make  him  re-enter  his  cell. 
His  strength  had,  indeed,  become  pro- 
verbial at  the  Bicetre. 

Pinel,  on  several  visits,  had  discover- 
ed in  Chevinge  an  excellent  disposition, 
masked  under  the  excitement  incessant- 
ly occasioned  by  cruel  treatment.  He 
promised  the  lunatic  to  ameliorate  his 
condition,  and  this  promise  itself  ren- 
dered him  more  tranquil.  Pinel  at 
length  told  him  he  should  be  no  longer 
chained  ;  "  and  to  prove  the  confidence 
I  have  in  thee,"  said  he,  "  and  that  I  re- 
gard thee  as  a  man  adapted  for  doing 
good,  thou  shalt  aid  me  in  freeing  those 
unfortunates  who  have  not  their  reason 
441 


342 


KINDNESS,  POWER   OF. 


like  thee  ;  and  if  thou  conductest  thy- 
self as  I  have  reason  to  hope,  I  will  take 
thee  into  my  service,  and  thou  shalt  ne- 
ver quit  me.  Never,"  adds  Pinel,  "  was 
there  a  more  sudden  and  complete  revo- 
lution. The  keepers  themselves  were 
impressed  with  respect  and  astonishment 
at  the  spectacle  which  Chevinge  afford- 
ed." Scarcely  was  he  liberated  when 
he  was  seen  anticipating  and  following 
with  his  eye,  every  motion  of  Pinel, 
executing  his  orders  with  skill  and 
promptitude,  and  addressing  words  of 
reason  and  kindness  to  the  insane,  on  the 
level  with  whom  he  had  been  but  a 
short  time  before.  This  man,  whom 
chains  had  kept  degraded  during  the 
best  years  of  his  life,  and  who  would 
doubtless  have  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  existence  in  the  same  wretched  con- 
dition, became  afterwards  a  model  of 
good  conduct  and  gratitude.  Often,  in 
the  difficult  times  of  the  revolution,  he 
saved  the  life  of  Pinel,  and  on  one  oc- 
casion rescued  him  from  a  band  of  mis- 
creants who  were  conducting  him  to  the 
"  Lanterne,"  owing  to  his  having  been 
an  elector  in  1789.  During  the  time 
of  famine,  he  left  the  Bicetre  every 
morning,  and  returned  with  supplies  of 
provisions  which  gold  could  not  at  that 
time  procure.  His  whole  life  was  one 
of  perpetual  devotion  to  his  liberator. 

In  the  course  of  a  few  days,  the 
shackles  were  removed  from  fifty-five 
lunatics.  An  unexpected  improvement 
followed  from  a  course  previously  re- 
garded impracticable  and  even  fatal. 
The  furious  mad-men,  who  monthly  de- 
stroyed hundreds  of  utensils,  renounced 
their  habits  of  violence;  others,  who 
tore  their  clothes,  and  rioted  in  filth  and 
nudity,  became  clean  and  decent ;  tran- 
quillity and  harmony  succeeded  to  tu- 
mult and  disorder  ;  and  over  the  whole 
establishment  order  and  good  feeling 
reigned. 

(b)  BUNDY  AND  THE  FERO- 
CIOUS PRISONER.— The  power  of 
kindness  is  seen  in  the  case  of  Haynes, 
executed  in  1799  at  Bristol,  Eng.  Pie 
was  heavily  ironed,  yet  so  extremely 
turbulent  and  outrageous,  that  the  other 
prisoners  stood  in  fear  of  him,  and  were 
obliged  to  be  constantly  on  their  guard. 
It  became  necessary  even  to  call  out  the 
442 


military ;  but  this  only  irritated  him, 
and  made  him  worse.  He  would'  ex- 
pose h:is  naked  breast  to  the  soldiers' 
bayone  ts,  dare  them  to  run  him  through, 
and  sa;  f  he  would  rather  be  shot  dead 
than  SI  irrender  himself  to  them.  Yet^i 
when  force  failed,  remonstrance  suc^ 
ceeded  ;  for  he  actually  delivered  up*  to 
the  pel  'suasions  of  a  gentleman,  a  wea- 
pon wl  lich  a  file  of  soldiers  were  unabl& 
to  take  from  him.  A  pious  minister  by 
the  name  of  Bundy,  used  to  visit  hinv 
and  at  length  told  the  keeper  he  wished 
to  spend  the  night  with  the  felon.  Pie 
was  wiimed  of  his  danger;  but,  moved 
with  compassion,  he  persisted,  and  en- 
tered the  prisoner's  cell.  Finding  him- 
prostrate  on  the  floor  under  the  weight 
of  his  irons,  he  persuaded  the  keeper  to 
let  him  have  one  hand  and  foot  at  liber- 
ty. The  keeper  retired  late  at  nighty 
locking:  after  him  three  massive  doors  ; 
and  Hatynes,  immediately  lifting  up  his; 
liberated  hand,  and  reaching  a  clasped 
knife  h  s  had  concealed,  rushed  fiercely 
towards;  him,  exclaiming  with  the  voice 
and  looks  of  a  demon,  "  Now  thou  art  in 
my  povTer,  I  will  kill  thee."  The  man 
of  God  thought  his  end  had  come  ;  but 
suddenly  recalling  the  passage,  "  thou 
canst  have  no  power  over  me  unless  it 
be  given  thee  from  above,"  was  instant- 
ly raised  above  all  fear,  and  calmly 
met  the  enraged  culprit,  to  whom  he 
kindly  said,  "  Now,  my  friend,  what 
harm  have  I  done  you,  or  of  what  ser- 
vice  would  my  death  be  to  you  ?"  He 
then  spoke  of  the  love  of  Christ,  and  as- 
sured the  felon,  that  he  was  ready  to 
receive  all,  even  the  most  wicked,  who 
came  to  him.  These  words  of  kindness 
softened  the  culprit's  heart ;  he  threw 
down  the  knife,  acknowledging  his  guilt, 
and  burst  into  tears.  Deeply  convicted 
at  length  of  sin,  he  asked  if  it  was  pos- 
sible for  such  a  sinner  as  himself  ever 
to  be  saved  ?  The  anguish  of  his  mind 
was  extreme  ;  he  would  often  weep  bit- 
terly in  view  of  his  sins ;  and  there  is 
reason  to  hope  that  he  died  a  sincere 
penitent. 

(c)  ISAAC  HOPPER  AND  CAIN. 
— When  Isaac  Hopper  lived  in  Phila- 
delphia, his  attention  was  drawn  to  a 
colored  waiter,  called  Cain,  who  was 
remarkable  for  profanity.     Neither  per- 


KINDNESS,  POWER  OF. 


243 


suasion  nor  rebuke  had  any  effect  to 
change  this  bad  habit.  One  day  Hop- 
per encountered  him  in  the  street,  quar- 
reling and  pouring  forth  volleys  of  oaths 
ihat  made  one  shudder.  Having  faith 
in  fines  and  constables,  Hopper  took  him 
before  a  magistrate,  who  fined  him  for 
blasphemy. 

Twenty  years  after,  Isaac  met  Cain, 
whom  he  had  not  seen  for  a  very  long 
time.  His  outward  appearance  was 
much  changed  for  the  worse  ;  his  gar- 
ments were  tattered,  and  his  person 
emaciated.  This  touched  the  Friend's 
heart.  He  stepped  up,  shook  hands, 
and  spoke  kindly  to  the  forlorn  being. 
-"  Dost  not  thou  remember  me,"  said  the 
Quaker,  "  and  how  I  had  thee  fined  for 
swearing  ?"  "  Yes,  indeed,  I  do  ;  I 
remember  what  I  paid  as  well  as  yes- 
terday." "  Well,  did  it  do  thee  any 
good  ?"  "  No,  never  a  bit ;  it  made 
me  mad  to  have  my  money  taken  from 
me." 

Hopper  invited  Cain  to  reckon  up  the 
interest  on  the  fine,  and  paid  him  prin- 
cipal and  interest.  "  I  meant  it  for  thy 
good,  Cain,  and  I  am  sorry  I  did  thee 
any  harm." 

Cain's  countenance  changed  ;  the 
tears  rolled  down  his  cheeks ;  he  took 
the  money  with  many  thanks  ;  became 
a  quiet  man,  and  was  heard  to  swear  no 
more. 

{d)  PILLSBURY  AND  THE  GI- 
ANT PRISONER.— Mr.  Pillsbury, 
warden  of  the  state  prison  in  Connecti- 
cut, once  received  into  the  prison  a  man 
of  gigantic  stature,  whose  crimes  had 
for  seventeen  years  made  him  the  terror 
of  the  country.  He  told  the  criminal 
when  he  came,  he  hoped  he  would  not 
repeat  the  attempts  to  escape  which  he 
had  made  elsewhere.  "  It  will  be  best," 
said  he,  "  that  you  and  I  shoilld  treat 
each  other  as  well  as  we  can.  I  will 
make  you  as  comfortable  as  I  possibly 
can,  and  I  shall  be  anxious  to  be  your 
friend  ;  and  I  hope  you  will  not  get  me 
into  difficulty  on  your  account.  There 
is  a  cell  intended  for  solitary  confine- 
ment ;  but  we  have  never  used  it,  and  I 
should  be  sorry  ever  to  have  to  turn  the 
key  upon  any  body  in  it.  You  may 
range  the  place  as  freely  as  I  do  ;  if 
you  trust  me,  I  shall  trust  you."     The 


man  was  sul  ky,  and  for  weeks  showed 
only  gradual  symptoms  of  softening  un- 
der the  operation  of  Mr.  Pillsbury's 
cheerful  confidence.  At  length  infor- 
mation was  'brought  of  the  man's  inten- 
tion to  break:  prison.  The  warden  call- 
ed him,  and  taxed  him  with  it;  the 
man,  preser\'^ed  a  gloomy  silence.  He 
was  told  it  was  now  necessary  for  him 
to  be  locked  in  the  solitary  cell,  and 
desired  to  f  :)llow  the  warden,  who  went 
first,  carrying  a  lamp  in  one  hand,  and 
a  key  in  the  other.  In  the  narrowest 
part  of  thej  passage,  Mr.  Pillsbury,  a 
small,  light  man,  turned  round,  and 
looked  in  the  face  of  the  stout  criminal. 
"  Now,"  said  he,  "  1  ask  whether  you 
have  treated  me  as  I  deserve  ?  I  have 
done  every  thing  I  could  to  make  yoti 
happy  ;  I  have  trusted  you ;  but  you 
have  never  given  me  the  least  confi- 
dence in  return,  and  have  even  plarmed 
to  get  me  into  difficulty.  Is  this  kind  t 
And  yet  I  cannot  bear  to  lock  yau  up.. 
If  I  had  the  least  sign  that  you  cared 
for  me" —  The  man  burst  into  tears.. 
"  Sir,"  said  he,  "I  have  been  a  very 
devil  these  seventeen  years;  but  jom 
treat  me  like  a  man."  "  Come,  fet  ua 
go  back,"  said  the  warden.  The  con- 
vict had  free  range  of  the  prison  as  be- 
fore ;  and  from  this  hour  he  began  to 
open  his  heart  to  the  warden,  and  cheer- 
fully fulfilled  his  whole  term  of  impris- 
onment. 

(e)  AZEL  BACKUS  AND  THE 
HEATHEN.— At  a  festival  at  Ganesa's. 
(Gumputtee's)  temple  in  Ceylon,  while^ 
the  multitude  of  worshipers,  assembled 
at  the  temple,  were  engaged  in  boiling^ 
their  rice  for  an  offering,  one  of  them: 
who  went  for  water,  fell  into  the  welL 
As  soon  as  the  ci  rcumstance  was  made 
known  to  the  cro  tvd,  they  rushed  to  the 
well,  and  among  them  was  the  parida- 
rum  (priest)  of  the  temple,  who,  as  soon; 
as  he  had  gratifieid  his  curiosity,  return- 
ed to  the  tempi  e.  None  among  them 
manifested  the  L  jast  concern  for  the  un- 
fortunate man  who  was  sunk  in  the 
water.  They  1  ooked  into  the  well,  and 
talked  about  the;  man  in  such  imminent 
danger  with  th  d  most  perfect  indiffer- 
ence. Not  an  individual  seemed  to 
think  assistanf^e  could  or  ought  to  be 
rendered,  till  'Dne  of  the  headmen  came 
443 


942 


KINDNESS,  POWER  OF. 


to  the  spot:  he  exerted  all  his  influence 
to  induce  some  one  to  dive  into  the  wa- 
ter, which  any  person  accustomed  to 
swimming  might  have  done  with  perfect 
safety,  but  his  efforts  were  in  vain.  He 
then  sent  for  the  priest,  who  was  known 
to  be  an  expert  swimmer.  At  the  com- 
mand of  the  headman  he  came,  but  ex- 
cused himself  from  the  act  of  mercy  re- 
quired of  him,  by  saying  that  he  could 
not  absent  himself  so  long  from  the  du- 
ties of  the  temple  without  sustaining  a 
loss.  Just  at  this  moment  came  to  the 
place  a  young  man,  unknown  to  the 
crowd,  who,  as  soon  as  he  learned  that 
a  fellow  being  was  drowning,  threw 
aside  his  garment,  and  leaped  into  the 
well.  After  repeatedly  diving,  he  found 
the  body,  and  raised  it  to  the  surface  of 
the  water,  from  which  it  was  taken  by 
the  by-standers.  As  soon  as  the  noise 
and  coofusfon  occasioned  by  taking  out 
the  lifeless  body  had  subsided,  a  loud 
whisper  passed  along  the  crowd,  "  Who 
is  that  young  man  ?  Who  is  that  good 
man  V  They  were  not  a  little  sur- 
prised, and  some  of  the  enemies  of 
Christianity  confounded,  when  they 
were  told  that  this  good  Samaritan  was 
Azel  Backus,  a  Christian  !  1'his  event 
did  not  a  little  towards  stopping  the 
mouths,  and  weakening  the  strength  of 
some  who  were  arrayed  against  Chris- 
tians and  the  cause  in  which  they  are 
engaged  ;  and  is  to  all,  who  have  any 
knowledge  of  Scripture,  a  striking  com- 
ment on  the  words  of  inspiration, 
^'Overcome  evil  with  good." 

(/)  THE  PHYSICIAN  AND  THE 
DRAYMAN.— Dr.  P— ,  a  Quaker  of 
Philadelphia,  was  very  kind  to  the  poor. 
In  times  of  sickness,  produced  by  what- 
ever cause,  he  was  always  ready  and 
willing  to  assist  them.  His  benevolence 
in  such  cases  extended  farther  than  his 
gratuitous  services  as  a  physician.  Of 
course  he  was  beloved. 

The  streets  were  frequently  some- 
what crowded  with  building  materials, 
so  much  so  as  often,  at  particular  places, 
to  prevent  two  vehicles  from  passing 
each  other,  if  the  driver  of  either  is  dis- 
|>osed  to  be  obstinate. 

As  the  doctor  was  one  day  proceed- 
ing to  visit  a  patient,  his  progress  was 
impeded  by  a  dray — the  driver  of  which 
444 


had  stopped  his  horses  in  one  of  those 
narrow  passages.  After  waiting  sever- 
al minutes,  the  doctor  requested  the  dray- 
man to  allow  him  to  pass.  The  latter, 
who  had  heard  of,  but  did  not  know  the 
former,  poured  forth  a  volley  of  the 
vilest  abuse  upon  the  "  straight  coat," 
and  swore  he  would  not  move  till  he 
thought  proper. 

"  Well,  friend,"  said  the  doctor,  "  all  I 
have  to  observe  is  this  :  if  thee  should 
get  sick,  or  if  thy  family  should  ever  be 
in  distress,  send  for  Dr.  P.,  and  he  will 
do  all  he  can  to  assist  thee."  The 
heart  of  the  drayman  was  subdued  by 
the  kindness  of  the  man  he  had  abused. 
He  was  ashamed  of  his  conduct — stam- 
mered an  apology,  and  removed  the  ob- 
struction as  speedily  as  possible. 

How  true  it  is,  that  "  a  soft  tongue 
breaketh  the  bone."  If  the  doctor  had 
cursed  the  drayman  till  midnight,  he 
would  have  received  nothing  but  curs- 
ing and  blows  in  return.  This  may  be 
thought  a  small  matter,  but  it  furnishes 
a  useful  lesson. 

(g)  LIFE  SAVED  BY  GOOD 
NATURE.— A  gentleman  in  Philadel- 
phia, who  constantly  felt  and  looked 
kindly,  going  out  one  morning,  met  a 
wretched  looking  man  walking  hastily 
with  a  musket  in  his  hand. 

"  Good  morning,  sir,"  said  the  gen- 
tleman with  a  smile. 

"  Good  morning,"  muttered  the  other ; 
and  passed  on.  Presently  the  gentle- 
man heard  the  report  of  a  musket,  and 
soon  the  cry  of  murder.  It  turned  out 
that  the  man  with  the  musket  was  in- 
sane, and  had  run  out  with  a  musket  to 
kill  the  first  man  he  should  meet,  that 
he  might  be  hanged  himself,  and  thus 
get  rid  of  this  world  ;  but  he  was  asked 
why  he  did  not  kill  the  first  gentleman. 
"  Why  he  looked  so  good  natured," 
said  he,  "  that  I  thought  I  would  not 
shoot  him." 

(h)  THE  HAYMAKERS.— Two 
neighbors  were  getting  hay  from  ad- 
joining lots  of  marsh  land.  One  had 
the  misfortune  to  mire  his  team  and 
load  so  as  to  require  aid  from  the  other. 
He  called  to  him  for  assistance  with  his 
oxen  and  men.  But  his  neighbor  felt 
churlish,  and  loading  him  with  re- 
proaches  for   his   imprudent   manage- 


LABOR,  DIGNITY  OF. 


243 


ment,  told  him  to  help  himself  at  his 
leisure.  With  considerable  difficulty 
he  extricated  his  load  from  the  mire  and 
pursued  his  business.  A  day  or  two 
after,  his  churlish  neighbor  met  with  a 
similar  mishap.  Whereupon  the  other, 
without  waiting  for  a  request,  volun- 


teered with  his  oxen  and  rendered  the 
necessary  assistance.  The  churl  felt 
ashamed  of  himself.  His  evil  was 
overcome  by  his  neighbor's  good,  and 
he  never  afterwards  refused  him  a 
favor. 


243.  LABOR,  DIGNITY  OF. 


(a)    CYRUS    A    GARDENER.— 

When  Lysander,  the  Lacedaemonian 
general,  brought  magnificent  presents 
to  Cyrus,  the  younger  son  of  Darius, 
who  piqued  himself  more  on  his  integ- 
rity and  politeness  than  on  his  rank  and 
birth,  the  prince  conducted  his  illustri- 
ous guest  through  his  gardens,  and 
pointed  out  to  him  their  varied  beauties. 
Lysander,  struck  with  so  fine  a  pros- 
pect, praised  the  manner  in  which  the 
grounds  were  laid  out,  the  neatness  of 
the  walks,  the  abundance  of  fruits  plant- 
ed  with  an  art  which  knew  how  to  com- 
bine the  useful  with  the  agreeable  ;  the 
beauty  of  the  parterres,  and  the  glowing 
variety  of  flowers  exhaling  odors  uni- 
versally throughout  the  delightful  scene. 
^'  Every  thing  charms  and  transports  me 
in  this  place,"  said  Lysander  to  Cyrus ; 
"  but  what  strikes  me  most  is  the  exqui- 
site taste  and  elegant  industry  of  the 
person  who  drew  the  plan  of  these  gar- 
dens,  and  gave  it  the  fine  order,  won- 
derful disposition,  and  happiness  of  ar- 
rangement which  I  cannot  sufficiently 
admire."  Cyrus  replied,  "  It  was  I  that 
drew  the  plan  and  entirely  marked  it 
out ;  and  many  of  the  trees  which  you 
see  were  planted  by  my  own  hands." 
"What!"  exclaimed  Lysander,  with 
surprise,  and  viewing  Cyrus  from  head 
to  foot,  "  is  it  possible  that,  with  those 
purple  robes  and  splendid  vestments, 
those  strings  of  jewels  and  bracelets  of 
gold,  those  buskins  so  richly  embroider- 
ed ;  is  it  possible  that  you  could  play 
the  gardener,  and  employ  your  royal 
hands  in  planting  trees  ?"  "  Does  that 
surprise  you  ?"  said  Cyrus ;  "  I  assure 
you  that,  when  my  health  permits,  I 
never  sit  down  to  my  table  without  hav- 
ing fatigued  myself,  either  in  military 
exercise,  rural  labor,  or  some  other  toil- 


some employment,  to  which  I  apply  my- 
self  with  pleasure."  Lysander,  still 
more  amazed,  pressed  Cyrus  by  the 
hand,  and  said,  "  You  are  truly  happy, 
and  deserve  your  high  fortune,  since 
you  unite  it  with  virtue." 

(b)  LACEDiEMONIANS'  SEA- 
SONING. — Dionysius  the  tyrant  being 
at  an  entertainment  given  to  him  by  the 
Lacedaemonians,  expressed  some  disgust 
at  their  black  broth.  "No  wonder," 
said  one  of  them,  "  for  it  wants  season- 
ing." "What  seasoning?'  asked  the 
tyrant.  "  Labor,"  replied  the  citizen, 
"  joined  with  hunger  and  thirst." 

■(c)  INDUSTRIOUS  MONARCH. 
— It  was  the  custom  of  Peter  the  Great 
to  visit  the  different  workshops  and  man- 
ufactories, not  only  to  encourage  them, 
but  also  to  judge  what  other  useful  es- 
tablishments might  be  formed  in  his  do- 
minions. Among  the  places  he  visited 
frequently,  were  the  forges  of  Muller, 
at  Istia,  ninety  versts  from  Moscow. — 
The  Czar  once  passed  a  whole  month 
there ;  during  which  time,  after  giving 
due  attention  to  the  affiiirsof  state,  which 
he  never  neglected,  he  amused  himself 
with  seeing  and  examining  every  thing 
in  the  most  minute  manner,  and  even 
employed  himself  in  learning  the  busi- 
ness of  a  blacksmith.  He  succeeded  so 
well,  that  on  one  of  the  last  days  of  his 
remaining  there,  he  forged  eighteen 
poods  of  iron,  and  put  his  own  particu- 
lar mark  on  each  bar.  The  boyars  and 
other  noblemen  of  his  suite  were  em- 
ployed in  blowing  the  bellows,  stirring 
the  fire,  carrying  coals,  and  performing 
the  other  duties  of  a  blacksmith's  assist- 
ant. When  Peter  had  finished,  he 
went  to  the  proprietor,  praised  his  man- 
ufactory, and  asked  him  how  much  he 
gave  his  workmen  per  pood.  "  Three 
445 


943,  244 


LAWSUITS  AND  LAWYERS. 


kopecks,  or  an  altina,"  answered  Mai- 
ler. "  Very  well,"  replied  the  Czar  ; 
"  I  have  then  earned  eighteen  altinas." 
Muller  brought  eighteen  ducats,  offered 
them  to  Peter,  and  told  him  that  he  could 
not  give  a  workman  like  his  majesty 
less  per  pood.  Peter  refused.  "  Keep 
your  ducats,"  said  he ;  "I  have  not 
wrought  better  than  any  other  man  ; 
give  me  what  you  would  give  to  aiioth- 
er ;  I  want  to  buy  a  pair  of  shoes,  of 
which  1  am  in  great  need."  At  the 
same  time  he  showed  him  his  shoes, 
which  had  been  once  mended,  and  were 
again  full  of  holes.  Peter  accepted  the 
eighteen  altinas,  and  bought  hims(?lf  a 
pair  of  new  shoes,  which  he  used  to 
show  With  much  pleasure,  saying, — 
*'  These  I  earned  with  the  sweat  of  my 
brow." 

One  of  the  bars  of  iron  forged  by 
Peter  the  Great,  and  authenticated  by 
his  mark,  is  still  to  be  seen  at  Istia,  in 
the  forge  of  Muller.  Another  similar 
bar  is  preserved  in  the  cabinet  of  curi- 
osities at  St.  Petersburgh. 

(d)  WASHINGTON  AND  THE 
CORPORAL. — During  the  American 
Revolution,  it  is  said,  the  commander  of 
a  little  squad  was  giving  orders  to  those 
under  him,  relative  to  a  stick  of  timber 
which  they  were  endeavoring  to  raise 
up  to  the  top  of  some  military  works 
they  were  repairing.  The  timber  went 
up  hard,  and  on  this  account,  the  voice 
of  the  little  great  man  was  oftener  heard, 
in  regular  vociferations  of  "  Heave 
away  !  There  she  goes  !  Heave  ho !" 
An  officer,  not  in  military  costume,  was 
passing,  and  asked  the  commander  why 
he  did  not  take  hold,  and  render  a  little 
aid.  The  latter,  astonished,  turning 
round  with  all  the  pomp  of  an  emperor, 
said,  "  Sir,  I  am  a  corporal !"  "  You 
are — are  you  ?"  replied  the  officer,  "  I 
was  not  aware  of  that ;"  and  taking  off 


his  hat  and  bowing,  "I  ask  your* par- 
don, Mr.  Corporal."  Upon  this  he  dis- 
mounted, and  lifted  till  the  sweat  stood' 
in  drops  on  his  forehead.  And  when 
finished,  turning  to  the  command(?r,  he 
said,  "Mr.  Corporal,  when  you  have 
another  such  job,  and  have  not  men 
enough,  send  for  your  Commancfer-in- 
Chief,  and  I  will  come  and  help  you  a. 
second  time."  The  corporal  was  thun- 
derstruck !     It  was  Washington. 

(e)  CARTER'S  REPLY  TO  THE: 
TANNER.— The  Rev.  J.  Carter,,  one- 
of  the  puritan  ministers,  once  cams  un- 
expectedly behind  a  Christian  of  his  ac- 
quaintance, who  was  busily  occupied 
in  his  business  as  a  tanner.  He  gave- 
him  a  pleasant  tap  on  the  shoulder ;  the 
good  man  looked  behind  him,  started, 
and  said,  "  Sir,  I  am  ashamed  that  you 
should  find  me  thus  employed."  Mr. 
Carter  replied,  "  Let  Christ,  when  he 
Cometh,  find  me  so  doing."  "  What  I"' 
said  the  good  man,  "  doing  thus  ?" — 
"Yes,"  said  Mr.  C,  "faithfully  per- 
forming the  duties  of  my  calling.." 

An  anecdote  similar  to  this  is  record- 
ed of  Dr.  Doddringe  and  one  of  his: 
friends. 

(/)  SOUTHERN  STUDENT  AND 
DR.  STUART.— Manual  labor  is  es- 
teemed by  many  at  the  South  as  dis- 
graceful. An  anecdote  showing  to  what 
an  extent  this  sentiment  prevails,  was 
related  at  an  anti-slavery  meeting  at 
Danvers.  A  student  from  one  of  the 
southern  States,  in  the  Theological  Sem^ 
inary  at  Andover,  had  purchased  some 
wood,  and  was  exceedingly  embarrassed 
at  being  unable  readily  to  obtain  some 
one  to  saw  it  for  him.  He  went  to  Pro- 
fessor Stuart,  to  inquire  what  he  should 
do  in  so  unfortunate  a  predicament.  Th& 
learned  professor  replied,  that  he  was  in 
want  of  a  job  himself,  and  he  would  saw- 
it  for  him. 


244.  LAWSUITS  AND  LAWYERS. 


(a)  THE  CZAR  AND  HIS  GOV- 
ERNOR.— Peter  the  Great  frequently 
surprised  the  magistrates  by  his  unex- 
pected presence  in  the  cities  of  the  em- 
pire. Having  arrived  without  previous 
446 


notice  at  Olonez,  he  went  first  to  the  re- 
gency,  and  inquired  of  the  governor  how 
many  suits  were  depending  in  the  court 
of  chancery  ?  "  None,  sire,"  replied 
the  governor.     *'How  happens  that?" 


LAW  SUITS  AND  LAWYERS. 


244 


"I  endeavor  to  prevent  lawsuits,  and 
<;oncilisite  the  parties;  I  act  ici  such  a 
manner  that  no  traces  of  differ  ence  re- 
main CO  the  archives ;  if  I  am  wrong, 
your  indulgence  will  excuse  mo."  "I 
wish,"  j-eplied  the  Czar,  "  that  all  gov- 
ernors >vould  act  on  your  principles. 
Go  on,  God  and  your  sovereign  are 
equally  .satisfied." 

(b)  GOOD  ADVICE  OF  TWISS. 
— Mr.  Philip  Henry  relates  a  remarka- 
:ible  stor^^  concerning  a  good  old  friend 
of  his,  TK  ho,  when  young,  being  an  or- 
phan, wa.s  greatly  wronged  by  his  uncle. 
His  portion,  which  was  06200,  was  put 
into  the  h  ands  of  that  uncle  ;  who,  when 
lie  grew  up,  shuffled  with  him,  and 
•would  give  him  but  £40,  instead  of  his 
je200,  aR(i  he  had  no  way  of  recovering 
Ms  right  but  by  law.  But,  before  he 
"Would  enj^age  in  that,  he  was  willing  to 
advise  wi  th  his  minister,  who  was  the 
■famous  D  r.  Twiss,  of  Newberry.  The 
counsel  he  gave  him,  all  things  consid- 
ered, was  5,  for  peace'  sake,  and  for  the 
preventiag  of  sin,  and  snares,  and 
troubles,  to  take  the  £40  rather  than 
contend;  "  and  Thomas,"  said  the  doc- 
tor, "  if  thou  dost  so,  assure  thyself  that 
-God  will  make  it  up  to  thee  and  thine 
some  othe  r  way,  and  they  that  defraud 
will  be  th(  3  losers  by  it  at  last."  He  did 
so,  and  at  pleased  God  so  to  bless  that 
little  whi  ch  he  began  the  world  with, 
that  whesi  he  died  in  a  good  old  age,  he 
left  his  so  n  possessed  of  some  hundreds 
a  year,  w  hilst  he  that  had  wronged  him 
fell  into  poverty. 

(c)  TH  E  MAGISTRATE'S  EXPE- 
T)IENT.-  -A  magistrate  of  Paris  estab- 
lished a  poor-box  in  his  office;  and 
when  he  happened  to  accomplish  the 
pleasantes  t  part  of  his  duty,  that  of  pre- 
venting lit  igation,  he  invited  the  parties 
whom  he  ;  reconciled,  to  seal  that  recon- 
ciliation w  ith  an  alms.  In  a  single  year, 
thia  worth  y  functionary  collected  more 
thun  1400  francs.  This  ingenious  means 
of  bene€c(  3nce  was  truly  honorable  to 
the  invento  r. 

(d)  TEIE  UNSETTLED  LAW- 
CASE. — 1  ^wo  neighbors,  who  were 
brothers  b;  y  marriagcj  had  a  difficulty 
respecting  their  partition  fence.  Al- 
though the  y  had  mutually  erected  a 
aubstantiai    fence,  four  and  one  half  feet 


in  height  on  the  line  separating  the  sheep 
pasture  of  one  from  the  grain  field  of 
the  other,  yet  the  lambs  would  creep 
through  the  crevices  and  destroy  the 
grain.  Each  asserted  it  to  be  the  duty 
of  the  other  to  chink  the  fence.  After 
the  usual  preliminaries  of  demands,  re- 
fusals, threats,  challenges,  and  mutual 
recriminations,  they  resolved  to  try  the 
glorious  uncertainty  of  the  law  ;  they 
were,  however,  persuaded  by  their 
friends  to  the  more  amicable  mode  of 
submitting  the  defence  and  final  deter- 
mination to  a  very  worthy  and  intelli- 
gent neighbor,  who  was  forthwith  con- 
ducted to  the  scene  of  trouble,  and  in 
full  view  of  the  premises :  each  party 
in  turn,  in  a  speech  of  some  length,  as- 
serted his  rights,  and  set  forth  the  law 
and  the  facts;  at  the  conclusion  of 
which,  the  arbitrator  very  gravely  re- 
marked :  "  Gentlemen,  the  case  involves 
questions  of  great  nicety  and  importance, 
not  only  to  the  parties  in  interest,  but  to 
the  community  at  large  ;  and  it  is  my 
desire  to  take  suitable  time  for  deliber- 
ation, and  also  for  advisement  with  those 
who  are  learned  in  the  law,  and  most 
expert  in  the  customs  of  good  neighbors ; 
in  the  meantime,  however,  I  will  just 
clap  a  billet  or  two  of  wood  into  the 
sheep  holes ;"  and  in  ten  minutes'  time, 
with  his  hands,  he  effectually  closed 
every  gap.  The  parties  silently  retir- 
ed, each  evidently  heartily  ashamed  of 
his  own  folly  and  obstinacy.  The  um- 
pire has  never  been  called  upon  to  pro- 
nounce final  judgment  in  the  case ;  so 
the  law  case  remains  unsettled  to  this 
day. 

(e)  RULE  FOR  AN  ATTORNEY." 
— A  pious  attorney,  being  asked  how  he 
could  conscientiously  plead  for  some  of 
his  clients,  replied,  "  Sir,  I  have  not  for 
many  years  undertaken  a  cause  which 
I  could  not  pray  for ;  and  I  have  never 
lost  a  case  for  which  I  could  pray  !"  If 
all  lawyers  would  do  thus,  the  oppres- 
sion of  the  innocent  would  be  less  fre- 
quent. 

(/)  ERSKINE'S  OPINION.— Lord 
Erskine,  when  at  the  bar,  and  at  the 
time  when  his  professional  talents  were 
most  eminent  and  popular,  having  been 
applied  to  by  his  friend  Dr.  Parr  for  his 
opinion  upon  a  subject  likely  to  be  liti- 
447 


344,  245 


LEGACIES. 


gated  by  him,  after  recommending  the 
Qoctor  "  to  accommodate  the  difference 
amicably,"  concluded  his  letter  by  ob- 
serving, "  I  can  scarcely  figure  to  my- 
self a  situation  in  which  a  lawsuit  is 
not,  if  possible,  to  be  avoided." 

{g)  THE  LITIGANT'S  GRATI- 
FICATION.—A  gentleman  who  had 
been  successively  engaged  in  three  pro- 
fessions, that  of  minister,  physician,  and 
lawyer,  was  asked  the  comparative  ad- 
vantages of  them  for  acquiring  proper- 
ty. He  replied,  "  The  man  who  will 
give  but  a  fourpence  to  save  his  soul, 
will  give  twenty-five  cents  for  relief 
from  sickness,  and  a  dollar  to  have  his 
own  will." 

Qi)  EXTRAORDINARY  LAW- 
YER.— A  circumstance  is  mentioned 
of  Robert  Dover,  the  worthy  attorney 
of  Burton  on  the  Heath,  on  the  last 
leaf  of  a  book  of  verses  to  which  his 
portrait  is  affixed,  no  less  extraordinary 
than  the  occasion  of  writing  the  poems, 
namely  ;  that  "  though  he  was  bred  an 
attorney,  he  never  tried  but  two  causes, 
having  always  made  up  the  difference." 


\i)  MATTHEW  HALE  IN  DIS. 
GUISE. — The  younger  of  two  broth- 
ers had  e  ndeavored  to  deprive  the  elder 
of  an  estate  of  £500  a  year,  by  suborn- 
ing witnesses  to  declare  that  he  died  in 
a  foreign  land.  Coming  into  the  court 
in  the  guise  of  a  miller.  Sir  Matthew 
Hale  was  chosen  the  twelfth  juryman 
to  sit  on  this  cause.  As  soon  as  the 
clerk  of  the  court  had  sworn  in  the  ju- 
rymen, a  little  dexterous  fellow  came 
into  their  apartment  and  slipped  ten 
gold  pieces  into  the  hands  of  eleven  of 
the  jury,  and  gave  the  miller  five,  while 
the  judge  was  known  to  be  bribed  with 
a  great  sum.  The  judge  summed  up^ 
the  evidence  in  favor  of  the  younger 
brother,  and  the  jury  were  about  to> 
give  their  assent,  when  the  supposed* 
miller  stood  up  and  addressed  the  court 
with  such  energetic  and  manly  elo- 
quence, as  astonished  the  judge  and  all 
present ;  unraveled  the  sophistry  to  the 
very  bottom,  proved  the  fact  of  bribery, 
evinced  the  elder  brother' ^  title  to  the 
estate,  from  the  contradictory  evidence- 
of  the  witnesses,  and  gained  a  complete^ 
victory  in  favor  of  tru/h  and  justice.. 


245.  LEGACIES. 


{a)  THE  RICH  MAN'S  HEIR.— 
An  old  woman,  who  showed  the  house 
and  pictures  at  Towcester,  expressed 
herself  in  these  remarkable  words : — 
"  That  is  Sir  Robert  Farmer ;  he  lived 
in  the  country,  took  care  of  his  estate, 
built  this  house,  and  paid  for  it ;  ma- 
naged well,  saved  money,  and  died  rich. 
— That  is  his  son.  He  was  made  a  lord, 
took  a  place  at  court,  spent  his  estate, 
and  died  a  beggar !"  A  very  concise, 
but  full  account,  and  fraught  with  a  va- 
luable moral  lesson.  "He  layeth  up 
riches,  and  knoweth  not  who  shall  ga  • 
ther  them." 

{h)  THE  LOST  LEGACY.— We 
knew  a  worthy  clergyman,  says  a  wri- 
ter in  the  New- York  Evangelist,  who 
had  the  cause  of  religion  deeply  at  heart, 
and  who,  by  his  will,  had  bequeathed  to 
a  benevolent  institution  a  certain  bond 
which  he  held  against  an  individual  then 
448 


supposed  to  be  rich.  At  the  time  of" 
making  his  will,  the  bond  would  have- 
been  canceled  on  demand.  But  by  a 
reverse  of  circumstances,  the  debtor  be- 
came insolvent ;  and  but  a  few  cents; 
on  the  dollar  were  paid  on  ;he  final 
winding  up  of  his  concerns.  This  to 
the  benevolent  clergyman  was  a  source 
of  much  deeper  regret,  than  if  he  had 
sustained  the  same  loss  in  property  which 
he  had  designed  for  his  own  lawful  heirs- 
Instead  of  accumulating,  as  he  had  anti- 
cipated, so  as  to  produce  a  greater  ul- 
terior benefit  to  the  cause,  it  was  re- 
duced to  a  very  small  pittance.  Had 
he  given  the  money  when  he  hr.d  formed 
his  design,  it  would  have  effected  imme- 
diate good,  and  perhaps  yielded,  In  its 
advantage  to  the  cause,  a  far  greater 
per-centage,  than  any  interest  upon 
bond,  had  it  been  perfectly  salfe. 

This  incident  will  serve  to  illustratei 


LICENTIOUSNESS. 


215,  246 


the  importance  of  doing  at  once  what- 
ever we  design  for  the  promotion  of  the 
gospel. 

(c)  THE  PRODIGAL  REFORMED 
— Admiral  Williams,  when  a  young 
man,  was  gay,  and  so  addicted  to  ex- 
pensive pleasures,  that  no  remonstrances 
could  reclaim  him.  When  his  father 
died,  he  met  the  rest  of  the  family  to 
hear  the  will  read.  His  name  did  not 
occur  among  the  other  children,  and  he 
supposed  the  omission  was  a  mark  of 
his  father's  resentment  against  him.    At 


the  close  of  it,  however,  he  found  that 
he  was  mentioned,  as  residuary  legatee, 
in  these  words,  "  All  the  rest  of  my  es- 
tate and  effects  I  leave  to  my  son  Peere 
Williams,  knowing  that  he  will  spend 
it  all." 

On  hearing  this  he  burst  into  tears. 
"  My  father,"  said  he,  "  has  touched 
the  right  string,  and  his  reproach  shall 
not  be  thrown  away."  His  conduct 
from  that  time  was  altered,  and  he  be- 
came an  honor  to  the  Christian  pro- 
fession. 


246.  LICENTIOUSNESS. 


{a)  HINT  TO  YOUNG  LADIES. 

— Why  did  you  not  take  the  arm  of  my 
brother  last  night  ?  said  a  young  lady 
to  her  friend,  a  very  intelligent  girl, 
about  19,  in  a  large  town  near  lake 
Ontario  ;  she  replied,  "  Because  I  know 
him  to  be  a  licentious  young  man." 
''Nonsense,"  was  the  answer  of  the  sis- 
ter, "  if  you  refuse  the  attentions  of  all 
licentious  men,  you  will  have  none,  I 
can  assure  you."  "  Very  well,"  said 
her  friend,  "  then  I  can  dispense  with 
them  altogether — for  my  resolution  on 
this  point  is  unalterably  fixed."  How 
long  would  it  take  to  revolutionize  socie- 
ty, were  all  young  ladies  to  adopt  this 
resolution  ? 

(h)  THE  HAPPY  RAKE.— Colonel 
Gardiner,  says  Doctor  Doddridge,  was 
habitually  so  immersed  in  intrigues,  that 
if  not  the  whole  business,  at  least  the 
whole  happiness  of  his  life  consisted  in 
them  ;  and  he  had  too  much  leisure  for 
one  who  was  so  prone  to  abuse  it.  His 
fine  constitution,  than  which,  perhaps, 
there  was  hardly  ever  a  better,  gave 
him  great  opportunities  of  indulging 
himself  in  these  excesses  ;  and  his  good 
spirits  enabled  him  to  pursue  his  plea- 
sures of  every  kind  in  so  alert  and 
sprightly  a  manner,  that  multitudes  en- 
vied him,  and  called  him,  by  a  dreadful 
kind  of  compliment,  "  The  happy  rake." 
Yet  still  the  checks  of  conscience,  and 
some  remaining  principles  of  an  excel- 
lent education,  would  break  in  upon  his 
most  licentious  hours  ;  and  I  particu- 
larly remember  he  told  me,  that  when 
29 


some  of  his  dissolute  companions  were 
once  congratulating  him  on  his  distin- 
guished felicity,  a  dog  happening  at  that 
time  to  come  into  the  room,  he  could 
not  forbear  groaning  inwardly,  and  say- 
ing to  himself,  "  Oh  that  I  were  that 
dog!"  Such  was  then  his  happiness, 
and  such,  perhaps,  is  that  of  hundreds 
more,  who  bear  themselves  highest  in 
the  contempt  of  religion,  and  glory  in 
that  infamous  servitude  which  they  af- 
fect to  call  liberty. 

(c)  HIGHWAY  TO  SUICIDE.— 
The  Rev.  John  Owen,  the  eloquent  ad- 
vocate of  the  Bible  Society,  after  advert- 
ing, in  a  sermon  to  the  young,  to  the 
peaceful  death  of  a  little  girl,  mentions 
the  awful  end  of  a  youth  who  had  been 
seduced  from  the  paths  of  virtue  by  wick- 
ed associates. 

Scarcely,  says  he,  had  the  turf  been 
spread  over  the  mortal  remains  of  this 
young  disciple,  when  the  ground  was 
opened  to  receive  another  of  our  youth, 
who,  awful  to  relate,  had  raised  his  arm, 
and  that  with  too  fatal  success,  against 
the  precious,  the  invaluable  deposit  of 
his  own  life.  This  deluded  youth  had 
received  the  benefit  of  a  Christian  edu- 
cation in  one  of  our  schools  of  gratuitous 
instruction  ;  and,  like  the  happy  subject 
who  preceded  him  into  eternity,  had 
been  carefully  lectured  in  the  house  of 
God  on  matters  which  concerned  his 
salvation.  But  a  removal  from  school 
to  employment  was  to  him,  as  it  unhap- 
pily is  to  too  many  of  our  youth,  the 
signal  for  renouncing  his  attendance 
449 


247 


LOVE,  BROTHERLY. 


upon  the  ordinances  of  religion.  The 
consequence  was  such  as  might  natural- 
ly be  apprehended.  He  fell  into  the 
snare  of  evil  company,  and  became  li- 
centious, profligate,  and  abandoned.  Dis- 
eased, disgraced,  despondent,  without 
any  cordial  from  religious  hope,  any 
support  in  Christian  resignation,  he  yield- 
ed to  the  temptation  of  the  destroyer,  and 
completed  the  measure  of  his  sin,  his 
misery,  and  his  dishonor,  by  an  act  of 
deliberate  suicide. 


Behold  then,  this  victim  to  his  youth- 
ful lusts,  mangled,  cruelly  mangled  by 
his  own  violence ;  and  weltering,  with 
awful  publicity,  in  the  stream  of  blood 
which  his  suicidal  hands  have  spilt ! 
Behold — not  that  you  may  gratify  an 
unfeeling  curiosity,  nor  yet  be  convulsed' 
with  horror  and  disgust — but  that  you 
may  learn  the  solemn  truth  which  every 
part  of  this  catastrophe  proclaims,  "  The 
wages  of  sin  is  death  !" 


247.  LOVE,  BROTHERLY. 


(a)  A  CALVINIST'S  LIBERALI- 
TY. — "  Though  a  man,"  says  the  Rev. 
John  Newton,  "  does  not  accord  with 
my  views  of  Election,  yet  if  he  give  me 
good  evidence  that  he  is  effectually 
called  of  God,  he  is  my  brother.  Though 
he  seems  afraid  of  the  doctrine  of  final 
perseverance,  yet  if  grace  enable  him 
to  persevere,  he  is  my  brother  still. 
If  he  will  love  Jesus,  I  will  love  him 
whatever  hard  names  he  may  be  called 
by,  and  whatever  incidental  mistakes  I 
may  think  he  holds.  This  differing 
from  me  will  not  always  prove  him  to  be 
wrong,  except  I  am  infallible  myself." 

(b)  INTIMACY  WITH  THE 
PIOUS  POOR.— A  truly  pious  man, 
of  rank  and  influence  in  society,  was  in 
the  habit  of  entertaining  and  admitting 
to  a  degree  of  intimacy,  persons  of  very 
hunible  circumstances  of  life,  if  they 
only  gave  evidence  of  true  religion.  A 
friend  of  his,  who  was  accustomed  to 
measure  every  thing  according  to  the 
standard  of  this  world,  pleasantly  rallied 
him  on  the  subject  of  his  associates ;  in- 
timating his  surprise  that  he  should  ad- 
mit to  his  hospitality  and  friendship  per- 
sons of  obscure  origin,  and  of  little  esti- 
mation among  men.  He  replied  in  a 
tone  of  unaflTected  humility,  that  as  he 
could  scarcely  hope  to  enjoy  so  elevated 
a  rank  as  they  in  a  future  world,  he 
knew  not  why  he  should  despise  them 
in  the  present.  The  reproof  came  home 
to  the  feelings  of  the  proud  man,  and  he 
was  silent  ;  conscience  whispering, 
meanwhile,  how  dim  were  his  prospects 
of  rising,  in  the  future  world,  to  an 
equality   with   the   pious   poor,   if   his 

450 


Christian  friend  was  in  danger  of  fall- 
ing below  them. 

(c)  AN  UNBELIEVER  CON- 
VINCED. — A  man  who  had  for  some 
time  attended  the  meetings  of  a  certain 
church  in  the  city  of  New- York,  came 
before  them  to  relate  his  experience, 
with  a  view  to  joining  them  by  baptism. 
In  detailing  the  exercises  of  his  mind, 
he  stated  that  what  first  drew  his  seri- 
ous attention  to  the  subject  of  religion, 
was  observing  the  unbroken  concord  and 
Christian  affection  existing  among  the 
members  of  the  church.  It  struck  him 
that  such  a  delightful  harmony  and  mu- 
tual attachment  could  not  be  the  effect 
of  natural  feeling,  and  self-interest,  for 
it  was  too  pure  and  too  holy.  What 
could  produce  such  a  tie  of  brotherhood 
but  the  agency  of  the  Spirit  of  God ! 
There  was  no  other  explanation,  and 
the  more  he  looked  upon  the  church 
keeping  the  unity  of  the  spirit  in  the 
bond  of  peace,  the  more  his  heart  was 
affected,  till  he  was  led  to  cast  himself 
at  the  feet  of  Christ,  and  pray  that  his 
hard  and  selfish  heart  might  be  changed, 
and  that  he  might  also  become  one  of 
the  blessed  company  of  the  saints. 

If  all  churches  maintained  such  a 
fellowship  as  this,  and  could  always 
challenge  the  world  with  "  Behold  how 
these  Christians  love  one  another,"  what 
multitudes  would  believe  in  Christ  who 
now  reject  him. ! 

(d)  PLAGUE  AT  ALEXANDRIA. 
— A  striking  instance  of  the  brotherly 
love  of  the  early  Christians,  transpired 
in  the  great  plague  that  raged  in  Alex- 
andria, during  the  reign  of  Gallienus. 


LOVE,  BROTHERLY. 


247 


At  the  first  appearance  of  the  symptoms, 
the  heathen  drove  the  infected  man 
from  their  sight ;  they  tore  themselves 
from  their  dearest  connections;  they 
threw  their  friends  half  dead  into  the 
streets,  and  left  their  dead  unburied. 
But,  in  contrast  with  this  cruel  selfish- 
ness, "  the  Christians,  in  the  abundance 
of  their  brotherly  love,"  as  their  bishop 
Dionysius  says,  "did  not  spare  them- 
selves, but  mutually  attending  to  each 
other,  they  would  visit  the  sick  without 
fear,  and  ministering  to  each  other  for 
the  sake  of  Christ,  cheerfully  gave  up 
their  lives  with  them.  Many  died  after 
their  care  had  restored  others  to  health. 
Many  who  took  the  bodies  of  their 
Christian  brethren  into  hands  and 
bosoms,  and  closed  their  eyes,  and 
buried  them  with  every  mark  of  atten- 
tion, soon  followed  them  in  death." 

(e)  CYPRIAN  AND  THE  CAP- 
TIVES.— The  early  Christians  were 
remarkable  for  their  brotherly  love. 
When  a  multitude  of  Christian  men  and 
women  in  Numidia,  had  been  taken 
prisoners  by  a  horde  of  neighboring  bar- 
barians, and  when  the  churches  to 
which  they  belonged  were  unable  to 
raise  the  sum  demanded  for  their  ran- 
som, they  sent  deputies  to  the  church 
that  was  planted  in  the  metropolis  of' 
North  Africa.  No  sooner  had  Cyprian, 
who  was  at  the  head  of  it,  heard  a  state- 
ment of  the  distressing  case,  than  he 
commenced  a  subscription  in  behalf  of 
the  unfortunate  slaves,  and  never  re- 
laxed his  indefatigable  efforts,  till  he 
had  collected  a  sum  equal  to  nearly 
$4000.  This  he  forwarded  to  the  Nu- 
midian  Christians,  with  a  letter  full  of 
Christian  sympathy  and  tenderness. 

•'  In  cases  like  these,"  he  says  in  his 
letter,  "  who  would  not  feel  sorrow,  and 
who  would  not  look  upon  a  brother's 
sufferings  as  his  own  ?  As  the  apostle 
says,  when  one  member  suffers,  all  the 
members  suffer  with  it.  Therefore  we 
must  consider  the  captivity  of  our  bre- 
thren as  our  own  captivity.  We  must 
see  Christ  in  our  captive  brethren,  and 
redeem  him  from  captivity  who  redeem- 
ed us  from  death." 

(/)  THE  CONVERT'S  DISAP- 
POINTMENT.—A  young  lady  in 
Rhode  Island,  who  had  been  brought  up 


by  a  pious  and  devoted  mother,  and  who 
had  always  looked  up  to  Christians  as 
patterns  of  all  that  was  excellent  in  piety 
and  morality,  as  forming  societies  next 
in  their  loveliness  to  that  of  heaven,  was 
led  to  repentance,  and  united  with  a 
Christian  church.  Some  time  after  her 
baptism,  she  heard  some  of  the  older 
and  leading  members  of  the  church, 
speaking  in  terms  of  severity  and  bitter- 
ness respecting  the  faults  and  errors  of 
some  of  the  other  members ;  and  with- 
out appearing  grieved  at  the  conduct 
they  so  freely  censured.  Her  surprise 
and  disappointment  were  most  painful. 
Is  this,  thought  she,  the  boasted  fellow- 
ship of  the  church  ?  Can  these  profes- 
sors know  any  thing  of  the  spirit  of 
Christ?  She  was  led  to  doubt  their 
Christianity ;  and  yet  as  they  had  ex- 
pressed the  same  attachment  to  Christ 
and  his  cause  which  she  had  herself, 
she  was  led  to  think  that  her  own  feel- 
ings, as  well  as  theirs,  were  but  the 
kindlings  of  enthusiasm,  the  joys  of  false 
hopes,  and  the  reveries  of  an  excited 
imagination.  Thus  her  mind  was  filled 
with  gloom  and  despair;  she  felt  she 
had  been  most  cruelly  deceived,  and 
her  wretchedness  was  extreme.  She 
poured  out  her  soul  in  tears,  day  and 
night ;  but  tears  proved  the  food  rather 
than  the  medicine  of  her  grief.  At 
length  she  began  to  be  subject  to  doubts 
respecting  the  reality  of  spiritual  reli- 
gion ;  she,  of  course,  neglected  many 
of  its  duties ;  if  she  tried  to  pray,  her 
prayers  seemed  but  foolishness; — at 
length  Jesus  Christ  became  an  object 
of  skepticism,  and  at  last  she  even  call- 
ed in  question  the  existence  of  a  God. 
And  here  she  remained  "  in  tideless, 
shoreless  wo,"  till,  through  the  agency 
of  the  Providence  and  Spirit  of  God, 
she  was  led  to  come  to  herself,  arise 
and  go  to  her  father's  house  ! 

Oh !  how  should  such  a  a  fact  as  this 
urge  professed  Christians,  one  and  all, 
to  be  "  kindly  affectioned  one  to  another, 
with  brotherly  love,"  and  to  put  away 
from  among  them  "  all  bitterness,  and 
wrath,  and  anger,  and  clamor,  and  evil 
speaking,  with  all  malice." 

(g)  WHITFIELD'S  OPINION  OF 
WESLEY. — A  minister,  very  liberal 
in  his  reflections  on  Mr.  Wesley  and 
451 


S4§ 


LOVE  TO  CHRIST. 


his  followers,  being  once  in  company 
with  Mr.  Whitfield,  expressed  his  doubt 
to  him  concerning  Mr.  Wesley's  salva- 
tion, and  said,  "  Sir,  do  you  think  when 
we  get  to  heaven,  we   shall   see    Mr. 


Wesley?"  "No,  sir,"  replied  Mr. 
Whitfield,  "  I  fear  not,  for  he  will  be  so 
near  the  throne,  and  we  shall  be  at  such 
a  distance,  we  shall  hardly  get  sight  of 
him." 


248.  LOVE  TO  CHRIST. 


(a)  THE  MORAVIAN  PILOT.— 
In  the  year  1811,  the  Moravian  mis- 
sionaries in  Labrador  determined  on  the 
introduction  of  the  gospel  in  the  northern 
parts  of  that  land.  They  embarked  in 
company  with  a  Christian  pilot  whom 
they  had  obtained,  named  Jonathan. 
The  sacrifices  which  this  man  made 
to  accompany  him  were  very  great. 
At  Hopedale,  he  was  considered  the 
principal  person  or  chief  of  his  nation  ; 
but  being  made  a  partaker  of  the  same 
spirit  by  which  the  missionary  brethren 
were  actuated,  he  was  willing  to  sojourn 
among  strangers,  where  he  would  have 
no  pre-eminence,  and  to  expose  himself 
to  unknown  hardships  and  dangers, 
sustained  only  by  the  hope  that  the  pro- 
jected voyage  might  open  the  way  for 
the  introduction  of  the  gospel  among  a 
portion  of  his  countrymen  still  sitting  in 
darkness  and  the  shadow  of  death. 
When  any  of  his  countrymen  repre- 
sented to  him  the  danger  of  the  expedi- 
tion, he  used  to  say,  "  Well,  we  will 
try,  and  shall  know  better  when  we  get 
there :"  and  once  he  said,  "  When  1 
hear  people  talk  about  the  danger  of 
being  killed,  I  think  Jesus  went  to  death 
out  of  love  to  us  ;  what  greater  matter 
would  it  be,  if  we  were  to  be  put  to 
death  in  his  service,  should  that  be  his 
good  pleasure  ?"  So  effectually  had  he 
been  taught  that  Christ  died  for  all,  that 
we  who  live  should  not  henceforth  live 
unto  ourselves,  but  unto  him  who  died 
for  us,  and  rose  again.  Nor  was  this 
a  mere  empty  boast;  this  generous 
principle  of  devotedness  to  Jesus  evi- 
dently actuated  our  Esquimaux  captain 
during  the  severe  trials  of  a  most  peril- 
ous voyage;  his  cheerful,  firm,  and 
faithful  conduct,  under  all  circum- 
stances, being  quite  consistent  with  his 
Christian  profession. 

(h)  THE  HAPPY  HINDOO.—The 
452 


Rev.  Eustace  Carey,  from  India,  relates 
a  pleasing  anecdote  of  a  native  Christian 
whom  he  was  called  to  visit.  Inquiring 
as  to  the  s';ate  of  her  mind,  she  replied, 
"  Happy  !  happy  !  1  have  Christ  here" 
laying  her  hand  on  the  Bengalee  Bible  ; 
"  and  Christ  here.,"  pressing  it  to  her 
heart ;  "  and  Christ  there,"  pointing  to- 
wards heaven.  Happy  Christian !  to 
whatever  part  of  the  universe  she  might 
be  removed,  the  Lord  of  the  universe 
was  with  her,  and  she  was  secure  of 
his  favor.  "  Whom  have  I  in  heaven 
but  thee  ?  and  there  is  none  upon  the 
earth  that  I  desire  besides  thee.  My 
heart  and  my  flesh  faileth,  but  God  is 
the  strength  of  my  heart  and  my  portion 
for  ever. 

(c)  "  SHALL  WE  KNOW  EACH 
OTHER  IN  HEAVEN.— An  old  mi- 
nister,  while  one  day  pursuing  his 
studies,  his  wife  being  in  the  room, 
was  suddenly  interrupted  by  her  asking 
him  a  question,  which  has  not  always 
been  so  satisfactorily  answered.  "  Do 
you  think  we  shall  know  each  other  in 
heaven  ?"  Without  hesitation,  he  re- 
plied, "  To  be  sure  we  shall ;  do  you 
think  we  shall  be  greater  fools  there 
than  we  are  here  ?"  After  a  moment- 
ary pause,  he  again  proceeded  ;  "  But 
I  may  be  a  thousand  years  by  your  side 
in  heaven  without  having  seen  you ; 
for  the  first  thing  which  will  attract  my 
notice  when  1  arrive  there,  will  be  my 
dear  Savior ;  and  I  cannot  tell  when  I 
shall  be  for  a  moment  induced  to  look 
at  any  other  object." 

{d)  PREFERRING  CHRIST  TO 
ORNAMENTS.— In  a  letter  from  the 
Rev.  A.  Judson,  a  Christian  missionary 
in  Burmah,  addressed  to  American  fe- 
males, is  the  following  anecdote  : 

A  Karen  woman  oflfered  herself  foi 
baptism.  After  the  usual  examination, 
I  inquired  whether  she  could  give  up 


LOVE  TO  CHRIST,  ASSURANCE  OF. 


24S,  249 


her  ornaments  for  Christ.  It  was  an 
unexpected  blow.  I  explained  the  spirit 
of  the  gospel,  and  appealed  to  her  own 
consciousness  of  vanity.  I  then  read  to 
her  the  apostle's  prohibition,  1  Tim.  2:9. 
She  looked  again  and  again  at  her 
handsome  necklace,  and  then,  with  an 
air  of  modest  decision,  that  would  adorn, 
beyond  all  ornaments,  any  of  my  sisters 
whom  I  have  the  honor  of  addressing, 
she  took  it  off,  saying,  "  I  love  Christ 
more  than  this." 

(e)  LOVING  CHRIST  BETTER 
THAN  RELATIVES.— A  martyr 
was  asked,  whether  he  did  not  love  his 
wife  and  children,  who  stood  weeping 
by  him  ?  "  Love  them  !"  said  he,  "  yes, 
if  all  the  world  were  gold,  and  at  my 
disposal,  I  would  give  it  all  for  the 
satisfaction  of  living  with  them,  though 
it  were  in  prison ;  yet,  in  comparison 
with  Christ,  I  love  them  not." 

(/)  NONE  BUT  CHRIST.— John 
Lambert  suffered  in  the  year  1538.  No 
man  was  used  at  the  stake  with  more 
cruelty  than  this  holy  martyr.  They 
burned  him  with  a  slow  fire  by  inches. 
But  God  was  with  him  in  the  midst  of 
the  flame,  and  supported  him  in  all  the 
anguish  of  nature.  Just  before  he  ex- 
pired, he  lifted  up  such  hands  as  he  had, 
all  flaming  with  fire,  and  cried  out  to 
the  people  with  his  dying  voice,  with 
these  glorious  words,  "  None  but  Christ  f 
None  but  Christ/^'  He  was  at  last 
bent  down  into  the  fire  and  expired. 

249.  Love  to  Christ,  Assurance  of. 

(a)  NAMACQUA  GIRL'S  LOVE. 
— I  have  observed  a  little  Namacqua 
girl  in  my  house,  says  Mr.  Schmelen, 
a  Christian  missionary,  about  eight 
years  of  age,  with  a  book  in  her  hand, 
very  accurately  instructing  another  girl 
about  fourteen.  When  I  asked  her  if 
she  loved  the  Lord  Jesus,  she  answered, 
"  Yes,  I  do ;  and  I  desire  to  love  him 
more."  I  inquired  why  she  loved  him, 
since  she  had  never  seen  him ;  she 
answered,  "  He  loved  me  first,  and 
died  for  me  on  the  cross,  that  I  might 
live."  When  I  asked  her  if  the  Lord 
Jesus  would  love  the  little  children,  she 
could  not  answer  me  for  weeping,  and 
at  length  fainted  away.     I  had  frequent- 


ly observed  this  child  under  deep  im- 
pressions at  our  meetings.  She  is  de- 
scended from  a  wild  Bushman,  and  was 
stolen  from  her  people  and  country,  but 
has  no  desire  now  to  return. 

(J)  "LOVEST  THOU  ME  ?"— 
In  one  of  the  general  associations,  held 
in  South  and  North  Wales,  of  different 
Sunday  schools  to  be  publicly  catechis- 
ed together,  a  young  girl  answered  the 
close  questions  put  by  the  Savior  to 
Peter  :  "  Lovest  thou  me  ?"  When  she 
came  to  answer  the  third  time,  she  was 
overcome  by  her  feelings,  and  burst  into 
tears,  in  which  she  was  accompanied 
by  the  larger  part  of  the  congregation. 
Silence  continued  for  a  few  minutes,  all 
the  people  solemnly  waiting  her  reply, 
when,  recovering  herself,  she  cried  out, 
"  Thou  knowest  all  things  ;  thou  know- 
est  that  I  love  thee  !"  Happy  indeed  are 
those  who,  by  the  grace  of  our  Lord' 
Jesus  Christ,  can  thus  speak  ! 

(c)  "EFFECTUAL  CALLING." 
— The  Rev,  Thomas  Doolittle  used  to 
catechise  the  members,  and  especially 
the  young  people  of  his  congregation, 
every  Lord's  day.  One  Sabbath  even- 
ing, after  having  received  an  answer  in 
the  words  of  the  Assembly's  Catechism, 
to  the  question,  "  What  is  effectual  call- 
ing ?"  and  having  explained  it,  he  pro- 
posed that  the  question  should  be  an- 
swered by  changing  the  words  us  and 
our,  into  me  and  my.  Upon  this  propo- 
sal,  a  solemn  silence  followed ;  many 
felt  its  vast  importance ;  but  none  had 
courage  to  answer.  At  length  a  young 
man  rose  up,  and  with  every  mark  of  a 
broken  and  contrite  heart,  by  divine 
grace,  was  enabled  to  say,  "  Effectual 
calling  is  the  work  of  God's  Spirit, 
whereby  convincing  me  of  my  sin  and 
misery,  enlightening  my  mind  in  the 
knowledge  of  Christ,  and  renewing  my 
will,  he  did  persuade  and  enable  me  to 
embrace  Jesus  Christ,  freely  offered  me 
in  the  gospel.''  The  scene  was  truly 
affecting.  The  proposal  of  that  question 
had  commanded  unusual  solemnity. 
The  rising  up  of  the  young  man  had 
created  high  expectations,  and  the  an- 
swer being  accompanied  with  proofs  of 
unfeigned  piety  and  modesty,  the  con- 
gregation  was  bathed  in  tears.  This 
young  man  had  been  convicted  by  being 
453 


349,  250 


LOVE  TO  SOULS. 


catechised,  and  to  liis  honor,  Mr.  D. 
says,  "  From  being  an  ignorant  and 
wicked  youth,  he  had  become  an  intel- 
ligent professor  to  God's  glory,  and  my 
much  comfort." 

{d)    NINE    YEARS    WITHOUT 
DOUBTING.— Dea.  H.   of  Southing- 


ton,  Ct.,  one  day  said  to  a  friend,  "  I 
have  scarcely  seen  an  hour  for  the  past 
nine  years,  since  I  professed  religion,  in 
which  I  have  not  been  able  to  say  in 
holy  confidence  with  Peter,  "  Lord, 
thou  knowest  all  things,  thou  knowest 
that  I  love  thee  !" 


250.  LOVE  TO  SOULS. 


(a)  THE  COLPORTEUR'S  SUF- 
FERINGS.—The  following  is  lan- 
guage held  by  a  Colporteur  of  the  Ame- 
rican Tract  Society,  in  Florida  : — 

"  A  colporteur  must  count  the  cost, 
admonished  by  Him  who  came  to  seek 
and  to  save  that  which  was  lost.  Bodi- 
ly strength  and  vigor  of  health  are  pre- 
requisites. He  must  be  willing  to  abide 
with  the  poorest  and  most  ignorant 
of  our  fellow-men,  and  be  content  with 
the  humblest  fare ;  cheerfully  endure 
cold  and  heat,  hunger  and  thirst,  labor 
and  fatigue,  if  souls  may  be  benefited 
and  the  kingdom  of  our  Redeemer  pro- 
moted. Above  all,  he  needs  an  entire 
reliance  on  the  Divine  aid  and  guidance, 
and  must  have  his  own  heart  subdued 
by  the  Spirit  of  God. 

"  Though  I  have  sunk  in  the  bogs, 
and  have  extricated  myself  only  by  ex- 
cessive labor  ;  have  broken  down  in  the 
midst  of  a  difficult  stream,  in  the  sickly 
and  hot  season,  and  waded  out  with  my 
boxes  of  books  ;  have  been  lost  two  days 
in  the  woods  without  food  for  myself  or 
horse  ;  have  lain  in  the  wild  forest  far 
from  any  habitation  while  the  storm  was 
raging  about  me,  or  only  the  howling  of 
wolves  and  of  other  wild  beasts  was 
heard  ;  yet  these  trials  of  hunger,  thirst, 
and  exposure  are  of  little  account,  if  I 
can  but  win  souls  to  Christ." 

(h)  MISSIONARY  AMONG  LE- 
PERS.— In  the  south  of  Africa  there 
was  once  a  large  lazar-house  for  lepers. 
It  was  an  immense  space,  enclosed  by 
a  very  high  wall,  and  containing  fields, 
which  the  lepers  cultivate.  There  was 
only  one  entrance,  which  was  strictly 
guarded.  Whenever  any  one  was 
found  with  the  marks  of  leprosy  upon 
him,  he  was  brought  to  this  gate  and 
obliged  to  enter  in  never  to  return.  No 
454 


one  who  entered  in  by  that  awful  gate 
was  ever  allowed  to  come  out  again. 
Within  this  abode  of  misery,  there  was 
multitudes  of  lepers  in  all  stages  of  the 
disease.  Dr.  Hal  beck,  a  missionary  of 
the  Church  of  England,  from  the  top  of 
a  neighboring  hill,  saw  them  at  work. 
He  noticed  two  particularly,  sowing 
peas  in  the  field.  The  one  had  no 
hands,  the  other  had  no  feet, — these 
members  being  wasted  away  by  disease. 
The  one  who  wanted  the  hands  was 
carrying  the  other  who  wanted  the  feet 
upon  his  back,  and  he  again  carried  in 
his  hands  the  bag  of  seed,  and  dropped 
a  pea  every  now  and  then,  which  the 
other  pressed  into  the  ground  with  his 
foot — and  so  they  managed  the  work  of 
one  man  between  the  two. — Two  Mo- 
ravian missionaries,  impelled  by  an  ar- 
dent love  for  souls,  chose  the  lazar- 
houso  as  their  field  of  labor.  They  en. 
tered  it  never  to  come  out  again ;  ana 
it  was  said  that  as  soon  as  these  should 
die,  other  Moravians  were  quite  ready  to 
fill  their  place.  "  Ah  !  my  dear  friends," 
adds  the  late  Rev.  Robert  M'CheynCj 
'•  may  we  not  blush,  and  bo  ashamea 
before  God,  that  we,  redeemed  with  the 
same  blood,  and  taught  by  the  same 
Spirit,  should  yet  be  so  unlike  these 
men  in  vehement,  heart-consuming  love 
to  Jesus  and  the  souls  of  men  ?" 

(c)  THE  TWO    MINERS.— At   a 
meeting    of  the   Wesleyan    Missionary 
Society,  the  Rev.  R.  Young,  of  Truroj 
mentioned  a  very  remarkable  fact  tha 
had  taken  place  in  Cornwall,  (Eng.) 

"  Two  men  were  working  together 
in  a  mine,  and  having  prepared  to  blast 
the  rock,  and  laid  the  train,  the  latter 
became  by  accident  ignited.  In  a  few 
moments  a  tremendous  explosion  they 
knew  was  inevitable,  and  the  rock  must 


LOVE  TO  SOULS. 


350 


be  rent  in  a  thousand  pieces.  On  per- 
ceiving their  danger,  they  both  leaped 
into  the  bucket,  and  called  to  the  man 
on  the  surface  to  draw  them  up.  He 
endeavored  to  do  so,  but  his  arm  was 
found  too  feeble  to  raise  the  bucket 
while  both  the  men  were  in  it.  What 
was  to  be  done  ?  The  burning  fuse, 
which  could  not  be  extinguished,  was 
now  within  a  few  feet  of  the  powder ;  a 
moment  or  two,  and  the  explosion  must 
take  place.  At  this  awful  crisis,  one 
of  the  men,  addressing  the  other,  said, 
"  You  shall  live,  and  1  will  die  ;  for  you 
are  an  impenitent  sinner,  and  if  you  now 
die  your  soul  will  be  lost ;  but  if  I  die, 
I  know  that,  by  the  grace  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  I  shall  be  taken  to  him- 
self." And  so  saying,  without  waiting 
for  a  reply,  he  leaped  out  of  the  bucket 
'  and  prayerfully  waited  the  result.  On 
the  other  reaching  the  surface,  he  bent 
over  the  shaft  to  ascertain  the  fate  of 
his  companion.  At  that  moment  a  ter- 
rific explosion  was  heard  ;  a  portion  of 
the  rock  was  thrown  up  and  smote  him 
on  the  forehead,  leaving  an  indelible 
mark  to  remind  him  of  his  danger  and 
deliverance.  But  the  man  of  God, 
when  they  came  to  search  for  him,  was 
found  arched  over  by  the  fragments  of 
broken  rock  in  the  mine,  uninjured,  and 
rejoicing  in  the  Lord.  This  magnani- 
mous miner  exhibited  in  this  act  an 
amount  of  disinterested  love  and  charity 
which  has  seldom  been  equaled,  and  is 
never  found  but  in  connection  with  the 
love  of  Christ.  Here  is  none  of  that  un- 
holy daring  of  which  we  have  instances 
among  the  heroes  of  Greece  and  Rome, 
who,  actuated  solely  by  a  love  of  noto- 
riety, inflicted  upon  themselves  tortures, 
and  even  death ;  but  that  pure  Chris- 
tian character,  which,  at  all  hazards, 
even  at  the  sacrifice  of  life  itself,  seeks 
to  save  the  immortal  soul  of  man.  This 
is  the  kind  of  charity  we  have  met  this 
day  to  elicit,  to  strengthen  and  to  direct, 
and  without  which  it  is  impossible  that 
the  great  object  of  missionary  enter- 
prise can  ever  be  accomplished. 

(d)  A  PERSECUTOR  SAVED.— 
The  Rev.  J.  Underbill,  a  worthy  and 
zealous  minister  of  Christ,  in  Stafford- 
shire, (Eng.)  met  with  much  persecu 
tion  in  his  work.     At  one  time  appoint- 


ed  for  public  worship,  an  infuriated  mob 
of  more  than  500,  mostly  colliers,  col- 
lected, some  armed  with  clubs,  staves, 
and  stones  ;  others  had  horns  and  noisy 
instruments,    determined,    as   they  de- 
clared, to  drive  out  the  methodists,  or  to 
destroy  them.     While  the  people,  and 
:  some  ministers,   were    pursued  by  the 
i  rabble,  a  gentleman  called  out  fiercely 
I  to  the  rioters,  pointing  to  Mr.  Under- 
I  hill,  "  There  is  one  of  the   methodist 
I  dogs ;  take  notice  of  him  ;  do  your  work 
1  well,  and  I  will  give  you  a  barrel  of 
j  ale  at  the  end  of  it."     Two  of  the  min- 
I  isters  narrowly  escaped  with  their  lives. 
i  Mr. Underbill  and  a  brother  minister  were 
j  dragged  to  a  public  house  ;  the  latter  re- 
ceived such  a  violent  blow  with  a  poker 
I  from  the  landlord,  that  he  never  entirely 
!  recovered  from  its  effects.     But,  merci- 
fully for  the  landlord,  that  was  to  be  his 
last  sin  in  opposing  the  gospel.     Some 
time  afterwards,  these  very  ministers 
met  the  landlord  at  a  house  where  they 
supped  together  ;  and  talking  over  for- 
mer scenes  of  tribulation  through  which 
they  had  together  passed,  the  minister 
said,  "  No  part  appeared  so  heinous  as 
the  conduct  of  the  man  who  struck  me 
when  in  quiet  custody."     He  was  de- 
sired to  look  on  the  company,  and  try 
to  recognize  the  person.     Time  had  ef- 
fiiced  any  recollection  of  his  features. 
Mr.  Underbill  then  said,  "  Behold,  he 
dippeth  with  thee  in  the  dish."     Here 
an  interesting  scene  took  place.     They 
wept  on  each  other's  necks,  the  landlord 
bewailing  his  crime,  and  entreating  for- 
giveness;   and   the   minister    assuring 
him,    that  even  the  loss  of  life  would 
have  been  richly  repaid  by  the  salvation 
of  one  soul. 

(e)  TEARS  PREVAILING.— An 
ungodly  youth,  who  had  disregarded  the 
pious  advice  of  his  parents,  at  length 
consented  to  accompany  them  to  hear  a 
popular  minister,  who  visited  the  town 
in  which  they  lived.  The  subject  of 
the  discourse  was,  the  heavenly  state, 
which  was  described  by  the  most  glow- 
ing and  attractive  representations.  On 
returning  home,  the  young  man  express- 
ed his  admiration  of  the  preacher's 
talents — "  But,"  said  he,  turning  to  his 
mother,  "  I  was  surprised,  while  the 
smile  of  joy  was  visible  on  the  counte- 
455 


250 


LOVE  TO  SOULS. 


nances  of  all  around  me,  you  and  my 
father  appeared  gloomy  and  sad,  and, 
more  than  once  in  tears.  I  was  the 
more  astonished,  because  I  thought,  that 
if  any  could  claim  an  interest  in  the  sub- 
ject, you  were  the  happy  persons." 
"Ah,  my  son,"  replied  the  anxious  mo- 
ther, "  I  did  weep,  not  because  I  feared 
my  own  personal  interest  in  the  subject, 
or  that  of  your  affectionate  and  pious  fa- 
ther, but  I  wept  for  you  :  it  was  the  fear 
that  you,  my  beloved  child,  would  be 
for  ever  banished  from  the  blessedness 
of  heaven,  that  caused  me  to  give  way 
to  my  bursting  grief"  "  I  supposed," 
said  the  father,  turning  to  his  wife, 
"  that  those  were  your  reflections.  The 
same  concern  for  our  dear  son  made  me 
weep  also."  These  pointed,  yet  tender 
and  judicious  remarks,  found  their  way 
to  the  heart  of  their  child.  He  felt  them 
keenly ;  they  wounded  his  hard  heart, 
led  him  to  repentance,  and  to  the  cross 
of  Christ  for  mercy  and  reconciliation, 
and  terminated  in  his  saving  conversion. 
(/)  EXPERIENCE  OF  ED- 
WARDS.—In  the  life  of  the  Rev.  Jona- 
than Edwards,  which  is  prefixed  to  his 
History  of  Redemption,  we  find  the  fol- 
lowing paragraphs  selected  from  the 
narrative  of  his  own  religious  experi- 
ence. "  I  had  then  abundance  of  sweet 
religious  conversation  in  the  family 
where  I  lived,  with  Mr.  J.  Smith,  and 
his  pious  mother.  My  heart  was  knit 
in  affection  to  those,  in  whom  were  ap- 
pearances of  true  piety ;  and  I  could 
bear  the  thoughts  of  no  other  com- 
panions, but  such  as  were  holy,  and  the 
disciples  of  the  blessed  Jesus.  1  had 
great  longing  for  the  advancement  of 
Christ's  kingdom  in  the  world,  my  secret 
prayer  used  to  be  in  great  part  taken  up 
in  praying  for  it.  If  I  heard  the  least 
hint  of  any  thing  that  happened  in  any 
part  of  the  world,  that  appeared  to  me 
in  some  respect  or  other,  to  have  a 
favorable   aspect    on    the    interest   of 


Christ's  kingdom,  my  soul  eagerly 
catched  at  it,  and  it  would  much  ani- 
mate and  refresh  me.  I  used  to  be 
earnest  to  read  public  news  letters, 
mainly  for  that  end,  to  see  if  I  could  not 
find  some  news  favorable  to  the  interest 
of  religion  in  the  world." 

{g)  JOY  OVER  REPENTING 
SINNERS. — A  pious  Armenian,  call- 
ing  on  Mr.  Hamlin,  the  missionary  at 
Constantinople,  remarked  that  he  was 
astonished  to  see  how  the  people  are 
waking  up  to  the  truth ;  how,  even 
among  the  most  uncultivated,  some  are 
seeking  after  it  as  for  hid  treasure. — 
"  Yes,"  said  he,  "  it  is  going  forward  ; 
it  will  triumph ;  but  alas  !  I  shall  not 
live  to  see  it.  Alas !  that  1  am  born  an 
age  too  soon."  "  But,"  said  Mr.  Ham- 
lin, "do  you  remember  what  our  Sa- 
vior said,  '  There  shall  be  joy  in  the 
presence  of  the  angels  of  God  over  one 
sinner  that  repenteth  V  You  may  not 
live  to  see  the  truth  triumphant  in  this 
empire  ;  but  should  you,  through  divine 
grace,  reach  the  kingdom  of  heaven., 
and  be  with  the  angels,  your  joy  ovei 
your  whole  nation  repentant  and  redeem- 
ed, will  be  infinitely  greater  than  it 
could  be  on  earth."  He  seemed  sur- 
prised at  this  thought ;  but,  after  exam- 
ining the  various  passages  to  which  I 
referred  him,  he  yielded  to  the  evidence 
with  the  most  lively  expressions  of  de . 
light,  and  seemed  to  be  perfectly  enrap- 
tured at  the  thought  that  our  interest  in 
the  church  of  Christ  and  the  progress 
of  his  kingdom  on  earth  is  something 
which  death  cannot  touch,  and  which, 
instead  of  ceasing  with  this  life,  will 
only  be  increased  and  perfected  in  an- 
other. "  Oh  fool,  and  slow  of  heart,'* 
said  he,  "  to  read  the  gospel  so  many 
times  without  perceiving  such  a  glorious 
truth.  If  this  be  so,  no  matter  in  what 
age  a  Christian  is  born,  nor  when  he 
dies." 


456 


LUXURY— LYING. 


351,  252 


251.  LUXURY. 


(a)  SUCCESSFUL  REPROOF.— 
The  Rev.  Mr.  S ,  an  eminent  di- 
vine of  the  church  of  England,  happen- 
ed to  dine  with  several  other  clergymen, 
in  the  house  of  a  pious  gentleman.  Af- 
ter dinner,  the  conversation  turned  on 
the  prevailing  faults  of  professing  Chris- 
tians.    Mr.  S said,  that  one  of  the 

most  obvious  sins  which  those  of  them 
who  are  wealthy  are  apt  to  indulge  in, 
is  the  keeping  too  good  tables  ;  that  va- 
rious courses,  expensive  removes,  and 
luxurious  dishes,  savored  too  much  of 
the  world,  had  a  tendency  to  draw  away 
the  heart  from  God,  to  cherish  the  de- 
sires of  the  carnal  mind,  and  to  make 
people  fond  of  what  is  unworthy  of  a 
man's  attention — good  eating ;  and  then, 
in  his  plain  blunt  way,  he  added,  "  I  can- 
not help  saying,  that  the  dinner  we  had 
to-day  was  not  quite  agreeable  to  my  ideas 
of  Christian  simplicity."  The  hint  was 
taken,  and  though  Mr.  S repeated- 
ly afterwards  dined  in  the  same  house, 
he  never  once  had  occasion  to  repeat 
his  remark. 

(b)  CRCESUS'  ADVICE  TO  CY- 
RUS.— When  Cyrus  received  intelli- 
gence that  the  Lydians  had  revolted 
from  him,  he  told  CrcBsus,  with  a  good 
deal  of  emotion,  that  he  had  almost  de- 
termined to  make  them  all  slaves.  Crce- 
Bus  begged  him  to  pardon  them.  "  But," 
said  he,  "  that  they  may  no  more  rebel 
or  be  troublesome  to  you,  command  them 


to  lay  aside  their  arms,  to  wear  long 
vests  and  buskins,  that  is,  to  vie  with 
each  other  in  the  elegance  and  richness 
of  their  dress.  Order  them  to  drink, 
and  sing,  and  play,  and  you  will  soon 
see  their  spirits  broken,  and  themselves 
changed  to  the  effeminacy  of  women, 
so  that  they  will  no  more  rebel,  nor  give 
you  further  uneasiness."  The  advice 
was  followed,  and  the  result  proved  how 
politic  it  was.  While  the  advice  is 
such  as  no  good  man  could  consistently 
follow,  the  incident  shows  the  deteriora- 
ting influence  of  luxury  in  a  very  strik- 
ing light. 

(c)  DINNER  WITH  BISHOP 
BUTLER.— The  Rev.  John  Newton 
relates,  that  a  friend  of  his  once  dined 
with  Dr.  Butler,  then  bishop  of  Dur- 
ham ;  and  though  the  guest  was  a  man 
of  fortune,  and  the  interview  by  appoint- 
ment, the  provision  was  no  more  than  a 
joint  of  meat  and  a  pudding.  The  bish- 
op apologized  for  his  plain  fare,  by  say- 
ing that  it  was  his  manner  of  living,  and 
that  being  disgusted  with  the  fashiona- 
ble expense  of  time  and  money  in  en- 
tertainments, he  was  determined  it 
should  receive  no  countenance  from  his 
example.  Nor  was  this  conduct  the 
result  of  covetousness ;  for,  large  as 
were  his  revenues,  such  was  his  liber- 
ality to  the  poor,  that  he  left  at  his  death 
little  more  than  enough  to  discharge  his 
debts  and  pay  for  his  funeral. 


252.  LYING. 


{a)  LYING  TO  CHILDREN.— 
The  Rev.  Robert  Hall  had  so  great  an 
aversion  to  every  species  of  falsehood 
and  evasion,  that  he  sometimes  express- 
ed himself  very  strongly  on  the  subject. 
The  following  is  an  instance,  stated  in 
his  life  by  Dr.  Gregory  :  Once,  while 
he  was  spending  an  evening  at  the  house 
of  a  friend,  a  lady,  who  was  there  on  a 
visit,  retired,  that  her  little  girl  of  four 


years  old  might  go  to  bed.  She  return- 
ed in  about  half  an  hour,  and  said  to  a 
lady  near  her,  "  She  is  gone  to  sleep ;  I 
put  on  my  night- cap,  and  lay  down  by 
her,  and  she  soon  dropped  off."  Mr. 
Hall,  who  overheard  this,  said,  "  Ex- 
cuse me,  madam :  do  you  wtsh  your 
child  to  grow  up  a  liar  ?"  "  Oh  dear, 
no,  sir ;  I  should  be  shocked  at  such  a 
thing."  "Then  bear  with  me  while  I 
457 


352 


LYING. 


say,  you  must  never  act  a  lie  before  her : 
children  are  very  quick  observers,  and 
soon  learn  that  that  which  assumes  to 
be  what  it  is  not,  is  a  lie,  whether  acted 
or  spoken."  This  was  uttered  with  a 
kindness  which  precluded  offence,  yet 
with  a  seriousness  that  could  not  be  for- 
gotten. 

(h)  SUFFERING  DEATH  WHILE 
FEIGNING  IT.— One  day,  as  Arch- 
bishop  Leighton  was  going  from  Glas- 
gow to  Dumblane,  there  happened  a 
tremendous  storm  of  lightning  and  thun- 
der. He  was  observed,  when  at  a  con- 
siderable distance,  by  two  men  of  bad 
character.  They  had  not  courage  to 
rob  him ;  but  wishing  to  fall  on  some 
method  to  extort  money  from  him,  one 
said,  "  I  will  lie  down  by  the  way-side 
as  if  I  were  dead,  and  you  shall  inform 
the  archbishop  that  I  was  killed  by  the 
lightning,  and  beg  money  of  him  to 
bury  me."  When  the  archbishop  ar- 
rived at  the  spot,  the  wicked  wretch  told 
the  fabricated  story :  the  archbishop 
sympathized  with  the  survivor,  gave 
him  money,  and  proceeded  on  his  jour- 
ney. But  when  the  man  returned  to 
his  companion,  he  found  him  really  life- 
less !  Immediately  he  began  to  exclaim 
aloud,  "  Oh  !  sir,  he  is  dead  !  Oh  !  sir, 
he  is  dead !"  On  this,  the  archbishop, 
discovering  the  fraud,  left  the  man  with 
this  important  reflection  :  "  It  is  a  dan- 
gerous thing  to  trifle  with  the  judgments 
of  God !" 

(c)  NOT  AT  HOME.— Bishop  At- 
terbury  was  once  addressed  by  some  of 
his  right  reverend  coadjutors  to  the  fol- 
lowing effect :  "  My  lord,  why  will  you 
not  suffer  your  servants  to  deny  you, 
when  you  do  not  care  to  see  company  ? 
It  is  not  a  lie  for  them  to  say  you  are 
not  at  home,  for  it  deceives  no  one ; 
every  body  knowing  it  means  only, 
that  your  lordship  is  busy."  He  re- 
plied, "  My  lords,  if  it  is  (which  I  doubt) 
consistent  with  sincerity,  yet  I  am  sure 
it  is  not  consistent  with  that  sincerity 
which  becomes  a  Christian  bishop." 
What  a  curious  argument  it  is,  that  be- 
cause a  falsehood  should  be  known  to 
be  such  by  those  who  hear  it,  they  are 
bound  to  receive  it  as  a  truth,  or  to  be- 
lieve there  is  no  guilt  in  uttering  it ! 

458 


(d)  TWO  APPEALS.— When  De- 

nades  the  orator  addressed  himself  to 
the  Athenians,  "  I  call  all  the  gods  and 
goddesses  to  witness,"  said  he,  "  tlic 
truth  of  what  I  shall  say ;"  the  Athe- 
nians, often  abused  by  his  impudent  lies, 
presently  interrupted  him  by  exclaim- 
ing, "  And  we  call  all  the  gods  and 
goddesses  to  witness  that  we  will  not 
believe  you." 

(e)  DISSEMBLER'S  INVITA- 
TION.—When  Dr.  Moore  was  in  Par- 
is,  in  the  course  of  his  travels,  he  one 
day  found  a  lady  of  quality,  whom  he 
had  been  in  the  habit  of  visiting,  mani- 
festing much  ill  humor,  and  evidently 
betraying  great  agitation  of  mind.  Dr. 
Moore,  who  had  never  before  beheld  her 
in  such  a  state  of  confusion,  suspected 
that  some  serious  calamity  had  taken 
place ;  and,  with  much  sympathetic 
feeling,  inquired  into  the  occasion  of  hei 
perturbation.  The  lady,  who  felt  the 
cause  of  her  vexation  in  all  its  magni- 
tude,  instantly  returned  the  following 
reply  :  "  Why,  my  dear  sir,  I  yesterday 

sent  Comtesse  de the  politest  mes-» 

sage  in  the  world,  begging  to  have  the 
honor  of  her  company  this  day  at  din- 
ner ;  and  behold,  the  horrid  woman, 
with  a  rudeness  or  ignorance  of  life 
without  example,  sends  me  word  that 
she  accepts  my  invitation  !" 

(/)  THE  LIAR  TAKEN  AT  HIS 

WORD.— J W was  a  laborer 

employed  on  the  Liverpool  and  Man- 
chester railway.  During  part  of  the 
time  in  which  he  was  thus  employed,  he 
lodged  at  Edge  Hill,  near  Liverpool. 
There  is  reason  to  believe  that  he  was 
a  young  man  who  had  '-  no  fear  of  God 
before  his  eyes ;"  that  he  was,  in  the 
expressive  language  of  an  inspired  apos- 
tle, "  without  God  in  the  world  :"  Eph. 
ii.  12.  Becoming  acquainted  with  a 
young  woman,  he  succeeded  in  seducing 
her  from  the  paths  of  virtue  ;  and  soon 
after,  he  removed  to  a  new  lodging,  with 
a  view  to  avoid  the  consequences  of  his 
conduct.  The  Almighty,  in  mercy  to 
the  sinner,  sent  affliction  by  illness  to 
overtake  him,  and  thus  gave  him  time 
for  repentance,  and  an  opportunity  to 
seek  the  love  and  favor  of  the  Lord. 
But  he  refused  the  mercy  and  hardened 
his  heart.      In  the  course  of  the  last 


LYING. 


352 


week  before  he  resumed  his  work,  he 
called  upon  the  person  with  whom  he 
had  formerly  lodged,  and  among  other 
things,  asked  whether  old  George  (the 
young  woman's  father)  ever  came  there 
to  inquire  after  him.  She  replied  that 
he  did,  and  mentioned  the  time  of  his 
last  inquiry.  "  Oh,"  said  W — ,  "  when 
he  comes  again,  tell  him  that  I  was  kill- 
ed on  the  railway  ;  and  that  I  was  buri- 
ed in  Childwall  churchyard."  Child- 
wall  is  a  village  about  a  mile  from  part 
of  the  railway,  and  about  four  miles 
from  Liverpool.  Within  a  day  or  two, 
old  George  called,  and  the  above  iniqui- 
tous and  awful  assertion  was  made.  De- 
ceived by  the  falsehood,  the  poor  old 
man  went  away  mourning  over  the  dis- 
grace of  his  daughter,  and  the  supposed 
sad  end  of  her  base  seducer.  But  the 
delusion  was  soon  to  be  dissipated ;  the 
lie  told,  with  a  view  to  evade  the  conse- 
quences of  previous  guilt,  was  awfully, 
singularly,  literally  realized  ;  and  the 
wretched  man,  who  had  so  impiously 
trifled  with  death,  was  hurried,  in  a 
moment,  before  the  bar  of  his  Maker. 

On  the  following  Monday  morning. 
May  17,  1830,  the  laborer  returned  to 
work,  and  on  the  same  day  entered  up- 
on his  everlasting  state.  Being  on  the 
road  at  the  time  when  an  engine,  to 
which  several  wagons  employed  to  con- 
vey  rubbish  were  attached,  was  passing, 
he  was  entangled  with  the  apparatus, 
felled  to  the  earth,  and  his  body  so  dread- 
fully mangled,  as  to  occasion  instanta- 
neous death.  Thus  the  most  affecting, 
and,  to  him,  important  part  of  his  wick- 
ed fabrication,  was  made,  by  the  mys- 
terious providence  of  God,  a  solemn  re- 
ality ;  and  that  of  which  he  had  no  idea 
when  he  uttered  the  language  above  re- 
lated, turned  out,  within  a  few  days,  to 
be  a  fact,  namely,  "  That  he  was  killed 
on  the  railway !" 

But  there  was  to  be  a  further  literal 
accomplishment  of  his  words,  which, 
although  to  him  a  matter  of  no  conse- 
quence after  the  spirit  had  quitted  the 
body,  should  not  be  passed  over  unob- 
served, as  it  tends  to  show,  in  a  still 
more  striking  manner,  that  the  Supreme 
Arbiter  of  life  and  death  does  indeed 
sometimes  take  men  at  their  word,  and 
fulfil  their  imprecations,  their  thought- 


less  wishes,  or  their  blasphemous  ex- 
pressions, even  to  the  very  letter.  .] — 
VV —  had  no  immediate  relations  in  the 
neighborhood  in  which  he  so  unexpect- 
edly expired.  But,  since  his  removal 
to  Edge  Hill,  he  had  lodged  with  a  fam- 
ily who  possessed  a  burial-place  in  Child- 
wall  churchyard.  Some  of  his  fellow 
workmen  proposed  his  interment  at  Wal- 
ton,  a  village  three  miles  north  of  Liver- 
pool :  but  others,  on  account  of  the  near- 
ness of  Childwall,  urged  his  burial  there ; 
and  in  little  more  than  a  week  after  he 
had  deliberately  uttered  a  falsehood  to 
deceive  one  he  had  deeply  injured,  his 
own  awful  words  were  fulfilled. 

(g)  A  LIAR'S  IMPRECATION 
ANSWERED.— A  few  years  since,  a 
woman  in  the  Church  Gate,  Loughbo- 
rough, (Eng.,)  went  to  purchase  a  bed- 
stead, which  was  sold  to  her  for  thirteen 
shillings,  and  change  given  her  out  of  a 
one  pound  note,  which  she  gave  in  pay- 
ment. A  short  time  after,  she  went 
again  to  the  shop,  and  asserted  that 
eighteen  pence  less  than  the  proper 
change  was  given  her.  This  the  shop- 
keeper denied,  stating  the  exact  coins 
he  had  given  her.  She,  however,  per- 
sisted in  her  declaration,  and  said,  she 
wished  she  might  die  in  his  house  if  she 
had  not  spoken  the  truth.  Awful  to  re- 
late, she  was  immediately  taken  ill, 
was  removed  to  another  house,  and  soon 
after  expired,  never  once  speaking  af- 
ter she  had  left  the  shop.  The  money 
was  found  in  her  pocket,  exactly  as  the 
shopkeeper  had  described. 

(h)  NEED  OF  WATCHING.— Dr. 
Johnson,  giving  advice  to  an  intimate 
friend,  said  :  "  Above  all,  accustom  your 
children  constantly  to  tell  the  truth, 
without  varying  in  any  circumstance." 
A  lady  present,  emphatically  exclaim- 
ed, "  Nay,  this  is  too  much ;  for  a  little 
variation  in  narrative  must  happen  a 
thousand  times  a  day,  if  one  is  not  per- 
petually watching."  "  Well,  madam," 
replied  the  doctor,  "  and  you  ought  to 
be  perpetually  watching.  It  is  more 
from  carelessness  about  truth,  than  from 
intentional  lying,  that  there  is  so  much 
falsehood  in  the  world." 

(i)  LYING,  BLASPHEMING,  AND 
DYING. — A  poor  woman  in  the  work- 
house at  Milborne  Port,  (Eng.,)  being 
459 


253 


MARRIAGE. 


once  charged  with  having  stolen  some 
trivial  article,  which  was  missing,  wish- 
ed God  might  strike  her  dumb,  blind, 
and  dead,  if  she  knew  any  thing  of 
it.     About  six  o'clock  she  ate  her  sup- 


per as  well  as  usual — soon  after,  her 
speech  faltered,  her  eyes  closed,  and 
before  seven  she  was  a  breathless  corpse, 
without  any  apparent  cause. 


253.  MARRIAGE. 


(a)  PHILIP  HENRY'S  ADVICE. 
— The  Rev.  Philip  Henrj-  used  to  give 
two  pieces  of  advice  to  his  children  and 
others,  in  reference  to  marriage.  One 
was,  "  Keep  within  the  bounds  of  pro- 
fession." The  other  was,  *'  Look  at 
suitableness  in  age,  quality,  education, 
temper,"  etc.  He  used  to  observe,  from 
Gen.  ii.  18,  "1  will  make  him  an  help 
meet  for  him  ;"  that  where  there  is  not 
meetness,  there  will  not  be  much  help. 
He  commonly  said  to  his  children,  with 
reference  to  their  choice  in  marriage, 
"  Please  God,  and  please  yourselves, 
and  you  shall  never  displease  me  ;" 
and  greatly  blamed  those  parents  who 
concluded  matches  for  their  children 
without  their  consent.  He  sometimes 
mentioned  the  saying  of  a  pious  gentle- 
woman, who  had  many  daughters : 
"  The  care  of  most  people  is  how  to  get 
good  husbands  for  their  daughters  ;  but 
my  care  is  to  fit  my  daughters  to  be 
good  wives,  and  then  let  God  provide 
for  them." 

(b)  MARRYING  UNBELIEVERS. 
—  The  Rev.  S.  Kilpin,  of  Exeter, 
had  witnessed  the  awful  consequences 
produced  in  the  church  of  Christ,  and  in 
families,  from  those  who  professed  to  be 
the  disciples  of  Jesus,  forming  marriages 
contrary  to  the  command, — "  Be  not 
unequally  yoked  with  unbelievers," — 
^'  only  in  the  Lord,"  etc.  As  he  never 
shunned  to  declare  the  whole  counsel  of 
God,  this  subject  was  presented  to  his 
congregation.  The  next  day,  a  gentle- 
man, whose  name  or  residence  he  never 
knew,  called  to  thank  him  for  the  dis- 
course, adding,  that  his  state  of  mind 
when  he  entered  Exeter  was  most  dis- 
tressing, as  he  was  on  the  very  point  of 
complying  with  a  dreadful  temptation, 
which  would  have  embittered  his  future 
life.  He  had  been  a  disciple  of  Christ, 
was  anxious  to  consecrate  his  life  to  the 

460 


service  of  his  adorable  Master,  and  had 
sought  a  helpmate  to  strengthen  his 
hands  in  serving  God.  A  lady,  whom 
he  deemed  pious,  had  accepted  his  ad- 
dresses ;  but  when  every  customary 
arrangement  was  made,  she  had  dis- 
honorably discarded  him.  His  mind 
was  so  exceedingly  wounded  and  dis- 
gusted, that  he  had  determined  to  choose 
a  wife  who  made  no  profession  of  reli- 
gion, and  had  fixed  on  another  object  for 
his  addresses,  with  every  prospect  of 
success,  although  he  had  not  as  yet 
mentioned  his  intention  to  her.  He  ad- 
ded, "  But  the  providence  of  God  led 
me,  an  entire  stranger  in  this  city,  to 
your  meeting-house.  You  may  sup- 
pose, that  your  subject  arrested  my  at- 
tention. You  appeared  to  be  acquaint- 
ed with  every  feeling  of  my  soul.  I 
saw  my  danger,  and  perceived  the 
temptation,  and  the  certain  ruin  of  my 
peace  if  the  dreadful  snare  had  not  been 
broken.  You,  sir,  under  God,  have 
been  my  deliverer.  By  the  next  Sab- 
bath I  should  have  been  bound  in  honor 
to  an  enemy  of  that  Jesus  whom  I 
adore  ;  for  although  she  is  moral  and 
externally  correct,  yet  she  knows  the 
Savior  only  in  name.  I  could  not  leave 
the  city  in  peace  until  I  had  sought  to 
make  this  communication."  They 
unitedly  addressed  him  who  can  deliver, 
and  does  deliver  his  people.  Thus, 
while  part  of  his  congregation  thought 
it  an  unfit  subject  for  the  pulpit,  at  least 
one  person  received  it  as  a  message 
from  God,  by  whom  it  was  no  doubt 
sent. 

(c)  CAN  I  BE  HAPPY  ?— At 
Southampton,  Eng.,  the  labors  of  the 
venerable  William  Kingsbury  had  been 
eminently  owned  and  blessed  by  God, 
in  the  conversion  of  sinners,  and  the 
building  up  of  the  church.  "  One  Sab* 
bath  after  the  morning  service,  a  respect- 


MARRIAGE. 


253 


able-looking  elderly  woman  had  come  in- 
to the  vestry,  and  requested  to  speak  to 
Mr.  Kingsbury.  Being  introduced,  she 
said,  she  felt  it  her  duty  to  take  the  first 
opportunity  of  meeting  with  him,  to 
state  that  his  ministry  had  been  greatly 
blessed  to  her  soul,  and  she  hoped  to 
praise  God  for  it  to  all  eternity.  Mr. 
K.  observed,  that  she  was  quite  a  stran- 
ger to  him,  he  did  not  recollect  having 
ever  seen  her  before  ;  and  asked  her 
where  she  resided,  and  how  long  she 
had  attended  his  ministry.  She  replied, 
that  she  was  a  total  stranger :  having 
only  heard  him  preach  once  before,  and 
that  more  than  forty  years  since,  when 
she  resided  at  Poole,  in  Dorsetshire. 
She  was  at  that  time  young,  gay,  and 
thoughtless  ;  and  on  the  point  of  form- 
ing a  matrimonial  connexion  with  a 
young  man  of  similar  character.  Ac- 
cording to  their  usual  custom,  they  set 
out  for  a  Sunday  stroll ;  and  having 
heard  that  a  stranger  was  preaching, 
dropped  in  out  of  mere  curiosity.  The 
preacher  was  Mr.  Kingsbury  ;  it 
pleased  Almighty  God  to  carry  home 
the  word  with  power  to  her  heart.  She 
returned  home,  no  longer  the  giddy, 
thoughtless  lover  of  pleasure ;  but 
deeply  concerned  to  know  what  she 
should  do  to  be  saved.  Her  concern 
could  not  escape  the  notice  of  her  com- 
panion, who  endeavored  to  turn  the 
matter  into  ridicule  ;  but  the  "  King's 
arrow  was  sharp  in  her  heart,"  she 
could  not  forget  the  wound  it  had  in- 
flicted ;  nor  could  she  find  ease  until 
relieved  by  the  application  of  the 
'•'  blood  of  sprinkling."  The  whole 
bias  of  her  mind  and  pursuits  now  as- 
sumed a  different  direction  ;  the  plea- 
sures of  the  world  had  no  more  charms 
for  her  ;  she  could  no  longer  idle  away 
the  precious  hours  of  the  Sabbath  ;  she 
desired  to  hold  communion  with  God  in 
his  house  and  ordinances.  Under  these 
circumstances,  it  very  naturally  occur- 
red to  her,  "  How  can  I  make  happy, 
or  be  happy  with  a  partner  in  life, 
whose  views  and  feelings  on  the  most 
important  of  all  subjects  are  the  very 
opposite  to  my  own  ?"  She  pursued 
the  inquiry  with  fervent  prayer  for  Di- 
vine direction,  and  came  to  the  conclu- 
sion candidly  to  state  to  her  lover  the 


change  of  which  she  had  become  the 
subject ;  and,  though  she  felt  herself 
bound  in  honor  to  fulfil  her  engage- 
ments to  him,  to  appeal  to  him  whether 
the  difference  were  not  likely  to  be  a 
source  of  more  lasting  unhappiness  be- 
tween them,  than  an  honorable  dissolu- 
tion of  present  engagements  by  mutual 
consent.  The  young  man  admitted  the 
force  of  her  reasonings  ;  he  said  he  was 
certain  he  should  never  imbibe  her  re- 
ligious views,  and  he  feared  he  should 
be  little  inclined  to  tolerate  them  ;  they 
therefore  agreed  on  a  friendly  separa- 
tion. Feeling  uncomfortable  at  residing 
in  the  same  town  with  her  late  compan- 
ion, and  where  their  intimacy  was  gen- 
erally known,  she  gladly  embraced  an 
opportunity  of  engaging  herself  to  reside 
with  a  pious  family  in  the  north  of  Eng- 
land. There  she  became  acquainted 
with,  and  was  in  due  time  married  to 
one  who  feared  God  ;  with  whom  she 
had  ever  since  lived  in  domestic  happi- 
ness, and  had  brought  up  a  family  of 
eight  children,  every  one  of  whom  she 
had  the  happiness  of  seeing  walking  in 
the  ways  of  God,  and  two,  or  more,  fill- 
ing stations  of  distinguished  usefulness 
in  the  Christian  church.  One  of  the 
sons  had  just  returned  from  abroad  in 
ill  health,  and  was  at  a  hospital  near 
Portsmouth.  This  had  occasioned  the 
mother's  journey,  to  conduct  him  home ; 
and,  being  in  the  neighborhood,  she 
gladly  embraced  the  opportunity  of 
hearing  and  introducing  herself  to  the 
minister  to  whom  she  felt  indebted,  un- 
der God,  in  everlasting  obligations. 
Her  son,  she  feared,  was  in  a  very  pre- 
carious state  of  health ;  "  But,"  said 
she,  "  I  have  good  evidence  that  he  is 
safe  for  time  and  for  eternity.  Oh,  how 
different  are  my  circumstances  and 
prospects  from  what  they  would  have 
been,  if  I  had  continued  unconcerned 
about  my  own  soul,  or  even  had  mar- 
ried  an  ungodly  man,  and  become  the 
mother  of  an  ungodly,  or  at  best  a  divi- 
ded family !" 

(d)  THE  DELUSIVE  HOPE.— 
If  there  fs  no  relation  in  life  so  eminent- 
ly calculated  to  promote  the  happiness 
of  man  as  a  union  of  "  kindred  minds," 
in  the  matrimonial  state ;  there  is,  on 
the  other  hand,  no  condition  so  full  of 
461 


253 


MARRIAGE, 


wretchedness  as  that  of  two  persons  who 
have,  without  any  reflection,  indissolu- 
bly  united  themselves,  and  who  find  sub- 
sequently that  all  their  views  and  feel- 
ings are  "  wide  as  the  poles  asunder." 

None  can  think  of  E.  without  a  feel- 
ing of  sadness.  She  was  possessed  of  a 
high  order  of  intellectual  talent,  a  grace- 
ful person,  and  a  heart  full  of  those  ten- 
der sympathies  which  cannot  fail  to 
draw  around  their  possessor,  devoted 
friends.  She  was,  moreover,  a  Chris- 
tian. Being  addressed  by  a  person  who 
was  regarded  by  her  friends  as  an  "  eli- 
gible match,"  she  at  length  consented 
to  a  union  with  one  who  had  but  little 
to  recommend  him,  except  the  position 
which  mere  wealth  enabled  him  to  oc- 
cupy. "Although,"  said  she,  "he  is 
not  professedly  pious,  he  is  not  openly 
profligate,  aed  I  trust  I  shall  be  enabled 
to  exert  such  an  influence,  by  precept 
and  example,  as  shall  eventuate  in  great 
good  to  his  soul."  Under  this  delusive 
hope,  she  entered  upon  her  duties  as  a 
wife  ;  but  soon  she  discovered  that  in- 
stead of  leading  her  husband  to  the  per- 
formance of  duty,  there  was  danger  of 
being  Aerse/f  drawn  aside. 

In  the  daily  conduct  of  her  husband 
she  saw  an  exemplification  of  the  truth, 
that  "  the  natural  heart  is  enmity  against 
God."  Bitter  was  her  disappointment 
when  she  saw  her  companion,  in  follow- 
ing the  dictates  of  his  nature,  wandering 
farther  and  farther  from  the  path  of  recti- 
tude, and  consequently  becoming  more 
and  more  callous  to  good  impressions. 

Poor  E !  she  lived  long  enough 

to  see  him  who  had  sworn  to  cherish 
and  protect  her,  a  drunkard,  a  gambler, 
and  a  suicide.  And  though  "  in  all  her 
miseries"  she  never  uttered  a  complaint, 
yet  as  she  laid  down  to  die,  wearied  and 
heart-broken  by  the  sorrows  of  a  few 
brief  years,  she  was  doubtless  ready  to 
acknowledge  in  her  heart  the  great  er- 
ror of  her  life,  in  disregarding  the  in- 
junction of  the  apostle,  "  Be  ye  not  un- 
equally yoked  together  with  unbelievers ; 
for  what  fellowship  hath  righteousness 
with  unrighteousness,  and  what  commu- 
nion hath  light  with  darkness  ?" 

(e)  THE  RESULTS  OF  A  MAR- 
RIAGE.— The  following  significant  ac- 
count is  condensed  from  a  more  detailed 
462 


statement  in  one  of  the  publications  of 
the  American  Tract  Society.  Mr.  R. 
A.,  of  Maryland,  with  whom  the  writer 
was  well  acquainted,  became  hopefully 
pious  at  the  age  of  twenty,  and  joined 
the  church.  His  life  for  some  time 
seemed  consistent.  At  length  he  formed 
an  attachment  to  a  gay  young  lady,  of 
great  personal  attractions,  but  an  entire 
stranger  to  religion.  She  was  by  no 
means  pleased  with  his  religious  views, 
but  consented  to  the  marriage  in  spite 
of  them,  thinking  that  in  due  time  she 
would  be  able  to  cure  him  of  his  reli- 
gious frenzy.  She  soon  commenced  the 
attempt.  She  urged  him  to  go  to  places 
of  diversion  and  amusement — told  him 
that  respectable  persons  would  despise 
and  laugh  at  him  for  having  so  much 
praying  and  reading  in  his  house.  "In 
fine,"  said  she,  "  I  married  you  to  be 
happy,  but  I  utterly  despair  of  happi- 
ness unless  you  give  up  your  religion 
and  be  like  other  people."  He  told  her 
that  he  never  found  happiness  in  the 
way  she  proposed,  and  tried,  like  a 
Christian,  to  reason  the  case.  Finding 
her  efforts  to  change  his  mind  unavail- 
ing, she  refused  to  attend  family  devo- 
tion. He  wept  and  prayed  for  her  in 
secret.  She  continued  to  employ  every 
stratagem  her  wicked  imagination  could 
invent.  At  length,  wearied  by  her  op- 
position, he  gave  up  family  prayer,  and 
resolved  that  he  would  try  to  get  to  hea- 
ven alone.  His  wife  pursued  him  to 
the  closet,  and  at  last  succeeded  in  driv- 
ing him  to  abandon  every  religious  duty. 
And  now  that  ^e  forsook  God,  God  for- 
sook him ;  and  the  corruptions  of  his 
heart  broke  out  into  greater  excesses 
than  before.  Some  time  after  a  power- 
ful sermon  roused  his  conscience,  and 
he  determined  once  more  to  enter  upon 
the  service  of  God  ;  but  he  was  still  in 
an  enemy's  hands,  and  less  able  to  resist 
than  at  first.  His  wife  redoubled  her 
efforts,  and  gained  her  point  the  second 
time.  Now,  wholly  quitting  the  com- 
pany of  God's  people,  he  sinned  fearful- 
ly. In  a  few  years  he  was  laid  on  a 
bed  of  death.  He  was  in  awful  anguish 
of  mind — full  of  remorse  and  despair. 
He  refiised  to  be  prayed  with,  insist- 
ing that  his  doom  was  already  sealed. 
Just  before  his  departure,  after  he  had 


MEEKNESS. 


353,  254 


been  rolling  from  side  to  side  for  some 
time,  with  horror  depicted  in  every  fea- 
ture, he  called  to  his  wife  to  bring  him 
a  cup  of  cold  water;  "for,"  said  he, 
"  in  one  hour  I  shall  be  where  I  shall 
never  get  another  drop."  She  brought 
him  the  water ;  he  drank  it  with  greedi- 
ness, and  reached  back  the  cup  with  a 
trembling  hand  ;  then  staring  her  in  the 
lace,  his  eyes  flashing  with  terror,  he 
cried  out,  "  Rebecca,  Rebecca,  you  are 
the  cause  of  my  eternal  damnation." 
He  turned  over,  and  with  an  awful 
groan  left  the  world. 

(/)  A  WISE  DECISION.— Eliza 
Amberi',  a  young  Parisian  lady,  reso- 
lutely discarded  a  gentleman  to  whom 
she  was  to  have  been  married,  because 
he  ridiculed   religion.      Having  given 


him  a  gentle  reproof,  he  replied  "  that  a 
man  of  the  world  could  not  be  so  old- 
fashioned  as  to  regard  God  and  religion." 
Eliza  started,  but,  on  recovering  herself, 
said,  "  From  this  moment,  sir,  when  I 
discover  that  you  do  not  regard  religion, 
I  cease  to  be  yours.  He  who  does  not 
love  and  honor  God  can  never  love  his 
wife  constantly  and  sincerely." 

(g)  ADVICE  OF  THEMISTOCLES. 
— An  Athenian  who  was  hesitating  whe- 
ther to  give  his  daughter  in  marriage  to 
a  man  of  worth  with  a  small  fortune,  or 
to  a  rich  man  who  had  no  other  recom- 
mendation,  went  to  consult  Themistocles 
on  the  subject.  "  I  would  bestow  my 
daughter,"  said  Themistocles,  "  upon  a 
man  without  money  rather  than  upon 
money  without  a  man." 


254.  MEEKNESS. 


(a)  DEERING  ENDURING  IN- 
SULT. — Mr.  Deering,  one  of  the  puri- 
tan ministers  in  the  sixteenth  century, 
being  at  a  public  dinner,  a  young  man, 
who  sat  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  table, 
indulged  in  profane  swearing,  for  which 
Mr.  D.  sharply  reproved  him.  The 
young  man,  taking  this  as  an  affront, 
immediately  threw  a  glass  of  beer  in 
his  face.  Mr.  Deering  took  no  notice 
of  the  insult,  but  wiped  his  face,  and 
continued  his  dinner.  The  young  gen- 
tleman presently  renewed  his  profane 
conversation  ;  and  Mr.  D.  reproved  him 
as  before  ;  upon  which,  but  with  in- 
creased violence,  he  threw  another  glass 
of  beer  in  his  face.  Mr.  Deering  con- 
tinued unmoved,  still  showing  his  zeal 
for  the  glory  of  God,  by  bearing  the  in- 
sult with  Christian  meekness.  This  so 
astonished  the  young  gentleman,  that  he 
rose  from  the  table,  fell  on  his  knees, 
and  asking  Mr.  Deering's  pardon,  de- 
clared that  if  any  of  the  company'' 
had  offered  him  similar  insults,  he 
would  have  stabbed  them  with  his 
sword.  Here  was  practically  verified 
the  New  Testament  maxim,  "  Be  not 
overcome  of  evil,  but  overcome  evil 
with  good." 

(l)  PERSECUTING  HUSBAND 
SUBDUED.— A  woman  who  had  de- 


rived spiritual  benefit  from  the  discours- 
es of  Mr.  Robinson  of  Leicester,  was 
often  threatened  by  her  wicked  husband 
for  going  to  St.  Mary's  church,  in  which 
Mr.  R.  officiated.  His  feelings  were  at 
length  wrought  up  to  such  a  pitch  that 
he  declared  with  an  awful  oath,  that  if 
ever  she  went  to  St.  Mary's  again,  he 
would  cut  off  her  legs.  Having  sought 
direction  in  prayer,  she  was  strengthen- 
ed to  go  to  the  place  where  oft  she  had 
been  made  joyful  in  the  Lord.  On  her 
return  from  church,  she  found  her  hus- 
band waiting  her  arrival,  and  as  soon  as 
she  had  shut  the  door,  he  said  in  an  an- 
gry tone,  "  Where  have  you  been  ?" 
She  replied,  "  At  St.  Mary's."  He  in- 
stantly struck  her  a  violent  blow  on  the 
face,  and  she  fell  to  the  ground  ;  but 
rising  from  the  floor,  she  turned  the 
other  side  of  her  face,  and  in  a  mild 
and  affectionate  manner  said,  "  My  dear, 
if  you  serve  this  side  the  same,  I  hope  I 
shall  bear  it  with  patience."  Struck 
with  this  meek  answer,  for  she  had  been 
a  very  passionate  woman,  he  said, 
"Where  did  you  learn  that?"  She 
replied,  in  a  gentle  manner,  "  At  St. 
Mary's  church,  my  dear."  "  Well," 
said  he,  "  if  that  is  what  you  learn  at 
St.  Mary's,  you  may  go  as  oft  as  you 
like,  I  will  never  hinder  you  again." 
463 


954,  255 


MEMORY  AND  PIETY. 


This  good  woman  enjoyed  her  privileges 
undisturbed,  and  also  had  the  pleasure, 
a  short  time  afterwards,  of  having  her 
husband  to  accompany  her. 

(c)  MEEKNESS  OF  DODD.— It  is 
said  of  Mr.  Dodd,  one  of  the  puritan  di- 
vines, that  a  person  being  enraged  at 
his  close  and  awakening  doctrine,  raised 
a  quarrel  with  him,  smote  him  in  the 
face,  and  dashed  out  two  of  his  teeth. 
This  meek  and  lowly  servant  of  Christ, 
without  taking  the  least  offence,  held 
the  teeth  out  in  his  hand,  and  said, 
"  See  here,  you  have  knocked  out  two 
of  my  teeth  without  any  just  provoca- 
tion ;  but  if  I  could  do  your  soul  good, 
I  would  give  you  leave  to  dash  out  all 
the  rest."  Thus  he  was  not  overcome 
of  evil,  but  overcame  evil  with  good. 

(d)  MEEKNESS  OF  M.  HENRY. 
— It  is  well  known,  that  many  of  the 
most  eminent  ministers  of  Christ,  during 
the  seventeenth  century,  were  the  sub- 
jects of  great  persecution.  Among 
others  who  were  thus  cruelly  treated 
was  the  excellent  Matthew  Henry;  but 
when  maligned  and  reproached,  he 
showed  great  meekness  and  patience  ; 
and,  instead  of  rendering  evil  for  evil, 
requited  it  with  good ;  ever  seeking  to 
improve  such  occurrences  for  his  own  ad- 
vancement in  Christian  virtue.  "  How 
pleasant  is  it,"  he  would  say,  "  to  have 
the  bird  in  the  bosom  sing  sweetly." 

(e)  MEEKNESS  OF  LEIGHTON. 
— Of  Bishop  Leighton,  Bishop  Burnet 
declared  that  during  a  strict  intimacy 
of  many  years,  he  never  saw  him  for 
one  moment  in  any  other  temper  than 
that  in  which  he  would  wish  to  live  and 
die. 

(/)  THE  MISSIONARIES  AND 
THE  HINDOO.— A  baboo,  (that  is,  a 
wealthy  Hindoo,)  at  Chinsurah,  sent 'a 
message   to  the   missionaries    residing 


there,  intimating  that  a  very  learned 
brahmin  was  in  his  house,  and  that  he 
and  his  friends  very  much  wished  to 
hear  this  brahmin  and  the  missionaries 
engage  in  an  amicable  dispute  respect- 
ing the  merits  of  Hindooism  and  Chris- 
tianity. Two  of  the  missionaries  went. 
The  brahmin  opened  the  debate,  charg- 
ed the  missionaries  with  bad  motives, 
and  misrepresented  their  doctrines  in  an 
ill-tempered  manner. 

The  missionaries  stated  in  reply,  that; 
Christianity  was  a  religion  of  love  ;  that 
God  so  loved  the  world  as  to  send  his 
only-begotten  Son,  the  Lord  .lesus  Christ, 
into  it ;  that  the  Son  of  God  so  loved 
the  fallen  race  of  man,  as  to  give  his 
life  a  sacrifice  for  their  sins ;  and  that 
missionaries  were  impelled  to  leave  their 
beloved  relatives  and  friends,  and  the 
comforts  of  their  native  home,  from  the 
same  principle.  They  then  explained 
the  leading  truths  of  Christianity,  the 
substance  of  which  was,  that  all  men 
every  where  ought  to  worship  that  God 
who  made  them,  and  to  worship  him 
alone. 

The  brahmin's  countenance  under- 
went a  change  as  the  missionaries  were 
speaking,  and  in  his  rejoinder  he  said, 
"  I  am  a  brahmin,  and  cannot,  there- 
fore, be  expected  to  say,  that  I  deem 
Christianity  to  be  superior  to  Hindooism ; 
but,  in  candor,  I  must  say,  that  the  tem- 
per of  these  Christians  is  superior  to 
that  of  us  Hindoos.  Gentlemen,"  the- 
brahmin  said,  turning  to  the  missionaries, 
"  your  temper  is  boro  prarthoneco ;" 
that  is,  greatly  to  be  prayed  for.  "  We 
took  our  leave,"  say  the  missionaries, 
"  convinced  that  the  cause  of  Christiani- 
ty had  that  day  risen  in  the  opinion  of 
some  influential  inhabitants  of  Chinsu- 
rah." 


255.  MEMORY  AND  PIET\. 


(a)  PRACTICAL  MEMORY.— A 
minister  in  Wiltshire,  walking  near  a 
brook,  observed  a  poor  woman  washing 
wool  in  the  stream ;  which  is  done  by 
placing  it  in  a  sieve,  and  dipping  it  in 
464 


the  water  repeatedly,  until  it  is  white 
and  clean.  He  engaged  in  conversation 
with  her,  and,  from  some  expressions 
of  regret  and  gratitude  which  she  ut- 
tered, was  induced  to  ask  her  if  she 


MERIT  OF  GOOD  WORKS. 


255,  256 


knew  him.  "  O  yes,  sir,"  she  replied, 
"  and  I  hope  I  shall  have  reason  to  bless 
God  for  you  to  all  eternity.     I  heard 

you   preach    at    W ,    some    years 

back  ;  and  hope  your  sermon  was  the 
means  of  doing  me  great  good." 

"  Indeed,  1  rejoice  to  hear  it ;  pray 
what  was  the  subject  ?"  "  Ah,  sir,  I 
can't  recollect  that ;  mine  is  such  a  bad 
head."  "How  then  can  it  have  done 
you  good,  if  you  don't  even  remember 
it  ?"  "  Sir,  my  poor  mind  is  like  this 
sieve  ;  the  sieve  doesn't  hold  the  water, 
but  it  runs  through  and  cleanses  the 
wool :  my  memory  does  not  keep  the 
words,  but,  blessed  be  God,  he  made 
them  touch  the  heart :  and  now  I  don't 
love  sin ;  I  go  whenever  I  can  to  hear 
of  Jesus  Christ ;  and  I  beg  of  him  every 
day  to  wash  me  in  his  own  blood,  which 
cleanses  from  all  sin." 


(b)  TWO  THINGS  REMEMBER. 
ED. — Rev.  Mr.  Newton,  when  his  me- 
mory was  nearly  gone,  used  to  say, 
that  forget  what  he  might,  he  never  for- 
got two  things, — 1st,  That  he  was  a 
great  sinner, — 2d,  That  Jesus  Christ 
was  a  great  Savior.  Two  most  import- 
ant subjects  of  recollection. 

(c)  NEWTON'S  MEMORY  OF 
SCRIPTURE.— Mr.  Newton,  telling  in 
company  one  day,  how  much  his  me- 
mory was  decayed,  "  There,"  said  he, 
"  last  Wednesday,  after  dinner,  I  asked 

Mrs.  C what  I  had  been  about  that 

forenoon,  for  I  could  not  recollect. 
Why,  said  she  you  have  been  preach- 
ing at  St.  Mary's.  Yet  it  is  wonderful, 
when  I  am  in  the  pulpit,  I  can  recollect 
any  passage  of  Scripture  I  want  to  in- 
troduce into  my  sermon,  from  Genesis 
to  Revelation." 


256.  MERIT  OF  GOOD  WORKS. 


(a)  NIGHT  UNDER  A  HEDGE. 

— A  poor  blind  man,  by  the  name  of 
Philip  (writes  a  minister  from  Ireland) 
who  was  also  very  deaf  and  imbecile,  be- 
ing a  member  of  my  congregation,  I  in- 
terested myself  to  give  him  particular 
instructions  in  the  plan  of  salvation, 
hoping,  by  patience,  perseverance,  and 
plainness,  to  make  him  understand  the 
simplest  truths  of  the  Gospel ;  yet  after  a 
long  time,  and  much  labor,  I  found  that 
not  the  least  impression  had  been  made. 
One  day,  (after  having  visited  him  for  a 
year,)  I  repeatedly  told  him  that  in 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  alone  was  found 
salvation  for  sinners,  and  then  begged 
of  him  to  tell  me  how  he  hoped  to  be 
saved.  He  considered  for  a  time,  the 
perspiration  pressing  through  every 
pore  of  his  face,  and  replied  in  the 
most  placid  manner  I  ever  witnessed  : 
"  Don't  you  think,  sir,  that  if  I  was  to 
spend  a  cold  frosty  night  under  a  haw- 
thorn bush,  it  would  go  a  good  way  to- 
wards it?"  He  afterwards,  however, 
became  a  humble  believer,  and  trusted 
in  Christ  alone  for  salvation. 

How  many  persons  of  vastly  better 
advantages,  have  just  as  absurd   and 
unscriptural  views  of  the  plan  of  salva- 
30 


tion  as  the  subject  of  the  foregoing 
sketch  ?  Men  are  much  more  disposed 
to  attach  merit  to  their  own  sufferings, 
than  to  rely  on  the  sufferings  of  Christ. 
But  the  first  principle  of  salvation  for 
the  sinner  to  learn  is,  that  he  cannot 
save  himself. 

(h)  THE  NOBLEMAN'S  MIS- 
TAKE.— The  late  Rev.  C.  J.  Latrobe 
visited  a  certain  nobleman  in  Ireland, 
who  devoted  considerable  sums  to 
charitable  purposes ;  and,  among  other 
benevolent  acts,  had  erected  an  elegant 
church  at  his  own  expense.  The 
nobleman,  with  great  pleasure,  showed 
Mr.  L.  his  estate,  pointed  him  to  the 
church,  and  said,  "Now,  sir,  do  you 
not  think  that  will  merit  heaven  ?"  Mr. 
Latrobe  paused  for  a  moment,  and  said, 
"  Pray,  my  lord,  what  may  your  estate 
be  worth  a  year  V'  "  I  imagine,"  said 
the  nobleman,  "  about  thirteen  or  four- 
teen thousand  pounds."  "And  do  you 
think,  my  lord,"  answered  the  minister, 
"  that  God  would  sell  heaven,  even  for 
thirteen  or  fourteen  thousand  pounds  ?" 
(c)  IMPIOUS  EPITAPH.— The  fol- 
lowing  epitaph  is  inscribed  upon  a 
monument  in  one  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
chapels,  in  the  city  of  Cork : — "J.  H.  S. 
465 


356 


MERIT  OF  GOOD  WORKS. 


Sacred  to  the  memory  of  the  benevolent 
Edward  Molloy,  the  friend  of  humanity, 
the  father  of  the  poor ;  he  employed  the 
wealth  of  this  world,  only  to  procure 
the  riches  of  the  next ;  and  leaving  a 
balance  of  merit  on  the  book  of  life,  he 
made  heaven  debtor  to  mercy.  He  died 
17th  October,  1818,  aged  90.  R  J.  P." 
How  daring  the  impiety  of  making  the 
Creator  debtor  to  his  creature  ! 

(d)  ELLIOT  AND  HIS  LABORS. 
— When  Mr.  John  Elliot,  from  advanced 
age  and  infirmities,  was  laid  aside  from 
his  former  employments,  he  sometimes 
said,  with  an  air  peculiar  to  himself, 
"  I  wonder  for  what  the  Lord  Jesus  lets 
me  live.  He  knows  that  now  1  can  do 
nothing  for  him."  Speaking  of  his 
labors  among  the  American  Indians,  he 
expressed  himself  thus  : — "  There  is  a 
cloud,  a  dark  cloud,  on  the  work  of  the 
gospel  among  the  poor  Indians.  The 
Lord  revive  and  prosper  that  work,  and 
grant  that  it  may  live,  when  I  am  dead. 
It  is  a  work  which  I  have  been  doing 
much  about.  But  what  have  I  said  ? 
I  recall  that  word.  My  doings!  Alas  ! 
they  have  been  poor,  and  small,  and  I 
will  be  the  man  that  shall  throw  the 
first  stone  at  them."  He  died  in  1690, 
aged  eighty-six. 

(e)  UNSUCCESSFUL  PREACH- 
ING. — "  I  preached  up  sanctification 
very  earnestly  for  six  years  in  a  former 
parish,"  says  the  Rev.  Mr.  Bennet  in  a 
letter,  "  and  never  brought  one  soul  to 
Christ.  I  did  the  same  at  this  parish, 
for  two  years,  without  having  any  suc- 
cess at  all ;  but  as  soon  as  ever  I 
preached  Jesus  Christ,  and  faith  in  his 
blood,  then  believers  were  added  to  the 
church  occasionally ;  then  people  flock- 
ed from  all  parts  to  hear  the  glorious 
sound  of  the  gospel,  some  coming  six, 
others  eight,  and  others  ten  miles,  and 
that  constantly.  The  reason  why  my 
ministry  was  not  blessed,  when  I 
preached  up  salvation  partly  by  faith, 
and  partly  by  works,  is,  because  the 
doctrine  is  not  of  God." 

(/)    HERVEY    AND    THE 
PLOUGHMAN.— In  the  parish  where 
Mr.  Hervey  preached,  when  he  inclined  | 
to   loose   sentiments,    there    resided    a  i 
ploughman,  who  usually  attended  the 
ministry  of  Dr.  Doddridge,  and  was  well  ! 
466 


informed  in  the  doctrines  of  grace.  Mr. 
Hervey  being  advised  by  his  physician, 
for  the  benefit  of  his  health,  to  follow  the 
plough,  in  order  to  smell  the  fresh  earth, 
frequently  accompanied  this  ploughman 
in  his  rural  employment.  Mr.  Hervey, 
understanding  the  ploughman  was  a 
serious  person,  said  to  him  one  morning, 
"  What  do  you  think  is  the  hardest 
thing  in  religion  ?"  To  which  he  re- 
plied, "  I  am  a  poor  illiterate  man,  and 
you,  sir,  are  a  minister :  I  beg  leave  to 
return  the  question."  "Then,"  said 
Mr.  Hervey,  "  I  think  the  hardest  thing 
is  to  deny  sinful  self;"  and  applauded 
at  some  length,  this  instance  of  self- 
denial.  The  ploughman  replied,  "  Mr. 
Hervey,  you  have  forgotten  the  greatest 
act  of  the  grace  of  self-denial,  which  is 
to  deny  ourselves  of  a  proud  confidence 
in  our  own  obedience  for  justification." 
In  repeating  this  story  to  a  friend,  Mr. 
Hervey  observed  :  "  I  then  hated  the 
righteousness  of  Christ :  I  looked  at  the 
man  with  astonishment  and  disdain,  and 
thought  him  an  old  fool.  I  have  since 
clearly  seen  who  was  the  fool ;  not  the 
wise  old  Christian,  but  the  proud  James 
Hervey." 

(g)  BISHOP  ASBURY'S  TESTI- 
MONY.— Bishop  Asbury  being  asked 
his  thoughts  on  imputed  righteousness, 
observed,  "  Were  I  disposed  to  boast, 
my  boasting  would  be  found  true.  I 
obtained  religion  near  the  age  of  thir- 
teen. At  the  age  of  sixteen  I  began  to 
preach,  and  traveled  some  time  in  Eu- 
rope. At  twenty-six  I  left  my  native  land, 
and  bid  adieu  to  my  weeping  parents,  and 
crossed  the  boisterous  ocean,  to  spend 
the  balance  of  my  days  in  a  strange 
land,  partly  settled  by  savages.  I  | 
have  traveled  through  heat  and  cold  for  | 
forty-five  years.  In  thirty  years  I  have  ' 
crossed  the  Alleghany  mountains  fifty. 
eight  times.  I  have  often  slept  in  the 
woods,  without  necessary  food  or  rai- 
ment. In  the  southern  states  I  have 
waded  swamps,  and  led  my  horse  for 
miles,  where  I  took  colds  that  brought 
on  the  diseases  which  are  now  preying 
on  my  system,  and  must  soon  terminate 
in  death.  But  my  mind  is  still  the 
same,  that  it  is  through  the  merits  of 
Christ  I  am  to  be  saved." 


MERIT  OF  GOOD  WORKS. 


356 


(h)  WILKINSON'S  DYING  CON- 
FESSION.— When  the  venerable  Mr. 
Wilkinson  had  reached  nearly  the  close 
of  his  life,  he  said  to  a  relative  who 
came  to  visit  him,  and  who  attempted  to 
cheer  him  by  referring  to  his  Christian 
character,  "  Ah,  you  cannot  see  my 
heart.  It  has  always  been  my  endeavor 
not  only  to  abstain  from  evil,  but  from 
all  appearance  of  evil — but  I  would  be 
jealous  of  my  own  heart.  The  heart  is 
deceitful  above  all  things,  and  des- 
perately wicked  :  who  can  know  it  ? 
Well,  I  must  do  as  I  have  ten  thousand 
times  before  under  such  feelings,  cast 
myself  entirely  on  the  mercy  of  God. 
*  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner  ' — the 
vilest  of  sinners !  and,  after  all  I  have 
received,  a  most  ungrateful  sinner !  / 
shall  never  get  beyond  that  prayer.'^ 

(i)  PRAYER  AND  GOOD 
WORKS.—"  It  has  been  often  ob- 
served,"  says  Dr.  Owen,  in  his  Doctrine 
of  Justification,  "  that  the  schoolmen 
themselves,  in  their  meditations  and  de- 
votional writings,  speak  a  language 
quite  different  from  that  which  they  use 
in  their  disputes  and  controversies ;  and 
I  had  rather  learn  what  men  really 
think  on  this  head  from  their  prayers 
than  from  their  writings.  Nor  do  I 
remember  that  I  ever  heard  any  good 
man,  in  his  prayers,  use  any  expressions 
about  justification,  wherein  any  thing 
of  self- righteousness  was  introduced. 
Nor  have  I  observed  that  any  public 
liturgies  (the  Mass-Book  excepted), 
guide  men  in  their  prayers  before  God 
to  plead  any  thing  for  their  acceptance 
with  him,  or  as  the  means  or  condition 
thereof,  but  grace,  mercy,  the  righteous- 
ness and  blood  of  Christ  alone." 

(j)  CHALMERS'  CONFESSION. 
— Dr.  Chalmers,  who  preached  the 
liberal  system  twelve  years,  and  after 
this  the  evangelical,  says,  "  I  cannot  but 
record  the  effect  of  an  actual  though 
undesigned  experiment  which  I  prose- 
cuted for  upwards  of  twelve  years 
among  you.  For  the  greater  part  of 
that  time,  I  could  expatiate  on  the 
meanness  of  dishonesty,  on  the  villany 
of  falsehood,  on  the  despicable  arts  of 
calumny,  in  a  word,  upon  all  those  de- 
formities of  character  which  awaken 
the  natural  indignation  of  the  human 


heart  against  the  pests  and  disturbers 
of  human  society.  Even  at  this  time  I 
certainly  did  press  the  reformations  of 
honor,  and  truth,  and  integrity,  among 
my  people  ;  but  I  never  once  heard 
of  any  such  reformations  having  been 
effected  amongst  them.  If  there  was 
any  thing  at  all  brought  about  in  this 
way,  it  was  more  than  ever  I  got  any 
account  of.  I  am  not  sensible,  that  all 
the  vehemence  with  which  I  urged  the 
virtues  and  proprieties  of  social  life,  had 
the  weight  of  a  feather  on  the  moral 
habits  of  my  parishioners.  And  it  was 
not  until  I  got  impressed  by  the  utter 
alienation  of  the  heart  in  all  its  desires 
and  affections  from  God,  it  was  not  till 
reconciliation  to  Him  became  the  dis- 
tinct and  prominent  object  of  my 
ministerial  efforts,  it  was  not  till  I  took 
the  scriptural  way  of  laying  the  method 
of  reconciliation  before  them,  it  was  not 
till  the  free  offer  of  forgiveness  through 
the  blood  of  Christ  was  urged  upon  their 
acceptance,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  given 
through  the  channel  of  Christ's  media- 
torship  to  all  who  ask  him,  was  set 
before  them  as  the  unceasing  object  of 
their  dependence  and  their  prayers ;  it 
was  not,  in  one  word,  till  the  contempla- 
tions of  my  people  were  turned  to  these 
great  and  essential  elements  in  the  busi- 
ness of  a  soul  providing  for  its  interest 
with  God,  and  the  concerns  of  its  eter- 
nity, that  I  ever  heard  of  any  of  those  sub- 
ordinate reformations  which  I  aforetime 
made  the  earnest  and  zealous,  but  I  am 
afraid,  at  the  same  time,  the  ultimate 
object  of  my  earlier  administrations." 

\k)  CONVERTED  MORALIST'S 
CONFESSION.— In  a  revival  in  one 
of  the  New  England  states,  one  of  the 
subjects  was  a  moralist,  who  is  thus 
described  by  an  acquaintance : 

He  was  a  young  gentleman,  of  good 
natural  abilities,  of  respectable  stand- 
ing in  society,  and  of  irreproachable  in- ' 
tegrity.  In  his  dealings  with  others  he 
was  accounted  strictly  honorable,  and 
his  exemplary  observance  of  the  ex- 
ternals of  religion  gained  him  the  ap- 
pellation of  "  very  moral."  He  was  also 
"  righteous  in  his  own  eyes."  Though 
he  gave  full  credence  to  the  word  of 
God,  and  professed  to  believe  the  ne. 
cessity  of  regeneration  and  justification 
467 


356 


MERIT  OF  GOOD  WORKS. 


by  the  righteousness  of  Christ,  yet  he 
was  often  heard  to  assert,  that  he  feared 
not  to  enter  eternity,  and  appear  before 
his  Judge.  He  believed  that,  according 
to  his  ability,  he  had  complied  with  all 
the  requisitions  of  Jehovah's  law,  and 
that  the  Redeemer  would  at  last  re- 
ceive his  soul,  and  wash  it  from  all  its 
original  pollution.  One  thing  however 
was  against  him  :  the  discriminating  doc- 
trines of  the  cross  were  ever  oifensive. 

But  the  Spirit  of  the  Most  High  has 
lately  unveiled  to  him  his  heart,  and 
taught  him  the  spirit  of  the  divine  law. 
His  convictions  were  long  and  pungent. 
With  tears  and  heart-rending  repent- 
ance he  confessed  his  former  blindness, 
his  ignorance  of  himself  and  of  God, 
and  was  constrained  to  cry  aloud  for 
the  mercy  of  Heaven  to  save  his  soul. 
The  Savior  heard  him,  and  appeared  for 
his  relief.  His  joys,  though  humble, 
were  ecstatic,  and  his  soul  seemed  to  be 
"  filled  with  the  fullness  of  God."  Since 
that  time  his  triumphing  spirit  has  left 
the  world,  and  joined  the  assembly  of 
the  redeemed  above.  In  his  dying 
moments  he  left  with  a  friend  the  fol- 
lowing charge  to  me  : 

"  Tell that  his  moral  friend  has 

found  himself  to  be  immoral,  unholy,  and 
unclean.  Tell  him  also  that  his  friend 
has  found  salvation  in  the  blood  of 
Jesus,  and  is  now  going  to  join  his  Re- 
deemer in  the  heavens.  Tell  him  to 
charge  the  young  and  giddy  that  for  all 
their  follies  God  will  bring  them  into 
judgment — that  if  they  would  procure 
peace  of  conscience,  and  solid  enjoy- 
ment, they  must  believe  in  the  Infinite 
Savior,  and  experience  the  benefits  of 
the  infinite  atonement.  Tell  him  to 
make  use  of  my  case  in  warning  sin- 
ners to  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come, 
with  the  earnest  prayer  that  my  death 
may  be  the  means  of  converting  some 
soul.  Tell  him  the  world  is  receding. 
Farewell." 

(Z)  THE  PLANK  OF  FREE 
GRACE.— Mr.  M'Laren,  and  Mr.  Gus- 
tart,  were  both  ministers  of  the  Tolbooth 
Church,  Edinburgh.  When  Mr.  M'- 
Laren was  dying,  Mr.  G.  paid  him  a 
visit,  and  put  the  question  to  him, 
"  What  are  you  doing,  brother  ?"     His 


answer  was,  "I'll  tell  you  what  I  am 
doing,  brother ;  I  am  gathering  together 
all  my  prayers,  all  my  sermons,  all  my 
good  deeds,  all  my  ill  deeds  ;  and  I  am 
going  to  throw  them  all  overboard,  and 
swim  to  glory  on  the  plank  of  Free 
Grace." 

(m)  POPULAR  PREACHING.— A 
Christian  minister  once  said  to  a  So- 
cinian  preacher,  "  You  are  always  tell- 
ing people  the  worth  of  their  good  works, 
flattering  them,  &c. ;  now  we  tell  them 
of  their  depravity,  sinfulness,  and  dan- 
ger ;  yet  few  come  and  hear  you,  while 
our  houses  are  filled.  Can  you  assign 
a  reason  for  this  ?"  He  said  he  could 
not.  "  Well,"  said  the  minister,  "  I 
will  tell  you ;  there  is  a  conviction  on 
people's  minds,  that  what  we  preach  is 
truth,  and  what  you  preach  is  false- 
hood." 

{n)  REASON  FOR  PREACHING 
CHRIST— The  Rev.  Mr.  Venn,  an 
evangelical  and  faithful  minister  of 
Christ,  was  one  day  addressed  by  a 
neighoring  clergyman  in  nearly  the 
following  words  :  "  Mr.  Venn,  I  don't 
know  how  it  is,  but  I  should  really  think 
your  doctrines  of  grace  and  faith  were 
calculated  to  make  all  your  hearers 
live  in  sin,  and  yet  I  must  own  that 
there  is  an  astonishing  reformation 
wrought  in  your  parish;  whereas  I 
don't  believe  I  ever  made  one  soul  the 
better,  though  I  have  been  telling  them 
their  duty  for  many  years."  Mr.  Venn 
was  pleased  at  the  clergyman's  honest 
confession,  and  frankly  told  him  he 
would  do  well  to  burn  all  his  old  ser- 
mons, and  try  what  preaching  Christ 
would  do. 

(o)  PLACE  TO  LOSE  SELF— 
A  person  who  had  long  practised  many 
austerities,  without  finding  any  comfort 
or  change  of  heart,  was  once  complair,- 
ing  to  the  Bishop  of  Alst  of  his  state. 
"Alas,"  said  he,  "self-will  and  self- 
righteousness  follow  me  every  where. 
Only  tell  me  when  you  think  I  shall 
learn  to  leave  self.  Will  it  be  by 
study,  or  prayer,  or  good  works  ?"  "  I 
think,"  replied  the  bishop,  "  that  the 
place  where  you  lose  self,  will  be  that 
where  you  find  your  Savior." 


468 


MINISTERS,  CHRISTIAN. 


35*7,  25S 


MINISTERS,  CHRISTIAN. 


257.  Call  to  the  Ministry. 

(a)  DR.  DODDRIDGE'S  CALL.— 

WJien  Dr.  Doddridge  was  a  young  man, 
and  had  an  earnest  desire  to  engage  in 
the  duties  of  the  Christian  ministry,  he 
waited  upon  Dr.  E.  Calamy  on  the  sub- 
ject. The  doctor  advised  him  to  turn 
his  attention  to  some  other  pursuit. 
Young  Doddridge  felt  grieved  to  receive 
such  advice,  but  after  a  few  weeks  re- 
solved to  enter  on  the  study  of  the  law. 
His  mind  was  yet  agitated,  and  he  re- 
solved to  devote  a  morning  to  special 
prayer  before  he  formed  his  final  deci- 
sion. While  thus  engaged,  the  postman 
brought  him  a  letter  from  Dr.  Clarke, 
telling  him  he  had  heard  of  his  diffi- 
culties, and  was  ready  to  receive  him 
under  his  care,  to  prepare  him  for  his 
future  important  duties.  He  very  pro- 
perly regarded  this  as  an  instance  of  the 
Divine  goodness,  and  to  this  fact  may 
be  attributed,  under  God,  his  subsequent 
usefulness  in  the  Christian  church. 

(b)  A  KEEN  RETORT.— A  writer 
in  the  Georgetown  Baptist  Herald,  says, 
"  A  preacher,  not  one  hundred  miles 
from  this,  while  contending,  as  he 
thought,  for  the  "ancient  order  of 
things,"  by  ridiculing  the  doctrine  of 
a  call  to  the  ministry,  as  proof  that  there 
is  no  such  call,  observed,  that  he  never 
believed  he  was  called  to  preach, — 
^' And  no  person  else  ever  helieved  it,'^ 
said  an  acquaintance  standing  by. 

(c)  THE  FARMER    BECOMING  I 
A    MINISTER.— The   late   Rev.    R.  ! 
Hill  writes   thus  : — A   certain   farmer,  ' 
well  known  to  me,  was  always  moral, 
yet  ignorant  of  the  gospel.     By  reading 
some  of  the  sermons  of  the  late  Mr.  Ro- 
maine,  he  was  called  to  the  knowledge  ' 
of  the  truth.     The  farmer  was  a  man 
of  good  sense  and  great  integrity  ;  and 
he  now  conceived  his  domestics  should 
not  live  without  family  worship.     In  his 
kitchen  the  Bible  was  always  as  much 
in  sight  as  the  bacon- rack ;  and  when 
he  read  the  Bible  to  them,  he  could  not 
but  express  the  simple  feelings  of  his 


heart.  He  wept,  and  they  wept  in  con- 
cert.  And  in  prayer,  he  found  he  was 
not  wanting  in  "  the  spirit  of  grace  and 
of  supplications."  Thus  being  enabled 
to  tell  his  own  wants  before  his  family, 
they  began  to  find  out  their  wants  also. 
This  answered  the  end.  The  family 
was  filled  with  surprise,  and  they  sur- 
prised their  neighbors,  who  stole  in  to 
unite  in  this  worship.  They  now  re- 
quested him  to  preach  ;  but  the  modest 
farmer  resisted  the  call.  He  had  a 
gracious  sister,  who  charged  him  not  to 
fight  against  God,  for  that  others,  be- 
sides his  own  family,  were  benefited 
by  their  attendance.  The  farmer  con- 
sented ;  yet  he  was  no  enthusiast,  but  a 
solid,  pious,  thinking  man,  and  had  a 
good  knowledge  of  his  Bible :  and  no 
man  of  good  sense,  though  he  has  nei- 
ther Greek,  Latin,  nor  logic,  will  ever 
talk  nonsense.  Thus  he  commenced  a 
preacher,  and  was  wonderfully  blessed  : 
quite  the  apostle,  the  reformer  of  the 
neighborhood.  The  generous  public 
speedily  accommodated  the  farmer  with 
a  convenient  place  of  worship,  in  the 
town.  The  farmer  was  solemnly  or- 
dained to  the  pastoral  charge,  and  the 
communion  among  them  was  very  seri- 
ously and  largely  attended 

258.  Industry,  Energy,  and  Devotion  to 
their  Work. 

{a)  INDUSTRY  OF  LUTHER.— 
From  1517  to  1526,  the  first  ten  years 
of  the  Reformation,  the  number  of  Lu- 
ther's publications  was  three  hundred  ; 
from  1527  to  1536,  the  second  decade, 
the  number  was  two  hundred  and  thirty- 
two  ;  and  1537  to  1546,  the  year  of  his 
death,  the  number  was  one  hundred  and 
eighty-three.  His  first  book  was  pub- 
lished in  November,  1517,  and  he  died 
in  February,  1546,  an  interval  of  twenty- 
nine  years  and  four  months.  In  this 
time  he  published  seven  hundred  and 
fifteen,  an  average  of  more  than  twenty- 
five  a  year,  or  one  a  fortnigh  of  his 
public  life.  He  did  not  go  through  the 
manual  labor  of  all  this  writing,  it  is 
469 


258 


MINISTERS,  CHRISTIAN. 


true,  for  many  of  his  published  works 
were  taken  down  from  his  lips  by  his 
friends ;  and  it  is  also  true,  that  several 
of  the  volumes  were  small  enough  in 
size  to  be  denominated  pamphlets  ;  but 
many  of  them  are  also  large  and  elabo- 
rate treatises.  In  the  circumstances  in 
which  he  wrote,  his  translation  of  the 
Bible  alone,  would  have  been  a  gigantic 
task,  even  if  he  had  his  lifetime  to  de- 
vote to  it. 

(h)  LABORS  OF  CALVIN.— Dr. 
Hoyle,  who  wrote  under  the  patronage 
of  Archbishop  Usher,  mentioning  Calvin, 
says,  "  What  shall  I  speak  of  his  inde- 
fatigable industry,  almost  beyond  the 
power  of  nature ;  which,  paralleled 
with  our  loitering,  will,  I  fear,  exceed  all 
credit !  It  may  be  the  truest  object  of 
admiration,  how  one  lean,  worn,  spent, 
and  wearied  body  could  hold  out.  He 
read,  every  week  of  the  year  through, 
three  divinity  lectures;  every  other 
week,  over  and  above,  he  preached 
every  day  :  so  that  (as  Erasmus  said  of 
Chrysostom)  I  know  not  whether  more 
to  admire  his  constancy,  or  theirs  that 
heard  him.  Some  have  reckoned  his 
yearly  lectures  to  be  one  hundred  and 
eighty-six,  and  his  yearly  sermons  two 
hundred  and  eighty-six.  Every  Thurs- 
day he  sat  in  the  presbytery.  Every 
Friday,  when  the  ministers  met  to  con- 
sult upon  difficult  texts,  he  made  as  good 
as  a  lecture.  Besides  all  this,  there 
was  scarcely  a  day  that  exercised  him 
not  in  answering,  either  by  word  of 
mouth  or  writing,  the  doubts  and  ques- 
tions of  different  churches  and  pastors  ; 
so  that  he  might  say  with  Paul,  '  The 
care  of  all  the  churches  lieth  upon  me.' 
Scarcely  a  year  passed  wherein,  over 
and  above  all  these  employments,  some 
great  volume,  in  folio,  or  other  size, 
came  not  forth." 

This  celebrated  man,  even  in  his  dy- 
ing illness,  would  not  refrain  from  his 
labors  ;  but,  when  his  friends  endear  or- 
ed  to  persuade  him  to  ease  himself,  he 
replied,  "  What !  shall  my  Lord  come 
and  find  me  idle  ?" 

(c)  DEATH  IN  VIEW.— Some 
years  ago,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Henry  Peck- 
well  stepped  into  a  dissecting  room  and 
touched  one  of  the  dead  bodies,  forget- 
ting that  he  had  just  before  accidentally 
470 


cut  his  finger.  He  became  diseased, 
and  the  doctors  who  were  called  in  pro- 
nounced the  accident  fatal.  At  that 
time  worship  was  held  at  the  Taber- 
nacle, Moorfields,  on  a  Friday  evening. 
Conscious  of  his  approaching  death,  the 
good  man  ascended  the  pulpit,  and 
preached  in  so  powerful  a  strain  as  to 
make  many  of  bis  audience  weep.  At 
the  conclusion,  he  told  the  audience  that 
it  was  his  farewell  sermon, — "  not  like 
the  ordinary  farewell  sermons  of  the 
world,  but  more  impressive,  from  the 
circumstances,  than  any  preached  be- 
fore. My  hearers  shall  long  bear  it  in 
mind,  when  this  frail  earth  is  moulder- 
ing in  its  kindred  dust !"  The  congre- 
gation could  not  conjecture  his  mean- 
ing,  but  on  the  following  Sabbath  an  un- 
known preacher  ascended  the  pulpit, 
and  informed  them  that  their  pious 
minister  had  breathed  his  last  on  the  pre- 
ceding evening. 

{d)  WAITING  THE  LORD'S 
TIME.— When  the  Rev.  George  White- 
field  was  last  in  America,  the  Rev.  W. 
Tennent  paid  him  a  visit,  as  he  was 
passing  through  New  Jersey  ;  and  one 
day  dined  with  him,  and  other  ministers, 
at  a  gentleman's  house.  After  dinner, 
Mr.  W.  adverted  to  the  difficulties  at- 
tending the  gospel  ministry  ;  lamented 
that  all  their  zeal  availed  but  little ; 
said,  that  he  was  weary  with  the  bur- 
den of  the  day  ;  and  declared  the  great 
consolation,  that  in  a  short  time  his  work 
would  be  done,  when  he  should  depart 
and  be  with  Christ.  He  then  appealed 
to  the  ministers  if  it  was  not  their  great 
comfort  that  they  should  soon  go  to  rest. 
They  generally  assented,  except  Mr.  T. 
who  sat  next  to  Mr.  W.  in  silence,  and 
by  his  countenance  discovered  but  little 
pleasure  in  the  conversation.  On  which 
Mr.  W.  tapping  him  on  the  knee  said, 
"  Well,  brother  Tennent,  you  are  the 
oldest  man  among  us ;  do  you  not  re- 
joice to  think  that  your  time  is  so  near 
at  hand,  when  you  will  be  called  home  ?" 
Mr.  T.  bluntly  answered,  "  I  have  no 
wish  about  it."  Mr.  W.  pressed  him 
again.  Mr.  T.  again  again  answered, 
"  No,  sir,  it  is  no  pleasure  to  me  at 
all ;  and  if  you  knew  your  duty,  it 
would  be  none  to  you.  I  have  nothing 
to  do  with  death  ;  )ny  business  is  to  live 


INDUSTRY,  ENERGY,  DEVOTION,  ETC. 


258 


as  long  as  I  can,  as  well  as  I  can,  and 
to  serve  my  Master  as  faithfully  as  I 
can,  until  he  shall  think  proper  to  call 
me  home."  Mr.  W.  still  urged  for  an 
explicit  answer  to  his  question,  in  case 
the  time  of  death  were  left  to  his  own 
choice.  Mr.  T.  replied,  "I  have  no 
choice  about  it ;  I  am  God's  servant, 
and  have  engaged  to  do  his  business  as 
long  as  he  pleases  to  continue  me  there- 
in. But  now,  brother,  let  me  ask 
you  a  question.  What  do  you  think  I 
should  say,  if  I  were  to  send  my  man 
into  the  field  to  plough  ;  and  if  at  noon 
I  should  go  to  the  field,  and  find  him 
lounging  under  a  tree,  and  complaining, 
*  Master,  the  sun  is  very  hot,  and  the 
ploughing  hard ;  I  am  weary  of  the  work 
you  have  appointed  me,  and  am  over- 
done with  the  heat  and  burden  of  the 
day.  Do,  master,  let  me  return  home, 
and  be  discharged  from  this  hard  ser- 
vice ?'  What  should  I  say?  Why, 
that  he  was  a  lazy  fellow,  and  that  it 
his  business  to  do  the  work  that  I  had 
appointed  him,  until  I  should  think  fit 
to  call  him  home." 

(e)  MR.  WILKS  AND  HIS  MAS- 
TER'S BUSINESS.— An  aged  Ame- 
rican minister  states,  that  in  the  early 
part  of  his  ministry,  being  in  London, 
he  called  on  the  late  Rev.  Matthew 
Wilks.  Mr.  W.  received  him  with 
courtesy,  and  entered  into  conversation, 
which  was  kept  up  briskly  till  the  most 
important  religious  intelligence  in  pos- 
session of  each  had  been  imparted. 
Suddenly  there  was  a  pause — it  was 
broken  by  Mr.  W.  ''  Have  you  any 
thing  more  to  communicate  ?"  "  No, 
nothing  of  special  interest."  "  Any 
further  inquiries  to  make  ?"  "  None." 
"  Then  you  must  leave  me  ;  I  have  my 
Master's  business  to  attend  to — good 
morning."  "  H^ere,"  says  the  minister, 
"  I  received  a  lesson  on  the  impropriety 
of  intrusion,  and  on  the  most  manly  me- 
thod of  preventing  it." 

(/)  BUNYAN'S  ZEAL.— Bunyan, 
with  irresistible  zeal,  preached  through- 
out the  country,  especially  in  Bedford- 
shire and  its  neighborhood  ;  until,  on  the 
restoration  of  Charles  11,  he  was  thrown 
into  prison,  where  he  remained  twelve 
years.  During  his  confinement  he 
preached  to  all  to  whom  he  could  gain 


access ;  and  when  liberty  was  offered  to 
him,  on  condition  of  promising  to  abstain 
from  preaching,  he  constantly  replied, 
"  If  you  let  me  out  to-day,  I  shall  preach 
again  to-morrow." 

(g)  BAXTER'S  LABORS.— The 
eminently  pious  Richard  Baxter,  after 
he  had  spent  many  years  in  the  ad- 
vancement of  the  glory  of  God,  by  la- 
borious and  constant  preaching,  un- 
ceasing  pastoral  labors,  and  numerous 
publications  from  the  press,  was  yet  un- 
willing to  give  himself  ease,  even  amidst 
the  infirmities  of  disease  and  age.  An 
old  gentleman,  who  heard  him  preach, 
related,  that  when  he  ascended  the  pul- 
pit, with  a  man  following  him  to  pre- 
vent his  falling  backwards,  and  to  sup- 
port him,  if  needful,  in  the  pulpit,  many 
persons  would  be  ready  to  say  he 
was  more  fit  for  a  cofliin  than  for  labor ; 
but  all  this  he  would  soon  forget,  and 
manifest  the  fervor  and  energy  of  youth 
in  his  labors.  It  was  feared,  the  last 
time  he  preached,  that  he  would  have 
died  in  the  pulpit.  And  yet,  such  was 
his  humility,  that  when  reminded  of  his 
labors  on  his  death-bed,  he  replied,  "  I 
was  but  a  pen  in  God's  hand,  and  what 
praise  is  due  to  a  pen  ?" 

(h)  PREPARING  FOR  THE 
PULPIT.— Mr.  Thomas  Shephard  was 
an  excellent  preacher,  and  took  great 
pains  in  his  preparations  for  the  pulpit. 
He  used  to  say,  "  God  will  curse  that 
man's  labors  who  goes  idly  up  and  down 
all  the  week,  and  then  goes  into  his 
study  on  a  Saturday  afternoon.  God 
knows  that  we  have  not  too  much  time 
to  pray  in,  and  weep  in,  and  get  our 
hearts  into  a  fit  frame  for  the  duties  of 
the  Sabbath." 

(z)  LATIMER'S  LABORS.— Every 
season  of  a  religious  revival  has  been 
marked  by  ministerial  zeal  and  dili- 
gence. These  features  eminently  dis- 
tinguished the  British  reformers.  La- 
timer, in  particular,  was  remarkable  for 
his  care  in  preaching  and  visiting  every 
part  of  his  diocese,  earnestly  trying  to 
reform  whatever  was  amiss.  Although 
advanced  in  life,  he  traveled  continual- 
ly from  place  to  place,  teaching,  ex. 
horting,  and  preaching,  to  the  utmost  of 
his  ability.  These  journeys  were  most- 
ly performed  on  foot,  with  few  attend- 
471 


258 


MINISTERS,  CHRISTIAN. 


ants,  in  a  plain  dress,  with  a  pair  of 
spectacles,  and  a  New  Testament  hang- 
ing at  his  girdle.  Wherever  he  went 
he  preached  to  the  people ;  and  if  he 
found  a  number  assembled  together, 
and  no  church  at  hand,  he  did  not  he- 
sitate to  preach  to  them  in  any  place 
which  offered,  and  sometimes  used  a 
hollow  tree  for  a  pulpit. 

(j)  IMPOSSIBLE  TO  STOP 
PREACfflNG.— Mr.  Cecil  tells  us  that 
when  Mr.  Newton  had  passed  eighty 
years  of  age,  some  of  his  friends  feared 
he  might  continue  his  public  ministra- 
tions too  long.  They  not  only  observed 
his  injEirmities  in  the  pulpit,  but  felt 
much  on  account  of  the  decrease  of  his 
strength,  and  of  his  occasional  depres- 
sions. On  these  things  being  men- 
tioned to  him,  he  replied,  that  he  had 
experienced  nothing  which  in  the  least 
affected  the  principles  he  had  felt  and 
taught ;  that  his  depressions  were  the 
natural  result  of  fourscore  years ;  and 
that,  at  any  age,  we  can  only  enjoy  that 
comfort  from  our  principles  which  God 
is  pleased  to  send.  "  But,"  it  was  ask- 
ed, "  in  the  article  of  public  preaching, 
might  it  not  be  best  to  consider  your 
work  as  done,  and  to  stop  before  you  evi- 
dently discover  that  you  can  speak  no 
longer?"  "I  cannot  stop,"  said  he, 
raising  his  voice.  "  What !  shall  the 
old  African  blasphemer  stop  while  he 
can  speak  ?" 

(k)  PAYSON'S  LOVE  FOR 
PREACHING.— Never  has  the  ruling 
passion  been  more  strongly  exemplified 
in  the  hour  of  death  than  in  the  case  of 
this  excellent  American  minister.  His 
love  for  preaching  was  as  invincible  as 
that  of  the  miser  for  gold,  who  dies 
grasping  his  treasure.  He  directed  a 
label  to  be  attached  to  his  breast  when 
dead,  with  the  admonition,  "  Remember 
the  words  which  I  spake  unto  you  while 
I  was  yet  present  with  you  ;"  that  they 
might  be  read  by  all  who  came  to  look 
at  his  corpse,  and  by  which  he,  being 
dead,  still  spoke.  The  same  words 
were  at  the  request  of  his  people  en- 
graved on  the  plate  of  the  coffin,  and 
read  by  thousands  on  the  day  of  his  in- 
terment. 

{I)  CECIL'S  LOVE  FOR  STUDY. 
— It  is  recorded  of  the  late  Rev.  R. 
472 


Cecil,  that  he  never  seemed  weary  of 
his  studies.  They  were  not  only  his 
business,  but  his  enjoyment  and  recrea- 
tion, and  he  used  to  call  them  his  rest. 
He  felt  any  interruptions  of  them  re- 
quired acts  of  self-denial,  and  always 
returned  to  his  study  with  pleasure. 
Few  more  carefully  aimed  to  redeem 
time,  and  to  spend  it  only  in  what  was 
worthy  of  a  man  and  a  Christian  min- 
ister;  often  repeating — 

For  at  back  I  always  hear 
Time's  winged  chariot  hurrying  near  ; 
And  onward,  all  before  I  see 
Deserts  of  vast  eternity. 

(m)  LABORS  OF  WESLEY.— 
Among  other  features  in  the  character 
of  Mr.  Wesley,  which  manifested 
his  devotedness  to  the  great  work  in 
which  he  had  engaged,  it  is  said  that  he 
ever  retained  a  cheerful  insensibility  to 
pain,  and  even  to  neglect.  As  he  was 
traveling  with  John  Nelson,  one  of  his 
preachers,  from  common  to  common,  in 
Cornwall,  and  preaching  to  a  people 
who  heard  him  willingly,  but  seldom 
or  never  offered  him  the  slightest  hospi- 
tality, he  one  day  stopped  his  horse  at 
some  brambles,  to  pick  the  fruit.  "  Bro- 
ther Nelson,"  said  he,  as  he  did  so, 
"  we  ought  to  be  thankful  that  there  are 
plenty  of  blackberries  ;  for  this  is  the 
best  country  I  ever  saw  for  getting  a 
stomach,  but  the  worst  I  ever  knew  for 
getting  food.  Do  the  people  think  we 
can  live  upon  preaching  '?"  *'  At  that 
time,"  says  his  companion,  "  Mr.  Wes- 
ley and  I  slept  on  the  floor ;  he  had  a 
great  coat  for  his  pillow,  and  I  had  Bur- 
kitt's  Notes  on  the  New  Testament  for 
mine.  One  morning,  about  three  o'clock, 
Mr.  Wesley  turned  over,  and  finding 
me  awake,  clapped  me  on  the  side,  say- 
ing, '  Brother  Nelson,  let  us  be  of  good 
cheer ;  I  have  one  whole  side  yet ;  for 
the  skin  is  off  but  on  one  side.'  " 

For  more  than  fifty  years,  in  succes- 
sion, this  eminent  man  generally  de- 
livered two,  and  frequently  three  or 
four  sermons  in  a  day.  But  calculating 
at  the  lowest  estimate,  and  allowing  fifty 
annually  for  extraordinary  occasions, 
the  whole  number,  during  this  period, 
will  be  forty  thousand  five  hundred  and 
sixty.     To  these  may  be  added  innume- 


INDUSTRY,  ENERGY,  DEVOTION,  ETC. 


358 


rable  exhortations  to  the  societies  after 
preaching,  and  in  other  occasional  meet- 
ings at  which  he  assisted  or  presided. 
His  journeys,  in  the  work  of  the  min- 
istry, during  so  long  a  period,  were  ex- 
traordinary, and  probably,  on  the  whole, 
without  a  precedent.  He  traveled  about 
four  thousand  five  hundred  miles  every 
year,  on  an  average ;  and  thus,  in  his 
long  course,  he  passed  over  two  hundred 
and  twenty-five  thousand  miles,  on  his 
errand  of  mercy,  after  he  became  an 
itinerant  preacher.  In  addition  to  all 
which,  the  publications  which  he  either 
wrote,  or  otherwise  prepared  for  the 
press,  were  very  numerous.  It  would 
have  been  impossible  for  him  to  perform 
this  almost  incredible  degree  of  labor, 
without  great  punctuality  and  care  in  the 
management  of  his  time.  He  had  stated 
hours  for  every  purpose,  and  his  only  re- 
laxation was  a  change  of  employment. 
His  talents  for  managing  complex  affairs, 
and  governing  a  numerous  body,  dissimi- 
lar in  its  parts,  and  widely  diffused 
throughout  the  whole  nation,  were  dis- 
played in  the  order  which  he  introduced 
into  the  societies  he  had  formed,  the  con- 
trol which  he  exercised  over  them,  and 
the  plans  he  devised  and  executed  for 
the  continuance  of  that  economy  which 
he  had  established  among  them. 

(n)  NUMBER  OF  WHITEFIELD'S 
SERMONS. — From  a  memorandum 
book,  in  which  Mr.  Whitefield  recorded 
the  times  and  places  of  his  ministerial 
labors,  it  appears  that  from  the  period  of 
his  ordination  to  that  of  his  death,  which 
was  thirty-four  years,  he  preached  up- 
wards of  eighteen  thousand  sermons.  It 
would  be  difficult  to  tell  the  many 
thousand  miles  that  he  traveled.  It  is  said 
that  this  celebrated  man,  when  advanced 
in  life,  finding  his  physical  powers  fail- 
ing him,  undertook  to  put  himself  upon 
what  he  called  "  short  allowance."  He 
preached  once  only  on  every  day  in  the 
week,  and  three  times  on  the  Sabbath  ! 
(o)  WHITEFIELD'S  FIRfc 
VOYAGE  TO  AMERICA.— There 
is  a  most  interesting  position  in  which 
we  may  look  at  Whitefield.  This  was 
during  his  first  voyage  to  America,  a 
stripling  in  his  twenty-third  year.  Per- 
haps, since  Paul's  memorable  voyage  to 
Rome,  the  ocean  has  never  exhibited  a 


more  surprising  spectacle  than  that  fur- 
nished by  this  ship.  Such  a  situation 
would  have  paralyzed  any  ordinary 
man.  A  faint  and  hesitant  homage, 
once  on  the  Sabbath  day,  from  a  few  of 
the  less  obdurate,  would  be  all  that  such 
a  man  could  possibly  have  expected  to 
extort  from  an  assemblage  of  gentlemen, 
of  soldiers,  with  their  wives  and  fami- 
lies, and  the  ship's  company.  Yet  they 
became  pliant  as  a  willow  in  the  hands 
of  this  remarkable  youth.  He  accord- 
ingly converted  the  chief  cabin  into  a 
cloister,  the  deck  into  a  chapel,  and  the 
steerage  into  a  school-room  !  He  so 
bore  down  all  by  love,  reason,  and  Scrip- 
ture, that  we  soon  behold  him,  at  the 
request  of  the  captain  and  officers,  with 
the  hearty  concurrence  of  the  gentle- 
men, reading  "  full  public  prayers  "  to 
them,  twice  a  day,  in  the  great  cabin, 
and  expounding  every  night  after  the 
evening  prayers,  besides  daily  reading 
prayers  and  preaching  twice  a  day  on 
deck  to  the  soldiers  and  sailors,  and  in- 
creasing the  services  on  Sundays.  In 
addition,  he  daily  catechised  a  body  of 
young  soldiers,  and  also  catechised  the 
women  apart  by  themselves.  Nor  did 
all  this  suffice  to  expend  his  zeal,  for  he 
commenced  a  course  of  expositions  on 
the  creed  and  the  commandments ;  and 
so  convinced  was  he  of  the  value  of  cat- 
echetical teaching,  that  on  February  3, 
he  writes,  "  I  began  to-night  to  turn  the 
observations  made  on  the  lessons  in  the 
morning  into  catechetical  questions,  and 
was  pleased  to  hear  some  of  the  soldiers 
make  very  apt  answers."  Nor  were 
the  children  forgotten  ;  a  personal  friend 
who  accompanied  him,  a  Mj^  H — ,  as- 
sumed that  as  as  his  department.  On 
February  6,  Mr.  Whitefield  writes,  that 
he  was  "  pleased  to  see  Mr.  H —  so  ac- 
tive in  teaching  the  children.  He  has 
now  many  scholars — may  God  bless 
him !" 

(p)  OUSELEY'S  ZEAL.— The  fol- 
lowing beautiful  and  striking  miniature 
likeness  of  that  g^eat  and  good  man, 
Gideon  Ouseley,  is  from  the  pen  of  Dr. 
Elliott,  editor  of  the  Western  Christian 
Advocate.  There  was  something  in  Mr. 
Ouseley's  refusing  the  peerage  and  es- 
tates of  his  ancestors,  and  "  choosing  to 
suffer  afflictions  with  the  people  of  God," 
473 


258 


MINISTERS,  CHRISTIAN. 


so  strange,  that  we  question  if  his  par- 
allel can  be  found  in  all  history,  except 
in  the  case  of  Moses.  Blessed  man,  his 
reward  must  be  great ! 

Mr.  Ouseley  was  a  marvelous  man. 
He  possessed  a  strong  mind,  well  culti- 
vated with  a  good  university  education. 
He  was  of  a  noble  family  ;  but  became 
an  itinerant  Methodist  preacher  early  in 
life,  and  for  about  fifty  years  kept  the 
field,  in  labors  most  abundant.  He 
preached  in  the  Irish  and  English  lan- 
guages with  equal  fluency.  The  Irish 
language  (the  opinion  of  others  to  the 
contrary  notwithstanding)  is  the  fore- 
most language  under  heaven  for  the  pul- 
pit. In  this  he  preached  with  power  to 
those  who  understood  it.  His  pulpit 
performances  usually  amounted  to  twen- 
ty-one each  week  ;  two  each  day,  in  the 
open  air,  and  one  each  evening,  in  a 
church,  house,  barn,  &;c.,  as  the  case 
might  be.  He  preached  thousands  of 
sermons  on  horseback,  in  the  markets, 
at  horse-races,  cock-fights,  (fee;  and 
when  the  multitudes  were  inclined  to 
leave,  which  was  seldom  the  case,  he 
followed  them  in  their  movements.  He 
was  often  persecuted,  waylaid  and  beat, 
so  as  to  be  left  for  dead ;  but  God  al- 
ways raised  him  up.  The  Popish  cler- 
gy hated  him  to  execration ;  and  though 
many  attempts  were  made  on  his  life, 
he  always  escaped,  except  with  the  loss 
of  one  eye.  His  violent  persecutors 
mostly  came  to  an  untimely  end.  So 
manifest  was  the  hand  of  God  in  his 
preservation,  that  the  Papists  concluded 
it  would  not  do  to  kill  him,  as  by  this 
means  he  would  obtain  the  reputation  of 
a  martyr.  He  controverted,  most  free- 
ly, the  errors  of  Popery,  and  exposed 
them  unsparingly,  always  remembering 
to  point  the  errorist  to  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  for  mercy.  Many  thousands 
were  converted  from  Popery  through 
his  instrumentality. 

At  the  death  of  Sir  Gore  Ouseley, 
his  uncle,  he  became  heir  to  his  estate 
and  his  peerage ;  but  he  relinquished 
both  in  favor  of  the  next  heir,  and  con- 
tinued his  preaching  tiL  death.  Few 
men  of  the  age  equaled  him  for  useful- 
ness and  labors. 

(q)  TOO  MUCH  MONEY  AND 
TOO  LITTLE  LABOR.— Mr.  Fletch- 
474 


er  accepted  the  living  of  Madely  in 
preference  to  another  of  more  than 
double  the  value,  which  was  offered  him 
about  the  same  time ;  his  previous  in- 
tercourse with  the  people  having  excited 
within  him  an  affection  which  would  not 
suffer  him  to  be  separated  from  them, 
and  which  remained  unabated  till  his 
death.  The  circumstances  connected 
with  his  appointment  were  remarkable 
and  characteristic.  One  day  Mr.  Hill 
informed  him  that  the  living  of  Dunham, 
in  Cheshire,  then  vacant,  was  at  his  ser- 
vice. "  The  parish,"  he  continued,  "  is 
smalls,  the  duty  light,  the  income  good, 
(j£400  per  annum,)  and  it  is  situated  in 
a  fine  healthy  sporting  country."  Af- 
ter thanking  Mr.  Hill  most  cordially 
for  his  kindness,  Mr.  Fletcher  added, 
"  Alas  !  sir,  Dunham  will  not  suit  me  : 
there  is  too  much  money  and  too  little 
labor."  "  Few  clergymen  make  such 
objections,"  said  Mr.  Hill ;  "  it  is  a  pity 
to  decline  such  a  living,  as  I  do  not 
know  that  I  can  find  you  another.  What 
shall  we  do  ?  Would  you  like  Made- 
ly ?"  "  That,  sir,  would  be  the  very 
place  for  me."  "  My  object,  Mr.  Fletch- 
er," rejoined  Mr.  Hill,  "  is  to  make  you 
comfortable  in  your  own  way.  If  you 
prefer  Madely,  1  shall  find  no  difficul- 
ty in  persuading  the  present  vicar  to 
exchange  it  for  Dunham,  which  is  worth 
more  than  twice  as  much."  In  this 
way  he  became  vicar  of  Madely,  with 
which  he  was  so  perfectly  satisfied,  that 
he  never  afterwards  sought  honor  or 
preferment. 

(r)  THE  SICK  MINISTER'S 
CHOICE. — An  eminent  divine  was 
suffering  under  chronic  disease,  and 
consulted  three  physicians,  who  declar- 
ed, on  being  questioned  by  the  sick 
man,  that  his  disease  would  be  followed 
by  death  in  a  shorter  or  longer  time,  ac- 
cording to  the  manner  in  which  he 
lived ;  but  they  advised  him  unani- 
mously to  give  up  his  office,  because, 
ii^lis  situation,  mental  agitation  would 
be  fatal  to  him.  "  If,"  inquired  the  di- 
vine,  "  I  give  myself  to  repose,  how 
long,  gentlemen,  will  you  guarantee 
my  life  ?"  "  Six  years,"  answered  the 
doctors.  "  And  if  I  continue  in  office  ?" 
"  Three  years,  at  most."  "  Your  ser- 
vant,  gentlemen,"  he  replied ;  "  I  should 


SIMPLICITY  OF  LANGUAGE. 


359 


prefer  living  two  or  three  years  in  do- 
ing some  good,  to  living  six  in  idleness." 
(s)  "  LET  ME  LABOR  NOW."— 
When  that  zealous  and  truly  apostolic 
laborer,  Mr.  Grimshawe,  who  usually 
preached  from  twenty  to  thirty  times  a 
week,  was  entreated  at  any  time  to 
spare  himself,  his  constant  reply  was, 
"  Let  me  labor  now,  for  the  hour  is  at 
hand  when  I  shall  rest." 

2§9.    Simplicity  of  Language. 

(a)  "  DEITY  !  WHO  IS  HE  ?"— 
On  one  occasion,  whilst  the  late  Rev. 
S.  Kilpin  was  preaching,  but  not  in  his 
own  pulpit,  he  mentioned  the  great  God 
by  the  name  of  "  the  Deity."  A  sailor, 
who  was  listening,  immediately  started 
from  his  seat,  his  elbows  fully  spread, 
and  exclaimed  aloud,  "  Deity  !  well,  who 
is  He?  is  He  our  God-a-Mighty ?" 
The  attendants  were  about  to  turn  him 
out;  but  the  minister  stood  reproved, 
and  requested  him  to  resume  his  seat, 
"  Yes,  my  friend,  I  did  mean  the  al- 
mighty God."  The  sailor  rejoined,  "  I 
thought  so,  but  was  not  quite  sure ;  I 
never  heard  that  name  before."  The 
humbled  minister  replied,  "  You  had  a 
right  to  inquire  ;  I  was  to  blame  :  whilst 
delivering  God's  message  of  mercy  and 
justice  to  immortal  souls,  I  ought  not  to 
have  given  my  Divine  Master  a  name 
which  prevented  the  message  from  be- 
ing understood."  "Thank  you,  sir," 
was  the  sailor's  reply ;  and  he  looked 
as  though  he  would  have  devoured  the 
remaining  part  of  the  sermon.  After 
the  service,  he  came  and  begged  pardon 
for  the  interruption  ;  and,  with  a  sailor's 
frankness,  requested  the  kind  gentleman 
to  take  some  refreshment  with  him,  to 
make  it  up. 

(b)  LUTHER'S  PREACHING.— 
On  one  occasion,  during  the  sixteenth 
century,  the  principal  reformers  having 
been  called  together,  several  of  d^m 
preached.  Luther,  though  ui^pl, 
preached  with  much  energy,  from  the 
words,  "  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and 
preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature." 
Myconius  wrote  to  a  friend,  that  he  had 
often  heard  Luther  preach,  but  on  this 
occasion  he  seemed  not  so  much  to 
speak,  as  to  thunder  forth  the  name  of 


Christ  from  heaven  itself  After  Bucer's 
sermon,  he  supped  with  Luther,  who,  in 
the  course  of  conversation,  commended 
the  discourse  of  his  guest ;  but  added 
that  he  himself  was  a  better  preacher. 
Bucer  received  this  apparently  rude  re- 
mark with  his  accustomed  mildness,  and 
readily  declared  his  assent.  Luther 
then  spoke  seriously,  and  said,  "  Do  not 
think  that  I  mean  to  boast  foolishly ;  I 
well  know  my  own  deficiencies,  and 
that  I  am  unable  to  deliver  such  an  in- 
genious and  learned  discourse  as  we 
have  this  day  heard  from  you ;  but, 
when  I  am  in  the  pulpit,  I  consider  who 
my  hearers  are  :  and  because  the  great- 
er part  are  an  unlearned  and  simple 
people,  I  preach  what  I  think  they  can 
understand.  But  you  take  a  higher 
flight,  so  that  your  discourses  suit  learn- 
ed people,  but  are  not  understood  by  our 
poor  people.  In  this  I  act  like  a  kind 
mother  who  gives  her  craving  infant  the 
breast,  thus  feeding  it  with  her  own 
milk  as  well  as  she  is  able,  and  thinks 
this  better  for  its  nourishment  than  if 
mixed  with  the  sweetest  and  choicest 
syrups  and  preparations  of  art." 

(c)  SIMPLICITY  OF  WESLEY. 
—In  June,  1790,  the  Rev.  J.  Wesley 
preached  at  Lincoln  :  his  text  was,  Luke 
X.  42  ;  "  One  thing  is  needful."  When 
the  congregation  were  retiring  from  the 
chapel,  a  lady  exclaimed,  in  a  tone  of 
great  surprise,  "  Is  this  the  great  Mr. 
Wesley,  of  whom  we  hear  so  much  in 
the  present  day  ?  Why,  the  poorest 
might  have  understood  him."  The  gen- 
tleman, to  whom  this  remark  was  made, 
replied,  "  In  this,  madam,  he  displays 
his  greatness ;  that,  while  the  poorest 
can  understand  him,  the  most  learned 
are  edified,  and  cannot  be  offended." 

(d)  LEARNING  MAKES  PLAIN. 
—The  late  Rev.  Dr.  C.  Evans,  of  Bris- 
tol,  having  once  to  travel  from  home, 
wrote  to  a  poor  congregation,  to  say  that 
he  should  have  occasion  to  stay  a  night 
in  their  village,  and  that  if  it  were 
agreeable  to  them,  he  would  give  them 
a  sermon.  The  poor  people  hesitated 
for  some  time,  but  at  length  permitted 
him  to  preach.  After  sermon,  he  found 
them  in  a  far  happier  mood  than  when 
he  first  came  among  them,  and  could 
not  forbear  inquiring  into  the  reason  of 

475 


259,  260 


MINISTERS,  CHRISTIAN. 


all  this.  "  Why,  sir,  to  tell  you  the 
truth,"  said  one  of  them,  "knowing 
that  you  were  a  very  learned  man,  and 
that  you  were  a  teacher  of  young  min- 
isters, we  were  much  afraid  we  should 
not  understand  you  ;  but  you  have  been 
quite  as  plain  as  any  minister  we  ever 
hear."  "  Ay,  ay,"  the  doctor  replied, 
"  you  entirely  misunderstood  the  nature 
of  learning,  my  friend :  its  design  is  to 
make  things  so  plain  that  they  cannot 
be  misunderstood."  Similar  was  the 
view  of  Archbishop  Leighton,  who  says, 
in  one  of  his  charges  to  his  clergy, 
"  How  much  learning,  my  brethren,  is 
required,  to  make  these  things  plain  !" 

(e)  FEW  PLEASED,  BUT  ONE 
CONVERTED.— The  Rev.  John  Cot- 
ton  was  an  eminent  minister  of  the  sev- 
enteenth century,  who  labored  for  many 
years  at  Boston,  in  Lincolnshire.  When 
at  the  university  of  Cambridge,  he  was 
remarkable  for  learning  and  eloquence  ; 
and  being  called  upon  to  preach  at  St. 
Mary's  church  in  that  town,  high  ex- 
pectations were  raised  as  to  the  charac- 
ter of  the  sermon.  After  many  strug- 
gles in  his  own  mind,  arising  from  the 
temptation  to  display  his  talent  and  learn- 
ing, and  from  a  powerful  impression 
of  the  importance  of  preaching  the  gos- 
pel with  all  simplicity,  he  at  length 
wisely  determined  on  the  latter  course. 
The  vice-chancellor  and  students  were 
not  pleased,  though  a  few  of  the  pro- 
fessors commended  his  style ;  but  his 
sermon  was  blessed  to  the  conversion  of 
Dr.  Preston,  who  became  one  of  the 
most  eminent  ministers  of  his  day. 

(/)  ROMAINE'S  PLAIN  PREACH- 
ING. — Some  persons  in  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Romaine's  congregation,  thinking  his 
style  of  preaching  too  plain  and  com- 
mon, had  requested  him  to  exhibit  a  lit- 
tle more  learning  in  the  pulpit ;  accord- 
ingly, on  a  certain  occasion,  he  read 
his  text  in  Hebrew.  "  Now,"  said  he, 
"  I  suppose  scarcely  one  in  the  congre- 
gation understands  that."  He  then  read 
it  in  Greek,  and  added,  "  Perhaps  there 
may  be  one  or  two  that  understand  me 
now  :  I  will  next  read  it  in  Latin."  He 
did  so,  and  said,  "  Possibly  a  few  more 
may  comprehend  me,  but  the  number  is 
still  very  limited."  He  last  of  all  re- 
peated the  text  in  English :  "  There," 
476 


he  continued,  "  now  you  all  understand 
it ;  which  do  you  think  is  best  ?  I 
hope  always  so  to  preach,  as  that  the 
meanest  person  in  the  congregation  may 
comprehend  me." 

260.    Fidelity  and  Boldness. 

(a)  MILLARD  AND  LOUIS  XL- 
Oliver  Millard,  a  popular  and  energetic 
preacher  of  the  reign  of  Louis  XI,  at- 
tacked the  vices  of  the  court  in  his  ser- 
mons, and  did  not  spare  even  the  king 
himself,  who,  taking  offence  at  it,  sent 
the  priest  word,  that  if  he  did  not  change 
his  tone,  he  would  have  him  thrown  in- 
to the  Seine.  "  The  king,"  replied  Ol- 
iver, "  is  the  master,  to  do  what  he  pleas- 
es ;  but  tell  him  that  I  shall  reach  Par- 
adise by  water  sooner  than  he  will  with 
his  post-horses."  (The  establishment 
of  traveling  post  was  instituted  by  Louis 
XI.)  This  bold  answer  at  once  amused 
and  intimidated  the  king,  for  he  let  the 
priest  continue  to  preach  as  he  pleased, 
and  what  he  pleased. 

(h)  MASSILLON  PREACHING. 
— The  eloquence  of  the  celebrated  Mas- 
sillon  shone  conspicuously  in  the  intro- 
duction of  a  sermon  before  Louis  XIV, 
king  of  France,  from  the  words  of  the 
Redeemer,  Matt.  v.  4 ;  "  Blessed  are 
they  that  mourn."  The  preacher  be- 
gan, "  If  the  world  addressed  your  ma- 
jesty from  this  place,  the  world  would 
not  say,  '  Blessed  are  they  that  mourn.' 
The  world  would  say,  '  Blessed  is  the 
prince  who  has  never  fought,  but  to 
conquer;  who  has  filled  the  universe 
with  his  name  ;  who  through  the  whole 
course  of  a  long  and  flourishing  reign, 
enjoys  in  splendor  all  that  men  admire 
— extent  of  conquest,  the  esteem  of  his 
enemies,  the  love  of  his  people,  the  wis- 
dom of  his  laws.'  But,  sire,  the  lan- 
guage of  the  gospel  is  not  the  language 
of  the  world." 

rd  WHITEFIELD  AND  GRIM- 
Sl{||^VE. — Mr.  Whitefield,  in  a  sermon 
he  preached  at  Haworth,  having  spoken 
severely  of  those  professors  of  the  gos- 
pel who,  by  their  loose  and  evil  con- 
duct, caused  the  ways  of  truth  to  be  evil 
spoken  of,  intimated  his  hope,  that  it 
was  not  necessary  to  enlarge  much  up- 
on that  topic  to  the  congregation  before 


FIDELITY  AND  BOLDNESS. 


260 


him,  who  had  so  long  enjoyed  the  bene- 
jfit  of  an  able  and  faithful  preacher ;  and 
he  was  willing  to  believe  that  their  profit- 
ing appeared  to  all  men.  This  roused 
Mr.  Grimshawe's  spirit,  and,  notwith- 
standing his  great  regard  for  the  preach- 
er, he  stood  up,  and  interrupted  him,  say- 
ing, with  a  loud  voice,  "  Oh !  sir,  for  God's 
sake,  do  not  speak  so  ;  I  pray  you,  do  not 
flatter.  I  fear  the  greater  part  of  them 
are  going  to  hell  with  their  eyes  open." 
(d)  INDIVIDUALITY  IN  PREACH- 
ING. — It  is  a  charge  often  brought 
against  some  faithful  ministers,  that 
they  direct  many  of  their  remarks  to 
certain  particular  persons.  It  is  cer- 
tain that  this  was  often  done  by  Mr. 
Whitefield,  and  sometimes  with  very 
happy  effect.  He  once  drew  from 
the  conduct  of  his  female  servant  the 
picture  of  ^  Christian  remiss  in  duty, 
which  painfully  distressed  her,  till  he 
gave  her  an  assurance  of  his  entire  for- 
giveness. 

(e)  RITCHIE  AND  THE  PRO- 
FANE SWEARER.— The  late  Doctor 
Ritchie,  Professor  of  Divinity  in  the 
University  of  Edinburgh,  was  one  day 
preaching  in  Tarbolton  church,  where 
he  was  at  that  time  minister,  against 
profane  swearing  in  common  conversa- 
tion, while  one  of  his  principal  heritors, 
who  was  addicted  to  that  sin,  was  pre- 
sent. This  gentleman  thought  the  ser- 
mon  was  designedly  addressed  to  him, 
and  that  the  eyes  of  the  whole  congre- 
gation were  fixed  upon  him.  Though 
he  felt  indignant,  he  kept  his  place  till 
the  service  was  concluded,  and  then 
waited  on  the  preacher,  and  asked  him 
to  dine  with  him,  as  he  was  quite  alone. 
The  invitation  being  accepted,  the  gen- 
tleman immediately  after  dinner  thus 
addressed  the  minister : — "  Sir,  you  have 
insulted  me  to-day  in  the  church.  I 
have  been  three  times  in  church  lately, 
and  on  every  one  of  them  you  have  been 
holding  me  up  to  the  derision  of  the 
audience ;  so  I  tell  you,  sir,  I  shall  ne- 
ver more  enter  the  church  of  Tarbolton 
again,  unless  you  give  me  your  solemn 
promise,  that  you  will  abstain  from  such 
topics  in  future,  as  I  am  resolved  I  shall 
no  more  furnish  you  with  the  theme  of 
your  discourse."  Mr.  Ritchie  heard 
this  speech  to  a  conclusion  with  calm- 


ness, and  then  looking  him  steadfastly  in 
the  face,  thus  replied :  "  Very  well,  sir, 
if  you  took  to  yourself  what  I  said  to- 
day against  swearing,  does  not  your 
conscience  bear  witness  to  its  truth  ? 
You  say  you  will  not  enter  the  church, 
till  I  cease  to  reprove  your  sins ;  if  such 
is  your  determination,  it  is  impossible 
you  can  enter  it  again ;  for  which  of 
the  commandments  have  you  not  bro- 
ken?" On  observing  his  firmness,  and 
feeling  that  he  was  wrong  in  attempting 
to  make  the  minister  of  the  parish  com- 
promise his  duty,  the  gentleman  held 
out  his  hand  to  Mr.  Ritchie  ;  a  mutual 
explanation  took  place  ;  and  while  the 
minister  would  abate  none  of  his  faith- 
fulness, the  heritor  endeavored  to  over- 
come his  evil  habits. 

(/)  THE  PREACHER  AND  THE 
CONSTABLE.— Mr.  Maurice,  one  of 
the  con-conformist  ministers  in  Shrop- 
shire, experienced  many  remarkable  de- 
liverances in  the  providence  of  God, 
when  in  danger  of  being  apprehended 
by  his  enemies  after  his  ejection.  At 
one  time,  a  constable  found  him  preach- 
ing, and  commanded  him  to  desist ;  but 
Mr.  Maurice,  with  great  courage, 
charged  him  in  the  name  of  the  Great 
God,  whose  message  he  was  then  de- 
livering, to  forbear  molesting  him,  as  he 
would  answer  it  at  the  great  day.  The 
constable,  awed  by  his  solemn  manner, 
sat  down  trembling,  heard  him  patient- 
ly to  the  end  of  his  discourse,  and  then 
quietly  left  him. 

(g)  OFFENDING  A  NOBLEMAN 
— Mr.  Dod  having  preached  against  the 
profanation  of  the  Sabbath,  which  miich 
prevailed  in  his  parish,  and  especially 
among  the  more  wealthy  inhabitants, 
the  servant  of  a  nobleman,  who  was  one 
of  them,  came  to  him  and  said,  "  Sir, 
you  have  ofiended  my  lord  to-day." 
Mr.  Dod  replied,  "  I  should  not  have  of- 
fended your  lord,  except  he  had  been 
conscious  to  himself  that  he  had  first 
offended  my  Lord  ;  and  if  your  lord  will 
offend  my  Lord,  let  him  be  offended." 

(h)  FAITHFULNESS  TO  GOD 
AND  THE  KING.— Bishop  Latimer 
having  one  day  preached  before  King 
Henry  VIII  a  sermon  which  displeased 
his  majesty,  he  was  ordered  to  preach 
again  on  the  next  Sabbath,  and  to  make 
477 


360 


MINISTERS,  CHRISTIAN. 


an  apology  for  the  offence  he  had  given. 
After  reading  his  text,  the  bishop  thus 
began  his  sermon  : — "  Hugh  Latimer, 
dost  thou  know  before  whom  thou  art 
this  day  to  speak  ?  To  the  high  and 
mighty  monarch,  the  king's  most  excel- 
lent majesty,  who  can  take  away  thy 
life  if  thou  offendest ;  therefore,  take 
heed  that  thou  speakest  not  a  word  that 
may  displease  ;  but  then  consider  well, 
Hugh,  dost  thou  not  know  from  whence 
thou  comest ;  upon  whose  message  thou 
art  sent  ?  Even  by  the  great  and  migh- 
ty God !  who  is  all-present !  and  who 
beholdeth  all  thy  ways  !  and  who  is  able 
to  cast  thy  soul  into  hell !  Therefore, 
take  care  that  thou  deliverest  thy  mes- 
sage faithfully."  He  then  proceeded 
with  the  same  sermon  he  had  preached 
the  preceding  Sabbath,  but  with  consi- 
derably more  energy.  The  sermon 
ended,  the  court  were  full  of  expecta- 
tion to  know  what  would  be  the  fate  of 
this  honest  and  plain-dealing  bishop. 
After  dinner,  the  king  called  for  Lati- 
mer, and,  with  a  stern  countenance, 
asked  him  how  he  dared  to  be  so  bold 
as  to  preach  in  such  a  manner.  He, 
falling  on  his  knees,  replied,  his  duty  to 
his  God  and  his  prince  had  enforced 
him  thereto,  and  that  he  had  merely 
discharged  his  duty  and  his  conscience 
in  what  he  had  spoken.  Upon  which 
the  king,  rising  from  his  seat,  and  tak- 
ing the  good  man  by  the  hand,  embraced 
him,  saying,  "  Blessed  be  God,  I  have 
so  honest  a  servant." 

(i)  "SHORT  MEASURE."— The 
following  incident  in  the  life  of  William 
Dawson,  a  very  humble,  but  a  very  ex- 
cellent preacher,  late  of  Barnbow,  near 
Leeds,  beautifully  illustrates  the  power 
of  the  plainly  preached  word. 

"  He  was  preaching  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Leeds,  on  Daniel  5 :  27 :  "  Thou 
art  weighed  in  the  balances,  and  art 
found  wanting."  A  person  who  travel- 
ed the  country  in  the  character  of  a 
pedler,  and  who  was  exceedingly  par- 
tial to  him  as  a  preacher,  was  one  of 
Mr.  Dawson's  auditors.  The  person 
referred  to,  generally  carried  a  stick 
with  him,  which  answered  the  double 
purpose  of  a  walking-stick  and  a  '  yard- 
wand ;'  and  having  been  employed  pret- 
ty freely  in  the  former  capacity,  it  was 
478 


worn  down  beyond  the  point  of  justice, 
and  procured  for  him  an  appellation  of 
'  Short  Measure.'  He  stood  before  Mr. 
Dawson,  and  being  rather  noisy  in  his 
religious  professions,  as  well  as  ready 
with  his  responses,  he  manifested  signs 
of  approbation  while  the  scales  were  be- 
ing described  and  adjusted,  and  different 
classes  of  sinners  were  placed  in  them, 
and  disposed  of  agreeably  to  the  test  of 
justice,  truth  and  mercy, — uttering  in  a 
somewhat  subdued  tone,  yet  loud  enough 
for  those  around  to  hear,  at  the  close  of 
each  particular — '  Light  weight' — '  short 
again,'  etc.  After  taking  up  the  sepa- 
rate characters  of  the  flagrant  transgres- 
sor of  the  law  of  God,  the  hypocrite,  the 
formalist,  etc.,  Mr.  Dawson  at  length 
came  to  such  persons  as  possessed  reli- 
gious light,  but  little  hallowed  feeling, 
and  the  semblance  of  much  zeal,  but 
who  employed  false  weights  and  mea- 
sures. Here,  without  adverting  in  his 
mind  to  the  case  of  his  noisy  auditor,  he 
perceived  the  muscles  of  his  face  work- 
ing, when  the  report  of '  short  measure' 
occurred  to  him.  Resolved,  however, 
to  soften  no  previous  expression,  and  to 
proceed  with  an  analysis  and  descrip- 
tion of  the  question,  he  placed  the  de- 
linquent, in  his  singularly  striking  way, 
in  the  scale,  when,  instead  of  the  usual 
response,  the  man,  stricken  before  him, 
took  his  stick — the  favorite  measure, 
from  under  his  arm — raised  one  foot 
from  the  floor,  doubled  his  knee,  and, 
taking  hold  of  the  offending  instrument 
by  both  ends,  snapped  it  into  two  halves, 
exclaiming,  while  dashing  it  to  the 
ground,  '  Thou  shalt  do  it  no  more  !' 
So  true  is  it,  to  employ  the  language  of 
an  eminent  minister,  '  that  no  man  ever 
offended  his  own  conscience,  but  first  or 
last  it  was  revenged  upon  him  for  it.'  " 
ij)  HACKET  AND  THE  SOL- 
DIER. — Dr.  John  Hacket  was,  at  the 
beginning  of  the  civil  war,  rector  of  St. 
Andrew's,  Holborn  ;  and  when  the  par- 
liament had  forbidden  the  use  of  the 
liturgy,  under  the  severest  penalties. 
Dr.  Hacket  continued  to  read,  as  before, 
the  daily  service,  and  when  a  sergeant 
with  a  trooper  rushed  into  the  church, 
commanding  him  with  threats  to  desist, 
he  with  a  steady  voice  and  intrepid 
countenance  continued ;  on  which  the 


FIDELITY  AND  BOLDNESS. 


260 


soldier,  raising  a  pistol  to  his  head, 
threatened  him  with  instant  death.  The 
undaunted  minister  calmly  replied, — 
"  Soldier,  I  am  doing  my  duty,  do  you 
do  yours !"  and  with  a  still  more  exalt- 
ed voice  read  on.  The  soldier,  abashed, 
left  the  church. 

(k)  BOURDALOUE'S  FAITHFUL- 
NESS.— The  reputation  for  eloquence 
which  this  celebrated  preacher  very 
early  acquired,  reached  the  ears  of 
Louis  the  Fourteenth,  who  sent  for  him 
to  preach  the  advent  sermon,  in  1670, 
which  he  did  with  such  success  that  he 
was  many  years  retained  at  court.  He 
was  called  the  king  of  preachers,  and 
the  preacher  to  kings  ;  and  Louis  him- 
self said,  that  he  would  rather  hear  the 
repetitions  of  Bourdaloue,  than  the  no- 
velties of  another.  With  a  collected 
air,  Bourdaloue  had  little  action ;  he 
generally  kept  his  eyes  half  closed,  and 
penetrated  the  hearts  of  the  people  by 
the  sound  of  a  voice  uniform  and  solemn. 
On  one  occasion,  he  turned  the  peculiari- 
ty of  his  external  aspect  to  a  very  me- 
morable advantage.  After  depicting,  in 
soul-awakening  terms,  a  sinner  of  the 
first  magnitude,  he  suddenly  opened  his 
eyes,  and  casting  them  full  on  the  king, 
who  sat  opposite  to  him,  he  added,  in  a 
voice  of  thunder,  "  Thou  art  the  man." 
The  effect  was  confounding.  When  he 
had  finished  his  discourse,  he  went  and 
threw  himself  at  the  feet  of  his  sovereign, 
and  said,  "  Sire,  behold  at  your  feet, 
one  who  is  the  most  devoted  of  your 
servants ;  but  punish  him  not,  that  in 
the  pulpit  he  can  own  no  other  master 
but  the  King  of  kings." 

(/)THE  KNIGHT'S  COMPLAINT. 
— During  the  protectorate,  a  certain 
knight,  in  Surrey,  had  a  lawsuit  with 
the  minister  of  his  parish  ;  and,  whilst 
the  dispute  was  pending.  Sir  John  ima- 
gined that  the  sermons  delivered  at 
church  were  preached  at  him.  He 
therefore  complained  against  the  minis- 
ter to  Cromwell,  who  inquired  of  the 
preacher  concerning  the  fact ;  and  hav- 
ing found  that  his  sermons  were  aimed 
at  the  common  good,  he  dismissed  the 
complaining  knight,  saying,  "  Go  home. 
Sir  John,  and  hereafter  live  in  good 
friendship  with  your  minister ;  the  word 
of  the  Lord  is  a  searching  word,  and  I 


am  afraid  it  has  found  you  out."  It 
were  well,  when  we  feel  uncomfortable 
with  the  sermons  of  our  ministers,  if, 
instead  of  complaining  of  them,  we 
seriously  examined  our  own  character, 
and  applied  whatever  might  be  suitable 
to  our  own  case. 

(m)  WALKER  AND  THE  REG- 
TOR.— After  the  late  Rev.  Samuel 
Walker,  of  Truro,  had  begun  to  feel 
the  unspeakable  importance  of  the  truth 
as  it  is  in  Jesus,  his  preaching  became 
of  a  different  character  to  what  it  had 
previously  been.  When  he  lirged  the 
importance  of  regeneration,  and  devot- 
edness  to  God,  those  who  were  living 
in  a  sensual  and  dissipated  manner,  or 
who  were  building  their  hopes  of  heaven 
on  the  morality  of  their  lives,  were  of- 
fended.  Accordingly,  some  of  the  most 
wealthy  inhabitants  of  the  town  com- 
plained of  him  to  the  rector,  and  re- 
quested his  dismission.  The  rector 
promised  compliance  with  their  wishes, 
and  waited  on  Mr.  Walker  to  give  him 
notice  to  quit  his  curacy.  He  was  re- 
ceived with  much  politeness  and  res- 
pect, and  Mr.  Walker  soon  took  an  op- 
portunity, from  some  passing  remark, 
to  explain  his  views  of  the  importance 
of  the  ministerial  office,  and  the  man- 
ner in  which  its  duties  ought  to  be  per- 
formed. His  sentiments  and  manner 
were  such,  that  the  rector  went  away 
without  having  accomplished  his  pur- 
pose. He  endeavored  a  second  time  to 
effect  the  wishes  of  the  people,  but  was 
again  so  awed  by  Mr.  W.'s  superiority, 
that  he  could  not  speak  to  him  on  the 
subject. — Being  afterwards  pressed  by 
one  of  the  principal  persons  on  the  topic, 
he  replied,  "  Do  you  go  and  dismiss  him, 
if  you  can  ;  I  cannot.  I  feel,  in  his 
presence,  as  if  he  were  a  being  of  a  su- 
perior order,  and  am  so  abashed,  that  I 
am  uneasy  till  I  can  retire  from  it." 

(n)  LATIMER  ACCUSED  BE- 
FORE  HENRY  VIII.— Bishop  Lati- 
mer, in  preaching  before  King  Henry 
the  Eighth,  spoke  his  mind  ver^  plain- 
ly ;  which  some  of  his  enemies  thought 
to  make  their  advantage  of,  by  com- 
plaining of  him  to  the  king,  that  they 
might  thus  get  him  out  of  the  way. 
Soon  after  his  sermon,  he  and  several 
others  being  called  before  the  king  to 
479 


260,  261 


MINISTERS,  CHRISTIAN. 


speak  their  minds  on  certain  matters, 
one  of  them  kneeled  before  his  majesty, 
and  accused  Latimer  of  having  preach- 
ed seditious  doctrines.  The  king  turned 
to  Latimer,  and  said,  "  What  say  you 
to  that,  sir  ?"  Latimer  kneeled  down, 
and  turning  first  to  his  accuser,  said, 
"  What  form  of  preaching  would  you 
appoint  me  to  preach  before  a  king? 
Would  you  have  me  to  preach  nothing 
concerning  a  king,  in  a  king's  sermon  ? 
Have  you  any  commission  to  appoint 
me  what  I  shall  preach  ?"  He  asked 
him  several  other  questions,  but  he 
would  answer  none  at  all ;  nor  had  he 
any  thing  to  say.  Then  he  turned  to 
the  king,  and  said,  "  I  never  thought 
myself  worthy,  nor  ever  sued,  to  be  a 
preacher  before  your  Grace.  But  I 
was  called  to  it,  and  would  be  willing, 
if  you  mislike  me,  to  give  place  to  my 
betters.  But  if  your  Grace  allow  me 
for  a  preacher,  I  would  desire  your 
Grace  to  discharge  my  conscience,  give 
me  leave  to  frame  my  discourse  accord- 
ing to  mine  audience.  I  had  been  a 
very  dolt  to  have  preached  so  at  the 
borders  of  your  realm,  as  I  preach  be- 
fore your  Grace."  These  words  were 
well  received  by  the  king  as  Latimer 
concluded,  because  the  king  presently 
turned  to  another  subject.  Some  of  his 
friends  came  to  him  with  tears  in  their 
eyes,  and  told  him,  they  looked  for 
nothing  but  that  he  should  have  been 
sent  to  the  tower  the  same  night. 

(o)  USHER  AND  THE  KING.— 
Dr.  Parr,  in  his  life  of  Archbishop 
Usher,  relates,  that  while  that  prelate 
was  once  preaching  in  the  church  at 
Covent  Garden,  a  message  arrived  from 
the  court,  that  the  king  wished  imme- 
diately to  see  him.  He  descended  from 
the  pulpit,  listened  to  the  command,  and 
told  the  messenger  that  he  was  then,  as 
he  saw,  employed  in  God's  business, 
but,  as  soon  as  he  had  done,  he  would 
attend  upon  the  king  to  understand  his 
pleasi^e,  and  then  continued  his  ser- 
mon. 

261.  Ingenuity  and  Wit. 

(a)    KIND   OF    MINISTER 
WANTED.— The  people  of  one  of  the 
out  parishes  in  Virginia,  wrote  to  Dr. 
480 


Rice,  who  was  then  at  the  head  of  the 
Theological  Seminary  in  Prince  Ed- 
ward, for  a  minister.  They  said  they 
wanted  a  man  of  first  rate  talents,  for 
they  had  run  down  considerably,  and 
needed  building  up.  They  wanted  one 
who  could  write  well,  for  some  of  the 
young  people  were  very  nice  about  that 
matter.  They  wanted  one  who  could 
visit  a  good  deal,  for  their  former  minis- 
ter had  neglected  that,  and  they  wanted 
to  bring  it  up.  They  wanted  a  man  of 
very  gentlemanly  deportment,  for  some 
thought  a  great  deal  of  that.  And  so 
they  went  on,  describing  a  perfect  minis- 
ter. The  last  thing  they  mentioned  was, 
— they  gave  their  last  minister  $350  ; 
but  if  the  Doctor  would  send  them  such 
a  man  as  they  had  described,  they  would 
raise  another  $50,  making  it  $400. 
The  Doctor  sat  right  down  and  wrote  a 
reply,  telling  them  they  had  better  forth- 
with make  out  a  call  for  old  Dr.  Dwight, 
in  heaven ;  for  he  did  not  know  of  any 
one  in  this  world  who  answered  this 
description.  And  as  Dr.  D.  had  been 
living  so  long  on  spiritual  food,  he  might 
not  need  so  much  for  the  body,  and  pos- 
sibly he  might  live  on  $400. 

(b)  PREACHING  ON  THE  TIMES. 
— In  1648,  it  was  a  question  asked  of 
the  brethren,  at  the  meetings  of  minis- 
ters, twice  in  the  year,  "  If  they  preach- 
ed the  duties  of  the  times  ?"  And  when 
it  was  found  that  Leighton  did  not,  he 
was  reproved  for  his  omission  ;  but  he 
replied,  "If  all  the  brethren  have 
preached  on  the  times,  may  not  one  poor 
brother  be  suflTered  to  preach  on  eterni- 
ty ^ 

(c)  THE  ELEVENTH  COM- 
MANDMENT.— At  one  time  Arch- 
bishop Usher  visited  Scotland,  and  hear- 
ing much  of  the  piety  of  the  Rev.  Sa- 
muel Rutherford,  resolved  on  being  a  wit 
ness  of  it.  Disguised  as  a  pauper,  on  a 
Saturday  evening,  he  solicited  lodging 
for  the  night.  Mr.  Rutherford  took 
him  in,  and  directed  him  to  be  seated  in 
the  kitchen.  Mrs.  Rutherford  cate- 
chised the  servants,  as  a  preparation 
for  the  Sabbath  ;  and  having  asked  the 
stranger  the  number  of  the  Divine  com- 
mandments, he  answered  eleven.  The 
good  woman  hastily  concluded  him  ig- 
norant, and  said,  "  What  a  shame  it  is 


INGENUITY  AND  WIT. 


d6i 


for  you,  a  man  with  gray  hairs,  in  a 
Christian  country,  not  to  know  how 
many  commandments  there  are !  There 
is  not  a  child  six  years  old,  in  this  pa- 
rish, but  could  answer  the  question  pro- 
perly." Lamenting  his  condition,  she 
ordered  his  supper,  and  directed  a  ser- 
vant to  show  him  a  bed  in  a  garret. 
Mr.  Rutherford  having  heard  him  at 
prayer,  and  finding  out  who  he  was, 
prevailed  on  the  archbishop  to  preach 
for  him,  which  he  agreed  to  do,  on  con- 
dition that  he  should  not  be  made  known. 
Early  in  the  morning  Mr.  Rutherford 
changed  his  clothes,  suffered  him  to  de- 
part, and  afterwards  introduced  him  to 
breakfast  as  a  minister  on  a  journey. 
When  in  the  pulpit,  he  announced  his 
text — "  A  new  commandment  I  give 
unto  you,  that  ye  love  one  another ;" 
and  remarked  that  this  might  be  reck- 
oned the  eleventh  commandment.  Mrs. 
Rutherford,  remembering  the  answer 
she  had  received  the  night  before  from 
the  stranger,  was  surprised,  and  looking 
at  the  preacher,  almost  imagined  he 
might  be  the  pitied  traveler.  The 
two  holy  men  spent  the  evening  in  de- 
lightful conversation,  and  the  archbishop 
departed,  undiscovered,  early  on  the 
following  day. 

{d)  WHITEFIELD  AND  THE 
EXECUTION.— During  one  of  the 
visits  which  the  Rev.  George  Whitefield 
paid  to  Edinburgh,  an  unhappy  man, 
who  had  forfeited  his  life  to  the  offended 
laws  of  his  country,  was  executed  in 
that  neighborhood.  Mr.  W.  mingled 
with  the  crowd  that  was  collected  on 
the  occasion,  and  was  struck  with  the 
solemnity  and  decorum  which  were  ob- 
servable in  so  awful  a  scene.  His  ap- 
pearance, however,  drew  the  eyes  of  all 
upon  him,  and  raised  a  variety  of  opi- 
nions as  to  the  motives  which  induced 
him  to  join  the  multitude.  The  next 
day  being  Sunday,  he  preached  to  a 
very  large  congregation  in  a  field  near 
the  city  ;  and,  in  the  course  of  his  ser- 
mon, he  adverted  to  the  scenes  of  the 
preceding  day.  "I  know,"  said  he, 
"  that  many  of  you  will  find  it  difficult 
to  reconcile  my  appearance  yesterday 
with  my  character.  Many  of  you,  I 
know,  will  say,  that  my  moments  would 
have  been  better  employed  in  praying 
31 


for  the  unhappy  man,  than  in  attending 
him  to  the  fatal  tree ;  and  that,  perhaps, 
curiosity  was  the  only  cause  that  con- 
verted me  into  a  spectator  on  that  occa- 
sion ;  but  those  who  ascribe  that  uncha- 
ritable motive  to  me,  are  under  a  mis- 
take. I  went  as  an  observer  of  human 
nature,  and  to  see  the  effect  that  such 
an  example  would  have  on  those  who 
witnessed  it.  I  watched  the  conduct  of 
those  who  were  present  on  that  awful 
occasion,  ar^d  I  was  highly  pleased  with 
their  demeanor,  which  has  given  me  a 
very  favorable  opinion  of  the  Scottish 
nation.  Your  sympathy  was  visible  on 
your  countenances,  particularly  when 
the  moment  arrived  that  your  unhappy 
fellow-creature  was  to  close  his  eyes  on 
this  world  for  ever ;  and  then  you  all, 
as  if  moved  by  one  impulse,  turned  your 
heads  aside,  and  wept.  Those  tears  were 
precious,  and  will  be  held  in  remem- 
brance. How  different  it  was  when  the 
Savior  of  mankind  was  extended  on 
the  cross  !  The  Jews,  instead  of  sym- 
pathizing in  his  sorrows,  triumphed  in 
them.  They  reviled  him  with  bitter 
expressions,  with  words  even  more  bit- 
ter than  the  gall  and  vinegar  which  they 
handed  him  to  drink.  Not  one,  of  all 
that  witnessed  his  pains,  turned  his  head 
aside,  even  in  the  last  pang.  Yes,  my 
friends,  there  was  one  ;  that  glorious 
luminary,"  pointing  to  the  sun,  "veiled 
his  brightness,  and  traveled  on  his 
course  in  tenfold  night." 

(e)  HALL'S  OPINION  OF  A 
SERMON. — A  conceited  minister  hav- 
ing once  delivered  a  sermon  in  the  hear- 
ing of  Mr.  Hall,  pressed  him,  with  a 
disgusting  union  of  self-complacency 
and  indelicacy,  to  state  what  he  thought 
of  the  sermon.  Mr.  Hall  remained  si- 
lent  for  some  time,  hoping  that  his  si- 
lence would  be  rightly  interpreted  ;  but 
this  only  caused  the  question  to  be 
pressed  with  greater  earnestness.  Mr. 
Hall  at  length  said,  "  There  was  one 
very  fine  passage,  sir."  "I  am  re- 
joiced to  hear  you  say  so.  Pray,  sir, 
which  was  it  ?"  "  Why,  sir,  it  was 
the  passage  from,  the  pulpit  inter  the  ves- 
try." 

(/)  NEWTON'S  REPROOF.— 
The  excellent  John  Newton  was  faith- 
ful and  ingenious  in  administering  re- 
481 


261 


MINISTERS,  CHRISTIAN. 


proof.  He  one  day  heard  a  minister 
preach,  who  affected  great  accuracy  in 
his  discourses,  and  who  occupied  nearly 
an  hour  on  several  labored  and  nice  dis- 
tinctions. Having  a  high  esteem  for 
Mr.  Newton's  judgment,  he  inquired  of 
him  whether  he  thought  these  distinc- 
tions were  full  and  judicious.  Mr. 
Newton  said,  he  thought  them  not  full, 
as  a  very  important  one  had  been  omit- 
ted. "What  can  that  be?"  said  the 
minister  ;  "  for  I  have  taken  more  than 
ordinary  care  to  enumerate  them  fully." 
"  I  think  not,"  replied  Mr.  N.,  "  for 
when  many  of  your  congregation  had 
traveled  several  miles  for  a  meal,  I 
think  you  should  not  have  forgotten  the 
important  distinction  which  must  ever 
exist  between  meat  and  bones." 

(g)  WHITEFIELD  AND  ELEC- 
TIONS.— When  Mr.  Whitefield  was 
in  the  zenith  of  his  popularity,  lord 
Clare,  who  knew  that  his  influence  was 
considerable,  applied  to  him,  by  letter, 
requesting  his  assistance  at  Bristol,  at 
the  ensuing  general  election.  To  this 
request  Mr.  Whitefield  replied,  that  in 
general  elections  he  never  interfered  ; 
but  he  would  earnestly  exhort  his  lord- 
ship to  use  great  diligence  to  make  his 
own  particular  calling  and  election 
sure! 

{h)  THE  MINISTER  AND  THE 
MUSICIAN. — A  musical  amateur  of 
eminence,  who  had  often  observed  the 
Hon.  and  Rev.  Mr.  Cadogan's  inatten- 
tion to  his  performances,  said  to  him  one 
day,  "  Come,  I  am  determined  to  make 
you  feel  the  force  of  music, — pay  par- 
ticular attention  to  this  piece."  It  ac- 
cordingly was  played.  "  Well,  what 
do  you  say  now  ?"  "  Why,  just  what 
I  said  before."  "  What !  can  you  hear 
this  and  not  be  charmed  ?  Well,  I  am 
quite  surprised  at  your  insensibility. 
Where  are  your  ears  ?"  "  Bear  with 
me,  my  lord,"  replied  Mr.  Cadogan, 
"  since  I  too  have  had  my  surprise  ;  I 
have  often  from  the  pulpit  set  before 
you  the  most  striking  and  affecting 
truths  ;  I  have  sounded  notes  that  might 
have  raised  the  dead ;  I  have  said. 
Surely  he  will  feel  now  ;  but  you  never 
seemed  to  be  charmed  with  my  music, 
though  infinitely  more  interesting  than 
yours.  I  too  have  been  ready  to  say 
482 


with     astonishment,     Where    are    his 
ears  ?" 

(0  MR.  BROWN  AND  THE 
OPPOSER.— Rev.  John  Brown,  of 
Haddington,  was  invited  to  become  pas- 
tor there,  soon  after  he  was  licensed  to 
preach.  Only  one  man  prevented  the  call 
from  being  unanimous.  Being  a  person 
possessed  of  considerable  influence,  it 
was  greatly  feared  that  he  would  exert 
that  influence  to  the  injury  of  the  min- 
ister and  the  church.  Mr.  Brown  meet- 
ing with  this  gentleman  one  day,  took 
him  by  the  hand,  and  begged  him 
frankly  to  state  his  reasons  for  voting 
against  him.  "  I  am  as  frank  as  you 
are,  Mr.  Brown,"  replied  he,  "  and  I 
beg  leave  to  say  that  my  reason  for 
voting  against  you  is  a  strong  one  ;  and 
it  can  be  told  in  a  word,  I  don't  think 
you  are  a  good  preacher.' '  "  There  we 
are  perfectly  agreed,"  replied  Mr. 
Brown  ;  "  I  know  it  as  well  as  you  do, 
my  friend,  and  I  say  it  as  frankly  as 
you  do,  that  /  am  not  a  good  preacher. 
But  then,"  continued  Mr.  Brown,  as  he 
shook  his  neighbor  heartily  by  the 
hand,  "  while  you  and  I  are  perfectly 
agreed  in  this  particular,  where  is  the 
use  of  you  and  me  setting  up  our  opin- 
ions against  the  whole  parish .?"  The 
man  laughed  heartily,  told  Mr.  Brown 
that  he  had  completely  disarmed  him, 
that  he  began  to  be  of  his  opinion,  and 
that  he  would  not  be  found  opposing  the 
views  of  the  whole  parish  any  longer. 
He  became  afterwards  Mr.  Brown's 
best  friend. 

(j)  MASSILLON  AND  THE 
THOUGHTLESS  ASSEMBLY.— 
Massillon,  an  eminent  French  preacher, 
in  the  first  sermon  he  ever  delivered, 
found,  upon  his  getting  into  the  pulpit, 
the  whole  audience  in  a  disposition  no 
way  favorable  to  his  intentions ;  their 
nods,  whispers,  or  drowsy  behavior, 
showed  him  that  there  was  no  great 
profit  to  be  expected  from  his  sowing  in 
a  soil  so  barren ;  however,  he  soon 
changed  the  disposition  of  the  audience 
by  his  manner  of  beginning :  "  If," 
said  he,  "  a  cause,  the  most  important 
that  could  be  conceived,  were  to  be  tried 
at  the  bar  before  qualified  judges ;  if 
this  cause  interested  ourselves  in  partic- 
ular; if  the  eyes  of  the  whole  kingdom 


INGENUITY  AND  WIT. 


1261 


were  fixed  upon  the  event ;  if  the  most 
eminent  counsel  were  employed  on  both 
sides ;  and  if  we  had  heard  from  our 
infancy  of  this  undetermined  trial ; 
would  you  not  all  sit  with  due  attention 
and  warm  expectation  to  the  pleadings  on 
both  sides  ?  would  not  all  your  hopes 
and  fears  be  suspended  upon  the  final 
decision  ?  And  yet,  let  me  tell  you, 
you  have  this  moment  a  cause  of  much 
greater  importance  before  you  :  a  cause 
where  not  one  nation,  but  all  the  world 
are  spectators  ;  tried  not  before  a  falli- 
ble tribunal,  but  the  awful  throne  of 
heaven  ;  where  not  your  temporal  and 
transitory  interests  are  the  subjects  of 
debate  ;  but  your  eternal  happiness  or 
misery  ;  where  the  cause  is  still  unde- 
termined ;  but,  perhaps,  the  very  mo- 
ment I  am  speaking  may  fix  the  irrevo- 
cable decree  that  shall  last  for  ever ; 
and  yet,  notwithstanding  all  this,  you 
can  hardly  sit  with  patience  to  hear  the 
tidings  of  salvation.  I  plead  the  cause 
of  Heaven,  and  yet  I  am  scarcely  at- 
tended to," 

(k)  PREACHING  TO  A  FARM- 
ER.-^The  Rev.  John  Cooke,  of  Mai- 
denhead, once,  when  traveling,  fell  in 
with  a  rich  farmer,  who  was  very  un- 
willing  to  listen  to  any  serious  remarks 
which  he  was  disposed  to  make,  and  at 
length  said,  with  a  sneer,  "  I  don't  like 
religion  ;  and  1  told  you  so."  "  You 
are  not  a  singular  farmer,  sir,"  replied 
Mr.  Cooke.  "  I  have  read  of  one  whom 
you  greatly  resemble.  The  farmer  to 
whom  t  allude,  finding  his  ground  very 
productive,  and  his  barns  too  small,  re- 
solved on  building  larger  barns  and  fill- 
ing them  ;  and  said  to  his  soul,  '  Soul, 
thou  hast  much  goods  laid  up  for  many 
years ;  take  thine  ease,  eat,  drink,  and 
be  merry.  But  God  said  unto  him, 
Thou  fool !  this  night  thy  soul  shall  be 
required  of  thee  :  then  whose  shall  those 
things  be  which  thou  hast  provided  V 
Luke  xii.  19,  20.  Now,  sir,  I  think 
vou  must  see  yourself  in  this  picture. 
Here  is  a  farmer,  very  rich,  living  to 
himself  in  health,  ease,  and  pleasure, 
*  without  God  in  the  world.'  No  doubt 
his  neighbors  envied  and  flattered  him  ; 
but  no  one  dared  to  reprove  so  rich  a 
man.  And  if  no  one  reproved  his  sins, 
and  many  flattered  them  as  virtues,  tie 


never  heard  the  truth.  This  accounts 
for  our  Lord's  words,  '  How  hardly 
shall  they  that  have  riches  enter  into 
the  kingdom  of  God  !  But  although  he 
thought  himself  wise,  and  others  wish- 
ed to  be  like  him,  God  addresses  him 
differently,—'  Thou  fool !' 

"  Why,  sir,  do  you  suppose  the  only 
wise  God  called  him  a  fool  ?"  He  was 
silent. 

"But,  candidly,  do  not  you  think  he 
was  a  fool '?" 

"  I  shall  not  say,  sir." 

"  Well,  sir,  if  you  will  allow  me  to 
hazard  an  opinion,  he  appears  a  fool, — 

"  1.  Because  he  preferred  his  body  to 
his  soul. 

"2.  Because  he  preferred  the  world  to 
God  :  '  Eat,  drink,  and  be  merry,'  was 
the  extent  of  his  aim. 

"  3.  Because  he  preferred  time  to  eter- 
nity :  '  Thou  hast  goods  laid  up  for 
many  years.' 

4.  "  Because  he  lived  as  if  he  should 
never  die  ;  and,  whilst  presuming  on 
many  years,  exposed  his  soul  to  all  the 
horrors  of  sudden  death,  without  repent- 
ance,  without  forgiveness,  without  holi- 
ness, and  without  hope." 

(0  HAYNES'  REPLY  TO  THE 
SCOFFERS.— Of  Mr.  Haynes,  the  col- 
ored preacher,  it  is  said,  that  some  time 
after  the  publication  of  his  sermon  on 
the  text,  "Ye  shall  not  surely  die," 
two  reckless  young  men  having  agreed 
together  to  try  his  wit,  one  of  them  said, 
"  Father  Haynes,  have  you  heard  the 
good  news  ?"  "  No,"  said  Mr.  Haynes, 
"  what  is  it  ?"  "  It  is  great  news  in- 
deed," said  the  other,  "  and,  if  true, 
your  business  is  done."  "  What  is  it  ?" 
again  inquired  Mr.  Haynes.  "  Why," 
said  the  first,  "  the  devil  is  dead."  In 
a  moment  the  old  gentleman  replied, 
lifting  up  both  hands,  and  placing  them 
on  the  heads  of  the  young  men,  and  in 
a  tone  of  solemn  concern,  "  Oh,  poor 
fatherless  children  !  what  will  become 
of  you  ?" 

(m)  THE  PULPIT  WINDOW 
AND  CUSHION  REPAIRED.— Rev. 
Zabeliel  Adams  at  one  time  exchanged 
with  a  neighboring  minister — a  mild, 
inoffensive  man — who,  knowing  the  pe- 
culiar bluntness  of  his  character,  said  to 
him,  "You  will  find  some  panes  of 
483 


»61 


MINISTERS   CHRISTIAN. 


glass  broken  in  the  pulpit  window,  and 
possibly  you  may  suffer  from  the  cold. 
The  cushion,  too,  is  in  a  bad  condition ; 
but  I  beg  of  you  not  to  say  any  thing  to 
my  people  on  the  subject ;  they  are 
poor,  &;c."  "  O  no  !  O  no !"  says  Mr. 
Adams.  But  ere  he  left  home,  he  fill- 
ed a  bag  with  rags  and  took  it  with  him. 
When  he  had  been  in  the  pulpit  a  short 
time,  feeling  somewhat  incommoded  by 
the  too  free  circulation  of  the  air,  he  de- 
liberately took  from  the  bag,  a  handful 
of  the  rags,  and  stuffed  them  into  the 
windows.  Toward  the  close  of  his  dis- 
course, which  was  more  or  less  upon 
the  duties  of  a  people  toward  their 
clergyman,  he  became  very  animated, 
and  purposely  brought  down  both  fists 
upon  the  pulpit  cushions,  with  a  tre- 
mendous force.  The  feathers  flew  in 
all  directions,  and  the  cushion  was  pret- 
ty much  used  up.  He  instantly  check- 
ed the  current  of  his  thought,  and  sim- 
ply exclaiming, — "  Why,  how  these 
feathers  fly  !" — proceeded.  He  had 
fulfilled  his  promise  of  not  addressing 
the  society  on  the  subject,  but  had 
taught  them  a  lesson  not  to  be  misun- 
derstood. On  the  next  Sabbath,  the 
window  and  cushion  were  found  in  ex- 
cellent repair. 

(n)  NEW  USE  FOR  JACOB'S 
LADDER. — A  Welsh  clergyman,  in- 
vited to  assist  in  the  ordination  of  a  min- 
ister in  some  part  of  England,  was  ap- 
pointed to  deliver  the  address  to  the 
church  and  congregation ;  and  having 
been  informed  that  their  previous  minis- 
ter had  suffered  much  from  pecuniary 
embarrassment,  although  the  church 
was  fully  able  to  support  him  comforta- 
bly, he  took  the  following  singular  meth- 
od of  administering  reproof. 

In  his  address  to  the  church,  he  re- 
marked, "  You  have  been  praying,  no 
doubt,  that  God  would  send  you  a  man 
after  his  own  heart  to  be  your  pastor. 
You  have  done  well.  God,  we  hope, 
has  heard  your  prayer,  and  given  you 
such  a  minister  as  he  approves,  who 
will  go  in  and  out  before  you,  and  feed 
your  souls  with  the  bread  of  life.  But 
now  you  have  prayed  for  a  minister,  and 
God  has  given  you  one  to  your  mind, 
you  have  something  more  to  do;  you 
must  take  care  of  him ;  and  in  order  to 
484 


his  being  happy  among  you,  I  have  been 
thinking  you  have  need  to  pray  again. 
'  Pray  again  ?  Pray  again  ?  What 
should  we  pray  again  for  V  Well,  I 
think  you  have  need  to  pray  again. 
'  But  for  what  ?'  Why,  I'll  tell  you. 
Pray  that  God  would  put  Jacob's  ladder 
down  to  the  earth  again.  '  Jacob's  lad- 
der !  Jacob's  ladder  !  What  has  Jacob's 
ladder  to  do  with  our  minister  ?'  Why, 
I  think,  if  God  would  put  Jacob's  lad- 
der down,  that  your  mijiister  could  go 
vp  into  heaven  on  the  Sabbath  evening 
after  preaching,  and  remain  there  all 
the  week ;  then  he  could  come  down 
every  Sabbath  morning  so  spiritually 
minded  and  so  full  of  heaven,  that  he 
would  preach  to  you  almost  like  an  an- 
gel. '  Oh,  yes,  that  may  be  all  very 
well ;  and,  if  it  were  possible,  we  should 
like  it ;  but,  then,  we  need  our  minister 
with  us  during  the  week,  to  attend 
prayer-meetings,  visit  the  sick,  hear  ex- 
perience, give  advice,  &;c.,  &c.,  and, 
therefore,  must  have  him  always  with 
us ;  we  want  the  whole  of  his  time  and 
attention.'  That  may  be,  and  I  will 
admit  the  necessity  of  his  daily  atten- 
tion to  your  concerns  ;  but,  then,  you 
will  remember,  that  if  he  remains  here 
he  n\ust  have  bread  and  cheese ;  and  I 
have  been  told  that  your  former  minis- 
ter was  often  wanting  the  common  ne- 
cessaries of  life,  while  many  of  you 
can  enjoy  its  luxuries ;  and,  therefore, 
I  thought,  if  God  would  put  Jacob's  lad- 
der down,  your  present  minister  might 
preach  to  you  on  the  Sabbath,  and,  by 
going  up  into  heaven  after  the  services 
of  the  do.y,  save  you  the  painful  neces- 
sity of  supporting  him." 

(o)  JAY  AND  THE  ANGEL.— 
When  the  Edward  Irving  mania  raged, 
a  man  calling  himself  an  "  Angel  of 
the  Church,"  proceeded  from  Bristol  to 
Bath,  on  a  special  mission  to  William 
Jay.  The  grave,  thinking  old  man,  wa» 
in  his  study,  and  when  the  "  Angel,"  a 
man  with  a  dismal  countenance,  a  white 
cravat,  and  rusty  black  trousers,  ap- 
peared, Mr.  Jay  asked  him  his  business, 
"  I  am  the  Angel  of  the  Church,"  said 
the  man.  "  What  church  ?"  asked  Mr. 
Jay.  "  The  Irvingite  church  at  Bris- 
tol," replied  the  angel.  "Take  off 
your  coat,"  said  Mr.  Jay.     The  angel 


PERSONAL  INTERCOURSE  AND  PASTORAL  LABOR.    261,  262 


took  off  his  coat,  and  Mr.  Jay  quietly- 
rubbed  his  shoulder  blades.  "  What 
are  you  doing?"  asked  the  angel. 
"  Looking  for  your  wings,"  was  the 
cool  answer  of  William  Jay. 

(p)  WHITEFIELD  AND  THE 
SCOFFER.— When  the  celebrated 
Whitefield  was  addressing  an  immense 
crowd  with  his  accustomed  fervor  and 
eloquence,  under  the  shade  of  a  vener- 
able tree  in  the  meadows  at  Edinburgh, 
a  poor  creature,  thinking  to  turn  him 
into  ridicule,  had  perched  himself  on 
one  of  the  overhanging  boughs  right 
above  the  preacher's  head,  and,  with 
monkey-like  dexterity,  mimicking  his 
gesticulations,  endeavored  to  raise  a 
laugh  among  the  audience.  Guided  by 
the  looks  of  some  of  his  hearers,  Whiie- 
field  caught  a  glance  of  him,  but  with- 
out seeming  to  have  noticed  him,  con- 
tinued his  discourse.  With  the  skill  of 
a  practised  orator,  he  reserved  the  inci- 
dent for  the  proper  place  and  time.  He 
was  expatiating  at  the  moment  on  the 
power  and  sovereignty  of  Divine  grace. 
With  gathering  force  and  earnestness 
he  told  of  the  unlikely  objects  it  had 
often  chosen,  and  the  unlooked  for  tri- 
umphs  it  had  achievsd.  As  he  rose  to 
the  climax  of  his  inspiring  theme,  and 
when  in  the  full  sweep  of  his  eloquence, 
he  suddenly  paused,  and  turning  round 
and  pointing  slowly  to  the  wretch  above 
him,  exclaimed,  in  a  tone  of  deep  and 
thrilling  pathos,  "  Even  he  may  yet  be 
the  subject  of  that  free  and  resistless 
grace."  It  was  a  shaft  from  the  Al- 
mighty. Winged  by  the  divine  Spirit, 
it  struck  the  scoffer  to  the  heart,  and 
realized,  in  his  conversion,  the  glorious 
truth  it  contained. 

{q)  BARROW  AND  ROCHES- 
TER.—The  celebrated  Lord  Roches- 
ter one  day  met  Dr.  Barrow  in  the 
Park,  and  being  determined,  as  he  said, 
to  put  down  the  rusty  piece  of  divinity, 
accosted  him  by  taking  off  his  hat,  and, 
with  a  profound  bow,  exclaimed,  "Doc- 
tor, I  am  yours  to  my  shoe-tie."  The 
doctor,  perceiving  his  aim,  returned  the 
salute  with  equal  ceremony,  "  My  lord, 
1  am  yours  to  the  ground."  His  lord- 
ship then  made  a  deeper  congee,  and 
said,  "  Doctor,  I  am  yours  to  the  cen- 
tre."     Barrow  replied,   with  the  same 


formality,  "  My  lord,  I  am  yours  to  the 
antipodes;"  on  which  Rochester  made 
another  attempt,  by  exclaiming,  "  Doc- 
tor, I  am  yours  to  the  lowest  pit  of  hell." 
"  There,  my  lord,"  said  Barrow,  "  I 
leave  you,"  and  immediately  walked 
away. 

M.    Personal  Intercourse  and  Pastoral 
Labor. 

■(«)  DOCTOR  SPRING  AND  THE 
THOUGHTLESS  YOUNG  LADY.— 

Dr.  Spring,  of  New- York,  once  related, 
that  during  the  period  of  a  revival  of 
religion  in  that  city,  a  young  lady,  the 
object  of  high  hope,  the  centre  of  wide 
influence,  capable  of  noble  things,  yet 
careering  on  the  giddy  steep  of  fashion 
and  folly,  created  in  him  no  small  soli- 
citude, as  he  would  have  to  give  an  ac- 
count for  her  soul,  every  avenue  to 
which  seemed  most  sedulously  guarded. 
He  delayed  the  visit  of  counsel  and  ex- 
hortation ;  and  delayed,  till,  rebuked  by 
conscience,  he  could  do  so  no  longer. 
As  soon  as  he  called,  and  was  ushered 
into  the  saloon,  the  first  and  only  person 
whom  he  saw  was  this  young  lady, 
bathed  in  tears,  who  immediately  ex- 
claimed, "  My  dear  pastor,  I  rejoice  to 
see  you.  I  was  fearful  I  was  the  only 
one  who  had  escaped  your  friendly  no- 
tice." What  a  rebuke  to  fear !  What 
an  encouragement  to  hope,  and  to  ac- 
tion ! 

(h)  REV.  MR.  CHARLES'  PRAC- 
TICE.— When  the  Rev.  Mr.  Charles, 
of  Bala  in  Wales,  met  a  poor  man  or 
woman  on  the  road,  he  used  to  stop  his 
horse,  and  make  the  inquiry,  "  Can  you 
read  the  Bible  ?"  He  was  so  much  in 
the  habit  of  doing  this,  that  he  became 
every  where  known  from  this  practice. 
"  The  gentleman  who  kindly  asked  the 
poor  people  about  the  Bible  and  their 
souls,"  was  Mr.  Charles.  Meeting  one 
day  with  an  old  man,  on  one  of  the 
mountains,  he  said  to  him,  "  You  are  an 
old  man,  and  very  near  another  world." 
"  Yes,"  said  he,  "  and  I  hope  I  am  go- 
ing to  heaven."  "  Do  you  know  the 
road  there, — do  you  know  the  word  of 
God  ?"  "  Pray,  are  you  Mr.  Charles  ?" 
said  the  old  man.  He  suspected  who 
he  was  from  his  questions.  He  was 
485 


963 


MINISTERS,  CHRISTIAN. 


frequently  thus  accosted,  when  asking 
the  poor  people  he  met  with  about  their 
eternal  concerns.  "  Pray,  are  you  Mr. 
Charles?"  was  often  the  inquiry.  When 
he  had  time,  he  scarcely  ever  passed  by 
a  poor  man  on  the  road,  without  talking 
to  him  about  his  soul,  and  his  knowledge 
of  the  Bible.  When  he  found  any  ig- 
norant of  the  word  of  God,  and  not  able 
to  read  it,  he  represented  to  them,  in  a 
kind  and  simple  manner,  the  duty  and 
necessity  of  becoming  acquainted  with 
it,  and  feelingly  and  compassionately 
set  before  them  the  awful  state  of  those 
who  leave  the  world  without  knowing 
the  word  of  God,  and  the  way  of  saving 
the  soul.  He  sometimes  succeeded  in 
persuading  them  to  learn  to  read  ;  and 
the  good  he  thus  did  was  no  doubt  very 
great. 

(c)  PAYSON  AND  THE  LAW- 
YER. — The  following  rencounter  with 
a  lawyer  of  Portland,  who  ranked  among 
the  first  in  the  place  for  wealth,  and  flu- 
ency of  speech,  will  show  Dr.  Payson's 
insight  into  character,  and  also  that  his 
conquests  were  not  confined  to  "  weak 
women  and  children." 

A  lady,  who  was  the  common  friend 
of  Mrs.  Payson  and  the  lawyer's  wife, 
was  sojourning  in  the  family  of  the  lat- 
ter. Afler  the  females  of  the  respec- 
tive families  had  interchanged  several 
"  calls,"  Mrs. was  desirous  of  re- 
ceiving a  formal  visit  from  Mrs.  Payson ; 
but,  to  effect  this,  Mr.  Payson  must  also 
be  invited  ;  and  how  to  prevail  with  her 
husband  to  tender  an  invitation  was  the 
great  difficulty.  He  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  associate  experimental  religion 
with  meanness,  and  of  course  felt,  or  af- 
fected, great  contempt  for  the  divine,  as 
if  it  were  impossible  for  a  man  of  his 
religion  to  be  also  a  man  of  talents.  He 
knew,  by  report,  something  of  Mr.  Pay- 
son's  practice  on  these  occasions,  and 
dreading  to  have  his  house  a  place  for 
what  appeared  to  him  gloomy  conversa- 
tion, resisted  his  wife's  proposal  as  long 
as  he  could  do  so,  and  retain  the  char- 
acter  of  a  gentleman.  When  he  gave 
his  consent,  it  was  with  the  positive  de- 
termination that  Mr.  Payson  should  not 
converse  on  religion,  nor  ask  a  blessing 
over  his  food,  nor  offer  a  prayer  in  his 
house.  He  collected  his  forces,  and 
486 


made  his  preparations  in  conformity 
with  this  purpose.  When  the  appoint- 
ed day  arrived,  he  received  his  guests 
very  pleasantly,  and  entered  at  once 
into  animated  conversation ;  deter- 
mined, by  obtruding  his  own  favorite 
topics,  to  forestall  the  divine.  It  was  not 
long  before  the  latter  discovered  his  ob- 
ject, and  summoned  together  his  powers 
to  defeat  it.  He  plied  them  with  that 
skill  and  address  for  which  he  was  re- 
markable ;  still,  for  some  time,  victory 
was  inclined  to  neither  side,  or  to  both 
alternately.  The  lawyer,  not  long  be- 
fore, had  returned  from  Washington 
city,  where  he  spent  several  weeks  on 
business  at  the  supreme  court  of  the 
United  States.  Mr.  Payson  made  some 
inquiries  respecting  sundry  personages 
there,  and  among  others,  the  chaplain  of 
the  house  of  representatives.  The  coun- 
sellor had  heard  him  in  the  devotional 
services  of  that  assembly.  "  How  did 
you  like  him  ?"  "  Not  at  all ;  he  ap- 
peared to  have  more  regard  to  those 
around  him,  than  he  had  to  his  Maker." 
Mr.  Payson  was  very  happy  to  hear  him 
recognize  the  distinction  between  pray- 
ing to  God,  and  praying  to  be  heard  of 
men  ;  and  dropped  a  series  of  observa- 
tions on  prayer,  passing  into  a  strain  of 
remark,  which,  without  taking  the  form, 
had  all  the  effect  on  the  lawyer's  con- 
science, of  a  personal  application.  From 
a  topic  so  unwelcome,  he  strove  to  divert 
the  conversation  ;  and  every  few  min- 
utes would  start  something  as  wide  from 
it  as  the  east  is  from  the  west.  But  as 
often  as  he  wandered,  his  guest  would 
dexterously,  and  without  violence,  bring 
him  back ;  and  as  often  as  he  was 
brought  back,  he  would  wander  again. 
At  length  the  trying  moment,  which  was 
to  turn  the  scale,  arrived.  The  time 
for  the  evening  repast  had  come ;  the 
servant  had  entered  the  parlor  with  the 
provisions ;  the  master  of  the  feast  be- 
came unusually  eloquent,  resolved  to 
engross  the  conversation,  to  hear  no 
question  or  reply,  to  allow  no  interval 
for  "  grace,"  and  to  give  no  indication, 
by  the  eye,  the  hand,  or  the  lips,  that  he 
expected,  or  wished  for  such  a  service. 
Just  as  the  distribution  was  on  the  very 
point  of  commencing,  Mr.  Payson  in- 
terposed the  question,    "  What   writer 


PERSONAL  INTERCOURSE  AND  PASTORAL  LABOR. 


262 


has  said,  '  The  devil  invented  the  fash- 
ion of  carrying  round  tea,  to  prevent  a 
blessing  being  asked  ?'  "  Our  host  felt 
himself  "cornered;"  but,  making  a 
virtue  of  necessity,  replied,  "I  don't 
know  what  writer  it  is ;  but,  if  you 
please,  we  will  foil  the  devil  this  time. 
Will  you  ask  a  blessing,  sir  ?"  A  bless- 
ing, of  course,  was  asked  ;  and  he  brook- 
ed, as  well  as  he  could,  this  first  certain 
defeat,  still  resolved  not  to  sustain  an- 
other by  the  offering  of  thanks  at  the 
closing  of  the  repast.  But  in  this,  too, 
he  was  disappointed.  By  some  well- 
timed  sentiment  of  his  reverend  guest, 
he  was  brought  into  such  a  dilemma, 
that  he  could  not,  without  absolute  rude- 
ness, decline  asking  him  to  return 
thanks.  And  thus  he  contested  every 
inch  of  his  ground,  till  the  visit  termi- 
nated. But,  at  every  stage,  the  minis- 
ter proved  too  much  for  the  lawyer.  Mr. 
Payson  retained  his  character  as  a  min- 
ister of  religion,  and  gained  his  point  in 
every  thing ;  and  that,  too,  with  so  ad- 
mirable a  tact,  in  a  way  so  natural  and 
unconstrained,  and  with  such  respectful 
deference  to  his  "host,  that  the  latter 
could  not  be  displeased,  except  with 
himself.  He  not  only  acknowledged 
God  on  the  reception  of  food,  but  read 
the  Scriptures  and  prayed  before  sepa- 
rating from  the  family  ;  and  did  it  at  the 
request  of  the  master,  though  made,  as 
in  every  other  instance,  in  violation  of 
a  fixed  purpose.  The  chagrin  of  this 
disappointment,  however,  eventually  be- 
came the  occasion  of  the  lawyer's  great- 
est joy.  His  mind  was  never  entirely 
at  ease,  till  he  found  peace  in  believing. 
Often  did  he  revert  with  devout  thank- 
fulness to  God,  to  the  visit  which  had 
occasioned  his  mortification  ;  and  ever 
after  regarded,  with  more  than  common 
veneration  and  respect,  the  servant  of 
God  whom  he  had  despised ;  and  was 
glad  to  receive  his  min^istrations,  in  ex- 
change for  those  on  which  he  had  for- 
merly attended. 

{d)  THE  INFIDEL'S  RETORT. 
— A  preacher  perceiving,  on  one  occa- 
sion,  among  his  hearers,  an  individual 
who  was  known  in  the  neighborhood  as 
a  ringleader  of  infidelity,  was  induced 
to  hope  that  some  alteration  had  taken 
place  in  his  views.    To  ascertain  wheth- 


er such  was  the  fact,  he  called  upon 
him  the  next  day,  and  told  him  how 
happy  he  had  been  to  see  him  at  the 
house  of  prayer  the  previous  evening  ; 
the  more  so,  as  he  had  been  given  to 
understand  that  he  did  not  believe  the 
gospel.  "  Nor  you  either,"  said  the  un- 
ceremonious skeptic.  "  What !"  he  ex- 
claimed, "  do  you  mean,  sir,  to  call  me 
a  hypocrite  ?"  "I  call  you  no  ill  names, 
sir,"  he  coolly  replied ;  "  but  what  1 
mean  to  say  is  this ;  you  have  known 
of  my  infidelity  for  years,  and  though  1 
have  lived  all  the  while  within  a  short 
distance  of  your  dwelling,  you  have 
never  before  attempted  to  enlighten  me 
as  to  these  matters ;  a  thing  which,  to 
do  you  justice,  I  must  believe  you  would 
have  done,  had  you  thought  them  as  im- 
portant as  your  creed  would  make  them. 
Indeed,  I  can  hardly  fancy  that  you 
would  see  me  going  to  hell,  and  never 
try  to  save  my  soul." 

(e)  MISTAKE  OF  NEFF.—One 
day,  as  Felix  Neff  was  walking  in  a 
street  in  the  city  of  Lausanne,  he  saw 
at  a  distance  a  man  whom  he  took  for 
one  of  his  friends.  He  ran  behind  him, 
tapped  him  on  the  shoulder,  before  look- 
ing him  in  his  face,  and  asked  him, 
"  What  is  the  state  of  your  soul,  my 
friend?"  The  stranger  turned ;  Neff 
perceived  his  error,  apologized,  and  went 
his  way.  About  three  or  four  years  af- 
terwards, a  person  came  to  Neff,  and 
accosted  him,  saying,  he  was  indebted 
to  him  for  his  inestimable  kindness. 
Neff  did  not  recognize  the  man,  and 
begged  he  would  explain.  The  stran- 
ger replied,  "  Have  you  forgotten  an 
unknown  person,  whose  shoulder  you 
touched  in  the  street  in  Lausanne,  ask- 
ing him,  '  How  do  you  find  your  soul  V 
It  was  I ;  your  question  led  me  to  seri- 
ous reflections,  and  now  I  find  it  is  well 
with  my  souV  This  proves  what  ap- 
parently small  means  may  be  blessed 
of  God  for  the  conversion  of  sinners,  and 
how  many  opportunities  for  doing  good 
we  are  continually  letting  slip,  and 
which  thus  pass  irrevocably  beyond  our 
reach.  One  of  the  questions  which  ev- 
ery Christian  should  propose  to  himself, 
on  setting  out  on  a  journey,  is,  "  What 
opportunities  shall  I  have  to  do  good  ?" 
And  one  of  the  points  on  which  he 
487 


363 


MINISTERS,  CHRISTIAN. 


should  examine  himself,  on  his  return, 
is,  "  What  opportunities  have  I  lost  ?" 

Ml     Success  in  their  Labors. 

(a)  THE  DAIRYMAN'S  DAUGH- 
TER.— Some  years  ago,  a  vessel,  which 
was  blessed  with  a  pious  chaplain,  and 
was  bound  to  a  distant  part  of  the  world, 
happened  to  be  detained  by  contrary 
winds,  over  a  Sabbath,  at  the  Isle  of 
Wight.  The  chaplain  improved  the 
opportunity  to  preach  to  the  inhabitants. 
His  text  was,  "  Be  clothed  with  humili- 
ty." Among  his  hearers  was  a  thought- 
less girl,  who  had  come  to  show  her  fine 
dress,  rather  than  to*  be  instructed.  The 
sermon  was  the  means  of  her  conver- 
sion. Her  name  was  Elizabeth  Wall- 
bridge,  the  celebrated  Dairyman's 
Daughter,  whose  interesting  history, 
by  Rev.  Leigh  Richmond,  has  been 
printed  in  various  languages,  and  wide- 
ly circulated,  to  the  spiritual  benefit  of 
thousands.  What  a  reward  was  this 
for  a  single  sermon  preached  "  out  of 
season !" 

(b)  BERRIDGE  AND  HICKS.— It 
is  credibly  reported  of  the  Rev.  John 
Berridge,  the  well  known  vicar  of  Ev- 
erton,  that  in  his  itinerant  labors  through 
the  country  he  preached  from  ten  to 
twelve  sermons  a  week  upon  an  aver- 
age, and  frequently  rode  a  hundred 
miles.  Nor  were  such  extraordinary 
exertions  occasional,  but  continued 
through  the  long  succession  of  more 
than  twenty  years.  The  success  that 
followed  these,  as  well  as  his  stated  la- 
bors amongst  his  own  flock,  may  be  es- 
timated from  the  fact,  that  he  was  visit- 
ed, in  the  first  year  after  his  own  spir- 
itual illumination,  by  a  thousand  differ- 
ent persons  under  serious  impressions. 
It  is  computed,  that  under  his  own  min- 
istry, and  that  of  Mr.  Hicks,  a  neigh- 
boring minister,  of  whose  conversion  he 
had  been  the  instrument,  four  thousand 
persons  were  awakened  to  a  concern  for 
their  souls  in  the  space  of  twelve  months. 

(c)  MR.  GRIMSHA W'S  SUCCESS. 
— "  The  last  time  I  was  with  Mr.  Grim- 
shaw,"  says  Mr.  Newton,  "  as  we  were 
standing  together  upon  a  hill  near  Ha- 
worth,  and  surveying  the  romantic  pros- 
pect around  us,  he  expressed  himself  to 

488 


the  following  purport,  and  I  believe  I 
nearly  retain  his  very  words,  for  they 
made  a  deep  impression  upon  me  while 
he  spoke : — '  When  I  first  came  into 
this  country,  if  I  had  gone  half  a  day's 
journey  on  horseback  towards  the  east, 
west,  north,  and  south,  I  could  not  have 
met  with  or  heard  of  one  truly  serious 
person ;  but  now,  through  the  blessing 
of  God  upon  the  poor  services  of  the 
most  unworthy  of  his  ministers,  besides 
a  considerable  number  whom  I  have 
seen  or  known  to  have  departed  this  life, 
like  Simeon,  rejoicing  in  the  Lord's 
salvation  ;  and  besides  five  dissenting 
churches  or  congregations,  of  which  the 
ministers,  and  nearly  every  one  of  the 
members,  were  first  awakened  under 
my  ministry ;  I  have  still  at  my  sacra- 
ment, if  the  weather  is  favorable,  from 
three  to  five  hundred  communicants,  of 
the  far  greater  part  of  whom,  so  far  as 
man,  who  cannot  see  the  heart,  and  who 
can  therefore  only  determine  by  appear- 
ances, profession,  and  conduct,  may 
judge,  I  can  give  almost  as  particular 
an  account  as  I  can  of  myself  I  know 
the  state  of  their  progress  in  religion. 
By  my  frequent  visits  and  converse  with 
them,  I  am  acquainted  with  their  sever- 
al temptations,  trials,  and  exercises,  both 
personal  and  domestic,  both  spiritual 
and  temporal,  almost  as  intimately  as  if 
I  had  lived  in  their  families.'  " 

(d)  HILL  AND  THE  TWO  OLD 
MEN.— The  Rev.  Thomas  Jackson,  of 
Stockwell,  in  the  memoir  of  Mr.  Hill, 
furnished  to  the  Evangelical  Magazine, 
states : — Perhaps  no  man  in  modern 
times  has  been  more  honored  than  Mr. 
Hill,  as  the  instrument  of  converting 
souls  ;  his  talent  appeared  more  partic- 
ularly in  awakening  the  careless ;  in- 
stances of  which  the  writer  has  had 
many  opportunities  of  witnessing ;  and 
he  does  not  remember  ever  having 
stayed  two  days  with  Mr.  H.  in  any 
town,  without  meeting  with  one  person 
or  more  to  whom  his  ministry  had  been 
made  useful.  One  case,  among  many, 
he  cannot  omit :  the  scene  occurred  at 
Devonport,  Devonshire,  after  Mr.  H. 
had  been  preaching  a  missionary  ser- 
mon to  a  crowded  congregation  in  the 
large  chapel  in  Prince's  street.  The 
people  had  withdrawn,  and  the  deacons 


SUCCESS  IN  THEIR  LABORS. 


2SS 


and  a  few  friends  had  retired,  with  Mr. 
IL,  into  the  vestry,  when  two  tall,  ven- 
erable looking  men,  upwards  of  seventy 
years  of  age,  appeared  at  the  vestry 
door.  After  a  short  pause  they  enter- 
ed, arm-in-arm,  and  advanced  towards 
Mr.  H.,  when  one  of  them  said,  with 
some  degree  of  trepidation,  "  Sir,  will 
you  permit  two  old  sinners  to  have  the 
honor  to  shake  you  by  the  hand  ?"  He 
replied,  with  some  reserve,  "  Yes,  sir  :" 
when  one  of  these  gentlemen,  the  other 
hanging  on  his  arm,  took  his  hand,  kiss- 
ed it,  bathed  it  with  his  tears,  and  said, 
"  Sir,  do  you  remember  preaching  on 
the  spot  where  this  chapel  now  stands, 
fifty  years  ago  ?"  "  Yes,  I  do,"  was 
the  reply.  The  old  man  then  proceed- 
ed to  say,  "  Oh,  sir  !  never  can  the  dear 
friend  who  has  hold  of  my  arm,  or  my- 
self, forget  that  sermon ;  we  were  then 
two  careless  young  men,  in  his  majesty's 
dock-yard,  posting  to  destruction  as  fast 
as  time  and  sin  could  convey  us  thither. 
Having  heard  that  an  interesting  young 
clergyman  was  to  preach  out  of  doors, 
we  determined  to  go  and  have  some  fun  ; 
accordingly  we  loaded  our  pockets  with 
stones,  intending  to  pelt  you  ;  but,  sir, 
when  you  arrived,  our  courage  failed, 
and  as  soon  as  you  engaged  in  prayer, 
we  were  so  deeply  moved  that  our  pur- 
pose wavered,  and  as  soon  as  you  began 
to  speak,  the  word  came  with  power  to 
our  hearts ;  the  big  tears  rolled  down 
our  cheeks  ;  we  put  our  hands  in  our 
pockets,  and  dropped  the  stones  one  af- 
ter another,  until  they  were  all  gone ; 
for  God  had  taken  the  stone  out  of  our 
hearts.  When  the  service  was  over, 
we  retired  ;  bpt  our  hearts  were  too  full 
to  speak,  until  we  came  near  to  our 
lodgings,  when  my  friend  at  my  elbow 
said,  '  John,  this  will  not  do ;  we  are 
both  wrong  ;  good  night.'  This  was  all 
ho  could  utter ;  he  retired  to  his  apart- 
ment, I  to  mine  ;  but  neither  of  us  dared 
to  go  to  bed,  lest  we  should  awake  in 
hell ;  and  from  that  time,  sir,  we  hum- 
bly hope  we  were  converted  to  God,  who, 
of  his  infinite  mercy,  has  kept  us  in  his 
ways  to  the  present  moment ;  and  we 
thought,  sir,if  you  would  permit  us,  af- 
ter the  lapse  of  half  a  hundred  years, 
to  have  the  pleasure  of  shaking  you  by 
the  hand  before  we  go  home,  it  would 


be  the  greatest  honor  that  could  be  con- 
ferred on  us."  Mr,  H.  was  deeply  af- 
fected ;  the  tears  rolled  down  his  ven- 
erable cheeks  in  quick  succession ;  he 
fell  on  the  necks  of  the  old  men  quite 
in  the  patriarchal  style ;  and  there  you 
might  have  seen  them,  locked  in  each 
others'  arms,  weeping  tears  of  holy  joy 
and  gratitude  to  the  Father  of  mercies. 
It  was  a  scene  at  which  Gabriel  might 
have  rejoiced,  and  infidelity  must  have 
turned  pale.  The  writer  is  aware  that 
he  cannot  do  justice  to  it  by  his  descrip- 
tion, though  he  feels,  at  this  distance  of 
time,  something  like  celestial  pleasure 
in  recording  what  he  then  witnessed. 

(e)  NEWS  FOR  A  DYING  MIN- 
ISTER.— In  the  latter  part  of  the  last 
century,  a  Christian  minister  at  Shrews- 
bury was  brought  to  the  closing  scenes 
of  life.  He  had  long  grieved  over  his 
apparent  uselessness  in  the  church  of 
Christ,  and  when  seized  with  his  last 
illness,  this  regret  was  considerably  in- 
creased. The  thought  planted  thorns 
in  his  pillow,  and  embittered  his  dying 
moments.  At  this  very  period,  two 
persons,  entirely  unacquainted  with  the 
feelings  of  the  departing  minister,  ap- 
plied lor  communion  with  the  church  he 
had  long  served,  and  attributed  their 
conversion  to  God  to  his  labors.  A 
friend  immediately  hastened  to  commu- 
nicate the  intelligence  to  the  venerable 
man,  who  listened  to  the  statement  with 
holy  joy  beaming  in  his  countenance  ; 
and  then,  gathering  up  his  feet  into  the 
bed,  adopted  the  language  of  Simeon, 
"  Now,  Lord,  lettest  thou  thy  servant 
depart  in  peace,  for  mine  eyes  have 
seen  thy  salvation,"  and  closed  his  eyes 
for  ever  on  earthly  objects. 

(/)  A  CHAIN  OF  INFLUENCE. 
— The  31st  of  January,  1841,  when 
Mr.  Jay,  of  Bath,  England,  completed 
fifty  years  of  his  ministry,  it  was  ob- 
served by  his  people  as  a  Jubilee.  On 
that  occasion  the  Rev.  Timothy  East, 
of  Birmingham,  stated,  that  a  ser- 
mon Mr.  Jay  preached  in  London  in  the 
early  part  of  his  ministry,  was  blessed 
to  the  conversion  of  a  thoughtless  and 
dissolute  young  man,  who  became  a 
minister.  A  sermon  preached  by  that 
minister  thirty-nine  years  ago,  was  the 
arrow  of  the  Almighty  that  brought  Mr. 
489 


263 


MINISTERS,  CHRISTIAN. 


East  to  repentance,  just  as  he  had  de- 
termined to  leave  his  native  country 
for  ever.  And  a  sermon  preached  by 
Mr.  East  twenty-seven  years  ago,  in 
London,  was  the  means  of  the  conver- 
sion of  a  careless,  gay,  and  dissipated 
young  man,  who  was  John  Williams, 
the  late  missionary  to  the  South  Seas. 

{g)  THE  FAITHFUL  PASTOR.— 
Dr.  Gilly  relates  an  anecdote,  as  it  was 
told  him  by  a  well  known  Irish  char- 
acter, Thaddeus  Conolly,  who  used  to 
spend  much  of  his  time  in  wandering 
through  Ireland,  and  instructing  the 
lower  classes  in  their  native  language. 
"  I  went,"  said  he,  "one  Sunday,  into  a 
church,  to  which  a  new  incumbent  had 
been  lately  appointed.  The  congrega- 
ion  did  not  exceed  half  a  dozen,  but  the 
ireacher  delivered  himself  with  as 
.Tiuch  energy  and  affection  as  if  he 
were  addressing  a  crowded  audience. 
After  service,  I  expressed  to  the  clergy- 
man my  surprise  that  he  should  hold 
forth  so  fervently  to  such  a  small  num- 
ber." "  Were  there  but  one,"  said  the 
Rector,  "  my  anxiety  for  his  improve- 
ment would  make  me  equally  ener- 
getic." The  following  year  Conolly 
went  into  the  same  church,  the  congre- 
gation was  multiplied  twenty-fold ;  a 
third  year  he  found  the  church  full. 

(/i)  THE  NEGRO'S  ADVICE.— 
A  young  minister  received  a  call  from 
two  different  societies  at  once,  to  be- 
come their  pastor.  One  was  rich,  and 
able  to  give  him  a  large  salary,  and 
was  well  united ;  the  other  was  poor, 
and  so  divided  that  they  had  driven 
away  their  minister.  In  this  condition 
he  applied  to  his  father  for  advice.  An 
aged  negro  servant  who  overheard  what 
they  said,  made  this  reply :  "  Massa, 
go  where  there  is  the  least  money 
and  the  most  devil."  He  took  the  ad- 
vice, and  was  made  the  happy  instru- 
ment of  uniting  a  distracted  church, 
and  converting  many  souls  to  Christ. 

{i)  DR.  BEECHER'S  SERMON 
TO  ONE  HEARER.— Dr.  Beecher 
once  engaged  to  preach  for  a  country 
minister  on  exchange,  and  the  Sabbath 
proved  to  be  one  excessively  stormy, 
cold,  and  uncomfortable.  It  was  in 
mid- winter,  and  the  snow  was  piled  all 
along  in  the  roads,  so  as  to  make 
490 


the  passage  very  difficult.  Still  the 
minister  urged  his  horse  through  the 
drifts,  put  the  animal  into  a  shed, 
and  went  in.  As  yet  there  was  no 
person  in  the  house,  and  after  looking 
about,  the  old  gentleman — then  young — 
took  his  seat  in  the  pulpit.  Soon  the 
door  opened,  and  a  single  individual 
walked  up  the  aisle,  looked  about,  and 
took  a  seat.  The  hour  came  for  com- 
mencing service,  but  no  more  hearers. 

Whether  to  preach  to  such  an  au- 
dience, was  a  question — and  it  was  one 
that  Lyman  Beecher  was  not  long  de- 
ciding. He  felt  that  he  had  a  duty  to 
perform,  and  he  had  no  right  to  refuse 
to  do  it,  because  only  one  man  could 
reap  the  benefit  of  it ;  and  accordingly 
he  went  through  all  the  services,  pray- 
ing, singing,  preaching,  and  the  bene- 
diction, with  only  one  hearer.  And 
when  all  was  over,  he  hastened  down 
from  the  desk  to  speak  to  his  congrega- 
tion, but  he  had  departed. 

A  circumstance  so  rare  was  referred 
to  occasionally,  but  twenty  years  after, 
it  was  brought  to  the  doctor's  mind 
quite  strangely.  Traveling  somewhere 
in  Ohio,  the  doctor  alighted  from  the 
stage  one  day  in  a  pleasant  village, 
when  a  gentleman  stepped  up  and 
spoke  to  him,  familiarly  calling  him  by 
name.  "  I  do  not  remember  you,"  said 
the  doctor.  "  I  suppose  not,"  said  the 
stranger ;  "  but  we  once  spent  two 
hours  together  in  a  house  alone  in  a 
storm."  "  I  do  not  recall  it,  sir,"  added 
the  old  man,  "  pray  when  was  it  ?" 
"  Do  you  remember  preaching,  twenty 
years  ago,  in  such  a  place,  to  a  single 
person  ?"  "  Yes,  yes,"  said  the  doctor, 
grasping  his  hand,  "  I  do,  indeed,  and 
if  you  are  the  man,  I  have  been  wishing 
to  see  you  ever  since."  "  I  am  the 
man,  sir ;  and  that  sermon  saved  my 
soul,  made  a  minister  of  me,  and  yonder 
is  my  church !  The  converts  of  that 
sermon,  sir,  are  all  over  Ohio." 

(i)  RESULTS  OF  HUMBLE  EF- 
FORTS. — At  one  of  the  anniversaries 
in  New-York,  Mr.  Todd,  of  Northamp, 
ton,  Mass.,  said — 

When  a  boy,  Providence  sent  an 
humble,  unostentatious  minister  among 
us — a  man  who  is  now  laboring  in  the 
wilderness  at  the  west,  almost  unknown. 


TRIALS  OF  MINISTERS. 


3G4 


There  was  a  revival  under  his  preach- 
ing— not  much  said  or  thought  about  it, 
for  only  a  few  poor  boys  and  girls  were 
the  subjects.  It  was  one  among  many 
of  similar  revivals  under  the  labor  of 
this  man.  The  subjects  were  poor 
Sabbath  school  children :  but  I  can  fix 
my  eye  upon  them,  and  see  two  or  three 
of  these  girls  are  devoted  wives  of  mi- 
nisters, two  or  three  of  these  boys  are 
deacons  of  churches ;  two  more,  at  least, 
ministers  of  the  gospel  (of  whom  the 
humble  individual  before  you  is  one). 
I  can  point  to  at  least  eight  new,  vigor- 
ous, prosperous  churches,  gathered  by 
these  men,  and  nearly  a  score  of  young 
men  from  these  churches,  on  the  way 
to'  the  ministry — several  powerful  re- 
vivals of  religion,  many  new  Sabbath 
schools  organized,  and  hundreds  of  new- 
born souls,  who  have  begun  to  sing  the 
song  of  Moses  and  the  Lamb. 

All  this  can  be  traced  directly  to  the 
little  seed  which  this  humble  man  of 
God  cast  by  the  wayside. 

264.  Trials  of  Ministers. 

(a)  WAY  OF  TREATING  COM- 
PLAINTS.— A  young  preacher  stated, 
one  day,  to  the  late  Mr.  Drew,  that  he 
had  received  an  anonymous  letter, 
complaining  of  his  pulpit  oratory.  Mr. 
Drew  said  to  him,  "  Do  not  heed  it,  any 
further  than  to  profit  by  its  observations, 
if  true.  I  have  haft  scores  of  such 
letters  since  I  became  an  author,  and 
often  with  postage  to  pay.  They  never 
trouble  me,  and  I  generally  put  them 
into  the  fire.  But  these  letters  are 
sometimes  of  use.  Our  good  qualities 
we  may  learn  from  our  friends ;  from 
our  enemies  we  may  chance  to  discover 
our  defects." 

(b)  DEJECTED  MINISTER  SA- 
TISFIED.—The  Rev.  Ambrose  Mor- 
ton was  generally  esteemed  a  good 
scholar,  and  remarkably  humble,  sanc- 
tified, and  holy,  but  was  inclined  to 
melancholy,  to  his  own  discouragement. 
In  his  younger  days,  when  he  was 
assistant  to  another  minister,  some  good 
people,  in  his  hearing,  speaking  of  their 
conversion,  and  ascribing  it  under  God 
to  that  minister's  preaching,  he  seemed 
cast  down,  as  if  he  were  of  no  use.     A 


sensible  countryman,  who  was  present, 
and  who  had  a  particular  value  for  his 
ministry,  made  this  observation  for  his 
encouragement :  "  An  ordinary  work- 
man may  hew  down  timber,  but  it  must 
be  an  accomplished  artist  that  shall 
frame  it  for  the  building."  Mr.  M. 
therefore  rose  up,  and  cheerfully  replied, 
"  If  I  am  of  any  use,  I  am  satisfied." 
Indeed  his  preaching  was  always  solid 
and  judicious,  and  highly  esteemed  by 
all  but  himself;  and  was  especially 
useful  to  experienced  Christians. 

(c)  SOMETHING  MORE  AWFUL 
THAN  THE  JUDGMENT.— A  cele- 
brated preacher  of  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury, in  a  sermon  to  a  crowded  audience, 
described  the  terrors  of  the  last  judg- 
ment with  such  eloquence,  pathos,  and 
force  of  action,  that  some  of  his  audience 
not  only  burst  into  tears,  but  sent  forth 
piercing  cries,  as  if  the  Judge  himself 
had  been  present,  and  was  about  to  pass 
upon  them  their  final  sentence.  In  the 
height  of  this  commotion,  the  preacher 
called  upon  them  to  dry  their  tears  and 
cease  their  cries,  as  he  was  about  to  add 
something  still  more  awful  and  astonish- 
ing than  any  thing  he  had  yet  brought 
before  them.  Silence  being  obtained, 
he,  with  an  agitated  countenance  and 
solemn  voice  addressed  them  thus : 
"  In  one  quarter  of  an  hour  from  this 
time,  the  emotions  which  you  have  just 
now  exhibited  will  be  stifled ;  the  re- 
membrance of  the  fearful  truths  which 
excited  them  will  vanish ;  you  will 
return  to  your  carnal  occupations,  or 
sinful  pleasures,  with  your  usual  avidity, 
and  you  will  treat  all  you  have  heard, 
'  as  a  tale  that  is  told  !'  " 

(d)  MINISTER'S  HARVEST  DAY. 
— During  the  great  revival  of  religion 
in  America,  which  took  place  under 
Mr.  Whitefield,  and  others  distinguished 
for  their  piety  and  zeal  at  that  period, 
Mr.  Tennent  was  laboriously  active,  and 
much  engaged  to  help  forward  the 
work  ;  in  the  performance  of  which  he 
met  with  strong  and  powerful  tempta- 
tions. The  following  is  from  his  own 
lips : — 

On   the    evening    preceding    public 

worship,  he  selected  a  subject  for  the 

discourse  intended  to  be  delivered,  and 

made  some  progress  in  his  preparations. 

491 


264 


MINISTERS,  CHRISTIAN. 


In  the  morning  he  resumed  the  same 
subject,  with  an  intention  to  extend  his 
thoughts  further  on  it ;  but  was  pre- 
sently assaulted  with  a  temptation  tJiat 
the  Bible  was  not  of  Divine  authority, 
but  the  invention  of  man.  He  instantly 
endeavored  to  repel  the  temptation  by 
prayer,  but  his  endeavors  proved  un- 
availing. The  temptation  continued, 
and  fastened  upon  him  with  greater 
strength  as  the  time  advanced  for  pub- 
lic service.  He  lost  all  the  thoughts 
which  he  had  prepared  on  the  preceding 
evening.  He  tried  other  subjects,  but 
could  get  nothing  for  the  people.  The 
whole  book  of  God,  under  that  distress- 
ing state  of  mind,  was  a  sealed  book  to 
him ;  and,  to  add  to  his  affliction,  he 
was  "  shut  up  in  prayer  :"  a  cloud,  dark 
as  that  of  Egypt,  oppressed  his  mind. 

Thus  agonized  in  spirit,  he  proceeded 
to  the  church,  where  he  found  a  large 
congregation  assembled,  and  waiting  to 
hear  the  word  ;  and  then  he  was  more 
deeply  distressed  than  ever ;  and  espe- 
cially for  the  dishonor  which  he  feared 
would  fall  upon  religion  through  him 
that  day.  He  resolved,  however,  to 
attempt  the  service.  He  introduced  it 
by  singing  a  psalm,  during  which  time 
his  agitation  increased  to  the  highest 
degree.  When  the  moment  for  prayer 
commenced,  he  arose,  as  one  in  the 
most  painful  and  perilous  situation,  and 
with  arms  extended  to  heaven,  began 
with  this  exclamation,  "  Lord,  have 
mercy  upon  me."  On  the  utterance 
of  this  petition,  he  was  heard ;  the 
thick  cloud  instantly  broke  away,  and 
light  shone  upon  his  soul.  The  result 
was  a  deep  solemnity  throughout  the 
congregation ;  and  the  house,  at  the 
end  of  the  prayer,  was  a  place  of  weep- 
ing. He  delivered  the  subject  of  his 
evening  meditations,  which  was  brought 
to  his  full  remembrance,  with  an  over- 
flowing abundance  of  other  weighty  and 
solemn  matter.  The  Lord  blessed  his 
discourse,  so  that  it  proved  the  happy 
means  of  the  conversion  of  about  thirty 
persons.  This  day  he  ever  afterwards 
spoke  of  as  "  his  harvest  day." 

(e)  TEXT  FOR  A  DISCOURAGED 

MINISTER.— After    the    Rev.    John 

Clark,  of  Trowbridge,  had  been  engaged 

in  the  ministry  for  a  few  years,  his  mind 

49^ 


became  greatly  depressed  with  a  view 
of  its  responsibility,  a  sense  of  his  own 
inability,  and  the  want  of  more  success. 
At  length  these  discouragements  were 
so  oppressive,  that  he  assured  some 
Christian  friends,  one  Sabbath  afternoon, 
that  he  could  preach  no  longer.  In 
vain  did  they  try  to  remove  his  diffi- 
culties, or  to  persuade  him  at  least  to 
address  the  congregation  that  evening, 
as  no  supply  could  be  obtained.  He 
declared  his  positive  inability  to  preach 
any  more.  At  this  moment  a  pious  old 
woman  applied  to  speak  to  the  minister. 
Being  admitted,  she  requested  him  to 
preach  from  that  text,  "  Then  I  said,  I 
will  speak  no  more  in  his  name :  but 
his  word  was  in  my  heart  as  a  burning 
fire  shut  up  in  my  bones,  and  I  was 
weary  with  forbearing,  and  I  could  not 
stay,"  Jer.  20 :  9.  She  stated  that  she 
did  not  know  where  the  words  were, 
but  that  her  mind  was  so  much  im- 
pressed with  them,  that  she  could  not 
forbear  to  request  him  to  preach  from 
them  that  evening.  Being  satisfied  that 
she  was  entirely  unacquainted  with  the 
circumstances  which  had  just  transpired, 
Mr.  Clark  was  assured  that  Providence 
had  thus  interposed  that  he  should  con- 
tinue  his  ministry.  He  preached  that 
evening  from  the  text  thus  given,  and 
never  afterwards  was  greatly  distressed 
on  the  subject. 

(/)  SERMON  THROWN  UPON 
THE  FIRE.— Mr.  Trowt's  anxiety  in 
the  anticipation  of  the  public  services, 
had  been  distressing ;  and  the  trepida- 
tion of  his  mind  was  such,  while  con- 
ducting it,  that  he  went  home  sorrow- 
ful. The  aged  widow  of  a  minister 
endeavored  to  encourage  him.  "  Do 
not  fear,"  she  said  :  "  my  husband  once 
came  down  stairs,  complaining,  that  it 
was  no  use  for  him  to  attempt  to  study 
any  longer;  and  threw  what  he  had 
written  into  the  fire.  I  immediately 
took  it  out,  and  said,  "  No,  you  ought 
not  to  burn  it — do  not  be  dejected — God 
will  be  better  to  you  than  your  fears  !" 
Animated  by  his  wife,  the  good  man  re- 
entered his  study.  He  composed  ano- 
ther sermon  on  the  occasion,  which  was 
the  means  of  awakening  a  person  who 
heard  it,  to  serious  attention  to  religion ; 
and  when  he  afterwards  preached  the 


FAULTS  OF  MINISTERS. 


264,  265 


sermon,  which  he  had,  in  dejection  of 
mind  thrown  in  the  fire,  that  sermon 
was  also  attended  with  a  like  blessing 
from  God. 

(g)  ROBERT  HALL'S  FIRST 
EFFORTS.— Robert  Hall,  desiring  a 
license  to  commence  preaching,  he  was 
appoinied  to  deliver  an  address  in  the 
vestry  of  Broadmead  Chapel  from  iTim. 
4  :  lb  :  "  Therefore  we  both  labor  and 
suffer  reproach,  because  we  trust  in  the 
living  God,  who  is  the  Savior  of  all 
men  :  especially  of  those  that  believe." 
After  proceeding  for  a  short  time,  much 
to  the  gratification  of  his  auditory,  he 
suddenly  paused,  and  covering  his  face 
with  his  hands,  exclaimed,  "  Oh  !  I  have 
lost  my  ideas,"  and  sat  down,  his  hands 
still  hiding  his  face.    , 

The  failure,  however,  painful  as  it 
was  to  his  tutors,  and  humiliating  to 
himself,  was  such  as  rather  augmented 
than  diminished  their  persuasion  of  what 
he  could  accomplish,  if  once  he  acquir- 
ed self-possession.  He  was  therefore 
appointed  to  speak  again  on  the  same 
subject,  at  the  same  place,  the  ensuing 
week. 

This  second  attempt  was  accompa- 
nied by  a  second  failure,  still  more  pain- 
ful to  wimess,  and  still  more  grievous 
to  bear.  He  hastened  from  the  vestry, 
and  on  retiring  to  his  room,  exclaimed, 
*^  If  this  does  not  humble  me,  the  devil 
must  have  me  !"  Such  were  the  early 
efforts  of  him  whose  humility  afterwards 
became  as  conspicuous  as  his  talents  ; 
and  who,  for  nearly  half  a  century,  ex- 
cited universal  attention  and  admiration 
by  the  splendor  of  his  pulpit  eloquence. 

26§.  Faults  of  Ministers. 

(a)  DR.  MASON'S  CRITICISM.— 
On  one  occasion  it  is  related  of  Dr. 
Mason,  of  New- York,  that  after  the  de- 
livery of  a  discourse  appointed  for  the 
day,  and  which  he  and  others  were  ex- 
pected to  criticise,  he  was  observed  to 
remain  silent  much  longer  than  usual 
for  him  on  similar  occasions,  apparent- 
ly absorbed  in  thought,  and  hesitating 
whether  to  express  his  opinion  of  the 
performance  or  not.  At  length  he  was 
appealed  to  by  some  one,  and  asked, 
whether  he  had  any  remarks  to  make. 


He  arose,  and  said,  "  I  admire  the  ser- 
mon for  the  beauty  of  its  style — for  the 
splendor  of  its  imagery — for  the  correct- 
ness of  its  sentiments — and  for  the  point 
of  its  arguments ;  but,  sir,  it  wanted 
owe  thing;"  and  then  pausing  till  the 
eyes  of  all  were  fixed  upon  him,  he  add- 
ed, "It  needed  to  be  baptized  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  to  en- 
title it  to  the  name  of  a  Christian  ser- 
mon." 

^  (b)  DR.  DWIGHT  AND^  THE 
YOUNG  CLERGYMAN.— A  young 
clergyman  once  called  upon  Dr. 
Dwight,  and  inquired  respecting  the 
best  method  of  treating  a  very  difficult 
and  abstruse  point  in  mental  philosophy, 
upon  which  he  was  preparing  a  sermon. 
"  I  cannot  give  you  any  information 
upon  the  subject,"  the  doctor  replied ; 
"  I  am  not  familiar  with  such  topics.  I 
leave  them  for  young  men." 

(c)  DEATH-BED  ESTIMATE.— 
A  celebrated  Irish  preacher,  distinguish- 
ed for  the  eloquence  of  his  pulpit  pre- 
parations, is  said  to  have  exclaimed  on 
his  death-bed,  ''  Speak  not  to  me  of  my 
sermons ;  alas !  I  was  fiddling  whilst 
Rome  was  burning." 

(d)  PREACHING    ALMOST 

EVERY    THING.— The   Abbe  

preached  a  fast-day  sermon  before  Louis 
the  Sixteenth,  which  contained  a  great 
deal  of  politics,  finance,  and  govern- 
ment, and  very  little  of  the  gospel.  "  It 
is  a  pity,"  said  the  king,  as  he  came 
out  of  the  church ;  "  if  the  abbe  had 
only  touched  a  little  on  religion,  he 
would  have  told  us  of  every  thing." 

(e)  NOT  DEALING  IN  SCRIP- 
TURE. — A  woman    went  one  day  to 

hear  Dr. preach,   and,  as  usual, 

carried  a  pocket  Bible  with  her,  that  she 
might  turn  to  any  of  the  passages  the 
preacher  might  happen  to  refer  to.  But 
she  found  that  she  had  no  use  for  her 
Bible  there  ;  and  on  coming  away,  said 
to  a  friend,  "I  should  have  left  my 
Bible  at  home  to-day,  and  have  brought 
my  dictionary.  The  doctor  does  not 
deal  in  Scripture,  but  in  such  learned 
words  and  phrases  as  require  the  help 
of  an  interpreter  to  render  them  intelli- 
gible." 

(/)  LONG  PULPIT  EXERCISES. 
— Complaints  against  long  religious  ser- 
493 


265 


MINISTERS,  CHRISTIAN. 


vices  are  very  frequent.  Few  things 
appear  so  bad  to  some  persons  as  to  be 
kept  in  the  house  of  God  more  than  one 
or  two  hours.  Let  us  see  how  it  was 
in  the  seventeenth  century.  Mr.  Howe 
was  then  minister  of  Great  Torrington, 
in  Devonshire.  His  labors  here  were 
characteristic  of  the  times.  On  the 
public  fasts,  it  was  his  common  method 
to  begin  about  nine  in  the  morning,  with 
a  prayer  for  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour, 
in  which  he  begged  a  blessing  on  the 
work  of  the  day  ;  and  afterwards  read 
and  expounded  a  chapter  or  psalm,  in 
which  he  spent  about  three-quarters  of 
an  hour  ;  then  prayed  an  hour ;  preach- 
ed another  hour ;  and  prayed  again  for 
half  an  hour.  After  this,  he  retired, 
and  took  a  little  refreshment  for  a  quar- 
ter of  an  hour  or  more,  the  people  sing- 
ing all  the  while.  He  then  returned  to 
the  pulpit,  prayed  for  another  hour, 
gave  them  another  sermon  of  about  an 
hour's  length ;  and  so  concluded  the 
service  of  the  day,  about  four  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon,  with  half  an  hour  or 
more  of  prayer. 

(g)  A  FUNNY  PREACHER.— 
A  popular  preacher,  after  a  pulpit  ex- 
hibition of  his  wit  to  a  country  congre- 
gation, had  particularly  attracted  the 
attention  of  a  boy  who  was  present.  On 
going  home  to  his  mother,  he  exclaimed, 
"  Well,  mother,  I  shall  never  forget 
that  preacher — he  is  the  best  of  all  I 
ever  heard  ! !"  "  Why  so,  my  boy  ?" 
"  Oh,  mother,  because  he  was  so  very 
funny  .'"  This  anecdote,  though  short, 
may  be  a  useful  hint  to  ministers  who 
are  in  the  habit  of  indulging  their  natu- 
ral levity  in  the  pulpit. 

(h)  CRYING  IN  THE  WRONG 
PLACE. — I  remember,  (says  Foster,  in 
speaking  of  Robert  Hall,)  at  the  dis- 
tance of  many  years,  with  what  vivid- 
ness of  the  ludicrous  he  related  an 
anecdote  of  a  preacher  long  since  de- 
ceased, of  some  account  in  his  day  and 
connection.  He  would,  in  preaching, 
sometimes  weep,  or  seem  to  weep,  when 
the  people  wondered  why,  as  not  per- 
ceiving in  what  he  was  saying  any 
cause  for  such  emotion,  in  the  exact 
places  where  it  occurred.  After  his 
death  one  of  his  hearers  happening  to 
inspect  some  of  his  manuscript  sermons, 
494 


exclaimed,  "  I  have  found  the  explana- 
tion ;  we  used  to  wonder  at  the  good 
doctor's  weeping  with  so  little  reason 
sometimes  as  it  seemed.  In  his  ser- 
mons, there  is  written  here  and  there 
on  the  margins,  '  cry  here.'  Now  I 
really  believe  the  doctor  sometimes 
mistook  the  place,  and  that  was  the 
cause  of  what  appeared  so  unaccount- 
able." 

(0  PAYING  LIKE  A  SINNER. 
— Several  years  ago,  in  North  Carolina, 
where  it  is  not  customary  for  the  tavern 
keepers  to  charge  the  ministers  for  lodg- 
ing and  refreshments,  a  preacher  pre- 
sumingly  stopped  at  a  tavern  one  even- 
ing,  made  himself  comfortable  during 
the  night ;  and  in  the  morning  entered 
the  stage  without  offering  to  pay  for  his 
accommodations.  The  landlord  came 
running  up  to  the  stage,  and  said, 
"  there  was  some  one  in  there  who  had 
not  settled  his  bill" — the  passengers  all 
said  they  had,  except  the  preacher,  who 
said  he  had  understood  that  he  never 
charged  ministers  any  thing.  "  What, 
you  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  a  man  of 
God  ?"  cried  the  inn-keeper,  "  you  came 
to  my  house  last  night,  you  sat  down  at 
the  table  without  asking  a  blessing,  I  lit 
you  up  to  your  room,  and  you  went  to 
bed  without  praying  to  your  Maker, 
(for  I  staid  there  until  you  had  undress- 
ed ;)  you  rose  and  washed  without  say- 
ing grace,  and  as  you  came  to  my  house 
like  a  sinner,  you  have  got  to  pay  like 
a  sinner." 

(j)  THE  THIRD  HEAD.— A 
certain  French  preacher,  after  a  long 
and  pompous  introduction,  said,  "  I  shall 
now  proceed,  rny  hearers,  to  divide  my 
subject  into  three  parts.  1.  I  shall  tell 
you  about  that  which  I  know,  and  that 
you  do  not  know.  2.  I  shall  tell  about 
that  which  you  know,  and  I  do  not 
know.  3.  And  lastly,  I  shall  tell  you 
about  that  which  neither  you  nor  I 
know."  Alas !  how  much  preaching 
'comes  under  the  third  head.'  How 
often,  when  Paul  supplies  the  text,  has 
Tully,  Plato,  Epictetus  taught!  If 
there  was  more  simple,  plain  preaching 
to  the  conscience,  instead  of  an  osten- 
tatious display  of  learning,  or  strife 
about  words  to  no  profit ;  we  should  see 
more  faithful,  consistent  Christians,  and 


FAULTS  OF  MINISTERS. 


265 


more  done  to  advance  the  mild  kingdom 
of  Christ. 

(k)  FALSE  AND  UNGODLY 
DELICACY.— The  Rev.  Dr.  Griffin 
used  to  relate  an  anecdote  of  a  clergy- 
man, who  said  in  the  course  of  a  sermon, 
"  My  dear  hearers,  unless  you  repent 
of  your  sins  and  turn  unto  God,  you 
will  go  to  a  place  that  it  would  be  inde- 
licate to  name  before  so  refined  an  as- 
sembly.'' *'  Such  a  man,"  the  doctor 
would  add,  "  ought  to  be  hurled  with 
indignation  from  the  pulpit."  A  sen- 
timentalism  (for  the  want  of  a  better 
word)  pervades  the  minds  of  many  men, 
and  begets  a  taste  that  savors  far  more 
of  false  delicacy  than  real  refinem^t  or 
good  sense. 

(Z)  SERMON  FOR  DR.  MAN- 
TON. — Dr.  Harris  relates,  tiiat  while 
Dr.  Manton  was  minister  at  Covent 
Garden,  he  was  called  on  to  preach  be- 
fore the  lord  mayor,  and  the  companies 
of  the  city,  at  St.  Paul's.  He  studied 
for  the  occasion  an  elaborate  discourse, 
and  was  heard  by  the  most  intelligent 
part  of  his  congregation  with  great  ad- 
miration. But,  as  he  was  returning 
home  in  the  evening,  a  poor  man  pulled 
the  sleeve  of  his  gown,  and  asked  if  he 
was  the  gentleman  who  had  preached 
before  the  lord  mayor  in  the  morning. 
On  the  doctor's  replying  in  the  affir- 
mative, the  man  added,  "  Sir,  I  came 
with  the  hope  of  getting  some  good  for 
my  soul,  but  I  was  greatly  disappoint- 
ed ;  for  1  could  not  understand  a  great 
deal  of  what  you  said  ;  you  were  quite 
above  me."  The  doctor  wept,  and  re- 
plied, "  Friend,  if  1  did  not  give  you 
a  sermon,  you  have  given  me  one  ;  and, 
by  the  grace  of  God,  I  will  never  again 
play  the  fool,  in  preaching  before  my 
lord  mayor  in  such  a  manner." 

(m)  UNDERSTOOD  BY  FIVE  OR 
SIX. — I  remember  some  years  ago, 
says  a  writer  in  the  Religious  Maga- 
zine, to  have  heard  a  young  minister 
who  was  settled  in  a  small  obscure 
town,  preach  a  sermon  at  an  association 
meeting,  which  was  richly  adorned  with 
the  graces  of  finished  composition.  He 
was  afterwards  asked  by  a  senior  broth- 
er, whether  he  preached  such  sermons 
at  home ;  and  having  answered  in  the 
affirmative,  "  And  how  many  of  your 


people,"  it  was  said,  "  do  you  suppose 
can  understand  you  ?"  "  About  five  or 
six,"  he  replied.  The  avowal  produced, 
as  might  be  expected,  among  men  of 
piety  and  experience  a  mixed  emotion 
of  grief  and  indignation.  Nor  can  we 
conceive  of  a  more  gross  and  revolting 
inconsistency,  than  that  of  a  Christian 
pastor  and  teacher  pleasing  himself  and 
a  few  fond  admirers  by  picking  flowers 
and  wearing  pretty  garlands,  when  the 
sheep  of  his  flock  are  ready  to  perish 
for  want  of  being  properly  watched  and 
fed.  What !  will  a  man  who  has  as- 
sumed an  office  of  deep  and  awful  res- 
ponsibility, spend  his  time,  his  strength, 
and  his  ingenuity  in  courting  the  muses, 
and  canvassing  for  literary  honors,  when 
the  souls  of  his  charge  are  many  of 
them  rushing,  unprepared,  into  eterni- 
ty !  Oh,  shameful  prostitution  of  the 
noblest  function  ! 

(n)  THE  REFORMER  AND  THE 
QUAKER. — A  country  clergyman  was 
boasting  in  a  large  company  of  the  suc- 
cess he  had  met  with  in  reforming  his 
parishioners,  on  whom  his  labors,  he 
said,  had  produced  a  wonderful  change 
for  the  better.  Being  asked  in  what 
respect,  he  replied  that,  when  he  came 
first  among  them,  they  were  a  set  of 
unmannerly  clowns,  who  paid  him  no 
more  deference  than  they  did  to  one  an- 
other ;  did  not  so  much  as  pull  ofl*  their 
hat  when  they  spoke  to  him,  but  bawled 
out  as  roughly  and  familiarly  as  though 
he  was  their  equal ;  whereas  now  they 
never  presumed  to  address  him  but  cap 
in  hand  and  in  a  submissive  voice,  made 
him  the  best  bow  when  they  were  at 
ten  yards'  distance,  and  styled  him  your 
reverence  at  every  word.  A  Quaker, 
who  had  heard  the  whole  patiently, 
made  answer,  "  And  so,  friend,  the  up- 
shot of  this  reformation,  of  which  thou 
hast  so  much  carnal  glorying,  is,  that 
thou  hast  taught  thy  people  to  worship 
thyself." 

(o)  BAD  EFFECTS  OF  LEVI- 
TY. — An  eminent  medical  practitioner, 
who  is  also  a  man  of  true  piety,  was 
called  to  attend  a  patient  on  the  Lord's 
day,  at  such  a  distance  from  his  own 
place  of  worship,  as  to  render  his  at- 
tendance there  impossible.  Not  will- 
ing, however,  to  lose  the  benefit  of  pub- 
495 


966 


MINISTERS,  CHRISTIAN. 


lie  worship  altogether,  he  repaired  to  a 
neighboring  chapel :  but  as  the  service 
was  far  advanced,  and  the  place  much 
crowded,  he  could  get  no  farther  than 
the  door.  The  preacher  was  long  and 
deservedly  esteemed  in  the  Christian 
world,  but  of  that  class  who  are  unhap- 
pily prone  to  mingle  oddities  and  witti- 
cisms in  their  discourse.  His  text  was 
found  to  be,  "  Almost  thou  persuadest 
me  to  be  a  Christian  ;"  and  as  he  pro- 
ceeded, many  ludicrous  expressions  es- 
caped him,  not  at  all  to  the  taste  of  his 
professional  hearer.  This  gentleman 
was,  however,  particularly  struck  with 
the  effect  of  his  mode  of  preaching  on  a 
person  who  stood  near  him,  who  ap- 
peared to  be  a  very  respectable  and  in- 
telligent young  man.  After  -listening 
some  time  with  great  attention,  but  with 
evident  and  growing  indications  of  unea- 
siness and  disgust,  he  hastily  retired 
from  the  scene,  muttering  in  an  audible 
tone,  "  If  this  be  preaching  the  gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ,  I  know  nothing  of  the 
meaning  of  the  New  Testament.  Al- 
most thou  persuadest  me  to  be  an  infideV^ 

266.  Miscellaneous. 

(^)  NETTLETON  AND  THE 
UNFAITHFUL  MINISTER.—  The 
following  anecdote  of  Dr.  Nettleton,  is 
a  delightful  instance  of  his  peculiar  ten- 
derness for  the  ministerial  reputation 
and  influence  of  his  brethren.  It  serves 
both  as  a  powerful  rebuke  to  that  reck- 
less spirit  which  too  often  marks  the 
character  of  flaming  zealots,  and  as  a 
gentle  admonition  for  that  reprehensi- 
ble coldness,  which  perhaps  equally  as 
often  prevails  in  the  bosom  of  the  min- 
istry. 

Dr.  Nettleton  was  most  sensitively 
careful  to  sustain  the  influence  of  his 
brethren.  He  would  not,  when  he 
knew  there  was  an  evident  deficiency, 
do  any  thing  that  might  tend,  in  the 
least  degree,  to  disparage  them  in  the 
estimation  of  their  people.  There  was 
one  instance,  which  I  am  about  to  name, 
in  which  he  showed  his  delicacy  of 
feeling  and  address,  in  a  most  Christian 
manner.  A  clergyman  who  lived  not 
far  from  the  place  where  Dr.  Nettleton 
resided,  bore  the  reputation  of  an  indo- 
496 


lent  and  inefficient  pastor,  and  had,  in 
consequence,  caused  considerable  un- 
easiness amongst  his  people.  Some  of 
the  more  faithful  part  of  the  church, 
who  deplored  the  low  state  of  religion 
and  growing  laxity  of  morals  among  the 
youth  of  the  congregation,  went  to  Dr. 
Nettleton,  aud  desired  him  to  come  and 
preach  to  them.  To  this  he  would  by 
no  means  consent,  without  an  express 
invitation  from  the  pastor,  and  of  that  he 
had  little  hope.  But  there  happened  to 
be  a  desert  spot  on  the  borders  of  the 
town,  where  religious  meetings  were 
seldom  held,  and  where  the  influence  of 
the  pastor  did  not  particularly  extend. 
When  he  was  made  acquainted  with 
the  fact,  he  said  that  he  had  no  objec- 
tion to  go  there  and  hold  a  few  evening 
meetings  with  them.  He  went,  and 
without  exciting  observation,  held  seve- 
ral religious  meetings.  In  a  short  time, 
a  number  of  the  youth  were  under  deep 
conviction  for  sin.  As  soon  as  he  per- 
ceived the  joyful  appearance,  he  re- 
quested all  who  were  under  serious  im- 
pressions, to  meet  with  him  the  next 
day,  informing  them  that  he  had  some- 
thing of  an  important  nature,  which  he 
wished  to  communicate.  When  they 
had  all  met,  he  advised  the  young  ladies 
to  go  that  same  evening  to  their  pastor, 
and  ask  his  counsel  respecting  the  pres- 
ent state  of  their  minds  ;  and  the  young 
men  he  advised  to  go  the  evening  fol- 
lowing for  the  same  purpose.  They  all 
did  as  he  had  prudently  directed  them  ; 
and  the  effect  was  so  powerfully  elec- 
tric, that  the  slothful  pastor  rose  up  at 
once,  went  to  work  with  all  his  might, 
preached  and  labored  with  assiduous 
energy,  and  was  the  favored  instrument 
in  reaping  a  glorious  harvest  of  souls. 
As  soon  as  the  pastor  got  thus  fairly  to 
work,  Dr.  N.  retired  ;  the  pastor  ever 
remained  a  faithful  and  useful  man. 

{h)  HOW  TO  HAVE  A  GOOjJ 
MINISTER.— Every  church,  it  is  pre- 
sumed,  is  desiring  a  good  minister,  yet 
every  one  may  not  in  their  own  appre- 
hension be  favored  with  such  a  blessing. 
Many  churches  often  feel  that  their  min- 
ister is  not  quite  what  they  desire  him 
to  be — not  quite  the  man  for  the  place 
which  he  is  in.  Their  eyes  are  there- 
fore turned  away   from    the   minister 


MISCELLANEOUS. 


266 


whose  labors  they  enjoy,  to  some  other 
man,  or  to  their  heau  ideal  of  a  minister, 
and  they  desire  a  change.  For  the 
benefit  of  such  we  would  relate  the  fol- 
lowing circumstances  which  we  are  told 
are  substantially  matters  of  fact. 

A  young  man  was  settled  in  a  large 
and  popular  congregation  in  New  Eng- 
land, under  very  flattering  circum- 
stances. The  church  and  people  had 
settled  him  with  the  belief  that  he  was 
a  young  man  of  more  than  ordinary  tal- 
ents, and  with  the  expectation  of  his  be- 
coming  a  distinguished  man.  After  a 
year  or  two,  when  the  novelty  of  the 
thing  had  worn  off,  the  current  seemed 
to  change,  and  the  feeling  prevailed  that 

Mr.  B was  not,  nor  likely  to  be, 

quite  what  they  expected.  He  did  not 
grow  as  they  thought  he  would  ;  he  did 
not  perform  that  amount  of  labor  which 
was  needed  to  build  up  the  church  and 
interest  the  congregation.  Things  drag- 
ged heavily.  The  young  man  felt  the 
influence  of  the  chill  atmosphere  which 
thus  surrounded  him.  His  spirits  sunk, 
his  health  ran  down,  and  it  was  whis- 
pered around  in  the  society,  and  in  the 

neighboring   towns,    that    Mr.    B 

would  probably  have  to  leave,  he  was  not 
the  man  for  the  place,  he  was  not  the  man 
of  talents  which  they  had  anticipated. 

While  things  were  in  this  state,  at  a 
meeting  of  the  church  when  the  pastor 
was  absent,  (perhaps  called  to  see  what 
should  be  done,)  Mr.  O ,  an  intelli- 
gent member  of  the  church  arose  and 
said,  "  Brethren,  I  think  we  have  been 
in  fault  respecting  our  minister.  I 
think  he  is  a  young  man  of  superior 
talents,  and  will  one  day  be  a  distin- 
guished man.  But  we  have  not  sus- 
tained and  encouraged  him  as  we 
should.  We  have  not  spoken  of  him  to 
others  with  esteem  and  confidence  as 
we  should.  We  have  been  standing 
and  looking  on,  expecting  him  to  raise 
both  himself  and  us  to  eminence. 
Now  let  us  adopt  a  diflTerent  course. 
Let  us  encourage  our  minister  with  our 
prayers,  our  sympathies,  and  efforts. 
Let  us  speak  of  him  with  esteem  and 
confidence  to  others,  and  say  that  we 


think  him  a  man  of  talent,  and  who 
bids  fair  to  be  a  distinguished  man." 

The  thing  was  agreed  upon.  The 
leading  men  set  the  example.  Very 
soon   every  one  was  speaking  in  favor 

of  Mr.  B .     His  people  visited  him, 

sympathized  with  him,  encouraged  him ; 
and  people  out  of  the  society  began  to 

think  ho^v  Mr.  B was  rising  in  the 

estimation  of  his  people.  The  young 
man  felt  the  change.  The  cold  damp 
chill  by  which  he  had  been  surrounded, 
and  which  had  benumbed  the  energies 
of  his  soul,  was  exchanged  for  a  warm 
genial  atmosphere.  His  spirits  rose, 
his  health  returned,  his  energies  awoke, 
and  he  soon  showed  to  all  that  he  had 
within  him  the  elements  of  a  man.  Sev- 
eral revivals  have  attended  his  labors. 
In  the  affections  of  the  church  and  peo- 
ple he  has  long  since  firmly  established 
himself.  They  delight  in  him  as  a  man 
of  talent,  as  well  as  a  good  man.  His 
name  has  become  honorably  enrolled 
among  American  authors,  and  he  is  one 
whom  his  own  church,  and  the  church- 
es of  New  England  delight  to  honor. 
Reader,  Christian,  would  you  have  a 
good  minister  ?  Go  thou  and  do  like- 
wise. 

(c)  THE  MINISTER'S  APPEAL. 
£— A  minister  who  was  called  to  preach 
probationally  to  a  vacant  congregation, 
after  sermon  was  addressed  by  the  dea- 
con of  the  church,  an  amiable  man,  as 
follows : — "  Sir,  I  should  have  approved 
your  sermon  highly  had  you  closed  it 
without  that  address  to  sinners."  The 
young  preacher  in  reply  said,  "  Sir,  I 
cannot  preach  a  sermon  without  doing 
it."  He  was,  however,  chosen  pastor 
of  the  church.  Some  time  after,  some 
young  persons  giving  an  account  of 
their  experience  in  order  to  their  ad- 
mission, one  of  them,  the  daughter  of 
the  said  deacon,  publicly  declared  that 
the  Lord  had  been  pleased  to  make  that 
address,  which  her  father  had  so  con- 
demned, the  means  of  her  conversion. 
She  lived  an  ornament  to  her  profession, 
and  died  happy  in  the  Lord.  The  good 
deacon  said,  he  should  never  more  be 
an  enemy  to  the  free  call  of  the  gospel. 


32 


497 


367 


MISERS. 


267.  MISERS. 


(a)  PRODIGAL  TURNED  MISER. 
— A  young  man,  of  vicious  principles 
and  habits,  wasted  in  two  or  three  years 
a  large  patrimony  in  profligacy.  When 
his  last  means  were  exhausted,  liis 
worthless  associates,  who  called  them- 
selves his  friends,  treated  him  with  ne- 
glect. Reduced  to  absolute  want,  he 
one  day  went  out  of  the  house  with  an 
intention  to  put  an  end  to  his  life  ;  but 
wandering  awhile  almost  unconsciously, 
he  came  to  the  brow  of  an  eminence 
which  overlooked  what  were  lately  his 
estates.  Here  he  sat  down,  and  remain- 
ed fixed  in  thought  for  some  hours,  at 
the  end  of  which  he  sprang  from  the 
ground  with  a  vehement  exulting  emo- 
tion. He  had  tbrmed  his  resolution, 
which  was,  that  all  those  estates  should 
be  his  again ;  he  had  formed  his  plan 
too,  which  he  instantly  began  to  execute. 
He  walked  hastily  forward,  determined 
to  seize  the  first  opportunity  to  gain  mo- 
ney, though  it  were  ever  so  small  a  sum, 
and  resolved  not  to  spend,  if  he  could 
help  it,  a  farthing  of  whatever  he  might 
obtain.  The  first  thing  that  drew  his 
attention  was  a  heap  of  coals,  shot  out 
of  carts  on  the  pavement  before  a  house. 
He  offered  himself  to  put  them  in  the 
place  where  they  were  to  be  laid,  and 
was  employed.  He  received  a  few 
pence  for  his  labor ;  and  then,  in  pur- 
suance of  the  saving  part  of  his  plan, 
requested  some  small  gratuity  of  meat 
and  drink,  which  was  given  to  him.  He 
then  looked  out  for  the  next  thing  that 
might  offer,  and  went,  with  indefatigable 
industry,  through  a  succession  of  servile 
employments  in  different  places,  of  long- 
er and  shorter  duration,  still  scrupulous- 
ly avoiding,  as  far  as  possible,  the  ex- 
pense of  a  penny.  He  promptly  seized 
every  opportunity  which  could  advance 
his  design,  without  regarding  the  mean- 
ness of  occupation  or  appearance.  By 
this  method  he  gained,  after  a  consider- 
able time,  money  enough  to  purchase, 
in  order  to  sell  again,  a  few  cattle,  of 
which  he  had  taken  pains  to  understand 
the  value.  He  speedily  but  cautiously 
turned  his  first  gains  into  second  advan- 
498 


tages ;  retained  without  a  single  devia- 
tion his  extreme  parsimony ;  and  thus 
advanced  by  degrees  into  larger  trans- 
actions and  incipient  wealth.  The  final 
result  was  that  he  more  than  recovered 
his  lost  possessions,  and  died  an  invete- 
rate miser,  worth  sixty  thousand  pounds. 
Happy  would  it  have  been  for  this  indi- 
vidual, if  he  had  discovered  the  same 
anxiety  to  recover  the  heavenly  inheri- 
tance he  had  lost,  and  had  pursued  it 
with  similar  decision  and  perseverance. 
{b)  DANCER'S  MODE  OF  LIVING 
— Daniel  Dancer,  Esq.,  was  remarkable 
for  a  miserly  disposition.  Lady  Tem- 
pest  was  the  only  person  who  had  the 
least  influence  on  this  unfortunate  man. 
She  had  one  day  the  pleasure  of  pre- 
vailing on  him  to  purchase  a  hat  (hav- 
ing worn  his  own  for  thirteen  years) 
from  a  Jew  for  a  shilling  ;  but,  to  her 
great  surprise,  when  she  called  the  next 
day,  she  saw  the  old  chapeau  still  cover- 
ed his  head  !  On  inquiry  it  was  found 
that,  after  much  solicitation,  he  had 
prevailed  on  old  Griffiths,  his  servant, 
to  purchase  the  hat  for  eighteen  pence, 
which  Mr.  Dancer  bought  the  day  be- 
fore for  a  shilling !  He  generally,  in 
severe  weather,  laid  in  bed  to  keep  him- 
self warm  ;  to  light  a  fire  he  thought 
expensive,  though  he  had  3000/.  per 
annum,  besides  immense  riches  !  He 
never  took  snuff*,  for  that  was  extrava- 
gant, but  he  always  carried  a  snuff'  box ! 
This  probably  he  would  fill  in  the  course 
of  a  month  by  pinches  obtained  from 
others !  When  the  box  was  full  he 
would  barter  the  contents  for  a  farthing 
candle  at  a  neighboring  green  grocer's  ; 
this  candle  was  made  to  last  till  the  box 
was  again  full,  as  he  never  suffered  any 
light  in  his  house  except  while  he  was 
going  to  bed.  He  seldom  washed  his 
face  and  hands  but  when  the  sun  shone 
forth  ;  then  he  would  betake  himself  to 
a  neighboring  pool,  and  used  sand  in- 
stead of  soap  ;  when  he  was  washed  he 
would  lie  on  his  back,  and  dry  himself 
in  the  sun,  as  he  never  used  a  towel, 
for  that  would  wear,  and,  when  dirty, 
the  washing  was  expensive.     Since  his 


fl' 


MISERS. 


26T 


death  there  have  been  jugs  of  dollars 
and  shillings  found  in  the  stable.  At 
the  dead  of  night  he  has  been  known  to 
go  to  this  place,  but  for  what  purpose 
even  Old  Griffiths  could  not  tell ;  but  it 
now  appears  that  he  used  to  rob  one  jug 
to  add  to  the  other. 

(c)  VANDILLE,  THE  FRENCH 
MISER. — M.  Vandille  was  the  most 
remarkable  man  in  Paris,  both  on  ac- 
count of  his  immense  riches  and  his  ex- 
treme avarice.  He  lodged  as  high  up 
as  the  roof  would  admit,  to  avoid  noise 
or  visits  ;  maintained  one  poor  old  wo- 
man to  attend  him  in  his  garret,  and  al- 
lowed her  only  seven  sous  per  week,  or 
a  half-penny  per  day. 

His  usual  diet  was  bread  and  milk  , 
and,  by  way  of  indulgence,  some  poor 
sour  wine  on  a  Sunday.  This  prudent 
economist  had  been  a  magistrate  or  offi- 
cer at  Boulogne,  from  which  obscurity 
he  was  promoted  to  Paris  for  the  repu- 
tation of  his  wealth,  which  he  lent  upon 
undeniable  security  to  the  public  funds, 
not  caring  to  trust  individuals  with  what 
constituted  all  his  happiness.  While  a 
magistrate  at  Boulogne,  he  maintained 
himself  by  taking  upon  him  to  be  milk- 
taster-general  at  the  market,  and  from 
one  to  another  filled  his  belly  and 
washed  down  his  bread  without  expense 
to  himself. 

(d)  DEATH  OF  A  BANKER.— 
In  December,  1790,  died  at  Paris,  liter- 
ally of  want,  Mr.  Ostervald,  a  well- 
known  banker.  This  man  felt  the  vio- 
lence of  the  disease  of  avarice  (for  sure- 
ly it  is  rather  a  disease  than  a  passion 
of  the  mind)  so  strongly  that,  within  a 
few  days  of  his  death,  no  importunities 
could  induce  him  to  buy  a  few  pounds 
of  meat,  for  the  purpose  of  making  a 
little  soup  for  him.  "  'Tis  true,"  said 
he,  "  I  should  not  dislike  the  soup,  but  I 
have  no  appetite  for  the  meat ;  what^ 
thon,  is  to  become  of  that?"  At  the 
time  that  he  refused  this  nourishment, 
for  fear  of  being  obliged  to  give  away 
two  or  three  pounds  of  meat,  there 
was  tied  round  his  neck  a  silken 
bag  which  contained  800  assignats  of 
1000  livres  each.  At  his  outset  in  life 
he  drank  a  pint  of  beer,  which  served 
him  for  supper,  every  night  at  a  house 
much  frequented,  from  which  he  carried 


home  all  the  bottle  corks  he  could  come 
at :  of  these,  in  the  course  of  eight 
years,  he  had  collected  as  many  as 
sold  for  12  louis  d'ors  ;  a  sum  that  laid 
the  foundation  of  his  fortune,  the  super- 
structure of  which  was  rapidly  raised 
by  his  uncommon  success  in  stock-job- 
bing. He  died  possessed  of  125,000Z. 
sterling. 

{e)  ECONOMY  OF  MR.  EL  WES. 
— There  have  been  few  persons  in  whom 
avarice  has  predominated  more  than  in 
the  late  Mr.  Elwes.  His  mother,  in- 
deed, was  excessively  avaricious  ;  and 
though  she  was  left  nearly  100,000/. 
by  her  husband,  yet  she  absolutely 
starved  herself  to  death.  Mr.  Elwes 
seemed  not  less  wretched  than  his  moth- 
er. At  his  house  at  Stoke,  in  Suffolk, 
if  a  window  were  broken,  it  was  mend- 
ed by  a  piece  of  brown  paper,  or  by 
patching  it  with  a  small  bit  of  glass ; 
and  this  had  been  done  so  frequently, 
and  in  so  many  shapes,  that  it  would 
have  puzzled  a  mathematician  to  say 
what  figure  they  represented.  To  save 
fire,  he  would  walk  about  the  remains  of 
an  old  greenhouse,  or  sit  with  a  servant 
in  the  kitchen !  In  the  advance  of  the  sea- 
son his  morning  employment  was  to  pick 
up  chips,  bones,  or  any  thing  he  could 
find,  and  carry  them  home  in  his  pocket 
for  fire  !  One  day  he  was  surprised 
by  a  neighboring  gentleman  in  the  act 
of  pulling  down,  with  great  difficulty, 
a  crow's  nest  for  this  purpose ;  and 
when  the  gentleman  wondered  why  he 
should  give  himself  so  much  trouble, 
"  Oh,  sir,"  replied  Elwes,  "  it  is  really 
a  shame  that  these  creatures  should  do 
so ;  do  but  see  what  waste  they  make. 
They  don't  care  how  extravagant  they 
are."  He  would  almost  eat  any  thing 
to  save  expense.  At  a  time  when  he 
was  worth  eight  hundred  thousand 
pounds,  he  would  eat  game  at  the  last 
state  of  putrefaction,  and  meat  that  no 
other  person  could  touch  !  As  to  his 
dress,  any  thing  would  do.  He  wore  a 
wig  for  a  fortnight  which  he  had  picked 
up  in  a  rut  in  the  lane  when  riding  with 
another  gentleman.  His  shoes  he  never 
suffered  to  be  cleaned,  lest  they  should 
be  worn  out  the  sooner.  As  the  infirmi- 
ties of  old  age,  however,  came  upon 
him,  he  began  to  be  more  wretched.  It 
499 


267 


MISERS. 


is  said  that  he  was  heard  frequently  at 
midnight  as  if  struggling  with  some  one 
in  his  chamber,  and  crying  out,  "  I  will 
keep  my  money  ;  nobody  shall  rob  me 
of  my  property."  There  are  many 
other  remarkable  circumstances  related 
of  him,  but  what  we  have  already  quot- 
ed will  afford  a  striking  proof  of  the  va- 
nity of  sublunary  things,  and  of  the 
insufficiency  of  riches  to  render  man- 
kind happy. 

(/)  QUARRELING  ABOUT  A 
FARTHING.— Sir  Harvey  Elwes,  the 
miser,  notwithstanding  his  dislike  of  so- 
ciety, was  a  member  of  a  club  which 
occasionally  met  at  his  own  village  of 
Stoke,  and  to  which  belonged  two  other 
baronets  besides  himself,  Sir  Cordwell 
Firebras  and  Sii*  John  Barnardiston. 
With  these  three,  though  all  rich,  the 
reckoning  was  always  a  subject  of  the 
minutest  investigation.  One  day,  when 
they  were  engaged  in  settling  this  diffi- 
cult point,  a  wag,  who  was  a  member, 
called  out  to  a  friend  that  was  passing, 
"  Step  up  stairs  and  assist  the  poor  ! 
Here  are  three  baronets,  worth  a  mil- 
lion of  money,  quarreling  about  a  far- 
thing." 

(g)  THE  PETERSBURGH  MISER. 
— A  Russian  merchant,  who  was  so  im- 
mensely rich  that  on  one  occasion  he 
lent  the  Empress  Catharine  the  Second 
a  million  of  rubles,  used  to  live  in  a 
small,  obscure  room  at  St.  Petersburgh, 
with  scarcely  any  fire,  furniture,  or  at- 
tendants,, though  his  house  was  larger 
than  many  palaces.  He  buried  his 
money  in  casks  in  the  cellar,  and  was 
so  great  a  miser  that  he  barely  allowed 
himself  the  common  necessaries  of  life. 
He  placed  his  principal  security  in  a 
large  dog  of  singular  fierceness,  which 
used  to  protect  the  premises  by  barking 
nearly  the  whole  of  the  night.  At 
length  the  dog  died  ;  when  the  master, 
either  impelled  by  his  avarice  from 
buying  another  dog,  or  fearing  that  he 
might  not  meet  with  one  that  he  could 
so  well  depend  on,  adopted  the  singular 
method  of  performing  the  canine  service 
himself,  by  going  his  rounds  every 
evening,  and  barking  as  well  and  as 
loud  as  he  could,  in  imitation  of  his 
faithful  sentinel. 


(/i)  MISER  STARVED  IN  HIS 
CAVE. — In  the  year  1762,  an  extra- 
ordinary instance  of  avarice  and  pecu- 
lation occurred  in  France.  M.  Foscue, 
one  of  the  farmers-general  of  the  pro- 
vince of  Languedoc,  had  amassed  an 
immense  fortune  by  grinding  the  faces  of 
the  poor,  and  by  every  means,  however 
base  and  cruel,  that  could  increase  his  ill- 
gotten  store.  This  man  was  ordered 
by  the  government  to  advance  a  con- 
siderable sum  of  money,  but  excused 
himself  from  complying  with  the  order 
on  the  plea  of  poverty.  Fearing,  how- 
ever, that  some  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 
province,  among  whom  he  was  very 
unpopular,  would  give  information  to 
the  contrary,  and  his  house  be  in  con- 
sequence searched,  he  determined  to 
hide  his  money  in  a  way  which  might 
elude  examination.  He  dug  in  his  wine- 
cellar  a  cave,  large  and  deep,  into  which 
he  descended  by  a  ladder ;  at  the  en- 
trance of  which  was  a  spring  lock,  which, 
on  shutting  the  door,  would  fasten  of  it- 
self. Soon  after  this  M.  Foscue  dis- 
appeared. Diligent  search  was  made 
for  him  ;  the  ponds  were  dragged  ;  and 
every  imaginable  method  taken  to  find 
him,  but  in  vain.  A  few  months  after 
the  house  was  sold  ;  and  the  workmen 
beginning  to  repair  it,  they  discovered 
a  door  in  the  cellar,  with  a  key  in  the 
lock.  The  owner  ordered  it  to  be  open- 
ed, and  on  going  down,  they  discovered 
M.  F.  lying  dead  on  the  ground,  with  a 
candlestick  near  him  ;  and  on  a  farther 
search,  they  found  the  vast  wealth  he 
had  amassed.  It  was  supposed,  thai 
when  he  went  into  his  cave,  the  door, 
by  some  accident,  shut  after  him ;  and 
thus,  being  out  of  the  call  of  any  per- 
son, he  perished  for  want  of  food,  and 
had  even  gnawed  the  flesh  off  both  his 
arms  for  subsistence. 

Such  was  the  wretched  end  of  this 
oppressive  miser,  who  died  in  the  midst 
of  the  immense  treasure  he  had  collect- 
ed, which  he  neither  enjoyed  himself, 
nor  would  bestow  on  others.  How 
worthless  are  the  riches  of  the  world  if 
improperly  used  !  What  is  their  value 
without  the  favor  of  God  accompanying 
them? 


500 


MISSIONS. 


268 


MISSIONS. 


NEED  OF  MISSIONS. 
268.  Ignorance  of  the  Heathen. 

(a)  SUPERSTITION  OF  THE 
CHINESE.— On  the  13th  of  May, 
1818,  a  storm  suddenly  arose  at  Pekin, 
which  darkened  the  heavens,  and  filled 
the  air  with  sand  and  dust.  The  Em- 
peror was  excessively  alarmed,  con- 
ceiving it  to  be  a  divine  judgment.  Anx- 
ious to  know  the  meaning  of  the  por- 
tentous event,  he  required  of  his  min- 
isters of  state  to  endeavor  to  ascertain 
the  cause.  In  a  public  document,  he 
reprimanded  his  astronomers  for  not 
having  previously  informed  him  when 
the  hurricane  was  to  take  place :  they 
had  but  three  days  before  stated  to  him, 
that  felicitous  stars  shed  their  happy  in- 
fluence around  his  person,  and  indicated 
long  life  and  prosperity. 

The  Mathematical  Board  presented 
their  opinion,  and  affirmed  that  if  this 
kind  of  hurricane,  accompanied  by  a 
descent  of  dust,  continued  a  whole  day, 
it  indicated  perverse  behavior  and  dis- 
cordant counsels  between  the  sovereign 
and  his  ministers ;'  and  also  a  great 
drought  and  dearness  of  grain.  If  the 
wind  should  blow  up  the  sand,  move  the 
stones,  and  be  accompanied  with  noise, 
inundations  were  to  be  expected.  If 
the  descent  of  dust  should  continue  but 
an  hour,  pestilence  may  be  expected 
in  the  southwest  regions,  and  half  the 
population  will  be  diseased  in  the  south- 

(b)  THE   THREE    CRIMINALS. 

— It  is  perfectly  natural  to  suppose  that 
those  who  have  little  or  no  knowledge 
of  a  future  state,  should  be  careless  of 
that  life  which  God  has  given,  during 
which  to  prepare  for  another  world.  A 
criminal  among  the  Hindoos  being  con- 
demned to  be  hanged  on  the  following 
day,  made  a  low  salaam,  or  bow,  to  the 
judge,  and  coolly  replied,  Buhost  atcha, 
"  Very  good."  Another,  when  asked 
if  there  was  any  thing  which  he  par- 
ticularly wished  before  leaving  the 
world,  answered,  "  Yes  ;  I  never  saw 
a  great  heap  of  rupees  together ;  and. 


of  all  things,  I  should  like  to  have  that 
pleasure  before  I  die."  A  third,  when 
the  same  question  was  addressed  to  him, 
longed  for  something  more  substantial. 
He  said,  "Your  food  is  much  better 
than  mine  ;  now,  before  you  hang  me, 
pray  give  me  such  a  good  dinner  as  you 
have."  The  indulgence  was  granted, 
and  he  ate  with  no  small  appetite. 
What  should  be  the  gratitude  of  those 
who  have  been  taught  the  true  end  of 
life,  and  what  zeal  should  Christians 
manifest  in  conveying  this  knowledge 
to  others ! 

(c)  HERE  WE  ARE  LIKE  BIRDS 
OF  PASSAGE.—"  It  is  stated  in  the 
history  of  England,"  says  Dr.  Philip, 
in  an  address  delivered  at  one  of  the 
London  Anniversaries,  "  that  when  the 
first  missionary  who  arrived  in  Kent, 
presented  himself  before  the  king,  to  so- 
licit permission  to  preach  the  gospel  in 
his  dominions,  after  long  deliberation, 
when  a  negative  was  about  to  be  put 
upon  his  application,  an  aged  counsel- 
lor, with  his  head  silvered  over  with 
gray  hairs,  rose,  and  by  the  following 
speech  obtained  the  permission  which 
was  requested.  'Here  we  are,'  said  the 
orator,  '  like  birds  of  passage,  we  know 
not  whence  we  come,  or  whither  we  are 
going  ;  if  this  man  can  tell  us,  for  God's 
sake  let  him  speak.'  I  say,  if  there  are 
six  hundred  millions  of  our  fellow-crea- 
tures, who,  Tike  birds  of  passage,  know 
not  whence  they  came,  nor  whither 
they  are  going,  for  God's  sake  let  us 
send  them  the  gospel,  which  will  tell 
them  whence  they  came,  and  which  is 
able  to  make  them  wise  unto  salva- 
tion." 

(d)  WHERE  SHALL  I  GO  LAST 
OF  ALL  ?— A  Hindoo,  of  a  thoughtful, 
reflecting  turn  of  miud,  but  devoted  to 
idolatry,  lay  on  his  death-bod.  As  he 
saw  himself  about  to  plunge  into  that 
boundless  unknown,  he  cried  out, 
"  What  will  become  of  me  ?"  "  O," 
said  a  brahmin,  who  stood  by,  "  you 
will  inhabit  another  body."  "And 
where"  said  he,  "  shall  I  go  then  ?" 
"  Into  another."     "  And  where  then," 

501 


368,  269 


MISSIONS. 


"  Into  another,  and  so  on,  through  thou- 
sands of  millions."  Darting  across  this 
whole  period  as  though  it  were  but  an 
instant,  he  cried,  "  Where  shall  I  go 
then  ?"  Paganism  could  not  answer, 
and  he  died  agonizing  under  the  inquiry, 
"  where  shall  I  go  last  of  all  ?" 

(e)  THE  MIND  AND  THE 
HEART. — It  is  a  very  instructive  fact, 
that  under  the  highest  efforts  of  reason 
in  other  matters,  the  human  mind  has 
been  satisfied  with  the  most  childish  and 
absurd  notions  on  the  subject  of  religion. 
The  men  who  erected  the  pyramids  and 
left  behind  them  those  architectural  mo- 
numents which  still  excite  the  admira- 
tion of  the  world,  cherished  with  all 
their  intellectual  grandeur  the  most 
puerile  and  degrading  notions  on  the 
subject  of  religion.  Think  of  the  men 
who  planned  and  erected  the  pyramids 
worshiping  cats  and  onions  ! 

The  Phenicians,  who  claimed  the 
glory  of  the  invention  of  letters,  "  and 
the  knowledge  of  military  and  naval 
arts,"  were  accustomed  when  attacked 
by  enemies,  to  chain  the  images  of  their 
gods  to  their  altars  that  they  might  not 
abandon  their  city  !  The  men  who  had 
in  their  hands  the  letters  and  commerce 
of  the  world,  worshiped  gods  which 
they  felt  themselves  obliged  to  tie  up 
with  chains,  lest  they  should  run  away 
through  fear  !  The  statesmen,  and  ora- 
tors, and  poets  of  ancient  Rome,  are  even 
now  read  in  the  highest  schools  of 
Christendom  ;  but  think  of  Cicero  and 
Tacitus  and  Augustus  Ccesar  looking 
into  the  entrails  of  a  sheep,  %r  watching 
the  flight  of  birds,  to  propitiate  the  gods, 
or  predict  the  result  of  a  military  cam- 
paign !  This  contrast  between  the  mind 
and  the  heart  becomes  more  striking 
when  we  look  at  distinguished  indivi- 
duals. Plutarch  thought  that  our  souls 
were  made  out  of  the  moon,  and  would 
therefore  return  to  it.  This  elegant  and 
discriminating  writer  of  ancient  biogra- 
phy, gravely  tells  us,  "  that  some  think 
the  inhabitants  of  the  moon  hang  by  the 
head  to  it,  or,  like  Ixion,  are  tied  fast 
to  it,  that  its  motions  may  not  shake 
them  from  it ;  and  it  ought  not  to  seem 
surprising  that  a  lion  fell  out  of  it,  into 
the  Peloponnesus."  Even  the  wise 
Plato  thought  the  sta.rs  required  and  re- 
502 


ceived  nourishment.  Seneca  was  of 
the  same  opinion,  who  says,  "hence 
it  is  that  so  many  stars  are  maintained  ; 
as  eager  for  their  pasture  as  they  are 
hard  worked  both  by  day  and  night." 

This  contrast  between  the  mind  and 
the  heart  is  certainly  one  of  the  most 
striking  anomalies  in  human  nature. 
Do  we  not  behold  the  same  anomaly  at 
the  present  day  ?  Does  men's  know- 
ledge of  religious  things  keep  pace  with 
their  general  improvement  ?  How  of- 
ten are  the  most  penetrating  genius  and 
the  largest  acquisitions  associated  with 
religions  opinions  that  are  grossly  incor- 
rect  and  miserably  low.  What  a  prac- 
tical comment  is  here  given  us  upon  the 
inspired  declaration,  "  They  did  not 
like  to  retain  God  in  their  knowledge." 

269.  Idolatry. 

(a)  IDOLATERS  CAN  WOR- 
SHIP ANY  THING.— At  Baitenzorg, 
a  village  of  Java,  Messrs.  Tyerman  and 
Bennet  observed  a  street  occupied  ex- 
clusively by  Chinese.  They  called  at 
several  of  the  houses  and  noticed  an 
idol  in  each.  In  one,  they  observed  an 
engraving  of  the  French  Emperor  Na- 
poleon, in  a  gilt  frame,  before  which  in- 
cense was  burning.  ^  The  old  man,  to 
whom  the  picture  belonged,  in  their  pre- 
sence, paid  it  divine  honors,  bowing  him- 
self in  various  antic  attitudes,  and  offer- 
ing a  prayer  for  blessings  upon  himself 
and  family.  When  we  asked  him  why 
he  worshiped  an  European  engraving, 
he  replied,  "  O,  we  worship  any 
thing." 

{h)  A  MECHANIC'S  ADVER- 
TISEMENT.—The  following  adver- 
tisement  is  copied  from  a  Chinese  news- 
paper : — "  Achen  Tea  Chinchin,  sculp- 
tor, respectfully  acquaints  masters 
of  ships,  trading  from  Canton  to  India, 
that  they  may  be  furnished  with  figure 
heads  of  any  size,  according  to  order, 
at  one-fourth  of  the  price  charged  in 
Europe.  He  also  recommends  for  pri- 
vate venture,  the  following  idols,  brass, 
gold,  and  silver  :  The  hawk  of  Vishnoo, 
which  has  reliefs  of  his  incarnation  in  a 
fish,  boar,  lion,  and  turtle.  An  Egyp- 
tian apis,  a  golden  calf  and  bull,  as  wor- 
shiped by  the  pious  followers  of  Zoroas- 


IDOLATRY. 


969 


ter.  Two  silver  mammosits,  with  gold- 
en ear-rings  ;  an  aprimanes  for  Persian 
worship ;  a  ram,  an  alligator,  a  crab,  a 
laughing  hyena,  with  a  variety  of  house- 
hold gods  on  a  small  scale,  calculated 
for  family  worship.  Eighteen  months' 
credit  will  be  given,  or  a  discount  of  15 
per  cent,  for  prompt  payment  of  the  sum 
affixed  to  each  article.  Direct  China 
Street,  Canton,  under  the  Marble  Rhi- 
noceros and  Gilt  Hydra." 

(c)  A  LITTLE  HEATHEN  BOY 
AND  HIS  SISTERS.— "  I  was  much 
affected,"  says  the  Rev.  Mr.  French,  a 
missionary  among  the  Mahrattas,  in 
India,  "  by  the  following  incident  which 
occurred  in  the  temple  at  Pimpulwun- 
dee.  A  little  boy,  about  ten  years  of 
age,  accompanied  by  two  girls  smaller 
than  himself,  his  sisters  probably,  came 
to  pay  their  devotions.  The  little  boy, 
in  a  state  of  almost  entire  nudity,  first 
washed  the  idol  with  water,  and  then 
put  a  little  red  paint  on  its  forehead, 
shoulders,  and  breasts.  This  being 
done,  he  took  from  the  little  girl  some 
small  flowers,  which  he  laid  in  various 
places  on  the  idol  ;  and,  to  crown  all, 
he  threw,  after  several  ineffectual  at- 
tempts, the  idol  being  taller  than  him- 
self, a  string  of  flowers  over  its  head. 
Having  finished  this  part  of  the  cere- 
mony, the  three  pitiable  little  creatures 
commenced  circumambulating  and  bow- 
ing to  the  senseless  object  which  they 
had  thus  early  been  taught  to  regard  as 
their  god.  i  was  much  affected,  I  say, 
in  witnessing  this  scene,  and  was  led  to 
reflect  how  different  are  the  circum- 
stances and  prospects  of  the  dear  chil- 
dren of  my  native  land.  There  the  in- 
fant  mind  is  trained  in  the  principles  of 
virtue  and  salvation.  Here  it  is  initiat- 
ed into  the  mysteries  of  iniquity,  and 
swallowed  up  in  the  darkness  and  su- 
perstition of  idolatry.  But  it  is  a  bless- 
ed thought,  to  be  apprehended  only  by 
faith,  however,  that  the  infants  of  India, 
shall  one  day  speak  forth  the  praises  of 
Immanuel.  The  Lord  hasten  that  day 
in  his  own  good  time." 

Heathen  parents  take  their  very 
young  children  to  the  temple  of  one  idol 
and  teach  them  how  to  bow  and  kneel, 
and  wash,  and  paint,  and  perform  the 


other  ceremonies  which  are  required  in 
the  worship  of  that  idol.  At  another 
time  they  take  them  to  the  temple  of 
another  idol  and  teach  them  how  to 
worship  that,  and  so  on  through  all  the 
multitude  of  their. idols  ;  and  thus  they 
train  their  children  up  to  all  the  wicked- 
ness  and  folly  of  idol  worship. 

(d)  FESTIVAL  OF  JUGGER- 
NAUT.— A  respectable  writer  gives 
the  following  description  of  the  festival 
of  Juggernaut : — 

Loud  were  the  shouts  of  triumph  which 
greeted  our  ears  as  we  approached  the 
temple  of  Juggernaut.  Immense  were 
the  multitudes  that  thronged  around, 
and  thousands  upon  thousands  would 
no  more  have  been  missed  than  a  single 
grain  from  a  handful  of  the  finest  sand. 
In  a  few  minutes'  space,  we  stood  in 
front  of  the  idol,  raised  upon  its  enor- 
mous car,  and  surrounded  by  a  whole 
host  of  priests  and  devotees. 

The  first  sensations  which  I  experi- 
enced, on  approaching  it,  were  those  of 
horror  and  disgust ;  but,  alas !  how 
were  these  sensations  in  a  tenfold  de- 
gree increased  before  the  ceremonies  of 
that  day  were  past.  The  car,  or  tower, 
on  which  the  idol  was  raised,  stood  at 
the  height  of  many  feet  above  the 
ground.  Its  sides  were  adorned  with 
massive  and  enduring  sculpture,  repre- 
senting the  most  lascivious  forms  and 
images  which  the  mind  of  the  wicked 
could  suggest.  The  platform  on  the 
top  was  graced  with  an  innumerable 
crowd  of  monsters,  half-man,  half-beast, 
in  every  variety  and  shape  ;  and  in  the 
midst  of  these,  the  idol  itself,  a  huge 
misshapen  block  of  wood,  was  placed. 
Its  visage  was  painted  black,  its  mouth 
was  of  a  bloody  color,  its  arms  were  of 
gold,  and  its  apparel  was  of  the  richest 
and  most  variegated  colored  silk.  There 
it  sat,  in  horrid,  horrid  listlessncss,  upon 
its  elevated  throne,  while  the  priests  and 
their  assistants  bowed  themselves  before 
it,  and,  with  the  most  indecent  attitudes 
and  gestures,  sought  to  propitiate  its  fa- 
vor  and  its  grace.  Loud  and  long  were 
the  shouts  of  the  multitude,  as  men,  wo- 
men, and  children,  all  pressed  forward, 
to  lay,  if  it  might  be,  even  a  finger  upon 
the  ropes  that  dragged  the  stupendous 


503 


270 


MISSIONS. 


car.  Many  were  the  worn-out  and 
travel-soiled  pilgrims  who  were  crushed 
to  death  in  the  vain  and  empty  struggle  ; 
but  loud  were  the  plaudits  which  they 
who  died  received,  and  a  smile  remain- 
ed upon  their  countenances  even  in  the 
bitter  hour  of  death. 

At  length  the  idol  moved.  The 
enormous  wheels,  upon  which  it  was 
supported,  creaked  and  groaned  beneath 
its  weight,  and  the  deeply  indented 
ground  showed  the  immensity  of  the 
•iressure  that  rolled  along  its  surface. 
In  a  short  space  it  stopped,  and  then 
ihe  worship  of  the  god  commenced. 

The  chief  priest  advanced,  and  with 
many  a  low  salaam  began  to  recite  a 
long  roll  of  obscene  and  indecent  verses. 
"  These  are  the  songs,"  he  exclaimed, 
"  with  which  the  god  is  delighted.  It 
is  but  when  he  is  pleased  that  his  car 
will  move."  Accordingly  it  did  move 
a  few  paces  in  advance,  when  again  it 
stopped,  and  anon  a  youthful  being  was 
brought  forward,  to  attempt,  if  it  might 
be,  something  still  more  lascivious,  to 
propitiate  his  god.  He  began  to  caper 
— but  I  cannot,  I  will  not,  carry  on  the 
horrible  descj:iption.  Fancy  cannot 
picture,  the  imagination  cannot  con- 
ceive the  abominations  of  this  worship. 
I  turned  away,  in  sickness  of  heart,  and 
in  utter  loathing  and  disgust,  from  the 
sight;  but  a  loud  and  renewed  shout 
fell  upon  my  ear,  and  involuntarily  I 
turned  round  and  saw  an  emaciated  and 
worn-out  pilgrim,  with  a  kind  of  super- 
natural strength,  and  a  wild  devotion 
gleaming  in  his  eyes,  force  his  way 
through  the  surrounding  crowd,  and 
prostrate  himself  on  his  face  in  the  very 
course  of  the  terrific  car,  and,  with  out- 
stretched arms  and  legs,  await  unmoved 
the  consummation  of  his  fate.  On  roll- 
ed the  ponderous  wheels,  and  ere  a  mi- 
nute had  elapsed,  the  misguided  wretch 
lay  crushed,  dismembered,  broken,  a 
shapeless  mass  of  flesh,  and  scarcely  to 
be  distinguished  from  the  dust  amongst 
which  he  was  almost  concealed  from 
sight.  Loud  songs  of  praise  accompa- 
nied this  act  of  self-devotion,  for  tlie 
multitude  believed  that  the  victim  would 
be  received  as  a  favored  child  by  Jug- 
gernaut, and  recalled  into  life  in  a  state 
of  everlasting  happiness  and  joy. 
504 


270.  Human  Sacrifices. 

(a)  HUMAN  SACRIFCES  IN  AN- 
CIENT  BRITAIN.— Maurice,  in  his 
"  Indian  Antiquities,"  refers  thus  to  the 
worship  practised  by  the  British  Druids. 

The  pen  of  history  trembles  to  relate 
the  baleful  orgies  which  their  frantic 
superstition  celebrated,  when,  inclosing 
men,  women  and  children  in  one  vast 
wicker  image,  in  the  form  of  a  man,  arid 
filling  it  with  every  kind  of  combusti- 
bles, they  set  fire  to  the  huge  colossus. 
While  the  dreadful  holocaust  was  offer- 
ing to  their  sanguinary  gods,  the  groans 
and  shrieks  of  the  consuming  victims 
were  drowned  amidst  shouts  of  barbar- 
ous triumph,  and  the  air  was  rent,  as  in 
the  Syrian  temple  of  old,  with  martial 
music.  Religion  shudders  at  such  a  per- 
version of  its  names  and  rites,  humanity 
turns  with  horror  from  the  guilty  scene. 

Such  were  our  ancestors.  To  us 
much  has  been  given,  and  of  us  much 
will  be  required. 

{h)  HUMAN  SACRIFICES  AT 
THE  SOUTH  SEA  ISLANDS.— 
Mr.  Ellis  was  informed  by  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Maeva,  that  the  foundation  of 
some  of ,  the  buildings  for  the  abode  of 
their  gods  was  actually  laid  in  human 
sacrifices  :  that  every  pillar  supporting 
the  roof  of  one  of  the  sacred  houses  at 
Maeva,  was  planted  upon  the  body  of  a 
man  who  had  been  offered  as  a  victim 
to  the  sanguinary  deity  for  whom  the 
temple  was  erected.  The  unhappy 
wretches  selected  were  either  captives 
taken  in  war,  or  individuals  who  had 
rendered  themselves  obnoxious  to  the 
chiefs  or  the  priests. 

(c)  HABITATIONS  OF  CRUEL- 
TY.— Says  Mr.  Campbell,  for  twelve 
years  a  missionary  in  India — 

"  The  human  sacrifices  which  Hin- 
dooism  demands,  are  frightful  and  ap- 
palling. Whatever  may  be  the  charac- 
ter of  the  people,  and  however  quiet,  and 
passive,  and  submissive  they  appear, 
their  superstition  is  the  most  cruel  and 
barbarous  that  has  ever  been  establish- 
ed. In  Goomsoor,  a  province  which 
has  lately  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the 
British,  the  horrid  scenes  which  have 
been  discovered,  are  almost  beyond  cre- 
dibility.    Whenever  a  disease  raged  in 


SELF-TORTURE  AND  SELF-MURDER. 


270,  371 


the  family  of  the  monarch,  a  human  sa- 
crifico  was  demanded  to  appease  the  of- 
lended  deity,  and  nothing  less  precious 
than  the  life  of  an  only  son  would  gra- 
tify the  demon.  Immured  in  houses 
and  in  dungeons,  there  were  found  hun- 
dreds of  poor  children  who  had  been 
stolen  from  the  adjoining  territories; 
and  for  what  purpose  were  they  con- 
cealed and  preserved  ?  that  they  might 
be  fattened  like  so  many  sheep  and  oxen 
for  the  slaughter,  and  might,  at  a  suit- 
able season,  be  offered  up  to  the  Moloch 
of  the  country. 

'^  At  the  seed-time,  the  farmers  of  a 
district  would  assemble  together  ;  a  hu- 
man victim  was  selected,  was  bound  as 
a  sacrifice  to  the  altar,  and  was  devoted 
to  the  most  barbarous  death.  While 
the  priests  proclaim  the  omens  to  be 
propitious,  one  farmer  would  come,  and 
with  a  large  knife,  would  take  a  slice 
from  the  victinj,  would  carry  it  away 
to  his  field,  and  would  press  the  blood 
out  of  it  while  it  was  yet  warm,  and  then 
bury  it  in  the  earth.  A  second,  and  a 
third,  and  a  fourth,  would  come  and  act 
a  similar  part,  till  the  wretched  man  was 
sliced  in  pieces  while  he  was  yet  alive, 
and  was  consigned  to  various  parts  of 
the  ground.  But  why  this  barbarity  ? 
That  the  favor  of  Maree  might  be  ob- 
tained, and  that  no  curse,  nor  blight 
might  rest  upon  their  land  :  and  that  a 
richer  harvest  might  arise  from  fields 
watered  by  the  blood  of  sacrifices.  Oh  ! 
these  dark  places  of  the  earth  are  still 
full  of  the  habitations  of  cruelty. 

"Deeds  of  blood  and  atrocity  are 
mixed  up  with  the  habits  and  customs 
of  the  people,  and  fail  to  produce  any 
great  sensation.  In  England,  if  a  mo- 
ther strangles  her  infant,  if  a  father 
murders  his  son,  if  a  brother  puts  a  sis- 
ter to  death,  a  thrill  of  horror  passes 
through  the  community,  the  public 
voice  is  lifted  up,  in  loud  and  terrible 
denunciations,  against  such  a  diabolical 
act ;  and  the  wonder  is  expressed  how 
such  a  monster  is  permitted  to  live.  But 
in  India,  such  deeds  are  so  common  that 
they  have  failed  to  make  any  impres- 
sion upon  the  community,  and  are  often 
regarded  by  their  authors  as  actions  of 
merit  rather  than  of  infamy." 


.  (d)  HUMAN  SACRIFICES  IN 
AFRICA. — The  Ashantees  sacrifice 
human  victims,  to  the  number  of  one 
hundred,  at  all  their  great  festivals, 
some  of  which  occur  every  twenty-one 
days.  On  the  death  of  his  mother,  the 
king  offered  three  thousand  victims, 
and  at  the  death  of  a  distinguished  cap- 
tain, twenty-four  hundred.  At  the  fu- 
neral of  a  person  of  rank,  it  is  usual  to 
wet  the  grave  by  the  blood  of  a  free- 
man, who  is  slaughtered  unsuspectingly, 
while  assisting  in  the  funeral  rites,  and 
rolled  into  the  grave  with  the  corpse. 
A  regular  correspondence  is  supposed 
by  them  to  be  kept  up  with  the  invisible 
world.  Hence  the  king,  wishing  to 
send  to  any  of  his  deceased  friends,  calls 
a  servant,  delivers  to  him  a  message, 
and  kills  him  that  he  may  carry  it. 
Then,  if  he  wishes  to  make  any  addi- 
tion to  the  message,  he  calls  another 
slave,  and  treats  him  in  like  manner ; 
and  all  with  the  same  indifference  with 
which  one  of  us  would  write  a  letter 
and  add  a  postscript. 

271.  Self-Torture  and  Self-Murder. 

{a)  DEVOTEES  OF  JUGGER- 
NAUT.— The  facts  below  are  gleaned 
from  Dr.  Duff's  work  on  India,  and 
from  the  organs  of  missionary  societies. 

Many  of  the  pilgrims  to  .luggemaut, 
from  the  most  distant  parts  of  India, 
measure  the  whole  distance  of  their 
weary  pilgrimage  with  their  own  bodies 
on  the  ground.  Some  remain  all  day 
with  their  heads  on  the  ground  and  their 
feet  in  the  air,  some  cram  their  eyes 
with  mud  and  their  mouths  with  straw. 
One  man  may  be  seen  lying  with  his 
foot  tied  to  his  neck,  another  with  a  pot 
of  fire  on  his  breast,  and  a  third  envel- 
oped in  a  net  of  ropes.  At  the  festival 
of  Charak  Pujah,  so  called,  because 
then  is  endured  the  torture  of  hook 
swinging  so  well  known,  many  of  the 
devotees  throw  themselves  down  from 
the  top  of  a  high  wall,  or  a  scaffold 
twenty  feet  high,  on  iron  spikes  or 
knives,  that  are  so  thickly  stuck  in  a 
large  bag  of  straw.  At  night,  num- 
bers of  the  devotees  sit  down  in  the 
open  air,  pierce  the  skin  of  their  fore- 
heads, insert  a  small  rod  of  iron,  to 
505 


271 


MISSIONS. 


which  is  suspended  a  lamp,  which  is 
kept  burning  until  the  morning  dawn. 
Some  have  their  breasts  and  arms  stuck 
entirely  full  of  pins,  about  the  thickness 
of  packing  needles.  Others  tie  them- 
selves to  a  wheel,  thirty  feet  in  diame- 
ter, and  raised  considerably  above  the 
ground — when  the  wheel  turns  round, 
their  heads  point  alternately  to  the  ze- 
nith and  the  nadir — others  cover  their 
under  lip  with  a  layer  of  mud,  and  de- 
posit upon  it  some  small  grains,  usually 
of  mustard  seed,  then  stretch  themselves 
flat  on  their  backs,  exposed  to  the  drip- 
ping dews  by  night  and  the  blazing  sun 
by  day.  Their  vow  is,  that  they  will 
not  stir  from  that  position,  nor  turn,  nor 
move,  nor  eat  nor  drink,  till  the  seeds 
planted  begin  to  sprout ;  this  generally 
takes  place  on  the  third  or  fourth  day. 
On  the  day  of  the  great  Charak  festival, 
several  blacksmiths  are  stationed  in  the 
court  of  the  temple,  with  sharp  instru- 
ments in  their  hands.  When  the  pro- 
cession reaches  the  temple,  a  class  of 
devotees,  holding  in  their  hands  rods, 
canes,  iron  spits,  or  tubes,  approach  the 
blacksmiths.  One  extends  his  side,  it 
is  instantly  pierced  through,  and  in  pass- 
es one  of  his  rods  or  canes ;  another  ex- 
tends his  arm,  this  is  perforated,  and  in 
passes  lys  iron  spit ;  a  third  protrudes 
his  tongue,  and  getting  it  bored  through, 
he  passes  in  a  cord  or  serpent !  These 
devotees  may  be  seen,  in  the  midst  of 
loud,  discordant  sounds  and  frantic  dan- 
ces, pulling  backward  and  forward, 
through  their  wounded  members,  the 
rods  and  the  canes,  the  spits  and  the 
tubes,  the  cords  and  the  writhing  ser- 
pents, till  their  bodies  seem  streaming 
with  their  own  blood  ! 

(b)  SWINGING  ON  HOOKS.— 
Among  the  Hindoos,  particular  villages 
are  appropriated  for  swinging,  where 
the  natives  assemble  at  stated  seasons. 
In  the  centre  of  an  area,  surrounded  by 
numerous  spectators,  a  pole  from  twen- 
ty to'.hirty  feet  in  height  is  erected,  on 
which  is  placed  a  long  horizontal  beam, 
with  a  rope  run  over  a  pulley  at  the  ex- 
tremity. To  this  rope  they  fix  an  iron 
hook,  which,  being  drawn  through  the 
integuments  of  the  foot,  the  swinger  is 
suspended  aloft  in  the  air,  amidst  the  ac- 
clamations of  the  multitude ;  the  longer 
500 


he  is  able  to  bear  this  painful  exertion, 
and  the  more  violently  he  swings  him- 
self round,  the  greater  is  the  supposed 
merit.  From  the  flesh  giving  way,  the 
performer  sometimes  falls  from  his  tow- 
ering height,  and  breaks  a  limb ;  if  he 
escapes  that  accident,  from  the  usual 
temperance  of  the  Hindoos,  the  wound 
soon  heals.  This  penance  is  generally 
voluntary,  and  done  from  supposed  re- 
ligious motives.  Who  on  reading  such 
descriptions,  does  not  pray  that  a  purer 
system  of  faith  and  morals  may  soon 
pervade  these  vast  and  populous  regions ! 
(c)  A  HINDOO  DEVOTEE.— A 
Brahmin  from  the  north,  says  a  mission- 
ary, has  visited  these  parts,  and  is  now 
on  his  way  to  Cape  Comorin,  if  he  has 
not  already  reached  it.  He  rolls  him- 
self  over  and  over  en  the  bare  ground, 
about  three  or  four  miles  each  day,  on 
his  way  to  the  above  mentioned  place ; 
and  it  is  said  that  he  has  traveled  in  this 
manner  all  the  way  from  Benares,  in 
doing  which  he  has  consumed  nine  years 
and  three  months.  He  sets  out  at  dawn, 
with  thick  cloths  tied  round  his  body 
and  temples;  and  having  reached  the 
village  fixed  upon,  he  performs  his  de- 
votions, and  spends  the  rest  of  the  day 
with  his  family,  who  travel  with  him  in 
bullock-carts.  He  is  fanned  as  he  rolls 
along,  by  his  son,  a  youth  of  ten  or 
twelve  years  of  age  ;  while  the  musi- 
cians of  the  village  which  he  leaves,  or 
of  that  to  which  he  is  going,  accompany 
him  with  music  and  shouting ;  thou- 
sands of  people  gazing  with  admiration 
upon  his  progress,  and  applauding  him 
as  "  a  great  soul,"  a  most  religious  man. 
When  he  comes  to  a  tank  or  river,  or 
other  places  which  he  cannot  cross  by 
rolling  on  the  ground,  he  walks  through 
them  ;  and  on  the  other  side  rolls  the 
same  distance  along  the  bank,  and  back 
again.  When  he  reaches  Cape  Como- 
rin he  is  to  set  a  plantain,  and  wait  there 
till  he  offers  the  fruit  of  it  to  the  deity 
whom  he  worships ;  after  which,  they 
say,  he  is  to  roll  back  again  to  Benares, 
on  the  other  side  of  the  Ghauts.  He  is 
a  stout  man,  of  about  forty  years  of  age, 
and  is  said  to  be  not  much  injured  by 
his  devoteeism.  The  act,  instead  of  be- 
ing regarded  as  a  waste  of  time  and  la- 
bor, is  praised  by  the  Hindoos  general- 


SELF-TORTURE  AND  SELF-MURDER. 


2'yi 


ly,  as  an  evidence  of  the  highest  wis- 
dom and  magnanimity  ;  and  yet  some 
of  them,  enlightened  probably  by  Chris- 
tianity, regard  it  as  folly  ;  unless,  in- 
deed, which  is  not  certain,  he  derives  a 
splendid  profit  from  it  in  the  offerings  of 
the  people.  Certain  it  is  that  his  jfami- 
ly  maintain  a  most  respectable  appear- 
ance ;  but  it  is  said  that  he  was  a  man 
of  property  before  he  set  out  on  his 
strange  pilgrimage. 

(e)  BORING  THE  TONGUE.— At 
Chinsurah,  in  the  East  Indies,  there  is 
a  famous  place  of  resort,  called  Surais- 
hortollah,  or  the  residence  of  the  Bull- 
god.  This  is  a  square  area,  on  which, 
beneath  the  shade  of  one  vast  banyan 
tree,  several  temples  stand,  dedicated  to 
several  popular  idols,  to  accommodate 
all  classes  of  comers.  Here  many  self- 
inflicted  or  self-chosen  cruelties  are 
practised  by  those  who  thus  hope  to 
merit  a  place  in  the  Hindoo  heaven.  A 
favorite  penance  is  to  have  the  tongue 
bored  through  with  a  large  iron  spike. 
A  blacksmith  is  the  operator,  who  is 
said  to  be  very  skillful  both  in  driving  a 
nail  and  driving  a  bargain,  it  some- 
times happens  that  the  candidates  for 
this  piece  of  service  at  his  hands  are  so 
numerous  and  impatient,  that  they  are 
obliged  to  submit  to  be  arranged  in  or- 
der as  they  arrive,  and  wait  till  each  in 
his  turn  can  be  gratified  with  a  wound 
in  the  unruly  member,  which  they  use, 
meanwhile,  with  no  small  eloquence,  to 
induce  him  to  hasten  to  their  relief,  and 
when  he  is  come,  to  get  the  business 
done  as  cheaply  as  they  can.  The 
shrewd  knave,  however,  is  wise  enough 
to  take  his  time,  and  extort  a  larger  or 
a  smaller  fee,  according  to  the  number, 
rank,  or  fanaticism  of  his  customers. 

(/)  SUFFERINGS  OF  A  HIN- 
DOO DEVOTEE.— A  missionary  thus 
describes  a  singular  case  of  self-torture. 
The  devotee  was  in  the  act  of  measur- 
ing his  way  to  Juggernaut  by  his  own 
body.  He  never  rose  upon  his  feet  in 
traveling.  When  on  his  knees,  he 
reached  his  hands  forward  to  the 
ground,  and  thus  drew  his  body  on- 
ward. Every  time  he  drew  himself 
along  thus,  he  beat  his  forehead  against 
the  ground  three  times,  looking  towards 
the  temple,  which  was  now  in  sight. 


"  When  I  got  sufficiently  near,"  said 
the  missionary,  "  I  called  to  him ;  but 
he  did  not  appear  to  hear  what  I  said, 
and  continued  on  his  way  without  pay- 
ing the  least  attention.  I  therefore  came 
up,  and  succeeded  in  stopping  him ;  a 
deep  melancholy  sat  visible  upon  his 
countenance,  his  lips  moving  in  prayer 
to  his  god  in  a  low,  grumbling  tone  of 
voice.  When  I  had  surveyed  him  a 
few  moments,  he  gave  over  repeating, 
and  I  began  to  converse  with  him  as 
well  as  I  was  able.  I  first  inquired 
how  far  he  had  come  in  that  manner  ? 
He  answered,  seven  hundred  and  fifty 
miles.  How  long  have  you  been  on  the 
way  ?  About  eight  months.  He  ap- 
peared about  twenty -one  years  of  age, 
and  was  so  emaciated  by  his  austerities 
that  his  voice  was  nearly  gone  :  I  could 
but  just  understand  him.  I  asked  him 
what  he  expected  from  this  visit  to  Jug- 
gernaut ?  I  was  told  that  he  expected 
almost  every  thing,  particularly  that 
hereby  he  should  get  rid  of  his  sins.  I 
then  told  him  about  Jesus  Christ  dying 
for  his  sins,  and  that  if  he  would  only 
believe  on  Christ,  he  would  immediately 
find  the  blessings  he  sought.  He  seem- 
ed to  hear  with  some  attention  and  sur- 
prise. *By  this  time  a  number  of  wick- 
ed looking  Brahmins,  from  a  neighbor- 
ing temple,  were  gathered  around  us, 
and  began  to  encourage  him  to  proceed." 

(g)  THE  FAKEER  AND  HIS  BED 
OF  SPIKES.— The  following  account 
of  a  Hindoo  Fakeer,  named  Purrum 
Soatuntro,  is  given  by  Mr.  Duncan,  an 
English  gentleman,  who  saw  him  at 
Benares,  a  large  city  in  India. 

When  only  ten  years  of  age,  this  man 
began  a  life  of  self-mortification,  and 
used  to  lie  on  thorns  and  pebbles.  He 
went  on  thus  for  ten  years,  and  then  be- 
gan to  wander  about  as  a  fakeer  (reli- 
gious beggar),  going  from  one  of  their 
pretended  holy  places  to  another.  At 
one  place  he  shut  himself  up  in  a  cell, 
where  ho  vowed  to  do  penance  for  twelve 
years.  There  he  stayed  till  vermin 
gnawed  his  flesh,  and  left  marks  which 
remained  when  Mr.  Duncan  saw  him. 
At  the  end  of  a  year,  the  Rajah,  or 
chief  of  that  country,  taking  pity  on 
him,  opened  the  door  of  his  cell,  hoping 
to  persuade  him  to  leave  off  tormenting 
507 


272 


MISSIONS. 


himself;  but  the  poor  wretch  was  full 
of  fury  to  be  thus  interrupted ;  and  told 
the  Rajah  that  he  should  have  his  curse 
on  his  head,  (and  all  the  Hindoos  dread 
the  curses  of  these  men,)  for  breaking 
in  upon  him.  What !  Did  he  think  that 
he  was  not  above  such  sufferings  as 
these !  They  were  nothing  to  him  ! 
Let  the  Rajah  get  him  a  bed  of  spikes, 
that  he  might  lie  on  it  night  and  day, 
and  show  him  what  he  was  able  to  do, 
and  then  perhaps  he  might  forgive  him. 
Rajah,  frightened  at  the  thought  of  the 
curse  of  this  ferocious  man  lighting  on 
him,  got  him  a  bed  of  spikes ;  and  this 
bed  of  spikes  became  a  sort  of  triumphal 
car  for  the  wret<jhec  man.  He  set  out 
immediately  to  take  veiy  long  journeys ; 
and  was  drawn  on  this  horrid  bed  all 
round  the  country  for  thousands  of  miles, 
the  poor  people  every  where  worship- 
ing him  as  a  sort  of  god.  He  traveled 
about  in  this  manner  for  thirty-five 
years  I  Having  no  longer,  as  he  said, 
any  inclination  Ito  roam,  he  wished  to 
spend  the  rest  of  his  days  in  Benares. 
But  this  poor  man  was  so  blinded  by 
the  prince  of  the  power  of  darkness, 
that  he  was  not  contented  with  the  sup- 
posed merit  of  his  self-torture  on  the 
bed  of  spikes,  but  he  tried  to  put  him- 
self to  greater  pain.  He  boasted  to 
Mr.  Duncan,  that  he  had  caused  water 
to  fall  on  his  head,  night  and  day,  in  the 
cold  season,  from  a  pot  with  holes  in  it, 
placed  over  him,  drop  by  drop,  so  that 
he  might  be  constantly  uneasy ;  and, 
when  the  hot  weather  came,  he  morti- 
fied himself  in  an  opposite  manner,  by 
causing  logs  of  wood  to  be  kept  burn- 
ing around  him,  to  make  his  sufferings 
from  the  heat  greater ! 

lit  Infanticide. 

(a)  INFANTICIDE  IN  PEKIN.— 
In  the  imperial  city,  after  allowing  more 
than  one  half  for  natural  deaths,  the 
number  of  exposed  infants  is,  according 
to  Barrow,  about  four  thousand  a  year. 
Some  of  the  scenes  he  witnessed  while 
at  Pekin,  were  almost  incredible.  Be- 
fore the  carts  go  around  in  the  morning 
to  pick  up  the  bodies  of  infants  thrown 
in  the  streets — amounting  to  about  four 
uid  twenty  every  night — dogs  and  swine 
508 


are  let  loose  upon  them.  The  bodies 
of  those  found  are  carried  to  a  common 
pit  without  the  city  walls,  in  which  the 
living  and  the  dead  are  thrown  togeth- 
er. This,  however,  is  a  small  propor- 
tion, compared  with  other  places.  In 
some  provinces  not  one  out  of  three  is 
suffered  to  live. 

(b)  THE  CHILDLESS  CHIEF.— 
On  one  occasion,  at  Raiatea,  one  of  the 
Society  Islands,  six  hundred  children 
were  assembled.  A  feast  was  prepared 
for  them  ;  they  marched  through  the  set- 
tlement in  procession,  dressed  in  Europe- 
an garments,  with  little  hats  and  bonnets 
made  by  those  very  parents  who  would 
have  destroyed  them  had  not  the  gospel 
come  to  their  rescue.  They  and  their 
parents  occupied  the  chapel.  The  ap- 
pearance of  the  parents  was  most  affect- 
ing. The  eyes  of  some  were  beaming 
with  delight,  as  the  father  said  to  the 
mother,  "  What  a  mercy  it  is  that  we 
spared  our  dear  girl."  Bitter  tears  roll- 
ing down  the  saddened  countenances  of 
others,  told  the  painful  tale  that  all  their 
children  were  destroyed.  A  venerable 
chief,  gray  with  age,  could  bear  the 
scene  no  longer ;  he  arose,  and  with  an 
impassioned  look  and  manner  exclaim- 
ed, "  Let  me  speak  ;  I  must  speak.  Oh 
that  I  had  known  that  the  gospel  was 
coming,  my  children  would  have  been 
among  this  happy  group ;  but  alas !  I 
destroyed  them  all.  I  have  not  one  left. 
I  shall  die  childless,  though  I  have  been 
the  ftither  of  nineteen  children."  Sit- 
ting down,  he  gave  vent  to  his  agonizec' 
feelings  in  a  flood  of  tears. 

(c)  A  BRUTAL  FATHER.— Mr. 
Ellis,  in  his  Missionary  Tour,  relates 
the  following  shocking  instance  of  in- 
fanticide. A  man  and  his  wife,  tenants 
of  Mr.  Young,  who  has  for  many  years 
held,  under  the  king,  the  small  district 
of  Kukuwaw,  situated  on  the  centre  of 
Waiakea  bay,  resided  not  far  from 
Maaro's  house.  They  had  one  child,  a 
fine  little  boy.  A  quarrel  arose  be- 
tween them  on  one  occasion  respecting 
this  child.  The  wife  refusing  to  accede 
to  the  wishes  of  the  husband,  he,  in  re- 
venge, caught  up  the  child  by  the  head 
and  the  feet,  broke  its  back  across  his 
knee,  and  then  threw  it  down  in  expir- 
ing agonies  before  her.      Struck  with 


CRUELTY  TO  PARENTS. 


272,  2T3 


the  atrocity  of  the  act,  Mr.  Young  seiz- 
ed the  man,  led  him  before  the  king 
Tamehameha,  who  was  then  at  Waia- 
kea,  and  requested  that  he  might  be 
punished.  The  king  inquired,  "  To 
whom  did  the  child  he  has  murdered 
belong  ?"  Mr.  Young  answered,  that 
it  was  his  own  son.  "  Then,"  said  the 
king,  "  neither  you  nor  I  have  any  right 
to  interfere  ;  I  cannot  say  any  thing  to 
him." 

(d)  THE  RAJAH'S  DAUGHTER. 
— The  wife  of  a  rajah,  or  native  prince 
of  India,  had  five  little  girls,  who  were 
put  to  death  as  soon  as  they  were  born, 
by  order  of  their  cruel  father.  When 
the  sixth  was  born,  the  mother  began  to 
long  very  much  to  have  a  daughter  to  love, 
and  she  managed  to  get  a  servant  to 
take  it  away,  without  the  rajah  knowing 
any  thing  about  it.  He  thought  that 
the  sixth  had  been  put  to  death  like  the 
rest.  The  poor  mother  never  dared  to 
send  for  her  little  girl.  She  never  saw 
her  again,  and  died  soon  after. 

Many  of  the  little  girls  in  India  are 
very  pretty ;  they  have  bright  dark 
eyes,  and  sweet  expressive  countenan- 
ces. This  little  child  grew  up  a  very 
beautiful  girl,  and  when  she  was  eleven 
years  old,  some  of  her  relatives  ventur- 
ed to  bring  her  to  her  father.  They 
thought  that  he  would  be  struck  with 
the  sight  of  his  sweet  child,  and  that  he 
would  love  her  for  the  sake  of  her  moth- 
er who  had  died.  The  little  girl  fell  at 
his  feet,  and  clasped  his  knees,  and 
looked  up  in  his  face,  and  said,  "  My 
father!"  What  did  that  father  do? 
Take  her  in  his  arms  and  kiss  her? 
No  !  He  seized  her  by  the  hair  of  her 
head,  drew  his  sabre  from  his  belt,  and 
cut  off  her  head  at  one  blow. 

m.  Cruelty  to  Parents. 

(a)  CRUELTY  TOWARDS  THE 
INFIRM,  AMONG  SOUTH  SEA  IS- 
LANDERS.— Before  the  introduction 
of  Christianity  to  their  islands,  the  na- 
tives often  proved  themselves  destitute 
of  natural  affection  in  their  treatment 
of  the  infirm.  Sometimes  the  unhappy 
invalid  was  buried  alive.  When  this 
was  designed,  a  pit  was  dug,  bathing 
was  proposed  to  the  sufferer,  and  the 


attendents  proffered  their  services  to 
convey  him  to  the  beach.  Instead, 
however,  of  showing  him  this  kindness, 
they  bore  him  to  the  pit,  and  cast  him 
in.  Stones  and  dirt  were  hurried  into 
the  grave,  to  stifle  the  voice  of  the  un- 
happy man.  The  work  of  murder  was 
soon  performed,  and  the  relatives  re- 
turned to  their  dwellings,  thankful  to 
obtain  relief,  by  this  method,  from  the 
cares  which  humanity  enjoins.  Some- 
times the  invalid  was  destroyed  in  a 
more  summary  manner.  Having  called 
out  all  the  visitors,  the  friends  or  com- 
panions of  the  sick  man  armed  them- 
selves with  spears,  and  prepared  for 
their  savage  work.  It  was  in  vain  that 
the  helpless  invalid  cried  for  mercy. 
So  far  from  being  moved  by  his  entrea- 
ties,  they  would  amu$e  themselves  with 
deliberate  cruelty,  by  trying  to  surpass 
each  other  in  throwing  the  spear  with 
dexterity  at  the  miserable  suppliant,  or 
rushing  upon  him,  they  would  transfix 
him  to  the  couch.  So  true  is  it  that 
"the  dark  places  of  the  earth  are  full  of 
the  habitations  of  cruelty." 

(b)  THE  CONTRAST.— The  se- 
cond evening  after  we  arrived,  says 
Rev.  J.  Read,  missionary  to  South  Af- 
rica, we  heard  late  in  the  evening  that 
an  old  man  and  his  wife  had  been  car- 
ried away  by  their  friends  to  the  top  of 
a  precipice,  and  there  left  to  die  from 
hunger  and  cold.  Early  next  morning 
I  went  to  Pal  a,  to  request  permission  to 
try  and  save  them.  Nothing  in  the 
world  could  surprise  him  so  much  :  he 
said,  their  friends  had  nothing  to  give 
them,  and  there  was  a  law  that  such 
persons  should  not  die  in  one  of  their 
houses,  nor  near  the  kraal ;  otherwise 
the  whole  neighborhood  must  break  up 
and  leave.  He  said  there  was  no 
objection  to  our  sending  them  food,  but 
he  could  not  allow  them  to  be  brought 
to  the  kraal.  The  next  day  their 
son  came  to  expostulate  against  our 
conduct,  saying,  that  he  wished  to  leave 
home,  and  could  not  go  until  his  father 
and  mother  were  dead,  and  that  we 
were  preventing  them  from  dying  by 
giving  them  food.  How  strong  a  proof 
that  "  the  dark  places  of  the  earth  are 
full  of  the  habitations  of  cruelty  !" 

However,  we  saved  the  lives  of  the 
509 


273,  274 


MISSIONS. 


old  people  for  the  time,  by  sending 
them  food  daily;  so  that  they  re- 
covered and  came  back  to  their  house ; 
and  the  interpreter,  with  our  Fingo 
brother,  visited  them  daily,  and  made 
known  Jesus  unto  them.  The  result 
eternity  alone  will  tell. 

(c)  FORMER  CRUELTY  OF 
SANDWICH  ISLANDERS.— In  giv- 
ing  an  account  of  the  former  state  of 
the  Sandwich  Islands,  the  missionaries 
say  that  the  helpless  and  dependent, 
whether  from  age  or  sickness,  were  often 
cast  from  the  habitations  of  their  rela- 
tives and  friends,  to  languish  and  to  die 
— unattended  and  unpitied.  An  instance 
came  to  their  knowledge,  in  which  a 
poor  wretch  thus  perished  within  sight 
of  their  dwelling,  after  having  lain  un- 
covered for  days  and  nights  in  the  open 
air,  most  of  the  time  pleading  in  vain 
to  his  family,  still  within  the  hearing 
of  his  voice,  for  a  drink  of  water.  And 
when  he  was  dead,  his  body,  instead  of 
being  buried,  was  merely  drawn  so  far 
into  the  bushes,  as  to  prevent  the  offence 
that  would  have  arisen  from  the  corpse, 
and  left  a  prey  to  the  dogs  who  prowl 
through  the  district  in  the  night. 

{d)  HINDOO  REVENGE.  — A 
quarrel  having  arisen  between  two 
brothers  and  a  man  named  Gowrie, 
the  emissaries  of  Gowrie  entered  the 
house  of  the  brothers,  in  their  absence, 
and  carried  off  forty  rupees.  On  their 
return,  they  were  informed  of  the  theft 
by  their  mother.  They  immediately 
led  her  out  to  an  adjacent  rivulet,  and 
one  of  them  severed  his  mother's  head 
from  her  body,' with  the  professed  view, 
as  entertained  by  both  parent  and  sons, 
that  the  mother's  spirit,  excited  by  the 
beating  of  a  drum  during  forty  days, 
might  for  ever  haunt,  torment,  and  pur- 
sue  to  death  Gowrie  and  the  others  con- 
cerned with  him.  The  last  words  pro- 
nounced by  the  mother  were,  that  she 
would  blast  Gowrie  and  those  connected 
with  him.  Nor  is  this  a  solitary  case 
of  desperate  revenge. 

274.  Cannibalism. 

(a)    BOYS    FATTENED     FOR 
SLAUGHTER.— The   Rev.   Dr.   Ca- 
rey, of  Serampore,  writing  t(    a  friend 
510 


in  England,  a  few  years  ago,  had  occa- 
sion to  speak  of  Sumatra,  as  an  impor- 
tant station  for  the  establishment  of  a 
mission,  which  has  since  been  done. 
The  doctor  related,  that,  a  little  time 
before  he  wrote,  he  had  received  very 
decisive  evidence  of  their  being  can- 
nibals. He  was  walking  with  a  gentle- 
man at  Serampore,  who  pointed  to  a  boy, 
and  asked  the  doctor  if  he  could  imagine 
how  he  came  by  him.  The  reply  was, 
of  course,  in  the  negative.  He  then 
stated,  that  he  was  on  the  east  coast 
of  Sumatra,  when,  having  occasion  to 
go  ashore,  he  saw  three  little  boys.  He 
asked  a  Malay  who  they  were,  and  was 
instantly  told  that  they  had  been  stolen 
from  a  neighboring  island,  and  would 
be  sold  for  food  to  the  Battahs,  (a  nation 
inhabiting  part  of  Sumatra,)  as  soon  as 
they  were  fattened.  He  asked  their 
price,  was  told  it  was  150  dollars,  he 
paid  the  money,  and  took  them  on  board 
his  ship  for  the  preservation  of  their 
lives  !  Truly,  "  the  dark  places  of  the 
earth  are  full  of  the  habitations  of 
cruelty." 

(b)  CANNIBALISM  IN  NEW  ZEA- 
LAND. — Mr.  Leigh  tells  us,  that,  while 
he  was  in  the  island  of  New  Zealand, 
he  was  one  day  walking  with  a  chief 
on  the  beach,  and  had  his  attention  ar- 
rested by  a  considerable  number  of 
people  coming  from  a  neighboring  hill. 
He  inquired  the  cause  of  the  concourse, 
and  was  told  that  they  had  killed  a  lad, 
were  now  roasting  him,  and  then  in- 
tended to  eat  him.  He  immediately 
proceeded  to  the  place,  in  order  to 
ascertain  the  truth  of  the  appalling 
relation.  Being  arrived  at  the  village 
where  the  people  were  collected,  he 
asked  to  see  the  boy.  The  natives 
seemed  much  agitated  at  his  presence, 
and  particularly  at  his  request,  as  if 
conscious  of  their  guilt :  it  was  only 
after  a  very  urgent  solicitation,  that 
they  directed  him  towards  a  large  fire 
at  some  distance,  where  they  said  he 
would  find  him.  As  he  was  going  to 
this  place,  he  passed  by  the  bloody  spot 
on  which  the  head  of  the  unhappy 
victim  had  been  cut  off;  and,  on  ap- 
proaching, he  was  not  a  little  startled 
at  the  sudden  appearance  of  a  savage- 
looking  man,  of  gigantic  stature,  en- 


TREATMENT  OF  FEMALES. 


274,  27S 


tirely  naked,  and  armed  with  a  large 
axe.  He  was  a  good  deal  intimidated, 
but  mustered  up  as  much  courage  as 
he  could,  and  demanded  to  see  the  lad. 
The  cook,  for  such  was  the  occupation 
of  this  terrific  monster,  then  held  up  the 
boy  by  his  feet.  He  appeared  to  be 
about  fourteen  years  of  age,  and  was 
half  roasted.  He  returned  to  the  village, 
where  he  found  a  great  number  of  na- 
tives seated  in  a  circle,  with  a  quantity 
of  coomery  (a  sort  of  sweet  potato) 
before  them,  waiting  for  the  roasted 
body  of  the  youth.  In  this  company 
was  shown  to  him  the  mother  of  the 
child,  who,  with  her  child,  were  slaves, 
having  been  taken  in  war.  She  would 
have  been  compelled  to  share  in  the 
horrid  feast,  had  he  not  prevailed  on 
them  to  give  up  the  body  to  be  interred, 
and  thus  prevented  them  from  gratifying 
their  unnatural  appetite. 

(c)  A  STRONG.HOLD  ASSAIL- 
ED. — Numerous  groups  of  islands  in 
the  Pacific  have  rapidly  yielded  to  the 
influence  of  the  gospel.  About  ninety 
islands  have  cast  their  idols  "  to  the 
moles  and  to  the  bats,"  and  about 
400,000  idolaters  have  nominally  (not 
all  truly)  embraced  Christianity.  One 
of  the  strongest  holds  of  cannibalism 
and  cruelty  is  found  in  the  Feejee 
islands. 

When  the  posts  of  their  temples  are 
erected,  human  beings  are  sacrificed, 
their  bodies  baked  in  native  ovens,  and 
the  flesh  eaten  by  the  imbruted  wor- 
shipers. In  1839  a  victorious  war 
party,  returning  from  an  exterminating 
war,  placed  thirty  living  children  in 
baskets,  and  hoisted  them  up  to  the  mast- 
head of  their  canoes,  to  dangle  in  the 
wind  as  trophies  of  victory.  By  the 
motion  of  the  canoes  the  helpless  victims 
were  dashed  against  the  mast,  and  their 
piercing  cries  were  speedily  hushed  in 
the  silence  of  death. 

So  numerous  were  the  victims  taken 
in  this  war,  that  the  most  greedy  can- 
nibals were  for  a  time  glutted  with  hu- 
man flesh !  In  some  instances,  this 
execrable  appetite  for  human  flesh  has 
become  so  strong,  that  bodies  have  ac- 
tually been  dug  up  out  of  the  grave  to 
gratify  it !  The  gospel  has  assailed  | 
this  strong-hold.      The  Wesleyan  Mis- 1 


sionary  Society,  (Eng.)  from  whose 
quarterly  paper  these  facts  are  taken, 
has  a  successful  mission  among  them  ; 
540  have  expressed  hope  in  Christ,  and 
are  regular  communicants.  Nearly 
1,000  thousand  persons,  adults  and 
children,  are  receiving  religious  in- 
struction in  the  schools.  Thousands  of 
the  natives,  who  have  not  embraced 
Christianity,  have  been  greatly  bene- 
fited by  the  gospel.  Their  manners 
have  been  reformed,  their  morals  ma- 
terially improved.  Cannibalism  has 
been  abandoned  by  multitudes,  wars 
are  less  frequent  and  less  cruel.  A 
few  influential  chiefs  have  united  with 
the  people  of  God.  One  of  these  was 
one  of  the  greatest  cannibals  and  war- 
riors that  Feejee  ever  produced.  His 
conversion  has  astonished  his  country- 
men and  gladdened  the  hearts  of  the 


missionaries. 


275.  Treatmenl  of  Females. 

(a)  DISTRESS  OF  A  MOTHER. 

— A  missionary  in  South  America  re- 
proved an  Indian  mother  for  the  mur- 
der  of  her  female  infants.  She  replied 
with  tears,  "  I  would  to  God,  father,  I 
would  to  God,  that  my  mother  had,  by 
my  death,  prevented  the  distresses  I 
endure,  and  have  yet  to  endure  as  long 
as  I  live.  Consider,  father,  our  deplor- 
able condition.  Our  husbands  go  out 
to  hunt,  and  trouble  themselves  no 
further.  We  are  dragged  along,  with 
one  infant  at  the  breast,  and  another  in 
a  basket.  They  return  in  the  evening 
without  any  burden.  We  return  with 
the  burden  of  our  children  ;  and,  though 
tired  with  a  long  march,  must  labor  all 
night  in  grinding  corn,  to  make  chica 
for  them.  They  get  drunk,  and  in  their 
drunkenness  beat  us,  draw  us  by  the 
hair  of  the  head,  and  tread  us  under 
foot.  And  what  have  we  to  comfort  us 
for  slavery  that  has  no  end  ?  A  young 
wife  is  brought  in  upon  us,  who  is  per- 
mitted to  abuse  us  and  our  children, 
because  we  are  no  longer  regarded. 
Can  human  nature  endure  such  tyran- 
ny ?  What  kindness  can  we  show  to 
our  female  children,  equal  to  that  of 
relieving  them  from  such  oppression, 
more  bitter  a  thousand  times  than  death  ? 
511 


375,  276 


MISSIONS. 


I  say  again,  would  to  God  my  mother 
had  put  me  under  ground  the  moment 
1  was  born." 

{b)  THE  PRIEST'S  REASONING. 
— About  the  beginning  of  1825,  Mr. 
King,  an  American  missionary,  spent 
about  six  months  in  Tyre,  (of  Scripture,) 
in  Syria,  and  made  some  efforts  to 
establish  a  school  there  for  the  instruc- 
tion of  Tyrian  females.  He  expected 
to  succeed,  when  one  of  the  principal 
priests  rose  up  and  said,  "  It  is  by  no 
means  expedient  to  teach  women  the 
word  of  God.  It  is  better  for  them  to 
remain  in  ignorance,  than  to  know  how 
to  read  and  write.  They  are  quite  bad 
enough  with  what  little  they  now  know. 
Teach  them  to  read  and  write,  and  there 
will  be  no  living  with  them."  These 
arguments  were  sufficient  to  convince 
all  the  Greek  and  Catholic  population 
of  the  impropriety  of  female  education. 

(c)  THE  HEATHEN  ARE  WITH- 
OUT  NATURAL  AFFECTION.— A 
Hindoo  family,  after  a  pilgrimage  of 
nearly  two  thousand  miles  on  foot,  had 
arrived  within  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  of  the  temple  of  Juggernaut, 
when  the  mother  was  attacked  with 
cholera.  The  husband  immediately 
forsook  her.  With  an  infant  at  her 
breast,  and  reduced  as  she  was,  she 
crawled  to  a  neighboring  village,  hoping 
to  find  a  shelter :  but  every  application 
proved  unsuccessful.  Denied  admit- 
tance at  every  house,  she  lay,  in  a 
stormy  night,  with  her  infant,  upon  the 
naked  ground.  Mr.  Sutton  having  been 
informed  of  her  suffering  condition, 
repaired  to  the  spot,  and  found  mother 
and  infant  lying  under  a  tree,  drenched 
with  rain.  He  had  her  removed,  and 
gave  her  medicine  ;  but  on  the  second 
day  she  died.  The  infant  was  almost 
famished.  Mr.  S.  used  every  persua- 
sion  to  obtain  for  it  nourishment  and 
care,  but  he  was  unsuccessful.  The 
unfeeling  reply  of  every  person  was — 
"It  is  only  a  girl."  He  applied  finally 
to  the  owner  of  the  village,  a  wealthy 
man,  and  a  priest  of  Juggernaut.  The 
heard-hearted  man  could  coolly  say, 
"  If  the  mother  is  dead,  let  the  child  die 
too — what  else  should  it  do  ?  It  is  but 
a  girl."  At  length  some  milk  was 
procured,  and  the  starving  child  re 
512 


ceived  the  nourishment  with  the  utmost 
avidity.  The  heart  of  the  missionary 
was  touched  by  its  look  of  imploring 
earnestness  and  unbounded  joy.  He 
resolved  to  cherish  her  as  his  own  child. 
She  has  been  brought  to  this  country, 
and  placed  at  a  female  seminary  near 
Boston. 


276.  Miscellaneous. 

(a)  "THE  HEATHEN  HAVE  NO 
GOOD  GOD."— A  New  Zealand  chief 
lay  pining  on  a  sick  bed.  An  European 
visitor  inquired  whether  he  ever  prayed 
for  the  restoration  of  his  health  ?  "  No," 
he  replied,  "  we  have  no  good  God  to 
address  ;  our  god  makes  us  sick  and 
kills  us,  but  gives  us  nothing.  Yours 
is  a  good  God  who  hears  you  when  you 
pray,  and  bestows  good  things  upon 
you.  Pray  for  me  and  I  shall  get  well, 
yours  is  a  good  God,  Teach  us  to 
know  him,  for  New  Zealand  people 
know  nothing  that  is  good."  So  com- 
fortless are  the  instructions  of  hea- 
thenism, and  so  unlike  the  inspired 
declaration,  that  "  like  as  a  father 
pitieth  his  children,  so  the  Lord  pitieth 
them  that  fear  Him." 

(b)  EXAMPLE  OF  A  RE- 
VENGEFUL  SPIRIT.— The  Tahiti- 
ans,  before  the  introduction  of  Christi- 
anity among  them,  were  as  implacable 
and  untiring  in  their  eiTorts  to  execute 
plans  of  revenge,  as  savages  usually 
are.  Formerly,  when  one  of  these 
islanders  had  at  length  succeeded  in 
slaying  his  enemy,  he  has  bruised  the 
body  of  his  foe  to  pulp  with  large  stones. 
He  has  then  spread  out  the  flattened 
mass  to  the  sun,  till  it  was  dried  like 
leather.  Then  he  has  glutted  his  re- 
morseless hatred  by  wearing  the  cover 
ing  thus  formed — having  made  an  aper- 
ture  through  the  centre  for  his  head — 
the  hands  dangling  down  in  front,  and 
the  feet  behind,  till  the  hideous  garment 
fell  in  pieces  from  the  revengeful  wear- 
er. A  practice  similar  to  this,  it  is  said, 
prevailed  among  the  New  Zealanders. 
How  different  is  the  character  of  the 
South  Sea  Islanders  now  !  No  people  i 
are  more  harmless,  none  more  kindly 
affectioned  one  toward  another. 


TEMPORAL  BENEFITS. 


276,  277 


(c)  PRAYER  MILLS  OF  TAR- 
TARY. — The  votaries  of  Lamaism 
actually  use  prayer  mills.  The  follow- 
ing is  a  description  of  these  labor-saving 
machines,  by  Zewick. 

The  kurdu,  or  prayer  machine,  con- 
sists of  hollow  wooden  cylinders  of 
different  sizes,  filled  with  Tangud  writ- 
ings. The  cylinders  are  painted  with 
red  stripes,  and  adorned  with  handsome 
gilt  letters  in  the  Sanscrit  character, 
commonly  making  a  distinct  sentence. 
Each  of  these  is  fixed  upon  an  iron  axis, 
which  goes  through  a  square  frame ; 
this  frame  is  capable  of  being  shut  up 
flat,  and  is  formed  upon  a  small  scale, 
much  like  a  weaver's  shearing  machine. 
Where  the  lower  parts  of  the  frame 
cross,  there  is  a  hole  in  which  the  axis 
of  the  cylinder  turns ;  by  means  of  a 
string  which  is  attached  to  a  crank  in 
the  spindle,  the  machine  can  be  kept  in 
motion,  so  that  the  cylinder  turns  in  the 
frame  like  a  grindstone  upon  its  axis. 
Before  the  fire  at  Sarepta,  we  had  two 
large  kiirdus  of  this  kind,  with  Tangud 
writings  of  all  sorts,  rolled  one  upon 
another,  round  the  spindle,  in  the  inside 
of  the  cylinder,  to  the  length  of  some 
hundred  feet.  The  Moguls  believe 
that  it  is  meritorious  respectfully  to  set 
in  motion,  whether  by  the  wind  or 
otherwise,  such  writings  as  contain 
prayers  and  other  religious  documents, 
that  the  knowledge  of  these  scraps  of 
theology  may  reach  to  the  gods  and 
bring  down  their  blessing.  These 
prayer  mills  contain  the  above  named 
sentence, — a  comprehensive  request — 
repeated  it  may  be  thousands  of  times, 
and  thus  secure  a  wonderful  multipli- 
cation of  power.  These  machines  are 
commonly  found  in  the  houses  of  the 
Moo;uls. 

We  can  smile  at  this  worthless  device. 
Is  it,  however,  moi'e  absurd  than  a 
heartless  prayer,  offered  to  the  living 
God,  for  the  coming  of  his  kingdom, 
and  the  diffusion  of  Christianity  among 
the  needy  heathen  ? 

(d)  REMORSE  OF  AN  INDIAN. 
— A  young  Indian,  belonging  to  one  of 
the  most  untutored  tribes  of  North  Amer- 
ica, coveted  the  distinction  of  a  hrave. 
To  secure  this. rank  it  was  necessary,  by 
the  usages  of  his  tribe,  to  kill  an  enemy. 

33 


While  engaged  with  a  war  party,  he 
attacked  a  little  child,  and  when  the 
child  ran  into  the  bushes  to  escape,  he 
pursued.  The  child  earnestly  entreat- 
ed him  to  spare  his  life.  But  the  cries 
of  the  helpless  fugitive  were  disregard- 
ed ;  the  pursuer  struck  him  with  a 
spear  in  the  breast.  The  wounded  boy 
persevered  in  his  endeavors  to  extract 
the  weapon,  until  he  fell  and  expired. 
The  young  man,  instead  of  feeling  hap- 
py, as  he  anticipated,  after  qualifying 
himself  by  this  cruel  act  for  the  rank 
he  coveted,  became  exceedingly  wretch- 
ed. He  could  not  relieve  his  mind  from 
painful  impressions.  The  image  of  the 
child  pleading  for  life,  and  his  efforts  to 
extract  the  spear,  constantly  haunted 
his  imagination.  Thus  does  conscience 
perform  her  work  even  in  the  dark 
mind  of  the  savage.  The  Heathen  are 
thus  '•'  a  law  unto  themselves." 


BENEFITS  OF  MISSIONS. 
277.  Temporal  Benefits. 

{a)  A  MISSIONARY  MAKING 
PEACE. — On  one  occasion,  when  Mr. 
Nott,  a  Missionary,  and  his  companions, 
arrived  at  the  island  of  Tubooi,  the 
whole  of  its  population  were  preparing 
for  battle,  being  engaged  in  war.  The 
Missionary  and  his  friends  stepped  for- 
ward as  mediators,  saw  the  leaders  of 
the  contending  parties,  expostulated 
with  them,  brought  them  together,  and 
reconciled  their  differences.  The  con- 
tending armies  threw  down  their  weap- 
ons, cordially  embraced  each  other,  went 
in  company  to  a  new  building  which 
was  devoted  to  the  service  of  God,  and 
sat  side  by  side  to  hear  the  gospel  of 
peace,  which  was  now  published  to 
many  of  them  for  the  first  time. 

{h)  THE  WILD  MEN  OF  THE 
JUNGLE. — In  the  interior  of  the  island 
of  Ceylon  there  is  a  tribe  of  wild  men 
called  the  Veddahs.  When  first  visit- 
ed by  the  Wesleyan  Missionaries  they 
seemed  to  be  the  lowest  specimen  of 
human  nature  that  had  been  found  in  all 
the  dark  region  of  heathenism.  It  is 
difficult  to  see  how  any  thing  short  of 
idiocy  could  place  them  nearer  to  the 
brutes.  The  Missionary  thus  describes 
•       513 


2Ty 


MISSIONS. 


them :  "  They  have  no  knowledge  of 
God,  they  have  never  heard  of  such  a 
being.  They  wear  scarcely  any  cov- 
ering, and  have  no  houses.  In  dry 
weather  they  range  the  jungle,  and  of- 
ten sleep  under  trees ;  and  in  the  wet 
season  they  creep  into  the  caves,  or  un- 
der overhanging  rocks.  Their  beds 
are  a  few  leaves ;  they  eat  with  their 
fingers,  with  leaves  for  dishes.  Sunk 
almost  to  the  brute,  they  live  and  die 
like  their  shaggy  companions  of  the  for- 
est." Even  on  this  people  the  gospel 
has  tried  its  power.  More  than  fifty 
families  have  permanently  settled  down, 
forming  two  pleasant  and  now  Christian 
villages.  They  have  schoolmasters  and 
Christian  teachers.  The  gospel  has 
given  them  improvement  in  civiliza- 
tion and  the  comforts  of  home. 

Under  date  of  July,  1841,  the  Mis- 
sionary writes,  "  they  have  already  be- 
gun to  meet  together  for  prayer,  and 
one  has  become  an  exhorter.  The  gov- 
ernment agent  says  that  they  pray  dai- 
ly, conduct  themselves  with  the  great- 
est propriety,  and  refrain  from  all  labor 
on  the  Sabbath.  Twelve  months  ago 
they  had  never  heard  of  God  ;  now  200 
have  heen  baptized,  and  many  more  are 
earnestly  desiring  to  embrace  the  gos- 
feV 

(c)  IMPLEMENTS  OF  WAR 
CONVERTED  TO  PEACEFUL 
AND  EVEN  SACRED  PURPOSES. 
— Among  the  natives  of  the  South  Sea 
Islands,  war  was  formerly  as  prevalent 
as  it  now  is  rare,  and  the  cruelties  of 
their  conflicts  were  of  the  most  revolt- 
ing description ;  to  specify  only  their 
treatment  of  infant  captives,  the  tender 
babe  was  transfixed  to  the  mother's 
heart  by  a  ruthless  weapon ;  or  it  was 
caught  by  the  rough  grasp  of  the  war- 
rior and  dashed  against  the  rocks  ;  or 
it  was  wantonly  thrown  up  in  the  air 
and  caught  upon  his  spear,  where  it 
writhed  in  agony  and  died ;  sometimes 
the  ferocious  warrior  strung  his  infant 
prisoners  upon  a  cord  passed  through 
the  head  from  ear  to  ear,  and  with  a  fiend- 
like pleasure  trailed  them  upon  the 
sand  in  triumph. 

But  since  Christianity  has  inculcated 
her  lessons  of  mercy,  war  is  compara- 
tively unknown. 

514 


Says  Mr.  Ellis — "  Often  have  I  seen 
a  gun-barrel  or  other  iron  weapon,  that 
has  been  carried  to  the  forge,  submitted 
to  the  fire,  laid  upon  an  anvil  and  beat- 
en, not  exactly  into  a  ploughshare  or  a 
pruning- hook,  (for  the  vine  does  not 
stretch  its  luxuriant  branches  along 
their  sunny  hills,)  but  beaten  into  an 
implement  of  husbandry,  and  used  by 
the  proprietor  in  the  culture  of  his  plan- 
tation.  Their  weapons  of  wood  also 
have  often  been  employed  as  handles 
for  tools ;  and  their  implements  of  war 
have  been  converted  with  promptitude 
into  the  furniture  of  the  earthly  sanctu- 
ary of  Jehovah.  The  last  pulpit  I  as- 
cended in  the  South  Sea  Islands  was  at 
Rurutu.  The  stairs  that  led  to  it  were 
guarded  by  rails.  I  asked  my  com- 
panions where  they  had  procured  these 
rails  ;  and  they  replied  that  they  had 
made  them  with  the  handles  of  warri- 
ors' spears  !" 

(d)  SWARTZ  AND  THE  IN- 
HABITANTS  OF  TANJORE.— In 
the  time  of  war,  the  fort  of  Tanjore, 
Hindostan,  was  in  a  very  distressing 
situation  ;  a  powerful  enemy  was  near, 
and  the  provisions  were  insufficient 
evert  for  the  garrison.  There  was  grain 
enough  in  the  country  for  their  supply, 
but  they  had  no  bullocks  to  convey  it  to 
the  fort  ;  the  people  had  lost  all  confi- 
dence in  the  Europeans,  and  the  rajah 
in  vain  entreated  their  assistance.  The 
only  hope  left  them  appeared  to  be  in 
Mr.  Swartz,  an  eminent  Missionary. 
"  We  have  lost  all  our  credit,"  said  the 
rajah  to  an  English  gentleman ;  "  let  us 
try  whether  the  inhabitants  will  trust 
Mr.  Swartz."  Accordingly  he  was  de- 
sired to  make  a  speedy  agreement  with 
them,  for  there  was  no  time  to  be  lost ; 
the  sepoys  were  daily  dying  in  great 
numbers,  and  the  streets  were  literally 
lined  with  the  dead  every  morning. 
Mr.  Swartz,  therefore,  sent  letters  in 
every  direction,  promising  to  pay  with 
his  own  hands  for  every  bullock  that 
might  be  taken  by  the  enemy,  and  in  a 
short  time,  his  benevolent  exertions  ob- 
tained for  the  perishing  inhabitants 
above  a  thousand  bullocks.  He  sent 
catechists  and  other  Christians  into  the 
country,  at  the  risk  of  their  lives,  who, 
with  all  possible  haste,  brought  into  the 


TEMPORAL  BENEFITS. 


s-yr 


fort  a  large  quantity  of  rice,  by  which 
means  it  was  preserved. 

At  another  time,  the  inhabitants  of 
the  Tanjore  country  were  so  miserably 
oppressed,  that  many  quitted  the  prov- 
ince. In  consequence  of  their  depart- 
ure, all  cultivation  ceased,  and  every 
one  dreaded  the  calamity  of  a  famine. 
Mr.  Swartz,  without  delay,  entreated 
the  rajah  to  remove  the  shameful  op- 
pressions, and  to  recall  the  inhabitants. 
His  advice  was  followed,  and  the  rajah 
endeavored  to  bring  back  the  people, 
promising  to  listen  to  their  complaints, 
remove  their  grievances,  and  that  jus- 
tice should  be  administered.  This, 
however,  proved  fruitless ;  all  his  ef- 
forts were  in  vain,  for  the  people  would 
not  believe  him.  Mr.  Swartz  was  then 
requested  to  write  letters  to  them  as  be- 
fore. He  cheerfully  did  so,  assuring 
them  that,  at  his  intercession,  kindness 
would  be  shown  them,  and  that  their 
oppressions  should  be  removed.  The 
people  immediately  believed  his  word, 
and  seven  thousand  men  came  back  in 
one  day,  and  the  rest  of  the  inhabitants 
soon  followed  their  example.  He  then 
exhorted  them  to  exert  themselves  to 
the  utmost  in  the  cultivation  of  their 
lands,  which  should  have  commenced  in 
June,  but  nothing  was  done  even  at  the 
beginning  of  September.  The  people 
instantly  replied,  "  As  you  have  shown 
kindness  to  us,  you  shall  not  have  rea- 
son to  repent  of  it ;  we  intend  to  work 
night  and  day,  to  show  our  regard  for 
you." 

(e)  AN  IDIAN  TRIBE  REFORM- 
ED.— At  a  Methodist  missionary  meet- 
ing in  New  Hampshire,  Bishop  Hedding 
said,  that  on  one  of  the  islands  in  Upper 
Canada,  that  he  visited,  there  was  a 
company,  or  tribe  of  Indians,  the  most 
filthy  and  degraded  that  he  ever  saw. 
They  were  given  to  intoxication  in  the 
worst  manner  that  could  be  conceived 
of.  They  lived  a  most  uncomfortable, 
miserable  life,  having  scarcely  food, 
raiment,  or  shelter ;  but  it  was  to  these 
wretched  creatures  the  gospel  was  sent, 
and  it  became  the  "  power  of  God  to 
their  salvation."  They  left  off  entirely 
their  former  habits ;  and  when  he  last 
saw  them,  they  appeared  like  another 


I  people,    had   built    themselves   houses, 

i  cultivated  farms,  and  almost  all  of  them 

j  were  doing  well.     One  circumstance  to 

i  which    he    alluded    was    particularly 

j  touching.     He  said   he  was  explaining 

I  to    them    the    intercession    of    Christ 

j  through  an  interpreter,  who  was  himself 

I  a  converted  Indian,  but  previously  a  very 

I  bad    man,  one  who,  in    a  passion,  had 

I  murdered  his  wife.     This  was  the  first 

Ltime  they  had  ever  heard  it  explained  in 

[rhis  way,  and  the  whole  tribe  were  so 

j  affected,  that  they  could  hardly  sit  on 

i  their  seats.     For  a  time,  such  was  the 

weeping  and  crying,  he  could  scarcely 

proceed.     The  poor  murderer  was  so 

powerfully  overcome  at  last,  that  he  was 

unable  to  interpret  any  longer. 

(/)  IMPROVED  CONDITION  OF 
THE  SOUTH  SEA  ISLANDS.— The 
Rev.  Mr.  Orsmond,  a  Missionary  at  Ei- 
meo,  states  that,  some  years  ago,  he 
overheard  several  chiefs  conversing 
among  themselves  as  follows — 

"  But  for  our  teachers,  our  grass  on 
the  hill,  our  fences  and  houses  would 
have  been  fire-ashes  long  ago,"  mean- 
ing that  the  ravages  of  war  would  have 
continued  to  desolate  the  land.  "  But 
for  the  Gospel,  we  should  now  have  been 
on  the  mountains,  squeezing  moss  for  a 
drop  of  water ;  eating  raw  roots,  and 
smothering  the  cries  of  our  children,  by 
filling  their  mouths  with  grass,  dirt  and 
cloth.  Under  the  reign  of  the  Messiah 
we  stretch  our  feet  at  ease,  eat  our  food, 
keep  our  pig  by  the  house,  and  see 
children,  wife  and  all  at  table  in  the 
same  house.  We  did  not  know  more 
than  our  ancestors,  our  kings  and  our 
parents  :  and  we  were  all  blind,  till  the 
birds  flew  across  the  great  expanse  with 
good  seeds  in  their  mouths,  and  planted 
them  among  us.  We  now  gather  the 
fruit  and  have  continual  harvest.  It 
was  God  who  put  it  into  the  hearts  of 
those  strangers  to  come  to  us.  We 
have  nothing  to  give  them  :  but  we  are 
a  people  of  thorny  hands,  of  pointed 
tongues,  and  we  have  no  thoughts."  "  If 
G^d  were  to  take  our  teachers  from  us, 
we  should  soon  be  savage  again.  They 
are  the  great  roots  to  the  tree  on  the 
high  hill :  the  wind  strikes  it,  twists  it, 
but  cannot  level  it  to  the  ground,  for  its 
515 


277,  278 


MISSIONS. 


roots  are  strong.     Our  hearts  delighted  [ 
in  war,  but  our  teachers  love  peace,  and 
we  now  have  peace." 

(g)  GREAT  CHANGE  IN  RAIA- 
TEA. — At  a  public  festival  at  Raiatea, 
a  South  Sea  island,  some  of  the  chiefs 
and  others  addressed  the  company,  in 
brief  and  spirited  appeals  to  their  mem- 
ory, of  the  abominations  of  past  times, 
and  to  their  gratitude  for  the  glorious 
and  blessed  changes  which  the  gospel 
of  Christ  had  wrought  among  them. 
They  compared  their  present  manner 
of  feasting,  their  improved  dress,  their 
purer  enjoyments,  their  more  courteous 
behavior,  the  cleanliness  of  their  per- 
sons, the  delicacy  of  their  language  in 
conversation,  with  their  former  glutto- 
ny, nakedness,  riot,  brutality,  filthy 
customs,  and  obscene  talk.  (Jne  of  the 
speakers  observed,  "  At  such  a  feast  as 
this,  a  few  years  ago,  none  but  kings, 
or  great  chiefs,  or  strong  men,  could 
have  got  any  thing  good  to  eat ;  the 
poor,  and  the  feeble,  and  the  lame, 
would  have  been  trampled  under  foot, 
and  many  of  them  killed  in  the  quarrels 
and  battles  that  followed  the  gormandiz- 
ing and  drunkenness."  "  This,"  said 
another,  "  is  the  reign  of  Jehovah, — 
that  was  the  reign  of  Satan.  Our 
kings  might  kill  us  for  their  pleasure, 
and  offer  our  carcasses  to  the  Evil  Spir- 
it ;  our  priests  and  our  rulers  delighted 
in  shedding  our  blood.  Now,  behold, 
our  persons  are  safe,  our  property  is  our 
own,  and  we  have  no  need  to  fly  to  the 
mountains  to  hide  ourselves,  as  we  used 
to  do,  when  a  sacrifice  was  wanted  for 
Oro,  and  durst  not  come  back  to  our 
homes  till  we  heard  that  a  victim  had 
been  slain  and  carried  to  the  marae." 

(h)  THE  JUSTICE'S  TESTIMO- 
NY.—The  Rev.  Dr.  Philip,  of  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope,  states,  that  the  honorable 
Justice  Burton  informed  him,  after  a 
circuit  tour,  that  he  had  made  three 
journeys  over  the  colony  as  a  circuit 
judge  ;  that,  during  these  circuits,  he 
had  nine  hundred  cases  before  him,  and 
that  only  two  of  those  cases  were  con- 
nected with  Hottentots  who  belonged  to 
missionary  institutions,  and  that  neither 
of  them  were  aggravated  cases.  On  a 
comparison  of  the  population  at  the  Mis- 
sionary stations  with  that  of  the  rest  of 
.516 


the  colony,  which  was  under  the  juris- 
diction of  the  circuit  court,  the  fact 
stated  by  the  judge  makes  the  proportion 
of  crimes  as  one  only  to  thirty-five. 

(0  THE  FOURTH  KING.— At  a 
missionary  meeting  on  the  island  of  Ra- 
rotonga,  one  of  the  Hervey  group,  in  the 
Pacific  Ocean,  an  old  man,  a  candidate 
for  church  fellowship,  said,  "  I  have 
lived  during  the  reign  of  four  kings  :  in 
the  first  we  were  continually  at  war, 
and  a  fearful  season  it  was,  watching 
and  hiding  with  fear  were  ail  our  en- 
gagements. During  the  reign  of  the 
second  we  were  overtaken  with  a  severe 
famine,  and  all  expected  to  perish ; 
then  we  ate  rats  and  grass,  and  this 
wood  and  that  wood.  During  the  third 
we  were  conquered,  and  became  the 
peck  and  prey  of  the  two  other  settle- 
ments of  the  island  ;  then  if  a  man  went 
to  fish  he  rarely  ever  returned,  or  if  a 
woman  went  any  distance  to  fetch  food, 
she  was  rarely  ever  seen  again.  But 
during  the  reign  of  this  third  king  we 
were  visited  by  another  king,  a  great 
king,  a  good  king,  a  powerful  king,  a 
king  of  love,  Jesus  the  Lord  from  heav- 
en. He  has  gained  the  victory,  he  has 
conquered  our  hearts;  therefore  we 
now  have  peace  and  plenty  in  this 
world,  and  hope  soon  to  dwell  with  him 
in  heaven." 


278.  Spiritual    Benefits.— Remarkable 
Conversions  and  Revivals. 

(a)  CONVERSION  OF  TUAHINE 
— In  a  letter  from  the  Rev.  Mr.  Ors- 
mond,  a  missionary  in  the  South  Seas, 
he  gives  the  following  interesting  ac- 
count :  — 

A  young  man  named  Tuahine,  came 
loitering  about  my  house  in  an  unu.sual 
way.  Knowing  him  to  be  one  of  the 
baser  sort,  I  said,  "  Friend,  have  you 
any  business  with  me  ?"  Tears  gushed 
into  his  eyes — he  could  at  first  hardly 
speak — at  length  he  replied,  "You  know 
I  am  a  wicked  man.  Shame  covers  my 
face  and  holds  me  back.  To-day  I  have 
broke  through  all  fear.  I  want  to  know, 
is  there  room  for  me  ?  can  I  expect 
mercy  ?"  I  said,  "  How  came  you  to 
have  such  a  thought  as  that  V  His 
countenance  blushed ;  tears  started  from 


SPIRITUAL  BENEFITS. 


278 


his  eyes,  and  he  said,  "  I  was  at  work, 
putting  up  my  garden  fenpe.  It  was 
a  long  hard  work,  and  only  myself  to 
do  it.  All  over  dirt  and  greatly  wea- 
ried, I  sat  down  on  a  little  bank  to  rest, 
and  said  within  myself,  f  cannot  tell 
why,  '  All  this  great  garden,  and  death 
for  my  soul ;  all  this  great  property, 
and  death  for  ever !  Oh,  what  shall  I 
do  V  I  went  immediately  and  bathed  ; 
then  went  to  my  wife,  and  told  her  my 
thoughts  and  wishes  ;  she  agreed  to  my 
desire,  and  we,  on  that  evening,  left  our 
work,  and  came  to  this  place  where  the 
word  of  God  lives,  and  I  have  been 
wishing  to  speak  to  you  ever  since."  I 
was  quite  affected  to  hear  this  tale,  gave 
him  all  the  instruction  and  encourage- 
ment which  I  conceived  the  Scriptures 
warranted,  and  am  happy  to  say,  that 
the  man  continues  to  live  happily  and 
worthy  of  the  gospel. 

(b)  THE  CONJURER  CONVERT- 
ED.— Among  other  converts  of  Mr. 
Brainerd's,  was  a  man  who  had  been  a 
most  notorious  sinner,  a  drunkard,  a 
murderer,  a  conjurer ;  but  who  at 
length  appeared  to  be  an  illustrious 
trophy  of  the  power  and  the  riches  of 
Divine  grace.  He  lived  near  the  Forks 
of  Delaware,  and  occasionally  attended 
Mr.  Brainerd's  ministry ;  but,  for  a 
time,  like  many  others  of  the  Indians, 
was  not  at  all  reformed  by  the  instruc- 
tions which  he  enjoyed.  About  that 
very  time  he  murdered  a  promising 
young  Indian,  and  he  still  followed  his 
old  trade  of  conjuring,  being  held  in 
high  reputation  among  his  countrymen. 
Hence,  when  Mr.  Brainerd  told  them 
of  the  miracles  of  Christ,  and  represent- 
ed them  as  a  proof  of  his  Divine  mission, 
and  of  the  truth  of  his  religion,  they  im- 
mediately mentioned  the  wonders  of  the 
same  kind  which  this  man  had  wrought 
by  his  magical  charms.  As  he  was,  in 
this  manner,  a  powerful  obstruction  to 
the  progress  of  the  gospel  among  the 
Indians,  Mr.  Brainerd  often  thought  it 
would  be  a  great  mercy  if  God  were  to 
remove  him  out  of  the  world,  for  he  had 
little  or  no  hope  that  such  a  wretch 
would  ever  himself  be  converted ;  but 
He,  "  whose  thoughts  are  not  as  our 
thoughts,"  was  pleased  to  take  a  more 


gracious  and  a  more  effectual  method 
of  removing  the  difficulty. 

Having  been  impressed  by  witnessing 
the  baptism  of  Mr.  Brainerd's  interpret- 
er, he  followed  him  to  Croosweeksung 
shortly  after,  and  continued  there  seve- 
ral weeks  during  the  season  of  the  most 
remarkable  and  powerful  awakening  of 
the  Indians.  He  was  then  brought  un- 
der deep  concern  for  his  soul. 

His  convictions  of  his  sinfulness  and 
misery  became  by  degrees  more  deep, 
and  the  anguish  of  his  mind  was  so  in- 
creased, that  he  knew  not  what  to  do, 
or  whither  to  turn. 

After  continuing  in  this  state  of  mind 
upwards  of  a  week,  he  obtained  such  a 
view  of  the  excellency  of  Christ,  and  of 
the  way  of  salvation  through  him,  that 
he  burst  into  tears,  and  was  filled  with 
admiration,  and  gratitude,  and  praise. 
From  that  time  he  appeared  a  humble, 
devout,  affectionate  Christian. 

(c)  SUCCESS  OF  MISSIONS  IN 
CEYLON.— During  a  remarkable  effu- 
sion of  the  Holy  Spirit  upon  the  several 
stations  on  this  island,  the  following 
scene  occurred  at  Panditeripo  : — 

On  the  13th  of  February,  1824,  while 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Scudder  were  absent,  and 
after  the  boys  of  the  boarding-school 
had  gone  to  their  ro-om,  and  were  about 
to  lie  down  to  sleep,  Whelpley,  (a  na- 
tive member  of  the  church,)  was  in- 
duced to  exhort  them,  most  earnestly, 
to  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come.  They 
were  roused  and  could  not  sleep.  By 
little  companies,  they  went  out  into  the 
garden  to  pray,  and  the  voice  of  suppli- 
cation was  soon  heard  in  every  quarter, 
each  one  or  each  company  praying  and 
weeping  as  if  entirely  alone.  More  than 
thirty  were  thus  engaged  in  a  small 
garden.  The  cry  was,  "  What  shall  I 
do  to  be  saved  ?"  and  "  Lord,  send  thy 
Spirit."  In  about  an  hour  Dr.  Scudder 
returned,  and  after  waiting  awhile,  rang 
the  bell  for  the  boys  to  come  in.  They 
came,  and  with  weeping  proposed  the 
inquiry,  "  What  shall  we  do  to  be 
saved  ?"  The  next  day  they  seemed 
unmindful  of  every  thing  but  the  salva- 
tion of  their  souls.  And  soon,  under 
the  judicious  instructions  they  received, 
more  than  twenty  at  this  place  gave  en- 
517 


978 


MISSIONS. 


couraging  evidence  of  conversion.  This 
was  a  specimen  of  the  displays  of  divine 
mercy  witnessed  at  the  several  stations 
of  the  mission. 

(d)  THE  INDIAN'S  REPLY  TO 
THE  TRADER.— A  trader  once  en- 
deavoring to  persuade  the  Indian  bro- 
ther Abraham,  that  the  Moravian  breth- 
ren were  not  privileged  teachers,  he 
replied,  '•  They  may  be  what  they  will ; 
but  I  know  what  they  have  told  me,  and 
what  God  has  wrought  within  me.  Look 
at  my  poor  countrymen  there,  lying 
drunk  before  your  door.  Why  do  you 
not  send  privileged  teachers  to  convert 
them,  if  they  can  ?  Four  years  ago,  I 
also  lived  like  a  beast,  and  not  one  of 
you  troubled  himself  about  me  ;  but 
when  the  brethren  came  they  preached 
the  cross  of  Christ,  and  I  have  experienc- 
ed the  power  of  his  blood,  according  to 
their  doctrine,  so  that  I  am  freed  from 

he  dominion  of  sin.  Such  teachers  we 
want." 

(e)  A  THIEF  SAVED.— A  Caffre, 
a  fine,  tall,  athletic  young  man,  addict- 
ed to  all  the  debasing  and  demoralizing 
customs  of  his  nation,  one  night  resolved 
to  go  into  the  colony  for  the  purpose  of 
stealing  a  horse,  which  is  a  common 
practice  with  them.  He  immediately 
left  home,  came  into  the  colony,  and 
watched  for  an  opportunity  of  accoiti- 
plishing  his  purpose,  which  soon  pre- 
sented itself  He  found  two  horses 
grazing  in  a  sheltered  situation  near  a 
bush,  and  he  instantly  seized  one  of 
them  and  made  off  vvath  it  as  fast  as  he 
could.  Elated  with  his  success,  and 
rejoicing  in  the  prospect  of  securing  his 
prize  without  being  detected,  he  pro- 
ceeded toward  Caffreland,  when  all  at 
once  the  thought  struck  him,  "  Thou 
shali  not  steal.^^  He  could  go  no  farther. 
He  immediately  drew  up  the  horse,  and 
said  to  himself,  "  What  is  this  1  I  have 
frequently  heard  these  words  before  in 
the  church,  but  I  never  felt  as  I  do  now. 
This  must  be  the  word  of  God."  He 
dismounted  and  held  the  bridle  in  his 
hand,  hesitating  whether  to  go  forward 
with  the  horse  or  to  return  back  with  it, 
and  restore  it  to  its  owner.  In  this  po- 
sition he  continued  for  upwards  of  an 
hour.     At  last  he  resolved  to  take  the 

518 


horse  back  again,  which  he  accordingly  ; 
did,  and  returned  home  a  true  penitent, 
determined  to  serve  God.  When  he 
reached  his  dwelling,  he  could  not  rest; 
sleep  had  departed  from  him;  the  ar- 
rows of  conviction  stuck  fast  in  his  con- 
science, and  he  could  not  shake  them 
off.  The  next  day  he  took  an  ox  out  of 
his  kraal,  or  cattle  place,  and  went  to 
the  nearest  village  to  sell  it,  in  order 
that  he  might  buy  European  clothing 
with  the  money,  and  attend  the  house 
of  God  like  a  Christian.  When  he  re- 
turned home  with  his  clothes,  he  went 
to  the  minister's  house,  told  him  all 
that  had  taken  place,  and  requested  to 
be  admitted  on  trial  as  a  church  mem- 
ber. The  minister,  cheered  with  this 
statement,  gladly  received  him ;  and 
after  keeping  him  on  trial  the  appointed 
time,  and  finding  him  consistent  in  his 
conduct,  a  short  time  ago  baptized  him ; 
and  he  is  now  a  full  member  of  the 
Christian  church,  and  adorning  his 
Christian  profession. 

(/)  CONVERSION  OF  A  PRIEST 
OF  BUDDHU.— A  young  priest,  who 
was  a  zealous  opposer  of  Christianity, 
resided  in  the  district  of  Matura,  in 
Ceylon.  This  spot  is  deemed  the  chief 
seat  of  Buddhism  on  the  island.  The 
chief  priest  resides  here,  and  here  also 
is  the  principal  college  of  the  Buddhist 
priesthood. 

The  priest  was  met  incidentally,  at 
the  prison  of  Matura,  by  Mr.  Lalmon, 
a  Wesleyan  assistant  missionary.  Both 
had  come  to  the  place  to  visit  a  native 
man,  condemned  to  die.  After  some 
conversation,  the  missionary  challenged 
the  priest  to  produce  a  single  proof  from 
any  of  his  sacred  books,  that  a  Savior 
for  man  had  come  into  the  world.  The 
priest  was  highly  indignant  at  the  chal- 
lenge. He  went  to  his  temple,  and 
commenced  a  search  for  evidence  from 
the  Buddhist  writings  of  the  doctrine  he 
was  required  to  support.  Though  he 
continued  his  search  at  times  for  two 
years,  he  was  unsuccessful. 

On  visiting  a  neighboring  district  he 
met  with  another  missionary,  who  gave 
him  a  copy  of  the  New  Testament,  in 
Cingalese.  This  he  took  to  his  temple 
and  read  ;  but  it  was  four  years  before 


SPIRITUAL  BENEFITS. 


2r§ 


the  prido  of  his  heart  v/oukl  allow  him 
to  divulge  the  struggle  that  was  going 
on  in  his  mind.  The  rank  he  held  in 
the  priesthood,  being  now  second  in  the 
Island  ;  his  reputation  for  learning;  and 
the  influence  he  had  among  the  people, 
were  cii'cumstances  which  induced  him 
so  long  to  resist  that  light  and  convic- 
tion which  the  perusal  of  the  Scriptures 
had  conveyed  to  his  mind.  The  repe- 
tition of  his  visits,  however,  led  to  a  dis- 
closure of  his  condition.  An  alarm  was 
raised,  and  he  found  it  necessary  to  fly 
from  the  temple  and  take  refuge  in  the 
house  of  the  missionary. 

The  priests  wrote  a  letter  to  him, 
which  was  signed  by  them  all,  stating 
that  disgrace  would  befall  them  if  he  be- 
came a  Christian  ;  that  were  such  a 
calamity  to  happen,  their  religion  would 
receive  an  incurable  wound.  To  this 
he  paid  no  regard.  In  a  second  com- 
*munication,  they  made  him  an  offer  of 
certain  temples  and  emoluments,  pro- 
vided he  would  not  renounce  Buddhism. 
This  likewise  produced  no  effect.  In  a 
third  letter,  they  declared  that  if  he  be- 
came a  Christian,  they  would,  by  some 
means  or  other,  take  his  life.  This 
rather  startled  him  at  first.  But  he  re- 
mained firm  to  his  purpose,  and  after 
"  learning  the  way  of  the  Lord  more 
perfectly"  from  the  missionaries,  he  was 
publicly  baptized  in  the  presence  of  a 
very  large  assembly. 

"  The  conversion  of  this  man,"  said 
Mr.  Clough,  a  Wesleyan  missionary, 
*'  is  so  impressive  an  event,  that  it  more 
than  a  thousand- fold  rewards  us  for  all 
the  toils  we  have  had  in  translating 
and  publishing  the  Scriptures  in  Cinga- 
lese." 

{g)  THE  BLIND  SHALL  SEE.— 
One  evening  about  sundown,  says  Rev. 
E.  Kincaid,  I  stopped  at  a  city  on  the 
Irawaddy.  I  sat  on  the  boat,  a  short 
distance  from  the  bank,  and  began  to 
read  from  my  tracts.  The  people  sat 
down  on  the  shore ;  some,  however, 
went  to  the  town  to  say  that  a  foreign 
teacher  had  come.  The  crowd  increas- 
ed, and  I  read  on  till  sundown.  At 
length  a  tall  young  man  came  wading 
to  the  boat,  and  said,  '•  Teacher,  have 
you  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  ?"  Ima- 
gine my  surprise  at  hearing  such  a  ques- 


tion in  that  place.  I  replied,  "  Yes." 
Ho  said  again,  "  Teacher,  have  you  the 
Gospel  of  John  ?"  He  was  evidently 
well  educated ;  I  asked,  therefore,  "  How 
did  you  learn  about  these  books  ?"  He 
told  me  that  long  ago  his  grandfather 
had  obtained  them  from  Mr.  Judson, 
but  had  lost  them  in  a  great  fire  ;  and, 
now  hearing  of  the  foreign  teacher,  the 
old  man  had  sent  him  in  the  hope  of 
getting  them  agaim.  I  complied  with 
his  request,  and  he  hastened  away.  A 
storm  soon  came  upon  us,  and  I  remov- 
ed my  boat  to  the  other  end  of  the  city, 
two  miles  distant. 

About  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening, 
the  young  man  came  again  ;  he  had 
been  searching  all  along  the  shore  for 
me.  On  his  return  to  his  grandfather, 
the  latter  inquired  if  he  had  asked  the 
teacher  to  stay  with  him  ;  and  he  had 
now  come  to  invite  me  to  his  house.  I 
went  and  found  the  old  man  seated  in 
the  midst  of  his  family.  He  put  out  his 
hand  to  feel  for  me,  and  I  perceived 
that  he  was  blind.  His  family  had  read 
to  him,  and  he  spoke  of  the  comfort  he 
had  derived  from  John  and  the  Acts. 
"  The  eyes  of  my  body,"  he  said,  "  are 
dark ;  but  the  eyes  of  my  mind  are 
opened." 

(/i)  CONVERSION  OF  AFRICAN- 
ER.— One  of  the  most  extraordinary 
instances  of  the  power  of  divine  grace 
furnished  in  the  annals  of  missions,  is 
that  of  Africaner,  for  many  years  a 
chief  among  the  Namacquas,  a  tribe  of 
people  in  South  Africa.  He  was  pro- 
nounced by  Mr.  Campbell,  "  the  Bona- 
parte of  the  interior  of  South  Africa." 
"  His  name  carried  terror  along  with  it 
for  several  hundred  miles  around  his 
residence."  He  was  long  engaged  in 
plundering  the  neighboring  tribes,  and 
did  not  scruple  to  destroy  two  mission- 
ary settlements. 

His  character  may  be  learnt  more 
fully  from  the  remark  respecting  him, 
recorded  by  a  missionary.  "  Soldiers 
are  sent,  who,  it  is  hoped,  will  succeed 
in  ridding  the  country  of  such  a  mon- 
ster, whom  neither  religion  nor  govern- 
ment can  restrain  or  subdue." 

When  Mr.  Campbell  visited  Africa, 
in  1812,  he  wrote  a  conciliatory  letter 
to  this  man,  asking  him  to  allow  the 
519 


27S 


MISSIONS. 


missionaries  to  return  to  one  of  the  sta- 
tions, from  which  they  had  been  driven 
in  terror  by  his  violence.  After  some 
dday,  he  granted  the  request.  The 
conversation  and  preaching  of  a  mission- 
ary, at  this  station,  had  «uch  an  effect, 
that  Africaner  one  dtiy  said  to  him,  "  I 
am  glad  that  I  am  delivered.  I  have 
long  enough  been  engaged  in  the  service 
of  the  devil  ;  but  now  I  am  free  from 
this  bondage.  Jesus  hath  delivered  me  : 
him  will  I  serve,  and  with  him  will  I 
abide." 

When  Mr.  Campbell  visited  Africa 
the  second  time,  he  wrote  thus  to  his 
friends  in  England : 

Africaner  was  the  man  of  whom  I 
was  most  afraid  when  in  that  country 
before,  in  consequence  of  the  multitude 
of  plunders  in  which  he  was  engaged. 
There  was  a  Griqua  captain,  of  a  dif- 
ferent tribe,  between  whom  and  Afri- 
caner there  were  frequent  battles.  Both 
of  these  are  now  converted  to  the  Chris- 
tian faith.  Africaner,  as  an  act  of 
kindness  to  Mr.  Moffat,  traveled  with 
his  people  a  journey  of  six  days  across 
Africa,  to  convey  Mr.  Moffat's  books 
and  furniture  to  Lattakoo.  Formerly 
he  had  gone  as  far  to  attack  Berend. 
On  this  occasion  Africaner  and  Berend 
met  together  in  my  tent,  and  united  in 
singing  praises  to  the  God  of  peace ; 
and  when  I  recollected  the  enmity  that 
had  formerly  existed  between  them, 
compared  with  what  I  then  saw,  tears 
of  joy  flowed  from  my  eyes.  O  my 
friends,  after  the  conversion  of  African- 
er and  Berend,  let  a  man  be  as  wicked 
as  he  may,  despair  not  of  his  conversion ; 
for  the  grace  of  God  is  infinite. 

It  is  pleasing  to  add  that,  to  the  day 
of  his  death,  Africaner  maintained  the 
character  of  a  consistent  and  useful 
Christion. 

{i)  CONVERSION  OF  CUPIDO.— 
Cupido,  a  Hottentot,  was  remarkable 
for  swearing,  lying,  fighting  and  drunk- 
enness. His  vices  often  laid  him  on  a 
sick  bed.  He  was  sometimes  afraid  of 
God,  though  ignorant  of  him  ;  and  ex- 
pected that  his  conduct  would  prove  the 
destruction  of  his  soul.  He  begged  all 
he  met  to  point  out  some  mode  of  deliv- 
erance from  the  sin  of  drunkenness, 
supposing  that  to  abandon  his  other  vices 
520 


would  be  easy.  Some  directed  him  to 
witches  and  wizards,  whom  he  found 
miserable  comforters;  for  they  told  him 
that  when  persons  began  to  make  such 
inquiries  it  was  a  sure  sign  of  speedy 
death,  and  that  his  life  was  not  worth  a 
farthing.  Others  prescribed  various 
medicines,  which  he  found  as  unavail- 
ing as  the  counsels  of  the  witches.  He 
was  providentially  led  to  Graaf  Reinet, 
where  he  heard,  in  a  discourse  from  the 
missionary  Vanderlingen,  that  Jesus 
Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  could  save  sin- 
ners from  their  sins.  He  said  within 
himself,  "  That  is  what  I  want !  That 
is  what  I  want !"  He  repaired  to  the 
missionaries,  expressing  his  wish  to  be- 
come acquainted  with  this  Jesus.  And 
he  told  all  he  met,  thai  he  had  at  last 
found  one  who  could  save  sinners  from 
their  sins.  Upon  finding  that  the 
preaching  of  the  missionaries  fitted  his 
own  case,  and  laid  open  the  secrets  of 
his  heart,  he  said,  "  This  is  not  of  man, 
but  of  God."  After  he  had  rejoiced  in 
the  hope  of  divine  forgiveness,  it  was 
his  practice  to  recommend  Christ  to 
others,  as  the  only  remedy  for  sin,  who 
could  destroy  it,  as  he  himself  could 
witness,  "  both  root  and  branch." 

(j)  CONVERSION  OF  MIRZA 
MAHOMED  ALL— Mirza  Mahomed 
Ali,  the  only  son  of  a  venerable  Persian 
Judge,  was  introduced  to  tiie  Scottish 
missionaries  at  Astrachan,  as  a  teacher. 
He  was  found  qualified  to  instruct  in 
Turkish,  Persian,  and  Arabic.  Discus- 
sions became  frequent,  and  although 
they  often  produced  in  him  the  most 
violent  rage,  he  courted  their  renewal. 
At  length  his  mind  was  impressed  by 
the  truths  of  the  Gospel,  as  appears  from 
the  following  extract  from  the  journal 
of  Mr.  McPherson  : 

"  Mahomed  Ali,  my  Arabic  teacher, 
came  at  his  usual  hour.  On  offering  a 
few  remarks  upon  the  absurdity  of  the 
system  of  divinity  which  formed  the 
groundwork  of  our  studies,  I  was  more 
than  surprised  to  hear  him  reply,  '  I  no 
more  believe  what  is  contained  in  that 
book,'  pointing  to  the  Mohamn*edan  Con- 
fession of  Faith.  He  now  told  me,  that 
his  soul  was  in  deep  waters,  and  that  he 
could  not  sleep  at  night  from  reflecting 
upon  his  perilous  situation,  in  professing 


SPIRITUAL  BENEFITS. 


2T8 


a  religion  which  he  was  afraid  was  not 
the  true  one." 

From  this  time  he  appeared  to  be  in 
great  anguish  of  spirit,  while  he  became 
more  fully  convinced  of  the  truth  of 
Christianity.  After  his  conversion,  he 
confessed  that  the  fact  of  so  many  Chris- 
tian missionaries  being  employed  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  world,  had  made  a 
deep  impression  on  his  heart ;  that  he 
began  to  surmise  that  a  religion  which 
could  lead  men  to  do  so  much  for  their 
fellow  creatures,  must  be  from  God ; 
whilst  among  Mohammedans,  none  seem- 
ed to  take  any  interest  in  the  condition 
of  others,  whether  they  were  in  the  way 
to  heaven  or  not. 

He  was  much  affected  with  the  rela- 
tion in  which  he  stood  to  his  venerable 
father.  "  I  am  sure,"  said  he,  "  that 
my  apostacy  will  bring  him  down  with 
sorrow  to  the  grave." 

A  Persian  gentleman  was  sent  by 
Mahomed's  father  to  reclaim  him,  but 
the  young  Christian  remained  firm. 

After  this,  his  father  treated  him  with 
the  utmost  harshness.  He  was  confined 
and  beaten  severely,  until  the  mission- 
aries applied  to  the  governor,  by  whose 
authority  he  was  lodged  in  safety  in  the 
mission  house.  Afterwards  he  was  pub- 
licly baptized. 

The  convert  did  not  fail  to  exemplify 
the  meekness  of  a  Christian  under  the 
abusive  treatment  which  he  endured. 
When  he  was  brought  to  the  residence 
of  the  missionaries,  his  head  still  aching 
from  the  blows  his  father  had  given 
him,  he  said,  "  I  have  suffered  much 
since  I  saw  you ;  but  Christ  Jesus  suf- 
fered much  more."  On  another  occa- 
sion, being  asked  how  he  felt  while  his 
father  was  beating  him,  he  replied,  "  O, 
nothing  at  all;  after  he  was  done,  I 
wept  and  kissed  him." 

After  his  baptism  he  visited  his  father. 
Both  of  them  wept  much.  The  natural 
affections  of  the  parent's  heart  were  not 
changed  by  the  son's  apostacy,  and  the 
son's  were  only  strengthened.  The 
father  did  not  upbraid  him,  but  stated 
his  conviction,  that  the  devil  had  ob- 
tained possession  of  him,  otherwise  he 
never  could  have  forsaken  the  Prophet, 
nor  his  aged  parent.  He  inquired  very 
kindly  after  his  comfort.     A  few  days 


after,  Mahomed  Ali  received  a  note 
from  his  father,  containing  these  mov- 
ing appeals  : — "  O,  my  unmerciful  son, 
how  long  wilt  thou  pain  me  ?  I  once 
fondly  cherished  the  hope  that  when  I 
came  to  die,  I  should  have  laid  my  head 
upon  your  knees,  but  these  hopes  are 
fled." 

The  afflicted  father  continued  to  urge 
upon  his  son  representations  designed  to 
shake  his  steadfastness,  until  at  last  he 
consoled  himself  with  the  Mohammedan 
tenet,  that  his  son  was  fated  to  be  an 
infidel.  ', 

The  son  became  a  zealous  advocate 
for  the  Christian  faith.  His  valuable 
labors  proved  highly  useful  to  the  mis- 
sion. After  the  lapse  of  about  two 
years,  however,  by  some  agency  thatr-''^ 
was  never  divulged,  he  was  prohibited, 
by  an  order  from  the  governor-general 
of  the  southern  provinces  of  Russia, 
from  engaging  in  any  missionary  opera- 
tions. He  was  not  even  allowed  to  go 
beyond  the  boundaries  of  the  city  of 
Astrachan,  without  leave  from  the  po 
lice-master.  Nor  was  this  all.  He 
was  appointed  by  the  government  to  the 
office  of  teacher  in  Siberia — an  appoint- 
ment equivalent  to  exile.  On  his  way 
to  the  secluded  spot,  to  which  he  had 
been  ordered,  he  passed  through  Kazan, 
the  seat  of  one  of  the  Russian  universi- 
ties. A  German  physician  of  that 
place  was  so  much  pleased  with  the 
young  convert,  so  struck  with  his  ta- 
lents, and  so  interested  in  his  history, 
that  he  urged  the  principal  persons  in 
the  city  to  procure  a  change  of  his  des- 
tination, and  obtain  for  him  an  appoint- 
ment to  a  professorship  in  that  city. 
After  much  delay,  the  request  of  the 
petitioners  was  granted,  and  Mahomed 
Ali,  or  Alexander  Kazem  Beg,  as  he 
was  baptized,  was  appointed  professor 
of  oriental  languages  in  the  university  of 
Kazan.  He  remained  steadfast  in  the 
faith,  adorning  the  doctrine  of  God  the 
Savior  by  a  life  and  conversation  be- 
coming the  Gospel. 

(k)  HINDOO  GIRL  SEEKING 
JEStFS. — A  little  Hindoo  girl  was  one 
summer's  afternoon  playing  before  the 
door  of  her  father's  bungalow,  when 
she  was  carried  off,  taken  to  Calcutta, 
and  sold  as  a  slave.  She  was  a  sweet 
521 


d78 


MISSIONS. 


and  beautiful  little  girl,  and  the  lady 
who  bought  her  soon  began  to  love  her 
very  much,  and  she  thought  that  she 
would  not  make  her  a  slave.  She  had 
no  children  of  her  own,  and  she  liked 
to  have  a  little  girl  to  play  with  her  and 
amuse  her.  She  loved  her  more  and 
more,  and  as  she  grew  older,  she  made 
her  her  companion. 

When  this  little  girl  was  stolen  from 
her  father,  she  was  too  young  to  have 
learned  his  religion.  The  lady  who 
bought  her  was  a  Mohammedan,  and 
she  brought  the  little  girl  up  as  a  Mo- 
hammedan too.  Thus  she  lived  till  she 
was  sixteen  years  old,  and  then  all  at 
once  it  came  into  her  mind,  she  knew 
not  how,  or  why,  that  she  was  a  sinner, 
and  needed  salvation.  She  was  in  great 
distress  of  mind,  and  went  to  her  kind 
mistress  for  comfort,  but  she  could  not 
tell  her  of  a  Savior.  All  the  lady  could 
do  was  to  try  to  amuse  her,  and  make 
her  forget  her  trouble  ;  she  hired  rope- 
dancers,  jugglers,  serpent-charmers,  and 
tried  all  the  sports  of  which  the  natives 
of  India  are  fond,  to  give  her  pleasure ; 
these  were  of  no  use,  and  the  little  girl 
remained  as  miserable  as  ever.  Her 
mistress,  deeply  grieved  at  the  distress 
of  one  whom  she  loved  so  dearly,  next 
sent  for  a  Mohammedan  priest.  He  had 
never  felt  the  want  of  a  Savior,  and  he 
could  not  understand  the  girl's  distress. 
However,  he  took  her  under  his  care, 
and  did  his  best.  He  taught  her  a  long 
string  of  prayers  in  Arabic,  a  language 
which  she  did  not  understand.  '.She 
learned  the  long  hard  words  which  had 
no  meaning  to  her,  and  she  repeated 
them  five  times  a  day,  and  each  time 
she  repeated  them,  she  turned  towards 
Mecca  in  the  east,  the  birth-place  of 
Mohammed,  and  bowed  her  face  to  the 
ground. 

Did  the  poor  girl  find  comfort  in  these 
dark  words  and  idle  ceremonies  ?  No ; 
she  felt  that  there  was  no  forgiveness, 
no  salvation  in  these.  When  she  had 
tried  these  prayers  for  three  long  years, 
the  thought  struck  her  that  perhaps  all 
this  sorrow  of  mind  was  a  punishment 
for  having  left  the  faith  of  her  fathers, 
and  become  a  Mohammedan.  She  set 
out  directly  in  search  of  a  brahmin 
or  Hindoo  priest,  and  entreated  him  to 
522 


receive  her  back  into  the  Hindoo  church. 
How  do  you  think  the  brahmin  answer- 
ed her  ?     He  cursed  her  in  the  name  of 
his  god.      She  told  him  how  unhappy  J 
she  was,  and  how  long  she  had  suffered,  | 
and  begged  him  to  pity  her,  but  he  would  " 
not  listen.    She  offered  him  a  large  sum 
of  money,  and  then  he  was  ready  to  do 
any  thing  ;  so  she  put  herself  under  his 
direction,  and  went  again  and  again. 
He  told  her  to  take  an  offering  of  flow- 
ers and  fruit,  morning  and  evening,  to  a 
certain  goddess  who  was  some  way  ofT, 
and  once  a  week  to  offer  a  kid  of  the 
goats  as  a  bloody  sacrifice. 

In  India  the  people  have  a  language 
of  flowers.  Each  flower  means  some- 
thing ;  and  when  you  go  into  a  temple, 
and  see  the  flowers  which  have  been 
laid  on  the  altar,  you  may  often  tell 
what  petitions  have  been  offered.  The 
flowers  she  brought  as  her  offering 
signified  a  bleeding  heart.  Oh,  there 
was  One  who  would  not  have  refused 
such  an  offering !  He  only  could  have 
healed  her  broken  heart,  but  she  knew 
him  not.  For  a  long,  long  time,  did  she 
carry  flowers  and  fruit,  morning  and 
evening ;  and  once  a  week  offer  a  kid 
of  the  goats,  and  sprinkle  the  blood  on 
herself  and  on  the  altar.  But  she  found 
that  •''  the  blood  of  goats  could  not  take 
away  her  sin  ;"  and  very  often  she  cried 
out  in  her  deep  distress,  "  Oh  I  shall 
die,  and  what  shall  I  do  if  I  die  without 
obtaining  salvation  ?"  At  last  she  be- 
came ill.  It  was  distress  of  mind  which 
made  her  ill.  Her  mistress  with  deep 
sorrow  watched  her  beloved  companion 
sinking  into  an  early  grave.  But  one 
day,  as  she  sat  alone  in  her  room,  think- 
ing and  longing,  and  weeping,  as  her 
custom  was,  a  beggar  came  to  the  door 
and  asked  alms.  Her  heart  was  so  full 
that  I  suppose  she  spoke  of  what  she 
wanted  to  all  whom  she  met,  in  hopes 
that  some  might  guide  her.  She  began 
talking  to  the  beggar,  and  used  a  word 
which  means  salvation.  The  man 
started  and  said,  "  I  think  I  have  heard 
that  word  before."  "  Where  ?  oh  ! 
where  have  you  heard  it  ?"  she  eagerly 
asked.  "  Tell  me  where  I  can  find  that 
which  I  want,  and  for  which  I  am  dy- 
ing  ;  I  shall  soon  die,  and  oh,  what  shall 
I  do  if  I  die  without  obtaining  salva- 


SPIRITUAL  BENEFITS. 


278 


tion  ?"  The  man  told  her  the  name  of 
a  charitable  institution,  where  once  a 
week  two  thousand  poor  natives  were 
supplied  with  rice,  and  before  the  rice 
was  given  out,  some  Christian  teacher 
used  to  speak  to  them.  "  I  have  heard 
it  there,"  he  said,  '•  and  they  tell  of  one 
Jesus  Christ  who  can  give  salvation." 
"  Oh  !  where  is  he  ?  Take  me  to  him." 
The  man  cared  nothing  about  this  sal- 
vation himself  He  thought  slie  was 
mad,  and  he  was  going  away,  but  she 
would  not  suffer  him  to  go  till  he  had 
given  an  answer ;  she  dreaded  lest  she 
should  miss  that  prize  which  now  seem- 
ed almost  within  her  reach.  "  Well," 
he  said,  "  I  can  tell  you  of  a  man  who 
will  lead  you  to  Jesus,"  and  he  directed 
her  to  that  part  of  the  town  where  Nar- 
raput  Christian  lived.  ' 

Who  was  Narraput  Christian  ?  He 
Was  once  a  rich  and  proud  brahmin,  but 
he  had  given  up  all  his  riches  and  hon- 
ors to  become  a  humble  disciple  of  Je- 
sus, and  he  was  now  an  assistant  mis- 
sionary and  preacher  to  his  countrymen. 
This  was  the  man  of  v/hom  the  beggar 
spoke. 

The  Hindoo  girl  gave  the  beggar  a 
trifle,  and  that  very  evening  she  set  out 
in  search  of  Narraput  Christian,  the 
man  who  would  lead  her  to  Jesus.  She 
went  from  house  to  house,  and  inquired 
of  every  one  she  met,  "  Where  Narra- 
put Christian,  the  man  who  would  lead 
her  to  Jesus,  lived  ?"  but  no  one  would 
tell  her.  They  all  knew,  but  they  were 
worshipers  of  idols,  and  they  did  not 
>choose  to  tell  her.  It  grew  late  and 
dark,  and  she  began  to  be  afraid  of  be- 
ing seen  out  at  that  hour.  Her  heart 
was  nearly  broken,  for  she  thought  she 
must  return  as  she  came,  and  die  with- 
out obtaining  salvation.  She  was  just 
turning  to  go  home,  when  she  saw  a 
man  walking  along  the  road.  She 
thought  she  would  try  once  more,  so 
she  asked  him  the  same  question, 
"  Where  Narraput  Christian  lived,  the 
man  who  would  lead  her  to  Jesus?" 
To  her  great  joy,  he  pointed  her  to  the 
house,  and  when  she  reached  it  she  met 
Narraput  himself  coming  out  at  the 
door.  She  fell  at  his  feet  in  tears,  and 
wringing  her  hands  in  anguish  she  ask- 
ed, "  Are  you  Narraput  Christian,  the 


man  who  can  lead  me  to  Jesus  ?  Oh  I 
take  me  to  him  ;  I  shall  die,  and  what 
shall  I  do  if  I  die  without  obtaining  sal- 
vation  ?"  Narraput  did  not  receive  her 
as  the  Hindoo  priest  had  done  ;  he  raised 
her  kindly  from  the  ground  and  led  her 
into  the  house,  where  his  family  were 
met  at  their  evening  meal.  "  My  dear 
young  friend,"  he  said,  "  sit  down  and 
tell  me  all."  She  told  him  her  history, 
and  as  soon  as  she  had  done,  she  rose 
and  said,  "  Now,  sir,  take  me  to  Jesus. 
You  know  where  he  is.  Oh  !  take  me 
to  him."  Ah !  if  Jesus  had  been  on 
earth,  how  willingly  would  he  have  re- 
ceived the  poor  wanderer.  She  thought 
he  was  on  earth,  and  that  she  might  go 
to  him  at  once ;  but  Narraput  knew 
that  though  he  was  not  here,  he  was 
just  as  able  to  pity  and  welcome  her 
from  his  mercy-throne  in  heaven  ;  so 
he  only  said,  "Let  us  pray."  All  knelt 
down,  and  as  he  prayed,  the  poor  Hin- 
doo girl  felt  that  she  had  found  thai 
which  she  had  so  long  wanted. 

(/)  THE  MISSIONARY  AND  THE 
PL  ANTER.— The  Rev.  Robert  Young, 
missionary  in  the  West  IndieS;  tells  the 
following  story : 

When  I  was  in  the  interior  of  the 
country,  in  my  former  residence  in  the 
island,  I  was  waited  upon  by  a  white 
planter,  who  requested  me  to  go  to  his 
estate  to  teach  his  negroes  morality  and 
industry.  I  accordingly  went,  and  about 
three  hundred  were  at  once  made  to  as- 
semble in  his  large  hall.  I  commenced 
religious  worship,  and  took  my  stand 
behind  his  table.  I  gave  out  a  hymn, 
and  he  assisted  me  in  singing  it ;  and 
after  prayer  I  gave  out  a  text,  which  led 
me  to  speak  against  Sabbath-breaking, 
and  another  evil  very  prevalent  in  that 
country — two  sins  of  which  mine  host 
was  notoriously  guilty.  I  perceived 
that  the  word  was  not  very  acceptable. 
He  evidently  withered  under  the  state- 
ments I  made  ;  he  seemed,  by  his  look, 
to  say,  "  You  are  traveling  beyond  your 
record."  But  I  had  possession,  and  de- 
termined to  keep  it.  As  soon  as  I  had 
finished,  he  rose  from  his  seat,  under  the 
influence  of  great  excitement,  and  said, 
"  I  don't  believe  that.  Now  stop,  my 
negroes.  I  brought  him  here  to  teach 
morality  and  industry — that  is,  that  you 
523 


STS 


MISSIONS. 


are  not  to  steal  from  your  owner,  nor  to 
be  idle  while  you  are  at  work  ;  but  in- 
stead of  that,  he  has  been  finding  fault 
with  me,  which,  to  say  the  least,  is  very 
ungentlemanly  conduct.  Now,"  said 
he,  "  I  will  expose  the  fallacy  of  all  that 
he  has  said.  He  has  told  you  it  is  wrong 
to  violate  the  Sabbath ;  but  he  must 
have  forgotten  that  the  law  respecting 
the  Sabbath  was  given  some  thousands 
of  years  before  the  West  India  Islands 
were  discovered,  and  therefore  it  could 
have  no  adaptation  to  that  part  of  the 
world.  And,  as  regards  the  other  crime 
of  which  he  has  said  so  much,  I,  for 
one,  wish  you  could  read  your  Bibles  ; 
for  you  will  find  it  stated  there,  that 
Abraham  patronized  the  very  thing  that 
Mr.  Young  has  condemned."  And 
thus,  by  the  most  shameful  perversion 
of  the  Scriptures,  he  went  on  to  defend 
his  views,  and  sat  down  much  elated 
with  his  performance.  1  rose  and  re- 
plied, and  went  further  into  the  subject 
than  I  had  done  before  :  he  rose  and  re- 
plied, and  I  rose  and  replied,  and  we 
kept  up  the  discussion  for  two  or  three 
hours,  to  the  no  small  amusement  of 
the  negroes,  who  could  no  longer  sub- 
due their  risible  powers,  but  departed 
with  a  loud  laugh,  exclaiming,  "  Ah  ! 
Massa,  Parson  have  been  too  many  for 
Buckra." 

But,  hear  the  sequel.  Before  I  left 
that  country,  I  saw  this  same  proud 
planter  a  humble  penitent  at  the  feet  of 
Jesus,  putting  his  confidence  alone  in 
that  blood  which  cleanseth  from  all  sin. 
On  my  recent  visit  to  the  island,  I  wait- 
ed upon  him,  and  was  delighted  to  see 
him.  He  expressed  himself  in  a  way 
that  I  cannot  here  describe :  he  was 
walking  in  the  truth,  and  adorning  the 
doctrine  of  God  his  Savior  in  all  things. 

(m)  AN  OLD  IDOLATER.— One 
day,  while  Mr.  Wilson,  a  missionary, 
was  preaching  at  Raiatea,  one  of  the 
South  Sea  Islands,  where  he  had  re- 
cently introduced  the  Gospel,  an  old 
man  stood  up  and  exclaimed,  "  My 
forefathers  worshiped  Oro,  the  god  of 
war,  and  so  have  1 ;  nor  shall  any  thing 
that  you  can  say  persuade  me  to  forsake 
this  way.  And,"  continued  he,  ad- 
dressing the  missionary,  "  what  do  you 
want  more  than  you  have  already? 
524 


Have  you  not  won  over  such  a  chief, 
and  such  a  chief;  ay,  and  you  have 
Pomare  himself!  what  want  you  more  ?" 
"  All — all  the  people  of  Raiatea  ;  and 
you,  yourself,  I  want!"  replied  Mr. 
Wilson.  "  No,  no,"  cried  the  old  man ; 
"  me — you  shall  never  have  me  !  I  will 
do  as  my  fathers  have  done ;  I  will 
worship  Oro ;  you  shall  never  have  me, 
I  assure  you."  Little,  however,  did 
this  poor  man  understand  the  power  and 
love  of  God.  Such  was  the  blessed  ef- 
fect of  the  Gospel  on  his  heart,  that, 
within  six  months  from  that  time,  this 
stanch,  inflexible,  inveterate  adherent 
of  Oro,  the  Moloch  of  the  Pacific,  aban- 
doned  his  idol,  and  became  a  worship- 
er of  the  true  God. 

(n)  AND  GATHERED  OF  EVERY 
KIND.— The  Rev.  Mr.  Coan,  writing 
from  the  Sandwich  Islands  some  eigh- 
teen months  after  the  commencement 
of  the  great  revival  there,  thus  des- 
cribes the  character  of  the  converts, 
and  the  change  wrought  in  them.  The 
entire  document  may  be  found  in  the 
Herald  for  1839. 

"  Could  you  get  a  glimpse  of  the  mot- 
ley group,  as  they  bend  their  steps  to 
the  house  of  God,  or  as  they  sit  around 
the  table  of  their  dying  Lord,  I  am  sure 
that  the  sight  of  your  eyes  would  affect, 
yes,  melt  your  heart.  The  old  and  de- 
crepit, the  lame,  the  blind,  the  maimed, 
the  withered,  paralytic,  those  with  eyes, 
noses,  lips  and  limbs  consumed  with  the 
fire  of  their  own  or  their  parents'  for- 
mer lust,  with  features  distorted  and  fig- 
ures the  most  deformed  and  loathsome, 
these  come  hobbling  upon  their  staves, 
and  led  or  borne  by  their  friends,  sit 
down  at  the  table  of  the  Lord.  Among 
this  throng  you  will  see  the  hoary  priest 
of  idolatry  with  hands  but  recently 
washed  from  the  blood  of  human  vic- 
tims, together  with  the  thief,  the  adul- 
terer, the  sorcerer,  the  manslayer,  the 
highway  robber,  the  blood-stained  mur- 
derer, and  the  mother — no,  the  monster ! 
whose  hands  have  reeked  in  the  blood 
of  her  own  children.  All  these  meet 
together  before  the  cross  of  Christ,  with 
their  enmity  slain,  and  themselves 
washed  and  sanctified,  and  justified  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  by  the 
Spirit  of  our  God. 


SPIRITUAL  BENEFITS. 


279 


279.     Striking  Exhibitions  of  Christian 
Tempers,  &c. 

(a)  SOLITARY  BUT  NOT  ALONE. 

— The  following  instructive  anecdote 
was  told  by  Rev.  R.  Moffatt,  missionary 
from  Africa,  at  an  anniversary  of  the 
London  Missionary  Society.  He  and 
his  companions  had  traveled  in  the  in- 
terior all  day  and  night,  weary  and  with- 
out food.  They  approached  a  village 
inhabited  by  the  Corannas,  who  w^re 
accustomed  to  bloodshed  and  rapine. 
An  individual  who  met  them  warned 
them  against  entering  the  village  ;  they 
would  do  so  at  their  peril.  He  pointed 
them  to  the  heights  beyond  the  town, 
where  he  said  they  could  sleep  for  the 
night. 

"  We  tied  about  us  the  fasting  girdle 
to  prevent  the  gnawing  of  hunger.  We 
looked  at  each  other,  for  we  were  hun- 
gry and  thirsty,  and  fatigued  beyond 
measure.  At  last  an  individual  came  ; 
we  asked  for  water.  It  was  refused. 
I  offered  two  or  three  buttons  remaining 
on  my  jacket  for  a  little  milk.  It  was 
refused  with  scorn.  It  was  evident 
something  was  brewing  in  the  minds  of 
the  people,  and  we  had  good  reason  to 
be  alarmed.  We  lifted  up  our  hearts 
to  God.  There  we  sat;  and  as  we 
gazed  saw  a  woman  descend  from  the 
heights.  She  approached  with  a  vessel 
in  her  hand  and  a  bundle  of  wood.  The 
vessel  contained  milk  ;  having  set  them* 
down,  she  immediately  returned.  She 
shortly  came  back,  bringing  a  vessel  of 
water  in  one  hand  and  a  leg  of  mutton 
in  the  other.  She  sat  herself  down  and 
cut  up  the  meat.  We  asked  her  name, 
and  if  there  was  any  relative  of  hers  to 
whom  we  had  shown  kindness ;  but  she 
answered  not  a  word.  I  again  asked 
her  to  tell  me  to  whom  we  were  indebt- 
ed ;  and  after  repeating  the  question 
three  or  four  times,  she  at  last  replied, 
'  I  know  whose  servants  ye  are,  and  I 
love  Him,  who  hath  told  me,  he  that 
giveth  a  cup  of  cold  water  to  one  of  his 
disciples  shall  in  no  wise  lose  his  re- 
ward.' Her  words  seemed  to  glow 
while  she  wept  profusely  to  see  one  of 
the  servants  of  Christ.  On  inquiring 
into  her  history,  I  found  she  was  a  soli- 
tary lamp  burning  in  that  village.      I 


asked  her  to  tell  me  how  she  had  kept 
the  light  of  God  alive  in  her  soul.  She 
drew  from  her  bosom  a  Testament,  and 
holding  it  up  she  said,  '  That  is  the 
fountain  from  which  I  drink  ;  that  is  the 
oil  that  keeps  my  lamp  burning  in  this 
dark  place.'  I  looked  at  the  book  ;  it 
was  a  Dutch  Testament,  printed  by  the 
British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society.  It 
was  given  her  by  a  missionary  when 
she  left  the  school !  And  it  was  that 
book  that  had  been  the  means  of  her 
conversion,  and  had  kept  alive  her  piety 
without  any  teaching  save  that  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  or  any  Christian  fellowship 
except  communion  with  God." 

(b)  A  DISCOURSE  ON  THEFT 
LEADS  TO  THE  RESTITUTION 
OF  PILFERED  PROPERTY.— Mr. 
Nott,  missionary  at  Tahiti,  preached 
from  the  text,  "  Let  him  that  stole,  steal 
no  more."  The  next  morning,  when 
he  opened  his  door,  he  saw  a  number 
of  the  natives  sitting  on  the  ground  be- 
fore his  dwelling.  He  requested  an  ex- 
planation of  this  circumstance.  They 
answered,  "  We  have  not  been  able  to 
sleep  all  night ;  we  were  in  the  chapel 
yesterday  :  we  thought,  when  we  were 
pagans,  that  it  was  right  to  steal  when 
we  could  do  it  without  being  found  out. 
Hiro,  the  god  of  thieveS;  used  to  assist 
us.  But  we  heard  what  you  said  yes- 
terday from  the  word  of  God,  that  Je- 
hovah had  commanded  that  we  should 
not  steal.  We  have  stolen,  and  all  these 
things  that  we  have  brought  with  us  are 
stolen  goods."  One  then  lifted  up  an 
axe,  a  hatchet,  or  a  chisel,  and  exclaim- 
ed, "  I  stole  this  from  the  carpenter  of 
such  a  ship,"  naming  the  vessel ;  others 
held  up  an  umeti,  or  a  saw,  or  a  knife ; 
and  indeed  almost  every  kind  of  mova- 
ble property  was  brought  and  exhibited 
with  such  confessions.  Mr.  Nott  pro- 
posed that  they  should  take  the  plunder- 
ed property  home  and  restore  it,  when 
an  opportunity  should  occur,  to  its  law- 
ful owners.  They  all  said,  "  Oh  no, 
we  cannot  take  them  back,  we  have  had 
no  peace  ever  since  we  heard  it  was 
displeasing  to  God,  and  we  shall  have 
no  peace  so  long  as  they  remain  in  oui 
dwellings ;  we  wish  you  to  take  them, 
and  give  them  back  to  the  owners  when- 
ever they  come." 

525 


279 


MISSIONS. 


(c)  THE  CONFESSION  OF  THE 
Martyrs.— Fourteen  christians  in 
Madagascar,  who,  during  the  persecu- 
tions there,  had  spent  two  wretched 
years  as  fugitives  in  the  mountains,  de- 
termined to  go  to  the  sea  side  and  sail 
to  Mauritius.  On  their  way  they  were 
taken  prisoners,  and  conducted  to  the 
city. 

A  deeply  interesting  circumstance 
transpired  as  these  Christians  were  on 
their  way  to  the  capital,  after  being  ap- 
prehended. On  reaching  the  town  of 
Beferona,  a  guard  was  set  upon  them. 
They  were  told  that  their  manner  of 
traveling  was  suspicious,  and  not  like 
that  of  other  people,  having  lanterns 
at  night,  and  striking  into  unusual  paths. 
Three  days  successively  they  underwent 
examination  ;  and,  on  the  third,  they  re- 
solved to  witness  the  good  confession, 
and  therefore  made  the  following  decla- 
ration, through  Andriamanana,  one  of 
their  number,  whom  they  had  appointed 
as  their  spokesman  :  "  Since  you  ask  us 
again  and  again,  we  will  tell  you.  *  We 
are  not  banditti  nor  murderers  :  we  are 
(impivavaka)  praying  people  ;  and  if 
this  make  us  guilty  in  the  kingdom  of  the 
queen,  then  whatever  the  queen  does,  we 
submit  to  suffer."  "  Is  this,  then,"  said 
the  interrogator,  "  your  final  reply, 
whether  for  life  or  for  death  ?"  "  It  is 
our  fnal  reply,"  they  said,  "  whether  for 
life  or  death."  "  Who,"  asked  the  ex- 
aminer, "  sent  you  from  Tananarivo  ?" 
"  No  one,"  they  replied,  "  we  went  forth 
of  our  own  free  will."  After  the  Chris- 
tians made  these  declarations,  it  is  said 
that  they  felt  inexpressible  peace  and 
joy.  They  had  prayed  ;  they  had  con- 
fessed Christ;  and  now  that  conceal- 
ment was  at  an  end,  and  they  could 
freely  open  their  overburdened  hearts, 
they  said  to  each  other,  "  Now  we  are 
in  the  situation  of  Christian  and  Faith- 
ful when  they  were  led  to  the  city  of 
Vanity  Fair."  And  so  it  proved,  when 
a  majority  of  them  underwent  the  mar- 
tyr's death  after  the  example  of  Faithful. 

(d)  A  SABBATH-BREAKER  RE- 
BUKED. — An  incident,  says  a  mission- 
ary, occurred  on  the  arrival  of  the  Unit- 
ed States  at  Honolulu,  worthy  of  record. 
The  frigate  came  to  anchor  on  Sabbath 
morning.     Captain  Armstrong  immedi- 

526 


ately  sent  off  a  lieutenant  to  make  the 
necessary  arrangements  for  firing  a  na- 
tional salute.  The  lieutenant,  in  com- 
pany with  the  United  States  consul,  call- 
ed at  the  residence  of  governor  Kekua- 
naoa,  but  he  was  at  church.  A  note 
was  despatched  informing  him  of  the 
frigate's  arrival,  and  that  an  officer  was 
ready  to  make  arrangements  for  a  sa- 
lute. The  governor  returned  an  answer 
that  he  was  at  divine  service,  but  would 
attend  to  the  business  on  the  following 
day,  at  nine  o'clock,  A.  M.  Hence  the 
quiet  of  our  Sabbath  was  not  disturbed 
by  the  discharge  of  cannon  on  sea  or 
land.  I  could  not  but  contrast  the  con- 
duct of  governor  Kekuanaoa  with  that 
of  the  commanders  of  most  vessels  of 
war,  as  well  as  most  of  the  public  men 
in  many  parts  of  Christendom. 

(e)  GOOD  FOR  EVIL.— When  it 
was  known  among  the  islands  that  Mr. 
Williams  had  been  killed  at  Eromanga, 
the  first  proposition  made  by  the  people 
was  of  a  character  worthy  of  their 
Christian  profession.  It  was  not  to  take 
their  clubs  and  spears,  and  go,  in  large 
numbers,  to  avenge  the  death  of  their 
beloved  friend,  who  had  fallen  a  victim 
to  the  cruel  savages  on  that  island  ;  but 
that  native  teachers  should  be  sent  to 
carry  to  those  blood-stained  shores  the 
gospel  of  peace,  believing  that  to  be  the 
best  method  that  could  possibly  be  adop- 
ted to  subdue  their  ferocious  spirits,  and 
*lead  them  joyfully  to  receive  and  kind- 
ly treat  European  missionaries,  who,  at 
some  future  period,  might  go  to  reside 
among  them.  Two  natives  had  the 
moral  courage  to  offer  their  services  for 
that  particular  field  of  missionary  en- 
terprise. They  were  taken  thither  by 
Mr.  Heath.  The  chiefs,  in  whose  charge 
they  were  left,  promised  to  behave  kind- 
ly to  them  and  to  attend  to  their  instruc- 
tions. 

(/)  THE  HEART  OF  A  NORTH 
AMERICAN  SAVAGE  SOFTENED 
BY  THE  GOSPEL.—"  Whenever  I 
saw  a  man  shed  tears,"  said  an  Indian, 
"  I  used  to  doubt  his  being  a  man.  I 
should  not  have  wept,  if  my  enemies 
had  cut  my  flesh  from  my  bones,  so  hard 
was  my  heart  at  that  time  :  that  I  now 
weep,  is  of  God,  who  hath  softened  the 
hardness  of  my  heart." 


SPIRITUAL  BENEFITS. 


S-^O 


(g)  A  SLAVE'S  LOVE  FOR  PUB- 
LIC WORSHIP.— One  of  the  mission- 
aries in  the  West  Indies  gave  the  fol- 
lowing pleasing  account  to  show  how 
highly  the  converted  negroes  value  their 
religious  privileges  :   . 

A  slave  wished  his  owner  to  give  him 
leave  to  attend  with  God's  people  to 
pray :  his  answer  was,  "  No,  I  will 
rather  sell  you  to  any  one  who  will  buy 
you."  "Will  you,"  said  he,  "suffer 
me  to  buy  myself  free,  if  me  can?" 
"If  you  do,  you  shall  pay  dearly  for 
your  freedom,  as  you  are  going  to  pray. 
Two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  is  your 
price."*  "  Well,  massa,  it  is  a  good 
deal  of  money,  but  me  must  pray  ;  if 
God  will  help  me,  me  will  try  and  pay 
you !"  For  a  long  time  he  worked 
hard,  and  at  last  sold  all  he  had,  except 
his  blanket,  to  buy  his  liberty  to  pray 
in  public  ;  or  in  other  words,  to  meet 
with  those  who  love  Jesus  Christ. 

(h)  THE  CARPENTER  AND 
THE  CONVERT.— A  carpenter  who 
was  building  the  new  church  at  Wai- 
mate,  a  Missionarj;^  station  in  New  Zea- 
land, engaged  a  native  convert  to  work 
in  his  garden,  and  promised  to  pay  him 
for  his  labor.  As  soon  as  the  native 
had  finished,  he  went  to  the  carpenter 
for  his  wages  :  but  instead  of  getting 
paid,  another  of  the  European  workmen 
knocked  the  poor  native  down,  and 
kicked  him  very  cruelly  while  lying  on 
the  p-round.  The  native  bore  it  all 
most  patiently,  not  murmurmg  nor  re- 
sisting, till  the  other  had  ceased  his  cru- 
elties :  but  then,  starting  on  his  feet,  he 
seized  the  other  by  the  throat,  shook 
him  as  if  he  had  been  a  cat,  and  bran- 
dished a  sharp  tool  over  his  head,  with 
which  he  might  have  taken  away  his 
life.  "  Now,"  said  the  native,  "  you 
see  your  life  is  in  my  hand  ;  you  owe 
your  life  to  the  preaching  of  the  gospel. 
My  arm  is  quite  strong  enough  to  kill 
you,  but  my  heart  is  not,  because  I 
have  heard  the  missionaries  preach  the 
gospel.  If  my  heart  were  as  dark  as  it 
was  before  I  heard  them  preach,  I  would 
strike  off  your  head.  You  owe  your 
life  to  the  preaching  of  the  gospel." 
He  then  let  the  workman  go,  without 
having  done  the  least  harm  to  him. 

•  One  hundred  and  forty  pounds  was  the 
common  price. 


(i)  "  IF  YOU  KILL  RIPA  I  WILL 
DIE  WITH  HIM."-Mr.  Davies  visited 
a  pa  at  Pateriteri,  belonging  to  two 
Christian  chiefs,  Perika  and  Noa,  who 
were  brothers.  They  were  expecting 
an  attack  from  Ripa,  a  chief  of  Hokian- 
ga.  Ripa  had  "made  an  unjust  demand 
from  the  two  Christian  chiefs,  and,  on 
their  refusal  to  comply  with  it,  he  had 
marched  to  attack  them.  It  was  at  this 
crisis  that  Mr.  Davies  entered  the  pa, 
and  there  he  found  them  surrounded  by 
their  armed  followers,  engaged  in  sol- 
emn prayer — praying  especially  for  the 
pardon  of  their  enemies — with  a  white 
flag  hoisted  above  their  heads  as  a  token 
of  their  desire  for  peace. 

Mr.  Davies  then  went  out  to  meet 
Ripa  and  his  party  ;  and  how  striking 
was  the  contrast!  With  their  bodies 
naked,  and  their  faces  painted  red,  they 
were  listening  to  addresses  urging  them 
on  to  vengeance  and  slaughter.  The 
address  being  ended,  they  rushed  for- 
ward toward  the  pa,  yelling  fright- 
fully, and  dancing  their  war-dance,  bid- 
ding bold  defiance  to  the  Christians. 
The  Christians  were  assembled  on  the 
other  side  of  the  fence  opposite  the  ene- 
my, while  one  of  the  Christian  chiefs  qui- 
etly walked  up  and  down  between  the  two 
parties,  telling  the  enemy  they  were 
acting  contrary  to  the  word  of  God  ; 
and  that  his  party,  though  not  afraid  of 
them,  were  restrained  by  the  fear  of 
God  from  attacking  them.  Ripa  and 
his  party  only  amounted  to  twenty  ; 
while  the  Christians  were  one  hundred 
strong.  After  many  speeches  had  been 
made  on  both  sides,  one  of  Ripa's  party, 
in  striking  at  the  fence  with  his  hatchet, 
cut  Noa  on  the  head.  This  Christian 
chief  tried  to  conceal  the  wound  from 
his  tribe  ;  but  some  of  them  saw,  by  the 
blood  tricklingdown,  that  he  was  wound- 
ed, and  instantly  there  was  a  simulta- 
neous rush  from  the  pa,  and  every 
man's  musket  was  leveled.  In  anoth- 
er moment  Ripa  and  his  whole  party 
would  have  fallen  ;  but  Noa,  the  wound- 
ed chief,  sprang  forward,  and  exclaim- 
ed, "  If  you  kill  Ripa  I  will  die  with 
him  ;"  and  then,  throwing  his  own  body 
as  a  shield  over  Ripa,  saved  him  from 
destruction.  Peace  was  then  made  be- 
tween the  two  parties,  and  there  was 
527 


2-79 


MISSIONS. 


great  rejoicing.  "Some  years  ago," 
adds  Mr.  Davies,  "  the  very  sight  of 
blood  would  have  been  a  signal  for  a 
dreadful  slaughter." 

0)  JOY  0>  THE  REAPER.— A 
short  time  since,  says  Rev.  iVIr.  Goodell, 
four  of  our  Armenian  brethren  of  the 
more  ordinary  class,  I  mean  those  whom 
we  have  never  called  upon  in  our  meet- 
ings to  take  an  active  part,  went  on  a 
little  excursion  to  a  place  in  the  interi- 
or, for  a  change  of  air.  Here  they 
found  quite  a  party  of  their  country- 
men ;  for  the  place  is  rather  celebrated 
for  its  salubrious  air  and  is  much  fre- 
quented in  summer.  And  here,  amid 
much  ridicule  at  first,  they  established 
daily  prayer-meetings  and  labored  di- 
rectly for  the  conversion  of  those  whom 
they  found  there.  And  the  result  was 
that  during  the  eight  or  ten  days  they 
remained,  they  had  the  happiness  of 
seeing  sixteen  of  those  who  had  lately 
scoffed,  join  their  little  praying  circle, 
and  take  part  in  the  devotional  exercises. 
These  four  brethren  have  just  returned 
with  joy  to  the  capital,  bringing  some 
of  their  sheaves  with  them. 

{k)  THE  INSIDE  MAN  LOVES 
HIM. — Formerly,  says  a  New  Zealand 
convert,  I  was  in  another  road,  and  bore 
another  likeness.  When  the  new  road 
was  pointed  out  to  us  by  the  Missiona- 
ries, I  paid  no  attention  to  it.  But  after 
these  stations  were  broken  up,  I  began 
to  think  about  it,  and  my  sins  were  dis- 
covered to  me  about  four  thousand 
(meaning  an  immense  number).  They 
were  like  an  army  come  up  against  me 
to  kill  me,  to  slay  me,  to  murder  me  ; 
they  fought  against  me  and  caused  me 
great  pain,  as  two  men  fight  against  and 
beat  each  other,  and  cause  pain.  I  then 
began  to  think  of  taking  to  the  new  re- 
ligion, and  fleeing  to  Christ.  In  doing 
so  I  found  relief  The  Spirit,  the  Com- 
forter, came  to  my  heart,  and  I  felt 
love,  goodness,  joy,  and  peace.  I  now 
love  Christ.  I  cannot  say  that  the  out- 
side man  loves  Jesus  Christ;  but  the 
inside  man  loves  him. 

(Z)  A  KING'S  PRAYER.— Mr. 
Chamberlain,  an  American  Missionary, 
giving  an  account  of  the  opening  of  a 
new  meeting-house  in  one  of  the  Sand- 
wich Islands,  says,  "  Probably  not  few- 
528 


er  than  four  thousand  persons  were  pre- 
sent, including  most  of  the  great  per- 
sonages of  the  nation.  We  were  ex- 
ceedingly gratified  with  the  appearance 
of  the  King  on  this  occasion,  and  also 
of  his  sister,  the  Princess  Harieta  Keop- 
uolani.  An  elegant  solli,  covered  with 
satin  damask  of  a  deep  crimson  color, 
had  been  placed  for  them  in  the  front 
of  the  pulpit.  The  King,  in  his  rich 
Windsor  uniform,  sat  at  one  end,  and 
his  sister,  in  a  superb  dress,  at  the 
other.  Before  the  religious  services 
commenced,  the  King  arose  from  his 
seat,  stepped  to  a  platform  in  front  of 
the  pulpit,  directly  behind  the  sofa, 
called  the  attention  of  the  congregation, 
and,  addressing  himself  to  the  chiefs, 
teachers,  and  people  generally,  said, 
that  this  house,  which  he  had  built,  he 
now  publicly  gave  to  God,  the  maker 
of  heaven  and  earth,  to  be  appropriated 
to  his  worship  ;  and  declared  his  wish,  ; 
that  his  subjects  should  worship  and 
serve  God,  obey  his  laws,  and  learn  his 
word.  The  religious  exercises  were 
appropriate ;  and  when  these  were 
closed,  the  Princess  arose  from  her  seat, 
and,  taking  her  stand  upon  the  platform, 
called  the  attention  of  the  chiefs  and 
people  anew  to  what  her  brother  had 
said,  and  exhorted  them  to  remember 
and  obey.  She  said  God  was  the  King 
above  to  whom  they  should  give  their 
hearts,  and  render  constant  homage. 
At  the  closing  exercise  of  the  occasion, 
the  King  stood  up,  and  saying,  "  E  pule 
kakou"  (let  us  pray),  addressed  the 
throne  of  grace.  In  this  act  of  worship, 
using  the  plural  number,  he  gave  the 
house  anew  to  God,  acknowledged  him 
as  his  sovereign,  yielded  his  kingdom  to 
him,  confessed  his  sinfulness,  prayed 
for  help,  for  teaching — supplicated  his 
mercy,  as  a  sinner,  needing  mercy,  par- 
don, and  cleansing — prayed  to  be  pre- 
served from  temptation,  and  delivered 
from  evil.  He  prayed  for  the  different 
classes  of  his  subjects :  for  the  chiefs, 
teachers,  learners,  and  common  people  ; 
for  the  missionaries  and  foreign  resi- 
dents ;  and  concluded,  in  a  very  appro- 
priate manner,  by  ascribing  unto  God 
the  kingdom,  and  the  power,  and  the 
glory,  to  the  world  everlasting." 


SPIRITUAL  BENEFITS. 


2§0,  2§1 


280.  Happy  Deaths  of  Missiouary  Converts. 

(a)  TRIUMPHANT  DEATH  OF 
A  CONVERTED  BRAHMIN.— The 

following  statement  was  made  by  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Carey,  from  India,  in  an  ad- 
dress  before  the  American  Tract  Socie- 
ty, in  1825. 

A  young  Brahmin  obtained  one  of 
our  tracts,  and  after  reading  it,  he  came 
to  us  full  of  anxiety,  inquiring,  "  What 
shall  I  do  to  be  saved  ?"  We  instruct- 
ed him  out  of  the  Gospel.  He  came 
again  and  again,  and  at  length  re- 
nounced his  idols,  and,  we  have  no 
doubt,  gave  his  heart  to  Christ.  After 
many  weeks  he  joined  a  Christian 
church.  But  God  did  not  suffer  him  to 
remain  w4th  us  many  years.  He  fell  a 
prey  to  the  cholera.  A  little  before  he 
died,  another  young  native  Christian 
came  to  see  and  to  comfort  him  ;  and 
as  he  laid  his  languishing  head  on  the 
bosom  of  his  young  friend,  he  broke  out 
in  an  ecstasy,  and  said  in  his  native 
tongue,  "  Sing,  brother,  sing."  "  And 
what  shall  I  sing  ?"  was  the  inquiry  of 
his  friend.  "  Sing  salvation,  salvation 
through  the  death  of  Jesus  !  Salvation 
through  Jesus  Christ."  And  I  believe 
these  were  the  last  words  he  uttered. 

(h)  THE  SIBERIAN  LEPER  ON 
HIS  DEATH  BED.— I  heard  the  other 
day,  said  the  Rev.  Mr.  Abeel,  at  a  pub- 
lic meeting,  from  one  of  the  brethren 
who  had  formerly  been  in  Siberia,  but 
was  recalled  from  the  field  at  the  eleva- 
vation  of  the  Emperor  Nicholas  to  the 
throne,  a  case  of  the  most  thrilling  in- 
terest. That  brother  told  me,  that,  as 
he  was  passing  one  day  among  a  col- 
lection of  Tartar  tents,  he  found  a  man 
lying  in  the  last  stage  of  that  loathsome 
disease,  the  leprosy.  As  the  Missiona- 
ry looked  upon  him,  he  lifted  up  his 
death-stricken  eyes,  and  fastening  them 
upon  his  countenance,  said,  "  I  know 
you."  "  How  can  that  be,"  replied  the 
Missionary,  "  have  you  ever  seen  me 
before?"  "Oh  yes,  I  have,"  replied 
the  dying  man.  "  Did  you  not  preach 
three  years  ago  in  such  a  Bazaar?"  "I 
cannot  really  tell,"  replied  the  Mission- 
ary, "  I  have  no  particular  remembrance 
of  it."  "  Don't  you  remember,"  said 
the  man,  in  a  tone  of  surprise,  "  you 
34 


stood  upon  the  steps  of  such  a  house  ?" 
"  Oh  yes,"  answered  the  other,  "  I  do 
remember  it  now."  •'  And  do  you  re- 
member what  you  preached  there  ?" 
"No,"  said  the  Missionary,  "  I  have  no 
recollection."  "  You  told  us,"  said  the 
man,  "  about  Jesus  who  died  to  save 
sinners,  and  that  men  of  every  nation 
might  come  to  him  and  he  would  re- 
ceive and  save  them :  Oh  sir,  I  never 
heard  such  things  before.  I  then  be- 
lieved in  Jesus ;  I  received  him  as  my 
Savior,  I  never  heard  of  him  before  or 
since.  But  now  I  am  dying,  and  am 
looking  to  none  other  to  help  me." 
Penetrated  with  what  he  had  heard  and 
seen,  he  went  to  another  tent,  and  found 
men  drinking.  He  asked  them,  "  Why 
do  you  not  go  to  your  brother  ?  he  lies 
there  dying  with  nobody  to  help  him." 
"  Brother  !"  exclaimed  they  with  indig- 
nation, "he  is  no  brother  of  ours ;  he 
is  a  dog  ;  and  has  abandoned  us,  and 
his  soul  is  going  down  swiftly  to  hell." 
The  missionary,  thus  repulsed,  went 
back  to  comfort  his  dying  Christian 
brother.  He  entered  the  solitary  tent, 
but  "  the  spirit  had  fled."  There  lay 
the  follower  of  the  Lamb,  dead,  and 
with  none  to  bury  him,  insomuch  that 
the  missionary  was  obliged  to  dig  a  hasty 
grave,  and  roll  into  it  the  emaciated  and 
half  consumed  body. 

281.  Miscellaneous  Illustrations. 

(a)  EXTENSIVE  INTEREST 
AWAKENED  BY  THE  DISTRIBU- 
TION OF  THE  NEW  TESTA- 
MENT.—The  Rev.  Mr.  Fisher,  a 
chaplain  in  Bengal,  relates  the  follow- 
ing circumstances  respecting  a  number 
of  Hindoos  who  were  associated  togeth- 
er  for  the  purpose  of  acquainting  them- 
selves with  the  truths  of  Christianity,  in 
the  year  1818. 

It  was  reported  that  a  number  of 
strangers  from  several  villages  had  as- 
sembled in  a  tope,  near  Delhi,  and  were 
busily  employed,  apparently  in  friendly 
conversation,  and  in  reading  some  books 
in  their  possession,  which  had  induced 
them  to  renounce  caste,  to  bind  them- 
selves  to  love  and  associate  with  one 
another,  and  to  intermarry  only  with 
their  own  sect,  and  to  lead  a  strict  and 
529 


2§1 


MISSIONS. 


holy  life.  A  convert  employed  by  Mr. 
Fisher  visited  the  spot,  and  found  about 
five  hundred  people,  men,  women,  and 
children,  seated  under  the  shade  of  the 
trees,  employed  in  reading  and  conver- 
sation. He  accosted  an  elderly  man, 
and  said,  "  Pray  who  are  all  these  peo- 
ple, and  whence  came  they  ?"  "  We 
are  all  poor  and  lowly,  and  read  and 
love  this  book."  "  But  what  is  this 
book  ?"  "  The  book  of  God."  "  Pray 
let  me  look  at  it,  if  you  please."  It 
proved  to  be  the  New  Testament,  in  the 
Hindoostanee  tongue,  many  copies  of 
which  seemed  to  be  in  their  possession, 
some  printed  and  otliers  written  by 
themselves.  The  visitor  pointed  out 
the  name  of  Jesus  in  one  of  the  copies, 
and  inquired,  "  Who  is  that  ?"  "  That 
is  God.  He  gave  us  this  book." 
"  When  did  you  obtain  it  ?"  "  An  an- 
gel from  heaven  gave  it  to  us.''  "  An 
angel  ?"  "  Yes — to  us  he  was  an  an- 
gel— but  he  was  a  man,  a  learned  pun- 
dit." A  public  reader  appears  to  have 
been  selected  by  themselves  for  the  ex- 
press purpose  of  reading  this  miraculous 
book ;  and  their  evenings  have  been 
habitually  spent  for  many  months  in 
this  blessed  employment,  crowds  gath- 
ering to  hear  God's  book.  The  ignor- 
ance and  simplicity  of  many  of  them 
were  very  striking.  They  had  never 
heard  before  of  a  printed  book.  All 
united  in  acknowledging  the  superiority 
of  the  doctrine  of  this  book  to  every 
thing  they  had  hitherto  heard  or  known. 
An  indifference  to  the  doctrine  of  caste 
soon  manifested  itself,  and  the  interfer- 
ence and  tyrannical  authority  of  the 
Brahmins  became  increasingly  offen- 
sive. At  last  it  was  agreed  to  separate 
themselves  from  the  rest  of  their  Hin- 
doo brethren,  and  to  establish  a  frater- 
nity of  their  own,  choosing  four  or  five, 
who  could  read  the  best,  to  be  public 
teachers.  The  number  daily  and  rap- 
idly increasing,  especially  among  the 
poor,  a  public  meeting  was  deemed  ne- 
cessary, to  which  all  their  congenial  as- 
sociates were  invited.  A  large  grove 
near  Delhi  was  selected  for  the  purpose, 
and  this  interesting  group  had  now  met 
for  the  first  time.  They  seemed  to 
have  no  particular  form  of  worship,  but 
each  individual  made  daily  and  diligent 
530 


use  of  the  Lord's  prayer.  They  re- 
solved to  hold  such  a  protracted  meeting 
once  a  year. 

It  was  found  that  this  remarkable  in- 
terest among  so  large  a  group  of  inqui- 
rers was  awakened  by  the  distribution 
of  some  new  Testaments  at  Flurdwar. 

{h)  DEMOLITION  OF  A  DEVIL 
TEMPLE  IN  TINNEVELLY.— In 
Sevel,  a  large  and  populous  village  in 
Southern  India,  the  gospel,  says  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Dent,  has  publicly  triumphed 
over  heathenism.  There  were  a  few 
families  there  under  instruction,  of  the 
Shanar  tribe.  All  of  them,  with  three 
exceptions,  joined  the  congregation ;  and 
they  then  agreed  among  themselves  to 
demolish  their  peicoil  (or  devil  temple), 
and  convert  it  into  a  place  of  worship. 
Soon  after,  I  visited  the  village,  and  the 
people  informed  me  of  i  heir  intention  :  I 
rejoiced  exceedingly,  that  they  had  come 
to  this  determination  ;  and  encouraged 
them  to  it,  by  citing  a  few  passages  of 
Scripture  that  related  to  the  destruction 
of  idolatry.  They  asked  me  to  come 
to  the  spot ;  and  I  did  so,  in  order  to 
witness  the  spectacle.  The  most  for- 
ward among  our  people  entered  the 
temple  first ;  and  one  of  them,  with  an 
axe  in  his  hand,  and  with  this  sentence, 
"  O  Christ,  help !"  in  his  mouth,  gave 
the  chief  idol  a  blow,  and  severed  the 
head  from  the  body  :  then  came  others, 
and  threw  down  the  idols  and  altars 
that  were  therein,  demolished  the  inner 
courts  and  walls,  and  leveled  them  all 
to  the  ground.  The  idols,  broken  to 
pieces,  they  threw  out  for  public  ex- 
hibition ;  saying,  "  Such  are  the  gods 
we  have  ignorantly  worshiped  and  be- 
lieved all  this  time  !  They  cannot  help 
themselves ;  how  can  they  help  us  ?" 
There  was  a  great  crowd  of  spectators 
collected  together  at  this  place.  The 
heathen  of  the  village  were  quite  angry 
at  this  outrage  and  injustice,  as  they 
termed  it ;  and  would  have  made  some 
attempts  to  recover  the  gods,  but  my 
presence  tended  considerably  to  still 
them.  The  heathen  cried  out,  "  O  ye 
fools,  ye  madmen  !  what  have  ye  been 
doing  ?  Have  ye  cut  down  and  destroy- 
ed the  tutelar  gods  and  goddesses  of 
your  village  ?  Be  sure  that  you  and 
your  families  will  ere  long  be  visited. 


SPIRITUAL  BENEFITS. 


2§1 


Ammen  will  revenge  lierself  npon  you 
all,  shortly."  Our  people  replied : 
"  These  are  sand  and  clay,  made  by  our 
own  hands :  they  can  never  do  us  any 


injury 


The  Lord  Jesus  alone  is  God  : 


Him  we  all  worship,  and  he  will  pro- 
tect us."  I  had  a  good  opportunity  of 
addressing  the  crowd  on  the  folly  and 
absurdity  of  their  religion,  and  of  direct- 
ing them  to  the  Lord  Jesus,  the  Savior 
of  poor  lost  creatures.  The  sight  was 
overpowering  to  me,  having  never  wit- 
nessed any  thing  of  the  kind  before  ; 
and  I  thanked  God  for  this  public 
triumph  of  Christianity  over  idols  and 
idolatry  in  the  village.  We  went  after- 
wards, and  had  a  prayer  in  that  place, 
which  but  a  little  before  was  a  devil- 
temple,  and  a  nest  of  all  unclean  things  ! 

(c)  SIVA  AND  HER  TEMPLE. 
— On  the  27th  of  January,  1826,  a  place 
of  worship  was  opened  at  Rammakal- 
choke,  eight  miles  from  Kidderpore  :  it 
was  crov/ded  :  many  came  from  distant 
villages  :  there  seemed  to  be  an  awaken- 
ing among  the  inhabitants.  Soon  after 
that  time,  the  Lord  made  bare  his  arm 
in  a  most  glorious  manner ;  and  the  idols 
of  the  heathen  he  began  to  abolish.  On 
the  20th  March  the  native  Christians 
tore  up  their  idol  Siva  :  it  was  a  massy 
stone  of  some  hundred  pounds'  weight. 
The  demolition  of  the  idol  produced  a 
wonderful  effect  on  the  people  :  when 
the  "  Destroyer,"  for  that  is  the  mean- 
ing of  the  idol's  name,  was  taken  out  of 
his  temple,  the  whole  village  ran  toge- 
ther in  perfect  amazement,  one  crying 
one  thing,  and  another  another :  each  indi- 
vidual, however,  seemed  to  say,  "  Great 
is  Siva  of  the  Hindoos !"  The  impres- 
sion, observed  Ramjhee,  the  owner  of 
the  temple,  was  like  the  shock  of  an 
earthquake. 

On  the  27th  of  March,  the  idol  was 
brought  to  Kidderpore,  and  presented  to 
the  missionaries  by  its  owners,  who  had 
turned  away  from  it  with  abhorrence. 
Here,  indeed,  says  these  good  men, 
we  stand  amazed ;  and  say,  "  What 
hath  God  wrought !"  Never  did  our 
most  sanguine  expectations  lead  us  to 
think  that  we  should  live  to  behold  this 
obscene  idol,  in  any  instance,  destroyed 
before  our  eyes.  This  is  the  first  in- 
stance  that  has  occurred   in   Bengal ; 


and  it  is  important  to  add,  that  the 
rooting  out  of  this  idol  from  his  dwell- 
ing-place by  the  hands  of  his  owners, 
and  consigning  it  to  destruction,  has 
proceeded  from  the  principles  of  the 
gospel. 

The  temple,  in  which  the  idol  was 
placed,  has  since  been  taken  down  by 
its  owners  ;  and,  with  a  part  of  the  ma- 
terials, they  have  erected  a  temple  to 
the  one  only  living  and  true  God. 
Those  very  bricks  which  once  inclosed 
the  demon  of  impurity,  serve  for  the 
purpose  of  screening  the  missionaries 
from  the  rays  of  the  sun  while  preach- 
ing to  the  heathen  the  unsearchable 
riches  of  Christ,  in  a  place  which  lies 
nearly  in  the  centre  of  a  number  of 
villages,  containing,  at  least,  20,000  in- 
habitants. 

(d)  MR.WILLIAMS'  CONTRAST. 
— In  describing  the  influence  of  Chris- 
tian missions  on  society,  Mr.  Williams 
writes  in  his  "  Missionary  Enterprises," 
in  reference  to  Rarotonga,  I  cannot  for- 
bear drawing  a  contrast  between  the 
state  of  the  inhabitants,  when  I  first 
visited  them,  in  1823,  and  that  in  which 
I  left  them,  in  1834.  In  1823,  I  found 
them  all  heathens ;  in  1834,  they  were 
all  professing  Christians.  At  the  for- 
mer period,  I  found  them  with  idols  and 
maraes  ;  these,  in  1834,  were  destroyed, 
and,  in  their  stead  there  were  three  spa- 
cious and  substantial  places  of  Christian 
worship,  in  which  congregations  amount- 
ing to  six  thousand  persons,  assembled 
every  Sabbath  day.  I  found  them  with- 
out a  written  language  ;  and  left  them 
reading  in  their  own  tongue  the  "  won- 
derful works  of  God."  I  found  them 
without  a  knowledge  of  the  Sabbath ;  and 
when  I  left  them,  no  manner  of  work 
was  done  during  that  sacred  day.  When 
I  found  them,  in  1823,  they  were  igno- 
rant of  the  nature  of  Christian  worship ; 
and  when  I  left  them,  in  1834, 1  am  not 
aware  that  there  was  a  house  in  the 
island  where  family  prayer  was  not  ob- 
served every  morning,  and  every  even- 
ing. I  speak  not  this  boastingly  ;  for 
our  satisfaction  arises  not  from  receiving 
such  honors,  but  in  casting  them  at  the 
Savior's  feet ;  "  for  his  arm  hath  gotten 
him   the  victory,"    and,    "  He   shall 

HAVE    THE    GLORY." 

531  / 


3S1,  382 


MISSIONS. 


What  has  been  said  of  Rarotonga  is 
equally  applicable  to  the  whole  Hervey 
Island  group  ;  for,  with  the  exception 
of  a  ie\f  at  Mengaia,  I  believe  there 
does  not  remain  a  single  idolater,  or 
vestige  of  idolatry,  in  any  one  of  the 
islands.  I  do  not  assert,  I  would  not  in- 
timate, that  all  the  people  are  real 
Christians ;  but  I  merely  state  the  de- 
lightful fact,  that  the  inhabitants  of  this 
entire  group  have,  in  the  short  space  of 
ten  years,  abandoned  a  dark,  debasing, 
and  sanguinary  idolatry,  with  all  its  hor- 
rid rites  ;  and  it  does  appear  to  me  that, 
if  nothing  more  had  been  effected,  this 
alone  would  compensate  for  all  the  pri- 
vations, and  labors,  and  expense,  by 
which  it  has  been  effected. 

{e)  CHANGES  IN  TEN  YEARS. 
—In  1830,  Rev.  Mr.  Williams,  of  the 
London  Missionary  Society,  first  bore 
the  gospel  to  the  Navigator's  Islands. 
This  group  lies  nearly  west  from  the 
Society  Islands,  at  a  distance  of  about 
700  miles.  The  war-whoop  was  one 
of  the  first  sounds  that  fell  upon  his  ear. 
Burning  villages  marking  the  warrior's 
track,  met  his  eye.  The  mass  of  the 
people  were  debased  and  vicious,  and 
met  together  only  to  pollute  and  destroy 
each  other. 

In  March,  1840,  a  pious  Scotch  gen- 
tleman visited  these  islands,  and  gives 
the  following  account  :— 

As  we  approached  and  sailed  up  the 
harbor,  we  were  gradually  surrounded 
by  many  canoes ;  and  before  we  an- 
chored the  deck  was  covered  by  natives, 
all  anxiously  and  affectionately  greeting 
the  new  missionaries  who  arrived  with 
us.  As  we  passed  up  to  the  house  of 
the  resident  missionary,  we  observed  the 
large  erection,  formerly  used  for  hold- 
ing their  savage  dances,  crowded  with 
women,  who  were  holding  a  prayer- 
meeting,  and  filling  the  air  with  notes 
of  praise,  in  place  of  their  ferocious  and 
abominable  war-songs. 

The  chapel  is  100  feet  by  27,  capable 
of  containing  about  1,000  people,  for 
they  fill  every  corner,  passages  and  all, 
besides  standing  at  the  windows  outside. 
You  may  imagine  my  feelings,  when 
standing  in  the  midst  of  reclaimed  sa- 
vages, hearing  them  sing  the  praises  of 
Jehovah,  seeing  them  bow  the  head, 
532 


and  reverently  cover  the  face  during 
prayer;  and  during  sermon  seeming 
to  devour  tlie  word  as  it  drops  from  the 
preacher's  lips ;  while  a  woman  would 
sob  out  in  spite  of  her  efforts  to  repress 
it ;  and  a  man  would  wipe  the  unbidden 
tear  from  his  swarthy  cheek,  so  lately 
marked  by  all  that  could  express  a  fero- 
cious heart,  but  now,  meek,  humble, 
and  subdued.  Oh,  how  I  wish  you 
could  be  present,  to  see  the  fervor  of  the 
people,  to  see  their  subdued  affection- 
ate countenances— those  whose  hands 
were  deeply  stained  with  blood  and  mur- 
der,  washed  and  purified  in  the  blood  of 
Jesus.  In  these  islands  40,000  have  re- 
nounced heathenism — more  than  20,000 
have  learned  to  read  ! 

28!.  Reflex  Benefits. 

(a)  BRITISH  SOLDIERS  AT 
MAULMEIN. — In  a  letter  addressed 
to  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society, 
by  W.  Bannister,  Esq.,  of  Madras,  in 
1832,  the  following  facts  are  related  : — 

The  men  of  the  — th  regiment  were 
regarded  as  amongst  the  most  depraved 
in  the  country.  Five  or  six  years  ago, 
they  were  stationed  at  Maulmein,  on  the 
other  side  of  the  Bay  of  Bengal.  They 
had  there  no  divine  ordinances,  and  the 
Sabbath  was  scarcely  known  amongst 
them.  One  of  the  men,  in  a  drunken 
fit,  on  one  occasion,  without  any  parti- 
cular provocation,  shot  a  sergeant  of  his 
corps,  and  was  subsequently  condemned 
for  the  crime.  Before  his  execution,  a 
missionary  obtained  access  to  him,  and, 
through  the  blessing  of  God,  was  made 
instrumental  in  his  conversion.  He 
pleaded  so  affectionately  and  so  earnest- 
ly with  the  prisoner,  that  the  sentinel 
on  guard  was  led  to  hearken  to  what 
was  going  forward  inside  the  cell  ;  and 
was  so  much  affected  by  what  he  heard, 
that  he  requested,  as  a  favor,  to  be  ad- 
mitted, whenever  the  missionary  visited 
the  condemned  man.  This  soldier  not 
only  attended  himself,  but  he  told  his 
comrades  of  the  manner  in  which  the 
missionary  conversed  with  the  criminal 
in  such  affecting  terms,  that  many  others 
were  led  to  attend  ;  and  after  seeinoj 
their  comrade  die  in  peace  through 
Christ,   notwithstanding  the  offence  he 


REFLEX  BENEFITS. 


3§5S 


had  committed,  tliey  requested  the  mis- 
sionary to  come  to  their  barracks  and 
talk  to  them  in  the  same  way.  This 
he,  of  course,  very  gladly  did  ;  and,  ere 
long,  baptized  about  one  hundred  of 
them,  as  he  believed,  in  the  faith  of  Christ. 
Many  of  these  men  remained  faithful  to 
the  solemn  profession  they  had  made, 
and  became  diligent  students  of  the 
Bible. 

(h)  EMBARKATION  OF  MISSI- 
ONARIES  AND  THE  OBJECTING 
SPECTATOR.— A  man  of  the  world 
stood  upon  the  wharf,  and  saw  a  devot- 
ed company  of  foreign  missionaries  go 
abroad.  "  He  saw  the  son,  the  daugh- 
ter, the  brother,  and  the  sister,  the  re- 
lation, and  the  friend,  with  Christian 
spirit  and  self-denial,  give  the  parting 
hand,  and  he  protested  against  it." 
These,  said  he,  are  just  such  spirits  and 
talents  as  we  need  at  home,  and  it  is  not 
right,  to  send  them  av/ay  from  the 
country,  when  we  need  them  so  much  at 
home.  But  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  was 
there  ;  and  the  spirit  exhibited  by  these 
missionaries  was  made  the  means  of  his 
conversion,  and  he  afterwards,  with  his 
own  money,  educated  more  pious  young 
men  for  the  ministry,  than  sailed  in  that 
missionary  company. 

(c)  FULLER  AND  HIS  CHURCH 
REWARDED.—"  There  was  a  period 
of  my  ministry,"  said  this  devoted  man 
to  a  friend,  "  marked  by  the  most  point- 
ed systematic  effort  to  comfort  my  seri- 
ous people  :  but  the  more  I  tried  to  com- 
fort them,  the  more  they  complained  of 
doubts  and  darkness.  Wherever  I  went 
among  them,  one  lamentation  met  my 
ear,  '  Ah  !  sir,  I  can  get  no  comfort.  I 
am  unable  to  appropriate  any  of  the 
great  and  precious  promises  to  myself, 
I  looked  for  light  and  behold  darkness.' 
1  knew  not  what  to  do,  nor  what  to 
think,  for  I  had  done  my  best  to  com- 
fort  the  mourners  in  Zion.  I  was 
therefore  at  my  wit's  end.  At  this 
time  it  pleased  God  to  direct  my  atten- 
tion to  the  claims  of  the  perishing  hea- 
then in  India ;  I  felt  that  we  had  been 
living  for  ourselves,  and  not  caring  for 
their  souls.  I  spoke  as  I  felt.  My  se- 
rious people  wondered  and  wept  over 
their  past  inattention  to  this  subject. 
They  began  to  talk  about  a  Baptist  mis- 


sion. The  females,  especially,  began 
to  collect  money  for  the  spread  of  the 
Gospel.  We  met  and  prayed  for  the 
heathen,  met  and  considered  what  could 
be  done  amongst  ourselves  for  them, 
met  and  did  what  we  could.  And, 
whilst  all  this  was  going  on,  the  lamen- 
tations  ceased.  The  sad  became  cheer- 
ful, and  the  desponding  calm.  No  one 
complained  of  a  want  of  comfort.  And 
I,  instead  of  having  to  study  how  to 
comfort  my  flock,  was  myself  comforted 
by  them.  They  were  drawn  out  of 
themselves.  Sir,  that  was  the  real  se- 
cret. God  blessed  them  while  they 
tried  to  be  a  blessing." 

(d)  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY  IN 
A  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.— 
"  It  may  not  be  improper  for  me  to  ob- 
serve," says  the  Rev.  Dr.  Alexander, 
respecting  the  Society  of  Inquiry  of  the 
Theological  Institution  at  Princeton, 
"  that  in  my  opinion,  no  part  of  the  ex- 
ercises in  the  Theological  Seminary, 
has  been  attended  with  more  manifest 
good  effect  than  those  which  appertain 
to  the  proceedings  of  this  Society." 

(e)  INFLUENCE  OF  A  PARTI- 
CIPATION  IN  MISSIONS  ON  BAP- 
TIST CHURCHES  IN  ENGLAND. 
— "  After  the  departure  of  our  brethren, 
— the  first  Baptist  Missionaries  to  India" 
— says  the  brief  narrative  of  the  Baptist 
Mission,  '•'  we  had  time  for  reflection. 
In  reviewing  the  events  ol[  a  few  preced- 
ing months,  we  were  much  impressed. 
The  thought  of  having  done  something 
towards  enlarging  the  boundaries  of  our 
Savior's  kingdom,  and  of  rescuing  poor 
heathens  and  Mahomedans  from  under 
Satan's  yoke,  rejoiced  our  hearts.  We 
were  glad,  also,  to  see  the  people  of  God 
offering  so  willingly ;  some  leaving 
their  country,  others  pouring  in  their 
property,  and  all  uniting  in  prayers  to 
Heaven  for  a  blessing.  A  new  bond  of 
union  was  formed  between  distant  min- 
isters and  churches.  Some  who  had 
backslidden  from  God  were  restored  ; 
and  others  who  had  long  been  poring 
over  their  unfruitfulness,  and  question- 
ing the  reality  of  their  personal  religion, 
having  their  attention  directed  to  Christ 
and  his  kingdom,  lost  their  fears  and 
found  that  peace  which  in  other  pursuits 
^ey  had  sought  in  vain.  Christians  of 
533 


d$2 


MISSIONS. 


different  denominations  discovered  a 
common  bond  of  affection  :  and  instead 
of^'always  dwelling  on  things  wherein 
they  differed,  found  their  account  in 
uniting  in  those  wherein  they  were 
agreed.  In  short,  our  hearts  were  en- 
larged :  and  if  no  other  good  had  arisen 
from  the  undertaking,  than  the  effect 
produced  upon  our  own  minds,  and  the 
minds  of  Christians  in  our  own  country, 
it  was  more  than  equal  to  the  expense." 
(/)  PROPERTY  SAVED  BY  A 
MISSIONARY  BOX.— On  the  14th 
of  July,  1814,  the  three  brigs,  Eliza, 
Mary,  and  Irish  Miner,  sailed  together 
from  Limerick,  all  bound  for  London. 
Early  on  the  26th  they  fell  in  with  the 
American  armed  ship  of  war  Whig, 
commanded  by  James  Clark,  Esq. 
Capt.  Clark  was  first  on  board  the 
Mary  of  Waterford,  and  after  examin- 
ing his  prize,  he  gave  orders  to  take 
some  supplies  for  the  Whig,  and  then  to 
set  fire  to  the  Mary,  which  was  instant- 
ly complied  with.  After  seeing  her  in 
a  blaze,  Capt.  Clark  went  in  his  boat 
on  board  the  brig  Eliza,  Capt.  Davis. 
When  he  found  her  loaded  with  a  cargo 
of  no  use  to  him,  he  gave  orders  imme- 
diately to  set  fire  to  her,  and  when  the 
preparations  were  making  to  carjy  the 
order  into  execution,  (which  would  not 
take  three  minutes  time,)  Capt.  Clark 
accidentally  went  below  into  the  cabin, 
where  Capt.  Davis  was  overwhelmed 
with  trouble,  bundling  up  his  clothes  to 
follow  his  men,  who  by  this  time  had 
been  put  in  chains,  on  board  the  Whig. 
After  Capt.  Clark  had  observed  all  about 
the  cabin,  and  took  away  a  heap  of 
charts  and  nautical  and  religious  books, 
he  cast  his  eye  on  the  "  Missionary 
Box,"  and  asked  what  it  meant.  Capt. 
Davis  consequently  told  him  the  whole. 
He  paused  a  little,  with  one  end  of  his 
stick  on  the  little  box,  and  then  broke 
silence.  "  Captain,  we  Americans  are 
not  at  war  with  you  nor  the  like  of  you  ; 

but  with  your government  (please 

excuse  the  expression)  we  are  at  war. 
Captain,  as  your  cargo  belongs  to  your 
government,  I  will  utterly  destroy  it : 
but  neither  you  nor  your  vessel  will  I 
by  any  means  hurt."  With  that,  he  or- 
dered  fifty  of  his  men  to  come  on  board, 
which  they  did,  and  threw  637  sacks  of 
534 


corn  overboard,  and  threw  salt  water 
over  what  was  left  for  ballast  so  as  ut- 
terly to  spoil  it ;  and  when  Capt.  Clark 
understood,  by  the  register  of  the  Irish 
Miner,  that  part  of  her  belonged  to  Capt. 
Davis,  of  the  Eliza,  he  spared  her  alto- 
gether and  her  cargo :  so  that  I  look 
upon  it,  that  the  Missionary  box,  actual- 
ly saved  two  vessels  and  one  cargo. 
The  above,  I  assure  you,  is  altogether 
authentic. 

I  am,  gentlemen,  with  respect. 
Yours  ti'uly, 

Thomas  Propert, 

Master  of  the  briff  Brothers,  of  Pembroke. 
Cardiff  Roads,  May  17,  1814, 

The  above  is  an  extract  from  a  let- 
ter to  the  Editors  of  the  Evangelical 
Magazine. 

Capt.  Davis  was  a  member  of  a  Me- 
thodist church.  He  was  in  the  habit 
of  putting  into  the  box  6d.,  his  mate  3d., 
his  men  Id.  each,  every  Monday  morn- 
ing. 

{g)  INFLUENCE  OF  MISSIONS 
ON  COMMERCE— There  is,  says 
Mr.  Dibble,  one  result  of  the  mission- 
ary effort,  which  is  often  overlooked  ; 
the  safety  secured  to  ships  in  the  Pacific 
that  visit  to  refit  or  recruit  at  the  differ- 
ent groups  of  islands.  In  former  times 
there  was  not  an  island  in  all  Polyne- 
sia where  a  ship  could  touch  without 
imminent  peril.  There  is  scarcely  a 
group  of  islands  with  which  is  not  con- 
nected some  tale  of  massacre.  Now, 
throughout  the  whole  of  Eastern  Poly- 
nesia, except,  perhaps,  the  Marquesas 
Islands,  ships  may  anchor,  refit,  and  re- 
cruit ;  and  the  seamen  may  wander  in 
saiety  over  the  fields,  and  through  the 
groves.  If  the  missions  in  the  Pacific 
had  been  sustained  entirely  by  our  go- 
vernment and  the  governments  of  Eu- 
rope, it  would  have  been  a  small  expen- 
diture compared  with  the  mere  com- 
mercial advantages  which  have  been 
gained — a  far  more  economical  expen- 
diture than  characterizes  most  of  our  na- 
tional enterprises.  What  does  it  re- 
quire to  support  one  man-of-war  or  one 
exploring  squadron  ?  Yet  how  limited 
the  results  in  comparison ;  how  small, 
I  say,  if  we  look  merely  at  the  com- 
mercial  benefit  to  the  world  ! 


HINDERANCES  TO  MISSIONS. 


2§2,  2§3 


(A)  AN  ENGLISH  SEAMAN 
CONVERTED  AT  OTAHEITE.— 
Before  the  mission  lo  the  islands  of  the 
South  Seas  had  proved  successful,  an 
English  seaman,  on  board  a  trading 
vessel,  called  at  Otaheite,  and,  through 
the  blessing  of  God  upon  the  efforts  of 
the  missionaries,  was  there  called  to 
the  knowledge  of  the  truth.  After- 
wards he  was  removed  to  a  man-of-war, 
and  became  the  happy  instrument,  by 
his  example  and  conversation,  of  bring- 
ing thirteen  or  fourteen  of  his  compan- 
ions to  a  sense  of  their  lost  state  and 
their  need  of  salvation  by  Jesus  Christ. 

(i)  VARIOUS  REVIVALS  IN 
CONSEQUENCE  OF  THE  MONTH- 
LY  CONCERT.— The  establishment 
of  the  monthly  concert  in  this  country 
was  soon  followed  by  great  reflex 
spiritual  blessings  to  the  churches  and 
congregations. 

In  a  narrative  of  the  state  of  religion 
within  the  bounds  of  the  General  As- 
sembly of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
published,  May,  1816,  we  find  the 
following : 

"  By  the  last  General  Assembly  it 
was  recommended  to  the  churches  to 
join  in  monthly  concerts  of  prayer,  for 
the  extension  of  the  triumphs  of  the 
gospel.  This  recommendation  has  met 
with  very  general  attention :  Christians 
of  other  denominations  have  cordially 
united  with  us  in  this  interesting  service. 
God  has  been  entreated  by  his  people  ; 
he  has  answered  their  petitions,  and 
blessed  their  souls.  Several  conversions 
to  God  in  individual  cases,  and  several 
revivals  of  religion  in  societies,  may  be 
traced  to  these  seasons  of  social  prayer." 

In  a  narrative  of  the  extensive  re- 
vivals of  religion  in  Massachusetts,  Con- 
necticut, and  Nevv^  Hampshire,  the 
monthly  concert  is  particularly  noticed 
among  other  means  by  which  these 
interesting  seasons  were  promoted. 

The  General  Association  of  Mass.,  in 
their  Report  for  181G,  say:  "  In  Sandis- 
field,  a  special  attention  to  religion, 
which  is  traced  to  the  monthly  concert 
of  prayer  as  its  origin,  has  ver}^  recently 
changed  the  religious  aspect  of  that 
people.  A  hope  is  entertained  of  two 
hundred,  that  they  have  passed  from 
death  unto  life." 


"It  is  understood  in  this  body,  that 
the  monthly  concert,  attended  in  this 
and  in  foreign  countries,  has  been 
blessed  as  a  very  great  means  of  pro- 
moting religious  attention  in  many 
places.  In  several  instances,  this  con- 
cert is  mentioned  as  the  means  of  exten- 
sive revivals.  While  churches  have 
met  to  pray  for  a  world  lying  in  wicked- 
ness, they  have  been  led  to  realize  their 
own  need  of  those  divine  influences 
which  they  have  attempted  to  implore 
for  others."  "  Such  is  the  nature  of 
prayer ;  we  cannot  pray  for  others 
without  being  benefited  ourselves." 

{j)  HOW  TO  MULTIPLY  MINIS- 
TERS.— A  writer  in  the  St.  Louis  Ob- 
server, relates  the  followii^ig  facts  as 
having  occurred  in  New  England : — 
^'  One  who  mourned  over  the  march  of 
sin,  said  to  an  old  man,  '  Alas,  for  our 
destitution ;  within  the  bounds  of  our 
association  fifty  ministers  might  labor ; 
we  have  not  ten  who  are  sound,  both  in 
health  and  in  faith.  We  need  forty 
more  pressingly.  How  shall  we  get 
them  ?  What  shall  we  do  V  He  was 
somcv/hat  surprised  to  hear  his  aged 
friend  say,  with  slow  severity — '  Send 
one  half  of  the  best  you  have  away ! 
Send  five  of  your  ten  across  the  ocean  ! 
He  that  watereth  shall  be  watered  also 
himself.  For  fifty  years  you  have 
paid  scarcely  the  least  attention  to  our 
Captain's  last  charge,  preach  to  every 
creature.  Half  were  not  sent,  but  some 
were  sent,  and  their  number  of  ministers 
and  communicants  was  doubled,  and 
doubled  again,  within  the  recollection 
of  a  middle-aged  man." 


HINDERANCES  TO  MISSIONS. 

281.  Bad  Example  and  Influence  of  Nomi- 
nal Christians. 

(a)  FIRST  MISSIONARIES  TO 
THE  SANDWICH  ISLANDS  OP- 
POSED BY  EUROPEANS.— When 
the  first  missionaries  from  America 
reached  the  Sandwich  Islands,  in  the 
spring  of  1820,  an  efTort  was  made  by 
some  of  the  foreigners  to  have  their 
landing  and  establishment  at  the  Islands 
forbidden  by  the  government.  With 
this  view,  their  motives  were  misrepre- 
535 


2§3,  284 


MISSIONS. 


sented  by  them  to  the  king  and  chiefs. 
It  was  asserted,  that  while  the  ostensible 
object  of  the  mission  was  good,  the  secret 
and  ultimate  design  was  the  subjugation 
of  the  Islands,  and  the  enslavement  of 
the  people :  and  by  way  of  corrobora- 
tion, the  treatment  of  the  Mexicans,  and 
aborigines  of  South  America  and  the 
West  Indies,  by  the  Spaniards,  and  the 
possession  of  Hindostan  by  the  British, 
were  gravely  related.  It  was  in  conse- 
quence of  this  misrepresentation,  that  a 
delay  of  eight  days  occurred  before  the 
missionaries  could  secure  permission  to 
disembark.  In  answer  to  these  allega- 
tions, the  more  intelligent  of  the  chiefs 
remarked, — "  The  missionaries  speak 
well ;  they  say  tney  have  come  from 
America  only  to  do  us  good :  if  they 
intend  to  seize  our  islands,  why  are  they 
so  few  in  number  ?  where  are  their 
guns  ?  and  why  have  they  brought  their 
wives  ?"  To  this  it  was  replied,  "  It  is 
true  their  number  is  small ;  a  few  only 
have  come  now,  the  more  fully  to  de- 
ceive. But  soon  many  more  will  arrive, 
and  your  islands  will  be  lost.'"'  The 
chiefs  again  answered,  "  They  say  that 
they  will  do  us  good ;  they  are  few  in 
number ;  we  will  try  them  for  one  year, 
and  if  we  find  they  deceive  us,  it  will 
then    be   time    enough   to   send    them 


away. 


Permission  to  land  was  ac- 


cordingly granted.  Mr.  Young,  it  is 
said,  was  the  only  foreigner  who  advo- 
cated their  reception. 

(b)  REMARK  OF  A  NORTH 
AMERICAN  INDIAN.  — The  mis- 
sionary David  Brainerd,  in  a  tour 
among  the  Indians  of  North  America, 
visited  a  place,  then  called  Minnissinks. 
Here  he  offered  to  instruct  the  people 
in  the  truths  of  Christianity.  The  king, 
to  whom  he  addressed  himself  for  leave, 
laughed,  and  turning  upon  his  heel, 
went  away.  Mr.  Brainerd  followed 
him  into  his  house,  and  renewed  his  re- 
quest ;  but  he  referred  the  business  to 
another,  who  appeared  to  be  a  man  of 
good  natural  parts.  "  Why,"  said  he, 
"  should  you  desire  the  Indians  to  be- 
come Christians,  seeing  the  Christians 
are  so  much  worse  than  the  Indians  ? 
The  Christians  lie,  steal,  and  drink 
worse  than  the  Indians.  Tjiey  first 
taught  the  Indians  to  be  drunk.  They 
536 


steal  to  that  degree,  that  their  rulers 
are  obliged  to  hang  them  for  it ;  and 
that  is  not  enough  to  deter  others  from  the 
practice.  But  none  of  the  Indians  were 
ever  hanged  for  stealing,  and  yet  they 
do  not  steal  half  so  much  ;  we  will  not 
consent,  therefore,  to  become  Christians, 
lest  we  should  be  as  bad  as  they.  We 
will  live  as  our  fathers  lived,  and  go 
where  our  fathers  are,  when  we  die." 

(c)  THE  CHINESE  AND  EURO- 
PEAN IDOLATRY.— The  more  intel- 
ligent Chinese  object  to  many  parts  of  the 
Catholic  system,  particularly  to  what 
they  call  preaching  down  Chinese  ido- 
latry, and  preaching  up  European  idola- 
try, for  they  say,  they  have  more  reason 
to  worship  their  own  saints,  than  those  of 
Europe,  of  whom  they  know  nothing ; 
they  are  willing  to  lay  aside  the  worship 
of  images  wholly,  but  will  not  exchange 
them  for  those  of  Europe. 

They  are  also  offended  at  the  in- 
dulgences sold  for  money,  for  this,  they 
say,  is  priestcraft. 

"  1  knew  a  merchant  (says  a  gentle- 
man who  resided  among  them)  who 
threw  off  his  (Catholic)  religion  in  conse- 
quence of  being  denied  to  eat  pork  in 
Lent,  without  paying  the  church,  which 
he  was  not  then  disposed  to  do  ;  and 
without  it  he  understood  he  was  to  be 
damned,  which  startled  him  ;  upon  this, 
he  inquired,  why  he  might  not  as  M^ell 
eat  the  flesh  as  fish  fried  in  pork  fat, 
which  all  the  Christians  in  Macao  were 
allowed  to  do  ?  He  therefore  told  the 
Padre,  that  if  his  salvation  depended  on 
so  nice  a  point  as  the  difference  between 
fat  and  lean,  he  should  no  longer  be  of 
that  religion,  and  so  returned  to  pagan- 
ism.  He  often  asked  why  the  English 
did  not  send  Padres,  who  worshiped  no 
images,  and  teach  their  religion,  for  it 
would  be  better  approved." 

284.  Prejudices  and  PcrsccHlions  of  the 
Heathen. 

(a)  FIRMNESS  OF  A  HINDOO 
WOMAN  UNDER  PERSECUTION. 
— The  Rev.  Mr.  Sutton,  a  Baptist  mis- 
sionary, related  the  following  account 
at  a  public  meeting  in  New- York. 

A  Hindoo  Avoman,  who  professed  to 
have  been  converted,  applied  to  him  for 


HINDERANCES  TO  MISSIONS. 


284 


Christian  baptism.  He  had  tried  her 
state  of  feeling,  by  representing  to  her 
the  sufferings  which  must  necessarily 
follow  a  renunciation  of  her  heathenish 
creed ;  he  set  before  her  the  loss  of 
caste,  the  wrath  of  her  husband,  the 
disgrace,  misery,  and  persecution,  she 
would  probably  be  called  to  endure. 
"  I  know  all  this,"  she  replied.  "  I  con- 
sidered about  that  before  I  came  to  you. 
I  am  ready  and  willing  to  bear  it  all : 
I  am  ready  to  sacrifice  all  to  my  Lord. 
Surely,  sir,  1  cannot  endure  any  thing 
in  comparison  to  what  he  suffered  for 
me." 

Such  was  converting  grace  in  Hin- 
doostan,  and  such  the  pure  spirit  of 
martyrdom  it  could  infuse  into  the 
bosom  of  a  despised  Gentoo  woman. 
She  was  baptized  ;  her  husband  swore 
to  destroy  her  :  she  applied  to  the  judge 
to  get  her  child  restored  to  her,  but  the 
judge  decided  against  her,  her  child 
was  torn  from  her,  she  was  stripped  of 
all  her  clothing  in  open  court,  her  hus- 
band went  to  the  high  priest  of  Jugger- 
naut, who  performed  her  funeral  rites, 
as  though  she  were  dead  :  and  she  was 
considered  by  the  law  and  by  all  her 
former  friends  as  a  dead  woman.  But 
she  endured  it  all,  and  endured  it 
patiently,  for  the  love  she  bore  to  Jesus  of 
Nazareth,  who  had  had  mercy  upon  her. 

(b)  TBE  HINDOO'S  SACRIFICE. 
— By  the  native  law  of  India,  the  re- 
nunciation of  idolatry  involves  the  loss 
of  all  hereditary  property  ;  hence  many 
who  sport  with  its  absurdities  and  prac- 
tically disregard  its  rites,  keep  hold  of 
their  possessions,  and  retain  the  badge  of 
Hindooism  to  their  dying  day.  But  the 
conscience  of  a  Christian  will  not  sanc- 
tion such  a  compromise,  and  if  he  has 
patrimonial  riches  to  relinquish,  he 
must  renounce  them,  and  become  poor. 
This  was  exemplified  in  the  case  of  a 
Hindoo  convert,  who  for  some  years  has 
labored  as  an  evangelist,  and  who  sac- 
rificed an  income  of  3,900  dollars 
per  annum,  rather  than  conceal  his 
principles.  And  where  a  convert  has 
no  sacrifice  of  wealth  to  make,  the 
dearer  treasures  of  the  heart  must  be 
relinquished.  His  dishonored  ftxther 
will  disown  him,  his  frantic  mother  will 
curse  the    hour   that    gave   her   such 


a  son  ;  by  the  wife  of  his  bosom  he  will 
be  despised  and  forsaken,  and  even  his 
children,  around  whom  his  lacerated 
heart  still  lingered  as  the  last  earthly 
objects  of  interest  and  hope,  will  often 
be  torn  from  his  embrace. 

(c)  PERSECUTIONS  IN  GREEN- 
LAND. — The  Moravian  missionaries  in 
Greenland  endured  much  mockery  and 
opposition  from  the  rude  inhabitants, 
when  communicating  to  them  the  know- 
ledge of  divine  truth.  When  the  mis- 
sionaries told  them  they  meant  to 
instruct  them  about  the  will  of  God, 
they  were  met  by  the  taunt,  "  Fine 
fellows,  indeed,  to  be  our  teachers! 
We  know  very  well  you  yourselves  are 
ignorant,  and  must  be  taught  by  others !" 
If  they  tarried  more  than  one  night 
with  them,  they  used  all  their  endeavors 
to  entice  them  to  participate  in  their 
wanton  and  dissolute  sports:  and  when 
they  failed  in  this,  they  mocked  and 
mimicked  their  reading,  singing,  and 
praying,  practising  every  kind  of  droll 
antic ;  or  they  accompanied  their  de- 
votions by  drumming  or  howling  hide- 
ously. Nor  did  the  poverty  of  the 
brethren  escape  their  keenest  ridicule, 
or  most  cutting  sarcasms.  They  even 
pelted  them  with  stones,  climbed  upon 
their  shoulders,  destroyed  their  goods, 
and  maliciously  tried  to  spoil  their  boat, 
or  drive  it  out  to  sea. 

(d)  EARLY  BAPTIST  MISSION- 
ARIES'  TRIALS.— "I  have  general- 
ly," says  one  of  the  Baptist  missionaries 
in  India,  "  been  three  or  four  hours 
every  day  in  actual  contact  with  the 
people.  Frequently  1  go  and  return  in 
good  spirits,  but  sometimes  I  am  low 
enough.  Good  spirits  are  commonly 
necessary  to  dealing  with  my  poor  peo- 
ple, for  there  is  generally  a  great  deal 
among  them  that  is  very  provoking.  I 
frequently  tell  them  that  it  is  a  regard 
to  their  welfare  that  leads  me  to  do  as 
I  do  ;  and  the  declaration  is  received 
with  a  sneer.  On  two  or  three  occasions, 
a  number  of  little  children  have  been 
officiously  seated  before  me,  as  an  in- 
timation that  I  say  nothing  worthy  the 
attention  of  men.  The  people  often 
call  after  me  as  I  go  about :  one  cries, 
'  Juggernaut !  Juggernaut  !'  another 
perhaps  says  with  a  contemptuous  smile, 
537 


284,  285 


MISSIONS. 


'  Won't  you  give  me  a  book  V  Soon 
after,  perhaps  a  third  says,  '  Sahib !  I 
will  worship  Jesus  Christ !'  and  a  fourth 
exclaims,  '  victory  to  Juggernaut  the 
Ruler!'  Among  these  inflituated  people, 
I  fear  that  the  utmost  propriety  in  spirit 
and  demeanor  would  be  no  protection 
from  very  frequent  insults.  In  spite  of 
the  most  affectionate  addresses  of  which 
I  am  capable,  and  in  the  midst  of  them, 
the  people,  in  malicious  derision,  shout, 
'  Juggernaut !  Juggernaut !'  and  seem 
determined,  as  it  were,  with  one  heart 
and  voice,  to  support  their  idols,  and 
resist  Jesus  Christ.  I  hope  he  will,  ere 
long,  act  for  himself;  and  then  floods 
of  pious  sorrow  will  stream  from  the 
haughtiest  eyes,  and  the  grace  now 
scorned  will  be  sought  with  successful 
earnestness." 

(e)  A  CHOCTAW  INDIAN  AND 
HIS  ENEMIES.— The  Rev.  Mr.  Cush- 
man,  a  missionary  among  the  Choctaw 
Indians,  in  a  letter,  dated  March,  1833, 
writes : — 

That  you  may  have  a  clear  view  of 
the  trials  and  temptations  to  which  the 
Christian  Indians  are  exposed,  I  will 
relate  one  circumstance.  A  man  in 
this  neighborhood,  who  is  very  deaf, 
gave  evidence  of  piety,  and  was  received 
into  the  church.  His  example  as  to 
industry  and  Christian  deportment  was 
Vv'orthy  of  imitation ;  and  his  unblemish- 
ed character  no  doubt  rendered  him  a 
more  desirable  prey  for  the  enemy. 
At  length  he  was  besieged  by  them, 
and  every  art  and  stratagem  was  made 
use  of,  till  he  finally  parleyed  with  the 
tempter  and  drank  a  little.  Their  prey 
was  taken.  He  finally  drank  till  he 
became  completely  intoxicated.  After 
he  became  sober,  his  wife,  who  appears 
to  be  truly  pious,  told  him  that  they  had 
professedly  set  out  together  in  the  road 
to  heaven  ;  that  they  had  walked  to- 
gether  for  a  while  ;  but  that  he  had 
now  turned  out  in  the  road  to  hell.  She 
told  him  further,  that  if  he  would  con- 
tinue to  go  on  in  that  way,  he  must  go 
alone,  and  they  could  walk  together  no 
more ;  for  she  could  never  leave  the 
bright  path  that  she  had  found.  She 
then  fell  upon  her  knees,  and  prayed  in 
the  most  melting,  fervent  manner,  for 
the  soul  of  her  poor  husband.  This 
538 


touched  his  heart.  He  melted  also, 
confessed  his  sin,  and  resolved  never 
more  to  taste  the  accursed  thing.  After 
this  he  was  again  attacked  by  the 
enemy.  He  was  requested  to  drink, 
but  refused.  It  was  urged  that  he  had 
drank  once,  and  he  might  as  well  drink 
again.  He  still  refused.  Finally, 
every  thing  was  said  that  could  be 
thought  of  to  influence  him  to  drink,  but 
he  stood  firm.  Having  failed  in  all 
this,  they  seized  him  and  held  him  fast, 
and  forced  whisky  into  his  mouth,  but 
as  often  as  this  was  repeated,  he  ejected 
it  without  swallowing  a  drop.  Finding 
all  their  efforts  fail,  one  said,  "  This 
man  has  done  nothing  amiss,  and  he 
now  takes  all  this  ill  treatment  patiently, 
and  we  do  wrong  to  use  him  so  ;  if  he 
has  a  mind  to  be  a  Christian,  let  him 
be  a  Christian." 


283.  Privations  and  Perils  of  Blissionuries. 

(a)  MISSION  HOUSE  ASSAILED. 
— The  mission  house  at  Lahaina,  one 
of  the  Sandwich  Islands,  was  assailed 
by  English  seamen.  The  Rev.  Mr. 
Stewart  writes  thus  from  the  scene  of 
this  outrage : 

"  How  great  was  my  astonishment,  at 
the  peculiar  circumstances  in  which  I 
found  our  inestimable  and  beloved  friends 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Richards !  How  was  I 
surprised  to  meet,  at  my  first  approach 
to  the  house,  the  presented  bayonet,  and 
to  hear  the  stern  challenge  of  the  watch- 
ful sentry, '  who  goes  there  V — and  when 
I  assured  him  that  I  was  a  friend,  how 
inexplicable  to  my  mind  was  the  fact 
of  receiving  the  cordial  embraces  of  my 
brother,  not  in  the  peaceful  cottage  of 
the  missionary,  but  in  the  midst  of  a 
garrison,  apparently  in  the  momentary 
expectation  of  the  attack  of  a  foe,  and 
to  find  the  very  couch  on  which  was) 
reclining  one,  who,  to  us,  has  been  most 
emphatically  a  sister,  surrounded  by  the 
muskets  and  the  spears  of  those,  known 
to  the  world  only  by  the  name  of  sava- 
ges !  My  first  thoughts  were  that  a  re- 
volt of  the  island  against  the  general 
government  had  taken  place,  in  which 
our  friends  had  been  seized,  and  were 
guarded  as  captives — or  that  some  for- 
midable party  of  unfriendly  natives  had 


PRIVATIONS  AND  PERILS  OF  MISSIONARIES. 


2§5 


risen  with  the  determination  of  destroy- 
ing them,  and  that  they  were  protected 
by  the  higher  chiefs — but  as  soon  as  an 
explanation  could  be  given,  I  learned 
that  their  peril  was  from  false  brethren, 
if  the  outcasts  of  a  civilized  and  Chris- 
tian country  can  be  designated  by  such 
terms.  The  seamen  of  a  large  ship, 
at  anchor  at  Lahaina,  exasperated  at 
the  restraints  laid  on  their  licentiousness 
through  the  influence  of  the  mission,  \ 
had  carried  their  menaces  and  open  acts 
of  violence  against  Mr.  and  Mrs.  R.  to 
such  an  extent  as  to  cause  the  chiefs  to 
arm  a  body  of  men  to  defend  them  at 
the  hazard  of  life.  At  that  very  hour, 
three  boats'  crews,  amounting  to  near 
forty  men,  were  on  shore  with  the  sworn 
purpose  of  firing  their  houses  and  taking 
their  lives.  But  as  every  thing,  when 
I  left  them,  was  in  a  posture  to  secure 
their  safety,  it  is  unnecessary  for  me  to 
go  further  into  particulars." 

(b)  SUFFERINGS  OF  DR.  JUD- 
SON. — The  sufferings  of  Dr.  Judson, 
missionary  to  Burmah,  while  imprison- 
ed, during  the  war  between  Burmah  and 
Bengal,  are  thus  described  by  himself, 
in  a  letter  dated  Feb.  25,  1826  : 

"  I  was  seized  on  the  8th  of  June, 
1824, — and  in  company  with  Dr.  Price, 
three  Englishmen,  one  Armenian,  and 
one  Greek,  was  thrown  into  the  '  death 
prison '  at  Ava,  where  we  lay  eleven 
months — nine  months  in  three  pair,  and 
two  months  in  five  pair  of  fetters.  The 
scenes  we  witnessed  and  the  sufferings 
we  underwent,  during  that  period,  I 
would  fain  consign  to  oblivion.  From 
the  death  prison  at  Ava,  we  were  re- 
moved to  a  country  prison  at  Oung-ben- 
lay,  ten  miles  distant,  under  circum- 
stances of  such  severe  treatment,  that 
one  of  out  number,  the  Greek,  expired 
on  the  road  ;  and  some  of  the  rest, 
among  whom  was  myself,  were  scarce- 
ly able  to  move  for  several  days.  It 
was  the  intention  of  the  government,  in 
removing  us  from  Ava,  to  have  us  sacri- 
ficed, in  order  to  ensure  victory  over  the 
foreigners  ;  but  the  sudden  disgrace  and 
death  of  the  adviser  of  the  measure  pre- 
vented its  execution.  I  remained  in  the 
Oung-ben-lay  prison  for  six  months,  in 
one  pair  of  fetters ;  at  the  expiration  of 
which  period  I  was  taken  out  of  irons, 


and  sent  under  a  strict  guard  to  the  Bur- 
mese head-quarters  at  Mah-looan,  to  act 
as  interpreter  and  translator.  Two 
months  more  elapsed,  when,  on  my  re- 
turn to  Ava,  I  was  released,  at  the  in- 
stance, of  Moung-shaw-loo,  the  north 
governor  of  the  palace,  and  put  under 
his  charge.  During  the  six  weeks  that 
I  resided  with  him,  the  affairs  of  govern- 
ment became  desperate,  the  British 
troops  making  steady  advances  on  the 
capital :  and  after  Dr.  Price  had  been 
twice  despatched  to  negotiate  for  peace, 
(a  business  which  I  declined  as  long  as 
possible,)  I  was  taken  by  force  and  as- 
sociated with  him.  We  found  the  Bri- 
tish above  Pahgan  :  and  on  returning  to 
Ava  with  their  final  terms,  I  had  the 
happiness  of  procuring  the  release  of 
the  very  last  of  my  fellow  prisoners ; 
and  on  the  21st  inst.  obtained  the  Re- 
luctant consent  of  government  to  my 
own  final  departure  f¥om  Ava  with  Mrs. 
Judson. 

"  On  my  first  imprisonment,  the  small 
house  which  I  had  just  erected,  was 
plundered,  and  every  thing  valuable 
confiscated.  Mrs.  J.,  however,  was  al- 
lowed to  occupy  the  place,  which  she 
did  until  my  removal  to  Oung-ben-lay, 
whither  she  followed.  Subsequently  to 
that  period,  she  was  twice  brought  to  the 
gates  of  the  grave ;  the  last  time  with 
the  spotted  fever,  while  I  was  absent  at 
Mah-looan.  She  had  been  senseless  and 
motionless  several  days,  when  the  pro- 
vidential release  of  Dr.  Price  at  the 
very  last  extremity  gave  an  opportunity 
for  such  applications  as  were  blest  to 
her  relief.  Even  little  Maria,  v/ho 
came  into  the  world  a  few  months  after 
my  imprisonment,  to  aggravate  her  pa- 
rents'  woes,  and  who  has  been,  from 
very  instinct,  it  would  seem,  a  poor, 
sad,  crying  thing,  begins  to  brighten  up 
her  little  face,  and  to  be  somewhat  sen- 
sible of  our  happy  deliverance." 

Some  conceptions  can  be  formed  of 
the  sufferings  of  Dr.  Judson  during  his 
imprisonment  at  Ava,  from  the  follow- 
ing statement : 

The  white  prisoners  were  all  put  in- 
side of  the  common  prison,  in  five  pairs 
of  irons  each  ;  and  where  they  were  so 
crowded  with  Burman  thieves  and  rob- 
bers, that  they  had  not  sufficient  room 
539 


285 


MISSIONS. 


to  lie  down.  There  were  at  the  time 
near  one  hundred  prisoners,  all  in  one 
room,  without  a  window  or  a  hole  for 
the  admittance  of  air,  and  the  door  half 
closed.  This,  too,  was  after  the  severe 
hot  season  had  commenced. 

(c)  NARROW  ESCAPE  OF  L.  C. 
DEHNE,  MORAVIAN  MISSIONA- 
RY  TO  SOUTH  AMERICA.— In  Nov. 
1757,  the  Carribbee  Indians  set  out  with 
the  intention  of  executing  their  resolu- 
tion, long  since  determined  upon,  of 
murdering  me.  One  day,  while  I  sat 
at  my  dinner  table,  I  saw  fifty  men  ap- 
proaching in  their  canoes,  who  present- 
ly after  surrounded  my  cabin.  Some 
were  armed  with  iron  hoes  and  mat- 
tocks ;  others  carried  swords  and  such 
like  instruments.  Going  out,  I  spoke 
to  them  in  the  Arawak  language,  and 
bade  them  welcome  in  a  friendly  man- 
ner. They  answered  roughly  that  I 
should  speak  the  Ca,rribbee  tongue.  In 
the  meantime,  I  took  care  to  observe 
which  of  them  was  their  commander. 
Perceiving  that  I  did  not  understand  the 
Carribbee,  after  some  consultation  in 
this  language,  they  ordered  their  inter- 
preter  to  step  forth  and  ask  me  in  Ara- 
wak, "  Who  gave  you  permission  to 
build  and  to  live  here  ?"  Ans.  "  The 
governor."  "  Why  have  you  come  up- 
on our  land  ?"  I  now  stepped  up  to  the 
chief  and  thus  (rankly  addressed  him : 
"  I  have  brethren  living  on  the  other 
side  of  the  ocean,  who,  when  they  heard 
that  Indians  lived  here  who  were  igno- 
rant of  their  Creator,  have  sent  me  to 
you  in  love,  that  I  should  first  learn  your 
language,  and  then  tell  you  about  the 
true  God.  At  some  future  time,  you 
may  expect  to  see  more  of  my  brethren 
come  here  on  the  same  errand."  "  I 
suppose  you  are  a  Spaniard  ?"  "  No." 
"  Or  a  Frenchman  ?"  "  No."  "  Are 
you  a  Dutchman,  then  ?"  "  Yes,  I  came 
from  Holland,  and  a  good  way  further 
off.  In  short,  I  am  one  of  the  Brethren 
that  love  you,  and  live  on  the  other  side 
of  the  ocean."  "  Well,  didn't  you  hear 
that  the  Indians  were  going  to  kill  you  ?" 
"  Yes,  but  I  did  not  believe  it,  and  you 
have  those  among  you,  who  have  been 
to  see  me  and  know  that  I  love  them." 
"  That  is  true ;  and  they  have  also  told 
me  that  you  were  a  Christian  very  dif- 
510 


ferent  from  other  white  people."  "  Well, 
if  you  knew  that  I  loved  you,  how  could 
you  think  of  killing  me  ?"  He  replied, 
laughing,  "  Well,  indeed,  I  never  thought 
of  that."  Upon  this,  all  changed  their 
savage  natures  and  walked  otf.  In  this 
manner  the  Savior  helped  me  on  from 
day  to  day,  insomuch,  that  at  the  close 
of  the  year,  I  found  much  cause  for 
praise  and  thankfulness  to  the  Giver  of 
every  good  and  perfect  gift.  During 
this  period,  I  sutfered  much  outward 
distress,  and  often  I  rose  in  the  morning 
without  knowing  what  I  should  eat,  or 
where  I  should  procure  food  ;  yet  when- 
ever I  was  perfectly  destitute,  undoubt- 
edly according  to  the  direction  of  Him 
who  fed  Elijah  by  the  brook  Cherith, 
Waraus  or  other  Indians  came  and 
shared  their  "  Casavi  "  with  me. 

(d)  NARROW  ESCAPE  OF 
COUNT  ZINZENDORF.— This  zea- 
lous  friend  of  missions  visited  the  In- 
dians along  the  course  of  the  Susque- 
hannah  river,  to  promote  among  them 
the  establishment  of  Moravian  missions. 
In  one  of  these  visits,  he  had  occasion 
to  encamp  several  days,  with  a  few  Mo- 
ravian brethren,  among  the  Shawanese, 
a  very  depraved  and  cruel  tribe.  Con- 
rad Weiser,  a  man  well  acquainted  with 
the  customs  and  manners  of  the  Indians, 
had  accompanied  the  Count  to  this  spot, 
and  had  left  him  for  a  short  time,  pro- 
mising to  return.  The  Shawanese 
thought  that,  as  Europeans,  the  Count 
and  his  companions  came  either  to  trade 
or  buy  land  ;  and,  though  he  endeavor- 
ed to  explain  the  true  aim  of  his  coming, 
they  were  not  satisfied  that  his  inten- 
tions were  such  as  he  described. 

It  appeared  afterwards  that  the  sava- 
ges had  conspired  to  murder  him  and 
his  whole  company.  But  the  design 
was  mercifully  frustrated.  Conrad 
Weisser,  who  was  absent,  and  who 
could  know  nothing  of  the  plot,  became 
so  uneasy  that  he  could  not  prolong  his 
stay.  He  was  thus  brought  back  provi- 
dentially, to  the  party  marked  out  for 
destruction,  just  in  time  to  discover  the 
treacherous  plan,  and  by  his  influence 
and  dexterity  to  prevent  its  execution. 
I  Thus,  while  Count  Zinzendorf,  uncon- 
I  scious  of  danger,  retired  frequently  to 
his  tent,  to  pray  for  the  savages  around 


PRIVATIONS  AND  PERILS  OF  MISSIONARIES. 


Sf85 


him,  and  while  he  enjoyed  no  security 
except  such  as  the  entrance  of  his  tent, 
fastened  by  a  pin,  furnished,  the  shield 
of  Providence  extended  over  him  its 
ample  protection. 

(e)  A  MISSION  FAMILY  BURN- 
ED  ALIVE.— On  the  24th  of  Novem- 
ber, 1755,  the  Moravian  Mission  at 
Gnadenhuetten,  not  far  from  Bethle- 
hem, in  North  America,  was  broken  up 
by  a  most  destructive  assault  from  In- 
dians under  French  influence. 

While  the  mission  family  were  at 
supper,  an  uncommon  barking  of  dogs 
was  heard.  Presently  a  gun  was  fired. 
Upon  this,  several  ran  to  the  door,  to 
ascertain  the  nature  of  the  disturbance. 
As  soon  as  the  door  was  opened,  the  In- 
dians fired  upon  the  unsuspecting  mis- 
sionaries. Martin  Nitschman  was  in- 
stantly killed.  His  wife  and  some  oth- 
ers were  wounded,  but  fled  with  the  rest 
up  stairs  into  the  garret,  and  barricaded 
the  door  with  bedsteads.  One  of  the 
missionaries  escaped  by  a  back  window, 
another  by  a  rear  door.  The  savages 
pursued  those  who  had  taken  refuge  in 
the  garret,  and  strove  hard  to  force  the 
door.  Finding  it  too  well  secured  to  be 
thus  opened,  they  set  fire  to  the  house. 
The  building  was  soon  in  flames.  A 
boy  and  the  wife  of  a  missionary  who 
had  escaped  by  the  window,  leaped  from 
the  roof,  and  escaped  unhurt  and  with- 
out observation.  Mr.  Fabricuis  leaped 
also  from  the  roof,  but  before  he  could 
escape,  he  was  perceived  and  murdered. 
The  rest,  eleven  in  number,  were  burnt 
alive  in  the  house.  Mrs.  Senseman 
was  seen  by  her  unhappy  husband,  who 
had  escaped,  standing  with  folded  hands, 
surrounded  by  the  flames  ;  and  she  was 
heard  to  say,  "  'Tis  all  well,  dear  Sa- 
vior." 

(/)  ARRAIGNMENT  OF  A  MIS- 
SIONARY  AT  AVA.— In  the  month 
of  November,  1836,  Mr.  Kincaid  was 
summoned  from  his  home  to  the  palace. 
The  early  hour  and  other  circumstances 
indicated  that  a  fearful  storm  hung  over 
the  mission  at  Ava.  Nor  was  he  mis- 
taken in  this  apprehension.  On  reach- 
ing the  royal  court,  he  was  confronted 
with  a  list  of  charges,  of  which  the  sub- 
stance  is  as  follows  : 

The  American  teacher  is  stirring  up 


divisions  among  the  people,  teaching 
them  to  despise  the  religion  of  their 
country,  and  to  follow  a  religion  which 
the  king,  the  princes  and  noblemen  do 
not  approve.  He  is  not  contented  to 
live  quietly  in  the  Golden  City,  as  other 
foreigners  do,  but  in  the  city  and  all 
places  around,  is  giving  books  and 
preaching  a  foreign  religion,  and  his 
object  is  to  bring  into  contempt  and  de- 
stroy the  religion  which  has  been  re- 
vered for  ages. 

After  some  replies  had  been  made  by 
Mr.  K.,  one  of  the  functionaries  told 
him  publicly,  that  they  were  determined 
to  stop  the  distribution  of  books  and 
preaching.  Mr.  K.  remonstrated  on  the 
violence  of  this  proceeding,  and  then 
said,  "  You  will  allow  Papists  and  Mus- 
sulmans  to  follow  their  religion  unmo- 
lested, and  converts  from  among  the 
Burmans  are  not  disturbed."  They 
cried  out  most  violently,  "  No  Burmans 
enter  the  Papist  and  Mussulman  reli- 
gions, and  those  people  do  not  give  books 
or  preach."  Mr.  K.  asked,  "  Do  you 
intend  to  drive  me  out  of  the  country  ?" 
One  of  the  leading  men  replied,  "  No, 
but  you  must  promise  to  give  no  more 
books,  and  not  go  about  preaching."  "  I 
cannot  make  such  a  promise."  "You 
must  promise."  "  I  fear  God  more 
than  earthly  kings,  and  cannot  promise  : 
if  you  cut  ofl*  my  arms,  and  then  my 
head,  I  dare  not  promise."  They  then 
said  he  was  not  fit  to  live  in  the  empire, 
and  must  be  sent  off.  The  court  be- 
came  exceedingly  violent.  Although 
Mr.  K.  had  reason  to  expect  the  worst 
consequences,  his  personal  liberty  was 
not  abridged.  His  labors  however  were, 
for  a  length  of  time,  crippled  by  the  op- 
position of  the  government. 

(g)  A  MISSIONARY  "PERPLEX- 
ED, BUT  NOT  IN  DESPAIR."— A 
missionary  and  his  wife  had  been  locat- 
ed by  an  English  society  in  the  colony 
at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope^  or  among 
the  Bushmen  on  its  borders.  The  op- 
position they  met  with  from  the  colonists 
destroyed  all  hope  of  success.  Mean?, 
failed  from  the  society ;  the  wife  of  the 
missionary  was  sick,  and  he  must  either 
find  means  to  return  to  England,  or  pen- 
etrate the  vast  wilderness  for  many  hun- 
dred miles.  While  he  was  making  it  a 
541 


285,  2§6 


MISSIONS. 


matter  of  prayer,  liis  wife,  regardless 
of  her  own  comfort,  desired  that  they 
should  of  their  own  means,  procure  the 
common  conveyance  of  the  country,  and 
depart  in  search  of  a  settlement  in  the 
wilderness.  The  missionary  consented 
willingly.  They  traveled  over  four 
hundred  miles,  but  met  with  no  encour- 
agement of  attaining  their  object.  Al- 
most despairing,  they  encamped  one 
night,  and,  upon  rising  in  the  morning, 
they  discovered  a  savage  chief,  with  his 
train,  not  far  distant.  The  blacks  ad- 
vanced and  addressed  them.  They  had 
been  deputed  by  their  tribe,  and  were 
then  on  a  journey  of  five  hundred  miles 
to  the  colony,  where  they  desired  to  pro- 
cure a  missionary  !  As  may  be  suppos- 
ed, the  man  of  God  hesitated  not,  but 
returned  with  the  savage  chief  to  preach 
the  Gospel  to  his  tribe. 

(/i)  ROMANCE  OF  MISSIONA- 
RY  LIFE.— Mr.  Hinsdale,  writing 
from  Mosul  under  date  of  January  4th, 
1842,  gives  the  following  picture  of 
what  must  be  a  Missionary  life  in  that 
country. 

Earnestly  as  I  long  to  greet  more  la- 
borers in  this  field,  yet  I  feel  constrain- 
ed to  repeat  the  sentiment,  long  since 
expressed  by  my  esteemed  associate, 
Dr.  Grant.  I  should  regret  to  see  any 
one  come  to  labor  here,  who  cannot 
cheerfully  and  even  joyfully  make  up 
his  mind  to  endure  toils,  and  hardships, 
and  weariness,  and  hunger,  and  self-de- 
nial, and  peril  in  almost  every  form,  for 
these  must  be  the  portion  of  the  first 
Missionaries  here,  and  especially  of 
those  who  may  be  stationed  among  the 
mountains.  It  is  no  small  step  to  come 
down  from  the  refined  circles,  to  which 
our  young  brethren  in  the  ministry  have 
been  accustomed,  and  relinquish  the 
conveniences,  not  to  say  luxuries,  by 
which  they  have  been  surrounded,  to 
sleep  in  a  mud  hut,  or  in  the  stable  with 
his  horses,  with  a  quilt  or  rug  spread 
upon  the  clay  floor  for  his  bed  and  cov- 
ering, surrounded  perhaps  with  six  or 
eight  natives  with  even  fewer  accom- 
modations than  himself;  to  exchange 
the  well  arranged  table  for  the  simple 
sheep-skin  spread  upon  the  floor,  or 
rather  ground  ;  to  dip  his  large  M'ooden 
spoon  into  one  common  dish  with  half  a 
542 


dozen  hungry  Koords  or  Yezidees,  or 
Nestorians  ;  to  drink  the  pure  and  often 
impure  mountain  water  from  a  simple 
gourd-shell  ;  to  sit  on  the  clay  floor, 
with  a  fire  in  the  centre  of  the  room, 
and  neither  fire-place  nor  chimney  ;  to 
come  down  to  these  and  various  attend- 
ant inconveniences,  is  no  small  step, 
and  requires  no  ordinary  degree  of  self- 
denial. 

{i)  WESLEYAN  MISSIONARY 
AT  FEJEE.— When  the  Wesleyan 
Missionaries  ventured  among  the  canni- 
bal Fejeeans,  they  found  them  sunk  to 
the  lowest  depths  of  degradation. 
Soon  after  Mr.  Hunt  had  settled  on  So- 
masoma,  the  heathen  party  brought  sev- 
eral dead  bodies  and  laid  them  opposite 
to  Mr.  Hunt's  house  ;  there  they  baked 
them,  and  there  they  ate  them.  The 
Missionary,  shocked  at  these  proceed- 
ings, closed  his  door  and  blinds.  One 
of  the  heathen  chiefs  went  to  Mr.  Hunt, 
and  insisted  upon  his  opening  them 
again,  and  intimated  that  if  he  thought 
proper  to  reside  in  their  country,  he 
must  put  up  with  their  customs  ;  if  he 
insulted  them  in  any  way,  he  might  ex- 
pect a  place  in  the  oven.  An  Ameri- 
can ship  of  war  was  at  anchor  at  a 
neighboring  island.  When  the  captain 
heard  of  this  circumstance,  he  took  up 
his  anchor  and  sailed  to  Somasoma, 
with  a  view  of  removing  ]\Ir.  Hunt  and 
family  to  some  other  island  where  they 
would  not  be  exposed  to  such  imminent 
danger.  Mr.  Hunt  thanked  the  cap- 
tain for  his  kind  and  humane  conduct 
in  thus  coming  to  remove  him,  but  beg- 
ged respectfully  to  decline  accepting 
his  kind  offer,  stating  that  he  was  will- 
ing still  to  hazard  his  life  in  the  cause 
of  Christ.  He  considered  the  circum- 
stance of  their  being  so  exceedingly  de- 
praved as  an  additional  reason  for  re- 
maining to  diffuse  that  gospel  which, 
accompanied  with  the  divine  blessing, 
would  soon  improve  their  condition. 


286.  Zeal  for  Missions. 

{a)  HOW  TO  GIVE.— At  a  Mis- 
sionary  meeting  held  among  the  ne- 
groes in  the  West  Indies,  these  three 
resolutions  were  agreed  upon : 


ZEAL  FOR  MISSIONS. 


286 


1.  We  will  all  give  something. 

2.  We  will  all  give  as  God  has  ena- 
bled us. 

3.  We  will  all  give  willingly. 

As  soon  as  the  meeting  was  over,  a 
leading  negro  took  his  seat  at  a  table, 
with  pen  and  ink,  to  put  down  what 
each  came  to  give.  Many  came  for- 
ward and  gave,  some  more  and  some 
less.  Amongst  those  that  came  was  a 
rich  old  negro,  almost  as  rich  as  all  the 
others  put  together,  and  threw  down 
upon  the  table  a  small  silver  coin. 
"  Take  dat  back  again,"  said  the  negro 
that  received  the  money,  "  Dat  may  be 
according  to  de  first  resolution,  but  it 
not  according  to  de  second."  The  rich 
old  man  accordingly  took  it  up,  and 
hobbled  back  to  his  seat  again  in  a  great 
rage.  One  after  another  came  forward, 
and  as  almost  all  gave  more  than  him- 
self, he  was  fairly  ashamed  of  himself, 
and  again  threw  down  a  piece  of  money 
on  the  table,  saying,  "  Dare  !  take  dat !" 
It  was  a  valuable  piece  of  gold  ;  but  it 
was  given  so  ill-temperedly,  that  the 
negro  answered  again,  "  No  !  Dat  won't 
do  yet !  It  may  be  according  to  de  first 
and  second  resolution,  but  it  not  accord- 
ing to  de  last :"  and  he  was  obliged  to 
take  up  his  coin  again.  Still  angry  at 
himself  and  all  the  rest,  he  sat  a  long 
time,  till  nearly  all  were  gone,  and  then 
came  up  to  the  table,  and  with  a  smile 
on  his  face,  and  very  willingly,  gave  a 
large  sum  to  the  treasurer.  "  Very 
well,"  said  the  negro,  "  dat  will  do ; 
dat  according  to  all  de  resolutions." 

(b)  THE  COLORED  WOMAN'S 
EXAMPLE.— In  one  of  the  eastern 
counties  of  New- York  there  lived  a  col- 
ored female,  who  was  born  a  slave,  but 
she  was  made  free  by  the  act  gradually 
abolishing  slavery  in  that  state.  She 
had  no  resources  except  such  as  she  ob- 
tained by  her  own  labor.  On  one  oc- 
casion she  carried  to  her  pu-stor forty 
dollars  ;  she  told  him  that  she  wished 
him,  with  two  dollars  of  this  sum  to 
procure  for  her  a  seat  in  his  church  ; 
eighteen  dollars  she  desired  to  be  given 
to  the  American  Board ;  and  the  re- 
maining twenty  dollars  she  requested 
him  to  divide  among  other  benevolent 
societies  according  to  his  discretion. 
With  such  a  spirit  pervading  the  church, 


how  soon  would  the  gospel  be  carried  to 
every  creature  ! 

(c)  AN  ADMONITION  FROM  A 
HEATHEN.— A  Chinese,  says  Rev. 
Mr.  Dean,  who  one  year  ago  was  a 
worshiper  of  idols,  and  had  then  never 
heard  of  the  gospel,  has  joined  us  for 
the  last  seven  months  in  observing  the 
monthly  concert  of  prayer  at  Hong  Kong, 
and  has  given,  monthly,  one  dollar  to 
the  cause  of  missions.  He  commenced 
giving  the  sum  when  he  was  a  day  la- 
borer,  and  when  his  entire  income 
amounted  to  less  than  twenty-five  cents 
a  day  ;  out  of  which  he  purchased  his 
food  and  clothing. 

{(l)  "THY  KINGDOM  COME."— 
A  little  girl  sent  about  ten  shillings  to  a 
gentleman,  for  the  purchase  of  some 
missionary  tracts  ;  and  in  her  letter  she 
says,  "  She  who  takes  this  freedom  to 
ask  so  much  of  a  stranger,  began  this 
letter  with  a  trembling  hand.  She  is 
indeed  young  in  years  and  in  knowledge 
too,  and  is  not  able  to  talk  much  with  a 
gentleman  on  religion  ;  but  her  mother 
has  taught  her,  almost  eleven  years,  to 
say,  '  Thy  kingdom  co?ne  ;'  and  she  be- 
lieves she  cannot  be  saying  it  sincerely 
if  she  does  nothing  to  help  it  on  among 
the  heathen.  This  thought  emboldens 
her  to  write  to  a  stranger,  almost  as 
though  he  were  a  friend." 

(e)  GIFT  OF  A  POOR  BLIND 
GIRL. — A  poor  blind  girl,  in  England, 
brought  to  a  clergyman  30  shillings  for 
the  missionary  cause.  He  objected, 
"  You  are  a  poor  blind  girl,  and  cannot 
afford  to  give  so  much."  "  I  am  indeed 
blind,"  said  she,  "  but  can  afford  to  give 
these  30  shillings,  better  perhaps  than 
you  suppose."  "  How  so."  "  I  am, 
sir,  by  trade  a  basket  maker,  and  can 
work  as  well  in  the  dark  as  in  the  light. 
Now,  I  am  sure  in  the  last  winter,  it 
must  have  cost  those  girls  who  have 
eyes  more  than  30  shillings  for  candles, 
to  work  by,  which  I  have  saved  ;  and 
therefore  hope  you  will  take  it  for  the 
missionaries." 

(/)  THE  NEGRO'S  OFFERING. 
— The  following  pleasing  circumstance 
is  related  in  a  letter  from  the  Rev.  E. 
Davies,  of  New  Amsterdam.  It  is  de- 
lightful to  witness  such  proofs  of  Chris- 
tian devotedness  among  the  negroes  of 
543 


2§6 


MISSIONS. 


the  West  Indies,  whose  temporal  con- 
dition was  once  so  unfavorable  to  their 
spiritual  interests  : 

There  has  been  a  considerable  in- 
crease in  the  income  of  the  station  dur- 
ing  the  past  year.  That  increase  has 
been  chiefly  owing  to  a  great  effort 
which  the  people  are  now  making  to- 
wards a  new  chapel.  In  many  instances 
I  was  obliged  to  restrain  their  liberality. 
One  incident  occurred  which  I  shall 
never  forget.  In  calling  over  the  names, 
to  ascertain  how  much  they  could  give, 
I  haupened  to  call  the  name  of  "  Fitz- 
gerald Matthew."  "  I  am  here,  sir," 
he  instantly  replied  ;  and  at  the  same 
time,  I  saw  him  hobbling  with  his  wood- 
en leg  out  of  the  crowd,  to  come  up  to 
the  table-pew,  where  I  was  standing.  I 
wondered  what  he  meant,  for  the  others 
answered  to  their  names  without  mov- 
ing from  their  places.  I  was,  however, 
forcibly  struck  with  his  apparent  ear- 
nestness. On  coming  up,  he  put  his 
hand  into  one  pocket  and  took  out  a 
handful  of  silver  wrapped  in  paper,  and 
said,  with  a  lovely  kind  of  abruptness, 
"That's  for  me,  massa."  "Oh,"  I 
said,  "  keep  your  money  at  present,  I 
don't  want  it  now ;  I  only  wanted  to 
know  how  much  you  could  afford  to 
give  ;  I  will  come  for  the  money  anoth- 
er time."  "  Ah,  massa,"  he  replied, 
"  God^s  work  must  de  done,  and  I  may 
he  dead  ;"  and  with  that  he  plunged  his 
hand  into  another  pocket  and  took  out 
another  handful  of  silver,  and  said, 
"  That's  for  my  wife,  massa."  Then 
he  put  his  hand  into  a  third  pocket,  and 
took  out  a  somewhat  smaller  parcel,  and 
said,  "  That's  for  my  child,  massa ;"  at 
the  same  time  giving  me  a  slip  of  paper, 
which  somebody  had  written  for  him,  to 
say  how  much  the  whole  was.  It  was 
altogether  near  £3  sterling — a  large 
sum  for  a  poor  field  negro  with  a  wood- 
en leg  !  But  his  expression  was  to  me 
worth  more  than  all  the  money  in  the 
world.  I  have  heard  eloquent  preach- 
ers in  England,  and  felt,  and  felt  deep- 
ly, under  their  ministrations,  but  never 
have  I  been  so  impressed  with  any  thing 
they  have  said,  as  with  the  simple  ex- 
pression  of  this  poor  negro.  Let  me 
never  forget  it ;  let  it  be  engraved 
544 


on  my  heart ;  let  it  be  my  motto  in  all 
that  I  take  in  hand  for  the  cause  of 
Christ — '•  God's  work  must  be  done, 
and  Imay  be  dead." 

{g)  ONE  STICK  OF  WOOD  PER 
MONTH.— Mr.  Hitchcock,  a  mission- 
ary at  Kaluaaha,  a  little  town  on  Mola- 
ki,  one  of  the  Sandwich  Islands,  describ- 
ing his  monthly  concerts  in  1834,  re- 
ports that  there  were  seldom  less  than 
100  persons  present.  "  Most  of  those 
who  attend,  he  added,  "have,  during 
the  past  year,  been  in  the  habit  of  con- 
tributing, for  benevolent  purposes,  one 
stick  of  wood  each  per  month.  And  I  can 
assure  you  that  it  is  no  uninteresting  sight 
to  see  men,  women,  and  sometimes  chil- 
dren, bringing  their  humble  offerings  on 
their  shoulders  from  the  distance  of 
one,  two  or  more  miles.  The  men  go 
into  the  mountains,  and  get  the  sticks, 
both  for  themselves  and  their  wives ; 
but  the  latter  bring  and  present  their 
own.  Though  the  people  are  superla- 
tively poor,  yet  their  contributions  in 
one  year  in  this  way  will  amount  to  not 
far  from  twenty  dollars." 

{h)  A  WIDOW  AND  HER  TWO 
SONS.— The  Rev.  Mr.  James,  of  Bir- 
mingham, England,  stated  at  an  anni- 
versary of  the  London  Missionary  Soci- 
ety, that  an  association  was  formed  for 
missionary  purposes  among  his  people 
several  years  before,  and  that  on  this 
occasion,  among  the  other  contributors, 
a  youth  of  sixteen  years  of  age  came 
forward  to  enroll  his  name.  When  he 
was  requested  to  state  how  much  he 
wished  to  subscribe,  he  replied  with 
some  diffidence,  "  myself"  He  was 
the  eldest  son  of  an  unfortunate  widow, 
to  whom  seven  other  children  looked 
for  support.  The  proffer  of  the  young 
man  could  not  be  received  without  the 
mother's  consent.  It  was  scarcely  to 
be  expected  that  her  oldest  son  would  « 
be  yielded  up  for  the  missionary  ser- 
vice, when  his  exertions  might  soon 
prove  useful  to  his  widowed  parent,  h 
her  indigent  circumstances.  The  in- 
quiry  was  made,  whether  the  son  coulc 
be  allowed  to  give  himself  to  the  mis- 
sionary cause  ?  "  Let  him  go,"  waj 
the  prompt  reply  of  the  devoted  mother. 
"  God   will   provide   for    me   and   m} 


ZEAL  FOR  MISSIONS. 


3S6 


babes,  and  who  am  I,  that  I  should  be 
thus  honored  to  have  a  son  a  missionary 
to  the  heathen  ?" 

The  young  man,  after  obtaining  an 
education,  repaired  to  India,  where  he 
labored  successfully  and  died. 

(I)  THE  MOTHER  OF  A  MIS- 
SIONARY.—When  the  Lord's  supper 
was  first  administered  in  the  Bengalee 
language,  at  Union  Chapel,  Calcutta,  a 
missionary, "Rev.  J.  B.  Warden,  spoke 
of  the  advantages  of  a  religious  educa- 
tion. After  speaking  farther  of  his  de- 
parture, he  said : 

"  A  pious  and  affectionate  mother, 
who  I  trust  still  survives,  may  perhaps 
be  with  us  in  spirit.  Among  the  sweet- 
est ingredients  which  are  mingled  in 
her  present  cup  of  consolation,  stands 
this  the  foremost,  that  she  has  a  son,  an 
oldest  son  employed  as  a  missionary  to 
the  heathen. 

"  When  I  was  about  to  quit  my  coun- 
try and  home,  for  these  distant  lands, 
she  told  me  in  accents  never  to  be  for- 
gotten, that  as  I  should  not  be  present  at 
her  dying  hour  to  share  her  parting  bless- 
ing, and  divide  with  my  dear  brothers 
and  sisters,  the  small  patrimony  which 
Providence  might  enable  her  to  divide 
to  her  offspring,  as  a  pledge  that  her 
affectionate  sympathies  and  tender  con- 
cern would  follow  me  to  the  distant 
scene  of  my  missionary  labors,  she  said, 
I  have  a  silver  cup,  which  has  been 
handed  down  to  each  other  by  genera- 
tions now  no  more,  and  produced  at  the 
annual  festivals  of  the  domestic  circle, 
and  this  I  give  you  to  employ  for  a  very 
different  purpose.  When  God  shall 
graciously  crown  your  labors,  or  those 
of  your  dear  companions  with  success 
among  the  heathen,  let  this  cup  be  em- 
ployed as  the  sacramental  cup,  from 
which  the  first  convert  may  drink  the 
emblem  of  the  Savior's  blood."  He  pre- 
sented the  cup  to  the  infant  church. 

(j)  REV.  MR.  COX  GOING  TO 
AFRICA. — A  short  time  before  Mr. 
Cox,  an  American  missionary,  sailed  to 
Africa,  he  visited  the  University  at 
Middletown.  In  conversation  with  one 
of  the  students,  he  said,  •'  If  I  die  in  Af- 
rica, you  must  come  after  me  and  write 
my  epitaph."  To  which  the  other  re- 
plied, «  I  will ;  but  what  shall  I  write  ?" 
35 


"  Let  a  thousand  missionaries  die  before 
Africa  be  given  up,"  was  the  reply.  In 
this  spirit  he  died. 

(k)  MISSIONARY  ZEAL  OF  A 
POOR  WOMAN.— Rev.  W.S.  Plumer 
addressing  the  Virginia  Bap.  Ed.  So- 
ciety, related  the  following  fact. 

A  poor  woman  had  attended  a  mis- 
sionary meeting  a  few  years  since. 
Her  heart  was  moved  with  pity.  She 
looked  around  on  her  house  and  furni- 
ture  to  see  what  she  could  spare  for  the 
mission.  She  could  think  of  nothing 
that  would  be  of  any  use.  At  length 
she  thought  of  her  five  children,  three 
daughters  and  two  sons.  She  entered 
her  closet,  and  consecrated  them  to  the 
mission.  Two  of  her  daughters  are 
now  in  heathen  lands,  and  the  other  is 
preparing  to  go.  Of  her  sons,  one  is  on 
his  way  to  India,  and  the  other  is  pre- 
paring for  the  ministry,  and  inquiring 
on  the  subject  of  a  missionary  life. 

(/)  ZEAL  OF  MARY  PERTH.— 
Mary  Perth,  a  black  woman,  kept  an 
inn  at  Sierra  Leone  during  the  latter 
part  of  her  life.  In  her  early  days  she 
had  been  a  slave  in  North  America, 
and  had  to  labor  from  sunrise  to  sunset : 
yet,  during  the  interval  of  night,  she 
used,  twice  or  thrice  a  week,  to  walk 
seven  or  eight  miles,  with  a  child  on 
her  back,  to  teach  a  few  slaves  of  her 
acquaintance  to  read,  that  they  might 
be  able  to  study  the  Scriptures  for 
themselves. 

(m)  ZEAL  OF  A  FEMALE  SER- 
VANT.— A  small  chapel  was  a  few 
years  ago  built  on  the  Barrackpore 
road,  Calcutta ;  the  circumstances  at- 
tending the  erection  are  interesting  in  a 
high  degree,  and  afford  a  pleasing 
example  of  zeal  and  devotedness  to 
God,  in  the  lower  walks  of  life.  It  was 
built  and  finished,  with  conveniences 
which  no  other  of  the  society's  chapels 
possessed,  by  an  aged  Portuguese  fe- 
male, a  member  of  the  church  meeting 
in  the  Lai  Bazar  Chapel,  who  had  been 
all  her  life  a  servant,  and  in  the  receipt 
of  very  moderate  wages.  Yet  her 
earnings  seem  to  have  been  greater 
than  her  wants ;  for,  out  of  her  small 
pittance,  she  was  able  to  save  a  sum, 
which  she  thought  could  not  be  better 
employed  than  by  erecting  a  Bengalee 
545 


286 


MISSIONS. 


chapel,  in  which  the  word  of  life  might 
be  regularly  preached  to  the  perishing 
heathen.  GrotJnd  was  accordingly  pro- 
cured, though  with  some  difficulty,  in 
the  situation  already  mentioned,  and  a 
commodious  little  chapel  erected;  which 
she  herself  frequently  visited,  to  see  it 
kept  clean  and  neat,  and  fit  for  the 
worship  of  God.  When  the  whole  was 
completed,  she  wrote  a  letter  to  one  of 
the  missionaries,  in  which,  with  a  sim- 
plicity and  a  knowledge  of  her  own 
heart  truly  Christian,  she  confessed  the 
struggle  which  had  taken  place  in  her 
mind  between  good  and  bad  motives  ; 
but,  at  the  same  time,  renounced  all 
idea  of  merit  on  account  of  what  she 
had  done.  Besides  building  and  fur- 
^  nishing  the  house,  she  also'  defrayed  the 
monthly  rent  of  the  ground,  and  the 
ordinary  expenses  of  lighting,  &;c., 
which  attended  Divine  worship. 

{n)  ZEAL  OF  ELLIOT.— Soon 
after  the  settlement  of  the  Non-confor- 
mists in  New-England,  Mr.  Elliot  felt 
himself  strongly  disposed  to  attempt  the 
conversion  of  the  native  Indians.  He 
was  affected  with  that  sentiment  which 
is  expressed  on  the  seal  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts colony  ;  a  poor  Indian,  having 
a  label  from  his  mouth,  with  these 
words:  "Come  over  and  help  us." 
He  was  further  induced  to  enter  upon 
this  work,  by  the  following  sentence  in 
the  royal  charter  :  "To  win  and  incite 
the  natives  to  the  knowledge  and  obedi- 
ence of  the  only  true  God,  and  Savior 
of  mankind,  and  the  Christian  faith,  is 
our  royal  intention,  the  adventurers' 
free  professions  and  the  principal  end 
of  the  plantation." 

In  the  prosecution  of  his  efforts  to 
evangelize  the  Indians,  he  endured 
many  hardships.  In  a  letter  to  a  friend 
he  says :  "  I  have  not  been  dry  night 
nor  day,  from  the  third  day  of  the  week 
to  the  sixth,  but  so  traveled ;  and  at 
night  pull  off  my  boots,  wring  my  stock- 
ings and  on  with  them  again,  and  so 
continue.    But  God  steps  in  and  helps." 

After  having  formed,  with  the  greatest 
■difficulty,  a  grammar  of  the  Indian 
language,  he  wrote,  in  a  letter  to  a 
friend,  "  Prayers  and  pains  through 
faith  in  Christ  Jesus  will  do  any  thing." 

Such  was  the  perseverance  of  Elliot 
546 


in  his  great  work,  that  on  the  day  of  his 
death,  in  his  80th  year,  the  "  apostle  of 
the  Indians  "  was  found  teaching  the 
alphabet  to  an  Indian  child  at  his  bed- 
side. "  Why  not  rest  from  your  labors, 
now  ?"  said  a  friend.  "  Because,"  said 
the  venerable  man,  "  I  have  prayed  to 
God  to  render  me  useful  in  my  sphere  ; 
and  now  that  I  can  no  longer  preach, 
he  leaves  me  strength  enough  to  teach 
this  poor  child  his  alphabet." 

(o)  ROBERT  BOYLE'S  INTER. 
EST  IN  MISSIONS.— About  the  year 
1680,  the  Hon.  Robert  Boyle  evinced 
rare  zeal  for  the  diffusion  of  Christianity. 
He  ordered  five  hundred  copies  of  the 
Gospels  and  the  Acts  to  be  translated 
and  printed  in  the  Malayan  tongue,  and 
sent  to  the  East  at  his  own  charge  ;  and 
a  considerable  number  of  Pococke's 
Arabic  translations,  to  be  distributed  in 
every  country  in  which  that  language 
was  spoken.  He  also  contributed  large 
sums  to  the  translation  of  the  Welsh 
and  Irish  Bibles.  At  the  same  time  he 
rendered  valuable  aid  to  the  missionary 
Elliot  in  his  endeavors  to  evangelize 
the  aborigines  of  North  America.  This 
great  man  did  not  disdain  the  enterprise 
of  imparting  Christianity  to  the  pagan 
world. 

(p)  ZEAL  OF  TWO  BOYS  IN 
CANADA. — There  are  two  little  boys 
in  Canada,  the  elder  of  whom  is  about 
ten  years  old,  and  the  younger  about 
eight.  Two  years  ago  their  father  gave 
them  the  use  of  a  small  garden  spot, 
and  told  them  they  might  have  all  they 
could  get  by  the  sale  of  vegetables,  or 
whatever  else  they  might  choose  to 
raise  upon  it.  He  said  he  would  put 
the  land  in  order  and  help  them  to  plant 
it ;  and  then  they  must  take  all  the 
care  of  it  themselves.  The  proposition 
was  accepted ;  the  land  was  planted, 
and  the  little  fellows,  with  zeal  and 
faithfulness,  fulfilled  their  part  of  the 
bargain. 

When  the  time  came  for  selling  green 
corn  and  vegetables,  these  boys  opened 
a  regular  account  with  as  many  families 
as  they  could  supply,  and,  like  business 
men,  entered  all  the  items  upon  their 
little  day-book,  from  which  every  thing 
was  duly  posted  to  their  ledger.  At 
the  close  of  the  season,  the  accounts 


ZEAL  FOR  MISSIONS. 


286 


were  all  drawn  off  and  collected.  From 
the  money  thus  raised,  they  paid  their 
contributions  to  the  Bible,  Tract,  and 
Home  Missionary  Societies,  and  other 
benevolent  institutions,  and  then  each 
of  them  gave  five  dollars  to  the  Ameri- 
can Board. 

The  plan  succeeded  so  well,  that  last 
year,  the  contract  was  renewed  with 
their  father.  Now,  however,  they  took 
into  partnership  their  little  brother, 
about  six  years  old,  who  thought  he 
could  help  a  little.  The  business  was 
pursued  in  the  same  way  as  before. 
When  the  agent  of  the  American  Board 
visited  their  father,  a  few  months  ago, 
the  three  little  boys  brought  him  their 
books,  and  showed  their  accounts  for 
the  season,  and  then  put  into  his  hand 
three  half  eagles,  (fifteen  dollars,)  as 
the  portion  of  their  income  which  they 
had  consecrated  to  foreign  missions  ! 

(q)  A  POOR  WOMAN  GIVING  A 
FARTHING  A  DAY.— A  poor  wo- 
woman  just  after  a  misionary  meeting, 
called  at  the  lodging  of  a  minister,  who 
had  been  engaged  at  the  meeting,  and 
told  him  she  had  been  prevented  from 
attending  it,  but  hoped  she  was  not  too 
late  to  present  a  little  contribution  she 
wished  to  make  to  the  Society.  The 
poverty  of  her  appearance  induced  the 
minister  to  say,  he  feared  she  could  not 
afford  to  give  any  thing ;  but  the  poor 
woman  assured  him  that  though  she 
was  a  widow,  and  had  four  children  to 
support  by  the  mangle  which  she 
worked,  she  had  contrived  to  save  a 
little;  and  that  she  should  be  much 
grieved,  if  he  should  refuse  to  take  it. 
She  then  untied  a  bundle  she  had 
brought  with  her,  and  produced  three 
hundred  and  thirty  farthings,  saying, 
that  she  had  laid  by  one  farthing  every 
day  for  the  year  past,  excepting  those 
days  in  which  illness  prevented  her 
from  working. 

(r)  A  KING  A  NURSING  FA- 
THER. — When  Messrs.  Tyerman  and 
Bennett,  in  their  visit  to  the  southern 
islands,  held  a  large  missionary  meet- 
ing, previously  to  their  departure  for 
the  Marquesas  Islands,  at  which  several 
persons  offered  to  accompany  them  as 
missionaries,  to  introduce  the  gospel 
where  it  was  at  present  unknown ;  after 


some  offers  of  this  kind  had  been  ac- 
cepted, Hautia,  the  regent  of  the  island, 
who  was  virtually  king,  and  held  valu- 
able hereditary  possessions  upon  it,  and 
received  large  contributions  lo  support 
his  royal  state,  both  from  chiefs  and 
people,  rose ;  his  noble  countenance 
betrayed  much  agitation  of  spirit,  and 
he  hesitated  for  awhile  to  unburden  his 
mind  in  words.  At  length,  with  an  air 
of  meekness  and  humility,  which  gave 
inexpressible  grace  to  the  dignity  of  the 
high-born  highland  chief,  he  said,  "I 
have  a  little  speech,  because  a  thought 
has  grown  up  in  my  heart,  and  it  has 
grown  up  also  in  the  heart  of  Hautia 
Vahine  (his  wife).  But,  perhaps,  it  is 
not  a  good  thought ;  yet  I  must  speak 
it ;  and  this  is  our  thought :  If  the  mis- 
sionaries, and  the  deputation,  and  the 
church  of  Huahine,  think  that  I  and  my 
wife  would  be  fit  companions  for  Anna 
and  his  wife,  to  teach  the  good  word  of 
God  to  those  idolatrous  people,  who  are 
as  we  loere,  and  cause  them  to  become 
as  we  are  here  ;  and  in  Tahiti,  and 
Eimeo,  and  Raiatea,  and  Borabora,  we 
should  be  rejoiced  to  go;  but,  perhaps, 
we  are  not  worthy,  and  others  may  be 
better  suited  for  the  blessed  work  ;  yet 
we  should  love  to  go." 

This  declaration  produced  a  most 
extraordinary  sensation  throughout  the 
whole  assembly ;  as  the  speaker  had 
given  good  evidence  of  his  true  Chris- 
tianity. When,  however,  it  was  repre- 
sentent  to  him  that  his  usefulness  where 
he  was  in  the  church,  as  the  superin- 
tendent of  the  schools,  and  in  the  exer- 
tion of  his  influence  among  his  subjects, 
was  far  more  extensive  than  that  of  any 
other  person  could  be  ;  and  that,  though 
it  was  well  that  this  thought  was  in  his 
heart,  yet  he  could  not  on  these  accounts 
be  sent,  he  was  deeply  affected,  and 
replied,  "  Since  you  say  so,  perhaps  it 
is  the  Lord's  will  that  we  should  not  go 
to  the  Marquesas,  but  stay  in  Huahine ; 
perhaps  we  may  serve  him  better  here. 
Be  it  so;  and  yet  I  wish  that  it  had 
fallen  to  me  and  my  wife  to  go."  Oh, 
what  a  lesson  is  this  to  Christians. 

(s)  ZEAL  OF  DR.  PHILIP.— An 

English  clergyman  was  once  invited  to 

take  the  pastoral  charge  of  a  large  and 

wealthy  congregation.     One  of  his  first 

547 


286 


MISSIONS. 


inquiries  on  coming  among  them,  was, 
what  they  had  clone  in  aid  of  benevolent 
Societies.  "  What  does  your  subscrip- 
tion  for  foreign  missions  amount  to  ?" 
"  We  have  not  given  any  thing  for  that 
object."  "  And  for  the  Bible  Society  ?" 
"  Nothing."  "  I  cannot  stay  with  such 
a  church,"  said  the  clergyman.  The 
members  of  the  congregation,  who  were 
extremely  anxious  to  secure  his  services, 
remarked  that  he  could  himself  open 
subscriptions  for  these  different  religious 
societies  on  the  spot.  He  took  them  at 
their  word,  and  set  himself  immediately 
to  work.  He  organized  several  as- 
sociations among  his  people,  and  col- 
lected, the  first  year,  six  hundred  pounds 
sterling  (nearly  $3,000.)  During  the 
same  year,  he  sent  from  his  own  church, 
eleven  members  to  be  missionaries; 
before  he  left  his  charge,  he  had  sent 
out  twenty,  and  finally  devoted  himself 
to  the  missionary  work.  This  clergy- 
man is  known  to  all  friends  of  the  cause. 
It  was  Dr.  Philip,  afterwards  Super- 
intendent of  the  London  Society's  mis- 
sions at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 

(t)  CONSCIENTIOUS  ZEAL  OF 
CONVERTED  PAGANS.— Mission- 
ai*y  associations  were  formed  among 
the  converted  islanders  of  the  South 
Seas,  to  aid  the  London  Missionary  So- 
ciety. The  contributions  consisted  of 
oil,  cotton,  arrow-root,  and  swine.  Such 
articles  were  subscribed  "  to  buy  money 
with.'' 

When  an  auxiliary  association  was 
formed  at  Huahine,  the  people  were 
cautioned  against  making  donations 
merely  from  a  sense  of  constraint.  Still, 
a  native  brought  a  pig  to  the  treasurer, 
Hautia,  and  throwing  the  animal  down 
at  his  feet,  said,  in  an  angry  tone, 
"  Here  is  a  pig  for  your  society." 
"  Take  it  back  again,"  replied  Hautia, 
calmly,  "  God  does  not  accept  angry 
pigs."  He  then  explained  the  objects 
of  the  society,  and  urged  upon  the  con- 
sideration of  the  native  the  fact,  that 
"The  Lord  loveth  a  cheerful  giver." 
The  man  was  deeply  chagrined  at  the 
unyielding  refusal  of  the  treasurer. 
In  Tahiti,  on  a  similar  occasion,  a  per- 
son brought  a  quantity  of  cocca-nut  oil 
to  Pomare,  in  a  like  bad  spirit,  exclaim- 
ing, "  Here  are  are  five  bamboos  of  oil, 
548 


take  them  for  your  society."  "No," 
said  the  king,  "  I  will  not  mix  your 
angry  bamboos  with  the  missionary  oil, 
take  them  away." 

Are  no  dollars  cast  into  the  treasury 
of  the  Lord  with  a  wrong  spirit? 

{u^  HENRY  PALMER,  OR  THE 
MISSIONARY  AND  THE  SOL- 
DIER.— A  writer  in  the  London  Re- 
cord,  in  urging  the  duty  of  ministers  of 
the  Gospel  in  England  to  volunteer  as 
missionaries  to  Canada,  relates  the 
anecdote  which  we  give  below,  with  the 
following  preamble  :  "  I  have  often  felt 
wounded  and  grieved,  by  hearing  the 
privations  of  missionaries  much  harped 
upon.  Soldiers  and  sailors  go  to  inhos- 
pitable climes  at  the  call  of  duty — 
neither  whining  nor  simpering  is  set  up 
for  them ;  a  merchant  also  crosses 
boisterous  seas,  in  pursuit  of  honorable 
trade,  perchance;  but  as  soon  as  a 
minister  leaves  home  for  a  foreign  field 
of  labor,  immediately  do  we  hear  of  his 
self-devotedness,  and  a  puling  sympathy 
is  extorted  for  the  self-denying  man. 
Surely  this  is  not  right." 

"  Some  years  since,  the  late  much 
esteemed  Charles  Macarthy,  Governor 
of  Sierra  Leone,  being  in  England  and 
much  in  want  of  faithful  men  to  labor 
in  that  sickly  climate,  when  there  had 
just  been  a  great  mortality  among  the 
missionaries,  attended  the  Committee 
of  the  Church  of  England  Society  in 
London,  and  thus  in  substance  address- 
ed them  : — '  Gentleman,  I  need  not  tefll 
you  how  many  of  your  zealous  and 
devoted  missionaries  have  recently 
fallen  a  sacrifice  to  the  deadly  climate 
of  Sierra  Leone;  and  it  grieves  me  to 
find  that  you  have  not  on  your  list  any 
volunteers  to  supply  the  place  of  those 
men  of  God  who  have  just  been  cut  off 
by  disease.  But,  gentlemen,  I  have 
just  been  at  the  Horse  Guards,  and  on 
inquiring  there  whether  there  were  any 
officers  ready  to  proceed  to  that  sickly 
station,  a  list  containing  several  hundred 
names  was  immediately  handed  to  mc 
of  individuals  anxious  to  accompany  me 
on  my  return ;  and  is  it  possible  that 
there  is  not  one  man  in  England  willing 
to  go  forth  with  his  life  in  his  hand  to 
preach  the  gospel  to  the  poor  perishing 
negroes?'     A   young  friend  who   had 


ZEAL  FOR  MISSIONS. 


2§6 


left  the  army,  where  he  had  greatly 
distinguished  himself,  and  had  studied 
for  the  ministry,  was  sitting  in  a  retired 
part  of  the  room ;  the  words  of  Sir 
Charles  reached  his  heart ;  he  offered 
himself  and  was  accepted,  as  a  mis- 
sionary under  that  Society,  and  soon 
after  proceeded  to  Sierra  Leone,  where, 
through  his  instrumentality,  a  goodly 
number  of  poor  negroes  were  turned 
from  the  service  of  dumb  idols  to  that  of 
the  liviving  and  true  God,  who  learned  to 
bless  the  name  of  Henry  Palmer  while 
he  lived,  and  who  doubtless  will  be  his 
crown  of  rejoicing  throughout  eternity." 

{v)  DR.  CAREY'S  LABORS.— Dr. 
Carey  completed  the  translation  of  the 
entire  Scriptures,  in  seven  of  the  prin- 
cipal languages  of  India,  viz.,  the 
Sungskit,  the  Bengalee,  the  Hindu,  the 
Ooria,  the  Mahratta,  the  Panjabee,  and 
the  Assamese.  In  addition,  he  com- 
pleted the  translation  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment la  twenty-two  more,  and  portions 
of  both  Testaments  in  several  others, 
besides  superintending  the  printing  of 
the  translations  in  other  languages  still. 
These  early  translations  made  in  the 
first  stages  of  acquaintance  with  the 
languages  of  the  East,  were  necessarily 
very  imperfect ;  but  they  show  what  a 
single  individual  may  accomplish  in 
very  difficult  circumstances,  under  the 
influence  of  the  love  of  souls,  when  it 
becomes  the  master  passion. 

(w)  CAREY,  MARSHMAN,  AND 
WARD'S  DONATIONS.— Those  who 
are  most  intimately  acquainted  with 
missions,  set  the  highest  estimate  on 
their  importance.  Missionaries,  as  all 
must  admit,  are  best  qualified  to  form  a 
correct  judgment  in  reference  to  the 
value  of  the  means  employed,  to  bless 
and  save  the  heathen  around  them.  And 
they  are  willing  to  sacrifice  the  enjoy- 
ments of  refined  society — to  live  an 
exile  from  kindred,  and  friends,  and 
home — to  suffer  poverty,  shame,  im- 
prisonment, and  even  death,  in  order  to 
carry  forward  the  work  in  which  they 
are  engaged.  If  their  situation  is  such 
that  they  can  acquire  property  in  con- 
nection with  their  labors,  they  are  ready 
to  lay  it  oTit  in  behalf  of  the  mission  to 
which  they  are  attached .  For  instance, 
the  Rev.  Messrs.  Carey,  Marshman,  and 


Ward,  (missionaries  at  Calcutta  and 
Serampore,)  each  of  them  gave  about 
£1500,  in  all  about  $20,000  a  year, 
which  they  acquired  by  their  printing 
establishment,  to  be  expended  in  efforts 
for  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  pagans 
around  them. 

(x)  GOOD  REASON  FOR  SELL- 
ING A  FARM.— Near  the  close  of  a 
Missionary  meeting  at  Syracuse,  N.  Y., 
a  minister  made  the  following  state- 
ment : — A  member  of  his  church,  when 
first  commencing  business  in  the  world, 
had  purchased  a  dairy  farm,  for  which, 
by  industry  and  economy,  he  had  been 
able  to  pay  all  the  purchase  money,  and 
on  which  he  continued  to  thrive.  It 
was,  however,  remote  from  any  village, 
and  the  enjoyment  of  the  religious  and 
social  privileges  could  only  be  procured 
by  considerable  effort.  In  due  time  an- 
other farm  was  purchased,  more  I'avor- 
ably  situated  and  furnished  with  much 
more  convenient  and  pleasant  buildings, 
to  which  they  removed.  This  farm  was 
also  paid  for,  and  a  third  purchased. 
During  all  this  time  his  contributions 
for  benevolent  purposes  were  very  small, 
and  all  solicitation  was  met  by  him 
with  the  plea  that  he  was  in  debt. 
Nevertheless,  he  and  his  companion 
were  under  the  influence  of  religious 
principle,  and  frequently  conversed  with 
each  other  respecting  a  return  to  the  old 
dairy  farm,  in  order  that,  by  the  sale  of 
one  of  the  others,  they  might  be  in  better 
circumstances  to  aid  the  cause  of  Christ. 
These  discussions,  however,  always 
terminated  adversely  to  any  change,  by 
the  recollection,  that  they  were  occupy- 
ing a  very  comfortable  home,  surround- 
ed with  all  the  enjoyments  of  life,  and 
the  old  farm  house  was  dilapidated  and 
remote  from  every  enjoyment. 

This  good  couple  were  at  the  mission- 
ary meeting  until  the  morning  of  the 
last  day,  when  it  became  necessary  for 
them  to  return  home.  On  parting  with 
their  pastor,  the  brother  said  to  him,  "  I 
wish  you  to  understand  that  I  have  now 
fully  determined  to  sell  one  of  my  farms 
immediately.  I  have  become  con- 
vinced at  this  meeting,  that  it  is  my 
duty.  After  hearing  what  I  have  of 
the  spiritual  necessities  of  our  country, 
I  can  no  longer  be  voluntarily  in  debt,  so 
549 


3S6,  2§7 


MOTHERS,  PIOUS,  INFLUENCE  OF. 


as  to  prevent  my  doing  my  duty  in  the 
cause  of  Christ."  "  And  I,"  said  his 
weeping  wife,  "  have  become  equally 
convinced  of  my  duty  ;  we  conversed 
on  this  subject  late  last  night,  and  are 
agreed  as  to  what  we  shall  do.  I  am 
now  willing  to  part  with  all  the  com- 
forts of  our  present  home,  if  necessary, 
and  return  to  the  dairy  farm  and  make 
cheese  as  long  as  I  live,  that  I  may  be 
able  to  do  something  in  spreading  the 
gospel  of  Christ." 

The  effect  of  this  relation  was  power- 
ful. Few  who  heard  it  could  refrain 
from  tears,  or  fail  to  resolve  that  they 
would  attempt,  by  some  means,  more 
effectually  to  aid  the  good  cause. 

(y)  THE  KAREN  WOMAN'S 
RUPEE.— Mr.  Kincaid  records  the  fol- 
lowing touching  incident,  in  his  journal 
in  the  Magazine  for  November,  1*841  : — 

Some  time  since,  I  went  to  the  house 
of  an  aged  female  who  worshiped  God. 
For  several  months  she  had  been  unable 
to  leave  the  house,  and  is  fast  wearing 
out  with  consumption.  She  has  four 
children,  but  one  is  blind  and  another 
is  deaf.  She  is  very  poor  too.  The 
house  might  have  been  worth  fifteen 
rupees,  and  all  there  was  in  it  fifleen 
more.  She  could  talk  but  little,  on  ac- 
count of  her  cough,  but  expressed  great 
anxiety  for  the  eternal  welfare  of  her 
children.  After  about  an  hour  spent 
in  conversation  and  prayer,  I  rose  up  to 
take  leave,  when  the  poor  old  woman 
bid  me  remain  a  little  longer.  She 
crept  along  to  another  part  of  the  house, 
and  returning  soon,  she  put  into  my 
hand  a  rupee.  1  could  not  comprehend 
what  she  meant,  and  said,  what  is  to  be 
done  with  this  ?  "  This  is  very  little," 
she  replied,  "but  it  is  all  I  have,  and 
it  is  to  help  in  the  cause  of  Christ." 


"  But  you  are  old,  and  infirm,  and  poor." 
"  Yes,  but  I  love  Christ,  and  this  is  very 
little."  Surely,  I  thought,  here,  in  the 
midst  of  poverty  and  decrepitude,  is  a 
converted  heathen,  exercising  the  en- 
lightened faith  which  works  by  love, 
purifies  the  heart,  and  overcomes  the 
world.  For  days  I  could  not  cease  re- 
flecting on  the  expression,  "  This  is  to 
help  the  cause  of  Christ."  When  I 
thought  of  the  withered  hand,  and 
wrinkled  face  of  her  who  gave  it,  that 
rupee  was  magnified  a  thousand  times 
beyond  its  real  value. 

The  same  rupee  was  brought  to  this 
country,  and  its  exhibition  by  agents  of 
benevolent  societies,  in  connection  with 
the  above  affecting  incident,  has  awak- 
ened in  thousands  of  hearts,  a  deeper 
interest  in  missions,  holier  emotions,  and 
firmer  purposes  of  Christian  benevo- 
lence. 

(z)"  JOHN  WESLEY'S  REPLY 
TO  THE  UNBELIEVER.— When 
John  Wesley  was  about  going  to  Georgia 
as  a  Missionary  to  the  Indians,  an  un- 
believer  said  to  him,  "  What  is  this, 
sir  ?  are  you  one  of  the  knights-errant  ? 
How,  pray,  got  Quixotism  into  your 
head  ?  You  want  nothing  :  you  have  a 
good  provision  for  life,  and  in  a  way  of 
preferment :  and  must  you  leave  all  to 
fight  windmills — to  convert  savages  in 
America  ?"  He  answered  willingly 
and  calmly,  "  Sir,  if  the  Bible  be  not 
true,  I  am  as  very  a  fool  and  madman 
as  you  can  conceive ;  but,  if  it  is  of 
God,  I  am  sober-minded.  For  he  has 
declared,  '  There  is  no  man  who  hath 
left  house,  or  friends,  or  brethren,  for 
the  kingdom  of  God's  sake,  who  shall 
not  receive  manifold  more  in  the  present 
time,  and  in  the  world  to  come  everlast- 
ing life.'  " 


287.  MOTHERS,  PIOUS,  INFLUENCE  OF. 


(a)  ALFRED  THE  GREAT  AND 

HIS  ALPHABET.— Alfred  the  Great 
had  reached  his  twelfth  year  before  he 
had  even  learned  his  alphabet.  An  in- 
teresting anecdote  is  told  of  the  occa- 
sion on  which  he  was  first  prompted  to 
apply  himself  to  books.  His  mother 
550 


had  shown  him  and  his  brothers  a  small 
volume,  illuminated  in  diflferent  places 
with  colored  letters,  and  such  other  em- 
bellishments as  were  then  in  fashion. 
Seeing  that  it  excited  the  adniiration  of 
her  children,  she  promised  that  she 
would  give  it  to  the  boy  who  should 


MOTHERS,  PIOUS,  INFLUENCE  OF. 


28T 


first  learn  to  read  it.  Alfred,  though 
the  youngest,  was  the  only  one  who  had 
spirit  enough  to  attempt  obtaining  it  on 
such  a  condition.  He  immediately 
went  and  procured  a  teacher,  and  in  a 
very  short  time  was  able  to  claim  the 
promised  reward.  When  he  came  to  the 
throne,  notwithstanding  his  manifold 
duties,  and  a  tormenting  disease,  which 
seldom  allowed  him  an  hour's  rest,  he 
employed  his  leisure  time  either  in  read- 
ing or  hearing  the  best  books.  His 
high  regard  for  the  best  interests  of  the 
people  he  was  called  to  govern,  and  the 
benevolence  of  his  conduct,  are  well 
known. 

(i)  DODDRIDGE  AND  THE 
DUTCH  TILES.— It  is  related  of  Mrs. 
Doddridge,  that,  when  her  son  Philip 
was  quite  a  little  boy,  she  used  to  teach 
him  Scripture  history  from  the  Dutch 
tiles  of  the  fireplace,  on  which  there 
were  pictures  of  subjects  taken  from  the 
Bible.  Philip  never  forgot  those  early 
instructions,  and  probably  to  them,  un- 
der God,  his  future  usefulness  may  be 
traced. 

(c)  PIOUS  MOTHER'S  PRODI- 
GAL SON. — A  pious  mother  had  a 
prodigal  son.  He  was  about  to  leave 
her  and  go  to  sea.  As  a  last  resource, 
she  placed  a  Bible  in  his  chest,  with  a 
prayer  to  God  for  his  blessing  upon  it. 
Year  after  year  passed  away,  and  no- 
thing was  heard  of  the  wanderer.  But 
the  eye  of  his  mother's  God  was  upon 
him.  A  long  time  after,  a  clergyman 
was  called  to  visit  a  dying  sailor.  He 
found  him  penitent  and  prepared  to  die. 
He  had  in  his  possession  a  Bible,  which 
he  said,  was  given  to  him  by  a  dying  ship- 
mate, who,  expiring  in  the  hope  of  the 
glory  of  God,  gave  it  to  him  with  his 
parting  blessing.  On  the  blank  leaf  was 
found  written  the  name  of  John  Marshall, 
the  pious  mother's  prodigal  son.  He  was 
the  brother  of  Mrs.  Isabella  Graham, 
whose  interesting  memoirs  have  profit- 
ed many  readers. 

{d)  THE  SAILOR'S  DYING  MO- 
THER.— During  the  last  illness  of  a 
pious  mother,  when  she  was  near  death, 
her  only  remaining  child,  the  subject  of 
many  agonizing  and  believing  prayers, 
who  had  been  roving  on  the  sea,  returned 
to  pay  his  parent  a  visit. 


After  a  very  affecting  meetirtg,  "  You 
are  near  port,  mother,"  said  the  hardy- 
looking  sailor,  "  and  I  hope  you  will 
have  an  abundant  entrance." 

"  Yes,  my  child,  the  fair  haven  is  in 
sight,  and  soon,  very  soon  I  shall  be 
landed 

*  On  that  peaceful  shore, 
Where  pilgrims  meet  to  part  no  more.'  " 

"  You  have  weathered  many  a  storm  in 
your  passage,  mother ;  but  now  God  is 
dealing  very  graciously  with  you,  by 
causing  the  winds  to  cease,  and  by  giving 
you  a. calm  at  the  end  of  your  voyage." 

"  God  has  always  dealt  graciously 
with  me,  my  son  :  but  this  last  expres- 
sion of  his  kindness,  in  permitting  me  to 
see  you  before  I  die,  is  so  unexpected, 
that  it  is  like  a  miracle  wrought  in  an- 
swer to  prayer." 

*'  O  mother !"  replied  the  sailor, 
weeping  as  he  spoke,  "  your  prayers 
have  been  the  means  of  my  salvation, 
and  I  am  thankful  that  your  life  has 
been  spared  till  I  could  tell  you  of  it." 

She  listened  with  devout  composure 
to  the  account  of  his  conversion,  and 
at  last,  taking  his  hand,  she  pressed  it 
to  her  dying  lips,  and  said,  "  Yes,  thou 
art  a  faithful  God !  and  as  it  hath 
pleased  thee  to  bring  back  my  long-lost 
child,  and  adopt  him  into  thy  family,  I 
will  say,  '  Now  lettest  thou  thy  servant 
depart  in  peace ;  for  mine  eyes  have 
seen  thy  salvation.'  " 

(e)  NOW  I  LAY  ME  DOWN  TO 
SLEEP. — A  venerable  minister,  in 
New  Hampshire,  lodging  at  the  house 
of  a  pious  friend,  observed  the  mother 
teach  some  short  prayers  and  hymns  to 
her  children.  "Madam,"  said  he,  "your 
instructions  may  be  of  far  more  impor- 
tance than  you  are  aware  :  my  mother 
taught  me  a  little  hymn  when  a  child, 
and  it  is  of  use  to  me  to  this  day,  I 
never  close  my  eyes  to  rest,  without 
first  saying, 

*  Now  I  lay  me  down  to  sleep, 
I  pray  thee,  Lord,  my  soul  to  keep 
If  I  should  die  before  I  wake, 
I  pray  thee,  Lord,  my  soul  to  take.' " 

(/)  THE  SICK  SAILOR  AND 
HIS  MOTHER.— A  clergyman,  at  a 
public  religious  meeting,  related  the  fol- 
lowing anecdote,  illustrative  of  the  pow- 
er of  practical  maternal  faith  : 
551 


28y 


MOTHERS,  PIOUS,  INFLUENCE  OF. 


He  was  at  the  time  the  seamen's 
chaplain,  at  a  southern  port.  In  the 
course  of  duty,  he  was  called  to  the 
sick  bed  of  a  sailor,  apparently  at  the 
gates  of  death,  from  the  effects  of  his 
licentiousness.  He  addressed  him 
affectionately  upon  the  state  of  his  soul. 
With  an  oath,  the  sick  man.bid  him  be- 
gone, and  not  harass  his  dying  bed. 
The  chaplain,  however,  told  him  plainly 
he  would  speak,  and  he  must  hear,  for 
his  soul  was  in  danger  of  eternal  death. 
The  man,  however,  remained  sullen  and 
silent,  and  even  pretended  to  isleep,  du- 
ring his  faithful  address  and  prayer. 
Again  and  again  the  visit  was  repeated 
with  similar  ill  success.  One  day, 
however,  the  sick  man  made  use  of  an 
expression,  by  which  the  chaplain  sus- 
pected he  was  a  Scotchman.  To  ascer- 
tain the  fact,  the  chaplain  repeated  a 
verse  of  that  version  of  the  Psalms , 
still  in  use  among  the  churches  in  Scot- 
land : 

"  Such  pity  as  a  father  hath 

Unto  his  children  dear. 
Like  pity  shows  the  Lord  to  such 

As  worship  him  in  fear." 

The  chords  of  his  heart  vibrated  to 
the  well  known  language.  Teare  came 
into  his  eyes.  The  chaplain  improved 
his  advantage.  Knowing  the  univer- 
sality of  religious  instruction  among 
the  Scotch,  he  ventured  an  allusion  to 
his  mother.  The  poor  prodigal  burst 
into  tears.  He  admitted  himself  to  be 
the  child  of  a  praying  mother,  who  had 
often  commended  him  to  God.  He  had 
left  her  long  before,  to  become  a  wan- 
derer on  the  face  of  the  great  deep. 
No  longer  he  repelled  the  kind  atten- 
tions of  the  chaplain  ;  and  after  his  re- 
covery, his  instructor  had  the  satisfaction 
of  seeing  him  give  evidence  that  he  was 
a  humble,  penitent  child  of  God. 

ig)  I'LL  GO  TO  THE  MEETING. 
— Mr.  Abbott  relates,  in  his  "  mother 
AT  HOME,"  that  a  gentleman  in  one  of 
the  most  populous  cities  of  America, 
was  once  going  to  attend  a  seamen^s 
meeting  in  the  Mariners'  Chapel.  Di- 
rectly opposite  that  place  there  was  a 
sailors'  boarding-house.  In  the  door- 
way sat  a  hardy  weather-beaten  sailor, 
with  arms  folded  and  puffing  a  cigar, 
552 


watching  the  people  as  they  gradually 
assembled  for  worship.  The  gentle- 
man walked  up  to  him,  and  said, 
"  Well,  my  friend,  won't  you  go  with 
us  to  meeting  ?"  "  No,"  said  the 
sailor  bluntly.  The  gentleman,  who, 
from  the  appearance  of  the  man,  was 
prepared  for  a  repulse,  mildly  replied^ 
"  You  look,  my  friend,  a^  though  you 
had  seen  hard  days :  have  you  a  mo- 
ther ?"  The  sailor  raised  his  head, 
looked  earnestly  in  the  gentleman's  face, 
and  made  no  reply. 

The  gentleman,  however,  continued  : 
"  Suppose  your  mother  were  here  now, 


what   advice   would    she 


give   you 


The  tears  rushed  into  the  eyes  of  the 
poor  sailor ;  he  tried  for  a  moment  to 
conceal  them,  but  could  not ;  and  hastily 
brushing  them  away  with  the  back  of 
his  rough  hand,  rose  and  said,  with  a 
voice  almost  inarticulate  through  emo- 
tion, "  I'll  go  to  the  meeting."  He 
crossed  the  street,  entered  the  door  of 
the  cliapel,  and  took  his  seat  with  the 
assembled  congregation. 

{h)  GREAT  TRUTHS  EARLY 
COMMUNICATIED.— The  mother  of 
Dr.  Samuel  Johnson  was  a  woman  of 
great  good  sense  and  piety  :  and  she  was 
the  means  of  early  impressing  religious 
principles  on  the  mind  of  her  son.  He 
used  to  say,  that  he  distinctly  remem- 
bered having  liad  the  first  notice  of 
heaven,  "  a  place  to  which  good  people 
go,'^  and  hell,  "  a  place  to  which  bad 
people  go,"  communicated  to  him  by 
her,  when  a  little  child  in  bed  with  her  ; 
and  that  it  might  be  the  better  fixed  in 
his  memory,  she  sent  him  to  repeat  it  to 
her  man-servant.  The  servant  being 
out  of  the  way,  this  was  not  done  ;  but 
there  was  no  occasion  for  any  artificial 
aid  for  its  preservation.  When  the 
doctor  related  this  circumstance,  he  ad- 
ded, "that  children  should  be  always 
encouraged  to  tell  w^hat  they  hear,  that 
is  particularly  striking,  to  some  brother, 
sister,  or  servant,  immediately  before 
the  impression  is  erased  by  the  inter- 
vention of  new  occurrences." 

(i)  PIOUS  MOTHERS  AND  MIN- 
ISTERS. — Several  young  men  who 
were  associated  in  preparing  for  the 
Christian  ministry,  felt  interested  in  as- 
certaining what  proportion  of  their  nunsi- 


MOTHERS,  PIOUS,  INFLUENCE  OF. 


asv 


bcr  had  pious  mothers.  They  were 
greatly  surprised  and  delighted  in  find- 
ing that,  out  of  one  hundred  and  twenty 
students,  more  than  a  hundred  had  been 
blessed  by  a  mother's  prayers,  and  di- 
rected by  a  mother's  counsels  to  the 
Savior.  Though  some  of  these  had 
broken  away  from  all  the  restraints  of 
home,  and,  like  the  prodigal,  had  wan- 
dered in  sin  and  sorrow,  yet  they  coulcT 
not  forget  the  impressions  of  childhood, 
and  each  was  eventually  brought  to 
Jesus,  and  proved  a  mother's  joy  and 
blessing. 

( j )  SPOT  WHERE  MJ  MOTIJER 
KNEELED.  —  Every  one  who  has 
thought  on  the  subject,  mu^  know  how 
great  is  the  influence  of  the  female  char- 
acter, especially  in  the  sacred  relations 
of  wife  and  mother.  I  have  a  vivid  re- 
collection, says  the  Rev.  R.  Knill,  in 
his  Mebioir  of  Mrs.  Loveless,  of  the 
effects  of  maternal  influence.  My  hon- 
ored mother  was  a  religious  woman, 
and  she  watched  over  and  instructed 
me  as  pious  mothers  are  accustomed  to 
do.  Alas  !  I  often  forgot  her  admoni- 
tions ;  but,  in  my  most  thou,:2:htless  days 
I  never  lost  the  impressions  which  her 
holy  example  had  made  on  my  mind. 
After  spending  a  large  portion  of  my 
life  in  foreign  lands,  I  returned  again  to 
visit  my  native  village.  Both  my  pa- 
rents died  while  I  was  in  Russia,  and 
their  house  is  now  occupied  by  my 
brother.  The  furniture  remains  just 
the  same  as  when  I  was  a  boy,  and  at 
night  I  was  accommodated  with  the  same 
bed  in  which  I  had  often  slept  before  ; 
but  my  busy  thoughts  would  not  let  me 
sleep.  I  was  thinking  how  God  had  led 
me  through  the  journey  of  life.  At 
last,  the  light  of  the  morning  darted 
through  the  little  window,  and  then  my 
eye  caught  a  sight  of  the  spot  where 
my  sainted  mother,  forty  years^  before, 
took  my  hand  and  said,  "  Come,  my 
dear,  kneel  down  with  me,  and  I  will 
go  to  prayer."  This  completely  over- 
came me.  I  seemed  to  hear  the  very 
tones  of  her  voice.  I  recollected  some 
of  her  expressions,  and  I  burst  into 
tears,  and  arose  from  my  bed,  and  fell 
upon  my  knees  just  on  the  spot  where 
my  mother  kneeled,  and  thanked  God 
that  I  had  once  a  praying  mother.     And 


oh  !  if  every  parent  could  feel  what  I 
felt  then,  I  am  sure  they  would  pray 
with  their  children  as  well  as  pray  for 
them. 

(k)  RANDOLPH  SAVED  FROM 
ATHEISM.— John  Randolph,  the  ec- 
centric  but  influential  statesman,  once 
addressed  himself  to  an  intimate  friend 
in  terms  something  like  the  following : 
— "  I  used  to  be  called  a  Frenchman, 
because  I  took  the  French  side  in  poli- 
tics; and  though  this  was  unjust,  yet 
the  truth  is,  I  should  have  been  a  French 
atheist,  if  it  had  not  been  for  one  recol- 
lection, and  that  was,  the  memory  of  the 
time  when  my  departed  mother  used  to 
take  my  little  hands  in  hers,  and  cause 
me  on  my  knees  to  say,  '  Our  Father" 
which  art  in  heaven.'  " 

(/)  THE  MOTHER'S  HAND.— 
When  I  was  a  little  child,  said  a  good 
man,  my  mother  used  to  bid  me  kneel 
beside  her,  and  to  place  her  hand  upon 
my  head  while  she  prayed.  Before  I 
was  old  enough  to  know  her  worth,  she 
died,  and  I  was  left  much  to  my  own 
guidance.  Like  others,  I  was  inclined 
to  evil  passions,  but  often  felt  myself 
checked,  and,  as  it  were,  drawn  back 
by  the  soft  hand  on  my  head.  When  I 
was  a  young  man,  1  traveled  in  foreign 
lands,  and  was  exposed  to  many  temp- 
tations ;  but,  when  I  would  have  yielded, 
that  same  hand  seemed  to  be  upon  my 
head  and  1  was  saved.  I  appeared  to  feel 
its  pressure  as  in  the  days  of  my  happy 
infancy,  and  sometimes  there  came 
with  it  a  voice  in  my  heart — a  voice  that 
must  be  obeyed — "  Oh,  do  not  this 
wickedness,  my  son,  nor  sin  against  thy 
God." 

(m)  A  MOTHER  CONSTANT  IN 
PRAYER.— In  the  vicinity  of  Phila- 
delphia, there  was  a  pious  mother,  who 
had  the  happiness  of  seeing  her  children 
in  very  early  life,  brought  to  the  know- 
ledge of  the  truth  ;  walking  in  the  fear 
of  the  Lord,  and  ornaments  in  the  Chris- 
tian church.  A  clergyman,  who  was 
traveling,  heard  this  circumstance 
respecting  this  mother,  and  wished  very 
much  to  see  her,  thinking  that  there 
might  be  something  peculiar  in  her 
mode  of  giving  instruction,  which  ren- 
dered it  so  effectual.  He  accordingly 
visited  her,  and  inquired  respecting  the 
553 


287 


MOTHERS,  PIOUS,  INFLUENCE  OF. 


manner  in  which  she  discharged  the 
duties  of  a  mother  in  educating  her 
children.  The  woman  replied,  that  she 
did  not  know  that  she  had  been  more 
faithful  than  any  Christian  mother  would 
be,  in  the  religious  instruction  of  her 
children.  After  a  little  conversation, 
she  said,  "  While  my  children  were  in- 
fants on  my  lap,  as  I  washed  them,  I 
raised  my  heart  to  God,  that  he  would 
wash  them  in  that  blood  which  cleans- 
eth  from  all  sin  ;  as  I  clothed  them  in 
the  morning,  I  asked  my  heavenly 
Father  to  clothe  them  with  the  robe  of 
Christ's  righteousness;  as  I  provided 
them  food,  I  prayed  that  God  would 
feed  their  souls  with  the  bread  of  heaven 
and  give  them  to  drink  of  the  water  of 
life.  When  I  have  prepared  them  for 
the  house  of  God,  I  have  pleaded  that 
their  bodies  might  be  fit  temples  for  the 
Holy  Ghost  to  dwell  in.  When  they 
left  me  for  the  week-day  school,  I  fol- 
lowed their  infant  footsteps  witli  a  pray- 
er, that  their  path  through  life  might  be 
like  that  of  the  just,  which  shineth 
more  and  more  unto  the  perfect  day. 
And  as  I  committed  them  to  the  rest  of 
the  night,  the  silent  breathing  of  my 
soul  has  been,  that  their  heavenly 
Father  would  take  them  to  his  embrace, 
and  fold  them  in  his  paternal  arms.' 

(n)  A  MOTHER'S  USEFULNESS 
THROUGH  HER  POSTERITY.— 
E — H —  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  in 
1737.  His  parents  carefully  instructed 
him  in  the  principles  of  the  Gospel. 
His  father  was  an  eminently  godly  man, 
but  naturally  of  a  very  hasty  spirit. 
His  mother  was  remarkable  for  Chris- 
tian meekness,  and  was  his  principal 
religious  instructor.  When  a  child  he 
was  accustomed  to  pray  that  he  "  might 
possess  the  grace  of  his  father  and  the 
meekness  of  his  mother."  At  the  age 
of  seven  he  gave  evidence  of  being 
born  again.  His  whole  life  was  emi- 
mently  devoted  to  God.  In  the  things 
of  this  world  he  was  poor,  but  in  Chris- 
tian character  and  influence  rich. 
Having  for  some  time  sustained  the 
office  of  deacon  of  a  church  in  B — , 
and  afterwards  of  a  church  in  P — , 
Vermont,  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of 
the  latter  he  obtained  license  to  preach, 
and  entered  on  the  pastoral  ofRce,  which 
554 


he  reputably  sustained  more  than  twenty 
years.  The  church,  while  under  his 
care,  experienced  repeated  seasons  of 
"  refreshing  from  the  presence  of  the 
Lord,"  and  large  accessions.  Many 
bore  joyful  testimony  to  the  powerful 
influence  in  favor  of  godliness  every 
where  exerted  by  him  as  he  moved  on 
in  his  Master's  work.  Especially  in 
his  family  do  we  find  striking  proof  of 
the  benefits  of  the  early  religious  train- 
ing he  himself  received  under  the  in- 
structions of  his  mother.  He  had  ten 
children  who  came  to  mature  age ; 
three  sons  and  seven  daughters.  Nine 
of  them  gave  evidence  of  piety.  The 
tenth  was  not  pious.  This  child  was 
put  to  a  trade  at  the  usual  age,  where 
nothing  like  a  Christian  influence  was 
exerted  over  him,  and  his  habits  be- 
came vicious.  The  children  of  Mr.  H. 
reared  sixty  children,  thirty-six  of  whom 
were  known  to  have  made  a  Christian 
profession  ;  nearly  all  between  the  ages 
of  ten  and  twenty. 

{<))     THE    CONVERTED    STU- 
DENTS   AND   THEIR    MOTHER. 
— "  In  a  college  of ,"  says  a  cor- 
respondent of  the  N.  Y.  Evangelist  of  . 
1831,  "there  has  lately  been  an  exten-  J 
sive  revival.     Having  myself  a  praying  * 
mother,   it  occurred  to  me  to  inquire  of 
the  subjects  of  the  revival,  whether  their 
mothers  were  pious.    I  did  so,  and  found 
that  scarcely  one  sinner  was  brought  in- 
to the  fold  of  Christ,  who  was  not  bless- 
ed with  a  pious,  prayerful  mother.    This 
is  a  fact,  and  oh !  that  mothers  would 
let  it  make  the  proper  impression  on 
their  hearts." 

(p)  THE  YOUNG  INFIDEL  AND 
HIS  MOTHER.— "Where  parental  in- 
fluence does  not  convert,"  says  Richard 
Cecil,  "it  hampers — it  hangs  on  the 
wheels  of  evil.  I  had  a  pious  mother, 
who  dropped  things  in  my  way — I  could 
never  rid  myself  of  them.  I  was  a  pro- 
fessed infidel ;  but  then  I  liked  to  be  an 
infidel  in  company,  rather  than  when 
alone — I  was  wretched  when  by  my- 
self. These  principles  and  maxims 
spoiled  my  pleasure.  With  my  com- 
panions I  would  sometimes  stifle  them  ; 
like  embers,  we  kept  one  another  warm,  j 
Besides,  I  was  a  sort  of  hero ;  I  had  be-  l 
guiled  several  of  my  associates  into  my  ^ 


MURDERERS. 


287,  2§§ 


opinions,  and  I  had  to  maintain  a  charac- 
ter before  them :  but  I  could  not  divest 
myself  ot  my  better  principles.     I  went 

with  one  of  my  companions  to  see : 

he  could  laugh  heartily,  but  I  could  not : 
the  ridicule  on  regeneration  was  high 
sport  to  him — to  me  it  was  none  ;  it 
could  not  move  my  features.  He  knew 
no  difference  between  regeneration  and 
transubstantiation — I  did.  I  knew  there 
was  such  a  thing.  I  was  afraid  and 
ashamed  to  laugh  at  it.  Parental  in- 
fluence thus  cleaves  to  a  man — it  ha- 
rasses him — it  throws  itself  constantly 
in  his  way." 

(q)  MY  MOTHER'S  PRAYERS 
AND  COUNSELS.— A  young  man, 
on  whose  mind  the  doctrines  of  religion 
had  been  early  impressed  by  his  pious 
mother's  instructions,  at  length  went  to 
sea,  and  became  an  abandoned  and  mis- 
erable creature.  He  was  thrown  into 
prisons  and  workhouses,  and  into  dens 

•  of  wretchedness  and  vice :  but  into  all 
these  places  his  faithful  mother  followed 
him  with  her  prayers  and  tears,  till  she 
died,  leaving  him  in  prison,  convicted 
of  crime.  Here  he  was  an  object  of  so 
much  dread,  that  not  one  of  the  keepers 
ventured  to  approach  him  alone.  In 
about  six  months,  however,  the  tiger 
began  to  grow  tame,  and  his  inquiry 
was,  "  What  shall  1  do  to  be  saved  ?" 
Mr.  Bradford  questioned  him  about  his 
feelings,  and  he  informed  him,  that  for 
two  months  he  had  paced  his  room,  with 
sleepless  nights,  in  agony  and  remorse, 
save  when  exhausted  nature  would 
sometimes  overcome  his  horrible  con- 
victions. Mr.  B.  inquired  what  partic- 
ular cause  had  led  him  to  his  present 

,  feelings.  He  replied,  "  My  mother's 
prayers  and  counsels !  Her  last  words 
to  me  were,  '  William,  there  is  no  other 
name  given  under  heaven  among  men, 


whereby  you  can  be  saved,  but  the  nai^J- 
of  Jesus  Christ.'  "  His  mother's  prayers 
were  answered,  and  this  man  became  a 
consistent  follower  of  the  Lamb. 

(r)  THE  AGED  PRISONER  AND 
HIS  DECEASED  MOTHER.— The 
chaplain  of  the  prison  at  Weathersfield 
says: 

"  A  man  of  fifty,  who  has  been  a 
wanderer  over  almost  the  whole  earth, 
and  a  partaker  in  almost  every  sin  that 
can  be  named,  and  who  has  also  met 
with  much  which  we  should  think  was 
calculated  to  make  him  solemn,  told  me 
that  nothing  in  his  whole  life  had  ever 
made  him  feel  serious,  but  what  his  mo- 
ther said  to  him  just  before  her  death. 
She  resided  in  Trenton,  New  Jersey, 
and  was  a  sincere,  warm-hearted  Chris- 
tian. When  she  found  herself  dying, 
she  sent  for  her  son,  then  a  lad  of  twelve 
years  old,  to  come  to  her  chamber.  As 
he  approached  her  bed,  she  took  his 
hand,  and  spoke  to  him  with  maternal 
tenderness  and  fidelity.  Telling  him  she 
must  soon  leave  him,  she  earnestly  be- 
sought him  by  every  moving  considera- 
tion, so  to  love  the  Savior,  and  so  to  take 
care  of  his  soul,  as  to  meet  her  in  hea- 
ven. She  continued  to  clasp  his  hand 
until  hers  became  cold  in  death.  For 
nearly  half  a  century  afterwards,  this 
man  was  pressing  onwards  through  a 
course  of  crime,  too  revolting  for  de- 
scription. Yet  he  assured  me,  that 
amidst  his  lowest  and  darkest  descents 
into  the  vortex  of  sin,  he  could  never 
utterly  drive  from  his  mind  the  last 
words  of  his  mother,  and  was  never  able 
to  think  of  them  without  solemn  emotion. 
This  struck  me  with  some  surprise,  and 
appeared  to  me  a  remarkable  proof  of 
the  deep  and  lasting  impression  a  pious 
mother  may  make  upon  the  mind  of  her 
child." 


MURDERERS. 


388.  Misery,  Detection  and  Puuishmcnt  of. 

{a)  REV.  E.  ERSKINE  AND  THE 
MURDERER.— The  Rev.  Ebenezer 
Erskine,  after  traveling,  at  one  time, 
toward  the  end  of  the  week,  from  Port- 


moak  to  the  banks  of  the  Forth,  on  his 
way  to  Edinburgh,  was,  with  several 
others,  prevented  by  a  storm  from  cross- 
ing that  frith.  Thus  obliged  to  remain 
in  Fife  during  the  Sabbath,  he  was  em- 
ployed to  preach,  it  is  believed,  in  King- 
555 


2SS 


MURDERERS. 


|brn.  Conformably  to  his  usual  prac- 
tice, he  prayed  earnestly  in  the  morning 
for  the  Divine  countenance  and  aid  in 
the  work  of  the  day ;  but  suddenly 
missing  his  note-book,  he  knew  not 
what  to  do.  His  thoughts,  however, 
were  directed  to  the  command,  "  Thou 
shalt  not  kill ;"  and  having  studied  the 
subject  with  as  much  care  as  the  time 
would  permit,  he  delivered  a  short  ser- 
mon on  it  in  the  forenoon.  Having  re- 
turned to  his  lodging,  he  gave  strict  in- 
junctions to  the  servant  that  no  one 
should  be  allowed  to  see  him  during  the 
interval  of  worship.  A  stranger,  how- 
ever, who  was  also  one  of  tjie  persons 
detained  by  the  state  of  the  weather,  ex- 
pressed an  earnest  desire  to  see  the  min- 
ister; and  having  with  difficulty  ob- 
tained admittance,  appeared  much  agi- 
tated, and  asked  him,  with  great  ea- 
gerness, whether  he  knew  him,  or  had 
ever  seen  or  heard  of  him.  On  receiv- 
ing assurance  that  he  was  totally  unac- 
quainted with  his  face,  character,  and 
history,  the  gentleman  proceeded  to  state, 
that  his  sermon  on  tlie  sixth  command- 
ment had  reached  his  conscience  ;  that 
he  was  a  murderer  ;  that  being  the  sec- 
ond son  of  a  Highland  laird,  he  had 
some  time  before,  from  base  and  selfish 
motives,  cruelly  suffocated  his  elder 
brother,  who  slept  in  the  same  bed  with 
him ;  and  that  now  he  had  no  peace  of 
mind,  and  wished  to  surrender  himself 
to  justice,  to  suffer  the  punishment  due 
to  his  horrid  and  unnatural  crime.  Mr. 
Erskine  asked  him  if  any  other  person 
knew  any  thing  of  his  guilt.  His  an- 
swer was,  that  so  far  as  he  was  aware, 
not  a  single  individual  had  the  least  sus- 
picion of  it ;  on  which  the  good  man  ex- 
horted him  to  be  deeply  affected  with  a 
sense  of  his  atrocious  sin,  to  make  an 
immediate  application  to  the  blood  of 
sprinkling,  and  to  bring  forth  fruits  meet 
fbr  repentance ;  but  at  the  same  time, 
since,  in  providence,  his  crime  had  hith- 
erto remained  a  secret,  not  to  disclose 
it,  or  give  himself  up  to  public  justice. 
The  unhappy  gentleman  embraced  this 
well  intended  counsel  in  all  its  parts, 
became  truly  pious,  and  maintained  a 
friendly  correspondence  with  Mr.  Ers- 
kine in  future  life. 

553 


ih)  THE  MURDERER  AND  HIS  i 
SINGULAR  WOUND.— A  gentleman  ' 
who  was  very  ill,  sending  for  Dr.  Lake, 
of  England,  told  him  tiiat  he  found  he  ^ 
must  die,  and  gave  him  the  following 
account  of  the  cause  of  his  death.     He  , 
had,  about  a  fortnight  before,  been  rid- 
ing over  Hounslow-heath,  where  seve- 
ral boys  were  playing  at  cricket.     One 
of  them,  striking  the  ball,  hit  him  just  j 
on  the  toe  with  it,  looked  him  in  the  face, ' 
and  ran  away.     His  toe  pained  him  ex-  - 
tremely.     As  soon  as  he  came  to  Brent- 
ford, he  sent  for  a  surgeon,  who  was  for 
cutting  it  off.      But  unwillinof  to  suffer 
that,  he  went  on  to  London.     When  he 
arrived  there,  he  immediately  called  an- 
other surgeon  to  examine  it,  who  told 
him  his  foot  must  be  cut  off.     But  nei- 
ther  would  he  hear  of  this ;  and  so,  be- 
fore the  next  day,  the  mortification  seiz^ 
ed  his  leg,  and  in  a  day  or  two  more 
struck  up  into  his  body.     Dr.  Lake  ask-  i 
ed   him,  whether  he  knew  the  boy  that  I 
struck  the  ball  ?     He  answered,  "About  I 
ten  years  ago,  I  was  riding  over  Houns-  ' 
low-heath,  where  an  old  man  ran  by  my 
horse's  side,   begged  me  to  relieve  him, 
and  said  he  was  almost  famished.      I 
bade  him  be  gone.     He  kept  up  with 
me  still ;    upon  which  I  threatened  to 
beat  him.     Finding  that  he  took  no  no- 
tice of  this,  I  drew  my  sword,  and  with 
one  blow  killed  him.     A  boy  about  four 
years  old,  who  was  with  him,  screamed' 
out,  '  His  father  was  killed  !'     His  face 
I  perfectly  remember.     That  hoy  it  was 
who  struck  the  hall  against  me,  which  is  ) 
the  cause  of  my  death.^' 

(c)  MURDER  TRACED  TO  THE 
RIGHT    SOURCE.  — Nicholson,   the 
murderer  of  ,Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bonar,  at  1 
Chiselhurst,  in  Kent,  who  paid  the  for-  I 
feit  of  his  life  to  the  violated  laws  of  his 
country,  declared  solemnly  in  writing,  | 
after  sentence  of  death  was  passed  upon  | 
him,   that  he  had  no  previous  malice 
towards   the    parties,    nor   intention   to  / 
murder  them,  five   minutes   before  he 
committed  the  horrid   deed  ;     but  that 
suddenly,  as  he  awoke,  the  thought  sug- 
gested itself  to  his  mind,  and  which  he 
can   only    account    for    by   confessing, 
"  that  he  had  long  lived  in  utter  forget- 
fulness  of  God,  and  was  in  the  habit  of 


MISERY,  DETECTION,  AND  PUNISHMENT  OF. 


28§ 


oiving  way  to  the  worst  passions  of  the 
human  heart." 

{d)  MURDER  REVEALED  BY  A 
DOG. — Mr.  Clarke  relates  an  account 
of  two  French  merchants,  who  were 
traveling  to  a  fair,  and  while  passing 
through  a  wood,  one  of  them  murdered 
the  other,  and  robbed  him  of  his  money. 
After  burying  him,  to  prevent  discovery, 
he  proceeded  on  his  journey.  The  dog 
of  the  person  murdered  remained,  how- 
ever, by  the  grave  of  his  master ;  and, 
by  his  loud  and  continued  howling,  at- 
tracted the  notice  of  several  persons  in 
the  neighborhood,  who,  by  this  means, 
discovered  the  murder.  The  fair  being 
ended,  they  watched  the  return  of  the 
merchants.  The  murderer  no  sooner 
appeared  in  view,  than  the  dog  sprung 
furiously  upon  him.  He  was  appre- 
hended, confessed  the  crime,  and  was 
executed. 

(e)  MURDER  REVEALED  BY  A 
NAIL. — When  Dr.  Donne,  afterwards 
dean  of  St.  Paul's,  took  possession  of 
the  first  living  he  ever  had,  he  walked 
into  the  churchyard  as  the  sexton  was 
digging  a  grave ;  and  on  his  throwing 
up  a  scull,  the  doctor  took  it  into  his 
hands  to  indulge  in  serious  contempla- 
tion. On  looking  at  it,  he  found  a  head- 
less nail  sticking  in  the  temple,  which 
he  secretly  drew  out,  and  wrapped  it  in 
the  corner  of  his  handkerchief.  He 
then  asked  the  grave-digger  whether  he 
knew  whose  skull  it  was  ?  He  said  he 
did ;  adding,  it  had  been  a  man's  who 
had  kept  a  brandy  shop  ;  a  drunken  fel- 
low, who,  one  night,  having  taken  two 
quarts  of  ardent  spirits,  was  found  dead 
in  his  bed  the  next  morning.  "  Had  he 
a  wife  ?"  "  Yes."  "  Is  she  living  ?" 
"Yes."  "What  character  does  she 
bear  ?"  "A  very  good  one  ;  only  her 
neighbors  reflect  on  her  because  she 
married  the  day  after  her  husband  was 
buried."  This  was  enough  for  the  doc- 
tor, who,  in  the  course  of  visiting  his 
parishioners,  called  on  her:  he  asked 
her  several  questions,  and,  among  others, 
of  what  sickness  her  husband  died.  She 
giving  him  the  same  account,  he  sud- 
denly opened  the  handkerchief,  and 
cried,  in  an  authoritative  voice,  "  Wo- 
man, do  you  know  this  nail  ?"  She  was 
struck  with  horror  at  this  unexpected 


question,  instantly  acknowledged  that 
she  had  murdered  her  husband,  and  was 
afterwards  tried* and  executed. 

(/)  MURDERER  DETECTED 
BY  HIS  OWN  REMARK.— How 
many  murders  have  been  disclosed  af- 
ter the  lapse  of  years,  and  the  perpe- 
trators of  them  brought  to  condign  pun- 
ishment !  Of  this,  the  case  of  Eugene 
Aram,  of  Knaresborough,  is  a  remark- 
able instance.  Descended  from  an  an- 
cient Yorkshire  family,  he  had  cultivat- 
ed his  talents  with  so  much  care,  that 
he  acquired  a  knowledge  of  Latin, 
Greek,  Flebrew,  and  Chaldee,  and  was 
conversant  with  history,  antiquity,  bota- 
ny, and  poetry  ;  but  he  associated  with 
low  and  depraved  company,  and  in  con- 
junction with  Daniel  Clark,  a  shoemak- 
er, and  Richard  Housman,  a  flax-dress- 
er, it  was  agreed  to  make  use  of  Clark's 
credit  to  borrow  a  quantity  of  silver 
plate  and  other  valuables  from  their 
neighbors,  and  then  to  abscond.  Hav- 
ing accomplished  their  object,  they  met 
on  the  evening  of  February  7,  1744,  to 
make  a  division  ;  and  either  to  prevent 
detection,  or  to  increase  their  own  share 
of  the  plunder,  Aram  and  Housman 
murdered  Clark,  and  concealed  his  body 
in  St.  Robert's  Cave.  No  trace  of  the 
perpetrators  of  the  deed  occurred  till 
fourteen  years  afterwards,  when  a  skel- 
eton was  discovered  at  Thistle  Hill,  near 
Knaresborough,  which  was  at  first  sup- 
posed to  be  Clark's.  Housman,  who 
was  then  living,  rejected  the  supposi- 
tion, and  taking  up  one  of  the  bones, 
said,  "  This  is  no  more  one  of  Daniel 
Clark's  bones  than  it  is  mine."  Suspi- 
cion was  immediately  excited  against 
Housman,  who  at  length  confessed  his 
participation  in  the  murder,  but  that 
Aram  was  the  perpetrator.  Aram,  who 
at  that  time  resided  at  Lynn,  in  Nor- 
folk, was  forthwith  apprehended,  tried, 
and  executed.  What  an  illustration  of 
the  text,  "Be  sure  thy  sin  will  find  thee 
out !" 

(g)  REMARKABLE  DISCOVERY 
OF  FRATRICIDE.— In  the  beginning 
of  1815,  a  circumstance  took  place  that 
excited  much  interest  in  Paris.  A  sur- 
geon in  the  army,  named  Dautun,  was 
arrested  at  a  gambling  house,  in  the 
Palais  Royal,  on  the  testimony  of  a  scar 
557 


298 


MURDERERS. 


on  his  wrist.  Some  time  before,  the 
officers  of  the  night  had  found,  while 
passing  their  rounds,  "in  the  different 
parts  of  the  city,  four  parcels  tied  up. 
One  contained  the  head,  another  the 
trunk,  a  third  the  thighs,  and  a  fourth 
the  legs  and  arms  of  a  man.  In  the 
teeth,  tightly  compressed,  was  a  piece 
of  human  flesh,  apparently  torn  out  in 
the  dying  struggle.  The  parts  were 
collected,  and  put  together  in  their  regu- 
lar order,  and  exhibited  for  a  number 
of  days  at  the  Morgue.  The  mystery 
which  enveloped  this  dark  transaction 
excited  considerable  interest,  and  num- 
bers went  to  view  the  corpse.  The 
general  conviction  was,  that  the  deceas- 
ed must  have  been  murdered  ;  but  for 
a  number  of  weeks  no  light  was  thrown 
upon  the  circumstance.  When  the 
body  could  not  be  kept  any  longer,  a 
cast  in  plaster  was  taken,  fully  repre- 
senting the  murdered  victim,  which  re- 
mained for  some  time  exposed  to  the 
public.  Dautun  happened  to  be  en- 
gaged in  gambling  at  the  Palais  Royal ; 
he  played  high  and  lost :  calling  for  li- 
quor, and  being  angry  because  the  wait- 
er was  somewhat  tardy,  Dautun  emp- 
tied  the  glass  and  threw  it  at  him.  It 
was  shivered  into  a  thousand  pieces,  one 
of  which  entered  into  Dautun's  wrist 
under  the  cuff  of  his  coat.  The  spec- 
tators gathered  round,  and  learning  the 
accident,  wished  to  see  the  gash ;  he 
drew  down  his  sleeve,  and  firmly  press- 
ed it  round  his  wrist ;  they  insisted  on 
seeing  it,  he  obstinately  refused.  By 
this  course  the  bystanders  were  led  to 
suppose  that  something  mysterious  was 
involved  in  this  conduct,  and  they  de- 
termined at  all  events  to  see  his  wrist. 
By  force  they  pushed  up  his  sleeve,  and 
a  scar  recently  healed,  as  if  made  by 
tearing  out  of  flesh,  appeared.  The 
landlord  had  been  at  the  Morgue,  had 
seen  the  murdered  man  with  the  flesh 
between  the  teeth,  and  it  struck  him  in 
a  moment  that  the  flesh  was  torn  from 
this  man's  wrist.  Charging  them  to 
keep  him  safe,  he  hastened  to  call  in 
the  legal  authorities,  and  arrested  him. 
Dautun  afterwards  confessed,  that  being 
quartered  at  Sedan,  and  without  money, 
he  came  to  Paris  to  try  some  adventure. 
Knowing  that  his  brother  had  a  large 
558 


sum  by  him,  directly  on  his  arrival  he 
went  to  his  lodgings,  in  a  retired  part 
of  the  city,  about  eight  in  the  evening. 
He  entered  the  house,  unnoticed  by  the 
porter,  and  passing  to  his  apartment, 
found  his  brother  asleep.  He  immedi- 
ately commenced  his  work  of  death ; 
his  brother  waking  up,  defended  him- 
self, but  being  in  a  feeble  state  of  health, 
he  was  speedily  overpowered.  In  the 
struggle  he  tore  out  the  flesh.  Being 
killed,  Dautun  cut  up  the  body,  tied  it 
up  in  four  parcels  as  before  mentioned, 
secured  the  money,  and  retired. 

He  also  confessed,  that  eleven  months 
before  this  he  had  murdered  an  aunt, 
who  was  living  with  a  second  husband, 
to  obtain  money.  Her  husband  was  ar- 
rested and  imprisoned  for  a  number  of 
months,  but  as  nothing  appeared  to  crim- 
inate him,  he  had  been  discharged. 

{h)  MURDER  DISCOVERED  BY 
GUN  WADDING.— A  M.  Martin  was  . 
murdered  at  Bilguy  in  France,  which  I 
was  soon  after  discovered  in  a  most  sin- 
gular manner.  The  crime  was  com- 
mitted on  the  9th  of  February,  on  the 
high  road,  at  one  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon. The  shot  entered  M.  Martin's 
heart,  and. he  fell  down  dead.  He  was 
returning  from  collecting,  and  had  only 
130  francs  about  him,  of  which  he  was 
robbed,  as  well  as  of  his  watch  and  ring. 
The  charge  of  the  gun  was  rammed 
down  with  a  written  paper.  This  had 
been  carefully  taken  up,  and  carried 
away  with  the  body.  The  writing  was 
still  legible.  On  this  piece  of  paper 
there  were  words  which  are  used  in 
glass  manufactories,  and  a  date  of  near- 
ly fifteen  years  preceding.  Upon  this 
single  indication,  the  magistrate  went  to 
the  owner  of  the  glass  manufactory  at 
Bilguy,  examined  his  books,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  finding  an  article  relative  to 
the  delivery  of  some  glass,  of  which  the 
paper  which  had  been  found  was  the 
bill  of  parcels.  The  suspicion  imme- 
diately fell  on  the  son-in-law  of  this  in- 
dividual, who  had  been  out  of  the  coun- 
try for  ten  years.  Orders  were  given 
to  arrest  the  suspected  person.  When 
the  officers  came  to  him,  he  confessed 
the  deed  on  the  spot,  and  even  showed 
where  the  watch  and  ring  were,  which 
were  found  under  the  thatch  of  his  house. 


MISERY,  DETECTION,  AND  PUNISHMENT  OF. 


2§S 


.{i)  A  MURDERER'S  HORROR 
OF  MIND. — Some  years  ago,  a  man 
of  the  name  of  Cooper  died  in  Glouces- 
tershire. He  had  long  endured  great 
horror  of  mind  ;  and,  about  an  hour 
previous  to  his  death,  he  mentioned  the 
cause  of  it,  which  was,  that,  about  forty 
years  before,  he  had  assisted  another 
man,  of  the  name  of  Horton,  who  died 
two  years  before  Cooper,  in  murdering 
one  Mr.  Rice,  a  surveyor  of  the  roads, 
whose  body  they  threw  into  a  well, 
where  it  was  found  soon  after ;  but  the 
murderers  were  not  discovered  till  he 
made  them  known. 

(j)  GUILTY  SAILORS  DETECT- 
ED.— Some  years  ago,  a  ship,  named 
the  Earl  of  Sandwich,  sailed  from  Lon- 
don to  Vera  Cruz,  where  she  discharged 
her  lading.  She  then  sailed  to  Oratavo, 
and  took  in  a  cargo  of  wine,  a  quantity 
of  Spanish  dollars,  gold,  jewels,  &;c., 
and  sailed  for  London.  On  the  voyage, 
four  of  the  crew  combined  to  put  the 
rest  of  their  companions  to  death,  which 
they  at  length  effected  in  the  most  cruel 
manner.  When  they  had  nearly  reach- 
ed Waterford,  they  put  their  treasures 
in  a  boat,  and  sunk  the  ship.  They 
now  thought  themselves  secure,  as  the 
dead  could  tell  no  tales,  and  no  one 
could  search  the  bottom  of  the  sea  for 
evidence.  On  landing,  they  buried  the 
bulk  of  their  property  in  the  sand,  re- 
serving a  portion  for  present  use.  Wher- 
ever they  went,  they  were  remarkable 
for  their  prodigality,  and  the  ship  which 
they  had  consigned  to  the  sea,  was  cast 
on  shore  near  Waterford.  This  occa- 
sioned much  speculation  ;  and  suspicion 
pointed  out  the  guilty  parties,  who  were 
living  at  Dublin  in  great  gayety.  They 
were  at  length  separately  examined, 
their  guilt  established,  and  due  punish- 
ment awarded. 

(k)  MURDER  REVEALED  BY  A 
DREAM. — In  the  village  of  Manches- 
ter, Vermont,  R.  Colvin,  a  man  of  res- 
pectable connexions  and  character,  sud- 
denly and  mj^steriously  disappeared  ;  all 
search  and  inquiry  proved  in  vain,  until 
a  person  dreamed  that  he  had  appeared 
to  him,  and  informed  him  that  he  had 
been  murdered  by  two  persons,  whom 
he  named,  and  that  he  had  been  buried 
in  such  a  place,  a  few  rods  distant  from 


a  sapling,  bearing  a  particular  mark, 
which  he  minutely  described.  The 
same  dream  occurred  three  times  suc- 
cessively before  he  awoke,  and  each 
time  the  deceased  seemed  very  solicit- 
ous for  him  to  follow.  Upon  awaking, 
his  feelings  were  wrought  up  to  such  a 
degree,  and  he  was  so  impressed  with  a 
belief  of  the  fact,  that  he  determined  to 
collect  some  friends,  and  follow  the  di- 
rections laid  down  in  the  dream.  He 
did  so,  and  discovered,  to  his  great  sur- 
prise, not  only  a  tree  marked  precisely 
as  described,  but  also  the  appearance  of 
a  grave  ;  and,  upon  digging,  found  a 
human  skeleton  !  After  this  discovery, 
Stephen  and  Jesse  Brown,  the  persons 
implicated  in  the  dream,  were  appre- 
hended and  put  in  confinement,  and,  af- 
ter a  few  days,  confessed  their  crime. 
They  were  tried,  convicted,  and  sen- 
tenced to  be  executed,  on  the  18th  of 
January,  1820. 

(I)  A  MILLER  FOUND  GUILTY 
OF  MURDER.— In  the  early  part  of 
the  seventeenth  century,  a  man  near 
Lutterworth,  (Eng.,)  was  missing,  and 
immediately  after  a  miller  suddenly  left 
the  neighborhood.  About  twenty  years 
afterwards,  the  miller  returned  to  the 
town  to  visit  some  friends,  and  the  man 
who  then  occupied  the  mill,  having  oc- 
casion at  that  time  to  dig  deep  in  the 
ground  adjoining  the  mill,  discovered  a 
corpse.  Attention  was  excited  ;  suspi- 
cion as  to  murder  having  been  commit- 
ted began  to  exist ;  some  of  the  old  peo- 
ple remembered  the  sudden  disappear- 
ance of  their  neighbor,  and  the  hasty 
manner  in  which  the  former  miller  had 
left  the  town.  This  led  to  his  appre- 
hension, and  on  a  close  examination,  he 
acknowledged  the  murder,  and  received 
the  punishment  of  death. 

(m)  A  DOG  AND  THE  MUR- 
DERER  OF  HIS  MASTER.— The 
fame  of  an  English  dog  has  been  de- 
servedly transmitted  to  posterity  by  a 
monument  in  basso  relievo,  which 
still  remains  on  the  chimney  piece  of 
the  grand  hall  at  the  castle  of  Montar- 
gis,  in  France ;  the  sculpture  repre- 
sents a  dog  fighting  with  a  champion; 
and  was  occasioned  by  the  following  cir- 
cumstances : — 

Aubri  de  Mondidier,  a  gentleman  of 
559 


'SS§ 


MURDERERS. 


family  and  fortune,  traveling  alone 
through  the  forest  of  Bondi,  was  mur- 
dered and  buried  under  a  tree.  His 
dog,  an  English  bloodhound,  would  not 
leave  his  master's  grave  for  several 
days,  till  at  length,  compelled  by  hun- 
ger, he  went  to  the  house  of  an  intimate 
friend  of  the  unfortunate  Aubri's  at 
Paris,  and  by  his  melancholy  howling 
seemed  desirous  of  expressing  the  loss 
they  had  both  sustained.  He  repeated 
his  cries,  ran  to  the  door,  then  looked 
back  to  see  if  any  one  followed  him,  re- 
turned to  his  master's  friend,  pulled  him 
by  the  sleeve,  and  with  dumb  eloquence 
entreated  him  to  go  with  him. 

The  singularity  of  all  the  actions  of 
the  dcg ;  his  coming  there  without  his 
master,  whose  faithful  companion  he  al- 
ways had  been  ;  the  sudden  disappear- 
ance of  his  master ;  and,  perhaps,  that 
divine  dispensation  of  justice  and  events 
which  will  not  permit  the  guilty  to  re- 
main long  undetected,  made  the  com- 
pany resolve  to  follow  the  dog,  who 
conducted  them  to  the  tree,  where  he 
renewed  his  howl,  scratching  the  earth 
with  his  feet,  to  signify  that  that  was 
the  spot  they  should  search.  Accord- 
ingly, on  digging,  the  body  of  the  un- 
fortunate Aubri  was  found. 

Some  time  after  the  dog  accidentally 
met  the  assassin,  who  is  styled,  by  all 
historians  that  relate  this  fact,  the  Cheva- 
lier Macaire  ;  when,  instantly  seizing 
him  by  the  throat,  it  was  with  great 
difficulty  he  was  made  to  leave  his  prey. 

Whenever  he  saw  him  after,  the  dog 
pursued  and  attacked  him  with  equal 
fury.  Such  obstinate  virulence  in  the 
animal,  confined  only  to  Macaire,  ap- 
peared extraordinary  to  those  persons 
who  recollected  the  dog's  fondness  for 
his  master,  and,  at  the  same  time,  se- 
veral instances  wherein  Macaire  had 
displayed  his  envy  and  hatred  to  Aubri 
de  Mondidier. 

Additional  circumstances  increased 
suspicion,  which  at  length  reached  the 
royal  ears.  The  king  (Louis  VIII.) 
sent  for  the  dog.  He  appeared  extreme- 
ly gentle,  till,  perceiving  Macaire  in  the 
midst  of  twenty  noblemen,  he  ran  di- 
rectly towards  him,  growled,  and  flew 
at  him  as  usual. 

In  those  times,  when  no  positive  proof 
560 


of  a  crime  could  be  procured,  an  order 
was  issued  for  a  combat  between  the 
accuser  and  accused.  These  were  de- 
nominated the  judgment  of  God,  from  a 
persuasion  that  Heaven  would  sooner 
work  a  miracle  than  suffer  innocence  to 
perish  with  infamy. 

The  king,  struck  with  such  a  collec- 
tion of  circumstantial  evidence  against 
Macaire,  determined  to  refer  the  deci- 
sion  to  the  chance  of  war  ;  or,  in  other 
words,  he  gave  orders  for  a  combat  be- 
tween the  chevalier  and  the  dog.  The 
lists  were  appointed  in  the  aisle  of  Notre 
Dame,  then  an  unenclosed,  uninhabit- 
ed place  ;  Macaire's  weapon  was  a 
great  cudgel. 

The  dog  had  an  empty  cask  allowed 
for  his  retreat,  to  recover  breath.  The 
combatants  being  ready,  the  dog  no 
sooner  found  himself  at  liberty  than  he 
ran  round  his  adversary,  avoiding  his 
blows,  menacing  him  on  every  side,  till 
his  strength  was  exhausted ;  then  spring, 
ing  forward,  he  griped  him  by  the 
throat,  threw  him  on  the  ground,  and 
forced  him  to  confess  his  crime  before 
the  king  and  the  whole  court.  In  con- 
sequence of  which  the  chevalier,  after 
a  few  days,  was  convicted  on  his  own 
acknowledgment,  and  beheaded  on  a 
scaffold  in  the  aisle  of  Notre  Dame. 

The  above  curious  recital,  is  trans- 
lated from  the  Memoirs  sur  les  Duels, 
and  is  confirmed  by  many  judicious 
critical  writers,  particularly  Julius  Sca- 
liger  and  Montfaucon,  neither  of  them 
relators  of  fabulous  stories. 

(n)  MURDERER  DISCOVERED 
BY  A  JOKE.— The  Rev.  H.  G.  Keene 
states,  in  his  "  Persian  Stories,"  that 
the  following  narrative  was  related  by 
a  person  of  authority  and  reputation, 
who  was  one  of  the  party.  A  vessel 
set  sail  from  Bassorah  to  Bagdad,  with 
several  passengers  on  board.  In  the 
course  of  the  voyage,  the  sailors,  by  way 
of  a  joke,  put  a  man  in  irons  as  he  lay 
asleep,  and  he  became  a  subject  of  di- 
version to  the  whole  party,  till  they 
drew  near  the  capital.  But  when  the 
sailors  wanted  to  let  him  loose,  the  key 
was  nowhere  to  be  found,  and  after  a 
long  and  fruitless  search,  they  were 
compelled  to  send  for  a  blacksmith  to 
knock  off  the  fetters.     When,  however, 


MISERY,  DETECTION,  AND  PUNISHMENT  OF. 


28S 


the  blacksmith  came,  he  refused  to  do 
what  Ihey  wanted,  till  he  had  the  autho- 
rity of  the  magistrate ;  for  he  thought 
the  man  might  be  some  criminal  whom 
the  officers  of  justice  had  laid  hold  of, 
and  that  his  friends  wished  to  favor  his 
escape.  To  the  magistrates  they  ac- 
cordingly went,  who  sent  down  one  of  his 
attendants  to  see  into  it.  But  the  officer, 
when  he  had  heard  their  story,  and  had 
taken  the  evidence  of  some  of  the  most 
respectable  among  the  passengers,  shook 
his  head,  and  with  a  look  of  solemnity, 
said,  it  was  much  too  serious  a  case  for 
him  to  decide.  So  they  repaired  in  a 
body  to  the  magistrate,  and  carried  the 
poor  captive  with  them.  So  strange  a 
procession  was  sure  to  attract  notice  ; 
and  a  crowd  soon  collected  about  them, 
each  curious  to  know  the  prisoner's  of- 
fence, and  to  catch  a  sight  of  him  :  till, 
at  length,  one  man,  springing  forward, 
seized  the  captive  by  the  throat,  and  ex- 
claimed, "  Here  is  the  villain  I  have 
been  looking  for  these  two  years  ;  ever 
since  he  robbed  and  murdered  my  poor 
brother."  Nor  would  he  quit  his  hold 
till  they  came  before  the  magistrate ; 
and  the  murder  being  clearly  proved, 
the  man,  who  had  been  confined  in  joke 
only,  was  given  up  to  death,  as  a  punish- 
ment for  the  blood  that  he  had  shed. 

(o)  THE  FATAL  ELOPEMENT. 
— A  young  lady,  named  D'Aumont,  was 
executed  in  the  city  of  Lyons,  for  the 
supposed  murder  of  her  uncle,  the  Che- 
valier de  la  Poulone,  with  whom  she  had 
lived  in  the  most  affectionate  harmony 
from  her  infantile  years.  Having  con- 
ceived a  passion  for  a  deserving  young 
officer  quartered  in  the  town,  and  be- 
tween whom  and  the  young  lady  a  mu- 
tual affection  subsisted,  she  came  to  a 
determination  of  eloping  with  him  un- 
known to  her  uncle,  and  only  admitted 
one  female  servant  to  her  confidence. 
It  unfortunately  happened,  that  the  ser- 
vant was  leagued  with  a  private  soldier, 
who  meditated  the  plan  of  murdering 
the  chevalier,  with  a  view  of  plunder- 
ing the  house,  on  the  night  the  intend- 
ed elopement  should  take  place,  in  or- 
der that  the  unhappy  niece  should  be 
judged  the  perpetrator  of  the  horrid 
deed,  which  was  accordingly  effected 
with  every  degree  of  barbarity.  The 
36 


young  lady  and  the  officer  were  imme- 
diately pursued,  taken,  and  committed 
to  prison.  The  former  was  tried,  and 
executed,  on  the  false  evidence  of  the 
female  servant,  and  the  ofticer,  her 
husband,  was  cashiered,  and  sent  to 
the  gallies  for  life. 

Some  time  after,  the  servant  being 
taken  ill,  threatened  to  divulge  the 
whole  matter  before  a  magistrate  ;  to 
prevent  which,  the  soldier,  who  had 
married  her,  put  an  end  to  his  wife's 
existence ;  but,  at  length,  feeling  sin- 
cere remorse  for  these  repeated  mur- 
ders, he  voluntarily  surrendered  him- 
self up  to  justice,  confessed  the  whole 
affair,  and  was  publicly  executed,  amidst 
the  execrations  of  the  enraged  multi- 
tude. 

What  adds  to  the  dreadful  recital  is, 
that  the  young  lady  who  was  executed, 
was  not  less  remarkable  for  her  beauty, 
than  her  unaffected  piety,  and  sweet 
simplicity  of  manners.  A  broken  heart 
soon  terminated  the  existence  of  the 
wretched  officer,  who  died  in  six  weeks 
after  the  execution  of  the  most  amiable 
sufferer,  in  the  most  excruciating  tor- 
tures. 

{p)  THE  DOGS  AND  THE  MUR- 
DERERS.— A  laboring  man  of  ToboU 
ski,  in  Siberia,  who  had  deposited  in  a 
purse  of  skin,  which  he  wore  at  his 
breast,  the  hard-earned  savings  of  his 
life,  was  murdered  by  two  of  his  com- 
panions, for  the  sake  of  his  little  trea- 
sure. The  murderers  escaped  to  a 
neighboring  forest  followed  by  two  dogs 
belonging  to  the  deceased,  which  would 
not  quit  them.  The  wretches  did  every 
thing  to  appease  them,  but  in  vain. 
They  then  endeavored  to  kill  them,  but 
the  dogs  were  upon  their  guard,  and 
continued  to  howl  dreadfully.  Reduced 
to  despair,  the  murderers,  at  the  end  of 
two  days,  returned  to  Krasnojarsk,  and 
delivered  themselves  into  the  hands  of 
justice. 

{q)  MURDER  CONFESSED  IN 
A  DREAM. — The  following  is  trans- 
lated from  a  respectable  publication  at 
Basle,  Switzerland  : — 

A  person  who  worked  in  a  brewery 
quarreled  with  one  of  his  fellow- work- 
men, and  struck  him  in  such  a  manner 
that  he  died  upon  the  spot.  No  other 
561 


38S 


MURDERERS. 


person  was  witness  to  the  deed.  He  then 
took  the  dead  body  and  threw  it  into  a 
large  fire  under  the  boiling-vat,  where 
it  was  in  a  short,  time  so  completely  con- 
sumed, tfiat  no  traces  of  its  existence 
remained.  On  the  following  day,  when 
the  man  was  missed,  the  murderer  ob- 
served, very  coolly,  that  he  had  per- 
ceived his  fellow-servant  to  have  been 
intoxicated,  and  that  he  had  probably 
fallen  from  a  bridge  which  he  had  to 
cross  in  his  way  home,  and  been  drown- 
ed. For  the  space  of  seven  years  after 
no  one  entertained  any  suspicion  of 
the  real  state  of  the  fact.  At  the  end 
of  this  period  the  murderer  was  again 
employed  in  the  same  brewery.  He 
was  then  induced  to  reflect  on  the  singu- 
larity of  the  circumstance  that  his  crime 
had  remained  so  long  concealed.  Hav- 
ing retired  one  evening  to  rest,  one  of 
the  other  workmen,  who  slept  with  him, 
hearing  him  say  in  his  sleep,  "  It  is 
now  fully  seven  years  ago,"  asked  him, 
"  What  was  it  you  did  seven  years 
ago  ?"  "  I  put  him,"  he  replied,  still 
speaking  in  his  sleep,  "  under  the  boil- 
ing-vat." As  the  affair  was  not  entire- 
ly forgotten,  it  immediately  occurred  to 
the  man  that  his  bedfellow  must  allude 
to  the  person  who  was  missing  about 
that  time,  and  he  accordingly  gave  in- 
formation of  what  he  had  heard  to  a 
magistrate.  The  murderer  was  appre- 
hended ;  and  though  at  first  he  denied 
that  he  knew  any  thing  of  the  matter, 
a  confession  of  his  crime  was  at  length 
obtained  from  him,  for  which  he  suffer- 
ed  condiirn  punishment. 

(r)  THE  SERGEANT  AND  THE 
DRUMMER  BOY.— Jarvis  Mutcham 
was  pay-sergeant  in  a  regiment,  where 
he  was  so  highly  esteemed  as  a  steady 
and  accurate  man,  that  he  was  permit- 
ted opportunity  to  embezzle  a  consider- 
able part  of  the  money  lodged  in  his 
hands  for  the  pay  of  soldiers,  bounty 
of  recruits,  then  a  large  sum,  and  other 
charges,  which  fell  within  his  duty. 
He  was  summoned  to  join  his  regiment 
from  a  town  where  he  had  been  on  the 
recruiting  service,  and  this,  perhaps, 
under  some  shade  of  suspicion.  Mutch- 
am perceived  discovery  was  at  hand, 
and  would  have  deserted,  had  it  not 
been  for  the  presence  of  a  little  drum- 
562 


mer  lad,  who  was  the  only  one  of  his 
party  appointed  to  attend  him.  In  the 
desperation  of  his  crime,  he  resolved  to 
murder  the  poor  boy,  and  avail  himself 
of  some  balance  of  money  to  make  his 
escape.  He  meditated  this  wickedness 
the  more  readily,  that  the  drummer,  he 
thought,  had  been  put  as  a  spy  on  him. 
He  perpetrated  his  crime,  and,  chang- 
ing his  dress  after  the  deed  was  done, 
made  a  long  walk  across  the  country  to 
an  inn  on  the  Portsmouth  road,  where 
he  halted,  and  went  to  bed,  desiring  to  be 
called  when  the  first  Portsmouth  coach 
came.  The  waiter  summoned  him  ac- 
cordingly ;  but  long  after  remembered, 
that  when  he  shook  the  guest  by  the 
shoulder,  his  first  words  as  he  awoke 
were,  "  I  did  not  kill  him."  Mutcham 
went  to  the  seaport  by  the  coach,  and 
instantly  entered  as  an  able-bodied 
landsman  or  marine,  I  know  not  which. 
His  sobriety  and  attention  to  duty  gain- 
ed him  the  same  good  opinion  of  the 
officers,  in  his  new  service,  which  he 
had  enjoyed  in  the  army.  He  was 
afloat  for  several  years,  and  behaved  re- 
markably well  in  several  actions.  At 
length,  the  vessel  came  into  Plymouth, 
was  paid  off,  and  some  of  the  crew, 
among  whom  was  Jarvis  Mutcham,  were 
dismissed  as  too  old  for  service.  He 
and  another  seaman  resolved  to  walk  to 
town,  and  took  the  route  by  Salisbury. 
It  was  when  within  two  or  three  miles 
of  that  celebrated  city,  that  they  were 
overtaken  by  a  tempest,  so  sudden,  and 
accompanied  with  such  vivid  lightning, 
and  thunder  so  fearfully  loud,  that  the 
obdurate  conscience  of  the  old  sinner 
began  to  be  awakened.  He  expressed 
more  terror  than  seemed  natural  for  one 
who  was  familiar  with  the  war  of  ele- 
ments, and  began  to  look  and  talk  so 
wildly,  that  his  companion  became 
aware  that  something  more  than  usual 
was  the  matter.  At  length,  Mutcham 
complained  to  his  companion  that  the 
stones  rose  from  the  road  and  flew  after 
him.  He  desired  the  man  to  walk  on 
the  other  side  of  the  road  of  the  high- 
way, to  see  if  they  would  follow  him 
when  he  was  alone.  The  sailor  com- 
plied, and  Jarvis  Mutcham  complained 
that  the  stones  still  flew  after  him,  and 
did  not  pursue  the  other.     "  But  what 


MUSIC. 


2SS,  2S9 


is  worse,"  he  added,  coming  up  to  his 
companion,  and  whispering,  with  a  tone 
of  mystery  and  fear,  "  who  is  that  little 
drummer  boy,  and  what  business  has 
he  to  follow  us  so  closely  ?"  "  I  can 
see  no  one,"  answered  the  seaman. 
"  What !  not  see  that  little  boy  with  the 
bloody  pantaloons !"  exclaimed  the  se- 
cret murderer,  so  much  to  the  terror  of 
his  comrade,  that  he  conjured  him,  if 
he  had  any  thing  on  his  mind  to  make 
a  clear  conscience,  as  far  as  confession 
could  do  it.  The  criminal  fetched  a 
deep  groan,  and  declared  he  was  un- 
able longer  to  endure  the  life  he  had 
led  for  years.  He  then  confessed  the 
murder  of  the  drummer;  and  added, 
that  as  a  considerable  reward  had  been 
offered,  he  wished  his  companion  to  de- 
liver him  up  to  the  magistrates  of  Salis- 
bury, as  he  would  desire  a  shipmate  to 
profit  by  his  fate,  which  he  was  now 
convinced  was  inevitable.  Having  over- 
come his  friend's  objections  to  this  mode 
of  proceeding,  Jarvis  Mutcham  was  sur- 
rendered to  justice  accordingly,  and 
made  a  full  confession  of  his  guilt.  But 
before  the  trial  the  love  of  life  returned. 
The  prisoner  denied  his  confession,  and 
pleaded  not  guilty.  By  this  time  full 
evidence  had  been  procured  from  other 
quarters.  Witnesses  appeared  from  his 
former  regiment  to  prove  his  identity 
with  the  murderer  and  deserter,  and  the 
waiter  remembered  the  ominous  words 
which  he  had  spoken,  when  he  awoke 
him  to  join  the  Portsmouth  coach.  Jarvis 
Mutcham  was  found  guilty,  and  execut- 
ed. When  his  last  chance  of  life  was 
over,  he  returned  to  his  confession,  and 
with    his    dying    breath  averred,   and 


truly,  as  he  thought,  the  truth  of  the 
vision  on  Salisbury  plain. 

(s)  FATHER  AND  MOTHER 
MURDERING  THEIR  OWJST  SON. 
— A  seafaring  man  called  at  a  village 
on  the  coast  of  Normandy,  and  asked  for 
a  supper  and  a  bed ;  the  landlord  and 
lady  were  elderly  people,  and  apparent- 
ly poor.  He  entered  into  a  conversation 
with  them,  invited  them  to  partake  of 
his  cheer,  asked  many  questions  about 
them  and  their  family,  and  particularly 
of  a  son  who  had  gone  to  sea  when  a 
boy,  and  whom  they  had  long  given 
over  as  dead.  The  landlady  showed 
him  to  his  room,  and  when  she  quitted 
him,  he  put  a  purse  of  gold  into  her 
hand,  and  desired  her  to  take  care  of  it 
till  morning,  pressing  her  affectionately 
by  the  hand.  She  returned  to  her 
husband,  and  showed  the  accursed  gold ; 
for  its  sake  they  determined  to  murder 
the  traveler  in  his  sleep,  which  they 
accomplished,  and  buried  the  body. 

Early  in  the  morning  came  two  or 
three  relations,  and  asked,  in  a  joyful 
tone,  for  the  traveler  who  arrived  the 
night  before.  The  old  people  seemed 
greatly  confused,  but  said  he  had  risen 
early  and  gone  away.  "  It  is  your  own 
son,"  said  they,  "  who  has  lately  re- 
turned to  France,  to  bless  your  old  age, 
and  he  resolved  to  lodge  with  you,  one 
night,  unknown,  and  then  judge  of  your 
conduct  to  wayfaring  mariners" 

Language  is  incapable  of  describing 
the  horror  of  the  murderers,  when  they 
learned  that 'they  had  dyed  their  hands 
in  the  blood  of  their  long  lost  child. 
They  confessed  their  crime,  the  body 
was  found,  and  the  murderers  expiated 
their  offence  with  their  lives. 


289.  MUSIC. 


{a)  CHEERFUL  CHURCH  MUSIC. 
— When  the  poet  Carpani  inquired  of 
his  fi'iend  Haydn,  how  it  happened  that 
his  church  music  was  always  so  cheerful, 
the  great  composer  made  a  most  beauti- 
ful reply.  "I  cannot,"  said  he,  "  make 
it  otherwise,  I  write  according  to  the 
thoughts  I  feel ;  when  I  think  upon 
God,  my  heart  is  so  full  of  joy  that  the 


notes  dance  and  leap,  as  it  were,  from 
my  pen :  and  since  God  has  given  me 
a  cheerful  heart,  it  will  be  pardoned  me 
that  I  serve  him  with  a  cheerful  spirit." 
(b)  THE  SOLDIER  UNPREPAR- 
ED  TO  SING.— Mr.  Cooper,  a  mis- 
sionary in  the  East  Indies,  had  been  on 
one  occasion  preaching  on  Justification, 
at  a  military  station  on  the  Malabar 
563 


389 


MUSIC. 


coast ;  and  on  giving  out  the  hymn  at 
the  end  of  the  service,  which  was  the 
I09th  of  the  first  book  of  Watts,  he 
paused  and  remarked,  that  if  any  one 
who  did  not  come  to  Christ  for  the 
bestowment  of  this  righteousness,  joined 
in  the  singing  of  this  hymn,  he  was  only 
insulting  God.  One  of  the  soldiers  who 
was  hearing  him  said,  he  was  as  if  thun- 
derstruck :  "  What  a  wretch  must  I  be," 
said  he,  "  that  I  am  prohibited  from 
joining  in  the  praises  of  God !"  He 
went  to  the  barracks  under  this  im- 
pression, and  found  that,  without  an 
interest  in  Christ,  he  was  a  wretch  in- 
deed ;  and  now,  to  all  human  appear- 
ance, he  has  fled  for  refuge  to  that  atone- 
ment he  had  formerly  neglected. 

(c)  THE  NOBLEMAN'S  DAUGH- 
TER.— A  nobleman  of  great  wealth. 

Lord  ,  was  a  man  of  the  world. 

His  pleasures  were  drawn  from  his 
riches — his  honors  and  friends.  His 
daughter  was  the  idol  of  his  heart. 
Much  had  been  expended  in  her  edu- 
cation :  and  well  did  she  repay,  in  her 
intellectual  endowments,  the  solicitude 
of  her  parents.  She  was  highly  ac- 
complished, amiable  in  her  disposition, 
and  winning  in  her  manners.  They 
were  all  strangers  to  God.  At  length 
Miss attended  a  Methodist  meet- 
ing in  London,  was  deeply  awakened, 
and  soon  happily  converted.  Now  she 
delighted  in  the  service  of  the  sanctuary 
and  social  religious  meetings.  To  her 
the  charms  of  Christianity  were  over- 
powering ;  frequenting  those  places 
where  she  met  with  congenial  minds 
animated  with  similar  hopes,  she  was 
often  found  in  the  house  of  God. 

The  change  was  marked  by  her  fond 
father  with  awful  solicitude.  To  see 
his  lovely  daughter  thus  infatuated, 
was  to  him  occasion  of  deep  grief,  and 
"he  resolved  to  correct  her  erroneous 
notions  on  the  subject  of  the  real 
pleasures  and  business  of  life.  He 
placed  at  her  disposal  large  sums  of 
money,  hoping  she  would  be  induced  to 
go  into  the  fashions  and  extravagances 
of  others  of  her  birth,  and  leave  the 
Methodist  meetings,  but  she  maintained 
her  integrity.  He  took  her  on  long 
and  frequent  journeys,  conducted  her  in 
the  most  engaging  manner,  in  order  to 
564 


divert  her  mind  from  religion  ;  but  she 
still  delighted  in  the  Savior.  After 
failing  in  many  projects  which  he 
fondly  anticipated  would  be  effectual  in 
subduing  the  religious  feelings  of  his 
daughter,  he  introduced  her  into  com- 
pany under  such  circumstances  that 
she  must  either  join  in  the  recreation 
of  the  party  or  give  high  offence.  Hope 
lighted  up  the  countenance  of  the  in- 
fatuated but  misguided  father,  as  he 
saw  his  snare  about  to  entangle  in  its 
meshes  the  object  of  his  solicitude.  It 
had  been  arranged  among  his  friends, 
that  several  young  ladies  should,  on  the 
approaching  festive  occasion,  give  a 
song,  accompanied  by  the  piano  forte. 
The  hour  arrived — the  party  assembled. 
Several  had  performed  their  parts  to  the 
great  delight  of  the  party,  who  were  ir. 

high  spirits  :  Miss was  now  called 

on  for  a  song,  and  many  hearts  beat 
high  in  hope  of  victory.  Should  she 
decline,  she  was  disgraced.  Should  she 
comply,  their  triumph  was  complete. 
This  was  the  moment  to  seal  her  fate. 
With  perfect  self-possession  she  took 
her  seat  at  the  piano  forte,  ran  her  fin- 
gers over  its  keys,  and  commenced 
playing  and  singing  in  a  sweet  air,  the 
following  words  : 

No  room  for  mirth  or  trifling  here, 
For  worldly  hope  or  worldly  fear. 

If  life  so  soon  is  gone  ; 
If  now  the  Judge  is  at  the  door. 
And  all  mankind  must  stand  before 

The  inexorable  throne  ; 

No  matter  which  my  thoughts  employ, 
A  moment's  misery  or  joy  ; 

But  Oh  !  when  both  shall  end  ! 
Where  shall  I  find  my  destined  place  I 
Shall  I,  my  everlasting  days, 

With  fiends  or  angels  spend  ? 

She  arose  from  her  seat.  The  whole 
party  was  subdued.  Not  a  word  was 
spoken.  Her  father  wept  aloud.  One 
by  one  they  left  the  house.  Lord  — — 
never  rested  till  he  became  a  Christian. 
He  lived  an  example  of  Christian  bene- 
volence— having  given  to  benevolent 
Christian  enterprises,  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  nearly  half  a  million  of  dollars. 

(d)  THE  PIRATE  AND  THE 
ZENAIDA  DOVES.— The  following 
interesting  fact  is  related  by  Audobon 
in   his  Ornithological  Biography.      In 


MUSIC. 


289 


speaking  of  the  Zenaida  dove,  he  says, 
— "  A  man  who  was  once  a  pirate  as- 
sured me,  that  several  times,  while  at 
certain  wells  dug  in  the  burning  shelly 
sands  of  the  well  known  Key,  which 
must  be  here  nameless,  the  soft  and 
melancholy  cry  of  the  doves  awoke  in 
his  breast  feelings  that  had  long  slum- 
bered, melted  his  heart  to  repentance, 
and  caused  him  to  linger  at  the  spot  in 
a  state  of  mind,  which  he  only  who 
compares  the  wretchedness  of  guilt  with 
the  happiness  of  former  innocence,  can 
truly  feel.  He  said  he  never  left  the 
place  without  increased  fears  of  futurity, 
associated  as  he  was,  although  I  believe 
by  force,  with  a  band  of  the  most  des- 
perate villains  that  ever  annoyed  the 
Florida  coast.  So  deeply  moved  was 
he  by  the  notes  of  any  bird,  and  espe- 
cially  by  those  of  a  dove,  the  only 
soothing  sounds  he  ever  heard  during 
his  life  of  horrors,  that  through  these 
plaintive  notes,  and  them  alone,  he  was 
induced  to  escape  from  liis  vessel,  aban- 
don his  turbulent  companions,  and  re- 
turn to  a  family  deploring  his  absence. 
After  paying  a  parting  visit  to  those 
wells,  and  listening  once  more  to  the 
cooings  of  the  Zenaida  dove,  he  poured 
out  his  soul  in  humble  supplication  for 
mercy,  and  once  more  became  what 
one  has  said  to  be  "  the  noblest  work  of 
God,"  an  honest  man.  His  escape  was 
effected  amidst  difficulties  and  dangers  ; 
but  no  danger  seemed  to  him  compar- 
able with  the  danger  of  one  living  in 
the  violation  of  human  and  divine  laws  ; 
and  now  he  lives  in  peace  in  the  midst 
of  all  his  friends. 

(e)  IRREVERENCE  IN  THE 
CHOIR. — The  result  of  my  observa- 
tions, says  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  is, 
that  there  is  a  great  lack  of  devotion, 
(not  to  say  of  common  good  breeding) 
in  the  choirs  of  all  our  denominations. 
Especially  is  this  manifested  by  smiling 
and  whispering,  and  looking  over  tune 
books  in  the  time  of  sermon.  I  once,  in 
a  strange  church,  had  before  me  a 
leader,  who  formally  took  up  his  tune 
book,  as  soon  as  I  had  named  the  text, 
and  began  poring  over  it.  Seeing  some 
little  boys  of  the  Sunday  school,  simi- 
larly engaged,  I  took  occasion  mildly 
to  reprove  them,  and  noticed  that  the 


offender  in  the  gallery  took  the  hint  and 
amended  his  manners.  A  thousand 
times  would  I  prefer  the  Precentor,  as 
I  have  seen  him  in  the  Presbyterian 
churches  at  the  South,  in  the  front  of  the 
pulpit,  rise  and  lead  the  congregation, 
to  the  best  trained,  most  exact,  scientific, 
undevout  choir  in  the  land. 

(/)  LUTHER'S  OPINION  OF 
MUSIC— "  Music,"  says  Luther,  "is 
one  of  the  fairest  and  most  glorious  gifts 
of  God,  to  which  Satan  is  a  bitter  ene- 
my ;  for  it  removes  from  the  heart  the 
weight  of  sorrows  and  the  fascination 
of  evil  thoughts.  Music  is  a  kind  and 
gentle  sort  of  discipline ;  it  refines  the 
passions  and  improves  the  understand- 
ing. Even  the  dissonance  of  unskillful 
fiddlers  serves  to  set  off  the  charms  of 
true  melody,  as  white  is  made  more 
conspicuous  by  the  opposition  of  black. 
Those  who  love  music  are  gentle  and 
honest  in  their  tempers.  I  always  loved 
music,"  adds  Luther,  "  and  would  not, 
for  a  great  matter,  be  without  the  little 
skill  which  I  possess  in  the  art." 

(g)  WRATH  OF  AMURATH  SUB- 
DUED. — Sultan  Amurath,  a  prince  no- 
torious for  his  cruelty,  laid  siege  to 
Bagdad  ;  and,  on  taking  it,  gave  orders 
for  putting  thirty  thousand  Persians  to 
death,  notwithstanding  they  had  sub- 
mitted and  laid  down  their  arms. 
Among  the  number  of  the  victims  was 
a  musician,  who  entreated  the  officer  to 
whom  the  execution  of  the  sultan's 
order  was  intrusted  to  spare  him  for  a 
moment,  that  he  might  speak  to  the 
author  of  the  dreadful  decree.  The 
officer  consented,  and  he  was  brought 
before  Amurath,  who  permitted  him  to 
exhibit  a  specimen  of  his  art.  Like  the 
musician  in  Homer,  he  took  up  a  kind 
of  psaltery  which  resembles  a  lyre,  and 
has  six  strings  on  each  side,  and  ac- 
companied it  with  his  voice.  He  sung 
the  capture  of  Bagdad  and  the  triumph 
of  Amurath.  The  pathetic  tones  and 
exulting  sounds  which  he  drew  from 
the  instrument,  joined  to  the  alternative 
plaintiveness  and  boldness  of  his  strains, 
rendered  the  prince  unable  to  restrain 
the  softer  emotions  of  his  soul.  He 
even  suffered  him  to  proceed,  until, 
overpowered  with  harmony,  he  melted 
into  tears  of  pity  and  repented  of  his 
565 


2§9,  290 


NOBILITY. 


cruelty.  In  consideration  of  the  musi- 
cian's abilities,  he  not  only  directed  his 
people  to  spare  those  among  the  pri- 
soners who  yet  remained  alive,  but  also 
to  give  them  instant  liberty. 

(h)  REFRESHMENTS  IN  THE 
ORGAN  LOFT.— Many  years  ago, 
says  a  writer  in  a  New-York  paper, 
I  boarded,  when  a  very  young  man, 
with  a  family  at  the  South,  the  head  of 
which  was  an  organist  in  the  church. 
Not  being  attached  to  any  church  or  to 
any  form,  I  willingly  attended  divine 
service  with  him  now  and  then,  and  for 
convenience  sat  with  him  in  the  organ 
loft.  As  I  do  not  mention  names  or 
placeS;  it  is  no  breach  of  confidence  to 
reveal  the  secrets  with  which  I  became 
acquainted,  as  connected  with  the  choir. 
The  loft  was  railed  in,  and  furnished 
with  substantial  thick  crimson  curtains, 
which,  when  drawn,  were  sufficient  to 
exclude  vulgar  eyes  from  the  hallowed 
interior. 

It  was  the  custom,  when  the  excellent 
ritual  of  devotion  was  gone  through, 
and  the  rector  had  named  the  text,  for 
the  singers  to  draw  the  curtain  around 
them  and  read  or  sleep,  as  it  suited 
them  best.  In  very  warm  weather 
they  also  took  care  to  be  supplied  with 
refreshments,  and  thus  the  tedious  half 
hour  allotted  to  the  sermon  was  pretty 
easily  consumed  without  much  weari- 
ness. I  recollect  that  one  very  warm 
Sabbath  afternoon,  the  singers  had  water- 
melons and  lemonade  wherewith  to  con- 
sole themselves,  and  it  happened  that 
one  of  the  gentlemen  in  handing  a  slice 
to  a  lady  singer  overset  the  lemonade 


jug.  This  might  not  have  been  of  much 
consequence  had  the  floor  of  the  organ 
loft  been  liquor-tight.  But  there  were 
many  chinks  in  it,  and  the  lemonade 
trickled  through  pretty  freely,  down 
into  the  broad  aisle,  to  the  discomfiture 
of  the  rector  and  such  of  his  cono;re":a- 
tion  as  were  wakeful  enough  to  notice 
passing  events. 

(0  EFFECTS  OF  MUSIC  ON 
BISHOP  BEVERIDGE.— Bishop  Be- 
veridge  observes,  that,  of  all  recreation, 
he  found  music  to  be  the  best,  and  espe- 
cially when  he  played  himself.  "  It 
calls  in  my  spirits,"  says  he,  "  composes 
my  thoughts,  delights  my  ear,  recreates 
my  mind,  and  so  not  only  fits  me  for 
after  business,  but  fills  my  heart  at  the 
present  with  pure  and  useful  thoughts." 

(j)  THE  CLEI^YMAN'S  FAMI- 
LY.— An  excellent  clergyman,  possess- 
ing much  knowledge  of  human  nature, 
instructed  his  large  family  of  daughters 
in  the  theory  and  practice  of  music. 
They  were  all  observed  to  be  exceed- 
ingly amiable  and  happy.  A  friend 
inquired  if  there  was  any  secret  in  his 
mode  of  education.  He  replied,  "  When 
any  thing  disturbs  their  temper  I  say 
to  them  sing,  and  if  I  hear  them  speak- 
ing  against  any  person,  I  call  them  to 
sing  to  me,  and  so  they  have  sung  away 
all  causes  of  discontent,  and  every  dis- 
position to  scandal."  Such  a  use  of 
this  accomplishment,  might  serve  to  fi 
a  family  for  the  company  of  angels. 
Young  voices  around  the  domestic  altar, 
breathing  sacred  music  at  the  hour  of 
morning  and  evening  devotion,  are  a 
sweet  and  touching  accompaniment. 


290.  NOBILITY. 


(a)  SCHILLER'S   ESTIMATE.— 

Schiller,  the  German  poet,  had  a  patent 
of  nobility  conferred  upon  him  by  the 
Emperor  of  Germany,  which  he  never 
used.  Turning  over  a  heap  of  papers 
one  day,  in  the  presence  of  a  friend,  he 
came  to  his  patent,  and  showed  it  care- 
lessly to  his  friend  with  this  observation, 
I  suppose  you  did  not  know  I  was  a  no- 
ble ;  and  then  buried  it  again  in  the 
mass  of  miscellaneous  papers  in  which 
it  had  long  lain  undisturbed.  Schiller's 
friend  might  have  answered,  after  this 
566 


action,  "If  I  did  not  before  know  you 
were  noble,  I  know  it  now." 

(b)  A  SIGNIFICANT  QUESTION. 
— At  the  commencement  of  the  first 
revolution  in  France,  a  gentleman  of 
Dauphine,  anxious  to  support  the  inter- 
ests of  the  aristocracy,  said,  "  Think  of 
all  the  blood  the  nobles  of  France  hav€ 
shed  in  battle  !"  A  commoner  replied, 
"  And  what  of  the  blood  of  the  people 
poured  forth  at  the  same  time  ?  Wj 
that  water  ?" 


NON-RESISTANCE. 


291 


NON-RESISTANCE  *  SAFETY  AND  OTHER  BENEFITS  OF. 


291.  Prevents  and  Disarms  Aggression. 

(a)  RAYMOND  THE  TRAVEL- 
ER.— Raymond,  a  celebrated  Europe- 
an traveler,  bears  the  following  testimo- 
ny : 

Speaking  of  the  Spanish  smugglers, 
he  says :  "  These  smugglers  are  as 
adroit  as  they  are  determined,  are  fa- 
miliarized at  all  times  with  peril,  and 
much  in  the  very  face  of  death.  Their 
first  movement  is  a  never-failing  shot, 
and  certainly  would  be  an  object  of 
dread  to  most  passengers;  for  where 
are  they  to  be  dreaded  more,  than  in 
deserts,  where  crime  has  nothing  to 
witness  it,  and  the  feeble  no  assistance  ? 
As  for  myself,  alone  and  unarmed,  I 
have  met  them  without  anxiety,  and 
have  accompanied  them  without  fear. 
We  have  little  to  apprehend  from  men 
whom  we  inspire  with  no  distrust  or  en- 
vy, and  every  thing  to  expect  in  those 
from  whom  we  claim  only  what  is  due 
from  man  to  man.  The  laws  of  nature 
still  exist  for  those  who  have  long  sha- 
ken off  the  laws  of  civil  government. 
At  war  with  society,  they  are  sometimes 
at  peace  with  their  fellows.  The  as- 
sassin has  been  my  guide  in  the  defiles 
of  the  boundaries  of  Italy ;  the  smug- 
gler of  the  Pyrenees  has  received  me 
with  a  welcome  in  his  secret  paths. 
Armed,  I  should  have  been  the  enemy 
of  both  ;  unarmed,  they  have  alike  res- 
pected me.  In  such  expectation,  I  have 
long  since  laid  aside  all  menacing  appa- 
ratus whatever. 

(b)  ROBERT  BARCLAY  AND 
THE  ROBBERS.— Robert  Barclay, 
the  celebrated  apologist  of  the  Quakers, 
and  Leonard  Fell,  a  member  of  fhe 
same  Society,  were  severally  attacked 
by  highwaymen  in  England,  at  different 


*  By  the  use  of  this  word  we  do  not  mean  to 
have  it  understood  that  we  take  the  ground  of 
those  technically  called  "  Non-resistants"  in  our 
time.  On  the  extent  of  Christ's  precept, 
*'  Resist  not  evil,"  there  is  much  difference  of 
opinion.  But  on  that  precept  all  will  find  the 
following  facts  an  interesting  comment.  Alas 
that  our  Master's  precept  is  so  little  regarded  ! 


:  times.  Both  faithfully  adhered  to  their 
j  non-resistance  principles,  and  both  sig- 
I  nally  triumphed.  The  pistol  was  lev- 
eled at  Barclay,  and  a  determined  de- 
mand made  for  his  purse.  Calm  and 
self-possessed,  he  looked  the  robber  in 
the  face,  with  a  firm  but  meek  benigni- 
ty, assured  him  he  was  his  and  every 
man's  friend,  that  he  was  willing  and 
ready  to  relieve  his  wants,  that  he  was 
free  from  the  fear  of  death  through  a 
divine  hope  in  immortality,  and  there- 
fore was  not  to  be  intimidated  by  a 
deadly  weapon ;  and  then  appealed  to 
him,  whether  he  could  have  the  heart  to 
shed  the  blood  of  one  who  had  no  other 
feeling  or  purpose  but  to  do  him  good. 
The  robber  was  confounded ;  his  eye 
melted  ;  his  brawny  arm  trembled  ;  his 
pistol  fell  to  his  side  ;  and  he  fled  from 
the  presence  of  the  non-resistant  hero 
whom  he  could  no  longer  confront. 

(c)  A  CHILD'S  PLEA  FOR  LIFE. 
— At  the  close  of  a  battle,  a  soldier  of 
the  victorious  army,  more  ferocious  and 
reckless  from  the  bloody  work  of  the 
day,  chanced  to  find  a  small  boy  on  the 
field,  and,  very  much  from  the  habit  of 
assailing  whatever  came  in  his  way, 
lifted  his  sword  to  cleave  him  down, 
when  the  little  fellow,  looking  up  in  his 
face,  exclaimed,  "  O  sir,  don't  kill  me, 
Fm  so  little.^^  That  simple  appeal  went 
to  the  warrior's  heart ;  and  returning 
his  sword  into  its  scabbard,  he  galloped 
away  without  harming  the  child.  Some 
men  there  possibly  may  be  who  would 
have  killed  him  ;  but  scarce  one  man  in 
a  million  would  so  outrage  his  own  na- 
ture. 

(d)  REV.  MR.  LEE  AND  THE 
GENERAL.— Says  General  P.  of  Vir- 
ginia, "  When    I    was   a  young  man  I 

went  to  hear   Mr.  Lee  preach   at 

meeting-house.  There  was  a  very 
large  crowd  in  attendance,  and  a  great 
many  could  not  get  into  the  house. 
Among  others  I  got  near  the  door,  and 
being  fond  of  show  and  frolic,  I  indulged 
in  some  indiscretion,  for  which  Mr.  Lee 
mildly  but  plainly  reproved  me.  In  an 
instant  all  the  bad  feelings  of  my  heart 

567 


291 


NON-RESISTANCE. 


were  aroused.  I  was  deeply  insulted, 
and  felt  that  my  whole  family  was  dis- 
graced. I  retired  from  the  crowd  to 
brood  over  the  insult,  and  meditate  re- 
venge. It  was  not  long  before  I  resolv- 
ed to  whip  him  before  he  left  the  ground. 
I  kept  the  resolution  to  myself ;  and 
watched  with  the  eager  intensity  of  re- 
sentment, the  opportunity  to  put  it  in 
execution.  But  the  congregation  was 
dismissed  and  dispersed,  and  I  saw 
nothing  of  the  preacher.  How  he  es- 
caped me  I  could  never  learn.  But  I 
'nursed  my  wrath  to  keep  it  warm  ;' 
and  cherished  the  determination  to  put 
it  into  execution  the  first  time  I  saw 
Mr.  Lee,  although  long  years  should 
intervene.  Gradually,  however,  my 
feelings  subsided  ;  and  in  the  lapse  of  a 
few  years  the  whole  affair  faded  away 
from  my  mind.  Thirteen  years  passed 
over  me,  and  the  impetuosity  of  youth 
had  been  softened  down  by  sober  man- 
hood. I  was  standing  upon  the  down- 
hill of  life! 

On  a  beautiful  morning  in  the  early 
spring,  being  from  home  on  business,  1 
saw,  a  few  hundred  yards  before  me,  an 
elderly  looking  man  jogging  slowly 
along  in  a  single  gig.  As  soon  as  1 
saw  him,  it  struck  me,  that's  .Tesse  Lee. 
The  name,  the  man,  the  sight  of  him, 
I'ecalled  all  my  recollections  of  the  in- 
sult, and  all  my  purposes  of  resentment. 
I  strove  to  banish  them  all  from  my 
mind.  But  the  more  I  thought  the 
warmer  I  became.  My  resolution 
stared  me  in  the  face ;  and  something 
whispered  coward  in  my  heart  if  I  failed 
to  fulfil  it.  My  mind  was  in  a  perfect 
tumult,  and  my  passions  waxed  strong. 
I  determined  to  execute  my  resolution 
to  the  utmost ;  and  full  of  rage  1  spur- 
red my  horse,  and  was  soon  at  the  side 
of  the  man  that  I  felt  of  all  others  I 
hated  most.  I  accosted  him  rather 
rudely  with  the  question,  "  Are  you  not 
a  Methodist  preacher  ?"  "  I  pass  for 
one,"  was  the  reply,  and  in  a  manner 
that  struck  me  as  very  meek.  "  Ain't 
your  name  Jesse  Lee  ?"  "  Yes :  that's 
my  name."  "  Do  you  recollect  preach- 
ing m  the  year at meeting. 

house  ?"     "  Yes  ;  very  well."  "  Well, 

do  you  recollect  reproving  a  young  man 

for  some  misbehavior  ?"     After  a  short 

568 


pause  for  recollection,  he  replied,  "  1 
do."  "  Well,"  said  I,  "  I  am  that  young 
man  ;  and  I  determined  I  would  whip 
you  for  it  the  first  time  I  saw  you.  I 
have  never  seen  you  from  that  day  to 
tliis  ;  and  now  I  intend  to  carry  out  my 
purpose." 

As  soon  as  I  had  finished  speaking, 
the  old  man  stopped  his  horse,  and  look- 
ing me  full  in  the  face,  said,  "  You  are 
a  younger  man  than  I  am.  You  are 
strong  and  active  ;  and  1  am  old  and 
feeble.  1  have  no  doubt  but,  if  I  were 
disposed  to  fight,  you  could  whip  me 
very  easily ;  and  it  would  be  useless 
for  me  to  resist.  But  as  a  man  of  God 
I  must  not  strive  !  So  as  you  are  de- 
termined to  whip  me,  if  you  will  just 
wait,  I  will  get  out  of  my  gig,  and  get 
down  on  my  knees,  and  you  may  whip 
me  as  long  as  you  please."  "Never," 
said  the  old  general,  "  was  I  so  sudden- 
ly and  powerfully  affected.  I  was 
completely  overcome.  I  trembled  from 
head  to  foot.  I  would  have  given  my 
estate  if  I  had  never  mentioned  the  sub- 
ject. A  strange  weakness  came  over 
my  frame.  I  felt  sick  at  heart ; 
ashamed,  mortified  and  degraded,  I 
struck  my  spurs  into  my  horse,  and 
dashed  along  the  road  with  the  speed  of 
a  madman.  I  am  now  old:  few  and 
full  of  evil  have  been  the  days  of  the 
years  of  my  life,  yet  I  am  not  without 
hope  m  God.  I  have  made  my  peace 
with  him  who  is  the  'judge  of  the  quick 
and  dead  ;'  and  hope  eie  long  to  see 
that  good  man  of  God  with  feelings  very 
different  from  those  with  which  I  met 
him  last." 

(<?)  INDIAN  AND  THE  QUAKER 
MEETING.— A  little  before  the  revo- 
lutionary war,  there  were  a  few  families 
of  Friends,  who  had  removed  from 
Dutchess  county,  and  settled  at  Easton^ 
then  in  Saratoga  county,  New-York. 
These  requested  the  favor  of  holding  a 
religious  meeting,  which  was  granted. 
The  section  of  country  proved  to  be  one 
which  was  so  much  distressed  by  scout- 
ing parties  from  both  the  British  and 
American  armies,  that  the  American 
government,  unable  \.o  protect  the  in- 
habitants, issued  a  proclamation,  direct- 
ing them  to  leave  their  country  :  and 
they  did  generally  go. 


PREVENTS  AND  DISARMS  AGGRESSION. 


291 


Friends  requested  to  be  permitted  to 
exercise  their  own  judgment,  (saying, 
"  You  are  clear  of  us  in  that  you  have 
warned  us,")  remained  at  their  homes, 
and  kept  up  their  meeting. 

Robert  Nisbet,  who  lived  at  that  time 
et  East  Hoosack,  about  thirty  miles  dis- 
tant, felt  a  desire  to  walk  through  the 
then  wilderness  country,  and  sit  with 
Friends  at  their  week-day  meeting.  As 
they  were  sitting  in  meeting,  with  their 
door  open,  they  discovered  an  Indian 
peeping  round  the  door  post.  When  he 
saw  Friends  sitting  without  word  or 
deed,  he  stepped  forward  and  took  a  full 
view  of  what  was  in  the  house  :  then  he 
and  his  company,  placing  their  arms  in 
a  corner  of  the  room,  took  seats  with 
Friends,  and  so  remained  till  the  meet- 
ing closed. 

Zebulon  Hoxie,  one  of  the  Friends 
present,  then  invited  them  to  his  house, 
put  a  cheese  and  what  bread  he  had  on 
the  table,  and  invited  them  to  help  them- 
selves :  they  did  so,  and  went  quietly 
and  harmlessly  away. 

Before  their  departure,  however, 
Robert  Nisbet,  who  could  speak  and 
understand  the  French  language,  had  a 
conversation  with  their  leaders  in 
French.  He  told  Robert,  that  they  sur- 
rounded the  house,  intending  to  destroy 
all  that  were  in  it ;  "  but,"  said  he, 
"  when  we  saw  you  sitting  with  your 
door  open,  and  without  weapons  of  de- 
fence, we  had  no  disposition  to  hurt 
you — we  would  have  fought  for  you." 
This  party  had  human  scalps  with  them. 
(/)  WHITE  FEATHER  OF 
PEACE. — A  family  of  Quakers  from 
Pennsylvania,  settled  at  the  west  in  a 
remote  place,  then  exposed  to  savage 
incursions.  They  had  not  been  there 
long  before  a  party  of  Indians,  panting 
for  blood,  started  on  one  of  their  terrible 
excursions  against  the  whites,  and  pass- 
ed  in  the  direction  of  the  Quaker's 
abode ;  but,  though  disposed  at  first  to 
assail  him  and  his  family  as  enemies, 
they  were  received  with  such  open- 
hearted  confidence,  and  treated  with 
such  cordiality  and  kindness,  as  com- 
pletely disarmed  them  of  their  purpose. 
They  came  forth,  not  against  such  per- 
sons, but  against  their  enemies.  They 
thirsted  for  the  blood  of  those  who  had 


injured  them  ;  but  these  children  of 
peace,  unarmed  and  entirely  defence- 
less, met  them  only  with  accents  of 
love,  and  deeds  of  kindness.  It  was 
not  in  the  heart  even  of  a  savage  to 
harm  them  ;  and,  on  leaving  the  Qua- 
ker's house,  the  Indians  took  a  white 
feather,  and  stuck  it  over  the  door,  to 
designate  the  place  as  a  sanctuary  not 
to  be  harmed  by  their  brethren  in  arms. 
Nor  was  it  harmed.  The  war  raged 
all  around  it ;  the  forest  echoed  often  to 
the  Indian's  yell,  and  many  a  white 
man's  hearth  was  drenched  in  his  own 
blood ;  but  over  the  Quaker's  humble 
abode  gently  waved  the  white  feather 
of  peace,  and  beneath  it  his  family  slept 
without  harm  or  fear. 

{g)  CHRISTIANS  WHO  WOULD 
NOT  FIGFIT.— "  I  have  read,"  says 
Mrs.  Chapman,  "  of  a  certain  regiment 
ordered  to  march  into  a  small  town,  (in 
the  Tyrol,  I  think,)  and  take  it.  It 
chanced  that  the  place  was  settled  by  a 
colony  who  believed  the  gospel  of  Christ 
and  proved  their  faith  by  works.  A 
courier  from  a  neighboring  village  in- 
formed them  that  troops  were  advancing 
to  take  the  town.  They  quietly  an- 
swered, '  if  they  will  take  it,  they  must.' 
Soldiers  soon  came,  riding  in  with 
colors  flying,  and  fifes  piping  their  shrill 
defiance.  They  looked  round  for  an 
enemy,  and  saw  the  farmer  at  his 
plough,  the  blacksmith  at  his  anvil,  and 
the  women  at  their  churns  and  spinning 
wheels.  Babies  crowded  to  hear  the 
music,  and  boys  ran  out  to  see  the 
pretty  trainers,  with  feathers  and  bright 
buttons,  'the  harlequins  of  the  nine- 
teenth century.'  Of  course  none  of 
these  were  in  a  proper  position  to  be 
shot  at.  'Where  are  your  soldiers?' 
they  asked.  '  We  have  none,'  was  the 
brief  reply.  '  But  v/e  have  come  to 
take  the  town.'  '  Well,  my  friends,  it 
lies  before  you.'  '  But  is  there  nobody 
here  to  fight  V  '  No,  we  are  all  Chris- 
tians.' Here  was  an  emergency  alto- 
gether unprovided  for  by  the  military 
schools.  This  was  a  sort  of  resistance 
which  no  bullet  could  hit ;  a  fortress 
perfectly  bomb-proof.  The  commander 
was  perplexed.  'If  there  is  nobody  to 
fight  with,  of  course  we  can't  fight,' 
said  he.  '  It  is  impossible  to  take  such 
569 


391 


NON-RESISTANCE. 


a  town  as  this.'  So  he  ordered  the 
horses'  heads  to  be  turned  about,  and 
they  carried  the  human  animals  out  of 
the  village,  as  guiltless  as  they  entered, 
and  perchance  somewhat  wiser.  This 
experiment  on  a  small  scale  indicates  how 
easy  it  would  be  to  dispense  with  armies 
and  navies,  if  men  only  had  faith  in  the 
religion  they  profess  to  believe." 

(h)  INDIANS  AND  THE  SHA^ 
KERS.— About  the  year  1812,  Indiana 
^^as  the  scene  of  Indian  hostilities  ;  but 
the  Shakers,  though  without  forts  or 
arms,  lived  in  perfect  safety  while  the 
work  of  blood  and  fire  was  going  on  all 
around  them.  "  Why,"  said  the  whites 
afterwards  to  one  of  the  Indian  chiefs, 
"  why  did  you  not  attack  the  Shakers  as 
well  as  others  '?"  "  What !"  exclaimed 
the  savage,  "  we  warriors  attack  a  peace- 
able people  !  We  fight  those  who  won't 
fight  us  !  Never ;  it  would  be  a  dis- 
grace to  hurt  such  a  people." 

(z)  INHABITANTS  OF  THE 
LOOCHOO  ISLANDS.— These  islands 
are  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Chinese 
Sea.  They  have  been  visited  by  sev- 
eral navigators,  and,  among  others,  by 
Captain  Basil  Hall.  He  states  that  they 
have  neither  forts,  men-of-war,  garri- 
sons, arms,  nor  soldiers,  and  appear  to 
be  quite  ignorant  of  the  art  of  war. 
They  are  kind,  hospitable,  courteous, 
and  honest,  and  acquainted  with  some 
of  the  mechanical  arts.  Well,  what 
has  been  their  fate  ?  Reasoning  on  the 
rash  premises  of  the  opponents  of  peace 
principles,  we  should  predictate  their 
utter  destruction.  But  have  they  been 
destroyed  ?  Quite  the  contrary.  They 
have  been  preserved  in  peace,  safety, 
and  happiness.  "The  olive  branch" 
is  planted  on  their  shores,  and  they  sit 
beneath  it,  "  no  man  daring  to  make 
them  afraid." 

0)  QUAKERS  IN  THE  IRISH 
REBELLION. — Perhaps  the  severest 
test  to  which  the  peace  principles  were 
ever  put,  was  in  Ireland,  during  the 
memorable  rebellion  of  1798.  During 
that  terrible  conflict,  the  Irish  Quakers 
were  continually  between  two  fires. 
The  Protestant  parry  viewed  them  with 
suspicion  and  dislike  because  they  re- 
fused to  fight  or  to  pay  military  taxes  ; 
and  the  fierce  multitude  of  insurgents 
570 


deemed  it  sufficient  cause  of  death, 
that  they  would  neither  profess  belief  in 
the  Catholic  religion  nor  help  them 
fight  for  Irish  freedom.  Victory  alter- 
nated between  the  two  contending  par- 
ties, and,  as  usual  in  civil  war,  the 
victors  made  almost  indiscriminate 
havoc  of  those  who  did  not  march  un- 
der their  banners.  It  was  a  perilous 
time  for  all  men ;  but  the  Quakers 
alone  were  liable  to  a  raking  fire  from 
both  sides.  Foreseeing  calamity,  they 
had,  nearly  two  years  before  the  war 
broke  out,  publicly  destroyed  all  their 
guns,  and  other  weapons  used  for  game, 
But  this  pledge  of  pacific  intentions  was 
not  sufficient  to  satisfy  the  government, 
which  required  warlike  assistance  at 
their  hands.  Threats  and  insults  were 
heaped  upon  them  from  all  quarters  ; 
but  they  steadfastly  adhered  to  their 
resolution  of  doing  good  to  both  parties 
and  harm  to  neither.  Their  houses 
were  filled  with  widows  and  orphans, 
with  the  sick,  the  wounded  and  the  dy- 
ing, belonging  both  to  the  loyalists  and 
the  rebels.  Sometimes  when  the  Catholic 
insurgents  were  victorious,  they  would 
be  greatly  enraged  to  find  Quakers  ' 
houses  filled  with  Protestant  families. 
They  would  point  their  pistols  and 
threaten  death,  if  their  enemies  were 
not  immediately  turned  into  the  street 
to  be  massacred.  But  the  pistols  drop- 
ped, when  the  Christian  mildly  replied, 
"Friend,  do  what  thou  wilt,  I  will  not 
harm  thee,  or  any  other  human  being." 
Not  even  amid  the  savage  fierceness  of 
civil  war,  could  men  fire  at  one  who 
spoke  such  words  as  these.  They  saw 
that  this  was  not  cowardice,  but  bravery 
very  much  higher  than  their  own. 

On  one  occasion,  an  insurgent 
threatened  to  burn  down  a  Quaker 
house  unless  the  owner  expelled  the 
Protestant  women  and  children  who  had 
taken  refuge  there.  "  I  cannot  help  it." 
replied  the  Friend  ;  "  so  long  as  I  have 
a  house,  I  will  keep  it  open  to  succor 
the  helpless  and  distressed,  whether 
they  belong  to  thy  ranks,  or  to  those  of 
thy  enemies  !  If  my  house  is  burned 
I  must  be  turned  out  with  them,  and 
share  their  affliction."  The  fighter 
turned  away  and  did  the  Christian  no 
I  harm. 


PREVENTS  AND  DISARMS  AGGRESSION. 


291 


Whichever  party  marched  into  a  vil- 
lage victorious,  the  cry  was,  "  Spare  the 
Quakers  !  They  have  done  good  to  all 
and  harm  to  none."  While  flames 
were  raging,  and  blood  flowing  in  every 
direction,  the  houses  of  the  peace- 
makers stood  uninjured. 

It  is  a  circumstance  worthy  to  be  re- 
corded, that  during  the  fierce  and  ter- 
rible struggle,  even  in  counties  where 
Quakers  were  most  numerous,  but  one 
of  their  society  fell  a  sacrifice. 

That  one  was  a  young  man,  who,  be- 
ing afraid  to  trust  peace  principles,  put 
on  a  military  uniform,  and  went  to  the 
garrison  for  protection.  The  garrison 
was  taken  by  the  insurgents,  and  he 
was  killed.  "  His  dress  and  arms  spoke 
the  language  of  hostility,"  says  the  his- 
torian, "  and  therefore  invited  it." 

ik)  THE  BISHOP  AND  DUKE.— 
Luther  gives  an  account  of  a  duke  of 
Saxony,  who  made  war  unnecessarily 
upon  a  bishop  of  Germany.  At  that 
period  ecclesiastics  could  command 
military  resources,  as  well  as  the  secu- 
lar nobility.  But  the  weapons  of  the 
good  bishop  were  not  carnal.  The 
duke  thought  proper,  in  a  very  artful 
way,  to  send  a  spy  into  the  company  of 
the  bishop,  to  ascertain  his  plan  of  car- 
rying  on  the  contest.  On  his  return, 
the  spy  was  eagerly  interrogated  by  the 
duke.  "  O,  sir,"  replied  he,  "  you 
may  surprise  him  without  fear,  he  is 
doing  nothing,  and  making  no  prepar- 
ation." "  How  is  that,"  asked  the 
duke  ;  "  what  does  he  say  ?"  "  He 
says  he  will  feed  his  flock,  preach  the 
word,  visit  the  sick  ;  and  that,  as  for 
this  war,  he  should  commit  the  weight 
of  it  to  God  himself."  "Is  it  so?" 
said  the  duke  ;  "  then  let  the  devil  wage 
war  against  him  ;  I  will  not." 

(/)  PACIFIC  POLICY  OF  PENN. 
— The  case  of  William  Penn,  is  per- 
haps the  fullest  and  fairest  illustration 
of  pacific  principles  in  their  bearing  on 
the  intercourse  of  nations.  His  colony, 
though  an  appendage  to  England,  was 
to  the  Indians  an  independent  State. 
They  knew  no  power  above  or  beyond 
that  of  Penn  himself;  and  they  treated 
his  colony  as  another  tribe  or  nation. 
Their  king  had  himself  expressly  aban- 
doned these  Quakers  entirely  to  their 


own  resources.  "What !"  said  Charles 
II  to  Penn,  on  the  eve  of  his  departure, 
"venture  yourself  among  the  savages  of 
North  America !  Why  man,  what 
security  have  you,  that  you  will  not  be 
in  their  war-kettle  within  two  hours 
after  setting  your  foot  on  their  shores  ?" 
"The  best  security  in  the  world,"  replied 
the  man  of  peace.  "  I  doubt  that, 
friend  William  ;  I  have  no  idea  of  any 
security  against  those  cannibals,  but  a 
regiment  of  good  soldiers  with  their 
muskets  and  bayonets ;  and  I  tell  you 
beforehand  that,  with  all  my  good  will  to 
you  and  your  family,  to  whom  I  am  un- 
der obligations,  I  will  not  send  a  single 
soldier  with  you."  "  I  want  none  of 
thy  soldiers  ;  I  depend  on  something 
better."  "  Better  !  on  what  ?"  "  On 
the  Indians  themselves,  on  their  moral 
sense,  and  the  promised  protection  of 
God." 

Such  was  the  course  of  William 
Penn  ;  and  what  was  the  result  ?  In  the 
midst  of  the  most  warlike  tribes  on  this 
continent,  the  Quakers  lived  in  safety, 
while  all  the  other  colonies,  acting  on 
the  war-policy  of  armed  defence,  were 
involved  almost  incessantly  in  bloody 
conflicts  with  the  Indians.  Shail  we 
ascribe  this  to  the  personal  tact  of  Wil- 
liam Penn  ?  Shrewd  he  doubtless  was  ; 
but  the  success  of  his  policy  was  owing 
mainly,  if  not  entirely,  to  its  pacific 
character.  Penn  was  only  an  embodi- 
ment of  his  principles,  and  the  efficacy 
of  these  is  strikingly  exhibited  in  the 
fact  that  Pennsylvania,  during  all  the 
seventy  years  of  her  peace  policy,  re- 
mained without  harm  from  the  Indians, 
but  suffered  as  soon  as  she  changed  that 
policy,  the  same  calamities  with  the 
other  colonies. 

(m)  THE  CHRISTIAN  INDIANS. 
— The  following  anecdote  is  related  by 
a  writer  of  Graham's  Magazine.  A 
large  body  of  Indians  had  been  con- 
verted by  the  Moravian  missionaries, 
and  settled  in  the  west,  where  their 
simplicity  and  harmlessness  seemed  a 
renewal  of  the  better  days  of  Christian- 
ity. During  the  Revolutionary  war 
these  settlements,  named  Lichtenan  and 
Guadenhutten,  being  located  in  the 
seat  of  the  former  Indian  contests,  were 
exposed  to  outrage  from  both  parties. 
571 


292 


NON-RESISTANCE. 


Being,  however,  under  the  tuition  and 
influence  of  the  whites,  and  having 
adopted  their  religion,  and  the  virtuous 
portion  of  their  habits,  they  naturally 
apprehended  that  the  hostile  Indians, 
sweeping  down  upon  the  American 
frontier,  would  take  advantage  of  their 
helplessness,  and  destroy  them  as  allies 
of  the  whites.  Subsequent  events  en- 
able us  to  compare  the  red  and  white 
man,  and  determine  which  is  the  savage, 
A  party  of  two  hundred  Hurons,  fiercel)' 
approached  the  Moravian  Indian  town. 
The  CHristian  Indians  conducted  them- 
selves, in  this  trying  extremity,  with 
meekness  and  firmness.  They  sent  a 
deputation  with  refreshments  to  their 
approaching  foes,  and  told  them,  that  by 
the  word  of  God,  they  were  taught  to 
be  at  peace  with  all  men,  and  entreated 
for  themselves,  and  their  white  teachers, 
peace  and  protection.  And  what  re- 
plied the  savage,  fresh  from  the  wilds, 
and  panting  for  blood  ?  Did  he  mock 
to  scorn  the  meek  and  Christian  ap- 
peal ?  Did  he  answer  with  the  war 
whoop,  and  lead  on  his  men  to  the  easy 
slaughter  of  his  foes  ?  What  else  could 
be  expected  from  an  Indian  ?  Yet  such 
was  not  the  response  of  the  red  war- 
rior. He  said  he  was  on  a  war  party, 
and  his  heart  had  been  evil,  and  his 
aim  had  been  blood  ;  but  the  words  of 
his  brethren  had  opened  his  eyes.  He 
would  do  them  no  harm.  "  Obey  your 
teachers,"  said  he,  "  worship  your  God 
and  be  not  afraid.  No  creature  shall 
harm  you." 

29!.  Effects  the  Reformation  of  Aggressors. 

{a)  OBERLIN  AND  THE  CON- 
SPIRATORS.— M.  Oberlin  was  ap- 
pointed minister  of  the  Ban  de  la  Roche, 
France,  in  the  year  1767  :  he  was  then 
jtwenty-seven  years  of  age.  His  parish 
I  was  a  very  rude  and  ignorant  district, 
secluded  from  the  rest  of  the  province. 
His  predecessor,  an  excellent  individual, 
had  commenced  the  execution  of  several 
plans  which  were  likely  to  improve  the 
moral  and  religious  state  of  his  parish. 
M.  Oberlin  determined  to  carry  on  and 
extend  these  measures  as  far  as  he 
could,  to  the  great  satisfaction  of  those 
who  had  approved  them ;  but  the  greater 
572 


part  of  the  inhabitants  were  resolved  to 
oppose  the  designs  of  their  excellent  pas- 
tor, and  laid  a  plan  to  waylay  him,  and 
treat  him  with  such  severity  as  might 
effectually  deter  him  from  continuing 
his  admonitions.  Their  pastor  was  in- 
formed of  this  intention,  and  that  an  ap- 
proaching Lord's  day  was  fixed  for  the 
perpetration  of  their  wicked  design. 
On  that  day  he  took  for  his  text  the 
words  of  our  Lord,  Matt.  v.  39,  "  Re- 
sist not  evil :  but  whosoever  shall  smite 
thee  on  thy  right  cheek,  turn  to  him  the 
other  also."  In  the  course  of  his  ser- 
mon he  spoke  of  the  Christian  patience 
with  which  we  ought  to  sulfer  injuries. 
After  service  the  conspirators  assembled 
at  the  house  of  one  of  their  number, 
and  were  probably  amusing  themselves 
with  the  idea  that  their  minister  would 
himself  soon  have  to  put  in  practice  the 
lessons  ho  had  just  given.  While  con- 
ferring upon  the  execution  of  their  plan, 
the  door  suddenly  opened,  and  to  their 
great  astonishment,  M.  Oberlin  himself 
stood  in  the  midst  of  the  assembly. 
"  Here  am  I,  my  friends,"  said  he,  with 
a  calmness  which  inspired  even  the 
most  violent  with  respect ;  "  I  am  aware 
of  your  intentions  with  regard  to  me. 
You  intend  to  beat  me,  and  to  chastise 
me  for  acting  in  a  manner  which  you 
disapprove.  If  I  have  broken  the  rules 
of  conduct  which  I  have  laid  down  for 
you  to  follow,  then  punish  me.  I  would 
much  rather  give  myself  up  to  you, 
than  to  have  you  guilty  of  the  baseness 
of  lying  in  wait  for  me."  This  simple 
address  produced  an  immediate  effect. 
The  peasants,  ashamed  of  themselves, 
entreated  his  pardon,  and  promised  that 
they  would  not  again  doubt  his  affection 
for  them.  From  that  period  he  was  en- 
abled to  pursue  his  benevolent  designs, 
and,  eventually,  a  most  pleasing  change 
was  effected. 

{b)  HENRY  C.  WRIGHT  AND 
HIS  ASSAILANT.— The  following  in- 
cident in  the  life  of  Henry  C.  Wright 
shows  his  admirable  consistency,  and 
the  salutary  influence  of  non-resistance 
on  the  offender.  He  was  in  a  hotel  in 
Philadelphia,  and  there  engaged  in  a 
conversation  on  non-resistance.  An  of- 
ficer present  became  enraged  and  struck 
him.     Mr.  Wright  took  no  notice  of  the 


TRANSFORMS  AGGRESSORS  INTO  FRIENDS. 


292,  293 


assault,  but  proceeded  with  his  remarks. 
In  a  few  moments  the  officer  struck  him 
again.  Friend  Wright  still  preserved 
his  equanimity,  and  continued  the  con- 
versation. His  assailant  struck  him  a 
third  time,  and  nearly  knocked  him 
down.  He  recovered  himself,  and 
though  much  injured  by  the  blows  of 
his  opponent,  took  him  by  the  hand  and 
said,  "  I  feel  no  unkindness  towards  you, 
and  hope  soon  to  see  you  at  my  house." 
He  then  left  the  company  and  returned 
home.  Mr.  Wright  saw  his  assailant 
much  sooner  than  he  expected,  for  he 
was  called  up  at  dawn  next  morning, 
by  the  very  man  who  had  struck  him 
the  previous  evening.  He  exclaimed, 
as  he  entered  the  house,  "  Can  you  for- 
give me  ?  I  have  been  in  agony  all 
night.  I  tliought  you  would  strike 
again,  or  I  never  should  have  struck 
you."  "  He  that  is  slow  to  anger  is 
better  than  the  mighty  ;  and  he  that 
ruleth  his  spirit  than  he  that  taketh  a 
city." 

(c)  THE  METHODIST  NON-RE- 
SISTANT.—The  Rev.  John  Pomphret, 
an  English  Methodist  minister,  always 
advocated  the  practical  applicability  of 
the  "  peace  doctrine," — "  If  a  man  will 
sue  thee  at  law,  and  take  away  thy  coat, 
let  him  have  thy  cloak  also ;  and  if  he 
compel  thee  to  go  with  him  a  mile,  go 
with  him  twain," — always  declaring 
that  if  he  should  be  attacked  by  a  high- 
wayman, he  should  put  it  in  practice.  Be- 
ing a  cheesemonger,  (he  preached  with- 
out wages,)  on  his  return  from  market 
one  day,  after  he  had  received  a  large 
amount  of  money  from  his  customers 
for  the  purpose  of  replenishing  his  year's 
stock,  he  was  accosted  by  a  robber,  de- 
manding his  money,  and  threatening  his 
life  if  he  refused.  The  reverend  peace- 
man  coolly  and  kindly  replied,  "  Well, 
friend,  how  much  do  you  want,  for  I  will 
give  it  to  you.  and  thus  save  you  from 
the  crime  of  committing  highway  rob- 
bery ?"  "  Will  you  certainly  give  me 
what  1  require  ?"  asked  the  robber.  "  I 
will,  in  truth,  if  you  do  not  require  more 
than  I  have  got,"  replied  the  non-resist- 
ant.  "  Then  I  want  fifteen  pounds," 
(about  seventy-five  dollars.)  The  re- 
quired sum  was  counted  out  to  liim,  and 
in  gold,  instead  of  in  bank-bills,  which, 


if  the  numbers  had  been  observed,  the 
reverend  father,  by  notifying  the  bank, 
could  have  rendered  uncurrent,  besides 
leaving  the  robber  liable  to  detection  in 
attempting  to  pass  them,  telling  him  at 
the  same  time  why  he  gave  the  gold  in- 
stead of  bank-notes ;  and  saying,  "  Un- 
fortunate man,  I  make  you  welcome  to 
this  sum.  Go  home.  Pay  your  debts. 
Flereafter,  get  your  living  honestly." 

Years  rolled  on.  At  length  the  good 
preacher  received  a  letter,  containing 
principal  and  interest,  and  a  humble 
confession  of  his  sins,  from  the  robber, 
saying  that  his  appeals  waked  up  his 
slumbering  conscience,  which  had  giv- 
en him  no  rest  till  he  had  made  both 
restitution  and  confession,  besides  whol- 
ly changing  his  course  of  life. 

291.  Transforms  Aggressors  into  Friends. 

(a)  THE  SUBDUED  HATTER.— 
When  I  was  in  the  hatting  business, 
says  Mr.  Hanchett,  I  employed  a  man 
by  the  name  of  Jonas  Pike,  from  Mas- 
sachusetts, who  was  a  most  excellent 
workman  in  the  manufacture  of  hats. 
But  he  was  one  of  that  kind  of  journey- 
men who  would  have  their  trains,  a.s 
they  were  familiarly  called  amongst  ua 
in  that  day.  Therefore,  as  a  natural 
consequence,  he  was  without  comforta- 
ble clothing  the  most  of  the  time.  Af- 
ter he  got  a  shop  he  would  work  very 
industriously  until  he  had  earned  from 
twenty  to  thirty,  and  sometimes  forty 
dollars  worth  of  clothing ;  (for  he  was 
always  in  want  of  clothing  when  he 
commenced  work  ;)  and  then  he  would 
get  on  one  of  his  trains,  and  dispose  of 
every  article  of  his  clothing  that  would 
fetch  six  cents,  expending  all  for  whis- 
ky. When  all  was  gone,  and  he  be- 
gan to  cool  off  a  little,  he  would  be  very 
ugly ;  sometimes  he  would  fret  and 
scold,  and  then  he  would  coax  and 
plead,  to  have  me  trust  him  a  hat  or 
something  else,  that  he  might  sell,  and 
thereby  get  more  whisky.  When  I 
refused  him,  he  would  become  very  an- 
gry  and  threaten  to  whip  me,  which  I 
told  him  he  might  do  as  soon  as  he 
pleased.  But  said  he,  "  I  will  not  do  it 
in  your  own  shop  ;  if  I  had  you  out  of 
doors  I  would  thrash  you  like  a  sack." 
573 


293 


NON-RESISTANCE. 


After  hearing  him  repeat  these  sayings 
several  times,  I  walked  out  at  the  door. 
I  then  spoke  to  him,  saying,  "  I  am  now 
out  of  the  shop,  thou  canst  whip  me  if 
thou  wishest to  do  so  very  much;"  at 
which  he  stepped  out  of  the  shop,  came 
furiously  towards  me,  squaring  himself 
for  a  box,  and  struck  me  a  blow  on  the 
breast,  at  which  I  put  my  hand  upon 
my  cheek,  and  held  it  down  to  him,  say- 
ing, "  Now  strike  here,  Jonas."  He 
now  looked  at  me  with  surprise  and  as- 
tonishmcnt,  then  turning  round,  saying 
at  the  same  time,  with  an  oath,  "  If  you 
will  not  fight,  I  will  let  you  alone,"  he 
went  into  the  shop,  sat  down  and  was 
quiet.  He  got  sober  and  went  to  work, 
and  ever  after  was  affectionate  and 
kind,  and  very  peaceable  with  me.  I 
employed  him  several  times  afterwards 
to  work  for  me,  and  he  was  always  very 
peaceable  and  obliging. 

(b)  THE  GENERAL'S  EXPERI- 
MENT WITH  THE  INDIANS.— 
The  following  anecdote  is  related  of 

General .     He  was  engaged  on  a 

tour  to  the  northwest,  some  time  after 
the  war  of  1812-15,  for  the  purpose, 
among  other  objects,  of  selecting  and 
obtaining  from  the  Indians  a  site  for  a 
military  post.  He  was  attended  by  a 
small  party,  and  they  were  unarmed. 
Before  he  had  succeeded  in  his  object, 
the  Indians  conceived  a  design  for  mur- 
dering him  and  his  party ;  and  they  ac- 
cordingly  fixed  the  time  for  carrying 
their  purpose  into  execution.  A  trader 
who  resided  on  the  spot,  communicated 
the  plot  to  the  general,  and  proposed,  as 
the  only  possible  chance  of  escape,  that 
he  should  take  shelter  in  his  house,  sup- 
posing that  he  might  perhaps  have  in- 
terest with  them  sufficient  to  keep  them 
from  breaking  into  his  house  to  perpe- 
trate the  intended  massacre.  The  gen- 
eral received  the  intelligence — his  own 
observation  of  the  countenances  and 
movements  of  the  Indians  left  him  no 
room  to  doubt  its  correctness;  but  he 
was  unwilling  to  accept  the  offer  of  the 
trader.  He  thought  it  would  derogate 
from  the  character  he  had  obtained,  to 
leave  his  tent  and  take  shelter  in  a  pri- 
vate house.     His  situation  was  perilous. 

The  hour  had  almost  arrived,  and 
there  was  no  possibility  of  escape  or  de- 
574 


fence.  In  this  extremity,  he  determined 
on  a  bold  experiment.  With  the  aid  of 
the  trader,  tliough  not  without  difficulty, 
he  succeeded  in  collecting  the  chiefs  in 
council ;  but  their  menacing  counte- 
nances gave  evidence  of  the  determina- 
tion they  had  formed.  At  that  critical 
moment,  the  assembly  exhibited  a  most 
interesting  scene.  The  general,  with 
his  little  handful  of  men,  all  unarmed, 
in  the  heart  of  the  Indian  country,  was 
surrounded  by  many  times  their  own 
number  of  Indians,  determined  on  their 
work  of  death,  equipped  for  the  horrid 
purpose,  and  waiting  for  the  signal  of 
onset. 

The  general  arose  with  composure. 
He  told  them  the  object  of  his  visit — 
that  their  happiness  vv^as  also  contem- 
plated— that  he  came  among  them  as 
brothers.  He  had  brought  no  forces, 
nor  even  arms,  with  which  to  defend 
himself.  "  You  see,"  said  he,  "  I  have 
nothing  but  this,"  stretching  out  his 
hand  with  his  cane.  He  reminded  them 
that  he  was  in  the  midst  of  their  people, 
and  he  looked  to  them  for  protection. 

They  had  listened  with  increasing  at- 
tention to  his  discourse  thus  far.  But 
here  they  would  no  longer  remain  in  si- 
lent attention.  They  leaped  from  their 
seats,  and  rushing  to  him  with  all  the 
ardor  of  friendship,  they  caught  him  in 
their  arms,  hugged  him,  gave  him  every 
assurance  of  protection,  and  during  his 
hasty  stay  among  them,  fully  realized 
their  promises. 

(c)  THE  REVOLUTIONARY 
SOLDIER.— A  beloved  brother,  now 
dead,  (says  a  writer  in  a  Massachusetts 
journal,)  related  to  me  a  circumstance 
of  his  life,  which  I  think  is  worth  pre- 
serving. He  was  a  soldier  in  the  revo- 
lutionary war.  After  he  came  here, 
he  became  religious,  and  was  convinced 
that  all  "  wars  and  fiorhtin^s  "  are  con- 
trary  to  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  His  zeal 
in  advocating  his  principles,  stirred  up 
the  enmity  of  a  wicked  man  in  the 
neighborhood,  who  threatened,  when  his 
son  came  home  from  the  army,  he  would 
flog  him. 

Sure  enough,  when  the  son  came 
home,  the  old  man  told  such  stories  to 
him  about  this  brother,  that  it  excited 
him  to  that  degree,  that  he  came  to  the 


NON-RESISTANCE  AND  TRUST  IN  GOD. 


294 


house  where  my  brother  lived,  in  a  rage, 
determined  to  fight.  My  brother  ex- 
postulated with  him,  and  endeavored, 
by  all  the  means  in  his  power,  to  allay 
his  anger,  and  deter  him  from  his  pur- 
pose ;  but  all  would  not  do ;  fight  he 
must,  and  fight  he  would.  "Well," 
says  the  brother,  "if  we  must  fight, 
don't  let  us  be  like  cats  and  dogs,  fight- 
ing in  the  house ;  so  go  out  into  the 
field."  To  this  he  assented.  When 
they  had  got  into  the  field,  and  the  young 
bully  had  stripped  himself  for  the  fight, 
my  brother  looked  him  in  the  face,  and 
said,  "  Now  you  are  a  great  coward." 
"Coward!  don't  call  me  a  coward." 
"  Well,  you  are  one  of  the  greatest 
cowards  I  ever  saw."  "  What  do  you 
mean  '?"  "  I  mean  as  I  say  ;  you  must  be 
a  very  great  coward  to  go  fighting  a  man 
who  will  not  fight  you."  "  What,  don't 
you  mean  to  fight  me  ?"  "  Not  I ;  you 
may  fight  me  as  much  as  you  please,  I 
shall  not  lift  up  a  finger  against  you." 
"  Is  that  your  principle  ?"  "  Yes,  it  is ; 
and  I  mean  to  be  true  to  it."  The 
spirit  of  the  young  soldier  fell ;  and, 
stretching  out  his  arm,  he  said,  "  Then 
I  would  sooner  cut  off  that  arm  than  I 
would  strike  you."  They  then  entered 
into  an  explanation,  and  parted  good 
friends. 


294.  Non-Resistance  and  Trust  in  God. 

(a)  THE  PIOUS  CAPTAIN  AND 

THE  PIRATE  SHIP.— Capt.  S , 

of  W ■,  Massachusetts,  relates,  that 

on  a  voyage  to  Brazil,  in  the  spring  of 
1833,  while  sailing  near  Cape  St.  Roque, 
he  descried,  one  morning,  in  the  distance, 
a  suspicious  looking  vessel,  under  a 
press  of  canvas,  standing  toward  him. 
From  several  circumstances,  he  was  led 
to  imagine  that  she  was  occupied  by  pi- 
rates, who  were  advancing  to  plunder 
and  murder.  Still,  not  being  certain  of 
the  fact,  he  concluded  to  keep  the  ves- 
sel on  her  course.  The  suspicious 
schooner  continued  to  gain  upon  him, 
and  soon,  by  the  help  of  the  glass,  he 
saw  her  deck  covered  with  men,  and  a 
long  eighteen  pounder  on  a  swivel,  so 
prepared  as  to  turn  in  any  direction  de- 
sired. She  was  evidently  a  faster  sail- 
er than  his  own  vessel ;    he  concluded. 


therefore,  that  if  he  turned  out  of  his 
course,  he  would  at  length  be  overtak- 
en, and  from  the  pirates,  excited  and 
exasperated  by  a  long  chase,  little  mer- 
cy could  be  expected.  The  captain 
was  a  professed  Christian,  a  strong  be- 
liever in  the  providence  of  God,  and 
emphatically  a  man  of  peace.  Instead 
of  fighting  with  carnal  weapons,  he  de- 
termined to  fight  him  with  spiritual  ones. 
Having  religious  tracts  on  board,  he  de- 
termined, as  soon  as  the  schooner  came 
along  side,  to  go  on  board,  and  present 
his  tracts  to  the  captain  and  crew,  and 
preach  to  them  in  a  bold,  but  affection- 
ate manner,  appropriate  truths  from  the 
Gospel  of  Christ.  He  ordered  all  the 
hands  to  go  down  below,  but  the  man 
at  the  helm.  This  he  did  partly  to  keep 
them  from  being  agitated  and  from  agi- 
tating his  own  mind,  and  partly  to  do 
away  with  all  appearance  of  opposition 
against  the  approaching  foe.  Then, 
committing  his  men  and  himself  to  God, 
he  patiently  awaited  the  pirate's  arrival. 
The  schooner  came  nearer  and  nearer, 
till  at  length  even  the  figures  of  the  men 
could  be  distinctly  seen  by  the  naked 
eye.  A  fearful  crisis  was  fast  coming. 
But  still  the  captain  never  shrunk  nor 
veered  from  his  course  for  a  moment. 
Suddenly  the  pirates  altered  their  course, 
hauled  the  vessel  upon  the  wind,  and 
stood  away  as  rapidly  as  sail  and  surge 
could  carry  them !  From  the  fact  that 
they  saw  no  men  on  board  but  Capt.  S. 
and  the  helmsman,  and  no  manifestations 
of  fear,  the  pirates  might  have  been  led 
to  suspect  that  there  was  a  large  armed 
force  below,  or  some  other  decoy  pre- 
pared ;  and  thus  concluded  it  dangerous 
to  attempt  their  hostile  design.  What- 
ever process  of  thought  it  was,  however, 
which  led  them  to  retreat,  who  will  fail 
to  recognize  in  that  process  an  overruling 
Providence,  protecting  in  this  instance, 
as  in  many  others,  the  man  who  resists 
not  evil,  but  in  the  hour  of  threatened 
violence  depends  not  on  his  own  arm, 
but  on  God's  ? 

(h)  QUAKERS  IN  THE  FRENCH 
AND  INDIAN  WAR.— The  reader 
of  American  history  will  recollect,  that 
in  the  beginning  of  the  18th  century  a 
desultory  and  most  dreadful  warfare 
was  carried  on  by  the  natives  against 
575 


294. 


NON-RESISTANCE. 


the  European  settlers ;  a  warfare  that  was 
provoked — as  such  warfare  has  almost 
always  originally  been — by  the  injury 
and  violence  of  the  [nominal]  Christians. 
The  mode  of  destruction  was  secret 
and  sudden.  The  barbarians  some- 
times lay  in  wait  for  those  who  might 
come  within  their  reach,  on  the  high- 
way or  in  the  fields,  and  shot  them 
without  warning,  and  sometimes  they 
attacked  the  Europeans  in  their  houses, 
"scalping  some,  and  knocking  out  the 
brains  of  others."  From  this  horrible 
warfare  the  inhabitants  sought  safety  by 
abandoning  their  houses,  and  retiring  to 
fortified  places,  or  to  the  neighborhood 
of  garrisons ;  and  those  whom  necessity 
still  compelled  to  pass  beyond  the  limits 
of  such  protection,  provided  themselves 
with  arms  for  their  defence.  But 
amidst  this  dreadful  desolation  and  uni- 
versal terror,  the  Society  of  Friends, 
who  were  a  considerable  portion  of  the 
whole  population,  were  steadfast  to  their 
principles.  They  would  neither  retire 
to  garrisons,  nor  provide  themselves 
with  arms.  They  remained  openly  in 
the  country,  whilst  the  rest  were  flying 
to  the  forts.  They  still  pursued  their 
occupations  in  the  fields  or  at  their 
homes,  without  a  weapon  either  for  an- 
noyance or  defence.  And  what  was 
their  fate  ?  They  lived  in  security  and 
quiet.  The  habitation,  which,  to  his 
armed  neighbor,  was  the  scene  of  mur- 
der and  of  the  scalping  knife,  was  to  the 
unarmed  Quaker  a  place  of  safety  and 
of  peace.  Three  of  the  Society  were 
however  killed.  And  who  were  they  ? 
They  were  three  who  abandoned  their 
principles.  Two  of  these  victims  were 
men  who,  in  the  simple  language  of  the 
narrator,  "  used  to  go  to  their  labor  with- 
out any  weapons,  and  trusted  to  the  Al- 
mighty, and  depended  on  his  providence 
to  protect  them,  (it  being  their  principle 
not  to  use  weapons  of  war  to  offend 
others,  or  to  defend  themselves  ;)  hut  a 
spirit  of  distrust  taking  place  in  their 
minds,  they  took  weapons  of  war  to  de- 
fend themselves,  and  the  Indians,  who 
had  seen  them  several  times  without 
them  and  let  them  alone,  saying, 
they  were  peaceable  men  and  hurt  no- 
body, therefore,  they  would  not  hurt 
them — now  seeing  them  have  guns,  and 
^576 


HOUSE    PRE- 

remarkable  case 


supposing  they  designed  to  kill  the  In- 
dians, they  therefore  shot  the  men  dead. 
The  third  whose  life  was  sacrificed  was 
a  woman,  "  who  had  remained  in  her 
habitation,"  not  thinking  herself  war- 
ranted  in  going  "  to  a  fortified  place  for 
preservation,"  neither  she,  her  son,  nor 
daughter,  nor  to  take  thither  the  little 
ones  :  but  the  poor  woman  after  some 
time  began  to  let  in  a  slavish  fear,  and 
advised  her  children  to  go  with  her  to 
a  fort  not  far  from  their  dwelling.  She 
went ;  and  shortly  afterwards  "  the 
bloody,  cruel  Indians,  lay  by  the  way, 
and  killed  her." 

(c)  QUAKER'S 
SERVED.— A  most 
occurred  at  the  siege  of  Copenhagen 
under  Lord  Nelson.  An  officer  in  the 
fleet  says,  "  I  was  particularly  impress- 
ed with  an  object  which  I  saw  three  or 
four  days  after  the  terrific  bombard- 
ment of  that  place.  For  several  nights 
before  the  surrender,  the  darkness  was 
ushered  in  with  a  tremendous  roar  of 
guns  and  mortars,  accompanied  by  the 
whizzing  of  those  destructive  and  burn- 
ing engines  of  warfare,  Congreve's 
rockets.  The  dreadful  effects  w'ere  soon 
visible  in  the  brilliant  lights  through  the 
city.  The  blazing  houses  of  the  rich, 
and  the  burning  cottages  of  the  poor, 
illuminated  the  heavens ;  and  the  wide- 
spreading  flames,  reflecting  on  the  wa- 
ter, showed  a  forest  of  ships  assembled 
round  the  city  for  its  destruction.  This 
work  of  conflagration  went  on  for  seve- 
ral nights ;  but  the  Danes  at  length  sur- 
rendered ;  and  on  walking  some  days 
after  among  the  ruins,  consisting  of  the 
cottages  of  the  poor,  houses  of  the  rich, 
manufactories,  lofty  steeples,  and  hum- 
ble meeting-houses,  I  descried,  amid  this 
barren  field  of  desolation,  a  solitary 
house  unharmed  ;  all  around  it  a  burnt 
mass,  this  alone  untouched  by  the  fire, 
a  monument  of  mercy.  '  Whose  house 
is  that  V  I  asked.  '  That,'  said  the  in- 
terpreter,  '  belongs  to  a  Quaker.  He 
would  neither  fight,  nor  leave  his  house, 
but  remained  in  prayer  with  his  family 
during  the  whole  bombardment.'  Sure- 
ly, thought  I,  it  is  well  with  the  righte- 
ous. God  Jias  been  a  shield  to  thee  in 
battle,  a  wall  of  fire  round  about  thee,  a 
very  present  help  in  time  of  need." 


NOVELS. 


294,  295 


(d)  CITY  OF  REFUGE.— During 
the  rebellion  in  Ireland,  in  1798,  the 
rebels  had  long  meditated  an  attack  on 
the  Moravian  settlement  at  Grace-Hill, 
Wexford  county.  At  length  they  put 
their  threat  in  execution,  and  a  large 
body  of  them  marched  to  the  town. 
When  they  arrived  there,  they  saw  no 
one  in  the  streets  nor  in  the  houses. 
The  brethren  had  long  expected  this 
attack,  but  true  to  their  Christian  pro- 
fession, they  would  not  have  recourse 
to  arms  for  iheir  defence,  but  assembled 
in  their  chapel,  and  in  solemn  prayer 
besought  Him,  in  whom  they  trusted,  to 
be  their  shield  in  the  hour  of  danger. 
The  rufRan  band,  hitherto  breathing  no- 
thing but  destruction  and  slaughter,  were 
struck  with  astonishment,  at  this  novel 
sight.  Where  they  expected  an  armed 
hand,  they  saw  it  clasped  in  prayer — 
where  they  expected  weapon  to  weapon, 


and  the  body  armed  for  the  fight,  they 
saw  the  bended  knee,  and  humble  head, 
before  the  altar  of  the  Prince  of  Peace. 
They  heard  the  prayer  for  protection  ; 
they  heard  the  intended  victims  asking 
mercy  for  their  murderers  :  they  heard 
the  song  of  praise,  and  the  hymn  of 
confidence,  in  the  "  sure  promise  of  the 
Lord."  They  beheld  in  silence  this 
little  band  of  Christians ;  they  felt  un- 
able to  raise  their  hand  against  them ; 
and,  after  lingering  in  the  streets,  which 
they  filled  for  a  night  and  a  day,  with 
one  consent  they  turned  and  marched 
away  from  the  place,  without  having 
injured  an  individual,  or  purloined  a 
single  loaf  of  bread.  In  consequence 
of  this  signal  mark  of  protection  from 
heaven,  the  inhabitants  of  the  neighbor- 
ing villages  brought  their  goods,  and 
asked'  for  shelter  in  Grace-Hill,  which 
they  called  the  City  of  Refuge. 


295.  NOVELS. 


(a)  NOVELS  RIGHTLY  DIS- 
POSED  OF.— Mr.  Nicholas  Ferrar,  a 
very  learned  and  pious  man,  who  lived 
early  in  the  seventeenth  century,  on  the 
third  day  before  his  death,  summoned 
all  his  family  around  him,  and  then  de- 
sired his  brother  to  go  and  mark  out  a 
place  for  his  grave,  according  to  the 
particular  directions  he  then  gave. 
When  his  brother  returned,  saying  it 
was  done  as  he  had  wished,  he  desired 
them  all,  in  the  presence  of  each  other, 
to  take  out  of  his  study  three  large  ham- 
pers full  of  books,  which  had  been  lock- 
ed up  for  many  years  :  "  They  are  co- 
medies, tragedies,  heroic  poems,  and 
romances ;  let  them  be  immediately 
burnt  upon  the  place  marked  out  for  my 
grave  ;  and  when  you  have  so  done, 
come  back  and  inform  me."  When 
information  was  brought  him  that  they 
were  all  consumed,  he  desired  that  this 
might  be  considered  as  the  testimony  of 
his  disapprobation  of  such  books,  as 
tending  to  corrupt  the  mind  of  man,  and 
improper  for  the  perusal  of  every  seri- 
ous  and  sincere  Christian. 

{b)  NOVEL  WRITER'S  TESTL 
MONY.— Dr.  Goldsmith,  who  had  him- 
37 


self  written  a  novel,  in  writing  to  his 
brother,  respecting  the  education  of  his 
son  uses  this  strong  language  :  "  Above 
all  things,  never  let  your  son  touch  a 
novel  or  romance.  How  delusive,  how 
destructive  are  those  features  of  con- 
summate bliss  !  They  teach  the  youth- 
ful mind  to  sigh  after  beauty  and  hap- 
piness, that  never  existed;  to  despise 
the  little  good  that  fortune  has  mixed 
in  our  cup,  by  expecting  more  than  she 
ever  gave ;  and  in  general — take  the 
word  of  a  man  who  has  seen  the  world 
and  studied  it  more  by  experience  than 
by  precept — take  my  word  for  it,  I  say, 
that  such  books  teach  us  very  little  of 
the  world." 

(c)  SIN  CURSING  AFTER  RE- 
PENTANCE.—A  young  lady  in  one 
of  the  large  cities,  (says  the  N.  Y. 
Evangelist),  of  good  native  talent,  was 
once  condemning  her  folly,  in  terms  of 
deepest  regret,  for  cultivating  her  taste 
for  novel  reading.  She  had  lately  be- 
come pious,  and  now  found  to  her  sor- 
row, that  her  imagination  had  become 
so  fascinated,  and  her  taste  so  vitiated 
by  this  pernicious  reading,  that  she 
could  fix  on  nothing  permanent,  and 
577 


295,  296 


OBEDIENCE  TO  PARENTS. 


said  she,  "  Were  it  in  my  power,  I 
could  make  any  earthly  sacrifice,  could 
I  thirst  after  the  Bible,  as  I  have  after 
novels ;  and  the  greatest  daily  cross  I 
am  called  to  take  up,  is  to  pass  by  a 
novel  without  reading  it.  I  would  say 
it  as  a  warning  to  all  my  sex,  beware 
of  this  fatal  rock  ;  beware  of  wasting 
not  only  days  but  nights,  to  make  your- 
selves fools  all  the  rest  of  your  days,  if 
not  absolutely  wretched."  This  is  a 
frank  confession,  which  might  be  made 
by  multitudes  who  are  ciphers  in  socie- 
ty, because  they  have  no  fund  within  ; 
for  novels  ever  so  attentively  read,  will 
furnish  none. 

(d)  HALL'S  OPINION  OF  MISS 
EDGEWORTH.— "  Miss  Edgeworth," 
says  Robert  Hall,  "  is  the  most  irreli- 
gious writer  I  ever  read  ;  not  so  much 
from  any  direct  attacks  she  makes  on 
religion,  as  from  a  universal  and  studied 
omission  of  the  subject.  In  her  writ- 
ings you  meet  a  high  strain  of  morality. 
She  delineates  the  most  virtuous  cha- 
racters, and  represents  them  in  the 
most  affecting  circumstances  in  life  ; 
in  distress,  in  sickness,  and  even  in  the 
immediate  prospect  of  eternity,  and  fi- 
nally sends  them  off  the  stage  with  their 
virtue  unimpaired ;  and  all  this  with- 
out the  remotest  allusion  to  religion. 
She  does  not  directly  oppose  religion, 
but  makes  it  appear  unnecessary,  by  ex- 
hibiting a  perfect  virtue  without  it.  No 
works  ever  produced  so  bad  an  effect 
on  my  own  mind.     I  did  not  expect  to 


find  any  irreligion  in  Miss  Edgeworth's 
writings.  I  was  off  my  guard ;  their 
moral  character  disarmed  me.  I  read 
nine  volumes  of  them  at  once  ;  but  I 
could  not  preach  with  any  comfort  for 
six  weeks  after  reading  them.  I  never 
felt  so  little  ardor  in  my  profession,  or 
so  little  interest  in  religion.  She  was 
once  called  to  account  for  the  character 
of  her  works,  and  asked  her  reasons  for 
representing  a  mere  ideal  morality, 
without  attributing  any  influence  to  re- 
ligion. She  said,  that  if  she  had  writ- 
ten for  the  lower  classes,  she  should 
have  recommended  religion  ;  but  that 
she  had  written  for  a  class  for  whom  it 
was  less  necessary.  How  absurd  !  She 
seemed  to  think  that  the  virtues  of  the 
higher  orders  of  society,  stand  in  no 
need  of  religion,  and  that  it  was  only 
designed  as  a  curb  and  a  muzzle  for  the 
brute. 

(e)  HANNAH  MORE'S  OPINION. 
— Many  works  of  fiction  (says  Hannah 
More,)  may  be  read  with  safety,  some 
even  with  profit ;  but  the  constant  far 
miliarity  even  with  such  as  are  not  ex- 
ceptionable in  themselves,  relaxes  the 
mind  that  wants  hardening,  dissolves 
the  heart  which  wants  fortifying,  stirs 
the  imagination  which  wants  quieting, 
irritates  the  passions  which  want  calm- 
ing, and  above  all,  disinclines  and  dis- 
qualifies for  active  virtues,  and  for  spir- 
itual exercises.  The  habitual  indulg- 
ence in  such  reading,  is  a  silent,  min- 
ing mischief. 


296.  OBEDIENCE  TO  PARENTS. 


(a)  CECIL'S  OBEDIENCE.— 
When  the  Rev.  Richard  Cecil  was  but  a 
little  boy,  his  father  had  occasion  to  go  to 
the  India  House,  and  took  his  son  with 
him.  While  he  was  transacting  busi- 
ness, the  little  fellow  was  dismissed,  and 
told  to  wait  for  his  father  at  one  of  the 
doors.  His  father  on  finishing  his  busi- 
ness went  out  at  another  door,  and  en- 
tirely forgot  his  son.  In  the  evening, 
his  mother,  missing  the  child,  inquired 
Avhere  he  was  ;  on  which  his  father, 
suddenly  recollecting  that  he  had  direct- 
ed him  to  wait  at  a  certain  door,  said, 
578 


"  You  may  depend  upon  it,  he  is  still 
waiting  where  1  appointed  him."  He 
immediately  returned  to  the  India  House 
and  found  his  dear  boy  on  the  very  spot 
he  had  ordered  him  to  remain.  He 
knew  that  his  father  expected  him  to 
wait,  and  therefore  he  would  not  disap- 
point him. 

(b)    FIRST    STEP    TOWARDS^ 
RUIN.— It  was  stated,  at  a  meeting  ol 
the  American  Prison  Discipline  Societ] 
as  the  result  of  the  examinations  mac 
by  that  institution  into  the  history  an( 
career  of  the  various  criminals  conf 


OMNIPRESENCE  AND  OMNISCIENCE  OF  GOD— PAPACY. 


297,  398 


ed  in  the  prisons  of  the  United  States, 
that  in  almost  all  cases  their  course  of 
ruin  began  in  disobedience  to  parents. 
This  was  followed  by  intemperance, 
and  that  made  way  for  all  other  crimes. 


The  statement  was  made  by  the  secre- 
tary of  the  society,  the  Rev.  Louis 
D wight,  whose  opportunity  for  observa- 
tion dad  certainly  been  very  great. 


297.  OMNIPRESENCE  AND  OMNISCIENCE  OF  GOD. 


(a)  GOD  IS  PRESENT.— The  eel- 
ebrated  Linnteus  always  testified,  in  his 
conversation,  writings,  and  actions,  the 
greatest  sense  of  God's  omniscience  ; 
yea,  he  was  so  strongly  impressed  with 
the  idea,  that  he  wrote  over  the  door  of 
his  library,  Innocui  vivite,  Niimen  adest ; 
— Live  innocently,  God  is  present. 

(h)  THIEF  FORGETTING  TO 
LOOK  UP. — A  man,  who  was  in  the 
habit  of  going  to  a  neighbor's  corn-fieM 
to  steal  the  grain,  one  day  took  his  son 
with  him,  a  boy  eight  years  of  age. 
The  father  told  him  to  hold  tlie  bag, 
while  he  looked  if  any  one  was  near  to 
see  him.  After  standing  on  the  fence, 
and  peeping  through  all  the  corn-rows, 
he  returned  to  take  the  bag  from  the 
child,  and  began  his  sinful  work. 
"  Father,"  said  the  hoy,  "  you  forgot  to 
look  somewhere  else."  The  man  drop- 
ped the  bag  in  a  fWght,  and  said,  "  which 
way,'  child  ?"  supposing  he  had  seen 
some  one.  "  Tou  forgot  to  look  up  to 
the  sky,  to  see  if  God  was  noticing 
you."  The  father  felt  this  reproof  of 
the  child  so  much,  that  he  left  the  corn, 
returned   home,  and   never  again  ven- 


tured to  steal ;  remembering  the  truth 
his  child  had  taught  him,  that  the  eye 
of  God  always  beholds  us. 

(c)  WHERE  AND  WHERE  NOT 
IS  GOD  ? — A  child,  six  years  of  age, 
being  introduced  into  company,  was 
askod,  by  a  clergyman,  where  God  was, 
with  the  offer  of  an  orange.  "  Tell 
2ne,"  replied  the  boy,  "  where  he  is  not, 
and  I  will  give  you  two." 

(d)  THOUGHT  FOR  A  FREE- 
THINKER.—Collins,  the  freethinker, 
or  deist,  met  a  plain  countryman  going 
to  church.  He  asked  him  where  he 
was  going.  "  To  church,  sir."  "  What 
to  do  there?"  "To  worship  God." 
"  Pray,  whether  is  your  God  a  great  or 
a  little  God?"  "He  is  both,  sir." 
"  How  can  he  be  both  ?"  "  He  is  so 
great,  sir,  that  the  heaven  of  heavens 
cannot  contain  him ;  and  so  little  that 
he  can  dwell  in  my  heart."  Collins 
declared,  that  this  simple  answer  from 
the  countryman  had  more  effect  upon 
his  mind  than  all  the  volumes  which 
learned  doctors  had  written  against 
him. 


PAPACY. 


298.  Fanaticism  and  Cruelty. 

(a)  BONNER'S  TREATMENT 
OF  CRANMER — After  Archbishop 
Cranmer  had  been  condemned,  in  the 
beginning  of  Queen  Mary's  reign,  to 
suffer  death,  they  proceeded  afterwards 
to  degrade  him.  To  make  this  appear 
as  ridiculous  as  possible,  they  put  on 
him  an  episcopal  habit  made  of  canvas 
and  old  rags ;  Bonner,  in  the  mean- 
time, by  way  of  insult  and  mockery, 
called  him  Mr.   Canierhury,  and  such 


like.  He  bore  all  with  his  wonted  for- 
titude and  patience  ;  telling  them,  the 
degradation  gave  him  no  concern,  for 
he  had  long  despised  these  ornaments. 
When  they  had  stript  him  of  all  his 
habits,  they  put  upon  his  jacket  an  old 
gown,  threadbare  and  ill-shaped,  and  a 
townsman's  cap,  and  so  delivered  him 
to  the  secular  power,  to  be  carried  back 
to  prison,  where  he  was  kept  entirely 
destitute  of  money,  and  totally  secluded 
from  his  friends.  Such  was  the  iniqui- 
ty of  the  times,  that  a  gentleman  who 
579 


298 


PAPACY. 


gave  him  a  little  money  to  buy  some 
provisions,  narrowly  escaped  being 
brought  to  trial  for  it. 

(5)  THE  IRISH  LAD  AND  THE 
PRIEST.— The  following  striking  an- 
ecdote of  a  papal  priest  and  a  clergy- 
man's son,  was  related  by  William 
Digby  Seymour,  Esq.,  a  young  Irish 
barrister,  at  an  Anniversary  of  the 
"  Irish  Society  of  London." 

The  boy  was  taking  a  walk,  when  a 
father-confessor  of  an  adjoining  parish 
met  him;  and  when  he  had  spoken 
awhile  with  him,  he  said,  "  You're  a 
smart  lad  you  young  heretic  !  Do  you 
know,  I'd  eat  meat  nine  Fridays  run- 
ning to  coax  you  into  Maynooth  ?" 
"  Would  you  ?"  replied  the  youngster ; 
"I'd  do  more  ;  I'd  fast  every  Friday  of 
my  life  to  coax  Maynooth  into  the  Shan- 
non." The  priest  was  surprised  at  this 
sally.  He  spoke  with  the  lad  some 
minutes  longer,  and,  when  going  off,  he 
presented  him  with  a  half-crown,  say- 
ing, he  gave  because  the  other  was  "  the 
very  picture  of  his  poor,  dear,  departed 
grandmother  !"  The  boy  took  the  half- 
crown,  and  said,  he  would  put  it  into 
his  papa's  collection  box  for  the  Irish 
Society.  This  enraged  the  priest.  The 
face  of  the  holy  father,  proceeded  Mr. 
Seymour,  blazed  till  ignition  was  mo- 
mentarily threatened :  an  anathema  of 
pious  vengeance  burst  from  his  lips  : — 
"  My  curse, — the  Virgin's  curse — the 
curse  of  Peter  and  Paul, — the  curse  of 
the  Church  and  martyrs,  be  upon  that 
Society  !"  he  shouted  ;  "  may  a  blight 
and  a  blast  be  upon  it !  It  took  from  me 
the  best  Catholic  in  my  parish  to  be  a 
Scripture-reader  last  week,  and  he'll 
steal  them  all  from  me  before  this  time 
twelvemonth.  So,  you  young  repro- 
bate, you're  going  to  abuse  my  kind- 
ness this  way !  You'll  not  take  your 
life  and  your  half-crown  together  from 
this  till  you  swear  on  this  blessed  cross 
(taking  one  from  his  breast)  that  you 
will  not  give  my  money  to  such  an  in- 
fernal purpose."  So  saying,  and  with  a 
furious  imprecation,  he  sprang  off  the 
saddle.  It  was  truly  a  wild  and  pain- 
ful scene!  There  stood  the  weeping 
boy  and  the  man  !  the  boy  so  bewilder- 
ed as  to  forget  restoring  the  coin  ;  the 
priest  so  frenzied  with  religious  ardor 
580 


as  to  forget  he  was  before  a  child. 
There  they  stood,  for  a  moment  only. 
The  savage  man  had  an  Irish  heart ; 
the  tears  of  childhood  fell  upon  that 
breast  and  melted  it  to  softness.  The 
priest  re-mounted  his  horse  and  bade 
the  last  adieu  forever.  The  priest's 
curse  fell  where  it  was  uttered.  The 
arrow  touched  not  the  Society,  for  the 
breath  of  God's  blessing  wafted  it  aside. 
The  priest  has  since  been  gathered  to 
them  that  sleep.  He  died  a  penitent. 
Oh !  may  he  awake  to  glory.  But 
what  of  the  boy  ?  Some  kind  voice 
here  may  ask — "  What  of  the  boy?" 
He  lives,  my  friends ;  he  lives  to  muse 
full  oft  on  that  eventful  scene.  He 
lives  to  pray  for  the  Society  he  much 
Irtved  then,  and  loves  much  now.  He 
lives  to  thank  England's  people  for 
tlieir  zeal  in  that  Society's  behalf,  and 
to  Urge  them  to  continue  in  the  noble 
work  of  giving  Irishmen  the  Bible  ;  of 
giving  <>,hildren  their  Father's  will  in  a 
copy  they  can  understand  ;  of  giving 
the  bondmen  of  Rome  the  Magna  Char- 
ta  of  Protes\ant  liberty.  Full  of  grati- 
tude for  the  past,  and  full  of  hopes  for 
the  future,  it  is  he  who  now  addresses 
you. 

(c)  DON  PEDRO'S  CONFESSION. 
— Don  Pedro,  one  of  the  Spanish  cap- 
tains  taken  by  Sir  F.  Drake,  being  ex- 
amined before  the  Lords  of  the  Privy 
Council  as  to  what  was  their  design  of 
invading  us,  replied,  "  To  subdue  the 
nation  and  root  it  out."  "  And  what 
meant  you,"  said  the  lords,  "  to  do  with 
the  Catholics  ?"  "  To  send  them  good 
men,"  says  he,  "  directly  to  heaven, 
and  you  heretics  to  hell."  "  For  what 
end  were  your  whips  of  cord  and  wire  ?" 
"  To  whip  you  heretics  to  death." 
"  What  would  you  have  done  with  the 
young  children  ?"  "  Those  above  sev- 
en years  old  should  have  gone  the  way 
their  fathers  went :  the  rest  should  have 
lived  in  perpetual  bondage,  branded  in 
the  forehead  with  the  letter  L.  for  Lu- 
theran." 

(d)  DECLARATION  OF  FRAN- 
CIS  I. — Francis  I,  king  of  France, 
used  to  declare,  "  that  if  he  thought  the 
blood  in  his  arm  was  tainted  with  the 
Lutheran  heresy,  he  would  have  it  cut 

I  off;  and  that  he  would  not  spare  even 


FANATICISM  AND  CRUELTY. 


298 


his  own  children  if  they  entertained 
sentiments  contrary  to  the  Catholic 
Church." 

(e)  WORKING  ON  SAINT'S 
DAY. — A  historian  who  lived  at  the 
period  of  the  Norman  conquest,  in  men- 
tioning some  kings  of  England  before 
Alfred,  was  apprehended  for  working 
on  a  saint's  day  ;  and,  being  asked  why 
he  gave  such  offence  to  religion,  his  re- 
ply was,  "  I  am  a  poor  man,  and  have 
nothing  but  my  labor  to  depend  upon  ; 
necessity  requires  that  I  should  be  in- 
dustrious, and  my  conscience  tells  me 
there  is  no  day  but  the  Sabbath  which  1 
ought  to  keep  sacred  from  labor."  Hav- 
ing thus  expressed  himself,  he  was 
committed  to  prison,  and  being  brought 
to  trial,  was,  by  his  iniquitous  judges, 
condemned  to  be  burnt. 

(/)  THE  INDIAN'S  DISLIKE 
OF  HEAVEN.— The  Spaniards,  by 
their  cruelty  to  the  natives  of  the  island 
of  Cuba,  rendered  themselves  odious, 
and  excited  in  the  minds  of  the  inhabit- 
ants the  strongest  prejudices  against 
their  religion.  A  chief,  who  had  been 
condemned  to  be  burnt,  when  brought 
to  the  stake  was  exhorted  to  embrace 
Christianity,  assured  that  thereby  he 
would  be  admitted  to  heaven.  The 
chief  asked  if  there  were  any  Spaniards 
in  heaven.  "  Yes,"  said  the  priest  who 
attended  him,  "but  they  are  all  good 
ones."  The  chief  replied,  "  I  cannot 
bring  myself  to  go  to  a  place  where  I 
should  meet  with  but  one  ;  therefore,  do 
not  speak  to  me  any  more  of  your  reli- 
gion, but  let  me  die." 

ig)  DRUNK  WITH  THE  BLOOD 
OF  THE  SAINTS.— According  to  the 
calculation  of  some,  about  two  hundred 
thousand  suffered  death  in  seven  years, 
under  Pope  Julian  ;  no  less  than  a  hun- 
dred thousand  were  massacred  by  the 
French  in  the  space  of  three  months  ; 
the  Waldenses  who  perished,  amounted 
to  one  million ;  within  thirty  years,  the 
Jesuits  destroyed  nine  hundred  thou- 
sand ;  under  the  Duke  of  Alva,  thirty- 
six  thousand  were  executed  by  the  com- 
mon hangman  ;  a  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  perished  in  the  inquisition ; 
and  a  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  by 
the  Irish  massacre ;  besides  the  vast 
multitude  of  whom  the  world  could  nev- 


er be  particularly  informed,  who  were 
proscribed,  banished,  burned,  starved, 
buried  alive,  smothered,  suffocated, 
drowned,  assassinated,  chained  to  the 
galleys  for  life,  or  immured  within  the 
horrid  walls  of  the  Bastile,  or  others  of 
their  church  or  state  prisons.  Ac- 
cording to  some,  the  whole  number  of 
persons  massacred  since  the  rise  of  Pa- 
pacy, amounts  to  fifty  millions  ! 

(h)  WAY  THEY  WOULD  SERVE 
HERETICS.— A  correspondent  of  the 
Protestant  Vindicator,  says : 

A  lady  who  lived  in  Kingston,  L^.  C, 
told  me  she  formerly  belonged  to  the 
Roman  church.  A  large  family  Bible  had 
been  given  her,  a  heretic  Bible,  or  the 
word  of  God,  in  which  were  entered  the 
names  of  all  her  family,  her  marriage, 
births,  &c.,  and  for  which  she  felt  much 
veneration  and  regard.  The  Vicar 
General  or  Priest  came  to  her  house, 
saw  the  venerable  book,  asked  what  it 
was,  of  which  he  obtained  a  complete 
history — he  said, "  For  shame  ! — What ! 
you  pretend  to  be  a  good  Catholic,  and 
have  a  vile  Jieretic  Bible  in  your  house 
— I  am  astonished  at  you  :  send  it  out 
— send  it  out  immediately,  or  the  thing 
will  bring  a  curse  upon  you,  and  all 
your  family.  She  said  she  wished  to 
keep  it,  on  account  of  the  names  of  all 
her  family  being  inserted  in  it.  He 
replied,  oh  !  never  mind  that,  you  must 
not  keep  the  foolish  thing  in  your  house, 
it  will  spoil  you,  and  all  your  children. 
He  left  the  house  in  a  rage,  and  then 
sent  a  person,  who  demanded  and  real- 
ly took  from  her,  her  valuable  treasure, 
her  Bible. 

She  also  sent  some  of  her  children  to 
a  Protestant  Sunday  School — they  conse,- 
quently  had  Tracts,  and  Sunday  School 
books  given  to  them.  He  took  away  all 
the  poor  children's  books — had  a  fire 
kindled  in  some  part  of  the  Popish  chap- 
el ;  called  a  meeting,  and  himself  tore 
the  little  books  to  pieces,  leaf  after  leaf: 
and  threw  them  into  the  flames,  saying, 
thus  we  serve  heretic  books,  and  thus 
ought  all  heretics  to  be  served. 

{i)  KILL  THEM  ALL.— The  Al- 
bigensian  war,  in  the  beginning  of  the 
thirteenth  century,  commenced  with  the 
storming  of  Bezieres,  and  a  massacre 
in  which  fifteen  thousand  persons,  or, 
581 


29$ 


PAPACY. 


according  to  some  accounts,  sixty  thou- 
sand, were  put  to  the  sword.  Not  a 
living  soul  escaped,  as  witnesses  assure 
us.  It  was  here  that  a  Cistercian  Monk, 
who  led  on  the  Crusaders,  being  asked 
if  the  Catholics  were  to  be  distinguished 
from  heretics,  answered,  "Kill  them 
all!  God  will  know  his  own." 

(j)  THE  HERMIT  OF  LIVRY.— 
In  the  forest  of  Livry,  three  leagues 
distant  from  Paris,  and  not  far  from  the 
site  of  an  ancient  abbey  of  the  order  of 
St.  Augustin,  lived  a  hermit,  who  having 
chanced  in  his  wanderings  to  fall  in 
with  some  of  the  men  of  Meaux,  had 
received  the  truth  of  the  Gospel  into  his 
heart.  The  poor  hermit  had  felt  him- 
self rich  indeed  that  day  in  his  solitary 
retreat,  when,  along  with  the  scanty 
dole  of  bread  which  public  charity  had 
afforded  him,  he  brought  home  Jesus 
Christ  and  his  grace.  He  understood 
from  that  time  how  much  better  it  is  to 
give  than  to  receive.  He  went  from 
cottage  to  cottage  in  the  villages  around, 
and  as  soon  as  he  crossed  the  thres- 
hold, began  to  speak  to  the  poor  peasants 
of  the  gospel,  and  the  free  pardon  which 
it  offers  to  every  burdened  soul,  a  par- 
don infinitely  more  precious  than  any 
priestly  absolution.  The  good  hermit 
of  Livry  was  soon  widely  known  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Paris;  many  came  to 
visit  him  at  his  poor  hermitage,  and  he 
discharged  the  office  of  a  kind  and 
faithful  missionary  to  the  simple-minded 
in  all  the  adjacent  districts. 

It  was  not  lonnr  before  intellicrence  of 
what  was  doing  by  the  new  evangelist 
reached  the  ear  of  the  Sorbonne,  and  the 
magistrates  of  Paris.  The  hermit  was 
seized — dragged  from  his  hermitage — 
from  his  forest — from  the  fields  he  had 
daily  traversed, — thrown  into  a  dungeon 
in  that  great  city  which  he  had  always 
shunned, — brought  to  judgment, — con- 
victed, — and  sentenced  to  "the  exem- 
plary punishment  of  being  burnt  by  a 
slow  fire." 

In  order  to  render  the  example  the 
more  striking,  it  was  determined  that  he 
should  be  burnt  in  the  close  of  Notre 
Dame;  before  that  celebrated  cathe- 
dral, which  typifies  the  majesty  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church.  The  whole 
dTthe  clergy  were  convened,  and  a  de- 
582 


gree  of  pomp  was  displayed  equal  to 
that  of  the  most  solemn  festivals.  A 
desire  was  shown  to  attract  all  Paris, 
if  possible,  to  the  place  of  execution. 
"  The  great  bell  of  the  church  of  Notre 
Dame  swinging  heavily,"  says  an  his- 
torian, "to  rouse  the  people  all  over 
Paris."  And  accordingly  from  every 
surrounding  avenue,  the  people  came 
flocking  to  the  spot.  The  deep-toned 
reverberations  of  the  bell  made  the 
workman  quit  his  task,  the  student  cast 
aside  his  books,  the  shop-keeper  forsake 
his  traffick,  the  soldier  start  from  the 
guard-room  bench, — and  already  the 
close  was  filled  with  a  dense  crowd, 
which  was  continually  increasing.  The 
hermit  attired  in  the  robes  appropriated 
to  obstinate  heretics,  bareheaded,  and 
with  bare  feet,  was  led  out  before  the 
doors  of  the  cathedral.  Tranquil,  firm, 
and  collected,  he  replied  to  the  exhorta- 
tions of  the  confessors,  who  presented 
him  with  the  crucifix,  only  by  declaring 
that  his  hope  rested  solely  on  the  mercy 
of  God.  The  doctors  of  the  Sorbonne, 
who  stood  in  the  front  rank  of  the  spec- 
tators, observing  his  constancy,  and  the 
effect  it  produced  upon  the  people,  cried 
aloud — "  He  is  a  man  foredoomed  to 
the  fires  of  hell."  The  clang  of  the 
great  bell,  which  all  this  while  was 
rung  with  a  rolling  stroke,  while  it 
stunned  the  ears  of  the  multitude,  served 
to  heighten  the  solemnity  of  that  mourn- 
ful spectacle.  At  length  the  bell  was 
silent, — and  the  martyr  having  answer- 
ed the  last  interrogatory  of  his  adver- 
saries, by  saying  that  he  was  resolved 
to  die  in  the  faith  of  his  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  underwent  his  sentence  of  being 
"  burnt  by  a  slow  fire."  And  so,  in 
the  cathedral  close  of  Notre  Dame,  be- 
neath the  stately  towers  erected  by  the 
piety  of  Louis  the  younger,  amidst  the 
cries  and  tumultuous  excitement  of  a 
vast  population,  died  peaceably,  a  man 
whose  name  history  has  not  deigned  to 
transmit  to  us, — "the  hermit  of  Livry." 
(k)  OCCURRENCE  IN  CUBA.— 
In  December,  1830,  (says  a  traveler,) 
I  went  to  Cuba,  with  an  intention  of  re- 
maining at  Havanna  some  months  in 
the  transaction  of  business.  On  one 
of  the  Popish  festival  days,  about  the 
new-year,  I  was  walking  alone,  when  I 


HOSTILITY  TO  THE  BIBLE. 


399 


met  two  shaven-crowned  Jesuits  in  their 
long  cloaks — one  bearing  an  image  of 
the  Virgin  Mary,  and  the  other  carry- 
ing in  his  hand  a  crucifix.  They  im- 
mediately assailed  me,  and  insisted  that 
I  should  fall  down  on  my  knees  to 
honor  the  image.  I  resisted  their  de- 
mand to  comply  with  this  baneful  abo- 
mination. In  consequence  of  my  re- 
fusal, one  of  the  priests  struck  me 
several  times  with  the  crucifix.  When 
I  attempted  to  ward  off  the  blows,  the 
other  Jesuit  came  to  his  assistance ; 
upon  which  I  laid  hold  of  the  image, 
and  the  idol  was  almost  pulled  to  pieces 
in  the  scuffle.  In  a  very  short  time,  a 
number  of  Spaniards  with  their  knives 
and  dirks  came  around  me,  and  after 
threatening  to  take  my  life  upon  the 
spot,  dragged  me  to  prison.  Then  the 
monks,  who  judged  the  cause,  con- 
demned me  to  be  kept  on  board  a 
Spanish  man-of-war  for  life ;  but  the 
consul,  to  whom  I  applied  for  protection, 
preserved  me,  so  that  my  punishment 
was  changed  to  pay  thirty-four  dollars 
fine,  and  to  be  reshipped  back  to  Ame- 
rica. 


299.  Hostility  to  the  Bible. 

(a)  ADVICE  OF  THE  BOHEMIAN 
BISHOPS.— It  is  stated,  in  the  life  of 
Ridley  the  reformer,  that,  in  October, 
1553,  a  closet  council  of  Roman  bish- 
ops was  held  at  Bononia,  to  advise  the 
pope  as  the  best  means  of  checking 
the  progress  of  the  reformation.  After 
making  many  very  curious  concessions, 
the  bishops  of  Termula?,  Capralae,  and 
Thessalonica,  thus  concluded  their  ad- 
dress to  Pope  Julius  III : — "  But  we 
have  reserved  the  most  considerable 
advice,  which  we  could  at  this  time 
give  your  highness,  to  the  last.  And 
here  you  must  be  awake,  and  exert  all 
your  force  to  hinder,  as  much  as  you 
possibly  can,  the  gospel  from  being 
read,  (especially  in  the  vulgar  tongue,) 
in  all  the  cities  that  are  under  your 
dominion.  Let  that  little  taste  of  it 
which  they  have  in  the  mass  serve  their 
turn,  nor  suffer  any  mortal  to  read  any 
thing  more ;  for  as  long  as  men  were 
contented  with  that  little,  things  went 


to  your  mind,  but  grew  worse  and  worse 
from  the  time  that  they  commonly  read 
more.  This,  in  short,  is  the  book  that 
has,  beyond  all  others,  raised  these 
storms  and  tempests,  in  which  we  are 
almost  driven  to  destruction.  And 
really,  whosoever  shall  diligently  weigh 
the  Scripture,  and  then  consider  all  the 
things  that  are  usually  done  in  our 
churches,  will  find  that  there  is  a  great 
difference  between  them ;  and  that  this 
doctrine  of  ours  is  very  unlike,  and  in 
many  things  quite  repugnant  to  it." 

{h)  PRIEST  BURNING  THE  BI- 
BLE.— In  the  year  1833,  a  poor  family 
in  Ireland,  of  the  name  of  M'Gennis, 
was  greatly  distressed  by  the  painful 
illness  of  a  young  girl,  who,  after  linger- 
ing some  time,  gave  signs  of  approach- 
ing dissolution.  She  was  attended  by 
the  priests  of  the  Romish  church,  to 
which  the  family  belonged,  one  of  whom 
discovered,  shortly  before  her  decease, 
that  she  had  repaired  for  support  and 
comfort  in  her  affliction  to  a  forbidden 
source.  In  the  wretched  hut  was  a 
Bible,  which  the  sufferer  had  received 
as  a  reward,  at  a  Protestant  minister's 
free  school ;  and  the  priest  commanded 
that  it  should  be  instantly  destroyed. 
The  dying  girl  shuddered;  the  aged 
parent  entreated  that  the  book  might  be 
spared  ;  but  he  was  inexorable,  and  de- 
manded that  it  should  be  burned  in  his 
presence.  The  father  now  declared 
that  it  should  not  be  done  under  his 
roof;  and  the  incensed  priest,  rushing 
from  the  hut  with  the  Bible  in  his 
hand,  placed  it  upon  a  fire  of  turf, 
kindled  in  the  open  air,  and  thus  deli- 
berately destroyed  it  in  the  daytime,  in 
the  presence  of  numbers,  and  in  the 
high  road  !     Nor  is  this  a  solitary  case. 

(c)  ENOUGH  BAD  BOOKS  AL- 
READY.— The  following  is  from  '' Les 
Archives  du  Christianistne,''  a  French 
religious  monthly  publication : 

We  can  attest  the  truth  of  the  follow- 
ing  fact.  At  a  sale,  made  after  the 
death  of  the  minister  of  the  village  of 
Dosenheim,  (Lower  Rhin-e,)  when  the 
books  of  the  deceased  were  about  to  be 
sold,  the  Romish  minister  of  a  neighbor- 
ing parish  seized  a  volume,  declaring 
that  there  were  enough  of  bad  books  in 
the  world  already,  and  this  should  not 
583 


299,  300 


PAPACY. 


be  sold.  It  was  not  sold,  and  the  reader 
will  be  more  afflicted  than  surprised,  to 
hear,  that  this  bad  book  (as  he  called 
it)  was  the  New  Testament  of  our  Lord 
and  Savior  Jesus  Christ ! 

(d)  "  SINCE  ADAM  WAS  A  BOY." 
— Who  would  belong  to  a  church  which 
withholds  from  its  members  the  inspired 
volume  ?  We  copy  the  following  fact 
from  a  periodical  called  "  The  Thistle," 
published  in  1836 : 

Not  long  since,  when  priest  W.,  of 
Corofin,  was  passing  by  some  men  and 
boys  who  were  engaged  in  breaking 
stones  for  a  new  road,  now  in  progress 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Carhue,  he  said, 
that  the  road  there  would  be  of  great 
use  ;  "  and  it  is  a  long  time,"  said  he, 
"since  there  was  a  road  in  this  place." 
"Not  since  Adam  was  a  boy,"  re- 
marked one  of  the  men,  "  And  when 
was  that  ?  can  you  tell  me  ?"  said 
priest  W.  "  No,  sir,  I  cannot,"  replied 
the  man.  The  same  question  was  asked 
of  several  persons,  and  a  similar  reply 
given.  At  length  the  priest  turned  to  a 
young  boy,  and  said,  "  Can  you  tell  me, 
my  lad,  when  Adam  was  a  boy  ?" 
"Sir,  Adam  never  was  a  boy;  God 
created  him  man,  and  made  him  perfect 
also."  "Are  ye  not  ashamed,"  said 
the  priest,  "  to  be  excelled  by  a  young 
boy  like  this  ?"  "  No,"  answered  one 
of  those  appealed  to,  "  we  are  not ;  that 
boy  reads  the  Scriptures,  and  has  them 
explained  to  him ;  that  is  what  is  not 
done  to  us,  and  we  are  prevented  from 
reading  them  ourselves."  Priest  W. 
rode  away  without  making  any  reply. 

(e)  THE  ARROGANT  AVOWAL. 
— An  English  officer,  who  was  once  at 
Valenciennes,  states  the  following  fact, 
which  came  under  his  own  observation. 
A  number  of  Bibles  in  French  had  been 
sent  from  England  to  the  above  city, 
for  sale  or  distribution.  Many  of  the 
people  received  them  with  gratitude, 
and  read  them  with  avidity ;  but  the 
priest  getting  information  of  the  matter, 
ordered  all  the  Bibles  to  be  returned. 
The  English  officer,  who  was  acquainted 
with  him,  asked  the  reason  of  this,  to 
which  he  gave  the  following  truly 
Popish  reply: — "J  teach  the  people 
every  thing  that  is  necessary  for  them 
to  know  I" 

584 


(/)  THE  PRIEST  OUTWITTED. 

— An  elderly  female,  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  persuasion,  residing  near  Mont- 
real, in  Canada,  having  obtained  a 
Bible,  was  visited  by  her  priest,  who 
earnestly  endeavored  to  prevail  on  her 
to  give  it  up.  Finding  he  could  not 
persuade  her  to  relinquish  her  treasure, 
he  attempted  to  induce  her  to  sell  it ; 
offering  first  five,  then  ten,  fifteen,  and 
at  last  twenty  dollars.  The  good  wo- 
man, after  refusing  these  offers,  at 
length  consented  to  sell  it  for  twenty- 
five  dollars.  The  priest  agreed,  the 
money  was  paid,  the  obnoxious  volume 
was  given  up,  and  he  departed  in 
triumph.  But  the  old  woman  set  olf 
immediately  to  Montreal,  and,  with  the 
priest's  twenty-five  dollars,  purchased 
twenty-five  new  Bibles,  for  herself  and 
her  neighbors. 

m.  Idolatry. 

(a)  VIRGIN  OF  GAUDALOUPE. 

— About  ten  years  after  what  the  Span- 
iards call  "  The  Conquest, "  the  cele- 
brated apparition  of  the  Virgin  de  Gau- 
daloupe,  made  its  appearance  in  the  fol- 
lowing manner.  Adjacent  to  the  city 
of  Mexico  is  a  hill  entirely  barren ; 
an  Indian  accidentally  passing  heard 
sounds  of  music,  and,  at  the  same  time, 
saw  an  aerial  female  figure  in  a  pray- 
ing attitude.  The  Indian,  alarmed  at 
the  vision,  fled ;  btit  passing  near  the 
hill  a  few  days  afterwards,  the  same 
strange  occurrence  again  took  place. 
The  figure  called  him  by  name,  and 
told  him  to  repair  to  the  spot  on  a  cer- 
tain day,  and  he  would  find  her  picture 
buried  under  a  heap  of  roses ; — he  did 
so,  and  met  with  it  as  directed.  The 
Indian  carried  this  mysterious  figure  to 
the  Bishop  of  Mexico,  who  was,  of 
course,  in  the  secret.  A  solemn  con- 
clave of  the  clergy  took  place,  and  the 
Bishop,  with  the  most  profound  rever- 
ence, knelt  before  the  picture  and  nam- 
ed it  Neuestra  Senora  de  Gaudaloupe. 
A  magnificent  church  was  built  for  her 
reception,  and  she  received  the  exalted 
title  of  ^^  Patroness  of  Mexico,  ^^  which 
she  enjoys  to  the  present  day.  This  is 
the  origin  of  the  Virgin  de  Gaudaloupe, 
conformably  to  the  records  of  the  church 


IDOLATRY. 


300 


now  existing  at  Mexico.  The  original 
picture  is  still  exhibited  in  the  Virgin's 
Church  ;  it  is  painted  on  a  cloth  of  lin- 
en manufacture,  called  "  Uangochi,  " 
composed  of  coarse  threads  spun  from 
the  fibres  of  the  alos  (Agava  Ameri- 
cana)  and  woven  very  wide  apart. 
The  Indians  and  the  Creoles  say,  that 
the  picture  is  miraculous,  because,  as 
you  approach  it,  the  painting  becomes 
less  visible,  and  when  quite  close  all 
traces  of  the  picture  disappear ;  their 
blind  superstition  not  permitting  them 
to  discover  that  the  open  texture  of  the 
material  upon  which  it  is  painted,  is 
the  cause  of  this  disappearance. 

A  priest  told  the  writer  of  the 
above,  another  circumstance  respecting 
the  Virgin,  respecting  another  part  of 
the  miracle,  viz.,  that  the  picture  was 
found  under  a  heap  of  roses  in  the 
winter  season,  and  on  a  spot  where 
those  flowers  had  never  bloomed.  It 
never  occurred  to  the  priest  that,  a  few 
leagues  from  this  barren  hill  the  climate 
was  quite  different  and  where  roses 
grow  throughout  the  year.  Conse- 
quently the  persons  who  painted  the  pic- 
ture of  the  Virgin  did  not  require  any 
celestial  aid  to  procure  a  bed  of  roses. 

In  such  veneration  do  the  Indians 
and  lower  order  of  Creoles  (and  indeed 
many  of  the  middling  and  higher  class- 
es,) hold  their  patroness,  that  they 
have  paintings  of  her  in  all  their  hous- 
es, invoke  her  in  all  their  prayers,  and 
implore  her  assistance  in  all  their  dif- 
ficulties. 

{b)  NEW-FOUND  IMAGE.— Says 
the  Rev.  Blanco  White,  "  I  will  tell 
you  what  happened  at  Madrid,  during 
a  residence  of  three  years  which  I 
made  in  that  mast  Roman  Catholic  cap- 
ital. In  one  of  the  meanest  parts  of 
the  town  the  ragged  children,  who  are 
always  running  about  the  streets,  found 
an  old  picture  which  had  been  thrown, 
with  other  rubbish,  upon  a  dunghill. 
Not  knowing  what  the  picture  was, 
they  tied  to  it  a  piece  of  rope,  and 
were  dragging  it  about,  when  an  old 
woman  in  the  neighborhood  looked  at 
the  canvas,  and  found  upon  it  the  head 
of  a  Virgin  Mary.  Her  screams  of 
horror  at  the  profanation  which  she  be- 
held scared  away  the  children,  and  the 


old  woman  was  left  in  possession  of  the 
treasure.  The  gossips  of  the  neigh- 
borhood were  anxious  to  make  some 
amends  to  the  picture  for  the  past  ne- 
glect and  ill-treatment,  and  they  all 
contributed  towards  the  expense  of 
burning  a  lamp,  day  and  night,  before 
it,  in  the  old  woman's  house.  A  priest 
getting  scent  of  what  was  going  on, 
took  the  scratched  virgin  under  his  pat- 
ronage, framed  the  canvas,  and  added 
another  light.  All  the  rich  folks  who 
heard  of  this  new-found  image  came  to 
pray  before  it,  and  gave  something  to 
the  priest  and  the  old  woman,  who  were 
now  in  close  partnership.  In  a  very 
short  time  the  amount  of  the  daily  dona- 
tions enabled  the  joint  proprietors  of  the 
picture  to  build  a  fine  chapel,  with  a 
comfortable  house  adjoining  it  for  them- 
selves. The  cliapel  was  crowded  from 
morning  till  night ;  not  a  female,  high 
or  low,  but  firmly  believed  that  her  life 
and  safety  depended  upon  the  favor  of 
that  particular  picture :  the  rich  en- 
deavored to  obtain  it  by  large  sums  of 
money  for  masses  to  be  performed,  and 
candles  to  be  burned  before  it ;  and  the 
poor  stinted  their  necessary  food  to 
throw  a  mite  into  the  box  which  hung 
at  the  door  of  the  chapel.  I  do  not  re- 
late to  you  old  stories ;  I  state  what  I 
myself  have  seen." 

(c)  ST.  PETER'S  TOE.— I  have 
seen  people,  says  a  traveler,  of  all  ranks 
and  ages  prostrate  themselves  before 
the  statue  of  St;  Peter  at  Rome,  and  af- 
ter saying  a  short  prayer  most  humbly 
kiss  his  toe.  To  such  an  extent  is  this 
carried,  that  the  great  toe  of  the  image 
(it  is  so  wretched  a  thing  I  can  hardly 
call  it  a  statue)  is  from  time  to  time 
worn  away,  and  the  brazier  is  called  in 
to  supply  another,  that  the  toe-worship- 
ers may  not  miss  the  object  of  their 
adoration.  But  a  letter  would  not  suf- 
fice to  tell  of  half  the  instances  that  I 
have  seen  acted  before  my  eyes  of  the 
most  degrading  superstition  and  image 
worship. 

(d)  "  IT  IS  NOT  MY  FAULT."— 
In  Lisbon  the  priests  once  found  or  pre- 
tended to  have  found  an  image,  dug  up 
from  the  earth,  and  proclaimed  it  to  be 
the  effigy  of  an  eminent  saint ;  it  was 
accordingly  set  up  io  one  of  the  churches, 

5S5 


300 


PAPACY. 


Is  Don  Mi  cruel  the  Sover- 
The  image   nodded   assent, 


where  crowds  of  devotees  assem- 
bled to  offer  their  devotions.  To  his 
saintship  was  also  referred  the  de- 
cision of  the  disputed  point,  "  who  was 
the  legitimate  monarch  of  Portugal," 
The  officiating  priest  put  the  question  in 
an  audible  voice,  "  Is  Don  Pietro  the 
lawful  sovereign  of  these  realms  ?"  The 
saint  shook  his  head  as  a  negative  in- 
dication, 
eign  ?" 

This  was  repeated  on  various  occasions 
to  increased  congregations,  and  was 
considered  by  the  multitude  as  an  as- 
tonishing miracle.  At  one  time  in  the 
presence  of  our  informant,  the  first  in- 
quiry had  been  replied  to  as  usual ;  to 
the  second  no  answer  was  returned  ; 
upon  which  the  priest  several  times  re- 
peated the  question,  and  at  length  as- 
sumed great  vehemence  of  manner, 
when  a  boy  popped  out  his  head  from 
behind  the  curtain,  and  exclaimed,  "  It 
is  not  my  fault,  sir,  the  string  is 
broken,'' 

(e)  CORONATION  OF  THE 
VIRGIN.— The  following  is  a  transla- 
tion of  a  proclamation  for  the  corona- 
tion of  an  image  of  the  Virgin  :  — 

"  The  most  reverend  chapter  of  St. 
Peter's  at  Rome,  in  compliance  with 
the  will  of  the  count  Alexander  Sfbrza 
Pallavicini,  is  accustomed  to  distribute 
every  year  certain  crowns  of  gold,  to 
decorate  the  brows  of  those  images  of 
the  blessed  Virgin,  the  most  celebrated 
either  for  their  antiquity,  their  wondrous 
works,  (query,  prodigies  or  miracles  ?) 
or  for  their  popularity,  in  order  to  in- 
crease ever  more  and  more  the  worship 
of  such  images,  and  to  excite  the  piety 
and  devotion  of  the  faithful  towards  the 
great  mother  of  Grod. 

"  Now  the  above-mentioned  most 
reverend  chapter,  having  listened  to  the 
claims  urged  in  favor  of  the  image  of  the 
immaculate  conception,  which  is  adored 
in  the  church  of  Jesu  Vecchio,  in  Na- 
ples, represented  by  a  little  wooden 
statue,  three  feet  high,  with  an  infant 
Jesus  in  its  arms  ;  and  having  found 
these  claims  to  be  supported  by  satis- 
factory evidence  and  solid  documents, 
have  judged  it  right  to  award  a  golden 
crown,  not  only  to  the  image  of  the 
Virgin,  but  also  to  that  of  the  infant 
586 


Jesus  in  her  arms.  With  this  decision 
the  supreme  pontiff,  Leo  XII,  has  sig- 
nified his  approbation  in  his  apostolic 
brief,  (query,  bull  ?)  issued  on  the  2nd 
of  December,  1826 ;  and  he  has  not 
only  signified  his  approval  of  this  act, 
but  has  been  pleased  to  grant  an  abun- 
dant portion  of  grace  and  indulgence 
to  all  who  shall  assist  in  the  ceremony 
of  the  coronation,  or  be  present  in  the 
church  on  that  great  day."  Then  follow 
the  order  to  the  archbishop  to  do  it,  and 
the  approbation  of  the  king  of  Naples,  as 
well  as  all  the  prayers  and  hymns  that 
are  to  be  said  or  sung  to  this  little 
wooden  image,  before  and  after  the 
coronation,  etc.  etc. 

(/)  INFANT  JESUS  AT  ROME. 
— I  went  forth,  says  a  gentleman  on  the 
continent,  in  1825,  at  half  past  four  in 
the  morning,  to  see  an  exhibition,  v/hich 
is  made  at  one  of  the  first  cathedrals  in 
Rome,  (St.  Mary  the  greater,)  of  tiie 
infant  Jesus  in  the  cradle.  The  splen- 
did edifice  was  brilliantly  illuminated, 
and  crowded  to  excess :  a  large  body 
of  priests,  richly  arrayed,  with  a  mitred 
bishop  at  their  head  were  engaged  in  per- 
forming mass.  When  this  was  over,  they 
moved  in  procession  to  one  of  the  chapels, 
at  the  side  of  the  nave,  which  from  the 
lights,  the  marbles,  the  paintings,  and 
the  gilded  and  jeweled  altar,  presented 
a  gorgeous  spectacle  ;  hence  they  short- 
ly issued,  and  made  a  procession  round 
the  church  bearing  the  crucifix,  and  a 
large  vase  of  glass,  about  the  size  of  a 
cradle,  which  had  on  its  cover  the  golden 
image  of  a  child,  and  contained  also  a 
representation  of  a  new-born  infant,  in 
wax.  Returning  to  the  chapel,  the 
priests  commenced  another  mass. 
With  some  difficulty  we  got  admission 
to  the  chapel :  a  cordon  of  soldiers  be- 
ing drawn  round  the  entrance,  and  the 
multitude  pressing  to  see  through  the 
open  gates  the  exhibition  within.  We 
found,  under  the  altar-piece,  a  repre- 
sentation of  the  birth  of  Christ,  consist- 
ing of  figures  in  some  material  as  white 
as  alabaster  ;  the  infant  was  seen  lying 
in  the  manger,  with  rays  of  gold  round 
its  head,  and  two  oxen  feeding  near  it. 
On  one  side,  the  virgin  mother,  with 
clasped  hands,  was  worshiping  iho 
child  ;  and  on  the   opposite   side   was 


INDULGENCES. 


301 


another  figure  in  the  same  attitude. 
But  what  surprised  me  most  was  to  hear 
occasionally,  a  short  plaintive  cry,  evi- 
dently proceeding  from  that  part  of  the 
chapel  where  the  child  was,  and  so  ex- 
actly resembling  the  cry  of  an  infant, 
that  I  supposed  there  must  be  a  living 
child  in  the  place.  I  was  confirmed,  by 
the  opinion  of  those  around  me,  as  to 
the  quarter  from  whence  the  cry  pro- 
ceded  ;  and  1  can  therefore  only  con- 
jecture that  it  was  a  contrivance  of  the 
priests  to  impress  more  vividly  upon  the 
minds  of  the  multitude,  the  scene  which 
they  wished  to  represent ! 

SOI.  Indulgences. 

(a)  ST.  PETER'S   AT   ROME.— 

Pope  Julius  II  began  the  building  of 
the  magnificent  church  at  Rome,  but 
left  it  unfinished.  His  successor,  Leo 
X,  was  desirous  to  complete  this  superb 
edifice,  but  being  involved  in  debt, 
and  finding  the  apostolic  treasury  ex- 
hausted, he  had  recourse  to  the  selling 
of  indulgences,  a  gainful  traffic,  for  the 
procuring  a  sufficient  sum  of  money. 
Accordingly,  in  1517  he  published  gen- 
eral indulgences  throughout  all  Europe, 
to  such  as  would  contribute  to  the 
building  of  St.  Peter's.  The  sum  of 
ten  sliilUngs  was  sufficient  to  purchase 
the  pardon  of  sins,  and  the  ransom  of  a 
soul  from  purc^atory  ! 

{h)  ABSOLUTION  IN  ADVANCE. 
— When  Tetzel  was  at  Leipsic,  in  the 
sixteenth  century,  and  had  collected  a 
great  deal  of  money  from  all  ranks  of 
the  people,  a  nobleman,  who  suspected 
imposition,  put  the  question  to  him, 
"  Can  you  grant  absolution  for  a  sin 
which  a  man  shall  intend  to  commit  in 
future  ?"  "  Yes,"  replied  the  frontless 
commissioner ;  "  but  on  condition  that 
proper  sum  of  money  be  actually 
paid  down."  The  noble  instantly  pro- 
duced the  sum  demanded  ;  and  in  return 
received  a  diploma,  sealed  and  signed 
by  Tetzel,  absolving  him  from  the  un- 
explained crime,  which  he  secretly  in- 
tended to  commit.  Not  long  after,  when 
Tetzel  was  about  to  leave  Leipsic,  the  no- 
bleman made  inquiry  respecting  the  road 
he  would  probably  travel,  waited  for  him 
in  ambush  at  a  convenient  place,  attack- 


ed and  robbed  him ;  then  beat  him 
soundly  with  a  stick,  sent  him  back  to 
Leipsic  with  his  chest  empty,  and  at 
parting,  said,  "  This  is  the  fault  I 
intended  to  commit,  and  for  which  I 
have  your  absolution." 

(c)  SHOEMAKER  OF  HAG- 
ENAU. — The  dealers  in  indulgences 
had  established  themselves  at  Hagenau 
in  1517.  The  wife  of  a  shoemaker 
profiting  by  the  permission  given  in  the 
instruction  of  the  commissary-general, 
had  procured  against  her  husband's 
will,  a  letter  of  indulgence,  and  had 
paid  for  it  a  gold  florin.  Shortly  after, 
she  died  ;  and  the  widower  omitting  to 
have  mass  said  for  the  repose  of  her 
soul  the  curate  charged  him  with  con- 
tempt of  religion,  and  the  judge  of 
Hagenau  summoned  him  to  appear  be- 
fore him.  The  shoemaker  put  in  his 
pocket  his  wife's  indulgence,  and  re- 
paired to  the  place  of  summons.  '•'  Is 
your  wife  dead?"  asked  the  judge. 
"  Yes,"  answered  the  shoemaker. 
"  What  have  you  done  with  her  ?"  "I 
buried  her  and  commended  her  soul  to 
God."  "But  have  you  had  a  mass 
said  for  the  salvation  of  her  soul  ?"  "  I 
have  not — it  was  not  necessary  ; — she 
went  to  heaven  in  the  moment  of  her 
death."  How  do  you  know  that  " — 
"  Here  is  the  evidence  of  it."  The 
widower  drew  from  his  pocket  the  indul- 
gence, and  the  judge  in  presence  of  the 
curate,  read,  in  so  many  words,  that  in 
the  moment  of  death,  the  woman  who 
had  received  it  would  go,  not  into  pur- 
gatory, but  straight  into  heaven.  "  If 
the  curate  pretends  that  a  mass  is  neces- 
sary after  that,"  said  the  slioemaker, 
"  my  wife  has  been  cheated  by  our 
holy  father  the  Pope ;  but  if  she  has 
not  been  cheated,  then  the  curate  is  de- 
ceiving me."  There  was  no  reply  to 
this  defence,  and  the  accused  was  ac- 
quitted. It  was  thus  that  the  good 
sense  of  the  people  disposed  of  these  im- 
postures. 

{(l)  CROSS  IN  SWITZERLAND. 
— In  Switzerland,  says  Bishop  Wilson, 
we  actually  saw  on  a  cross,  by  the  road 
side,  this  notice :  "  The  archbishop  of 
Chamberry  and  the  bishop  of  Geneva 
grant  forty  days'  indulgence  to  all  those 
who  shall  say  before  this  cross  a  Pater, 
587 


301—303 


PAPACY. 


and  an  Ave-Maria,  with  an  act  of  con- 
trition, 1819." 

(e)  BLACKAMOOR  VIRGIN.— 
At  Dijon,  as  I  walked  along,  wrote  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Wilson,  bishop  of  Calcutta,  in 
1823,  I  observed  on  all  the  churches 
an  immense  placard.  I  stopped,  from 
mere  curiosity,  to  see  what  it  was.  It 
was  an  advertisement  of  a  new  edition 
of  the  History  of  the  Miraculous  Image 
of  Notre  Dame,  at  Dijon.  I  hurried  to 
the  church,  and  looked  all  around  :  I 
saw  a  gaudily  embellished  building, 
filled  with  altars,  and  pictures,  and 
statues,  but  no  image  that  I  could  dis« 
cover.  I  went  out  and  inquired  of  an 
elderly  woman.  She  took  me  up  to  an 
altar  on  which  was  the  statue  of  the 
Virgin,  resembling  that  of  a  blacka- 
moor, and  decked  out  with  tawdry  or- 
naments. I  afterwards  bought  the 
book  ;  it  positively  asserts  that  various 
miracles  have  been  performed  by  this 
wretched  figure !  Nay  more,  indul- 
gences are  granted  to  all  who  worship 
this  image,  and  a  society  is  formed  to 
celebrate  feasts  to  her  honor.  As  the 
image  is  black,  the  author  attempts  to 
prove,  very  gravely,  that  the  Virgin 
Mary  was  of  a  swarthy  complexion ! 

SOi  Confession  and  Absolution. 

(a)  FREE  SPOKEN  AMBASSA- 
DOR. —  After  the  death  of  Charles 
VI,  the  Spanish  Ambassador,  Don  Pe- 
dro Rouguillo,  at  his  first  audience  of 
the  new  king  James  VI,  being  request- 
ed to  state  freely  his  opinion  of  the 
state  of  affairs  in  England,  his  excel- 
lency told  James,  "  that  he  saw  several 
priests  about  his  majesty,  who  would 
importune  him  to  alter  the  established  re- 
ligion in  England,  but  prayed  him  not  to 
hearkep  to  their  advice,  lest  his  majesty 
should  repent  of  it  when  it  was  too 
late."  The  king  being  a  good  deal 
displeased  with  this  counsel,  asked  the 
ambassador  with  some  zeal,  "  whether 
it  was  not  customary  in  Spain  to  advise 
with  their  confessors  ?"  "  Yes,  sir," 
replied  the  ambassador,  "we  do  so,  and 
that's  the  reason  our  affairs  succeed  so 
ill." 

{b)  A  PENITENT  ROGUE.— A 
Roman  Catholic,  who  had  filled  up  the 
588 


measure  of  his  iniquities,  as  far  as  he 
dared,  went  to  the  priest,  to  confess  and 
obtain  absolution.  He  entered  the 
apartment  of  the  priest,  and  addressed 
him  :  "  Holy  father,  I  have  sinned." 

The  priest  bid  him  kneel  before  the 
penitential  chair.  The  penitent  was 
looking  about  and  he  saw  the  priest's 
gold  watch  lying  upon  the  table  within 
his  reach.  He  seized  it  and  put  it  in 
his  bosom.  The  priest  approached  him 
and  requested  him  to  acknowledge  the 
sins  for  which  he  wished  absolution. 

"  Father,"  said  the  rogue,  "  1  have 
stolen,  and  what  shall  I  do  ?" 

"  Restore,"  said  the  priest,  "  the  thing 
you  have  stolen,  to  its  rightful  owner." 

"  Do  you  take  it  ?"  said  the  penitent. 

"  No,  I  shall  not,"  said  the  priest  ; 
"  you  must  give  it  to  the  owner." 

"  But  he  has  refused  to  take  it." 

"  If  this  be  the  case  you  may  keep 
it." 

The  priest  granted  him  full  absolu- 
tion.— The  penitent  knelt  and  kissed  his 
hand,  craved  his  benediction,  crossed 
himself,  and  departed  with  a  clear  con- 
science, and  a  very  valuable  gold  watch 
into  the  bargain. 

§01  Inqoisilion. 

(a)  WHITE  AND  HIS  MOTHER. 

— Blanco  White  remarks,  "  Believe  a 
man,  who  has  spent  the  best  years  of 
his  life  where  Roman  Catholicism  is 
professed  without  the  check  of  dissent- 
ing opinions,  where  it  luxuriates  on  the 
soil  which  fire  and  sword  have  cleared 
of  whatever  might  stint  its  natural 
and  genuine  growth ;  a  growth  inces- 
santly watched  over  by  the  head  of  the 
church,  and  his  authorized  representa- 
tives, the  inquisitors." 

He  then  states,  "  I  had  a  mother,  re- 
markable for  the  powers  of  her  mind, 
and  the  goodness  of  her  heart.  No  wo- 
man could  love  her  children  more 
ardently,  and  none  of  those  children  was 
more  vehemently  loved  than  myself. 
But  the  Roman  Catholic  creed  had 
poisoned  in  her  the  purest  source  of 
affection.  I  saw  her  during  a  long 
period  unable  to  restrain  her  tears  in 
my  presence.  I  perceived  that  she 
shunned   my   conversation,    especially 


INQUISITION. 


S03 


when  my  university  friends  drew  me 
into  topics  above  those  of  domestic  talk. 
[  loved  her,  and  this  behavior  cut  me 
to  the  heart.  In  my  distress  I  applied 
to  a  friend  to  whom  she  used  to  commu- 
nicate all  hnr  sorrows  :  and,  to  my  ut- 
ter horror,  I  learned,  that  suspecting 
me  of  anti-catholic  principles,  my  mo- 
ther was  distracted  by  the  fear  that  she 
might  be  obliged  to  accuse  me  to  the 
Inquisition,  if  I  incautiously  uttered 
some   condemned    proposition    in  her 


presence 


To    avoid    the    barbarous 


necessity  of  being  the  instrument  of 
my  ruin,  she  could  find  no  other 
means  but  that  of  shunning  my  pre- 
sence !  Did  this  unfortunate  mother 
overrate  or  mistake  the  nature  of  her 
Roman  Catholic  duties  ?  By  no  means. 
The  Inquisition  was  established  by  the 
supreme  authority  of  her  church,  and 
under  that  authority  she  was  enjoined 
to  accuse  any  person  whatever,  whom 
she  might  overhear  uttering  heretical 
opinions.  No  exception  was  made  in 
favor  of  fathers,  children,  husbands, 
wives  ;  to  conceal  was  to  abet  their  er- 
rors, and  thus  doom  two  souls  to  eternal 
perdition  !  A  sentence  of  excommuni- 
cation,  to  be  incurred  by  the  fact  of 
having  thus  acted,  was  annually  pub- 
lished against  all  persons,  who  having 
heard  a  proposition,  directly  or  indirect- 
ly, contrary  to  the  Roman  Catholic  faith, 
omitted  to  inform  the  inquisitors  of  it. 
Could  any  sincere  Roman  Catholic 
slight  such  a  command  ?"  Protestants, 
what  think  ye  of  such  a  system  ? 

{h)  ADMIRAL  PYE  AND  THE 
INQUISITORS.— Admiral  Pye  of  Eng- 
land, having  been  on  a  visit  to  South- 
ampton, and  the  gentleman  under 
whose  roof  he  resided  observing  an  un- 
usual intimacy  between  him  and  his 
secretary,  inquired  into  the  degree  of 
their  relationship,  as  he  wished  to  pay 
him  suitable  attention.  The  admiral 
informed  him  that  they  were  not  relat- 
ed, but  their  intimacy  arose  from  a  sin- 
gular circumstance,  which,  by  his  per- 
mission, he  would  relate.  The  admiral 
said,  when  he  was  a  captain,  he  was 
cruising  in  the  Mediterranean.  While 
on  that  station  he  received  a  letter  from 
shore,  stating  that  the  unhappy  author 
of  the  letter  was  by  birth  an  English- 


man; that,  having  been  a  voyage  to 
Spain,  he  was  enticed,  while  there,  to 
become  a  Papist,  and,  in  process  of  time, 
was  made  a  member  of  the  Inquisition  ; 
that  there  he  beheld  the  abominable 
wickedness  and  barbarities  of  the  inqui- 
sitors. His  heart  recoiled  at  having 
embraced  a  religion  so  horribly  cruel 
and  so  repugnant  to  the  nature  of  God  ; 
that  he  was  stung  with  remorse  to  think 
that,  if  his  parents  knew  what  and 
where  he  was,  their  hearts  would  break 
with  grief;  that  he  was  resolved  to  escape 
if  he  (the  captain)  would  send  a  boat  on 
shore  at  such  a  time  and  place ;  but 
begged  secrecy,  since,  if  his  intentions 
were  discovered,  he  should  be  imme- 
diately assassinated.  The  captain  re- 
turned for  answer  that  he  could  not 
with  propriety  send  a  boat,  but  if  he 
could  devise  any  means  to  come  on 
board,  he  would  receive  him  as  a  Brit- 
ish subject  and  protect  him.  He  did  so ; 
but,  being  missed,  there  was  soon  raised 
a  hue  and  cry,  and  he  was  followed  to 
the  ship. 

A  holy  inquisitor  demanded  him,  bi*t 
he  was  refused.  Another,  in  the  name 
of  his  holiness  the  popCj  claimed  him, 
but  the  captain  did  not  know  him  or 
any  other  master  but  his  own  sovereign, 
King  George.  At  length  a  third  hoJi/ 
brother  approached.  The  young  man 
recognised  him  at  a  distance,  and,  in 
terror,  ran  to  the  captain,  entreating 
him  not  to  be  deceived  by  him,  for  he 
was  the  most  false,  wicked,  and  cruel 
monster  in  all  the  Inquisition.  He  was 
introduced,  the  young  man  being  pre- 
sent; and,  to  obtain  his  object,  began 
with  the  bitterest  accusations  against 
him;  then  he  turned  to  the  most  ful- 
some flatteries  of  the  captain ;  and, 
lastly,  offered  him  a  sum  of  money  to 
resign  him.  The  captain  treated  him 
with  apparent  attention ;  said  his  offer 
was  very  handsome,  and,  if  what  he  af- 
firmed were  true,  the  person  in  question 
was  unworthy  of  the  English  name  or 
of  his  protection.  The  holy  brother 
was  elated  ;  he  thought  his  errand  was 
accomplished.  While  drawing  his 
purse-strings,  the  captain  inquired  what 
punishment  would  be  inflicted  upon  him. 
He  replied  that  it  was  uncertain ;  but 
as  his  offences  were  atrocious,  it  was 
589 


304 


PAPACY. 


likely  that  his  punishment  would  be  ex- 
emplary. The  captain  asked  if  he 
thought  he  would  be  burned  in  a  dry 
pan.  He  replied,  that  must  be  determin- 
ed by  the  holy  Inquisition^  but  it  was  not 
improbable. 

The  captain  then  ordered  the  great 
copper  to  be  heated,  but  no  water  to  be 
put  in.  All  this  while  the  young  man 
stood  trembling ;  his  cheeks  resembling 
death ;  he  expected  to  become  an  un- 
happy victim  to  avarice  and  superstition. 
The  cook  soon  announced  that  the  orders 
were  executed.  "  Then  I  command 
you  to  take  this  fellow,"  pointing  to  the 
inquisitor,  "  and  fry  him  alive  in  the 
copper."  This  unexpected  command 
thunderstruck  the  holy  father.  Alarm- 
ed for  himself,  he  rose  to  be  gone.  The 
cook  began  to  bundle  him  away.  "  Oh, 
good  captain !  good  captain !  spare, 
spare  me,  spare  me !"  "  Have  him 
away  !"  replied  the  captain.  "  Oh  no, 
my  good  captain  !"  "  Have  him  away  ! 
I'll,  teach  him  to  attempt  to  bribe  a 
British  commander  to  sacrifice  the  life 
of  an  Englishman  to  gratify  a  herd  of 
bloody  men."  Down  the  inquisitor  fell 
upon  his  knees,  offering  him  all  his 
money,  and  promising  never  to  return 
if  he  would  let  him  begone.  When 
the  captain  had  sufficiently  alarmed  him, 
he  dismissed  him,  warning  him  never 
to  come  again  on  such  an  errand.  What 
must  have  been  the  reverse  of  feelings 
in  the  young  man  to  find  himself  thus 
happily  delivered!  He  fell  upon  his 
knees  in  a  flood  of  tears  before  the  cap- 
tain, and  poured  out  a  thousand  bless- 
ings upon  his  brave  and  noble  deliverer. 
"  This,"  said  the  admiral  to  the  gentle- 
man, "  is  the  circumstance  that  began 
our  acquaintance.  I  took  him  to  be  my 
servant ;  he  served  me  from  affection  ; 
■mutual  attachment  ensued ;  and  it  has 
inviolably  subsisted  and  increased  to 
this  day." 

804.  Praying  to  and  for  the  Dead. 

(a)  BEATIFICATION  OF  ST. 
.TULiAN. — The  following  account  is 
given  in  a  letter  from  Rome,  dated  May 
'28,  in  the  year  1825  :— 

"  On  Whitmonday  was  beatified,  in 
St.  Peter's  at  Rome,  a  Spanish  Francis- 
590 


can  friar,  named  St.  Julian  da  St.  Agos- 
tino.  The  church  was  hung  with  crim- 
son damask,  illuminated  with  wax  can- 
dles, and  ornamented  with  large  pamt- 
ings,  representing  several  miracles  as- 
cribed to  him  while  living,  as  well  as 
after  his  decease.  One  of  them  afTord- 
ed  considerable  amusement.  It  repre- 
sented St.  Julian,  who  it  seems  was  cook 
to  his  convent,  in  the  act  of  taking  seve- 
ral half- roasted  birds  from  a  spit,  and 
restoring  them  to  life,  clothing  them 
miraculously  with  feathers,  and  ena- 
bling them  to  fly  away !  The  Te  Deum 
was  sung,  and  followed  by  a  prayer 
addressed  to  this  new  saint.  High  mass 
concluded  the  ceremony;  and  in  the 
afternoon  the  pope  entered  the  church, 
and  prayed  before  the  portrait  of  the 
new  St.  Julian." 

(h)  BUONAVANTURA'S  BEA- 
TIFICATION.— When  Dr.  Moore  was 
at  Rome,  in  1775,  a  new  saint,  called 
St.  Buonavantura,  was  added  to  the  list. 
Dr.  M.  was  present  at  the  first  part  of 
the  ceremony  usual  on  these  occasions, 
which  is  called  the  beatification  of  a 
saint,  and  has  given  a  full  account  of  the 
particulars.  For  several  days  previous- 
ly, a  very  large  picture  of  the  proposed 
saint  was  hung  up  in  front  of  St.  Peter's 
church,  and  printed  papers  announcing 
the  ceremony  were  distributed,  particu- 
larly by  the  Franciscan  monks,  of  whose 
order  he  had  been  a  member.  On  the 
day  fixed  for  the  solemnity,  the  pope 
with  many  cardinals  and  other  ecclesi- 
astics attended  ;  a  long  discourse  was 
pronounced  by  a  Franciscan  friar,  set- 
ting forth  the  devotions,  penances,  and 
charitable  actions  of  the  saint,  and  enu- 
merating the  miracles  he  had  performed 
when  alive,  and  those  effected  after  his 
death  by  his  bones.  The  most  remark- 
able among  these,  was  his  replenishing 
a  lady's  cupboard  with  bread,  after  her 
housekeeper  had,  by  the  saint's  desire, 
given  to  the  poor  all  the  loaves  she  had 
in  the  family. 

This  orator  was  opposed  as  usual  by 
another,  who  is  called  the  advocate  for 
the  devil,  and  objects  to  the  miracles  of 
the  saint,  his  life  and  conduct,  etc.  etc. 
This  controversy  was  drawn  out  to  a 
great  length ;  but  at  length  the  claim- 
ant was  admitted  to  the  privileges  of 


MIRACLES. 


304,  305 


beatification,  which  Dr.  M.  says  the 
church  of  Rome  considers  "  as  entitling 
the  saint  to  more  distinction  in  heaven 
than  before  ;  but  he  has  not  the  power 
of  freeing  souls  from  purgatory  till  he 
has  been  canonized,  and  therefore  is  not 
addressed  in  prayer  till  he  has  obtained 
the  second  honor."  We  may  here  ob- 
serve, that  the  pope  decrees  who  are  to 
be  considered  as  saints,  and  thus  pro- 
fesses to  know  who  are  in  heaven. 

(c)  SHRINE  OF  THOMAS  A 
BECKET.— The  shrine  of  Thomas  a 
Becket,  at  Canterbury,  was  once  pro- 
fitable. It  was  valued  abundantly  more 
than  the  shrine  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  or 
of  Christ ;  for,  in  one  year,  there  was 
offered  at  Christ's  altar,  £3  2s.  6d.,  at 
the  Virgin's,  £63  5s.  6d.,  but  at  St. 
Thomas's,  £832  12s.  3d.  And  the 
next  year  was  offered  at  Christ's,  no- 
thing ;  at  the  Virgin's,  £4  Is.  8d.,  but 
at  Becket's,  £954  6s.  3d.  A  jubilee 
of  fifteen  days  was  ordained  for  Beck- 
et, at  Rome,  every  fiftieth  year,  and 
indulgence  was  granted  to  all  that 
would  visit  his  shrine.  In  the  sixth 
jubilee,  in  1420,  100,000  strangers 
visited  his  tomb  ;  and  brought  with  them 
immense  wealth. 

(  d)  FLOGGING  THE  RELICS. 
— Galbert,  monk  of  Marchiennes,  in- 
forms us  of  a  strange  act  of  devotion  in 
his  time,  and  which  is  indeed  attested 
by  several  contemporary  writers.  When 
the  saints  did  not  readily  comply  with 
the  prayers  of  their  votaries,  they  flog- 
ged these  relics  with  rods  in  a  spirit  of 
impatience  ;  a  chastisement  which  they 
supposed  would  bend  the  saints  into 
compliance ! 

(e)  PAPAL  BLASPHEMY.— Dur- 
ing the  great  drought  of  the  summer  of 
1824,  in  Spain,  prayers  were  offered  up 
in  all  the  churches  for  rain,  and  amongst 
others  in  that  of  the  village  of  Las 
Cabezas  de  San  Juan,  in  Andalusia, 
where  the  unfortunate  Riego  proclaim- 
ed the  constitution.  But  it  was  in  vain 
that  the  patron  St.  Nicholas  was  invok- 
ed and  worshiped,  not  a  drop  of  rain  fell. 
However,  on  a  Sunday,  as  the  faithful 
were  at  their  devotions  in  his  church, 
they  perceived  a  letter  in  the  hands  of 
the  saint.  Some  of  the  most  devout 
approached  to  take  it,  but  though  St. 


Nicholas  was  of  no  more  yielding  ma- 
terial  than  wood,  yet  he  raised  the  hand 
that  held  the  letter,  which  appeared  an 
unequivocal  sign  that  he  was  unwilling 
to  deliver  it.  The  Cure,  being  inform, 
ed  of  the  circumstances,  came  in  full 
canonicals  to  the  saint,  and  prayed  him 
humbly  to  give  him  the  letter,  which 
the  saint,  by  lowering  his  hand,  acceded 
to ;  and  the  Cure  took  the  missive  and 
read  it  to  the  assembly,  to  their  infinite 
edification.  The  letter  was  composed 
in  the  following  terms  : — 

Abodes  of  the  Blessed,  May  1,  1824. 

*•  My  beloved  Nicholas, — I  have 
heard  your  continual  prayers  to  me,  to 
send  down  rain  upon  your  country  :  you 
have  no  doubt  forgotten  the  crimes  with 
which  your  rehel  village  is  stained,  and 
which  are  the  cause  of  the  drought 
which  afflicts  unfortunate  Spain.  It  is 
in  vain  that  you  ask  for  water ;  at  pre- 
sent it  is  impossible  for  me  to  oblige 
you.  Except  rain,  ask  any  thing  else 
you  wish  from 

Your  ever  Affectionate, 

The  Eternal  Father  ! !" 

805.  Miracles. 

(a)  GREAT  CURE  BY  RELICS 
OF  DOGS  AND  CATS.— When  the 
reformation  was  spreading  in  Lithuania, 
Prince  Radzivil  was  so  affected  that  he 
went  in  person  to  visit  the  Pope,  and  pay 
him  all  possible  honors.  His  holiness, 
on  this  occasion,  presented  him  with  a 
box  of  precious  relics.  Having  return- 
ed home,  the  report  of  this  invaluable 
possession  was  spread ;  and,  at  length, 
some  monks  entreated  permission  to  try 
the  effect  of  these  relics  on  a  demoniac 
who  had  hitherto  resisted  every  kind  of 
exorcism.  They  were  brought  into  the 
church  with  solemn  pomp,  deposited  on 
the  altar,  and  an  innumerable  crowd  at- 
tended. After  the  usual  conjurations, 
they  applied  the  relics.  The  demoniao 
instantly  became  well.  The  peoplo, 
called  out,  "A  Miracle/"  and  the 
prince,  lifting  up  his  hands  and  eyes  to 
heaven,  felt  his  faith  confirmed.  In 
this  transport  of  pious  joy,  he  observed 
a  young  gentleman,  who  was  keeper  of 
this  rich  treasure  of  relics,  to  smile,  and 
appear  by  his  motions  to  ridicule  the 
591 


305 


PAPACY. 


miracle.  The  prince,  with  violent  in- 
dignation, took  our  young  keeper  of  the 
relics  to  task  ;  who,  on  promise  of  par- 
don, gave  the  following  secret  intelli- 
gence concerning  them  : — He  assured 
him,  that  in  traveling  from  Rome  he  had 
lost  the  box  of  relics ;  and  that,  not  dar- 
ing to  mention  it,  he  had  procured  a 
similar  one  which  he  had  filled  with  the 
small  bones  of  dogs  and  cats,  and  other 
trifles,  similar  to  what  was  lost.  He 
hoped  that  he  might  be  forgiven  for  smil- 
ing, when  he  found  that  such  a  collec- 
tion of  rubbish  was  idolized  with  such 
pomp,  and  had  even  the  virtue  of  expel- 
ling demons.  It  was  by  the  assistance 
of  this  box  that  the  prince  discovered 
the  gross  imposition  of  the  monks  and 
demoniacs,  and  he  afterwards  became  a 
zealous  Lutheran. 

(i)  THE  AUTOMATON  JESUS. 
— In  the  monastery  at  Isenach,  (says 
Luther,)  stands  an  image  which  I  have 
seen.  When  a  wealthy  person  came 
hither  to  pray  to  it  (it  was  Mary  with  her 
child),  the  child  turned  away  his  face 
from  the  sinner  to  the  mother ;  but  if 
the  sinner  gave  liberally  to  that  monas- 
tery, then  the  child  turned  to  him  again  ; 
and  if  he  promised  to  give  more,  then 
the  child  showed  itself  very  friendly 
and  loving,  and  stretched  out  its  arms 
over  him  in  the  form  of  a  cross.  But 
this  picture  and  image  was  made  hollow 
within,  and  prepared  with  locks,  lines, 
and  screws ;  and  behind  it  stood  a  knave 
to  move  them, — and  so  were  the  people 
mocked  and  deceived,  who  took  it  to  be 
a  miracle  ! 

(c)  MIRACLE  OF  THE  OMELET. 
— A  priest  in  extreme  poverty  resolved 
to  get  credit  for  a  miracle.  He  put  the 
yolks  of  several  eggs  in  a  hollow  cane, 
and  stopped  the  end  with  butter ;  then, 
walking  into  an  alehouse,  he  begged  to 
fry  a  single  egg  for  his  dinner.  The 
smallness  of  his  repast  excited  curiosi- 
ty, and  they  gave  him  a  morsel  of  lard. 
He  stirred  the  lard  with  his  cane,  and, 
to  the  wonder  of  the  surrounding  pea- 
sants, produced  a  handsome  omelet. — 
This  miracle  established  his  fame  ;  he 
sold  omelets  and  got  rich  by  his  inge- 
nuity. 

(d)  THE  MONK  AND  THE  MAG- 
PIE.— St.  Anthony  is  thought  to  have 

592 


had  a  great  command  over  fire,  and 
power  of  destroying  by  that  element 
those  who  incurred  his  displeasure.  A 
certain  monk  of  St.  Anthony  one  day 
assembled  his  congregation  under  a  tree 
where  a  magpie  had  built  her  nest,  into 
which  he  had  found  means  to  convey  a 
small  box  filled  with  gunpowder,  and 
out  of  the  box  hung  a  long  thin  match 
that  was  to  burn  slowly,  and  that  was 
hidden  among  the  leaves  of  the  trees. 
As  soon  as  the  monk  or  his  assistant  had 
touched  the  match  with  a  lighted  coal, 
the  friar  began  his  sermon  ;  in  the  mean 
while  the  magpie. returned  to  her  nest, 
and  finding  in  it  a  strange  body  which 
she  could  not  remove,  she  fell  into  a 
passion  and.  scratched  with  her  feet 
most  vehemently.  The  friar  affected 
to  hear  without  emotion,  and  continued 
his  sermon  with  great  composure,  only 
he  would  now  and  then  lift  up  his  eyes 
towards  the  top  of  the  tree,  as  if  he 
wanted  to  know  what  was  the  matter. 
At  last,  when  he  judged  that  the  match 
was  near  reaching  the  gunpowder,  he 
pretended  to  be  out  of  patience ;  he 
cursed  the  magpie,  wished  St.  Anthony's 
fire  might  consume  her,  and  went  on 
again  with  his  sermon.  But  he  had 
scarcely  proceeded  two  or  three  periods, 
when  the  match  on  a  sudden  produced 
its  effect,  and  blew  up  the  magpie  with 
its  nest ;  which  miracle  wonderfully 
raised  the  character  of  the  friar,  and 
proved  afterwards  very  beneficial  to  him 
and  his  convent. 

(e)  A  MARTYR  MAKING  OFF 
WITH  HIS  HEAD.— Among  the  many 
strange  things  related  in  the  Roman  bre- 
viary for  the  edification  of  the  faithful,  i 
is  the  following,  concerning  Dionysius, 
the  Roman  saint : 

Dionysius,  having  now  passed  his 
hundredth  year,  was  struck  with  tljc 
axe  on  the  seventh  of  the  ides  of  Octo- 
ber ;  concerning  whom  tradition  relates  / 
that  he  took  up  his  head,  when  cut  off, 
and  carried  it  in  his  hands  two  miles, 
&c.     Die  ix.  Ociohris. 

Think  of  this,  reader ;  "  a  man  run- 
ning two  miles  with  his  head  in  his  ^ 
hands !" 

(/)  PLAYING  THE  DEVIL.— A 
singular  occurrence   took  place  about  ( 
1824,  in  a  village  called  Artes,  near 


MIRACLES. 


805 


Hostalreich,  about  twelve  leagues  from 
Barcelona.  A  constitutionalist  being 
at  the  point  of  death,  his  brother  called 
on  the  curate,  and  requested  him  to 
come  and  administer  the  sacrament. 
The  curate  refused,  saying,  "  Your  bro- 
ther is  a  constitutionalist,  that  is  to  say, 
a  villain,  an  impious  wretch,  and  an 
enemy  to  God  and  man ;  he  is  damned 
^v•ithout  mercy,  and  it  is  therefore  use- 
less for  me  to  confess  him  !"  "  But  who 
told  you  that  my  brother  was  damned  ?" 
"  Who  told  me  ?"  replied  the  curate  ; 
"  why,  God  himself!"  "  What !"  cried 
the  astonished  Spaniard,  "  has  God  spok- 
en to  you  ?"  '•  Yes,"  answered  the  cu- 
rate with  assurance ;  "  God  spoke  to  me 
during  the  sacrifice  of  the  mass,  and 
told  me  your  brother  was  damned  to  all 
the  devils."  It  was  in  vain  that  the 
brother  had  reiterated  his  entreaties,  the 
curate  was  inexorable.  A  few  days 
after,  the  constitutionalist  died,  and  the 
brother  returned  to  the  curate  to  beg 
him  to  perform  the  funeral  ceremonies 
on  the  body.  The  curate  refused,  say- 
ing, "  The  soul  of  your  brother  is  now 
burning  in  hell,  as  I  told  you  before.  It 
would  be  in  vain  for  me  to  take  any 
trouble  about  interring  his  body,  for  du- 
ring the  night  the  devils  will  come  and 
carry  it  away,  and  in  forty  days  you 
yourself  will  meet  with  the  same  fate." 
The  Spaniard  not  giving  implicit  credit 
to  this  diabolical  visit,  watched  during 
the  night  by  the  body  of  his  brother 
with  his  pistols  loaded.  Between  twelve 
and  one  o'clock  a  knock  was  heard  at 
the  door,  and  a  voice  exclaimed,  "  I 
command  you  to  open,  in  the  name  of 
the  living  God ; — open,  if  not,  your  in- 
stant ruin  is  at  hand."  The  Spaniard 
refused  to  open,  and  shortly  after,  he 
saw  enter  by  a  window,  three  able- 
bodied  devils,  covered  with  skins  of  wild 
beasts,  having  the  usual  quantity  of 
horns,  claws,  and  spiked  tails,  who  set 
about  carrying  off  the  coffin  containing 
the  body.  Upon  this  the  Spaniard  fired, 
and  shot  one  devil  dead.  The  others 
took  to  flight ;  he  fired  after  them,  and 
Wounded  both,  one  of  whom  died  in  a 
few  minutes,  the  other  escaped.  In  the 
morning,  when  the  people  went  to 
church,  there  was  no  curate  to  officiate, 
and  it  was  shortly  after  discovered,  on 
38 


examining  the  two  defunct  devils,  that 
one  was  the  curate,  the  other  the  vicar  ; 
the  wounded  devil  was  the  sacristan, 
who  confessed  the  whole  diabolical  af- 
fair. 

(g)  GIVING  SIGHT  TO  THE 
BLIND.— In  the  Life  of  Mary  Queen 
of  Scots,  by  Henry  Glassford  Bell,  Esq., 
we  find  the  following  account  of  a  pre- 
tended miracle  upon  a  blind  boy.  The 
author  was  certainly  not  induced  to  give 
this  account  from  any  partiality  to  the 
Scottish  Reformers,  of  whom  he  speaks 
in  no  friendly  terms.  The  miracle  is 
in  good  keeping  with  many  related  in 
the  Roman  Breviary,  and  is  a  fulfillment 
of  the  prophecy  of  Paul  the  Apostle 
concerning  "  lying  wonders,"  2  Thess. 
ii.  9. 

"  There  was  a  chapel  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Musselburgh,  dedicated  to 
the  Lady  of  Loretto,  which,  from  the 
character  of  superior  sanctity  it  had  ac- 
quired, had  long  been  the  favorite  resort 
of  religious  devotees.  In  this  chapel  a 
body  of  the  Catholic  priests  undertook 
to  put  their  religion  to  test  by  perform- 
ing a  miracle.  They  fixed  upon  a 
young  man  who  was  well  known  as  a 
common  beggar  in  the  streets  of  Edin- 
burgh, and  engaged  to  restore  to  him,  in 
the  presence  of  the  assembled  people, 
the  perfect  use  of  his  eyesight.  A  day 
was  named  on  which  they  calculated 
they  might  depend  on  this  wonderful 
interposition  of  divine  power  in  their 
behalf.  From  motives  of  curiosity,  a 
great  crowd  was  attracted  at  the  ap- 
pointed time  to  the  chapel.  The  blind 
man  made  his  appearance  on  the  scaf- 
fold erected  for  the  occasion.  The 
priests  approached  the  altar,  and  after 
praying  very  devoutly,  and  performing 
other  religious  ceremonies,  he  who  had 
previously  been  stone  blind,  opened  his 
eyes  and  declared  he  saw  all  things 
plainly.  Having  humbly  and  grateful- 
ly thanked  his  benefactors,  the  priests, 
he  was  permitted  to  mingle  among  the 
astonished  people  and  receive  their  cha- 
rity. Unfortunately,  however,  for  the 
success  of  this  deception,  a  gentleman 
from  Fife,  of  the  name  of  Colville,  de- 
termined to  penetrate,  if  possible,  a  lit- 
tle further  into  the  mystery.  He  pre- 
vailed upon  the  subject  of  the  recent 
593 


306 


TRANSUBSTANTIATION. 


experiment  to  accompany  him  to  his 
lodgings  in  Edinburgh.  As  soon  as  they 
were  alone,  he  locked  the  chamber  door, 
and  either  by  bribes  or  threats  contrived 
to  win  from  him  the  whole  secret.  It 
turned  out  that  in  his  boyhood  this  tool 
in  the  hands  of  the  designing  had  been 
employed  as  a  herd  by  the  nuns  of  the 
convent  of  Sciennes,  then  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Edinburgh.  It  was  remark- 
ed by  the  sisterhood  that  he  had  an  ex- 
traordinary facility  in  '  flipping  up  the  lid 
of  his  eyes,  and  casting  up  the  white.' 
Some  of  the  neighboring  priests,  hear- 
ing accidentally  of  this  talent,  imagined 
that  it  might  be  applied  to  good  account. 
They  accordingly  took  him  from  Sci- 
ennes to  the  monastery  near  Mussel- 
burgh, where  they  kept  him  till  he  had 
made  himself  an  adept  in  this  mode  of 
counterfeiting  blindness,  and  till  his  per- 
sonal appearance  was  so  much  changed 
that  the  few  who  had  been  acquainted 
with  him  before,  would  not  be  able  to 
recognize  him.  They  then  sent  him  to 
Edinburgh  to  beg  publicly,  and  make 
himself  familiarly  known  to  the  inhabit- 
ants as  a  common  blind  mendicant.  So 
far  every  thing  had  gone  smoothly,  and 
the  scene  at  the  chapel  of  Loretto  might 
have  had  effect  on  the  minds  of  the  vul- 
gar, had  Colville's  activity  not  discover- 
ed, the  gross  imposture.  Colville,  who 
belonged  to  the  congregation,  instantly 
took  the  most  effectual  means  to  make 
known  the  deceit.  Fie  insisted  upon  the 
blind  man's  appearing  with  him  next 
day  at  the  cross  of  Edinburgh,  where 
the  latter  repeated  all  he  had  told  Col- 
ville, and  confessed  the  iniquity  of  his 
own  conduct,  as  well  as  that  of  the 
priests.  To  shelter  him  from  their  re- 
venge, Colville  immediately  afterward 
carried  him  off  to  Fife,  and  the  story 
with  all  its  details  being  speedily  dis- 
seminated, exposed  the  Catholic  clergy 
to  more  contempt  than  ever." 

306.  Transubstantiation. 

(a)  GETTING  A  WORLD  OF 
MERIT. — An  anecdote  was  related  by 
the  celebrated  Mr.  Maclaurin,  professor 
of  mathematics  in  the  university  of  Edin- 
burgh, which  most  impressively  illus- 
trates the  implicit  confidence  of  the  Ro- 
594 


man  Catholics  in  the  dogmas  of  their 
creed,  however  opposed  to  reason  they 
may  appear. 

When  Mr.  Maclaurin  was  traveling 
in  France,  he  accidentally  fell  into  the 
company  of  a  learned  Jesuit,  with  whom 
he  traveled  several  leagues.  After  some 
mathematical  conversation,  the  Jesuit 
discovered  and  lamented  his  heretical 
principles,  and  kindly  offered  his  assist- 
ance to  bring  him  into  the  Roman  Catho- 
lic faith.  Mr.  Maclaurin  embraced  his 
offer,  and  the  conversation  turned  upon 
transubstantiation.  After  a  lengthened 
discussion  of  some  hours,  the  Jesuit  em- 
braced him,  and  said,  "  My  dear  Mr. 
Maclaurin,  you  are  the  best,  the  truest 
friend  I  ever  met  with.  How  happy  am 
I  in  this  blessed  opportunity  of  your 
conversation  !  I  shall  never  forget  the 
obligation  under  which  I  am  laid  to  you, 
above  all  men  living  !"  Mr.  Maclaurin 
was  surprised,  and  began  to  hope  that  he 
had  convinced  the  Jesuit  of  his  errors, 
and  requested  him  to  tell  him  in  what 
the  obligation  consisted.  "  Why,  real- 
ly," replied  the  Roman  Catholic,  "  you 
have  made  this  doctrine  of  transubstan- 
tiation so  very  absurd  and  ridiculous, 
that  for  the  future  I  shall  have  a  world 
of  merit  in  believing  it." 

(b)  GOD  EATEN  BY  MICE.— A 
man  who  lives  fifty  miles  below  Quebec, 
(says  the  Canadian  Missionary  Record,) 
mentioned  that  he  had  a  Testament,  and 
that  a  neighbor  had  one  too,  about  whom 
he  related  the  following  circumstance : 

A  protracted  meeting  having  been 
held  here,  several  priests  came  to  see 
this  man,  who,  hearing  of  their  coming, 
took  a  house  fly,  and  put  it  on  a  plate  on 
the  table,  with  a  thread  tied  to  it.  When 
the  priests  entered,  the  man  received 
them  very  politely,  thanking  them  for 
their  attention  to  his  soul's  interest. 
They  had  a  long  conversation,  in  the 
course  of  which,  he  referred  to  his  want 
of  faith  in  the  power  of  the  priest ;  but 
pointing  to  the  fly,  he  said,  "  I  have 
been  told  that  you  can  work  miracles ; 
now,  if  you  will  cause  that  fly  to  drop 
down  dead,  while  I  am  looking  at  it,  I 
will  then  go  to  confess."  The  priests 
refused,  saying  that  they  would  not 
work  a  miracle  for  the  sake  of  one  per- 
son.    "  But  my  soul  is  very  precious," 


PURGATORY. 


306,  307 


said  the  man,  "  and  if  you  love  me  as 
you  say,  you  should  do  all  in  your  pow- 
er to  bring  me  back  to  the  church." 
During  the  conversation,  speaking  of  the 
Host,  he  asked  the  priest  to  take  some 
of  the  consecrated  wafer,  and  put  it  in 
a  cupboard  with  a  number  of  mice,  and 
if  at  the  end  of  two  weeks,  it  remained 
uneaten,  then  he  would  believe  that  it 
was  God  ;  otherwise  he  would  remain 
as  he  was,  for  he  could  not  think  that 
God  would  allow  himself  to  be  eaten  by 
mice. 

(c)  BELIEVING  IN  AN  IMPOSSI- 
BILITY, — "  Do  you  believe  in  transub- 
stantiation  ?"  said  a  Protestant  to  a  Pa- 
pist. "Yes,  I  do,"  was  the  reply. — 
"  Why,"  said  the  other,  "  the  thing  is 
impossible."  "  And  I,"  said  the  Papist, 
"  believe  it  because  it  is  impossible  !" 

(d)  PRIESTS  SUPERIOR  TO  AN- 
GELS.— In  the  reign  of  the  "  bloody 
Mary,"  the  popish  bishop  of  London 
publicly  preached  the  doctrine,  that 
priests  were  superior  to  angels.  "  The 
dignity  of  priests,"  said  that  impious 
prelate,  "  by  some  means  passeth  the 
dignity  of  angels,  because  there  is  no 
power  given  to  any  of  the  angels  to 
make  the  body  of  Christ,  which  the 
least  priest  may  do  on  earth,  and  the 
highest  angel  in  heaven  cannot  do : 
wherefore,  priests  are  to  be  honored  be- 
fore all  kings  of  the  earth,  princes,  and 
nobles.  For  a  priest  is  higher  than  a 
king,  happier  than  an  angel,  and  maker 
of  his  Creator  " 

(e)  LADY  JANE  GREY'S  SAR- 
CASM.— It  is  related  of  lady  Jane 
Grey,  that  being,  when  very  young,  at 
Newhall,  in  Essex,  the  seat  of  Mary, 
afterwards  queen,  and  walking  near  the 
chapel  with  lady  Anne  Wharton,  she 
observed  her  companion,  as  they  passed, 
bow  to  the  elements  on  the  altar.  Af- 
fecting surprise  at  the  motion  of  her 
friend,  she  asked,  "Is  the  lady  Mary  in 
the  chapel  ?"  "  No,"  replied  her  com- 
panion, "  I  bend  to  Him  who  made  us 
all."  "How  is  that?"  retorted  Jane, 
*•  can  he  be  there  who  made  us  all,  and 
yet  the  baker  made  him  ?"  It  is  assert- 
ed that  this  sarcastic  remark  laid  the 
foundation  of  Mary's  hatred  to  this  love- 

y  woman. 


307.  Pnrgatory. 

(a)  HABEAS  ANIMAMFOR  PUR- 
GATORY.— The  Rev.  Blanco  White 
relates,  that,  in  Spain,  besides  masses, 
bulls,  prayers,  and  penances,  the  pope 
has  established  eight  or  ten  days  in  the 
year,  on  which  every  Spaniard,  (for 
the  grant  is  confined  to  Spain,)  by  kneel- 
ing at  five  different  altars,  and  there 
praying  for  the  extirpation  of  heresy,  is 
entitled  to  send  a  species  of  habeas  ani- 
mam  writ  to  any  of  his  friends  in  pur- 
gatory  ;  that  is,  to  require  their  deliver- 
ance as  a  reward  for  what  he  has  done. 

(b)  "I'LL  TAKE  BACK  MY 
MONEY. — An  Italian  noble  being  at 
church  one  day,  and  finding  a  priest 
who  begged  for  the  souls  in  purgatory, 
gave  him  a  piece  of  gold.  "  Ah  !  my 
lord,"  said  the  good  father,  "  you  have 
now  delivered  a  soul."  The  count 
threw  upon  the  plate  another  piece. 
"  Here  is  another  soul  delivered,''  said 
the  priest.  "  Are  you  positive  of  it  ?" 
replied  the  count.  "Yes,  my  lord," 
replied  the  priest,  "  I  am  certain  they 
are  now  in  heaven."  "  Then,"  said 
the  count,  "  I'll  take  back  my  money, 
for  it  signifies  nothing  to  you  now ;  see- 
ing the  souls  are  already  got  to  heaven, 
there  can  be  no  danger  of  their  return- 
ing to  purgatory." 

(c)  HEAVY  DEMAND  ON  PA- 
TIENCE.— Mr.  Temple,  a  Missionary 
of  Malta,  relates  of  a  native  of  that  isl- 
and, thai,  "  not  long  after  he  came  into 
our  family  he  was  visited  by  a  disease 
which  reduced  him  so  low,  that  his 
physician,  a  Roman  Catholic,  told  him 
it  was  proper  to  confess  himself,  receive 
the  host,  and  thus  prepare  himself  for 
death.  He  was  at  that  time  sick  in  his 
own  family,  for  he  has  a  wife  and  chil- 
dren. According  to  the  advice  of  the 
doctor,  he  sent  for  a  priest,  and  con- 
fessed himself,  a  thing  which  he  had 
not  done  for  a  long  time  before. 

"  A  few  evenings  ago  when  he  came  to 
prayers,  I  asked  him  what  the  priest 
said  to  him.  As  he  now  detests  the 
whole  system,  he  seemed  quite  willing  to 
tell  me  all  about  it.  He  said  he  con- 
fessed to  the  priest  as  many  of  his  sins 
as  he  could  recollect,  and  then  asked 
595 


307 


PAPACY. 


his  confessor  what  he  must  do  as  he 
felt  that  he  must  soon  die. 

"  The  priest  told  him  that,  should  he 
be  spared,  he  must,  as  soon  as  his 
health  would  permit,  kiss  the  ground 
fifteen  times  a  day,  for  eight  days  to- 
gether, must  hear  one  mass  a  day  dur- 
ing the  same  period,  and  recite  a  cer- 
tain part  of  the  Rosary  a  great  many 
times  for  eight  days ;  this  was  the  pen- 
ance enjoined  by  the  confessor.  '  But,' 
said  the  poor  man,  '  what  shall  I  do  if  I 
die  and  cannot  perform  this  penance  V 
*  Oh,'  replied  the  confessor,  '  have  pa- 
tience and  go  to  purgatory.' 

"  1  have  never  detected  this  man  in  a 
falsehood,  and  I  have  no  doubt  he  told 
me  the  truth  concerning  this  affair." 

(d)  DISTRICTS  IN  PURGATO- 
RY. — A  woman  and  two  children,  says 
Dr.  Brownlee,  called  on  a  lady  in 
Broadway,  New- York,  to  ask  alms. 
The  woman  was  dressed  in  black,  and 
said  that  she  was  left  a  widow,  with  the 
children  she  had  accompanying  her,  in 
distressed  circumstances,  and  she  urged 
her  request  for  alms  with  considerable 
earnestness.  The  lady  informed  her 
that  she  could  give  her  no  money,  but 
offered  her  food  and  articles  of  clothing 
if  she  might  need  them.  But  these 
would  not  do  ;  the  widow  wanted  mo- 
ney, and  she  insisted  so  earnestly  on  the 
gift  of  money,  that  the  lady  asked  her 
into  the  house,  and  entered  into  conver- 
sation with  her,  when  she  drew  from 
the  widow  the  following  story  : 

"  My  husband,"  said  she,  "  died  a 
few  weeks  ago,  and  since  that  I've  had 

no  peace.     Priest  called  on  me 

soon  after,  and  reproved  me  for  not 
paying  over  to  him  the  sum  of  money 
necessary  for  his  release  from  that  place 
of  torment.  I  asked  him  how  much 
that  would  be.  '  Oh,'  said  he,  '  we 
have  had  different  prices  for  different 
souls.  For  saying  mass  for  some  we 
have  one  hundred  dollars,  for  others 
fifty,  and  for  others  less.  The  least 
sum  I  can  accept  for  praying  the  soul 
of  your  departed  husband  out  of  that 
place  of  torment  is  twenty-four  dollars.' 
And  now  he  gives  me  no  peace  because 
you  know  I  have  not  the  money,  and 
what  can  I  do  for  the  soul  of  my  poor 
husband  ?" 

596 


The  lady  took  a  Bible,  and  handing 
it  to  the  afflicted  widow,  said  to  her, 
"  Here,  take  this  Bible,  and  go  to  the 
priest  you  speak  of,  and  request  him  to 
fold  down  a  leaf  on  that  place  which 
teaches  the  doctrine  of  purgatory,  and 
then  you  bring  the  Bible  back  to  me, 
and  I  will  give  you  the  whole  amount 
you  want  to  pay  for  the  praying  your 
husband  out  of  that  place  of  torment." 

The  poor  Romanist  was  delighted 
with  this  proposal.  She  took  the  Bible 
and  made  off  in  great  haste  to  the  priest ; 
but  she  was  not  gone  a  great  while ; 
she  soon  returned  more  sorrowful  than 
before.  She  told  the  lady,  in  great 
distress,  that  she  carried  the  Bible  to 
the  priest,  and  informed  him  how  he 
could  put  her  in  the  way  of  obtaining 
the  whole  amount  necessary  to  procure 
the  release  of  her  husband's  soul  from 
the  torments  of  purgatory.  But,  alas  ! 
instead  of  turning  down  a  leaf  in  her 
Bible  upon  the  place  where  it  teaches 
the  doctrine  of  purgatory,  he  flew  into 
a  violent  rage,  and  ordered  her  from  his 
presence,  saying,  "  See  that  the  twenty- 
four  dollars  are  forthcoming,  or  I'll  put 
you  under  penance  for  having  in  your 
presence  that  heretical  book,  and  your 
husband  shall  never  be  released  from 
purgatory  till  the  money  is  paid  down  ; 
and,  mind  you  !  no  other  priest  but  my- 
self can  pray  him  out,  for  he  is  in  my 
district .'" 

(e)  INSCRIPTION  AT  MENTZ. 
— In  the  year  1738,  Mr.  John  Wesley 
traveled  in  Germany,  and  spent  a  night 
or  two  at  Mentz.  While  there,  he  went 
into  the  great  church,  and  spent  an 
hour,  and  copied  the  following  from  a 
paper  on  the  door. 

"  A  full  release  for  the  poor  soicls  in 
purgatory. 

"His  Papal  Holiness,  Clement  XII 
hath  this  year,  1738,  on  the  7th  of  Au- 
gust, most  graciously  privileged  the 
Cathedral  Church  of  St.  Christopher,  in 
Mentz,  so  that  every  priest,  as  well  sec- 
ular as  regular,  who  will  read  mass  at 
an  altar  for  the  soul  of  a  Christian  de- 
parted on  any  holiday,  or  any  day  with- 
in the  octave  thereof,  or  on  two  extraor- 
dinary  days,  to  be  appointed  by  the  or- 
dinary, of  any  week  in  the  year,  may 


RELICS. 


307,  SOS 


each  time  deliver  a  soul  out  of  the  fire 
of  purgatory." 

(/•)  THE  ARMENIAN'S  REA- 
SONING.— Rev.  Mr.  Dwight  of  Con- 
etantinople  says,  "  The  subject  of  pur- 
gatory was  introduced  in  a  company  of 
eight  or  ten  Armenians,  by  one  of  their 
number  who  had  frequent  intercourse 
with  papists.  He  remarked  he  had  one 
difficulty  in  regard  to  it  which  none  of 
them  could  solve.  "  According  to  the 
papal  notions,"  said  he,  "all  who  die  in 
the  church  have  certain  venial  sins  up- 
on them,  for  which  they  must  sutler  in 
purgatory,  according  to  the  number  and 
nature  of  those  sins ;  some  for  a  year, 
some  for  a  hundred  years,  and  some  for 
ten  thousand,  dtc.  And  this  shall  be 
the  case  up  to  the  very  time  when  the 
judgment  day  shall  come.  At  that  day 
what  will  be  done  with  those  who  have 
not  served  out  their  time  in  purgatory  ? 
For  example,  what  will  be  done  with 
those  who  died  the  week  or  day  pre- 
vious to  the  judgment  ?  Some  of  them 
may  require  the  action  of  the  purga- 
torial fires  for  a  week,  and  some  for  a 
year,  and  some  for  a  hundred  years, 
and  some  for  a  thousand,  or  ten  thou- 
sand, before  they  can  atone  for  their 
sins  and  be  sufficiently  purified  for 
heaven.  Let  the  believers  in  purgato- 
ry decide  what  is  to  be  done  with  these 
cases  at  the  judgment,  when  all  that 
are  in  their  graves  shall  rise,  and  the 
righteous  are  to  be  forever  separated 
from  the  wicked  ;  the  latter  to  go  away 
into  everlasting  punishment,  and  the 
former  into  life  eternal." 

^08.  Relics. 

(a)  RELICS  AT  HALLE.— Halle, 

in  Saxony,  so  remarkable  for  the  hospi- 
tal erected  by  the  celebrated  Francke, 
seems  to  have  been,  in  the  dark  ages  of 
Popery,  like  Athens  of  old,  a  "  city  full 
of  idols,"  Acts  xvii.  16,  (marginal 
reading.)  The  churches  contained  for. 
ty-two  entire  bodies  of  Romish  saints, 
and  more  than  8,000  smaller  relics  !  A 
work,  published  by  the  authority  of  the 
archbishop,  contains  engravings  of  more 
than  200  vases  in  which  these  relics 
were  kept.  Some  of  them  are  particu- 
larly specified,  as  earth  from  a  field  at 


Damascus,  where  Adam  was  formed 
from  the  dust  of  the  ground  !  Several 
bones  and  part  of  the  standard  of  St. 
George ;  pieces  of  Noah's  ark ;  por- 
tions of  the  bodies  of  several  patriarchs 
and  prophets ;  the  rods  of  Moses  and 
Aaron  ;  clothing  which  had  belonged  to 
the  Virgin  ;  and  a  piece  of  the  skin  of 
Bartholomew  !  Among  the  entire  bod- 
ies was  one  of  the  infants  slain  by  Her- 
od ;  also  seventeen  bodies  of  the  com- 
panions of  St.  Ursula,  who  were,  by 
mistake,  said  to  have  been  11,000  in 
number,  instead  of  one  named  Undeci- 
milla  ;  also  the  glass  or  mirror  used  by 
these  virgin  martyrs,  with  much  more 
of  the  like  trumpery.  On  the  Sunday 
next  after  the  eighth  of  September,  in 
every  year,  these  relics  were  carried 
in  solemn  procession,  and  exhibited  to 
the  people.  To  all  such  as  beheld  them 
with  devotion  upon  this  occasion,  offer- 
ing prayers,  and  giving  money  to  the 
collegiate  church,  indulgences,  or  par- 
don of  sins,  were  promised,  for  29,245,- 
120  years,  and  220  days.  We  are  not 
told  by  what  process  of  calculation  this 
extraordinary  number  was  ascertained  ; 
but  the  authorized  writer  might  well 
boast  that  a  great  treasure  was  to  be 
obtained  at  a  small  price,  had  not  the 
treasure,  even  if  obtained,  been  utterly 
worthless.  There  was,  however,  a 
qualifying  clause  ;  the  indulgences 
were  only  to  be  obtained  by  those  who 
were  "suited  to  deserve  them  ;"  an  ex- 
pression which,  as  Seckendorf  observes, 
would  be  as  unintelligible  to  the  people, 
as  the  millions  and  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands spoken  of  in  the  calculation.  Into 
what  fearful  delusions  do  mankind  fall, 
when  they  forsake  the  simple  truths  of 
the  Bible ! 

{b)  SINGULAR  RELICS.—We 
are  sometimes  told  of  the  harmless  char- 
acter of  Popery,  and  are  assured  that 
the  Roman  Catholic  system  is,  in  reali- 
ty, little  different  from  that  of  Protest- 
antism. Let  our  readers,  however,  be 
assured  of  the  following  facts  : 

When  the  monasteries  were  sup- 
pressed at  the  time  of  the  reformation, 
there  were  found  in  one  of  them  as  ma- 
ny relics  as  could  be  named  in  several 
sheets  of  paper.  Among  others,  there 
was  an  angel  with  one  wing,  that 
597 


30S,  309 


PAPACY. 


brought  over  the  spear's  head  which 
pierced  the  Redeemer's  side.  There 
were  also  some  of  the  coals  that  roasted 
St.  Lawrence,  the  parings  of  St.  Ed- 
mund's toes,  St.  Thomas  a  Becket's  pen- 
knife and  boots,  with  as  many  pieces  of 
the  Savior's  cross  as  Avould  make  a 
large  whole  one,  a  piece  of  St.  Andrew's 
finger,  set  in  an  ounce  of  silver,  with 
many  others  of  equal  veracity.  Some 
of  the  images  were  broken  ;  among 
which  was  one,  that,  by  means  of 
springs,  was  made  to  move  the  head, 
hands,  and  feet :  this  had  proved  very 
profitable.  Some  of  the  blood  of  a  duck 
was  found  in  a  phial,  which  was  thick 
on  one  side,  and  thin  on  the  other :  the 
people  were  taught  to  believe  this  was 
the  blood  of  Christ ;  and  on  their  pay- 
ing  a  considerable  sum,  the  thin  side  of 
the  phial  was  turned  towards  them,  and 
,hey  were  permitted  to  see  the  blood. 

(c)  RELICS  AT  AIX  LA  CHA- 
PELLE.— Dr.  Raffles,  in  his  tour 
through  Europe  in  1817,  visited  the 
church  of  the  Minorites,  in  Aix  La 
Chapelle.  After  describing  sundry  an- 
tiquities, among  which  were  "  the  re- 
mains of  one  of  the  children  whom  Her- 
od killed  in  the  hope  of  destroying 
Christ,"  he  proceeds  : 

"All  this  was  interesting,  but  the 
cream  of  the  antiquities  yet  remained. 
We  were  conducted  to  the  vestry,  or 
robing  place  of  the  priest,  where  a 
young  man  whose  province  it  is  to  ex- 
pose these  wonders  to  the  gaze  of  the 
credulous,  threw  open  the  curiously 
painted  doors  of  an  immense  recess, 
where  in  an  instant  we  were  dazzled 
with  a  profusion  of  gold  and  precious 
stones,  wrought  into  various  forms,  to 
contain  or  emblazon  the  precious  and 
sacred  relics. 

*  *  *  *  ^^Q  were  shown,  1. 
The  girdle  of  Jesus  Christ,  brought 
from  Jerusalem,  by  Charlemagne,  and 
with  that  monarch's  seal  annexed  to  it. 
2.  Girdle  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  derived 
from  the  same  quarter.  3.  A  bone  of 
the  Virgin  Mary's  father.  4.  A  bit  of 
the  cord  with  which  Jesus  was  bound 
when  he  was  scourged.  5.  A  prickle 
from  the  crown  of  thorns.  6.  A  bit  of 
the  sponge  with  which  they  supplied 
the  vinegar.  7-  A  bit  of  one  of  the 
598 


nails  by  which  he  was  fastened  to  the 
cross.  8.  And  lastly,  some  sweat 
which  fell  from  him  in  the  garden  of 
Gethsemane.  To  this  may  be  added  a 
link  of  the  chain  with  which  Peter  was 
chained  at  Rome  !  a  bit  of  the  bone  of 
Simeon's  arm,  with  which  he  embraced 
the  infant  Jesus ! !  a  rib  of  St.  Ste- 
phen  ! ! !  and  a  tooth  of  St.  Thom- 
as  ! ! ! !" 

I  thought  of  the  sailor,  who,  after  his 
messmates  had  told  some  wonderful  sto- 
ries of  what  had  been  found  in  the  bel- 
lies of  whales  and  sharks,  and  such 
monsters,  determining  to  outstrip  them 
all,  said  he  had  once  been  present  at 
the  catching  of  a  fish,  out  of  whose  bel- 
ly, when  opened,  there  came  a  ship, 
with  all  its  masts  and  rigging,  and  the 
whole  of  the  crew. 

(d)  A  PHIAL  OF  DARKNESS. 
— A  traveler  on  the  continent  visiting  a 
celebrated  cathedral,  was  shown  by  tlie 
Sacristan  among  other  marvels,  a  dirty 
opaque  phial.  After  eyeing  it  some 
time,  the  traveler  said,  "  Do  you  call 
this  a  relic  ?"  "  Sir,"  said  the  Sacris- 
tan indignantly,  "  it  contains  some  of 
the  darkness  that  was  spread  over  the 
land  of  Egypt." 

§09.  Moral  Tendency  of  Papacy. 

(a)   CONSOLING  TO  PIRATES. 

— Several  Spanish  pirates  were  once 
taken  and  brought  into  Boston,  tried 
and  sentenced  to  death.  They  were,  it 
seems.  Catholics ;  and  on  the  day  of 
their  execution  they  were  attended  by 
a  Spanish  priest.  As  they  arrived  at 
the  foot  of  the  gallows,  the  priest  turned 
to  the  captain,  and  with  much  gravity 
exclaimed : 

"  Spaniards,  ascend  to  heaven." 
(h)  NUNNERY  AT  BARDS- 
TOWN. — The  following  appeared  in 
183 — ,  in  various  religious  journals  of 
this  country.  No  place  in  Kentucky 
is  more  famous  among  papists,  and  no 
place  more  detestable  in  part  to  Protes- 
tants than  Bardstown  in  Kentucky. 
It  is  the  hotbed  of  all  popish  abomina- 
tions. 

Not  long  since,  a  young  lady  of  Ken- 
tucky, whose  parents  reside  in  the 
vicinity  of  Bardstown,  was  induced  to 


MORAL  TENDENCY  OF  PAPACY. 


309 


enter  upon  the  noviciate  for  a  conven- 
tual life  :  and  finally  she  became  a  nun. 
The  "  Lady  Superior  "  immediately  be- 
gan to  explain  the  secrets  of  the  priest- 
craft—  and  among  other  delectable 
things  inculcated  for  the  young  lady's 
belief,  the  vast  superiority  of  a  nun's 
enjoyments  over  those  of  common  wo- 
men, for  that  they  were  often  visited  by 
angels  in  white  robes,  with  whom  they 
had  holy  intercourse ;  and  persuaded 
the  thoughtless  and  credulous  girl  to 
believe  it.  When  the  nun  was  fully 
prepared,  the  Abbess  informed  her  vic- 
tim, that  she  had  a  revelation  from  hea- 
ven, and  that  the  nun  might  speedily 
expect  a  visit  from  one  of  the  angels, 
cautioned  her  not  to  be  alarmed,  and 
above  all  to  submit  herself  to  the 
"  White  robed  Angel's "  commands. 
Almost  immediately  after,  at  night, 
while  in  her  bed,  she  saw  by  the  moon- 
light, a  fisjure  dressed  in  white  enter 
her  dormitory.  She  instantly  sat  up, 
and  began  to  cross  herself,  and  to  mut- 
ter her  Ave  Marys.  The  "  White 
robed  Angel,"  proceeded  towards  her, 
and  the  nun  instantly  perceived  that 
instead  of  a  white  robed  visitant  from 
heaven  her  associate  was  real  flesh  and 
blood, — even  a  priest  from  the  neighbor- 
ing Jesuit  seminary.  By  some  means, 
she  suddenly  extricated  herself  from 
his  grasp ;  and  before  he  could  execute 
his  nefarious  design,  she  escaped  from 
the  nunnery,  whether  by  the  window  or 
by  the  door  I  do  not  remember ;  and 
with  the  fleetness  of  a  deer,  in  her  night 
dress,  she  fled  to  her  father's  house  ; 
and  for  ever  abandoned  all  intercourse 
with  those  who,  to  use  her  own  expres- 
sion, represent  themselves  as  "  White 
robed  Angels  from  heaven." 

(c)  THE  HARLOT'S  HOME.— 
A  Roman  Catholic  young  woman,  says 
a  Montreal  paper,  received  serious  re- 
ligious impressions,  and  determined, 
after  a  diligent  examination  of  the 
Scriptures,  to  renounce  the  Romish 
Church. 

The  priest  of  her  parents  deprived 
them  of  the  partial  Sacrament  of  the 
Lord's  Supper,  and  declared  that  he 
would  continue  to  do  so,  until  they  had 
prevailed  upon  their  daughter  to  return 
to  their  church — he  also  expressed  a 


desire  to  receive  a  call  from  the  young 
woman.  She  called  accordingly  upon 
him,  and  informed  him  that  her  parents 
were  not  concerned  in  her  change  of 
views,  but  had  done  all  in  their  power 
to  bring  her  back  to  Popery. 

In  the  conversation  which  followed, 
the  priest  exerted  himself  to  persuade 
her  that  she  was  in  error,  but  in  vain. 
At  length,  he  inquired  if  she  was  will- 
ing  to  enter  into  the  church,  and  before 
the  altar,  ask  God  to  bless  her  in  her 
present  course.  She  replied  that  she 
was,  and  they  proceeded  together  to 
the  church,  where  she  poured  out  her 
heart  in  unaffected  and  earnest  prayer 
that  God  would  smile  upon  her  endea- 
vors to  know  and  do  his  will,  and  that 
he  would  bring  her  parents  to  see  the 
errors  into  which  they  had  fallen. 

The  priest,  amazed  at  her  resolution 
and  steadfastness,  seemed  to  experience 
a  sudden  change,  and  told  her  to  go 
forward — if  she  thought  she  was  right, 
to  continue  as  she  had  begun.  This 
she  has  done,  and  is  now  on  the  point 
of  connecting  herself  with  a  Protestant 
church,  as  a  believer  in  Christ. 

in  the  early  stages  of  her  seriousness, 
a  young  man,  a  Romanist,  was  author- 
ized by  her  parents,  to  decoy  her  back 
into  the  bosom  of  Popery,  by  the  offer 
of  marriage,  but  the  attempt  was  unsuc- 
cessful. Afterwards,  when  she  became 
more  confirmed  in  her  views,  this  young 
man  came  to  her  employer,  with  a 
burdened  conscience,  which  he  hoped 
to  relieve  in  a  measure  by  confession, 
and  declared  that  he  had  been  authorized 
by  her  parents — a  priest  consenting — 
to  offer  his  hand  to  the  young  woman, 
and  if  he  could  not  succeed  in  making 
her  a  Roman  Catholic  by  any  other 
means,  to  seduce  her. 

We  could  not  believe  this  except  on 
the  most  credible  testimony.  As  it  is, 
we  cannot  doubt.  A  harlot,  we  might 
infer,  is  more  at  home  in  the  Roman 
Catholic  than  in  the  Protestant  Church, 
in  the  view  of  Romanists  themselves ; 
but  it  is  most  distressing  to  find  that 
such  criminal  and  detestable  acts  are 
employed,  and  that  the  interests  of  im* 
mortal  souls  are  sacrificed  that  the 
ranks  of  Popery  may  be  kept  unbroken. 

Who  is  not  aroused  from  his  sleep  ? 
599 


309,  310 


PAPACY. 


What  Protestant  can  stand  by  in- 
active, and  witness  the  perpetration  of 
such  enormities  in  the  sacred  name 
of  religion  ?  We  have  another  fact 
of  much  the  same  description,  but  we 
reserve  it  for  a  future  occasion. 

(d)  WHERE  NUNS  PUT  THEIR 
CPilLDREN.— A  captain  of  a  vessel, 
says  the  Philadelphian  for  184 — ,  stated 
some  time  since,  that  when  in  port  in  a 
Catholic  country,  an  old  nunnery  was 
torn  down,  for  the  purpose  of  rebuilding, 
and  although  every  exertion  was  made 
by  the  holy  father  to  suppress  the 
curiosity  of  the  people,  a  number  flocked 
round  the  ruins,  and  some  few  examin- 
ed them,  when  it  was  discovered  that  a 
large  vault  was  under  the  building, 
wherein  was  a  large  number  of  infants' 
BONES.  When  this  discovery  was  made 
known,  the  populace  insisted  that  they 
should  be  brought  out ;  the  bones  were 
then  laid  out  on  a  plain  near  the  ruins, 
and  examined  by  several  physicians, 
who  at  once  pronounced  them  to  be 
human  bones.  Our  informant,  whose 
name  we  possess,  states  that  he  was 
among  the  number  who  witnessed  the 
dreadful  sight. 

(e)  A  NUNNERY  ABANDONED. 
— "In  the  rear  of  Alleghany  town," 
says  the  Richmond  Telegraph  for  184-, 
"  and  in  full  view  of  Pittsburg,  is  a  Ca- 
tholic Nunnery,  one  of  those  schools  of 
superstition,  tyranny,  and  pollution, 
which  are  rising  up,  as  by  enchantment, 
in  every  part  of  the  West.  An  event 
has  recently  occurr(*d  which  has  in- 
duced the  whole  sisterhood,  with  the 
priest,  to  abandon  the  buildings.  A 
gentleman,  residing  at  the  East,  had  a 
daughter  in  the  nunnery  to  be  educatec , 
with  the  expectation  that  she  was  to 
visit  him  occasionally.  Much  time 
elapsed,  no  visit  was  made,  and  not 
being  able  to  get  any  satisfactory  infor- 
mation respecting  his  daughter,  he  came 
to  the  nunnery  to  see  her.  The  lady 
superior  told  him  she  was  not  at  home ; 
he  insisted  on  knowing  where  she  was, 
and  was  finally  told  that  she  was  sick 
in  bed,  and  could  not  be  seen ;  he  de- 
manded a  sight  of  her  in  a  spirit  which 
the  lady  superior  thought  it  imprudent 
to  attempt  to  resist ;  and  being  shown 
to  her  room,  behold,  there  was  his  once 

600 


healthy  and  promising  daughter,  with  an 
infant.  His  indignation  was  so  aroused, 
that  he  uttered  some  threats  in  regard 
to  the  safety  of  the  estabJisliment ;  and 
tiie  next  morning  not  an  individual  was 
found  there." 

(/)  SINGULAR  METHOD  OF 
PROSELYTING.— The  following 
anecdote  is  current  in  Germany,  and 
illustrates  the  disguises  often  assumed 
by  Jesuits  to  forward  Popery.  When 
the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Anhalt  Cothen 
embraced  the  Romish  faith,  the  court 
followed  their  example,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  one  maid  of  honor,  who  adhered 
to  her  Protestant  principles.  Shortly 
after,  a  young  gentleman  arrived  from 
Vienna,  who  won  the  affections  of  the 
lady,  but  informed  her,  that  being  a 
Roman  Catholic,  he  could  not  ally  him- 
self to  a  heretic.  She  consented,  after 
a  struggle,  to  forsake  Protestantism,  but 
fainted  when  her  I'ecantation  was  made. 
The  lover  then  informed  her,  that  he 
had  paid  his  addresses  to  her  for  the 
good  of  her  soul,  marriage  being  out  of 
the  question,  as  he  was  a  priest  and  a 
Jesuit — a  fact  of  which  she  was  con- 
vinced, when  taking  off  a  wig  which  he 
wore,  be  showed  her  the  tonsure  or 
shaven  crown,  which  is  a  distinguishing 
mark  of  popish  priests. 

SIO.  Miscellaneous. 

(a)  DYING  WORDS  OF  POPE 
PIUS  v.— It  is  said  of  Pius  Quintus, 
that  when  dying  he  cried  out  in  despair : 
"  When  I  was  in  low  condition,  I  had 
some  hopes  of  salvation ;  but  when  I 
was  advanced  to  be  a  cardinal,  1  greatly 
doubted  it ;  but  since  I  came  to  the 
popedom,  I  have  no  hope  at  all." 

(h)  PAPAL  INSPIRATION.— A 
Roman  Catholic  cure,  in  France,  once 
ventured  to  ask  a  Protestant,  "  Upon 
what  do  you  build  your  belief,  since 
you  have  no  authority  for  your  faith  ?" 
The  reply  was,  "  Upon  the  Bible ;  if 
the  apostles  had  lefl  behind  them  any 
infallible  successors,  it  would  have  been 
unnecessary  to  bequeath  to  us  so  many 
instructions  in  writing." 

"  The  apostles  !  and  why  are  you  to 
place  greater  reliance  on  the  apostles 
than  on  their  successors?" 


MISCELLANEOUS. 


310 


"  Because  the  apostles  were  inspired 
by  the  Holy  Ghost." 

"  Well !  and  we  too  are  inspired." 

"  Are  you  inspired  ?" 

"  Yes  !  I  repeat — We  too  are  in- 
spired !" 

"  Then  why  do  you  require  to  be 
further  instructed  in  the  college  of  the 
Jesuits  ?" 

The  priest  was  confounded. 

(c)  SURPRISE  AT  THE  TRUE 
VERSION.— The  Rev.  Mr.  Temple, 
one  of  the  American  missionaries  at 
Malta,  has  related  the  following  fact: — 
My  teacher,  a  native  of  Italy,  came 
into  my  room  one  morning,  and  took  up 
a  tract,  then  lying  on  my  table,  and 
immediately  cast  his  eyes  upon  the  ten 
commandments,  which  I  had  inserted 
at  the  end.  As  soon  as  he  had  read 
the  second  commandment,  he  express- 
ed much  astonishment,  and  asked  whe- 
ther this  was  part  of  the  decalogue. 
I  immediately  showed  him  this  com- 
mandment in  Archbishop  Martini's 
"  Italian  Translation  of  the  Latin  Vul- 
gate." He  could  not  suppress  his  feel- 
ing of  surprise  on  reading  this  in  the 
Italian  Bible,  and  in  a  version,  too, 
authorized  by  the  Pope.  "  I  have  lived," 
said  he,  "  fifty  years ;  have  been  pub- 
licly educated  in  Italy ;  have  had  the 
command  of  a  regiment  of  men,  and 
fought  in  many  campaigns;  but,  till 
this  hour,  I  never  knew  that  such  a 
commandment  as  this  was  written  in 
the  pages  of  the  Bible." 

(d)  THE  POPE  ANGRY.— Pope 
Julius,  sitting  at  dinner  one  day,  and 
pointing  to  a  peacock  which  he  had  not 
touched,  "  Keep,"  said  he,  "  this  cold 
peacock  for  me  against  supper,  and  let 
me  sup  in  the  garden;  for  I  shall  have 
guests."  When  supper  came,  the  pea- 
cock was  not  brought  to  the  table,  on 
which  the  Pope,  after  his  wonted  man- 
ner, fell  into  an  extreme  rage.  One 
of  his  cardinals,  sitting  by,  desired  him 
not  to  be  so  moved  with  a  matter  of  such 
small  weight.  "  What !"  said  the  Pope, 
"if  God  was  so  angry  for  an  apple, 
that  he  cast  our  first  parents  out  of 
Paradise  for  the  same,  why  may  not  I, 
being  his  Vicar,  be  angry  for  a  peacock, 
since  a  peacock  is  a  greater  matter  than 
an  apple?" 


(e)  ST.  JANARIUS  AND  THE 
HORSES. — We  were  present  to-day, 
say  the  author  of  "  Rome  in  the  Nine- 
teenth Century,"  written  in  1818,  at 
one  of  the  most  ridiculous  scenes  I  ever 
witnessed,  even  in  this  country.  It  was 
St.  Anthony's  blessing  of  the  horses ; 
which  began  on  that  saint's  day,  and,  I 
understand,  lasts  for  a  week.  We 
drove  to  the  church  of  the  saint,  near 
Santa  Maria  Maggiore,  and  could 
scarcely  make  our  way  through  the 
streets,  from  the  multitude  of  horses, 
mules,  asses,  cows,  sheep,  goats,  and 
dogs,  which  were  journeying  along  to  the 
place  of  benediction  ;  their  tails,  heads, 
and  necks,  decorated  with  bits  of  colored 
ribbon  and  other  finery,  on  this — their 
unconscious  gala  day.  The  saint's 
benediction,  though  nominally  confined 
to  horses,  is  equally  efficacious,  and 
equally  bestowed  upon  all  quadrupeds  ; 
and  I  believe  there  is  scarcely  a  brute 
in  Rome,  or  in  the  neighborhood,  that 
has  not  participated  in  it.  An  immense 
crowd  were  assembled  in  the  wide  open 
space  in  front  of  the  church  :  and  from 
the  number  of  beasts  and  men,  it  looked 
exactly  like  a  cattle  fair.  At  the  door 
stood  the  blessing  priest,  dressed  in  his 
robes,  and  wielding  a  brush  in  his  hand, 
which  he  continually  dipped  into  a 
huge  bucket  of  holy  water  that  stood 
near  him,  and  spirted  at  the  animals  as 
they  came  up,  in  unremitting  succes- 
sion, taking  off  his  little  skull-cap,  and 
muttering  every  time  in  Latin,  "  By  the 
intercession  of  blessed  Anthony  the 
abbot,  these  animals  are  freed  from 
evil,  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  Son, 
and  Holy  Spirit,  Amen."  The  poor 
priest  had  such  hard  work  in  blessing, 
that  he  was  quite  exhausted  and  panting, 
and  his  round  face  looked  fiery  red  with 
his  exertions.  The  rider,  or  driver  of 
the  creature,  always  gave  some  piece 
of  money,  larger  or  smaller,  in  propor- 
tion to  his  means  or  generosity  ;  and  re- 
ceived an  engraving  of  the  saint,  and  a 
little  metallic  cross :  however,  all  ani- 
mals might  be  blessed  gratis.  Several 
well-dressed  people,  in  very  handsome 
equipages,  attended  with  out-riders,  in 
splendid  liveries,  drove  up  while  we 
were  there  ;  and  sat  uncovered  till  the 
benediction  was  given.  Then,  having 
601 


311 


PATIENCE. 


paid  what  they  thought  fit,  they  drove 
off,  and  made  way  for  others.  One  ad- 
venture happened,  which  afforded  some 
amusement.  A  countryman  having  got 
a  blessing  on  his  beast,  and  therefore 
putting  his  whole  trust  in  its  power,  set 
off  from  the  church-door  at  full  gallop  ; 
and  had  scarcely  gone  a  hundred  yards, 
before  the  ungainly  animal  tumbled 
down  with  him,  and  he  rolled  over  his 


head  into  the  dirt.  He  soon  got  up, 
however,  and  shook  himself,  and  so  did 
the  horse,  without  either  seeming  to  be 
much  the  worse.  The  priest  seemed 
not  a  whit  out  of  countenance  at  this 
catastrophe  ;  and  some  of  the  standers- 
by  exclaimed,  with  entire  steadfastness 
of  faith,  that,  "  but  for  the  blessing,  they 
might  both  have  broken  their  necks !" 


311.  PATIENCE. 


(a)  TORTURED  NOBLEMAN.— 
When  the  Mexican  emperor,  Gatimozin, 
was  put  upon  the  rack  by  the  soldiers 
of  Cortes,  one  of  his  nobles,  who  lay  in 
tortures  at  the  same  time,  complained 
bitterly  to  his  sovereign  of  the  pains  he 
endured.  "  Do  you  think,"  said  Gati- 
mozin, "  that  I  lie  upon  roses  ?"  The 
nobleman  ceased  moaning,  and  expired 
in  silence.  "  When  a  Christian,"  adds 
the  pious  Bishop  Home,  "  thinks  his  suf- 
ferings  for  sin,  in  sickness,  or  pain,  «&;c., 
intolerable,  let  him  remember  those  of 
his  Lord,  endured  patiently  on  that  bed 
of  sorrow,  the  cross,  and  he  will  think 
so  no  longer." 

(h)  TRIBULATION  WORKETH 
PATIENCE.— There  was  a  little  boy 
who  was  so  crippled  that  he  could  not 
open  his  Bible,  which  he  had  always 
before  him.  A  gentleman  asked  him 
why  he  was  so  fond  of  reading  it.  "  I 
like  to  read  the  Bible,"  said  he,  "  be- 
cause it  tells  me  of  Jesus  Christ."  "  Do 
you  think  you  have  believed  on  Jesus 
Christ?"  "Yes,  I  do."  "What makes 
you  think  so  ?"  "  Because  he  enables 
me  to  suffer  my  afflictions  patiently." 

(c)  PATIENT  MINISTER.— Mr. 
Rivet,  a  learned  and  pious  divine,  was 
an  instance  of  extraordinary  patience 
under  excruciating  pains,  which  he  bore 
for  many  days.  "  You  see,"  says  he, 
"  through  the  grace  of  God,  I  am  not 
tired :  I  wait,  I  believe,  I  persevere. 
Patience  is  much  better  than  knowledge. 
I  am  no  more  vexed  with  earthly  cares : 
I  have  now  no  desire  but  after  heavenly 
things.  I  have  learnt  more  divinity  in 
these  ten  days,  than  in  fifty  years  be- 
fore. This  body  is  feeble,  but  the  spirit 
602 


is  strong  and  enriched.  Far  be  it  from 
me  that  I  should  murmur.  How  small 
are  these  pains  in  comparison  of  that 
grace,  through  which  I  bear,  with  a 
quiet  mind,  whatsoever  it  pleaseth  God 
to  lay  upon  me!  The  body,  indeed, 
sutlers,  but  the  soul  is  comforted  and 
filled  abundantly." 

{d)  PATIENCE  OF  SARAH  PAR- 
BECK. — One  of  the  most  remarkable 
instances  of  patience  on  record  is  to  be 
found  in  the  case  of  Miss  Sarah  Par- 
beck,  of  Salem,  Mass.  A  lady  visiting 
her  in  1845,  thus  describes  her  inter- 
view : 

"  The  door  was  opened  by  a  very  old 
lady,  wrinkled  and  bowed  down  with 
age,  who  invited  us  to  enter.  The  room 
was  so  dark,  that  before  my  eyes  were 
accommodated  to  the  change,  I  could 
only  see  a  figure  dressed  in  white,  sit- 
ting upon  the  bed  and  rocking  to  and 
fro.  This  motion  was  attended  by  a 
sound  like  the  click  of  wooden  machine- 
ry, which  arose,  as  I  afterwards  dis- 
covered, from  the  bones  as  they  worked 
in  their  loosened  sockets.  As  we  ap- 
proached, she  extended  her  hand  to  my 
companion,  and  said  in  a  painful  but  af- 
fectionate voice,  '  Eliza,  I  am  very  glad 
to  see  thee  ;'  and  then  asked  my  name 
and  place  of  residence.  She  had  just 
given  me  her  hand,  when  a  spasm  seized 
her,  and  it  was  twitched  suddenly  from 
my  grasp.  It  flew  some  four  or  five 
times  with  the  greatest  violence  against 
her  face,  and  then,  with  a  sound  which 
I  can  only  compare  to  that  made  by  a 
child  who  has  been  sobbing  a  long  time, 
in  catching  its  breath,  she  threw  up  both 
her  arms,   and  with   a   deep  guttural 


PATIENCE. 


311 


groan  was  flung  back  upon  her  pillow, 
with  a  force  inconceivable  to  one  who 
has  not  witnessed  it.  The  instant  she 
touched  the  bed,  she  uttered  that  pierc- 
ing shriek  again,  and  sprung  back  to 
her  former  position,  rocking  to  and  fro, 
with  those  quick,  heart-rending  groans 
which  I  had  heard  while  standing  at  the 
door.  It  was  several  minutes  before 
she  could  speak,  and  then  there  was 
none  to  answer  her.  Both  my  compan- 
ion and  myself'were  choked  with  tears. 
Her  poor  mother  went  to  the  other  side 
of  the  bed,  and  smoothed  the  coverlid, 
and  rearranged  the  pillows,  looking  sad- 
ly upon  her  poor  child,  writhing  in  tor- 
ture which  she  could  not  alleviate.  I 
became  faint,  and  trembled  with  a  sud- 
den weakness  ;  a  cold  perspiration  stood 
upon  my  face.  The  objects  in  the  room 
began  to  swim  about  me,  and  I  was 
obliged  to  take  hold  of  the  bedside  for 
support.  I  have  been  in  our  largest 
hospitals,  and  have  spent  hours  in  going 
from  room  to  room  with  the  attending 
physician.  I  have  witnessed  there  al- 
most every  form  of  human  suffering,  but  I 
had  never  beheld  any  thing  to  be  compar- 
ed  to  that  now  before  me.  She  afterwards 
told  me,  as  if  in  apology  for  her  screams, 
that  when  she  was  hurled  back  upon 
her  pillow  both  shoulders  were  dislocat- 
ed, and  as  they  sprung  back  into  their 
sockets,  the  pain  was  far  beyond  en- 
durance, and  extorted  from  her  these 
shrieks. 

"  Her  sentences  were  broken,  uttered 
with  much  difficulty,  and  frequently  in- 
terrupted by  the  terrible  spasm  I  have 
described  above.  Yet  this  was  her 
*  quiet '  state ;  this  the  time  when  she 
suffered  hast.  Day  afler  day,  night 
after  night,  fourteen  weary  years  have 
dragged  themselves  along,  whilst  her 
poor  body  has  been  thus  racked.  No 
relief;  no  hope  of  relief,  except  that 
which  death  shall  give.  When  I  asked 
her  if  her  affliction  did  not  at  times  seem 
greater  than  she  could  bear, '  O  !  never,' 
she  replied.  '  I  cannot  thank  God  enough 
for  having  laid  his  heavy  hand  upon  me. 
I  was  a  thoughtless  sinner,  and  had  he 
not  in  his  mercy  afflicted  me,  I  should 
probably  have  lost  my  immortal  soul. 
I  see  only  his  kindness  and  love.  The 
sweet  communion  I  have  with  my  Sav- 


ior more  than  compensates  me  for  all  I 
suffer.  I  am  permitted  to  feel,  in  a 
measure,  in  my  poor  body,  what  he  suf- 
fered to  save  me,  and  my  soul  can  never 
grow  weary  in  his  praise.'  This  last 
sentence,  I  must  say,  gave  me  an  argu- 
ment which  put  doubts  of  the  verity  and 
power  of  religion  to  flight  more  effectu- 
ally than  all  the  evidences  which  the 
wisdom  of  man  has  arrayed  against  the 
skeptic ;  and  I  could  not  but  exclaim, 
'If  this  be  delusion,  let  me  be  deluded!' 

"  She  spoke  in  the  most  tender  terms 
of  her  Savior's  love.  Her  conversation 
was  in  heaven,  from  whence  also  she 
looked  for  her  Savior,  knowing  that  he 
should  change  her  body  of  humiliation, 
and  fashion  it  like  unto  his  glorious 
body.  I  shall  never  forget  the  tones 
and  language  in  which  she  entreated  my 
sobbing  companion  to  give  that  Savior 
her  heart.  As  she  recovered  from  a 
spasm,  I  said  to  her,  '  Do  you  not  often 
desire  to  depart,  and  be  with  the  Savior 
you  love  so  fervently  V  She  had  hard- 
ly recovered  her  exhausted  breath,  but 
replied  with  great  decision,  '  By  the 
grace  of  God  /  have  never  had  that  wish. 
Though  death  will  be  a  welcome  gift 
when  my  Father  sees  fit  to  bestow  it 
upon  me,  yet,  thanks  to  his  supporting 
grace,  I  can  wait  his  time  without  im- 
patience. He  sees  that  there  is  much 
dross  to  refine  away,  and  why  should  I 
wish  against  his  will  V 

"  I  remained  by  her  side  for  more 
than  an  hour ;  such,  however,  were  the 
attractions  of  her  discourse,  that  I  was 
unconscious  of  the  time.  I  know  not 
when  I  have  been  so  drawn  towards  a 
fellow  Christian,  and  never  had  I  been 
led  to  such  delightful  contemplations  of 
our  Savior's  character  ;  his  faithfulness 
and  love.  I  remarked  to  her,  as  I  turn- 
ed to  go  away,  '  God  has  made  you  a 
powerful  preacher,  here  upon  your  bed 
of  pain.'  '  O,'  she  replied,  '  if  he  will 
make  me  the  instrument  of  saving  but 
a  single  soul,  I  am  willing  to  live  and 
suffer  here  until  my  hair  is  gray  with 
age.'  I  noticed  some  bottles  standing 
upon  a  small  table,  and  asked  her  if  she 
found  any  relief  from  opiates.  '  Through 
God's  kindness,'  she  answered,  '  I  pro- 
bably owe  the  preservation  of  my  life 
thus  far  to  an  extract  made  from  black- 
603 


311 


PATIENCE. 


drop.'  '  Does  it  enable  you  to  sleep  V  I 
'  O  no,'  she  replied,  '  I  have  not  known 
sleep  for  a  very  long  time.'  '  What !' 
I  cried,  '  do  you  never  rest  V  A  severe 
spasm  here  seized  her,  and  it  was  some 
time  before  she  could  answer  me ;  she 
had  been  attacked  in  this  way  some 
twelve  or  fifteen  times  whilst  conversing 
with  us,  and  frequently  in  the  midst  of 
a  reply.  When  she  recovered,  she  said 
the  physicians  thought  she  obtained  rest 
in  her  '  long  spasm,'  which  lasted  for 
more  than  an  hour.  *  During  that  time,' 
she  continued,  '  I  am  dead  to  every  thing 
but  a  sense  of  the  most  extreme  anguish. 
I  see  and  hear  nothing ;  I  only  feel  as 
though  I  was  being  crushed  in  pieces 
by  some  immense  weight.'  This  was 
her  rest !  The  rack  !  Yet,  through  all 
this  suffering,  the  smiles  of  God  pene- 
trate to  her  heart.  She  sees  him  just, 
and  acknowledges  his  love." 

(e)  SUFFERING  PATIENTLY 
FOR  CHRIST.— Negrino  and  Paschali 
exercised  their  ministry  in  Calabria,  in 
comforting  the  persecuted  Waldensians 
among  the  woods  and  mountains.  But 
when  the  sufferers  were  closely  hunted, 
the  preachers  were  not  likely  to  escape. 
At  the  instance  of  the  inquisitor,  they 
were  both  apprehended.  Negrino  was 
starved  to  death  in  prison  at  Casueza. 
At  this  place  Paschali  was  detained  in 
confinement  eight  months,  whence  he 
was  sent  prisoner  to  Naples,  with  a  view 
of  being  conducted  to  Rome.  The  pa- 
tience with  which  he  endured  the  cross, 
appears  from  the  sensible  and  ardent  let- 
ters which  he  addressed  to  the  persecut- 
ed church  of  Calabria,  to  his  afflicted 
spouse  Camilla,  and  to  the  church  of 
Geneva.  In  one  of  these  he  thus  de- 
scribes his  journey  from  Cosenza  to  Na- 
ples: 

"  Two  of  our  companions  had  been 
prevailed  on  to  recant ;  but  they  were 
no  better  treated  on  that  account,  and 
we  know  not  what  they  will  suffer  at 
Rome,  whither  they  are  to  be  conveyed, 
as  well  as  Marquet  and  myself.  The 
Spaniard,  our  conductor,  wished  us  to 
give  him  money  to  be  relieved  from  the 
chain  by  which  we  were  bound  to  one 
another  ;  yet,  in  addition  to  this,  he  put 
on  me  a  pair  of  handcuffs,  so  strait  that 
604 


they  entered  into  the  flesh,  and  deprived 
me  of  all  sleep ;  and  I  found  that,  if  at 
all,  he  would  not  remove  them  until  he 
had  drawn  from  me  all  the  money  I  had, 
amounting  only  to  two  ducats,  which  I 
needed  for  my  support.  At  night,  the 
beasts  were  better  treated  than  we,  for 
their  litter  was  spread  for  them,  while 
we  were  obliged  to  lie  on  the  hard 
ground,  without  any  covering ;  and  in 
this  condition  we  remained  for  nine 
nights.  On  our  arrival  at  Naples  we 
were  thrust  into  a  cell,  noisome  in  the 
highest  degree,  from  the  damp,  and  the 
putrid  breath  of  the  prisoners." 

He  was  next  sent  in  bonds  to  Rome, 
at  which  place  his  brother  arrived  from 
Coni,  with  letters  of  recommendation,  to 
ask  his  liberty.  With  difficulty  this 
brother  obtained  an  interview  with  him, 
in  the  presence  of  a  judge  of  the  Inqui- 
sition. He  gives  the  following  descrip- 
tion of  this  first  interview : 

"  It  was  hideous  to  see  him,  with  his 
bare  head,  and  his  hands  and  arms  lace- 
rated with  the  small  cords  with  which 
he  was  bound,  like  one  to  be  led  to  the 
gibbet.  On  advancing  to  embrace  him, 
1  sunk  to  the  ground.  '  My  brother,' 
said  he,  '  if  you  are  a  Christian,  why  do 
you  distress  yourself  thus  ?  Do  you 
know  that  a  leaf  cannot  fall  to  the  ground 
without  tlie  will  of  God  ?  Comfort  your- 
self in  Christ  Jesus,  for  the  present 
troubles  are  not  to  be  compared  with 
the  glory  to  come.'  " 

At  last,  on  the  8th  of  September, 
1.560,  he  was  led  to  the  conventual 
church  of  Minerva,  to  hear  his  proceao 
publicly  read ;  and  the  next  day,  the 
9th  of  September,  he  appeared,  with  the 
greatest  fortitude,  in  the  court  adjoining 
the  castle  of  St.  Angelo,  where  he  was 
burnt  in  the  presence  of  the  pope  and  a 
party  of  cardinals. 

(/)  ERETRIUS  AND  HIS  FA- 
THER. — A  youth  named  Eretrius  was 
for  a  considerable  time  a  follower  of 
Zeno.  On  his  return  home,  his  father 
asked  him  what  he  had  learned  ?  The 
boy  replied,  that  would  hereafter  appear. 
On  this,  the  father  being  enraged,  beat 
his  son  ;  who  bearing  it  patiently,  and 
without  complaining,  said,  "  This  have  I 
learned — to  endure  a  parent's  anger." 


1^ 


PATRIOTISM. 


312 


312.  PATRIOTISM. 


(a)  THE  ROMAN  AMBASSA- 
DORS.—Ptolemy  Philadelphus,  king 
of  Egypt,  having  sent  to  desire  tlie 
friendship  of  the  Roman  people,  an  em- 
bassy was  dispatched  from  Rome  the 
following  year,  in  return  for  the  civili- 
ties of  Ptolemy.  The  ambassadors  were 
Q.  Fabius  Garges,  Cn.  Fabius  Pictor, 
with  Numerius  his  brother,  and  Q. 
Ogalnius.  The  disinterested  air  with 
which  they  appeared  sufficiently  indi- 
cated the  greatness  of  their  souls.  Pto- 
lemy gave  them  a  splendid  entertain- 
ment, and  took  that  opportunity  to  pre- 
sent to  each  of  them  a  crown  of  gold, 
which  they  received  because  they  were 
unwilling  to  disoblige  him  by  declining 
the  honor  he  intended  them ;  but  they 
went  the  next  morning  and  placed  them 
on  the  heads  of  the  king's  statues  erect- 
ed in  the  public  places  of  the  city.  The 
kinor  likewise  havincr  tendered  them 
very  considerable  presents  at  their  au- 
dience of  leave,  they  received  them  as 
they  had  the  crowns ;  but,  on  their  ar- 
rival at  Rome,  before  giving  the  Senate 
an  account  of  their  embassy,  they  de- 
posited all  those  presents  in  the  public 
treasury,  and  made  it  evident,  by  so  no- 
ble a  conduct,  that  in  serving  the  re- 
public they  had  proposed  no  other  ad- 
vantage to  themselves  than  the  honor  of 
having  well  done  their  duty.  The  re- 
public, however,  would  not  suffer  itself 
to  be  exceeded  in  generosity  of  senti- 
ments. The  Senate  and  people  came 
to  a  resolution,  that  the  ambassadors,  in 
consideration  of  the  services  they  had 
rendered  the  state,  should  receive  a  sum 
of  money  equivalent  to  that  they  had 
deposited  in  the  public  treasury.  This 
indeed  was  an  amiable  contest ;  and  one 
is  at  a  loss  to  know  to  which  of  the  an- 
tagonists to  ascribe  the  victory.  Where 
shall  we  now  find  men  who  devote  them- 
selves in  a  similar  manner  to  the  public 
good,  without  any  interested  expecta- 
tions of  selfish  advantage  ? 

(b)  THE  CORSICAN  AND  HIS 
UNCLE. — A  striking  display  of  the 
character  of  the  legislator,  and  of  the 
subject,  was  related  by  Paoll  to  Mr. 


Boswell,  when  he  visited  Corsica.  "  A 
criminal,"  said  he,  "  was  condemned  to 
die.  His  nephew  came  to  me  with  a 
lady  of  distinction,  that  she  might  solicit 
his  pardon.  The  nephew's  anxiety 
made  him  think  that  the  lady  did  not 
speak  with  sufficient  force  and  earnest- 
ness. He  therefore  advanced,  and  ad- 
dressed himself  to  me,  '  Sir,  is  it  proper 
for  me  to  speak  V  as  if  he  felt  that  it 
was  unlawful  to  make  such  an  applica- 
tion. I  bade  him  go  on.  '  Sir,'  said 
he,  with  the  deepest  concern,  '  may  I 
beg  the  life  of  my  uncle  ?  If  it  is 
granted,  his  relations  will  make  a  gift 
to  the  state  of  a  thousand  zechins.  We 
will  furnish  fifty  soldiers  in  pay  during 
the  siege  of  Furiana.  We  will  agree 
that  my  uncle  shall  be  banished,  and 
will  engage  that  he  shall  never  return 
to  the  island.'  I  knew  the  nephew  to 
be  a  man  of  worth,  and  I  answered  him, 
'You  are  acquainted  with  the  circum- 
stances of  this  case :  such  is  my  confi- 
dence in  you,  that  if  you  will  say,  that 
giving  your  uncle  a  pardon  would  be 
just,  useful,  or  honorable  for  Corsica,  1 
promise  you  it  shall  be  granted.'  He 
turned  about,  burst  into  tears,  and  left 
me,  saying  in  his  native  language,  '  I 
would  not  have  the  honor  of  our  coun- 
try sold  for  a  thousand  zechins.'  His 
uncle  suffered." 

( c )  PATRIOTIC  MOTHER.— 
History  furnishes  many  examples  of 
mothers,  led  away  by  the  seductive  at- 
tractions of  honor,  riches,  and  grandeur, 
to  sacrifice  the  true  happiness  of  their 
children,  in  the  hope  of  securing  the 
future  fortune  and  rank  of  their  posteri- 
ty. Russia,  howeifer,  furnishes  one  in- 
stance of  a  mother  who  opposed  the 
elevation  of  her  child  to  the  highest 
dignity,  with  the  utmost  anxiety.  Dur- 
ing the  interregnum  that  succeeded  the 
unfortunate  reign  of  Chowski,  in  1610, 
the  Russian  nobles  agreed  to  give  the 
crown  to  a  near  relation,  on  the  mater- 
nal side,  of  the  Czar  Fedor  Iwanovitch. 
They  accordingly  invited  young  Mi- 
chael Romanof  and  his  mother  to  Mos- 
cow, but  they  both  refused  to  attend ; 
605 


312 


PATRIOTISM. 


the  mother  even  went  further ;  she 
wrote  to  her  brother  Cheremetef,  to  beg 
of  him  to  oppose  the  elevation  of  his 
nephew  to  a  throne,  since  his  extreme 
youth  rendered  him  incapable  of  under- 
taking so  important  a  charge.  The 
election,  however,  proceeded,  and  Mi- 
chael Romanof  was  chosen  Emperor. 
When  the  deputies  repaired  to  Kostro- 
ma, to  announce  to  the  new  sovereign 
the  choice  they  had  made  of  him,  his 
mother  begged  a  private  interview  with 
the  plenipotentiaries,  before  she  intro- 
duced them  to  her  son.  They  consent- 
ed, and  met  her  in  the  church,  where, 
with  tears,  she  renewed  her  entreaties, 
and  begged  of  them  to  choose  some  per- 
son more  able  to  govern  the  people  than 
her  son.  She  was  informed  that,  hav- 
ing decided,  the  nobles  would  not  revoke 
their  choice.  "  Well,  then,"  said  she, 
"I  must  content  myself  with  soliciting 
you  to  take  my  child  under  your  guar- 
dianship ;  he  has  not  been  educated 
in  the  difficult  art  of  governing  man- 
kind ;  but  you  have  elected  him — you 
insist  on  him  for  your  monarch,  and  if 
he  does  not  fulfil  your  expectations,  you 
alone  will  be  answerable  to  God  for  the 
events  of  which  your  choice  may  be  the 
cause ;  but  as  for  me,  I  have  done  my 
duty  to  my  God,  my  country,  and  my 
child." 

(d)  WASHINGTON  AND  HIS 
FRIENDS.— An  anecdote  is  told  of  the 
great  Washington,  which  exhibits,  in  a 
fine  light,  the  distinction  between  pub- 
lic duty,  and  private  friendship.  Dur- 
ing his  administration  as  President  of 
the  United  States,  a  gentleman,  the 
friend  and  the  companion  of  the  general, 
throughout  the  whole  course  of  the  re- 
volutionary war,  applied  for  a  lucrative 
and  very  responsible  office.  The  gen- 
tleman was  at  all^times  welcome  to 
Washington's  table  ;  he  had  been,  to  a 
certain  degree,  necessary  to  the  domes- 
tic repose  of  a  man,  who  had  for  seven 
years  fought  the  battles  of  his  country, 
and  who  had  now  undertaken  the  task 
of  wielding  her  political  energies.      At 


all  times,  and  in  all  places,  Washington 
regarded  his  revolutionary  associate 
with  an  eye  of  evident  partiality  and 
kindness.  He  was  a  jovial,  pleasant, 
and  unobtrusive  companion.  In  apply- 
ing for  this  office,  it  was  accordingly 
in  the  full  confidence  of  success ;  ancl 
his  friends  already  cheered  him  on  the 
prospect  of  his  arrival  at  competency 
and  ease.  The  opponent  of  this  gentle- 
man, was  known  to  be  decidedly  hos- 
tile to  the  politics  of  Washington  ;  he 
had  even  made  himself  conspicuous 
among  the  ranks  of  opposition.  He 
had,  however,  the  temerity  to  stand  as 
candidate  for  the  office  to  which  the 
friend  and  the  favorite  of  Washington 
aspired.  He  had  nothing  to  urge  in 
favor  of  his  pretensions,  but  strong 
integrity,  promptitude,  and  fidelity  in 
business,  and  every  quality  which,  if 
called  into  exercise,  would  render  ser- 
vice to  the  state.  Every  one  consider- 
ed the  application  of  this  man  hopeless; 
no  glittering  testimonial  of  merit  had  he 
to  present  to  the  eye  of  Washington  ; 
he  was  known  to  be  his  political  enemy ; 
he  was  opposed  by  a  favorite  of  the  ge- 
neral's ;  and  yet,  with  such  fearful 
odds,  he  dared  to  stand  candidate. 
What  was  the  result  ?  The  enemy  of 
Washington  was  appointed  to  the  office, 
and  his  table  companion  was  left  desti- 
tute and  dejected.  A  mutual  friend, 
who  interested  himself  in  the  aflfair, 
ventured  to  remonstrate  with  the  presi- 
dent on  the  injustice  of  his  appointment. 
"  My  friend,"  said  he,  "  I  receive  with 
a  cordial  welcome  ;  he  is  welcome  to 
my  house,  and  welcome  to  my  heart ; 
but,  with  all  his  good  qualities,  he  is  not 
a  man  of  business.  His  opponent  is, 
with  all  his  political  hostility  to  me,  a 
man  of  business ;  my  private  feelings 
have  nothing  to  do  in  this  case.  I  am 
not  George  Washington,  but  President 
of  the  United  States ;  as  George  Wash- 
ington, I  would  do  this  man  any  kind- 
ness in  my  power ;  but  as  President  of 
the  United  States,  I  can  do  nothing." 


606 


PEACE-MAKERS. 


313 


313.  PEACE-MAKERS. 


(a)     TRUE     PEACE-MAKER.— 

When  Mr.  Welch  accepted  of  the  call 
to  Ayr,  he  found  the  wickedness  of  the 
peopleTand  their  hatred  to  religion  so 
great,  that  no  one  would  let  him  a  house, 
till  Mr\^hn  St^.war|:.  an  eminent  Chris- 
tian, and  some  time  provost  of  Ayr,  ac- 
commodated him  with  an  apartment  in 
his  house,  and  became  his  lasting  friend. 
Mr.  Welch  first  addressed  himself  to 
the  arduous  task  of  healing  their  divi- 
sions, uniting  their  factious  parties,  and 
putting  an  end  to  their  daily  battles, 
which  were  so  desperate,  that  no  one 
could  walk  in  the  street  even  in  the 
day-time,  without  the  most  imminent 
danger  of  being  wounded.  His  method 
was  this  :  after  he  had  put  a  helmet  on 
his  head,  he  would  go  between  the 
parties  of  fighting  men,  already  covered 
with  blood ;  but  he  never  took  a  sword, 
which  convinced  them  that  he  came  not 
to  fight,  but  to  make  peace.  \-When 
he  had  brought  them,  by  little  and  little, 
to  hear  him  speak,  and  to  listen  to  his 
arguments  against  such  inhuman  pro- 
ceedings, he  would  order  a  table  to  be 
spread  in  the  street,  and,  beginning  with 
prayer,  persuade  them  to  profess  them- 
selves friends,  and  to  sit  down,  and  to 
eat  and  drink  together  ,*^  which,  when 
done,  he  would  finish  this  labor  of  love 
with  singing  a  psalm.  Thus,  by  de- 
grees, laboring  among  them  in  word  and 
doctrine,  for  he  preached  every  day, 
and  setting  them  a  good  example,  he 
brought  them  to  be  a  peaceable  and 
happy  people  ;  and  he  grew,  at  length, 
in  such  esteem  among  them,  that  they 
made  him  their  counsellor,  to  settle  all 
their  differences  and  misunderstandings, 
and  would  take  no  step  of  importance 
in  civil  affairs  without  his  advice. 

{b)  ENVIABLE  REPUTATION. 
— John  Dickinson,  Esq.,  of  Birming- 
ham, was  often  called  by  way  of  dis- 
tinction,  •'  The  Peace-maker ;"  and 
such  was  his  anxiety  to  keep  the  bonds 
of  peace  from  being  broken — such  was 
his  solicitude  to  heal  the  breach  when 
made,  that  he  would  stoop  to  any  act  but 
that  of  meanness — make  any  sacrifice 


but  that  of  principle — and  endure  any 
mode  of  treatment,  not  excepting  even 
insult  and  reproach.  From  the  high 
estimate  in  which  his  character  was 
held,  he  was  often  called  upon  to  act  as 
umpire  in  cases  of  arbitration,  and  it 
was  but  rarely,  if  ever,  that  the  equity 
of  his  decisions  was  impeached.  On 
one  occasion,  two  men  were  disputing 
in  a  public-house  about  the  result  of 
an  arbitration,  when  a  third  said,  "  Had 
John  Dickinson  any  thing  to  do  with 
it?"  "Yes,"  was  the  reply.  "Then 
all  was  right,  I  am  sure  ;"  and  in  this 
opinion  the  whole  party  concurred,  and 
the  disputation  ceased. 

(c)  PACIFIC  MINISTER.— George 
Wishart,  one  of  the  first  Scottish  mar- 
tyrs at  the  time  of  the  reformation,  be- 
ing desired  to  preach  on  the  Lord's  day, 
in  the  church  of  Mauchline,  went  thither 
with  that  design  ;  but  the  sheriff  of  Ayr 
had,  in  the  night  time,  put  a  garrison  of 
soldiers  into  the  church  to  keep  him  out. 
Hugh  Campbell,  of  Kinzeancleugh,  with 
others  in  the  parish,  were  exceedingly 
offended  at  this  impiety,  and  would 
have  entered  the  church  by  force ;  but 
Wishart  would  not  suffer  it,  saying, 
"  Brethren,  it  is  the  word  of  peace  which 
I  preach  unto  you  ;  the  blood  of  no  man 
shall  be  shed  for  it  this  day.  Jesus 
Christ  is  as  mighty  in  the  fields  as  in 
the  church,  and  he  himself,  while  he 
lived  in  the  flesh,  preached  oftener  in 
the  desert  and  on  the  seaside,  than  in  the 
temple  of  Jerusalem."  Upon  this  the 
people  were  appeased,  and  went  with 
him  to  the  edge  of  a  moor,  on  the  south- 
west of  Mauchline,  where,  having 
placed  himself  upon  a  mound  of  earth, 
he  preached  to  a  great  multitude.  He 
continued  speaking  for  more  than  three 
hours,  God  working  wondrously  by  him, 
insomuch  that  Laurence  Ranken,  the 
Laird  of  Shield,  a  very  profane  person, 
was  converted  by  his  discourse.  The 
tears  ran  from  his  eyes,  to  the  astonish- 
ment of  all  present ;  and  the  whole  of 
his  after  life  witnessed  that  his  profes- 
sion was  without  hypocrisy. 

607 


314 


PERJURY. 


314.  PERJURY. 


(a)  FORSWEARING  A  DEBT.— At  ' 

a  Justice's  Court,  heldat  Mayslick,Ken-  | 
tucky,  says   an   eye-witness,   a  cause 
came  on  to  be  heard,  wherein  the  sum 
in  dispute  was  75  cts.  due  to  the  plain- 
tiff, a  tavern-keeper  for  whisky. 

Neither  party  having  any  testimony 
to  introduce,  Mr.  S ,  one  of  the  jus- 
tices, for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  some 
knowledge  of  the  situation  of  the  claim, 
permitted  the  parties  to  go  into  a  free 
conversation,  on  the  subject  of  their 
dealings. 

After  considerable  affirmation  on  one 
side,  and  denial  on  the  other,  the  plain- 
tiff told  the  defendant,  if  he  would  swear 
he  had  paid  for  two  half  pints,  he  would 
strike  them  out  of  his  account ;  defend- 
ant said  he  would,  and  asked  Mr.  S 

to  administer  the  oath,  but  he  being  con- 
scious from  prior  confessions  of  the  de- 
fendant, that  it  was  impossible  it  could 
be  so,  said  to  him,  I  feel  a  delicacy  in 
doing  so,  and  you  had  better  pay  it ; 
it's  a  trifling  sum,  I  would  not  take  the 
trouble  to  swear  for  it.  Something  at 
that  moment  called  the  attention  of  Mr. 

S from  the  subject,  and  before  he 

again  had  fixed  his  eyes  on  the  defend- 
ant, he  had  stept  to  Mr.  Y ,  another 

of  the  magistrates,  in  the  other  comer  of 
the  room,  and  had  sworn  in  the  most  so- 
lemn manner,  to  the  payment  of  the 
money,  of  which  he  immediately  inform- 
ed Mr.  S . 

Until  this  awful  period,  the  defendant 
had  retained  his  usual  appearance  of 
health  and  vigor ;  but,  alas  !  no  sooner 

had  he  turned  about  to  inform  Mr.  S 

of  his  successful  attempt  to  commit  the 
horrid  crime  of  perjury,  than  a  death- 
like paleness  was  visible  on  his  counte- 
nance ;  the  people  in  the  room  simul- 
taneously remarked,  with  astonishment, 
the  change  so  instantaneously  effected 

in  his  appearance.     Mr.  S himself 

remarked,  when  relating  the  circum- 
stance, that  he  had  the  appearance  of  a 
man  already  two  days  dead.  Judg- 
ment was  entered  for  fifty  cents,  and  he 
retired  from  the  scene  of  his  guilt.  But 
wretched  infatuated  mortal !  he  could 
608 


not  retire  from  conscious  guilt.  He  took 
neither  refreshment  nor  sleep  that  night ; 
but  appeared  restless,  (as  his  wife  re- 
lates,) and  rolled  in  his  bed  from  side  to 
side,  like  one  bereft  of  every  earthly 
enjoyment.  Morning  came  ;  but  with 
it  brought  no  relief  to  his  perturbed 
bosom.  Still  taking  no  food,  after  break- 
fast he  went  to  the  field,  where  a  num. 
ber  of  reapers  had  met  to  cut  his  grain  ; 
he  gave  th^m  some  incoherent  direc- 
tions relative  to  the  harvest,  and  return- 
ed to  his  house.  The  whole  day  was 
spent  in  thoughtful  musings,  and  appa- 
rent agony  of  mind  :  and  another  night 
was  spent  like  the  preceding.  In  the 
morning,  a  short  time  after  he  had  left 
his  bed,  he  was  seen  running  upon  all- 
fours  through  the  door-yard,  and  ex- 
claiming. "  John  Johnston  (the  name  of 
the  constable  who  attended  the  trial)  and 
the  Devil  are  after  me."  He  was 
picked  up  by  some  men  who  were  about 
the  house,  and  set  down  on  the  step  of 
the  door.  In  a  few  minutes  he  sudden- 
ly started  from  his  seat,  and  again  com- 
menced running  upon  his  hands  and  feet 
as  before  ;  and  exclaiming  most  awfully, 
"  John  Johnston  and  the  Devil  are  after 
me."  In  this  manner  he  made  his  way 
into  a  small  field  of  corn  which  stood 
open  to  the  door-yard,  and  as  he  ran 
between  the  rows  of  corn,  he  tore  up 
a  number  of  hills  by  the  roots,  and  whilst 
thus  engaged,  and  before  he  could  be 
reached  by  his  pursuers,  in  the  act  of 
tearing  up  a  cornhill,  he  suddenly  and 
instantaneously  expired. 

(h)  THE  SENATOR'S  OATH.— 
Mr.  J.  Taygart  was  elected  a  Senator 
from  the  county  of  Columbiana  to  the 
second  General  Assembly  of  the  State 
of  Ohio.  He  appeared  and  made  the 
necessary  oaths,  and  took  his  seat.  In 
a  few  days  he  became  melancholy, 
which  soon  progressed  to  insanity.  In 
his  insane  ravings  he  disclosed  that  he 
was  not  thirty  years  of  age  when  he 
took  the  oath  of  office  and  his  seat ;  and 
that  his  conscience  upbraided  him  with 
the  crime  of  perjury  in  taking  an  oath 
to  support  the  constitution,  and  at  the 


PERSECUTION— PERSECUTORS,  END  OF. 


311—316 


same  moment  taking  a  seat  in  violation 
of  its  provisions.  From  this  insanity  he 
never  recovered,  and  survived  its  com- 
mencement but  a  few  months. 

(c)  STENNETT  AND  HIS  EN- 
EMIES.— Dr.  Samuel  Stennett  dwelt 
in  the  castle  of  Wallingford,  (Eng.) 
where  no  warrant  except  that  of  the 
Lord  Chief  Justice  could  reach  him  ; 
and  the  house  was  so  situated  that  reli- 
gious assemblies  could  meet  there  with- 
out any  danger  of  legal  conviction,  un- 
less informers  were  admitted,  which 
care  was  taken  to  prevent.  A  justice 
of  peace  in  the  neighborhood,  highly  in- 
censed at  this,  resolved,  together  with  a 
clergyman,  upon  a  conviction  of  the  of- 
fence by  suborning  false  witnesses. 
Several  persons,  therefore,  were  hired 
to  swear  they  had  heard  prayer  and 
preaching  at  the  castle,  though  they 
never  had  been  present.  Mr.  Stennett 
finding  an  indictment  laid  against  him 
on  the  Conventicle  Act,  and  being  well 
assured  that  nothing  but  perjury  could 
support  it,  resolved  to  traverse  it ;  and 
accordingly  did  so.  The  assizes  were 
held  at  Newbury  ;  and  when  the  time 
approached,  his  adversaries  greatly  tri- 
umphed in  their  expected  success.    But 


the  scene  was  suddenly  changed.  News 
came  to  the  justice  that  his  son  at  Ox- 
ford was  gone  off  with  a  player  :  this 
prevented  one  perjurer  from  attending. 
The  clergyman,  who  was  determined  to 
be  present,  and  boasted  of  the  service 
that  would  be  done  to  the  church  by 
prosecution,  was  removed  by  sudden 
death.  One  of  the  witnesses  wlio  lived 
at  Cromast,  was  prevented  by  a  violent 
disease,  of  which  he  subsequently  died. 
Another  of  them  fell  down  and  broke 
his  leg,  and  so  was  hindered.  In  short, 
of  seven  or  eight  persons  who  were  en- 
gaged in  this  design,  only  one  was  left 
capable  of  appearing.  He  was  a  gar- 
dener, who  had  frequently  been  em- 
ployed by  Mr.  Stennett  at  day-labor, 
who  had  never  been  admitted  into  the 
meeting.  This  man  was  expected  to  be 
a  very  material  witness,  and  was  kept 
in  liquor  several  days  for  that  purpose. 
But  coming  to  his  reason  just  as  the  as- 
sizes drew  near,  he  went  about  town 
exclaiminor  against  his  ingratitude  and 
perjury,  and  refused  to  go.  So  when 
Mr.  Stennett  came  to  Newbury,  neither 
prosecutor  or  witnesses  appearing 
against  him,  ho  was  of  course  dis- 
charged. 


315.  PERSECUTION. 


(a)  DIOCLESIAN'S  CONFES- 
SION. — Dioclesian,  the  last  and  the 
worst  of  the  Roman  persecuting  emper- 
ors, observed,  that  the  more  he  sought 
to  blot  out  the  name  of  Christ,  the  more 
legible  it  became  ;  and  that  whatever 
of  Christ  he  thought  to  eradicate,  it  took 
the  deeper  root,  and  rose  the  higher  in 
the  hearts  and  lives  of  men. 

(b)  THE   HIGHEST   HONOR.— 
One  of  the  witnesses  of  the  truth,  when 


imprisoned  for  conscience'  sake  in 
Queen  Mary's  persecution  of  the 
Church,  is  said  to  have  thus  written  to 
a  friend  :  "  A  prisoner  for  Ghrist !  What 
is  this  for  a  poor  worm  ?  Such  honor 
have  not  all  his  saints.  Both  the  de- 
grees which  I  took  in  the  University, 
have  not  set  me  so  high  as  the  honor  of 
becoriiing  a  prisoner  of  the  Lord.'^ 


316.  PERSECUTORS,  END  OF. 


(a)  END  OF  HEROD  THE 
GREAT.— The  disease  of  which  Her- 
od  the  Great  died,  and  the  misery 
which  he  suffered  under  it,  plainly 
showed  that  the  hand  of  God  was  then 


in  a  signal  nmnner  upon  him  ;  for  not  J  trails  and  bowels ;  a  violent  colic,  and 
39  609 


long  after  the  murders  at  Bethlehem, 
his  distemper,  as  Josephus  informs  us, 
daily  increased  in  an  unheard-of  man- 
ner. He  had  a  lingering  and  wasting 
fever,  and    grievous   ulcers   in   his  en- 


316 


PERSECUTORS,  END  OF. 


insatiable  appetite  ;  a  venomous  swell- 
ing in  his  feet  ;  convulsions  in  his 
nerves ;  a  perpetual  asthma,  and  offen- 
sive breath  ;  rottenness  in  his  joints  and 
other  members  ;  accompanied  with 
prodigious  itchings,  crawling  worms, 
and  intolerable  smell :  so  that  he  was  a 
perfect  hospital  of  incurable  distem- 
pers. 

(b)  DEATH  OF  JULIAN.— The 
Roman  Emperor  Julian,  a  determined 
enemy  of  Christianity,  was  mortally 
wounded  in  a  war  with  the  Persians. 
Jn  this  condition,  we  are  told  that  he 
filled  his  hand  with  blood,  and  casting 
it  into  the  air,  said,  '"  O  Galilean  !  thou 
hast  conquered."  During  this  expedi- 
tion, one  of  Julian's  followers  asked  a 
Christian  of  Antioch,  "  What  the  car- 
penter's son  was  doing  ?"  "  The  Mak- 
er of  the  world,"  replied  the  Christian, 
"  whom  you  call  the  carpenter's  son,  is 
employed  in  making  a  coffin  for  the 
emperor."  In  a  few  days  after,  news 
came  to  Antioch  of  Julian's  death. 

(c)  NERO,  DOMITIAN,  AND 
OTHERS. — Persecutors,  and  others 
who  have  unjustly  shed  the  blood  of 
their  fellow-creatures,  have  often,  in 
the  righteous  providence  of  God,  met 
with  a  violent  death,  or  been  visited  by 
signal  judgments.  Nero  was  driven 
from  his  throne,  and  perceiving  his  life 
in  danger,  became  his  own  execution- 
er;  Domitian  was  killed  by  his  own 
servants  ;  Hadrian  died  of  a  distressing 
disease,  which  was  accompanied  with 
great  mental  agony  ;  Severus  never 
prospered  in  his  affairs  after  he  perse- 
cuted the  church,  and  was  killed  by 
the  treachery  of  his  son;  Maximinus 
reigned  but  three  years,  and  died  a  vi- 
olent death ;  Decius  was  drowned  in  a 
marsh,  and  his  body  never  found  ;  Va- 
lerian was  taken  prisoner  by  the  Per- 
sians, and,  after  enduring  the  horrors 
of  captivity  for  several  years,  was  flay- 
ed alive ;  Dioclesian  was  compelled  to 
resign  his  empire,  and  became  insane  ; 
Maximianus  Herculeus  was  deprived 
of  his  government,  and  strangled;  Max- 
imianus Galerius  was  suddenly  and  aw- 
fully removed  by  death  ;  and  Severus 
committed  suicide. 

(d)  DEATH   OF  CHARLES    IX. 
— Charles  IX  of  France  was  a  cruel 
610 


and  persecuting  monarch,  (witness  the 
massacre  at  Paris  in  1575,)  and  died  in 
a  very  wretched  state.  He  expired, 
bathed  in  his  own  blood,  which  burst 
from  his  veins,  and  in  his  last  moments 
he  exclaimed,  "  What  blood  ! — what 
murders  ! — I  know  not  where  I  am  ! — 
how  will  all  this  end  ? — what  shall  I 
do  ? — I  am  lost  forever  ! — I  know  it !" 

(e)  THE  EARL'S  BOAST.— Fe- 
lix, earl  of  Wurtemburg,  one  of  the 
captains  of  the  Emperor  Charles  V,  be- 
ing at  supper  at  Augsburg,  in  company 
with  many  who  were  threatening  the 
sorest  punishments  on  the  persons  of 
the  pious  Christians  of  that  day,  swore, 
before  them  all,  that  before  he  died  he 
would  ride  up  to  his  spurs  in  the  blood 
of  the  Lutherans.  That  same  night  he 
was  choked,  probably  by  the  bursting 
of  a  blood-vessel,  which  filled  his  throat, 
and  at  once  removed  him  from  the 
world. 

(/)  THE  EMIGRANT'S  PERSE- 
CUTORS. — A  number  of  persons,  in  the 
north  of  England,  once  determined  to 
emigrate  to  South  Africa.  They  had  a 
great  dread  of  what  they  called  Method- 
ism, and  refused  to  allow  a  young  man, 
who  was  reputed  to  belong  to  that  body 
of  Christians,  to  go  with  them.  They 
had  not,  however,  been  many  days  at 
sea,  before  it  was  discovered,  that  not- 
withstanding their  most  strenuous  en- 
deavors to  prevent  the  exportation  of 
Methodism,  they  had  got  an  excellent 
old  man  aboard,  who  privately  exhorted 
his  fellow  passengers  to  fear  God,  and 
flee  from  the  wrath  to  come.  The 
flame  of  persecution  was  now  lighted 
up  ;  and  Mr.  C,  the  leader  of  the  party, 
availed  himself  of  every  opportunity  to 
annoy  and  injure  poor  Mr.  P.  In  the 
course  of  the  passage,  his  wife  and  son 
were  taken  alarmingly  ill  ;  but,  so  bit- 
ter was  the  spirit  which  prevailed 
against  him,  that  it  was  with  difficulty 
he  obtained  even  the  medicines  provid- 
ed by  government,  which  their  state 
rendered  absolutely  necessary.  The 
above-mentioned  gentleman,  who  had 
the  affairs  of  the  party  almost  wholly 
under  his  control,  frequently  threatened 
not  only  to  deprive  him  of  the  land  to 
which  he  was  legally  entitled,  but  of  all 
the  privileges  of  the  settlement,  unless 


PERSECUTORS,  END  OF. 


9WS 


he  kept  his  religion  to  himself.  In  his 
menaces  and  designs,  this  petty  Nero 
was  supported  by  three  or  four  others, 
who  were  influenced  by  a  similar  spir- 
it. The  earth,  however,  is  the  Lord's, 
and  "  though  hand  join  in  hand,  the 
wicked  shall  not  go  unpunished."  Two 
•only  of  those  persecutors  lived  to  see 
the  settlement.  The  death  of  one  was 
occasioned  by  intemperance  and  dissi- 
pation while  at  sea.  The  head  of  the 
party  himself  fell  sick  immediately  af- 
ter his  arrival  at  Algoa  Bay,  and  there 
expired,  in  dreadful  agony,  both  mental 
and  bodily.  He  therefore  never  set 
foot  on  the  land  which  he  had  so  arro- 
gantly affected  to  command.  Another 
of  his  comrades  was  taken  off  suddenly, 
and  carried  to  the  grave  along  with 
him  !  A  fourth,  being  some  time  after- 
ward provoked  by  his  companion,  the 
only  survivor  of  the  five,  presented  his 
fowling-piece  at  him,  and  lodged  the 
contents  in  his  breast ;  for  which  he 
was,  of  course,  arrested,  and  conveyed 
to  prison  in  Graham's  Town.  But  his 
spirit  and  conduct  having  apparently 
rendered  life  burdensome,  and  filled  his 
dungeon  with  insufferable  gloom,  '•the 
unhappy  wretch  hung  himself  in  his 
cell !  "  Woe  unto  the  wicked  !  it  shall 
be  ill  with  him ;  for  the  reward  of  his 
hands  shall  be  given  him :  but  say  ye 
to  the  righteous,  it  shall  be  well  with 
him  ;  they  shall  eat  the  fruit  of  their 
doings." 

The  poor  old  Methodist  now  began, 
more  earnestly  than  ever,  to  call  all 
around  him  to  repentance,  and  actually 
became  the  virtual  head  of  the  party  ; 
he  obtained  favor  in  the  eyes  of  the  peo- 
ple, and  was  ever  after  looked  up  to  as 
their  chief  counsellor  in  all  matters  of 
importance.  His  rustic  cottage  was  no 
sooner  built  than  converted  into  a  place 
of  worship,  wherein  Divine  service  was 
regularly  performed,  until,  by  steady 
zeal  and  praiseworthy  exertions,  they 
were  enabled  to  erect  a  neat  little 
chapel,  which  constitutes  a  lasting  hon- 
or to  his  memory..  This  good  man  is 
now  no  more  ;  but,  although  dead,  by 
his  works  he  still  speaketh ;  and  his 
name  is  held  in  the  highest  estimation 
by  all  who  knew  him. 


(g)  THE  CONSTABLE'S  AD- 
MONITION.—In  1682,  some  soldiers 
came  to  break  up  a  meeting  where  Mr. 
Browning,  who  had  been  ejected  from 
Desborough,  in  Northamptonshire,  was, 
and  to  apprehend  him.  The  constable 
of  the  place,  who  was  present,  admon- 
ished them  to  be  well  advised  in  what 
they  did,"  For,"   said   he,   "  when   Sir 

was  alive,  he  eagerly  persecuted 

these  meetings,  and  engaged  eight  sol- 
diers of  the  country  troop  to  assist  him, 
whereof  myself  was  one.  Sir  — 
himself  is  dead  ;  six  of  the  soldiers  are 
dead ;  some  of  them  were  hanged,  and 
some  of  them  broke  their  necks,  and  I 
myself  fell  off  my  horse  and  broke  my 
collar-bone,  in  the  act  of  persecuting 
them.  This  has  given  me  such  a  warn- 
ing, that,  for  my  part,  I  am  resolved  I 
will  never  meddle  with  them  more." 

(/i)  END  OF  BISHOP  GARDI- 
NER. — On  the  day  of  the  martyrdom 
of  Ridley  and  Latimer,  Gardiner  wait- 
ed with  impatience  for  the  account  of 
their  burning,  having  arranged  that 
messengers  should  be  dispatched  to  in- 
form him  as  soon  as  the  pile  should  be 
set  on  fire.  He  delayed  sitting  down  to 
his  dinner  till  he  received  the  desired 
intelligence,  which  arrived  about  four 
o'clock.  He  now  sat  down  to  his  din- 
ner, and,  as  Fox  remarks,  "  He  was 
not  disappointed  of  his  lust,  but  while 
the  meat  was  yet  in  his  mouth  the 
heavy  wrath  of  God  came  upon  him." 
While  at  table  he  felt  the  first  attacks 
of  a  mortal  disease,  the  effect  of  vices  in 
which  he  had  long  indulged  ;  and 
though,  for  some  days  afterwards,  he 
was  able  to  go  out  and  attend  the  parli- 
ament, his  illness  rapidly  increased, 
until,  as  was  stated  by  one  of  his  con- 
temporaries, he  became  so  offensive, 
"  that  it  was  scarcely  possible  to  get 
any  one  to  come  near  him."  The  suf- 
ferings of  his  mind  were  not  less  pain- 
ful than  those  of  his  body.  He  fre- 
quentl)'-  exclaimed,  "  I  have  sinned  like 
Peter,  but  I  have  not  wept  like  him." 
He  endured  these  protracted  pains  lon- 
ger than  Ridley  and  Latimer  had  suf- 
fered, lingering  in  this  state  till  the  13th 
of  November,  during  which  time  it  is 
recorded,  that,  "  he  spake  little  but 
611 


31T 


PHYSICIANS. 


blasphemy  -and  filthiness,  and  gave  up 
the  ghost  with  curses  in  his  mouth,  in 
terrible    and   inexpressible    torments." 


What  were  the  sufferings  of  the  mar- 
tyrs compared  with  these  ? 


317.  PHYSICIANS. 


(a)  HUMANITY  OF   WALKER. 

— The  following  anecdote  of  Dr.  Walk- 
er, well  known  as  the  director  of  the 
London  Jennerian  and  Vaccine  Institu- 
tions, is  extracted  from  his  memoir. 

While  our  troops  were  using  the 
weapons  of  destruction,  Dr.  Walker 
was  busily  employed  in  saving  life. 
His  work  of  vaccination  being  com- 
pleted, he  attended  the  sick  of  the 
British  navy,  and  of  the  Turkish  army. 
The  sense  of  weariness  while  engaged 
in  these  works  of  mercy,  he  seems 
hardly  to  have  known  ;  being  assisted 
by  his  friend  General  Sir  John  Doyle, 
in  prosecuting  these  labors  of  goodness. 
The  following  extract  of  a  letter  from 
that  worthy  officer  speaks  volumes. 
"  The  general  can  never  forget  the  im- 
pression made  upon  him  by  the  extra- 
ordinary situation  in  which  he  first 
made  an  acquEtintance  with  that  amiable 
and  benevolent  individual,  Dr.  Walker. 
The  day  after  the  action,  near  Alexan- 
dria, where  the  brave  Abercrombie  fell, 
the  general  was  riding  over  the  field  of 
battle,  attended  by  two  orderly  dragoons, 
to  see  if  there  were  any  wounded, 
French  or  English,  who  had  escaped 
notice  the  evening  before  ;  when,  on 
turning  round  a  wall  near  the  sea-side, 
he  was  struck  with  an  appalling  sight 
of  more  than  a  hundred  French  soldiers, 
with  their  officers,  huddled  together, 
desperately  wounded  by  grape  and 
cannon  shot  from  an  English  brig  of 
war.  From  being  collected  in  the  re- 
cess of  the  wall,  they  had  escaped  no- 
tice on  the  previous  day  of  search,  and 
were  exposed  to  the  night  air,  and  with 
undressed  wounds.  Here  the  general 
saw  a  man,  evidently  English,  in  the 
garb  of  a  Quaker,  actively  employed  in 
the  heavenly  task  of  giving  his  humane 
assistance  to  those  poor  brave  sufferers ; 
giving  water  to  some,  dressing  the 
wounds  of  others,  and  affording  conso- 
lation to  all.  Upon  inquiry  he  found 
the  benevolent  individual  to  be  Dr.  John 
612 


Walker,  who  was  himself  almost  ex- 
hausted, having  been  thus  nobly  em- 
ployed from  day-break,  without  any 
assistance." 

{h)  FOTHERGILL'S  GENER- 
OSITY.—  A  worthy  clergyman,  a 
friend  of  Dr.  Fothergill,  was,  in  the 
early  part  of  his  life,  settled  in  London 
upon  a  curacy  of  50Z.  per  annum.  An 
epidemical  disease  seized  upon  his  wife 
and  five  of  his  children.  In  this  state  of 
distress  he  earnestly  desired  the  doctor's 
advice,  but  dared  not  apply  for  it,  from  a 
consciousness  of  being  unable  to  reward 
him  for  his  attendance.  A  friend  kind- 
ly  offered  to  accompany  him  to  the 
doctor's,  and  give  him  his  fee.  They 
took  advantage  of  his  hour  of  audience  ; 
and,  after  a  description  of  the  several 
cases,  the  fee  was  offered  and  rejected, 
but  a  note  was  taken  of  his  place  of  re- 
sidence. The  doctor  assiduously  called 
from  day  to  day,  till  his  attendance  was 
no  longer  necessary.  The  curate,  anx- 
ious to  return  some  grateful  mark  of 
the  sense  he  entertained  of  his  services, 
strained  every  nerve  to  accomplish  it ; 
but  his  astonishment  was  great,  when 
the  doctor,  instead  of  receiving  the 
money  he  offered,  put  ten  guineas  into 
his  hand,  desiring  him  to  apply  to  him 
withovit  hesitation  in  future  difficulties. 

(c)  THE  SURGEON'S  REPLY.— 
M.  Boudovi,  an  eminent  surgeon,  was 
one  day  sent  for  by  the  Cardinal  Du 
Bois,  Prime  Minister  of  France,  to  per- 
form a  very  serious  operation  upon  him. 
The  cardinal,  on  seeing  him  enter  the 
room,  said  to  him,  •'  You  must  not  ex- 
pect to  treat  me  in  the  same  rough  man- 
ner, as  you  treat  your  poor  miserable 
wretches  at  your  hospital  of  the  Motel 
Dieu."  "  My  lord,"  replied  M.  Bou- 
don  with  great  dignity,  "  every  one  of 
those  miserable  wretches,  as  your  emi- 
nence is  pleased  to  call  them,  is  a  prime 
minister  in  my  eyes." 

(d)    DR.  SMITH'S   METHOD.— 
The  benevolent  and  eccentric  Dr.  Smith 


PHYSICIANS. 


317 


when  established  in  a  practice  equal  to 
that  of  any  physician  in  London,  did 
what  few  physicians  perhaps  in  great 
practice  would  have  done.  He  set 
apart  two  days  for  the  poor  in  each  loeek. 
From  those  who  were  really  poor,  he 
never  took  a  fee  ;  and  from  those  who 
were  of  the  middling  ranks  of  life,  he 
never  would  take  above  half  a  guinea  ! 
yet  so  great  was  the  resort  to  him,  that 
he  has  in  one  day  received  fifty  guineas 
at  half  a  guinea  only  from  each  pa- 
tient ! 

(e)  EXAMPLE  OF  SALTER.— 
"  The  functions  of  a  simple,  earnest  and 
skilful  country  surgeon,"  says  Cole- 
ridge, "  living  in  a  small  town  or  village, 
and  circulating  in  a  radius  of  ten  miles, 
are,  and  might  always  be  made,  supe- 
rior in  real,  urgent,  and  fitting  relief,  to 
the  Lady  Bountiful.  I  often  think  with 
pleasure  of  the  active,  practical  benev- 
olence of  Salter.  His  rides  were  often 
sixty,  averaging  more  than  thirty  miles 
every  day  over  bad  roads  and  in  dark 
nights  :  yet  not  once  has  he  been  known 
to  refuse  a  summons,  though  quite  sure 
that  he  would  receive  no  remuneration, 
nay,  not  sure  that  it  would  not  be  ne- 
cessary to  supply  wine  or  cordials, 
which  in  the  absence  of  the  landlord  of 
his  village,  must  be  at  his  own  expense. 
This  man  was  generally  pitied  by  the 
affluent  and  idle,  on  the  score  of  his 
constant  labors,  and  the  drudgery  which 
he  almost  seemed  to  court.  Yet  with 
little  reason ;  for  I  never  knew  the 
man  more  to  be  envied,  or  more  cheer- 
ful, more  invariably  kind,  or  more  pa- 
tient ;  always  kind  from  real  kindness 
and  delicacy  of  feeling;  never  even 
for  a  moment  angry. 

(/)  "  WILL  YOU  TRUST  MY 
FATHER  ?"— An  aged  Christian  who 
had  long  been  an  invalid  and  vvas  depend- 
ent on  Christian  charity  for  her  sup- 
port, on  sending  for  a  new  physician 
who  had  just  come  into  the  place,  and 
united  with  the  same  church  of  which 
she  was  a  member,  said  to  him,  "  Doc- 
tor, I  wish  to  put  myself  under  your 
care,  but  I  cannot  do  it  unless  you  will 
trust  my  father. ^^  "  Well,  ma'am," 
replied  the  physician,  "  I  believe  your 
Father  is  rich:  7  may  safely  trust 
Him:^- 


(g)  GOLDSMITH'S  PATIENT— 
A  poor  woman  understanding  that  Dr. 
Goldsmith  had  studied  physic,  and  hear- 
of  his  great  humanity,  solicited  him  in 
a  letter  to  send  her  something  for  her 
husband,  who  had  lost  his  appetite  and 
was  reduced  to  a  most  melancholy  state. 
The  good  natured  poet  waited  on  her 
instantly,  and,  after  some  discourse 
with  his  patient,  found  him  sinking  in 
sickness  and  poverty.  The  doctor  told 
him  they  should  hear  from  in  an  hour, 
when  he  would  send  them  some  pills 
which  he  believed  would  prove  effica- 
cious. He  immediately  went  home  and 
put  ten  guineas  into  a  chip  box,  with 
the  following  label ;  "  These  must  be 
used  as  necessities  require  ;  be  patient, 
and  of  good  heart."  He  sent  his  ser- 
vant with  this  prescription  to  the  com- 
fortless mourner,  who  found  it  contained 
I  a  remedy  superior  to  any  thing  Galen 
I  or  his  tribe  could  administer. 

(/i)THE   TWO   PHYSICIANS.— 
Is  it  possible,  says  a  writer  in  the  Amer- 
ican Messenger  for  1847,  for  physicians 
in  full  practice  to  be  as  regular  in  at- 
j  tendance  on  public  worship   as   other 
j  men  ?      That     physicians     frequently 
j  plead  their  business  as  an  excuse   for 
I  neo-lectinff  a  rejiular  attendance  in  the 
house  of  God  is  certainly  true,  but  is 
I  this  a  valid  plea  ?  does  their  business 
justify   their  neglect?    The    following 
conversation  which  I  chanced  to  over- 
hear   the    other     day,     between     two 
physicians,     may    throw     some    light 
upon  the  subject.     They  are  both   in 
large  practice  in  one  of  our  northern 
cities. 

Dr.  L.  How  happens  it,  Doctor  B., 
that  you  are  so  regular  in  your  attend- 
ance upon  the  public  and  social  meet- 
ings of  the  church  ?  I  hear  that  you 
are  seldom  absent,  at  least  I  always  see 
you  there  when  I  am.  There  must  be 
some  secret  about  it,  for  your  practice 
is  as  extensive  as  mine,  if  not  more  so, 
and  with  all  my  diligence  I  cannot 
make  out  to  attend  half  the  time.  I 
really  should  like  to  know  how  you 
manage  it.  I  often  wish  that  I  could  so 
arrange  my  business  as  never  to  be  ab- 
sent. 

Dr.  B.    You  are  frequently  called  in 
613 


318 


POWER,  ARBITRARY,  CORRUPTING  INFLUENCE  OF. 


consultation  with  your  medical  friends, 
are  you  not  ? 

Dr.  L.  Certainly  I  am,  once  or  twice 
every  day,  and  sometimes  oftener. 

Dr.  B.  Arc  you  in  the  habit  of  meet- 
ing your  consultations  punctually  ? 

Dr.  L.  I  am,  and  am  seldom  obliged 
to  make  a  draft  upon  the  fifteen  min- 
utes' grace  usually  allowed  ? 

Dr.  B.  That  is  all  the  secret  I  have 
about  the  matter.  I  have  always  made 
it  a  rule  punctually  and  promptly  to  meet 


my  consultations,  and  I  feel  that  I  have 
at  least  two  every  Sabbath  in  the  house 
of  God,  and  God  who  loveth  the  gates 
of  Zion  more  than  all  the  dwellings  of 
Jacob,  has  for  more  than  thirty  years 
enabled  me,  with  very  few  exceptions,  to 
meet  them. 

Dr.  L.  thanked  Dr.  B.   and  thought 
he  should  profit  by  the  hint,  and   in  the^ 
hope  that  others  may  likewise,  this  par-; 
agraph  is  given  to  the  Messenger. 


318.  POWER,  ARBITRARY,  CORRUPTING  INFLUENCE  OF. 


{a)  XERXES  ANGRY  WITH 
THE  HELLESPONT.— When  the 
force  of  the  current  had  carried  away 
the  temporary  bridge  which  Xerxes  had 
caused  to  be  thrown  over  the  Hellespont, 
on  his  grand  expedition  into  Greece,  he 
was  so  enraged,  that  he  not  only  order- 
ed the  heads  of  the  workmen  to  be  struck 
off,  but,  like  a  madman,  inflicted  lashes 
upon  the  sea,  to  punish  it  for  its  inso- 
lence ;  he,  moreover,  affected  to  hold  it 
in  future  under  his  control,  by  throwing 
fetters  into  it !  "A  striking  proof,"  adds 
the  historian,  "  how  much  the  possession 
of  despotic  power  tends  not  only  to  cor- 
rupt the  heart,  but  even  to  weaken  and 
blind  the  understanding." 

{h)  EFFECTS  OF  POWER  ON 
NERO.  — The  beginning  of  Nero's 
reign  was  marked  by  acts  of  the  great- 
est  kindness  and  condescension  ;  by  af- 
fability, complaisance,  and  popularity. 
The  object  of  his  administration  seem- 
ed to  be  the  good  of  his  people ;  and, 
when  he  was  desired  to  sign  his  name 
to  a  list  of  malefactors  that  were  to  be 
executed,  he  exclaimed,  "  I  wish  to  hea- 
ven I  could  not  write !"  He  was  an 
enemy  to  flattery  ;  and  when  the  Senate 
had  liberally  commended  the  wisdom 
of  his  government,  Nero  desired  them 
to  keep  their  praises  till  he  deserved 
them.  But  mark  the  corresponding  ten- 
dency of  arbitrary  power !  This  was 
the  wretch  who  afterwards  assassinated 
his  mother,  who  set  fire  to  Rome,  and 
destroyed  multitudes  of  men,  women, 
and  children,  and  threw  the  odium  of 
614 


that  dreadful  action  on  the  Christians. 
The  cruelties  he  exercised  towards  them 
were  beyond  description,  while  he  seem- 
ed to  be  the  only  one  who  enjoyed  the 
tragical  spectacle.  "  The  heart  is  de- 
ceitful above  all  things  and  desperately 
wicked  ;  who  can  know  it  ?"  Arbitra- 
ry power  is  dangerous,  and  who  shall 
be  trusted  with  it  ? 

(c)  CATO,  THE  MODEL  AND  THE 
MONSTER.— No  man  has  ever  lived 
who  was  more  celebrated  for  his  scru- 
pulous observance  of  the  most  exact 
justice,  and  for  the  illustration  furnish- 
ed in  his  life  of  the  noblest  natural  vir- 
tues, than  the  Roman  Cato.  His  strict 
adherence  to  the  nicest  rules  of  equity 
— his  integrity,  honor,  and  incorruptible 
faith — his  jealous  watchfulness  over  the 
rights  of  his  fellow  citizens,  and  his 
generous  devotion  to  their  interest,  pro- 
cured for  him  the  sublime  appellation 
of  "  The  Just."  Towards  freemen  his 
life  was  a  model  of  every  thing  just 
and  noble  :  but  to  his  slaves  he  was  a 
monster.  At  his  meals,  when  the  dish- 
es were  not  done  to  his  liking,  or  when 
his  slaves  were  careless  or  inattentive 
in  serving,  he  would  seize  a  thong  and 
violently  beat  them,  in  presence  of  his 
guests.  When  they  grew  old  or  dis- 
eased, and  were  no  longer  serviceable, 
however  long  and  faithfully  they  might 
have  served  him,  he  either  turned  them 
adrift  and  left  them  to  perish,  or  starved 
them  to  death  in  his  own  family.  No 
facts  in  his  history  are  better  authenti- 
cated than  these.     And  what  so  vititeds 


POWER,  ARBITRARY,  CORRUPTING  INFLUENCE  OF 


318 


his  feelings  and  conduct  towards  these 
slaves,  but  the  fact  that  over  them  he 
exercised  arbitrary  power  1 

(d)  A  WOMAN  WITH  TWO  FA- 
CES.— A  lady,  now  in  the  West  Indies, 
was  sent  in  her  infancy  to  her  friends, 
near  Belfast,  in  Ireland,  for  education. 
She  rennained  under  their  charge  from 
five  to  fifteen  years  of  age,  and  grew  up 
every  thing  which  her  friends  could 
wish.  At  fifteen,  she  returned  to  the 
West  Indies — was  married — and  after 
some  years  paid  her  friends  near  Bel- 
fast a  second  visit.  Towards  white 
people,  she  was  the  same  elegant  and 
interesting  woman  as  before ;  apparent- 
ly full  of  every  virtuous  and  tender 
feeling ;  but  towards  the  colored  people 
she  was  like  a  tigress.  If  Wilberforce's 
name  was  mentioned,  she  would  say, 
"  Oh,  I  wish  we  had  the  wretch  in  the 
West  Indies,  I  would  be  one  of  the  first 
to  help  to  tear  his  heart  out !" — and  then 
she  would  tell  of  the  manner  in  which 
the  West  Indian  ladies  used  to  treat  their 
slaves.  ''  I  have  often,"  she  said,  "  when 
my  women  have  displeased  me,  snatch- 
ed their  baby  from  their  bosom,  and 
running  with  it  to  a  well,  have  tied  my 
shawl  round  its  shoulders  and  pretended 
to  be  drowning  it :  oh,  it  was  so  funny 
to  hear  the  mother's  screams  ! !" — and 
then  she  laughed  almost  convulsively  at 
the  recollection. 

What  but  the  exercise  of  despotic 
power  could  have  thus  steeled  her  sen- 
sibilities and  corrupted  her  mind  ? 

(e)  WEST  INDIA  PLANTER— 
A  planter  of  the  West  Indies,  who  was 
owner  of  a  considerable  number  of 
slaves,  treated  them  with  the  utmost 
cruelty,  whipping  and  torturing  them 
for  the  slightest  fault.  One  of  the  un- 
fortunate victims  of  his  cruelty,  think- 
ing any  change  preferable  to  slavery 
under  such  a  barbarian,  attempted  to 
make  his  escape  among  the  mountain 
Indians  ;  but,  unfortunately,  was  taken, 
and  brought  back  to  his  master.  Poor 
Arthur  (so  he  was  called)  was  immedi- 
ately ordered  to  receive  three  hundred 
lashes,  when  stripped  ;  which  were  to 
be  given  him  by  his  fellow  slaves,  among 
whom  happened  to  be  a  new  negro,  just 
brought  from  Africa,  and  who  had  been 


purchased  by  the  planter  the  day  before. 
This  slave,  the  moment  he  savv  the  un- 
happy wretch  destined  to  the  lashes,  flew 
to  his  arms,  and  embraced  him  with  the 
greatest  tenderness  ;  the  other  returned 
his  transports,  and  nothing  could  be  more 
moving  than  their  mutual  bemoaning 
each  other's  misfortunes.  Their  mas- 
ter was  soon  given  to  understand  that 
they  were  countrymen  and  intimate 
friends  ;  and  that  Arthur  had  formerly, 
in  a  battle  with  a  neighboring  nation, 
saved  his  friend's  life  at  the  extreme 
hazard  of  his  own.  The  new  negro,  at 
the  same  time,  threw  himself  at  the 
planter's  feet  with  tears,  beseeching  him, 
in  the  most  moving  manner,  to  spare  his 
friend,  or,  at  least,  to  suffer  him  to  un- 
dergo the  punishment  in  his  room,  pro- 
testing  he  would  rather  die  ten  thousand 
deaths,  than  lift  his  hand  against  him. 
But  the  wretch,  looking  on  this  as  an 
affront  to  the  absolute  power  he  pre- 
tended over  him,  ordered  Arthur  to  be 
immediately  tied  to  a  tree,  and  his  friend 
to  give  him  the  lashes ;  telling  him,  too, 
that  for  every  lash  not  well  laid  on,  he 
should  himself  receive  a  score.  The 
new  negro,  amazed  at  a  barbarity  so  un- 
becoming a  human  creature,  with  a  gen- 
erous disdain  refused  to  obey  him,  at 
the  same  time  upbraiding  him  with  his 
cruelty  ;  upon  which  the  planter,  turn- 
ing all  his  rage  on  him,  ordered  him  to 
be  immediately  stripped,  and  command- 
ed Arthur,  to  whom  he  promised  for- 
giveness, to  give  his  countryman  the 
lashes  he  had  been  destined  to  receive 
himself.  This  proposal  too  was  receiv- 
ed with  scorn,  each  protesting  he  would 
rather  suffer  the  most  dreadful  torture 
than  injure  his  friend.  This  generous 
conflict,  which  must  have  raised  the 
strongest  feelings  in  a  breast  susceptible 
of  pity,  did  but  the  more  inflame  the 
monster,  who  now  determined  they 
should  both  be  made  examples  of;  and 
to  satiate  his  revenge,  was  resolved  to 
whip  them  himself.  He  was  just  pre- 
paring to  begin  with  Arthur,  when  the 
new  negro  drew  a  knife  from  his  pock- 
et, stabbed  the  planter  to  the  heart,  and 
the  following  instant  struck  it  to  his  own. 
West  India  slavery  was  fruitful  in 
such  atrocities.  And  why  produce  such 
615 


Sl§,  S19 


POWER,  VANITV  OF. 


results?  Because  it  placed  arbitrary 
power  in  the  master's  hand,  making 
him  a  despot  on  the  small  scale. 

(/)  SELLING  ONE'S  OWN 
CKILD. — A  person  who  resided  in  a 
slaveholding  country,  sold  a  black  wo- 
man and  her  mulatto  child  to  a  negro 
trader.  The  woman  knew  nothing  of 
the  sale  until  she  and  her  child  were 
taken  possession  of*by  the  purchaser. 
She  was,  it  appears,  a  female  of  spirit, 
and  as  she  was  now  out  of  the  hands  of 
her  former  master,  and  must  go,  she 
knew  not  whither,  she  took  occasion  to 
vent  her  indignant  feelings  in  language 
that  showed  at  once  the  courage  of  the 
Roman  matron,  as  it  respected  herself, 
and  the  heartless  villany  of  a  slave- 
dealer,  when  applied  to  him.  Walking 
toward  him  with  her  child  in  her  arms, 


she  interrogated  him  as  follows  :  "  Well, 
sir,  I  am  sold,  am  I  ?"  "  Yes,"  was 
the  reply.  She  continued — "  This  gen- 
tleman, I  suppose,  then,  is  my  master." 
He  answered  in  the  affirmative.  "  Well, 
now,"  she  proceeded,  "  I  will  tell  you  to 
your  ftice,  that  you  are  one  of  tiie  most 
wicked,  unmanly,  cold-hearted  crea- 
tures, that  I  ever  heard  of.  Here,  sir, 
is  your  own  child — ijour  owji  Jle.sfi  and 
blood — which,  together  with  its  mother, 
you  have  sold  for  money  !  !  Look  at  it, 
sir.  Your  features  are  in  its  face — your 
blood  runs  in  its  veins — and  yet,  you've 
sold  it — away  !  I  cannot  bear  the  sight 
of  you."  And  these  results  were  the 
legitimate  fruits  of  the  illegitimate  and 
irresponsible  authority  which  the  tyrant 
exercised  over  her  and  her  offspring. 


319.  POWER,  VANITY  OF. 


(a)  CYRUS'  CROWN.— Cyrus,  the 
Persian  king,  was  accustomed  to  say, 
that  did  men  but  know  the  cares  he  had 
to  sustain,  he  thought  no  man  would 
wish  to  wear  his  crown. 

(b)  GILIMEX  VICTORIOUS.— Gi- 
limex,  king  of  the  Vandals,  when  he 
was  led  in  triumph  by  Belisarius,  crie  1 
out,  "  Vanity  of  vanities,  all  is  vanity." 

(c)  WORDS  OF  CHARLES  V.— 
Charles  V,  emperor  of  Germany,  whom 
of  all  men  the  world  judged  most  hap- 
py, cried  out,  in  reference  to  whatever 
is  generally  considered  good  and  great, 
"  Get  you  hence,  let  me  hear  no  more 
of  you." 

(d)  ALEXANDER'S  TEARS.— 
The  conquests  of  Alexander  the  Great 
could  not  satisfy  him  ;  for  when  he  had 
conquered  the  whole  of  one  known 
world,  he  sat  down  and  wept  because 
he  knew  of  no  other  world  to  conquer. 

{e)  SKETCH  OF  MENZIKOFF.— 
Menzikoff,  who  was  at  first  a  pastry 
cook,  accidentally  coming  into  favor  of 
Peter  the  Great,  rose  with  a  rapidity 
beyond  example.  He  was  loaded  with 
honors,  and  frequently  appeared  in  pub- 
lic as  vice-czar,  the  emperor  assuming 
the  rank  of  a  private  person.  It  is  not 
very  surprising,  that  so  extraordinary 
616 


and  sudden  an  elevation  should  cause 
Menzikoft'  sometimes  to  forget  that  he 
was  a  man.  His  enemies  trembled  at 
his  presence ;  for,  as  his  power  was 
great,  so  was  his  revenge.  After  the 
death  of  his  imperial  master,  to  whom 
he  was  warmly  attached,  he  remained 
faithful  to  Catherine  ;  and  upon  her  de- 
cease, he  placed  the  crown  upon  the 
head  of  Peter  III,  son  of  the  unfortu- 
nate Alexis,  and  grandson  of  his  bene- 
factor. It  is  said  he  had  formed  the 
ambitious  design  of  marrying  his  daugh- 
ter to  this  young  prince.  The  sun  of 
prosperity,  however,  which  had  hither- 
to shone  in  meridian  splendor  upon  Al- 
exander Menzikoff,  was  now  Hist  sink- 
ing into  the  darkest  gloom.  The  Dol- 
goroukis,  a  noble  family  who  hated  him, 
were  artful,  pliable,  and  insinuating ; 
Peter  was  young,  unsuspicious,  and 
easily  imposed  upon  by  the  frank  and 
apparently  disinterested  friendship  of 
the  younger  branches  of  the  family. 
The  ruin  of  the  man  who  had  placed 
him  on  the  throne,  was  now,  at  the  in- 
stigation of  the  Dolgoroukis,  resolved 
on,  and  the  fall  of  Menzikoff  was  even 
more  rapid  than  his  rise.  As  he  had 
seldom  shown  mercy,  so  little  was  shown 
to  him.    His  banishment  to  Berezof  was 


PRAYER. 


320 


attended  with  every  aggravation  that 
could  be  imagined.  Previous  to  this 
fatal  sentence,  he  had  been  deprived  of 
his  dignities,  his  pensions,  his  employ- 
ments. This  blow  was  quickly  follow- 
ed by  another;  he  was  banished  the 
court,  and  desired  to  confine  himself  to 
his  country  house  at  Oranienburg.  On 
his  way  thither  he  was  overtaken  by  a 
messenger,  accompanied  by  a  party  of 
dragoons,  who  brought  the  fatal  man- 
date of  banishment  to  Siberia.  Bere- 
zof  is  situated  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Oby ;  during  six  months  in  the  year 
there  is  no  actual  daylight,  and  the 
earth  is  covered  with  frost  and  snow. 
What  a  situation  for  persons  who  had 
been  used  to  every  luxury,  every  in- 
dulgence !  The  Princess  MenzikofF 
died  on  the  journey,  and  was  buried  on 
the  banks  of  the  Wolga.  She  had  al- 
ways very  weak  eyes,  and  they  were 
so  aifected  by  the  cold  and  her  exces- 
sive weeping,  that  she  lost  her  sight  be- 
fore the  half  of  her  journey  was  com- 
pleted. This  unfortunate  family  were 
treated  like  the  worst  of  criminals. — 
Their  dresses  were  twice  changed  ;  first 
to  the  coarsest  woolen,  then  to  the  coars- 
est stuffs.  After  being  used  to  walk 
upon  the  softest  carpets,  clothed  in  the 
richest  attire,  and  to  travel  with  every 
possible  convenience,   they  were  now 


exposed  to  cold,  and  all  the  inclemen- 
cies of  the  weather,  in  small  wooden 
carts  made  without  springs,  and  which 
are  always  used  to  convey  criminals  to 
their  place  of  exile.  Menzikoff  and  one 
of  his  daughters  lived  to  reach  Berezof, 
but  to  end  their  days  in  that  place  of 
solitude. 

When  MenzikofF  found  his  death  ap- 
proaching, he  called  his  children  to  his 
bedside,  and  thus  addressed  them  :  "  My 
children,  I  draw  near  to  my  last  hour ; 
death,  the  thoughts  of  which  have  been 
familiar  to  me  since  I  have  been  here, 
would  have  nothing  terrible  in  it,  if  I 
had  only  to  account  to  the  Supreme 
Judge  for  the  time  I  have  passed  in  mis- 
fortune. Hitherto  your  hearts  have  been 
free  from  corruption.  You  will  preserve 
your  innocence  better  in  these  deserts 
than  at  court :  but  should  you  return  to 
it,  recollect  only  the  examples  which 
your^father  has  given  you  here." 

On  the  accession  of  the  Empress 
Anne  to  the  throne,  Menzikoff's  young- 
er daughter,  and  his  son,  returned  to 
Russia ;  and  the  Dolgoroukis  felt,  in 
their  turn,  all  the  horrors  they  had  con- 
tributed to  inflict  on  the  Menzikoffs ; 
with  this  aggravation,  that  the  same 
person  who  conducted  them  to  Berezof, 
carried  with  him  the  recall  of  Menzi- 
koff and  his  family. 


PRAYER. 


NATURE  OF  PRAYER.-SCKIPTURAL 
PRAYER. 

320.  Praying  with  Faith. 

(a)  MINISTER  LEARNING  TO 
PRAY. — A  curious  case  occurred  in 
one  of  the  towns  in  the  western  part  of 
the  state  of  New- York.  There  was  a 
revival  there.  A  certain  clergyman 
came  to  visit  the  place,  and  heard  a 
great  deal  said  about  the  prayer  of 
foith.  He  was  staggered  at  what  they 
said,  for  he  had  never  regarded  the  sub- 
ject in  the  light  they  did.  He  inquired 
about  it  of  the  minister  who  was  labor- 
ing there.  The  minister  requested  him, 
in  a  kind  spirit,  to  go  home  and  take  his 


Testament,  look  out  the  passages  that 
refer  to  prayer,  and  go  round  to  his  most 
praying  people,  and  ask  them  how  they 
understood  those  passages.  He  said  he 
would  do  it,  for  though  these  views  were 
new  to  him,  he  was  willing  to  learn. 
He  did  it,  and  went  to  his  praying  men 
and  women,  and  read  the  passages  with- 
out note  or  comment,  and  asked  them 
what  they  thought.  Fie  found  their 
plain  common  sense  had  led  them  to  un- 
derstand these  passages,  and  to  believe 
that  they  mean  just  as  they  say.  This 
affected  him,  and  then  the  fact  of  his 
going  round  and  presenting  the  promises 
before  their  minds,  awakened  a  spirit 
of  prayer  in  them,  and  a  revival  fol- 
lowed. 

617 


320-322 


PRAYER. 


(b)  PRAYER  FOR  A  DYING 
CHILD. — A  clergyman,  concluding  a 
sermon  to  youth,  took  occasion  to  press 
upon  parents  the  duty  of  parental  faith, 
and  illustrated  its  power  in  the  following 
manner : 

About  two- and -twenty  years  ago,  a 
little  circle  were  met  around  the  couch 
of  an  apparently  dying  infant ;  the  man 
of  God,  who  led  their  devotions,  seemed 
to  forget  the  sickness  of  the  child,  in 
his  prayer  for  his  future  usefulness.  He 
prayed  for  the  child,  who  had  been  con- 
secrated to  God  at  his  birth,  as  a  man, 
a  Christian,  and  a  minister  ol  the  word. 
The  parents  laid  hold  of  the  horns  of 
the  altar,  and  prayed  with  him.  The 
child  recovered,  grew  towards  manhood, 
and  ran  far  in  the  ways  of  folly  and 
sin.  One  after  another  of  that  little 
circle  ascended  to  heaven  ;  but  two,  at 
least,  and  one  of  them  the  mother,  lived 
10  hear  him  proclaim  the  everlas'ting 
gospel.  "  It  is,"  said  the  preacher,  "  no 
fiction  ;  that  child,  that  prodigal  youth, 
that  preacher,  is  he  who  now  addresses 
you." 

(c)  GOOD  REASON  FOR  PRAY- 
ING.— A  little  girl,  about  four  years 
of  age,  being  asked,  "  Why  do  you  pray 
to  God  ?"  replied,  "  Because  I  know  he 
hears  me,  and  I  love  to  pray  to  him." 
"  But  how  do  you  know  he  hears  you  ?" 
Putting  her  little  hand  to  her  heart,  she 
said,  "  I  know  he  does,  because  there  is 
something  here  that  tells  me  so." 

(d)  SECRET  OF  THE  NEGRO'S 
COMFORT.— A  negro  slave  in  Vir- 
ginia, whose  name  we  will  call  Jack, 
was  remarkable  for  his  good  sense, 
knowledge  of  the  leading  truths  of  the 
gospel,  and  especially  for  his  freedom 
from  all  gloomy  fears  in  regard  to  his 
future  eternal  happiness.  A  professing 
Christian,  a  white  man,  who  was  of  a 
very  different  temperament,  once  said 
to  him,  "Jack,  you  seem  to  be  always 
comfortable  in  the  hope  of  the  gospel. 
I  wish  you  would  tell  me  how  you  man- 
age it,  to  keep  steadily  in  this  blessed 
frame  of  mind."  "  Why,  massa,"  re- 
plied Jack,  "  I  just  fall  flat  on  the  pro- 
mise, and  I  pray  right  up."  We  re- 
commend Jack's  method  to  all  despond- 
ing Christians,  as  containing,  in  sub- 
stance, all  that  can  be  properly  said  on 

618 


the  subject.  Take  ground  on  the  pro- 
mises of  God,  and  plead  them  in  the 
prayer  of  faith — pray  "  right  up." 

§21.  Praying  with  Submission. 

(a)  BOLINGBROKE  AND  LADY 
HUNTINGDON.— Lord  Bolingbroke 
once  asked  Lady  Huntingdon,  how  she 
reconciled  prayer  to  God  for  particular 
blessings,  with  absolute  resignation  to 
the  Divine  will.  "  Very  easily,"  an- 
swered her  ladyship  ;  "just  as  if  I  were 
to  offer  a  petition  to  a  monarch,  of  whose 
kindness  and  wisdom  I  had  the  highest 
opinion.  In  such  a  case,  my  language 
would  be,  I  wish  you  to  bestow  on  me 
such  or  such  a  favor  ;  but  your  majesty 
knows  better  than  I,  how  far  it  would 
be  agreeable  to  you,  or  right  in  itself  to 
grant  my  desire.  I  therefore  content 
myself  with  humbly  presenting  my 
petition,  and  leave  the  event  of  it  entire- 
ly to  you." 

(b)  THE  CHILD  RESTORED.— 
A  Christian  widow  in  London  saw  with 
great  alarm,  her  only  child  taken  dan- 
gerously ill.  As  the  illness  increased 
she  became,  almost  distracted,  from  a 
dread  of  losing  the  child ;  at  length  it 
became  so  extremely  ill,  and  so  con- 
vulsed, that  she  kneeled  down  by  the 
bed,  deeply  affected,  and  in  prayer  said, 
"  Now,  Lord,  thy  will  be  done."  From 
that  hour  the  child  began  to  recover, 
till  health  was  perfl^ctly  restored. 

M,  Praying  with  Importunity  and  Ear- 
nestness. 

(a)  A  MOTHER'S  INTERCES. 
SION. — A  Christian  minister  in  Somer- 
setshire, Eng.,  stated,  that  on  the  even- 
ing when  the  first  permanent  impressions 
were  made  on  his  mind,  his  pious  mo- 
ther was  detained  at  home.  She  spent 
the  time  devoted  to  public  worship,  in 
secret  prayer  for  the  salvation  of  her 
son ;  and  so  fervent  did  she  become  in 
these  intercessions,  that  she  fell  on  her 
face,  and  remained  in  fervent  supplica- 
tion  till  the  service  had  nearly  closed. 
Her  son,  brought  under  the  deepest  im- 
pressions  by  the  sermon  of  his  father, 
went  into  a  field  after  the  service, 
and   there   prayed   most   fervently  for 


NATURE  OF  PRAYER. 


322,  323 


himself.  When  he  came  home,  the 
mother  looked  at  her  son  with  a  manifest 
concern,  anxious  to  discover  whether 
her  prayers  had  been  heard,  and  whe- 
ther her  son  had  commenced  the  all- 
important  inquiry,  "  What  shall  I  do  to 
be  saved  ?"  In  a  few  days  the  son  ac- 
knowledged himself  to  be  the  subject 
of  religious  impressions ;  impressions 
which  lay  the  foundation  of  all  excel- 
lence of  character  here,  and  of  all 
blessedness  hereafter. 

(b)  MY  HEART  TALKED.— A 
child,  six  years  old,  in  a  Sunday  school, 
said,  "  When  we  kneel  down  in  the 
school-room  to  pray,  it  seems  as  if  my 
heart  talked."  Vain  are  words,  if  the 
heart  pray  not. 

(c)  "  WHY,  SIR,  I  BEGGED."— 
A  little  boy,  one  of  the  Sunday  school 
children,  in  Jamaica,  called  upon  the 
missionary,  and  stated  that  he  had  lately 
been  very  ill ;  and  in  his  sickness  often 
wished  his  minister  had  been  present  to 
pray  with  him.  "  But,  Thomas,"  said 
the  missionary,  "  I  hope  you  prayed." 
"Oh  yes,  sir."  "Did  you  repeat  the 
collect  I  taught  you?"  "I  prayed." 
"  Well,  but  how  did  you  pray  ?" 
"  Why,  sir,  I  begged." 

323.   Praying   with  Constancy  and  Per- 
severance. 

(a)  "PRAY  WITHOUT  CEAS- 
ING.  " — A  number  of  ministers  were 
assembled  for  the  discussion  of  difficult 
questions,  and  among  others  it  was 
asked,  how  the  command  "  to  pray 
without  ceasing "  could  be  complied 
with.  Various  suppositions  were  start- 
ed, and  at  length  one  of  the  number 
was  appointed  to  write  an  essay  upon 
it,  to  read  at  the  next  monthly  meeting ; 
which  being  overheard  by  a  female 
servant,  she  exclaimed,  "  What !  a 
whole  month  wanted  to  tell  the  mean- 
ing  of  that  text !  It  is  one  of  the  easi- 
est and  best  texts  in  the  Bible. " 
"  Well,  well, "  said  an  old  minister, 
"  Mary,  what  can  you  say  about  it  ? 
Let  us  know  how  you  understand  it ; 
can  you  pray  all  the  time  ?  "  "  O  yes, 
sir.  "  "  What !  when  you  have  so 
many  things  to  do?  "  "  Why,  sir,  the 
more   I   have   to   do,  the   more   I   can 


pray. 


Indeed  ;  well,  Mary,  do    let 


us  know  how  it  is ;  for  most  people 
think  otherwise.  "  "  Well,  sir,  "  said 
the  girl,  "  when  I  jfirst  open  my' eyes  in 
the  morning,  I  pray,  Lord,  open  the 
eyes  of  my  understanding  ;  and  while 
I  am  dressing,  I  pray,  that  I  may  be 
clothed  with  the  robe  of  righteousness  ; 
and  when  I  have  washed  myself,  I  ask 
for  the  washing  of  regeneration  ;  and 
as  I  begin  to  work,  I  pray,  that  I  may 
have  strength  equal  to  my  day.  When 
I  begin  to  kindle  the  fire,  I  pray,  that 
God's  work  may  revive  in  my  soul ; 
and  as  I  sweep  out  the  house,  I  pray, 
that  my  heart  may  be  cleansed  from 
all  its  impurities ;  and  while  preparing 
and  partaking  of  breakfast,  I  desire  to 
be  fed  with  the  hidden  manna,  and  the 
sincere  milk  of  the  word ;  and  as  I  am 
busy  with  the  little  children,  I  look  up 
to  Godi>as  my  Father,  and  pray  for  the 
Spirit  of  adoption,  that  I  may  be  his 
child,  and  so  on  all  day  :  every  thing  I 
do  furnishes  me  with  a  thought  for 
prayer.  "  "  Enough,  enough,  "  cried 
the  old  divine,  "these  things  are  re- 
vealed to  babes,  and  often  hid  from  the 
wise  and  prudent.  "  "  Go  on,  Mary,  " 
said  he,  "  pray  without  ceasing  ;  and 
as  for  us,  my  brethren,  let  us  bless  the 
Lord  for  this  exposition,  and  remember 
that  He  has  said,  '  The  meek  will  he 
guide  in  judgment.  '  "  The  essay, 
as  a  matter  of  course,  was  not  consid- 
ered necessary  after  this  little  event 
occurred. 

(h)  WHITEFIELD'S  PRAYERS 
FOR  HIS  BROTHER.— One  Lord's 
day  morning,  Mr.  Whitefield,  with  his 
usual  fervor,  exhorted  his  hearers  to 
give  up  the  use  of  the  means  for  the 
spiritual  good  of  their  relations  and 
friends  only  with  their  lives  ;  remarking 
that  he  had  had  a  brother,  for  whose 
spiritual  welfare  he  had  used  every 
means.  He  had  warned  him  and  pray- 
ed for  him  ;  and  apparently  to  no  pur- 
pose, till  a  ^e\Y  weeks  ago,  when  his 
brother,  to  his  astonishment  and  joy, 
came  to  his  house,  and  with  many  tears 
declared,  that  he  had  come  up  from  the 
country,  to  testify  to  him  the  great 
change  that  divine  grace  had  wrought 
upon  his  heart ;  and  to  acknowledge 
with  gratitude  his  obligation  to  the  man 
619 


323,  324 


PRAYER. 


whom  God  had  made  the  instrument 
of  it.  Mr.  Whitefield  added,  that  he 
had  that  morning  received  a  letter 
which  informed  him,  that  on  his  bro- 
ther's return  to  Gloucestershire,  where 
he  resided,  he  dropped  down  dead  as 
he  was  getting  out  of  the  stage  coach, 
but  that  he  had  previously  given  the 
most  unequivocal  evidence  of  his  being 
a  new  man  in  Christ  Jesus — "  There- 
fore, "  said  Mr.  Whitefield,  "  let  us 
pray  always  for  ourselves  and  for  those 
who  are  dear  to  us,  and  never  faint.  " 

(c)  TWO  WOMEN  PRAYING.— 
In  the  county  of  A.  there  lived,  remote 
ffom  a  village,  two  pious  females,  who 
had  been  recently  united  with  husbands 
opposed  to  the  gospel  of  Christ.  These 
young  women  beheld,  with  the  keenest 
sensation,  the  dear  partners  of  their 
lives  pursuing  a  path  which  must  soon 
end  in  everlasting  death.  E^  had 
often  carried  her  troubles  and  sorrows 
to  the  throne  of  grace,  and  laid  them 
before  One  who  knew  the  anxiety  of  her 
heart,  and  each  had  often  shed  the 
.silent  tear.  As  a  great  intimacy  had 
existed  between  those  -young  females, 
they  jointly  agreed  to  spend  one  hour 
daily  in  praying  for  their  husbands. 
They  continued  this  prayer  for  seven 
years  without  any  visible  effect.  At 
length,  with  hearts  full  of  anguish,  they 
met  to  mingle  together  their  sorrows. 
Their  inquiry  was,  shall  we  no  longer 
pray  for  our  dear  partners — must  they. 
Oh,  must  they  be  for  ever  miserable  ? 
They  concluded  that  although  their 
prayers  had  not  been  answered,  yet 
they  would  persevere  even  unto  the 
end  of  life,  in  the  course  they  had 
adopted  ;  and  if  their  husbands  would 
go  down  to  destruction,  they  should  go 
loaded  with  their  prayers.  They  more- 
over resolved  to  renew  their  strength, 
and  to  pray  more  earnestly  than  ever. 
Thus  they  continued  for  three  years 
longer.  About  this  time  one  of  them 
was  awakened  in  the  night  by  the  men- 
tal distress  of  her  husband.  Sleep  had 
departed  from  his  eyes;  distress  and 
anguish  had  seized  his  soul,  for  the 
prayers  of  these  females  had  come  up 
in  remembrance  before  the  throne  of 
God ;  and  the  man  who  could  once 
ridicule  the  tender  anxieties  of  a  dis- 
620 


tressed  wife,  was  4k)w  upon  his  knees 
in  the  greatest  agony.  Now,  with  ear- 
nestness, he  entreated  her  to  pray  for 
him  ;  for,  said  he,  the  day  of  grace  is 
almost  over,  and  the  door  of  mercy  is 
ready  to  be  closed  against  me  for  ever. 
His  distress,  and  the  hope  of  the  wife, 
continued  to  increase.  As  soon  as  the 
day  dawned  she  went  with  an  overflow- 
ing heart  to  tell  her  praying  companion, 
that  God  was  about  to  answer  their 
petitions.  But  great  was  her  surprise, 
to  meet  her  friend  coming  on  the  same 
errand,  to  tell  her  what  God  was  doing 
for  her  own  husband. 

Thus  after  ten  years'  perseverance 
in  calling  mightily  upon  God,  tliese 
Christian  females  had  the  unspeakable 
satisfaction  of  seeing  both  their  hus- 
bands brought  on  the  same  day  to  rea- 
lize their  undone  condition,  and  about 
the  same  time  to  accept,  as  it  is  hoped, 
the  offers  of  mercy. 

324,  Miscellaneous. 

(a)  THE  PUBLICAN'S  PRAYER. 

— A  Hottentot  of  immoral  character, 
being  under  deep  conviction  of  sin,  was 
anxious  to  know  how  to  pray.  He 
went  to  his  master,  a  Dutchman,  to 
consult  with  him  ;  but  his  master  gave 
him  no  encouragement.  A  sense  of  his 
own  wickedness  increased,  and  he  had 
no  one  netir  him  to  direct  him.  Oc- 
casionally, however,  he  was  admitted 
with  the  family  at  the  time  of  prayer. 
The  portion  of  Scripture  which  was  one 
day  read  by  the  master,  was  the  para- 
ble of  the  Pharisee  and  the  Publican. 
While  the  prayer  of  the  Pharisee  was 
read,  the  poor  Hottentot  thought  within 
himself,  "  This  is  a  good  man  ;  there  is 
nothing  for  me;"  but  when  his  master 
came  to  the  prayer  of  the  Publican — 
God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner — "  This  ' 
suits  me,"  he  cried  ;  "  now  I  know  how 
to  pray  !"  With  this  prayer  he  imme- 
diately retired,  and  prayed  night  and 
day  for  two  days,  and  then  found  peace. 
Full  of  joy  and  gratitude,  he  went  into 
the  fields,  and  as  he  had  no  one  to 
whom  he  could  speak,  he  exclaimed, 
"  Ye  hills,  ye  rocks,  ye  trees,  ye  rivers, 
hear  what  God  has  done  for  my  soul ! — 
he  has  been  merciful  to  me,  a  sinner." 


NATURE  OF  PRAYER. 


324,  325 


(h)  PHILIP  HENRY'S  PROMISE. 

— The  following  remark  of  Rev.  Philip 
Henry,  after  he  had  been  engaged  in 
ardent  prayer  for  two  of  his  children, 
that  were  dangerously  ill,  is  so  expres- 
sive  of  the  simplicity  and  tenderness 
of  Christian  faith  and  love,  as  to  recom- 
nnend  itself  to  the  hearts  of  those  who 
walk  with  God :  "  If  the  Lord  will  be 
pleased  to  grant  nne  this  my  request 
concerning  my  children,  I  will  not  say 
as  the  beggars  at  our  door  used  to  do, 
'  I'll  never  ask  any  thing  of  him  again  ;' 
but,  on  the  contrary,  he  shall  hear 
oftener  from  me  than  ever  ;  and  I  will 
love  God  the  better,  and  love  prayer 
the  better  as  long:  as  I  live." 


UNSCRIPTURAL  PRAYER. 
§S5.  Praying  without  Submission. 

{a)  THE  BOY  AND  HIS  DEAD 
BIRD. — "  What  occasions  that  melan- 
choly look  ?"  said  a  gentleman  to  one 
of  his  young  favorites,  one  morning. 
He  turned  away  his  face,  to  hide  a  tear 
that  was  ready  to  start  from  his  eyes. 
His  brother  answered  for  him,  "  Mother 
is  very  angry  with  him,"  said  he,  "  be- 
cause he  would  not  say  his  prayers  last 
night;  and  he  cried  all  day,  because  a 
sparrow  died  of  which  he  was  very  fond. 
The  little  mourner  hastily  turned  round, 
and  looking  at  me  exclaimed,  "  I  could 
not  say  thy  will  be  done,  because  of  my 
poor  bird."  The  gentleman  took  him  by 
the  hand,  and  pointing  to  his  school-fel- 
lows, "  Mark  the  observation,"  said  he, 
"  from  the  youngest  present,  only  six 
years  old  ;  for  it  explains  the  nature  of 
prayer,  of  which,  perhaps,  some  of  you 
are  ignorant.  Many  persons  repeat 
words,  who  never  prayed  in  their  lives. 
My  dear  boy,  I  am  very  glad  to  find 
you  were  afraid  to  say  to  God  what  you 
could  not  say  truly  from  your  heart ; 
but  you  may  beg  of  him  to  give  you 
submisssion  to  his  will." 

(b)  MR.  AND  MRS.  MART  AND 
THEIR  SON.— Mr.  Edmund  Calamy 
relates,  in  his  life,  that  some  persons  of 
the  name  of  Mart,  in  whose  family  he 
resided  for  some  time,  had  a  son  who 
discovered  the  most  wicked  and  impious 
disposition.     When  confined  in  prison, 


he  wrote  letters  professing  penitence ; 
but,  as  soon  as  he  had  an  opportunity, 
he  returned  to  his  former  sins. 

This  young  man  had  been  the  darling 
of  both  his  father  and  mother  ;  and  the 
latter  had  set  her  affections  upon  him 
to  so  great  a  degree,  that  when  she 
saw  him  a  monster  of  wickedness,  she 
became  deranged,  and  attempted  to  de- 
stroy herself,  which  she  at  length  ef- 
fected. So  far  from  being  suitably  im- 
pressed with  this  awful  event,  her  son 
now  proceeded  to  greater  lengths  in 
wickedness.  At  length  he  professed  to 
be  sorry  for  his  depraved  course,  and 
applied  to  the  Rev.  Samuel  Pomfret  to 
intercede  for  him  with  his  father.  Fie 
was  made  ready  for  sea,  but  unhappily 
became  connected  with  a  gang  of  vil- 
lains, and,  on  the  very  night  before  he 
was  to  set  sail,  he  robbed  Mr.  Pomfret, 
was  pursued,  tried,  and  condemned  to 
die. 

On  the  Sabbath  preceding  the  Wed- 
nesday on  which  he  was  condemned  to 
die,  his  father  entreated  Dr.  Calamy  to 
accompany  him  that  evening  to  his  cell 
in  Newgate,  to  converse  with  his  un- 
happy son,  and  to  give  his  opinion  as  to 
the  propriety  of  seeking  to  obtain  his 
pardon.  The  doctor  went,  and  found 
him  in  a  very  awful  state  of  mind,  re- 
senting different  things  which  he  con- 
ceived his  father  had  done  wrong,  and 
saying  that  he  might  obtain  a  pardon 
for  him  if  he  would  but  part  with  some 
of  his  money.  In  vain  did  the  doctor 
expostulate  with  him  on  the  improper 
feelings  he  manifested,  and  entreat 
him  to  humble  himself  before  God  on 
account  of  his  sins,  as  the  only  way  of 
engaging  his  friends  to  obtain  for  him  a 
reprieve.  His  reply  was,  "  Sir,  I  scorn 
any  thing  of  that  nature ;  and  would 
rather  die  with  my  company."  The 
doctor  reasoned  with  him  on  the  exist- 
ence of  a  hereafter,  charged  him  with 
the  death  of  his  mother,  taxed  him  with 
the  murder  of  some  persons  abroad, 
whose  blood  he  had  actually  shed,  and 
showed  him  the  heavy  punishment  he 
must  endure  in  an  eternal  world  unless 
he  turned  to  God,  repented  of  his  sins, 
and  prayed  for  pardon  through  the 
atonement  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  He  ad- 
mitted  the  truth  of  all  these  things,  but 
621 


325,  326 


PRAYER. 


was  filled  with  trifling  unconcern.     He  I 
frankly  said  that  he  had  no  hope  of  be-  I 
ing  better  in  his  character,  and  that,  on  i 
the  contrary,  he  was  satisfied  she  should  | 
grow  worse.    The  next  morning  he  was  i 
visited   by  Dr.  Jekyl,  who  asked  him  ! 
whether,  during  the  whole  time  he  had  ! 
been  confined  in  Newgate,  he  had  once  | 
bowed  his  knees  to  the  great  God,  mak-  j 
ing  it  his  earnest  request  to  him  to  give  ; 
him  a  sense  of  his  sins,  and  to  create  in  { 
him  a  tender  heart :  he  admitted  that  | 
he  had  not,  nor  did  he  think  it  of  any 
use.     He  was  promised  that  if  he  would 
engage  to  pray  morning  and  evening 
for  the  grace  of  God,  an  effort  should 
be  made,  with  every  probability  of  suc- 
cess, for  a  reprieve,  and  subsequently 
a   pardon.      But   he  would   make   no  j 
engagement,  and  was  hung  on  the  day 
appointed. 

On  the  day  of  his  execution,  the  fa- 
ther of  this  unhappy  young  man  told 
Dr.  Calamy,  that  when  the  culprit  was 
a  very  young  child,  and  their  only 
child,  he  was  exceedingly  ill  with  a 
fever,  and  that  both  his  wife  and  him- 
self, thinking  their  lives  were  bound  up 
in  the  life  of  the  child,  were  exceedingly 
importunate  with  God  in  prayer  that 
his  life  might  be  spared.  A  pious  mo- 
ther expostulated  with  him  on  the  vehe- 
mence he  manifested,  and  said  she 
dreaded  the  consequence  of  his  praying 
in  such  a  way,  and  that  it  became  him 
to  leave  the  matter  to  an  infinitely  wise 
God.  At  length  the  father  said,  "  Let 
him  prove  what  he  will,  so  he  is  but 
spared,  I  shall  be  satisfied.''  The  old 
man  added,  "  This  1  now  see  to  have 
been  my  folly.  For,  through  the  just 
hand  of  God,  I  have  lived  to  see  this 
wretched  son  of  mine  a  heart-breaking 
cross  to  them  that  loved  him  with  the 
greatest  tenderness,  a  disgrace  to  my 
whole  family,  and  likely  to  bring  my 
gray  hairs  with  sorrow  to  my  grave. 
I  read  my  sin  very  distinctly  in  my 
punishment ;  but  must  own  that  God  is 
righteous  in  all  his  ways,  and  holy  in 
all  his  works." 

(c)  "I  CANNOT  BEAR  IFS."— 
It  is  of  great  importance  that  we  should 
entreat  the  Spirit  of  God  to  enable  us  to 
pray  as  we  ought.  It  is  quite  possible 
to  ask  for  what  may  appear  to  us  good 
622 


things,  but  which,  if  we  had  them,  would 
prove  evil.  Rachel,  indulging  a  petu- 
lant disposition,  said,  "  Give  me  children, 
or  I  die :"  her  desire  was  granted,  and 
as  the  result  she  died. 

The  late  Mr.  Kilpin,  of  Exeter,  writes, 
"  I  knew  a  case,  in  which  the  minister, 
praying  over  a  child  apparently  dying, 

said  'if  it  be   thy  will,  spare   .' 

The  poor  mother's  soul  yearning  for  her 
beloved,  exclaimed,  'It  must  be  his 
will !  I  cannot  bear  if's.  The  minister 
stopped.  To  the  surprise  of  many  the 
child  recovered ;  and  the  mother,  after 
almost  suffering  martyrdom  by  him 
while  a  stripling,  lived  to  see  him  hang- 
ed before  he  was  two-and-twenty  !  Oh  ! 
it  is  good  to  say,  '  Not  my  will,  but 
thine  be  done.'  " 

S26.  Vnrioas  Examples. 

(a)  PRAYER  WITHOUT  EF- 
FORT.— At  a  boarding  school  in  the 

vicinity  of  London,  a  Miss ,  one  of 

the  scholars,  was  remarked  for  repeating 
her  lessons  well ;  a  school-fellow  rather 
idly  inclined,  said  to  her  one  day, 
"  How  is  it  that  you  always  say  your 
lessons  so  perfectly  ?"  She  replied,  "  I 
always  pray  that  I  may  say  my  lessons 
well."  "Do  you?"  said  the  other; 
"  well,  then,  I  will  pray  too :"  but, 
alas !  the  next  morning  she  could  not 
even  repeat  a  word  of  her  usual  task. 
Very  much  confounded,  she  ran  to  her 
friend,  and  reproached  her  as  deceitful : 
"  I  prayed,"  said  she,  "  but  I  could  not 
say  a  single  word  of  my  lesson." 
"  Perhaps,"  rejoined  the  other,  "  you 
took  no  pains  to  learn  it !"  "  Learn  it ! 
learn  it !"  answered  the  first,  "  I  did  not 
learn  it  at  all.  I  thought  I  had  no  oc- 
casion to  learn  it,  when  1  prayed  that  I 
might  say  it." 

{b)  ABUSE  IN  PRAYER— Mr. 
John  Kilpin,  father  of  the  Rev.  Samuel 
Kilpin,  of  Exeter,  having  from  some 
cause  displeased  a  member  of  the 
church  ;  at  a  prayei  meeting,  his  offend- 
ed brother  used  most  unbecoming  ex- 
pressions respecting  him  in  prayer. 
On  his  family's  offering  their  sympathy 
and  expressing  resentment,  he  said, 
with  a  mind  unruffled,  "  I  was  not  the 
least  hurt  on  my  own  account ;   such 


NATURE  OF  PRAYER. 


326 


talking  never  goes  any  higher  than  the 
ceiling ;  the  God  of  love  never  admits 
it  as  prayer.^'' 

(c)  PRAYERS  TOO  SELFISH.— 
A  man  once  complained  to  his  minister, 
that  he  had  prayed  for  a  whole  year 
that  he  might  enjoy  the  comforts  of  re- 
ligion, but  found  no  answer  to  his  pray- 
ers. The  minister  replied,  "  Go  home 
now,  and  pray,  Father,  glorify  thyself." 
Reader,  are  you  one  of  those  who  find 
no  profit  in  calling  upon  God?  Ask 
yourself  if  your  prayers  are  not  all 
selfish. 

{d)  OBJECTS  OF  PRAYER.— A 
gentleman  conversing  with  his  friend  re- 
specting the  exercises  of  his  own  mind, 
before  and  after  conversion,  observed 
that  there  was  a  great  difference  as  to 
the  ohjects  of  prayer.  "  When  I  was," 
said  he,  "  only  a  nominal  Christian,  I 
used  to  pray  to  my  family,  if  any 
strangers  were  present  I  prayed  to  them, 
when  1  was  alone  I  prayed  to  myself — 
but  since  I  have  been  renewed  by  di- 
vine grace,  in  all  my  prayers  I  pray  to 
God !" 

(e)  PRAYING  TO  MAN.— In  the 
town  of- 


in  Connecticut,  there  lived 
Mr.  S — ,  an  elderly  man  of  undoubted 
piety,  and  one  whose  catholic  and 
Christian  spirit  led  him  to  associate 
with  the  people  of  God  of  all  denomina- 
tions. He  circulated  to  some  extent, 
among  Congregationalists,  Baptists  and 
Methodists ;  attended  many  of  their 
prayer  meetings,  and  was  frequently  in- 
vited to  conduct  them.  Every  Chris- 
tian loved  Father  S — .  One  evening 
he  was  to  conduct  a  meeting  for  prayer, 
and  had  opened  it  with  reading  a  por- 
tion of  Scripture,  after  which  he  pro- 
posed to  lead  in  prayer.  He  had  nearly 
finished  his  chapter,  when  elder  L — , 
a  Baptist  minister  of  high-toned  Calvin- 
istic  sentiments,  entered  and  took  his 
seat  near  him.  The  thought  crossed  his 
mind,  "  Now  I  am  rather  moderate  in 
some  of  my  views,  and  I  must  try  to 
shape  my  prayer  so  as  not  to  give  of- 
fence to  good  brother  L — ."  With  this 
thought  in  his  mind,  he  kneeled  and 
commenced  with  a  few  words  of  address 
to  the  Deity — became  confused,  and 
stopped.  A  second  and  third  attempt 
were  made  with  similar  results.  No  one 


except  the  Baptist  brother  could  conjec- 
ture what  it  was  that  occasioned  the 
embarrassment  of  father  S — .  At  length 
he  exclaimed,  "  I  don't  know  what  ails 
me,  I  can't  pray  a  bit !"  "  I  know  what 
ails  you,"  said  Mr.  L — ,  "  you  are  try- 
ing to  pray  to  me ;  pray  to  God  and 
you  will  get  along  well  enough."  "  I 
believe  you  are  right,"  said  the  old  gen- 
tleman, "  I  will  try  once  more."  He 
did  so,  and  succeeded  to  the  edification 
of  all  present. 

(/)  SAYING  PRAYERS  SEV- 
ENTY  YEARS.— A  poor  old  man, 
when  a  child  of  three  years  of  age,  had 
been  taught  by  his  mother  to  repeat 
a  prayer  every  night,  which  he  did  till 
he  was  seventy-three  years  old  ;  and 
not  a  little  proud  was  he  to  say  that  he 
had  not  omitted  saying  his  prayers 
every  night  for  seventy  years  !  At  this 
advanced  age,  it  pleased  God  to  afilict 
him  severely  ;  he  was  led  by  the  Holy 
Spirit  to  see  that  he  was  a  poor  sinner, 
who  had  been  living  in  the  form  of  god- 
liness, but  had  never  felt  its  power. 
He  was  enabled  to  spend  the  last  few 
years  of  his  life  in  humble  dependence 
on  the  grace  of  Christ ;  and  when  he 
referred  to  himself,  he  would  often  add, 
"  I  am  the  old  man  who  said  his  pray- 
ers for  seventy  years,  and  yet  all  that 
time  never  prayed  at  all." 

{g)  IRREVERENCE  IN  PRAY- 
ER.— An  aged  minister  told  me,  says 
a  correspondent  of  the  Morning  Star, 
that  when  he  was  a  young  man,  he  had, 
on  a  certain  occasion,  been  praying  in  a 
family,  and  in  his  prayer  he  had  made 
a  very  frequent  and  energetic  use  of  the 
terms  Osgood  God  and  God  Almighty. 
At  the  close  of  his  prayer,  a  little  child, 
about  four  years  of  age,  came  to  his 
mother  and  said,  "  Mother,  I  don't  like 
to  hear  that  minister  pray  !"  Why,  in- 
quired the  mother.  '•  Because,"  said 
the  child,  "  he  swears  so  when  he 
prays."  This  reproof  from  the  child, 
broke  the  minister  of  swearing  when 
he  prayed.  Prayer  is  petition  :  and  no 
one  would  use  the  name  of  a  ruler,  to 
whom  he  was  making  a  petition  in  as 
harsh  a  manner  as  many  use  the  name 
of  the  great  God. 

(A)     A    LONG  PRAYER— Rev. 

Mr. while  traveling  through  one  of 

623 


327 


PRAYER. 


the  western  States,  stopped  for  the  night 
at  the  house  of  a  worthy  member  of  a 

church.     When  Mr.  entered  the 

house,  the  old    gentleman    was    about 

commencing  family  worship.    Mr. 

being  seated,  he  who  was  the  head 
of  the  family  proceeded  with  worship  ; 
and  after  having  read  and  sung  the  usual 
length  of  time,  he,  together  with  all  who 
were  present,  kneeled  in  prayer.  Mr. 
—  thought  the  prayer  extremely  long, 
but  being  much  fatigued  with  the  day's 
journey,  supposed  that  his  impression 
with  regard  to  its  length  might  have 
arisen,  in  some  degree,  from  that  circum- 
stance. After  havins:  made  a  slight 
change  in  his  attitude,  he  endeavored  to 
compose  himself,  and  wait  patiently  un- 
til the  service  should  end.  But  the 
prayer  continuing  for  near  an  hour,  he 
could  no  longer  control  his  impatience ; 
but  turning  to  a  son  of  the  old  gentle- 
man, who  was  kneeling  or  reclining 
near  him,  asked  him  if  his  father  was 
not  almost  through  with  his  prayer. 
The  youth  inquired  if  he  had  yet  got 
to  the  Jews  ?  Mr.  —  replied  that  he  be- 
lieved not.  Well,  said  he,  he  is  not  half 
done  yet. 

OCCASIONS  OF  PRAYER. 

W.  Secret  Prayer. 

(a)  MELANCTHON'S  EXPE- 
RIENCE. — When  Melancthon  was  en- 
treated by  his  friends  to  lay  aside  the 
natural  anxiety  and  timidity  of  his  tem- 
per, he  replied,  "  If  I  had  no  anxieties, 
I  should  lose  a  powerful  incentive  to 
prayer ;  but  when  the  cares  of  life  im- 
pel to  devotion,  the  best  means  of  conso- 
lation,-a  religious  mind  cannot  do*  with- 
out them.  Thus  trouble  compels  me 
to  prayer,  and  prayer  drives  away 
trouble." 

(b)  EXAMPLE  OF  MASON.— It 
is  a  fact  which  deserves  the  attention  of 
all,  that  many  of  the  most  eminent  men 
of  the  world  have  left  behind  them  the 
most  decisive  testimony  to  the  importance 
and  value  of  true  religion.  Sir  John 
Mason,  who  had  been  a  privy  counsel- 
lor to  four  successive  monarchs,  and 
was  connected  with  the  most  important 
transactions  of  the  state  for  thirty  years, 

624 


in  the  evening  of  his  life  declared, 
"  Were  I  to  live  again,  I  would  ex- 
change the  court  for  retirement,  and 
the  whole  life  I  have  lived  in  the  pal- 
ace for  one  hour's  enjoyment  of  God  in 
my  closet.  All  things  .low  forsake  me, 
except  my  God,  my  duty,  and  my 
prayers." 

It  is  said  further  of  tnis  eminent  man, 
that  at  the  close  of  lifo  he  observed, 
that  the  result  of  h/s  'oservation  and 
experience  might  be  comprised  in  three 
short  sentences  : — Seriousness  is  the 
greatest  wisdom  ;  temperance  the  best 
physic  ;  and  a  good  conscience  the  best 
estate." 

(c)  PHILIP  HENRY'S  PRAC- 
TICE — In  the  life  of  Philip  Henry,  it 
is  said,  "  He  and  his  wife  constantly 
prayed  together,  morning  and  evening."] 
He  made  conscience  of  closet  worship,} 
and  abounded  in  it.  It  was  the  cautionj 
and  advice  which  he  frequently  gave  to 
his  children  and  friends,  "  Be  sure  you 
look  to  your  secret  duty  ;  keep  that  up, 
whatever  you  do  ;  the  soul  cannot  pros- 
per in  the  neglect  of  it.  Apostacy 
generally  begins  at  the  closet  door." 

(d)  GRIMSTONE'S  HABIT.— Sir 
Harbottle  Grimstone,  master  of  the 
rolls,  an  eminent  lawyer,  a  just  jutlge, 
and  a  person  of  large  fortune,  who 
lived  in  the  17th  century,  was  a  very 
pious  and  devout  man,  and  spent,  every 
morning  and  evening,  at  least  an  hour 
in  meditation  and  prayer.  And  even 
in  winter,  when  he  was  obliged  to  be 
very  early  on  the  bench,  he  took  care 
to  rise  soon  enough  to  have  the  time  he' 
usually  devoted  to  these  exercises. 

(e)  THE  THREE  METHODS.— 
The  celebrated  Haydn  was  in  company 
with  some  distinguished  persons.  The 
conversation  turned  on  the  best  means 
of  restoring  their  mental  energies,  whei 
exhausted  with  long  and  difficult  stud- 
ies. One  said,  he  had  recourse  in  such 
a  case,  to  a  bottle  of  wine — anothei 
that  he  went  into  company.  Haydi 
being  asked  what  he  would  do,  or  di( 
do,  said  that  he  retired  to  his  closet 
and  engaged  in  prayer — that  nothin^^ 
exerted  on  his  mind  a  more  happy 
and  efficacious  influence  than  prayer. 
Haydn  was  no  enthusiast. 


OCCASIONS  OF  PRAYER. 


32T 


(/)  PAYING  FOR  PRAYING.— 

A.n  aged  burgomaster,  traveling  to  Ger- 
many, stopped  at  an  inn  on  the  borders 
of  that  country  and  Holland.  He  ob- 
served  that  the  servant  girl  who  laid  the 
cloth,  and  made  other  preparations  for 
his  supper,  performed  these  offices  neat- 
ly and  with  much  alacrity,  and  he  com- 
mended her,  saying  also,  "  I  trust  that, 
while  you  show  yourself  so  careful  in 
the  performance  of  the  common  duties 
of  your  station,  you  are  not  less  diligent 
in  observing  the  duties  and  privileges 
of  a  Christian."  The  girl,  who  was 
quite  ignorant  of  religion,  replied  by 
asking  what  he  meant ;  upon  which  he 
entered  more  particularly  into  an  ex- 
planation of  his  meaning,  dwelling  es- 
pecially on  the  importance  of  prayer,  as 
he  found  that  she  lived  in  entire  neglect 
of  it.  Her  countenance  and  manner 
indicated  a  strict  adherence  to  truth, 
and  he  told  her  that  if,  when  he  again 
passed  through  the  place,  she  could  as- 
sure him  that  she  had  knelt  down  every 
night  and  morning,  and  uttered  a  short 
prayer,  he  would  give  her  a  ten-guilder 
piece,  (a  gold  coin,  value  16^.  8d.)  Af- 
ter some  hesitation  the  girl  agreed,  and 
asked  what  the  prayer  was,  the  repeti- 
tion of  which  was  to  procure  her  a  lar- 
ger sum  than  she  had  ever  before  pos- 
sessed at  one  time.  The  burgomaster 
told  her,  "  Lord  Jesus,  convert  my 
soul."  At  first,  the  girl  hesitated,  and 
sometimes  thought  that  she  might  omit 
the  repetition  of  these  words,  the  full 
meaning  of  which  she  did  not  under- 
stand. A  better  feeling,  however,  in- 
duced her  to  continue,  and  also  to  in- 
quire the  meaning  of  these  words. 

About  six  months  afterwards,  the  old 
gentleman  returned  ;  he  went  to  the 
same  inn  ;  another  girl  laid  his  supper 
cloth  ;  he  inquired  for  her  predecessor 
in  vain.  He  then  asked  for  the  land- 
lord, who  told  him  that  five  months 
back  the  girl  alluded  to  had  been  seiz- 
ed with  such  a  praying  fit,  that  he 
found  she  would  no  longer  do  for  his 
service,  and  that  she  was  then  living 
with  a  private  family  in  the  neighbor- 
hood. In  the  morning  the  old  gentle- 
man sought  for  and  found  her ;  and 
said  he  was  come  to  fulfil  his  promise. 
She  immediately  recognized  him,  but 
40 


decidedly  refused  his  offered  money, 
saying,  '•  I  have  found  a  reward  much 
richer  than  any  sum  of  gold." 

(g)  A  SECRET  OF^  SUCCESS.— 
Edward  Lee,  of  Manchester,  Massa- 
chusetts, was  for  several  years  a  sailor, 
and  apparently  hardened  in  sin,  but  he 
became  converted,  and  then  all  his 
energies  were  devoted  to  the  service  of 
Jesus  Christ.  Quitting  the  sea  for  the 
sake  of  being  more  useful,  he  took  up 
his  residence  in  his  native  village ;  and 
the  time  which  could  be  spared  from 
his  labors  on  the  farm,  he  employed  in 
behalf  of  God's  glory,  and  the  salva- 
tion of  souls.  For  thirty  years  he  kept 
up  a  weekly  prayer-meeting  every 
Thursday  afternoon  in  his  own  house. 
It  was  his  rule  to  visit  all  the  families 
in  the  village  once  in  a  year,  to  in- 
quire after  their  spiritual  welfare.  The 
houses  of  affliction  and  sorrow  were 
always  sure  of  his  visits  and  his  prayers. 
In  his  own  house,  in  the  field,  and  on 
his  journeys,  wherever  he  could  warn 
and  plead  with  the  impenitent,  he  was 
sure  to  do  so.  One  night,  putting  up 
at  an  inn  where  a  country  ball  had 
commenced,  he  got  permission  to  enter 
the  room,  and  addressed  the  company 
with  such  moral  power  and  energy, 
that  dancing  was  abandoned,  and  the 
evening,  begun  in  mirth  and  folly,  was 
spent  in  holy  exhortation,  and  closed 
with  prayer. 

Mr.  Lee  gave  away  one  eighth  of 
his  income,  yet  left  enough  to  support 
his  widow  for  thirty  years  after  his 
death.  Wonderful  example  of  piety  ! 
What  was  the  secret  of  his  high  at- 
tainments '?  He  was  a  man  of  prayer ! 
A  few  days  before  he  died,  he  pointed 
his  Christian  friends  to  a  spot  on  the 
floor,  and  observed  that  for  more  than 
thirty  years,  with  the  exception  of  ten 
days'  illness,  he  had  risen  from  his  bed 
at  night,  and  prayed  for  a  dying  world's 
salvation.  His  minister  used  to  say. 
"I  am  but  a  babe  to  brother  Lee  :  I 
prize  his  prayers  more  than  gold." 

(h)  A  SHEEPCOT  FOR  A 
CLOSET.— Dr.  Milne,  a  laborious  and 
useful  Missionary  in  China,  in  his  ear- 
ly years  attended  a  Sabbath  evening 
school,  which  was  taught  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  his  residence.  Here  his. 
625 


327 


PRAYER. 


knowledge  of  evangelical  truth  increas- 
ed, and  considerable  impressions  of  its 
importance  were  made  upon  his  mind. 
Sometimes  he  used  to  walk  home  from 
the  school  alone,  about  a  mile  over  the 
brow  of  a  hill,  praying  all  the  way.  At 
this  time  he  began  the  worship  of  God 
in  his  mother's  family ;  and  also  held 
some  meetings  for  prayer,  with  his  sis- 
ters and  other  children,  in  a  barn  that 
belonged  to  the  premises. 

When  removed  from  the  immediate 
care  of  his  mother,  the  providence  of 
God  placed  him  near  to  the  spot  where 
one  of  those  persons  lived,  who,  though 
poor  in  this  world,  are  rich  in  faith, 
and  heirs  of  the  kingdom.  He  used 
sometimes  to  go  to  his  house,  at  the  hour 
of  prayer,  when  he  and  his  family  bow- 
ed the  knee  and  worshiped  God,  at  the 
foot  of  their  domestic  altar.  After 
reading  a  chapter  in  the  Bible,  he  was 
accustomed  to  make  some  remarks  upon 
it,  both  for  the  instruction  of  his  chil- 
dren, and  as  a  preparation  for  the  sol- 
emn exercise  of  prayer  ;  these  remarks 
interested  young  Milne  very  much,  and 
showed  him  a  beauty  in  the  word  of 
God,  which  he  never  saw  before.  From 
this  time,  more  particularly^  he  began 
to  discover  an  excellence  in  religion, 
which  led  him  to  choose  it  as  the  only 
object  deserving  the  supreme  attention 
of  an  immortal  creature.  As  the  family 
in  which  he  lived  were  strangers  to  re- 
ligion themselves,  and  derided  all  others 
who  made  it  their  concern,  he  was  very 
unpleasantly  situated.  The  only  place 
he  found  for  retirement,  where  he  could 
be  quiet  and  unnoticed,  was  a  sheepcot 
in  which  the  sheep  were  kept  in  winter. 
Here,  surrounded  with  his  fleecy  com- 
panions, he  often  bowed  the  knee  on  a 
piece  of  turf,  which  he  carried  with 
liim  for  the  purpose.  Many  hours  did 
he  spend  there,  in  the  winter  evenings, 
with  a  pleasure  to  which  before  he  was 
a  stranger ;  and,  while  some  of  the 
members  of  the  family  were  plotting 
how  to  put  him  to  shame, he  was  eating 
in  secret  of  that  bread  "  which  the  world 
knoweth  not  of." 

(i)      SANCTUARY     IN      THE 
GROVE — A  correspondent  of  the  N. 
Y.  Evangelist  remarks :  While  it  is  a 
626 


subject  of  regret,  that  many  professors 
of  religion  are  so  conformed  to  the 
world,  as  exceedingly  to  limit  their  use- 
fulness, it  is  very  refreshing  to  the  spir- 
its of  holy  ones,  to  meet  with  here  and 
there  a  disciple  living  above  the  world, 
and  at  the  same  time  shedding  a  holy 
influence  on  all  around.  Of  this  latter 
and  better  sort  of  Christians,  1  knew  a 
man  who  departed  this  life  at  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  94  years.  His  whole 
business,  while  1  knew  him,  and  as  I  have 
been  told  for  about  80  of  the  last  years  of 
his  life,  had  been  to  serve  God  and  en- 
large the  kingdom  of  Christ  on  earth. 
His  conversation  was  spiritual  beyond 
that  of  any  other  man  I  ever  knew.  It 
was  exceedingly  difficult  to  interest  him 
in  any  other  subject  than  that  of  religion. 
The  cause  of  his  high  spiritual  attain- 
ments consisted  in  the  fact,  that  he  was 
more  than  any  other  person  of  my 
knowledge,  a  man  of  prayer. 

On  the  day  of  his  burial,  when  many 
friends  were  assembled  to  commit  his 
remains  to  the  tomb,  the  subject  of  his 
spirituality  and  holy  living,  became  a 
topic  of  conversation.  Said  one,  who 
was  more  intimately  acquainted  with 
the  deceased  than  the  rest,  if  you  will 
take  a  short  walk,  I  will  let  you  into  the 
great  secret  of  our  departed  friend's  ho- 
ly life,  and  triumphant  death.  To  this 
proposition  a  number  of  the  relatives 
conceded.  They  were  conducted  along 
a  narrow  beaten  footpath  into  a  grove 
some  fifty  rods  from  the  house.  This 
grove  was  the  chosen  place  for  many 
years  of  this  holy  man  for  prayer  and 
meditation.  Soon  after  entering  the 
grove,  they  came  to  the  devoted  spot, 
the  sanctuary  where  the  holy  man  had 
carried  on  his  intercourse  with  the  up- 
per world.  The  very  impress  of  his 
knees,  as  he  bowed  before  the  Mighty 
One  of  Israel,  was  distinctly  visible. 
He  supported  himself  in  this  attitude  by 
two  saplings,  one  on  either  side,  Avhich, 
by  long  and  frequent  use  were  worn 
smooth  like  polished  steel.  The  place 
was  often  afterwards  visited  by  the  cu- 
rious, and  was  ever  regarded  as  one  of 
the  best  mementoes  of  the  worth  of  this 
departed  saint.  This  footpath  and  the 
prints  of  the  knees  and  hands  were  visi- 


OCCASIONS  OF  PRAYER. 


S2Y,  33S 


ble  for  some  two  or  three  years  after 
the  good  man  entered  his  rest ;  but  are 
now  overgrown  and  forgotten. 

0)  PRAYER  OF  THE  CON- 
DEMxNED  SOLDIER.— During  the 
unhappy  commotions  in  Ireland,  a  pri- 
vate soldier  in  the  army  of  Lord  Corn- 
v/allis,  was  daily  observed  to  be  absent 
from  his  quarters  and  from  the  compa- 
ny of  his  fellow-.soldiers.  He  began  to 
be  suspected  of  withdrawing  himself 
for  the  purpose  of  holding  intercourse 
with  the  rebels  ;  and  on  this  suspicion, 
probably  increased  by  the  malice  of  his 
wicked  comrades,  he  was  tried  by  a 
court-martial,  and  condemned  to  die. 
The  Marquis  hearing  of  this,  wished  to 
examine  the  minutes  of  the  trial  ;  and 
not  being  satisfied,  sent  for  the  man  to 
converse  with  him.  Upon  being  interro- 
gated, the  prisoner  solemnly  disavowed 
every  treasonable  practice  or  intention, 
declared  his  sincere  attachment  to  his 
Sovereign,  and  his  readiness  to  live  and 
die  in  his  service  : — he  affirmed  that  the 
real  cause  of  his  frequent  absence  was, 
that  he  might  obtain  a  place  of  retirement 
for  the  purpose  of  private  prayer  ;  for 
which  his  Lordship  knew  he  had  no  op- 
portunity among  his  profane  comrades, 
who  had  become  his  enemies  merely  on 
account  of  his  profession  of  religion. 
He  said,  he  had  made  this  defence  on 
his  trial ;  but  the  officers  thought  it  so 
improbable,  that  they  paid  no  attention 
to  it.  The  Marquis,  in  order  to  satisfy 
himself  as  to  the  truth  of  his  defence, 
observed  that  if  so,  he  must  acquire 
some  considerable  aptness  in  this  exer- 
cise.  The  poor  man  replied,  that  as  to 
ability,  he  had  nothing  to  boast  of.  The 
Marquis  then  insisted  on  his  kneeling 
down  and  praying  aloud  before  him  ; 
which  he  did, — and  pouring  forth  his 
soul  before  God  with  such  copiousness, 
fluency,  and  ardor,  that  the  Marquis 
took  him  by  the  hand,  and  said,  he  was 
satisfied  that  no  man  could  pray  in  that 
manner  who  did  not  live  in  the  habit  of 
intercourse  wtth  his  God.  He  not  only 
revoked  the  sentence,  but  received  him 
into  his  peculiar  favor,  placing  him 
among  his  personal  attendants. 


m.  Family  Prayer. 

(a)  FAMILY  PRAYER  ESTAB- 
LISHED  BY  A  CHILD.— The  Rev. 
John  Baily,  an  eminent  divine  of  the 
17th  century,  was  so  honored  of  God 
as  to  be  made  the  instrument  of  the 
conversion  of  his  own  father,  while  he 
was  yet  a  child.  His  mother  was  a 
very  pious  woman,  but  his  father  was 
a  wicked  man.  The  good  instructions 
and  frequent  prayers  of  the  former, 
were  so  blessed  to  the  soul  of  little 
John,  that  he  was  converted  to  God 
while  very  young :  and  having  a  re- 
markable gift  in  prayer,  his  mother 
wished  him.  to  pray  in  the  family. 
His  father,  overhearing  him  engaged 
in  this  exercise,  was  so  struck  with 
remorse  and  shame  at  finding  his 
child,  then  not  above  eleven  or  twelve 
years  of  age,  performing  that  duty  in 
his  house,  which  he  had  neglected  him- 
self, that  it  brought  on  a  deep  convic- 
tion of  his  wretched  state,  and  proved, 
through  the  Divine  blessing,  the  means 
of  his  conversion. 

{b)  AN  INFIDEL  CONVERTED. 
— Mr.  Abbott  states,  in  his  "  Mother 
AT  Home,"  that  a  gentleman  from  Eng- 
land brought  a  letter  of  introduction  to 
a  gentleman  in  America.  The  stran- 
ger was  of  accomplished  mind  and  man- 
ners, but  an  infidel.  The  gentleman  to 
whom  he  had  brought  letters  of  intro- 
duction, and  his  lady,  were  active 
Christian  philanthropists.  They  invited 
the  stranger  to  make  their  house  his 
home,  and  treated  him  with  every  pos- 
sible attention.  Upon  the  evening  of 
his  arrival,  just  before  the  usual  hour 
for  retiring,  the  gentleman,  knowing 
the  peculiarity  of  his  friend's  sentiments, 
observed  to  him,  that  the  hour  had  ar- 
rived in  which  they  usually  attended 
family  prayers  ;  that  he  should  be 
happy  to  have  him  remain  and  unite 
with  them,  or,  if  he  preferred,  he  could 
retire.  The  gentleman  intimated  that 
it  would  give  him  pleasure  to  remain. 
A  chapter  of  the  Bible  was  read,  and 
the  family  all  knelt  in  prayer,  the  stran- 
ger with  the  rest.  In  a  few  days  the 
stranger  left  this  hospitable  dwelling, 
and  embarked  on  board  a  ship  for  a 
foreign  land.  In  the  course  of  three 
627 


33S 


PRAYER. 


or  four  years,  however,  the  providence 
of  God  again  led  that  stranger  to  the 
same  dwelling.  But  oh,  how  changed  ! 
He  came  the  happy  Christian,  the  hum- 
ble  man  of  piety  and  prayer.  In  the 
course  of  the  evening's  conversation  he 
remarked,  that  when  he,  on  the  first 
evening  of  his  previous  visit,  knelt 
with  them  in  family  prayer,  it  was  the 
first  time  for  many  years  that  he  had 
bowed  the  knee  to  his  Maker.  This 
act  brought  to  his  mind  such  a  crowd 
of  recollections,  it  so  vividly  reminded 
him  of  a  parent's  prayers,  which  he 
had  heard  at  home,  that  he  was  entire- 
ly bewildered.  His  emotion  was  so 
great,  that  he  did  not  hear  one  syllable 
of  the  prayer  which  was  uttered,  from 
its  commencement  to  its  close.  But 
God  made  this  the  instrument  of  lead- 
ing him  from  the  dreary  wilds  of  infi- 
delity to  the  peace  and  the  joy  of  piety. 
His  parents  had  long  before  gone  home 
to  their  eternal  rest ;  but  the  prayers 
they  had  offered  for  and  with  their  son, 
had  left  an  influence  which  could  not 
die.  They  might  have  prayed  ever  so 
fervently  for  him,  but  if  they  had  not 
prayed  with  him,  if  they  had  not  knelt 
by  his  side,  and  caused  his  listening  ear 
to  hear  their  earnest  supplications,  their 
child  might  have  continued  through 
life  an  infidel. 

(c)  FAMILY  WORSHIP  IN  GEY- 
LON. — At  the  annual  meeting  of  the 
British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society,  in 
1826,  the  Rev.  W.  B.  Fox,  a  Missiona- 
ry from  Ceylon,  said,  that  as  he  was 
traveling  in  a  jungle,  in  the  dead  of  the 
night,  which  is  the  usual  time  for  jour- 
neying, he  heard  a  voice  reading.  He 
drew  near  to  the  cottage,  and  found 
that  the  party  was  reading  the  word  of 
God.  He  put  aside  the  leaves,  of  which 
the  cottage  was  composed,  and  saw  the 
whole  group,  consisting  of  three  or  four 
generations,  sitting  on  the  ground,  while 
a  youth  was  reading  the  14th  of  St. 
John.  He  waited  in  silence,  to  see  the 
result :  and,  at  the  conclusion,  the  boy 
began  to  invoke  the  Divine  blessing  on 
what  he  had  read ;  and  one  of  the  peti- 
tions was  very  remarkable  :  he  prayed 
that  God  would  make  larger  the  ears 
of  his  grandmother.  Mr.  F.  supposed, 
from  this  circumstance,  that  his  poor 
628 


relative  was  so  deaf  that  she  could  not 
hear  those  truths  which  he  admired 
himself.  He  added,  that  these  instan- 
ces were  formerly  rare,  but  they  were 
now  spreading  over  the  whole  land  ; 
and  though  he  was  no  prophet,  yet  he 
would  venture  to  predict,  that  nothing 
like  half  a  century  would  pass,  ere  it 
would  be  said,  that  there  were  no  hea- 
then temples,  and  no  idols  remaining  in 
Ceylon. 

(d)  LOSS  OF  FAMILY  PRAYER. 
— A  young  lady,  the  child  of  pious 
parents,  had  arrived  at  the  years  of 
maturity  apparently  without  having  any 
salutary  impression  made  on  her  mind, 
either  by  the  instructions  she  had  re- 
ceived, or  the  examples  she  had  wit- 
nessed. In  this  state  of  mind  she 
received  the  addresses  of  a  gentleman 
destitute  of  religion,  and  who,  probably, 
had  not  possessed  her  early  advantages. 
He  was  moral,  respectable,  and  honor- 
able in  social  life,  and  had  no  idea  that 
any  thing  more  was  necessary.  In  due 
time  they  were  married. 

The  worth  of  any  blessing  is  often 
best  taught  by  its  loss.  The  very  first 
day  of  her  residence  in  the  house  of  her 
husband,  the  young  lady  was  struck 
with  horror  and  distress  at  the  omission 
of  family  prayers  ;  and  that  the  family 
separated  at  night,  and  met  in  the 
morning,  and  no  Bible  was  called  for ; 
no  expressions  of  gratitude  offered  for 
protection  and  refreshment  through  the 
night ;  no  supplication  for  provision, 
direction,  and  support  through  the  day. 
She  felt  desolate  and  uncomfortable : 
and  that  which  she  had  so  long  disre- 
garded in  the  house  of  her  father,  seem- 
ed now  absolutely  essential  to  her  com- 
fort. The  deficiency  was  the  means  of 
awakening  in  her  mind  deep  and  serious 
convictions  of  her  sin,  in  having  failed 
to  improve  the  privileges  with  which  she 
had  so  long  been  flivored.  She  was  led 
to  tremble  at  her  awful  state  of  guilt  and 
danger  as  a  sinner  before  God ;  she 
humbly  and  earnestly  sought  mercy 
through  the  blood  of  the  cross,  and  found 
joy  and  peace  in  believing.  Now,  the 
instructions  and  admonitions  of  her 
pious  parents,  which  had  so  long  seemed 
to  be  like  good  seed  rotting  beneath  the 
clod,  began  to  spring  up  and  yield  fruit. 


OCCASIONS  OF  PRAYER. 


3d8 


She  said,  "  The  God  of  my  parents 
shall  be  my  God;"  and  she  gave  her- 
self up  to  him  in  a  covenant  never  to 
be  forgotten  !  She  could  not  now  be 
insensible  to  the  best  interests  of  her 
husband  and  family ;  these  became 
matter  of  deep  solicitude  and  fervent 
prayer.  Her  pious  endeavors  were 
blessed  :  her  husband  was  awakened  to 
discern  the  things  that  belonged  to  his 
everlasting  peace,  and  was  made  a  par- 
taker of  the  grace  of  God  in  truth. 
Their  household  was  soon  numbered 
among  those  in  whose  tabernacles  is 
heard  the  voice  of  rejoicing  and  salva- 
tion. They  became  eminently  pious, 
exemplary,  and  useful  characters,  and 
trained  up  their  children  in  the  nurture 
and  admonition  of  the  Lord. 

(e)  FAMILY  PRAYER  ABAN- 
DONED AND  RESUMED.— A  pious 
tradesman,  conversing  with  a  minister 
on  family  worship,  related  the  following 
instructive  circumstances  respecting 
himself: 

When  I  first  began  business  for  my- 
self, I  was  determined,  through  grace, 
to  be  particularly  conscientious  with 
respect  to  family  prayer.  Accordingly, 
I  persevered  for  many  years  in  the  de- 
lightful practice  of  domestic  worship. 
Morning  and  evening,  every  individual 
of  my  family  was  ordered  to  be  present; 
nor  would  I  allow  my  apprentices  to  be 
absent  on  any  account.  In  a  few  years, 
the  advantages  of  these  engagements 
manifestly  appeared ;  the  blessings  of 
the  upper  and  nether  springs  followed 
me  ;  health  and  happiness  attended  my 
family,  and  prosperity  my  business.  At 
length,  such  was  the  rapid  increa,se  of 
trade,  and  the  importance  of  devoting 
every  possible  moment  to  my  customers, 
that  I  began  to  think  whether  family 
prayer  did  not  occupy  too  much  of  our 
time  in  the  morning.  Pious  scruples 
arose  respecting  my  intentions  of  relin- 
quishing this  part  of  my  duty  ;  but,  at 
length,  worldly  interests  prevailed  so  far 
as  to  induce  me  to  excuse  the  attendance 
of  my  apprentices,  and,  not  long  after, 
it  was  deemed  advisable,  for  the  more 
eager  prosecution  of  business,  to  make 
the  prayer  with  my  wife,  when  we  rose 
in  the  morning,  suffice  for  the  day. 

Notwithstanding  the  repeated  checks 


of  conscience  that  followed  this  base 
omission,  the  calls  of  a  flourishing  con- 
cern, and  the  prospect  of  an  increasing 
family,  appeared  so  imperious  and  com- 
manding, that  I  found  an  easy  excuse 
for  this  fatal  evil,  especially  as  I  did 
not  omit  prayer  altogether.  My  con- 
science was  now  almost  seared  with  a 
hot  iron ;  when  it  pleased  the  Lord  to 
awaken  me  by  a  singular  providence. 

One  day  I  received  a  letter  from  a 
young  man  who  had  formerly  been  my 
apprentice,  previous  to  my  omitting 
family  prayer.  Not  doubting  but  I 
continued  domestic  worship,  his  letter 
was  chiefly  on  this  subject ;  it  was 
couched  in  the  most  affectionate  and 
respectful  terms :  but  judge  of  my  sur- 
prise and  confusion,  when  I  read  these 
words :  "  O,  my  dear  master,  never, 
never  shall  I  be  able  sufficiently  to 
thank  you  for  the  precious  privilege 
with  which  you  indulged  me  in  your 
family  devotions !  O,  sir,,  eternity  will 
be  too  short  to  praise  my  God  for  what 
I  learned  there.  It  was  there  I  first 
beheld  my  lost  and  wretched  state  as  a 
sinner ;  it  W£is  there  that  I  first  knew 
the  way  of  salvation  ;  and  there  that  I 
first  experienced  the  preciousness  of 
'  Christ  in  me,  the  hope  of  glory.'  O, 
sir,  permit  me  to  say,  never,  never  neg- 
lect those  precious  engagements :  you 
have  yet  a  family,  and  more  apprentices, 
may  your  house  be  the  birth-place  of 
their  souls  !"  I  could  read  no  further ; 
every  line  flashed  condemnation  in  my 
face.  I  trembled,  I  shuddered,  I  was 
alarmed  lest  the  blood  of  my  children 
and  apprentices  should  be  demanded  at 
my  soul-murdering  hands. 

Filled  with  confusion,  and  bathed  in 
tears,  I  fled  for  refuge  in  secret.  I 
spread  the  letter  before  God.  I  agon- 
ized, and — but  you  can  better  conceive 
than  I  can  describe  my  feelings ;  suffice 
it  to  say,  that  light  broke  in  upon  my 
disconsolate  soul,  and  a  sense  of  blood- 
bought  pardon  was  obtained.  I  imme- 
diately flew  to  my  family,  presented 
them  before  the  Lord,  and  from  that 
day  to  the  present  I  have  been  faithful, 
and  am  determined,  through  grace,  that 
whenever  my  business  becomes  so  large 
as  to  interrupt  family  prayer,  I  will  give 
up  the  superfluous  part  of  my  business, 
629 


32§ 


PRAYER. 


and  retain  my  devotion  :  better  to  lose 
a  few  shillings,  thi/fn  become  the  deli- 
berate murderer  of  my  family,  and  the 
instrument  of  ruin  to  my  own  soul. 

(/)  RYLAND  AND  THE  IN- 
KEEPER'S  FAMILY.  — The  Rev. 
John  Ryland,  of  Northampton,  being  on 
a  journey,  was  overtaken  by  a  violent 
storm,  and  compelled  to  take  shelter  in 
the  first  inn  he  came  to.  The  people 
of  the  house  treated  him  with  great 
kindness  and  hospitality.  They  would 
fain  have  showed  him  into  the  par- 
lor, but  being  very  wet  and  cold,  he 
begged  permission  rather  to  take  a  seat 
by  the  fireside  with  the  family.  The 
good  old  man  was  friendly,  cheerful, 
and  well  stored  with  entertaining  anec- 
dotes, and  the  family  did  their  utmost 
to  make  him  comfortable  :  they  all  sup- 
ped together,  and  both  the  residents  and 
the  guest  seemed  mutually  pleased  with 
each  other.  At  length,  wlien  the  house 
was  cleared,  and  the  hour  of  rest  ap- 
proached, the  stranger  appeared  uneasy, 
and  looked  up  every  time  a  door  opened, 
as  if  expecting  the  appearance  of  some- 
thing essential  to  his  comfort.  His  host 
informed  him,  that  his  chamber  was 
prepared  vvhenever  he  chose  to  retire. 
"But,"  said  he,  "you  have  not  had 
your  family  together."  "  H^ad  my  fa- 
mily together  !  for  what  purpose  ?  I 
don't  know  what  you  mean;"  said  the 
landlord.  "To  read  the  Scriptures, 
and  to  pray  with  them,"  replied  the 
guest :  "  surely  you  do  not  retire  to  rest 
in  the  omission  of  so  necessary  a  duty." 
The  landlord  confessed  that  he  had 
never  thought  of  doing  such  a  thing. 
"  Then,  sir,"  said  Mr.  R.,  "  I  must  beg 
you  to  order  my  horse  immediately." 
The  landlord  and  family  entreated  him 
not  to  expose  himself  to  the  inclemency 
of  the  weather  at  that  late  hour  of  the 
night ;  observing,  that  the  storm  was  as 
violent  as  when  he  first  came  in. 
"May  be  so,"  replied  Mr.  R.,  "  but  I 
had  rather  brave  the  storm  than  venture 
to  sleep  in  a  house  where  there  is  no 
prayer.  Who  can  tell  what  may  befall 
us  before  morning?  No,  sir,  I  dare 
not  stay."  The  landlord  still  remon- 
strated,  and  expressing  great  regret 
that  he  should  offend  so  agreeable  a 
630 


gentleman,  at  last  said,  he  should  have 
no  objection  to  "call  his  family  to- 
gether," but  he  should  not  know  what 
to  do  when  they  came.  Mr.  R.  then 
proposed  to  conduct  family  worship,  to 
which  all  readily  consented.  The  fa- 
mily was  immediately  assembled,  and 
then  Mr.  R.  called  for  a  Bible  ;  but  no 
such  book  could  be  produced.  However, 
he  was  enabled  to  supply  the  deficiency, 
as  he  always  carried  a  small  Bible  or 
Testament  in  his  pocket.  He  read  a 
portion  of  Scripture,  and  then  prayed 
with  much  fervor  and  solemnity,  espe- 
cially acknowledging  the  preserving 
goodness  of  God,  that  none  present  had 
been  struck  dead  by  the  storm,  and  im- 
ploring protection  through  the  night. 
He  earnestly  prayed  that  the  attention 
of  all  might  be  awakened  to  the  things 
belonging  to  their  everlasting  peace, 
and  that  the  family  might  never  again 
meet  in  the  morning,  or  separate  at 
night,  without  prayer.  When  he  rose 
from  his  knees,  almost  every  individual 
present  was  bathed  in  tears,  and  the  in- 
quiry was  awakened  in  several  hearts 
— "  Sir,  what  must  we  do  to  be  saved  ?" 
Much  interesting  and  profitable  conver- 
sation ensued.  The  following  morning, 
Mr.  R.  again  conducted  family  worship, 
and  obtained  from  the  landlord  a  pro- 
mise, that  however  feebly  performed,  it 
should  not  in  future  be  omitted.  This 
day  was  indeed  the  beginning  of  days  to 
that  family ;  most,  if  not  all  of  them, 
became  decided  and  devoted  followers 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  were  the 
means  of  diflusing  a  knowledge  of  the 
gospel  in  a  neighborhood  which  had  be- 
fore been  proverbially  dark  and  destitute. 
(g)  GOOD  EXAMPLE  OF  A  MAY- 
OR. — Sir  Thomas  Abney  was  the  be- 
loved friend  of  the  celebrated  Dr. 
Watts,  who  found  in  his  house  an 
asylum  for  more  than  thirty-six  years. 
This  knight  was  not  more  distinguished 
by  his  hospitality  than  his  piety.  Nei- 
ther business  nor  pleasure  interrupted 
his  observance  of  public  and  domestic 
worship.  Of  this  a  remarkable  instance 
is  recorded :  upon  the  evening  of  the 
day  that  he  entered  on  his  office  as  lord 
mayor  of  London,  wiihout  any  notice, 
he  withdrew  from  the  public  assembly 


OCCASIONS  OF  PRAYER. 


32§ 


at  Guildhall  after  supper,  went  to  his 
house,  there  performed  family  worship, 
and  then  returned  to  the  company. 

(h)  HOWARD'S  PRACTICE.— 
Mr.  Howard,  the  philanthropist,  never 
neglected  the  duty  of  family  prayer, 
even  though  there  v/as  but  one,  and  that 
one  his  domestic,  to  join  in  it ;  always 
declaring,  that  where  he  had  a  tent, 
God  should  have  an  altar.  This  was 
the  case,  not  only  in  England,  but  in 
every  part  of  Europe  which  they  visited 
together,  it  being  the  invariable  practice, 
wherever,  and  with  whomsoever  he 
might  be,  to  tell  Tomasson  to  come  to 
him  at  a  certain  hour,  at  which,  well 
knowing  what  the  direction  meant,  he 
would  be  sure  to  find  him  in  his  room, 
the  doors  of  which  he  would  order  him 
to  fasten  ;  when,  let  who  would  come, 
nobody  was  admitted  till  this  devotional 
exercise  was  over.  "  Very  few,"  says 
the  humble  narrator,  "  knew  the  good- 
ness of  this  man's  heart." 

(i)  THE  DISCOURAGED  FA- 
THER.—The  Rev.  A.  D.  Merrill  states 
that  there  was  once  a  pious  father 
with  seven  children,  who  had  maintain- 
ed the  worship  of  God  in  his  family, 
until  all  his  children  had  grown  up  to 
manhood,  and  womanhood,  and  not  one 
of  them  had  been  as  yet  converted  to 
God.  At  last  the  old  man's  faith  began 
to  fail,  in  relation  to  the  promise  ;  and 
growing  "  weary  and  faint  in  his  mind," 
he  resolved  to  give  up  his  family  wor- 
ship, and  confine  his  devotions  to  the 
closet,  and  to  leave  his  children  to  do 
as  they  pleased.  But  before  he  finally 
proceeded  to  do  this,  he  concluded  to 
call  his  children  together  once  again,  to 
pray  with  them,  and  explain  to  them 
his  reasons  for  this  course.  Being  as- 
sembled, and  taking  up  the  "  old  family 
Bible,"  from  which  he  had  so  often 
read  to  them  "  the  words  of  eternal 
life,"  he  thus  addressed  them  : — "  My 
children,  you  know  that  from  your 
earliest  recollection  I  have  been  accus- 
tomed to  call  you  together  around  this 
altar,  for  family  worship.  I  have  en- 
deavored to  instruct  you  in  the  ways  of 
the  Lord,  and  to  imbue  your  minds  with 
the  truth.  But  you  have  all  grown  up, 
and  not  one  of  you  is  converted  to  God. 
You  are  yet  in  your  sins,  and  show  no 


signs  of  penitence.  I  fbel  discouraged, 
and  have  concluded  to  make  no  further 
efforts  for  your  salvation — to  demolish 
my  family  altar — to  confine  my  own  de- 
votions to  my  closet,  and  thus  to  en- 
deavor still  to  work  out  my  own  salva- 
tion, while  I  leave  you  to  yourselves." 
Upon  his  speaking  thus,  first  one  and 
then  another  fell  upon  their  knees,  until 
they  were  all  bowed  before  God,  and 
besought  him,  that  he  would  not  do  as 
he  had  resolved,  but,  that  he  would  still 
continue  to  pray  for  them,  and  that  he 
would  do  it  now  ;  for  they  were  now 
ready  to  give  their  hearts  to  God.  He 
bowed  with  them.  The  Spirit  descended 
according  to  the  promise,  and  before  they 
rose  from  their  knees,  they  were  all 
made  happy  in  God.  One  of  their 
number  who  was  married,  and  away  from 
home,  upon  returning  on  a  visit,  and 
hearing  what  great  things  the  Lord  had 
done  for  the  rest  of  the  family,  likewise 
immediately  submitted  to  God,  and  thus 
were  they  all  saved,  and  the  covenant 
promise  fulfilled. 

( j  )  FAMILY  PRAYER  BY  TWO 
DAUGHTERS.— A  gentleman  resid- 
ing in  the  western  part  of  the  state  of 
New-York,  had  sent  two  of  his  daughters 
to  Litchfield,  to  be  educated.  While 
they  were  there,  God  was  pleased  to 
bless  the  place  with  a  revival  of  religion. 
The  news  of  it  reached  the  ears  of  their 
father.  He  was  much  troubled  for  his 
daughters,  "apprehensive,"  to  use  his 
own  words,  "  lest  their  minds  should  be 
affected,  and  they  be  frightened  into  re- 
ligion." 

Alive,  as  he  thought,  to  their  happi- 
ness, and  determined  to  allay  their  fears, 
and  quiet  their  distresses,  he  sent  a 
friend  to  Litchfield,  with  positive  orders 
to  bring  them  immediately  home,  that 
they  might  not  be  lost  to  all  happiness 
and  hope,  and  consigned  to  gloom  and 
despondency. 

The  messenger  departed  on  this  er- 
rand.  But  they  had  already  chosen 
Christ  for  their  portion,  and  had  resolved 
that,  whatever  others  might  do,  they 
would  serve  the  Lord. 

They  returned  to  their  father's,  not 

overwhelmed,    as    he    expected,    with 

gloom  and  despondency,  but  with  hearts 

glowing   with    gratitude   to   God,    and 

631 


32S 


PRAYER. 


countenances  beaming  with  serenity 
and  hope.  Indeed,  they  rejoiced  in  the 
Savior. 

Soon  after  their  return  home,  they 
were  anxious  to  establish  family  wor- 
ship. They  affectionately  requested 
their  father  to  commence  that  duty.  He 
replied,  that  he  saw  no  use  in  it.  He 
had  lived  very  well  more  than  fifty 
years  without  prayer,  and  he  could  not 
be  burdened  with  it  now.  They  then 
asked  permission  to  pray  with  the  fa- 
mily themselves.  Not  tliinking  they 
would  have  confidence  to  do  it,  he  as- 
sented to  the  proposition. 

The  duties  of  the  day  being  ended, 
and  the  hour  for  retiring  to  rest  having 
arrived,  the  sisters  drew  forward  to  the 
stand,  placed  on  it  the  Bible  ;  one  read 
a  chapter — they  both  kneeled — the  other 
engaged  in  prayer.  The  father  stood, 
and  while  the  humble  fervent  prayer  of 
his  daughter  was  ascending  to  heaven, 
his  knees  began  to  tremble ;  he  also 
kneeled,  and  then  became  prostrate  on 
the  floor.  God  heard  their  prayer, 
and  directed  their  father's  weeping  eyes, 
which  had  never  shed  tears  of  penitence 
before,  to  the  Lamb  of  God,  who  taketh 
away  the  sin  of  the  world. 

Happy  family !  a  believing  father, 
and  believing  children !  whose  God  is 
the  Lord ! 

(k)  "SIR,  WHO  HAVE  YOU 
BEEN  TALKING  WITH  ?"— There 

lived  in  the  town  of in  Vt.  (says  a 

correspondent  of  the  Christian  Mirror,)  a 
man  who  had  a  large  family  of  children. 
He  was  poor  ;  and  unable  to  keep  them 
at  home,  he  put  some  of  them  away 
from  home  to  live.  It  was  the  favored 
lot  of  a  little  girl,  I  think,  about  eight 
years  of  age,  to  fall  into  a  family,  where 
daily  prayers  were  offered  up  to  Al- 
mighty God.  Prayer  she  was  unac- 
quainted with.  The  subject  was  new 
to  her.  At  home  she  never  heard  a 
prayer.  An  astonishment  seized  her, 
when  she  saw  her  master,  night  and 
morning,  standing  in  one  corner  of  the 
room,  talking,  as  she  termed  it,  with 
something  that  she  could  not  see.  An 
anxiety  swelled  in  her  little  bosom  to 
know  who  it  could  be.  Unwilling  to 
ask  any  one  of  the  family  with  whom 
she  lived,  yet  solicitous  to  know,  she 
632 


obtained  leave  to  go  home.  She  had 
hardly  reached  the  lonely  cottage,  be- 
fore she  asked  her  mother  who  it  was 
that  her  master  talked  with,  when  stand- 
ing in  the  corner  of  the  room  night  and 
morning.  She  told  her  that  she  did  not 
know,  being  herself  a  heathen  though 
in  a  Christian  land.  Not  satisfied,  she 
asked  her  father,  who  answered  in  a 
thoughtless  and  inhuman  manner,  "The 
devil  1  suppose."  The  little  inquisitive 
child  returned  uninformed  to  her  mas- 
ter, where  she  witnessed  the  same 
promptitude  and  holy  ardor  as  before. 
Not  many  days  had  elapsed,  before  she 
summoned  fortitude  enough  to  put  the 
question. 

One  morning,  after  her  master  had 
been  talking  with  the  unknown  being, 
she  stepped  up  before  him,  and  said, 
"  Sir,  who  have  you  been  talking  with 
this  morning  ?"  The  question  was  so 
unexpected,  and  from  such  a  source, 
that  at  first  he  felt  unable  to  answer 
her  ;  and  was  unusually  impressed  with 
the  importance  of  the  duty  of  prayer, 
and  the  weight  of  obligation  resting  up- 
on him  to  approach  God  aright.  But 
after  recollecting  himself  a  little,  he 
said,  and  that  with  reverence,  "  I  have 
been  trying  to  talk  with  God."  "  God  !" 
said  she  with  astonishment,  "  where  is 
he  ?  where  does  he  live  ?"  &c.  Many 
questions  of  a  similar  nature  she  puJ 
with  much  interest  and  feeling  to  which 
her  master  gave  her  such  answers  as 
were  calculated  to  awaken  the  liveliest 
feelings  of  her  mind,  in  regard  to  Je- 
hovah. After  she  had  learned  all  her 
little  mind  could  contain  of  divine  tilings, 
she  desired  to  go  home  and  see  her  pa- 
rents, with  an  earnestness  that  could  not 
be  resisted.  Go  she  must ;  leave  was 
granted  ;  she  went  home  to  her  father's 
cottage,  a  place  where  prayer  was  not 
wont  to  be  made,  with  her  little  bosom 
beating  with  a  high  tone  of  pious  feel- 
ing in  view  of  the  importance  of  prayer. 
She  went  to  her  father,  and  said,  "  Fa- 
ther, pray."  She  urged  with  warmth 
a  compliance ;  but  he  utterly  refused. 
She  then  went  to  her  mother  and  ask- 
ed her  to  pray ;  but  with  no  better 
success.  She  could  not  endure  it  any 
longer;  her  feelings  must  vent  them« 
selves  in  words.     She  said,  let  us  pray. 


OCCASIONS  OF  PRAYER. 


32S 


She  knelt  down  and  prayed,  and  it  ap- 
pears to  me,  that  scripture  was  fulfilled. 
"  The  effectual  fervent  prayer  of  the 
righteous  availeth  much."  In  an- 
swer to  her  prayer,  both  of  her  pa- 
rents were  brought  under  conviction, 
which  terminated  in  hopeful  conversion 
to  God.  And  this  was  the  beginning 
of  an  extensive  revival  of  relii^ion. 

(Z)  SELF-CONVICTED  COM- 
MITTEE. — In  a  certain  church,  there 
were  four  brethren,  heads  of  families, 
who  were  generally  known  to  neglect 
the  important  social  Christian  duty  of 
Family  Prayer.  The  subject  being  in- 
troduced at  a  church  meeting,  it  was 
proposed  to  appoint  a  committee  to  wait 
upon  two  of  these  brethren,  and  labor 
with  them  on  this  subject.  When  the 
committee  was  nominated,  who  should 
be  named,  but  the  two  other  brethren 
who  were  known  by  many  to  be  guilty 
of  the  same  neglect.  They  tried  to 
shift  off  the  appointment  and  excuse 
themselves,  without,  however,  stating 
the  true  reason  of  their  reluctance  ;  but 
it  was  all  in  vain,  the  vote  was  put,  and 
these  two  were  appointed  ihe  committee. 
They  were  now  in  rather  an  awkward  sit- 
uation— pretty  sort  of  persons,  thought 
they,  to  be  appointed  to  labor  with  others 
for  the  neglect  of  family  prayer,  when 
we  are  guilty  of  the  same  ourselves. 
The  result,  however  was  good.  The 
two  brethren  got  together  to  talk  the 
matter  over,  and  concluded  that  they 
cou!(l  not  very  well  converse  with  the 
others,  till  they  had  reformed  them- 
selves. After  conversing  together,  and 
reflecting  alone,  they  were  each  con- 
victed of  the  guilt  of  their  criminal  ne- 
glect. They  assembled  their  families, 
confessed  to  them  their  guilt,  re-estab- 
lished at  once  the  family  altar,  and  the 
Lord  came  down  and  blessed  their  souls. 
They  were  then  ready  to  go  and  con- 
verse with  the  other  two  delinquents  ; 
they  told  them  how  they  had  been  equal- 
ly guilty,  how  they  had  repented  of 
their  sinful  neglect,  and  how  the  Lord 
had  blessed  them  and  their  families  in 
erecting  afresh  the  broken  down  family 
altar,  and  entreated  them  to  do  the 
same.  The  consequence  was,  that  fa- 
mily prayer  was  immediately  re-estab- 
lished in  these  families  also,  and  at  the 


next  church  meeting,  the  committee  re- 
ported with  tears  in  their  eyes,  that  they 
had  been  successful  in  reclaiming  not 
only  their  brethren,  but  also  themselves, 
from  the  guilt  and  the  inconsistency  of 
those  professedly  Christian  heads  of  fa- 
milies who  call  not  upon  the  name  of 
the  Lord. 

(m)  THE  SON'S  ADMONITION. 
— My  father,  says  Prof.  B.,  was  one  of 
those  still  men  who,  much  as  he  thought 
of  company,  carried  on  his  part  of  con- 
versation in  brief  questions  and  mon- 
osyllabic answers.  He  had  deceived 
himself  into  the  belief  that  his  talents 
were  not  such  as  to  make  it  his  duty  to 
conduct  family  worship.  With  this 
view,  he  had  lived  for  more  than  forty 
years,  in  every  other  respect  a  consis- 
tent Christian.  A  son,  who,  at  the  time 
referred  to,  was  preparing  for  the  min- 
istry, and  already  licensed  to  preach, 
was  spending  a  vacation  at  home — the 
last  evening  of  his  stay  had  arrived — 
the  family  Bible,  as  usual,  is  placed  be- 
fore him  on  the  stand,  with  a  request 
to  lead  in  prayer.  The  thought  oc- 
curred, that  now  for  a  year  or  more, 
whatever  devotion  might  be  felt,  no 
voice  of  prayer  could  be  heard  in  the 
family,  except  from  the  lips  of  strangers 
who  should  turn  in  for  the  night.  The 
thought  affected  him,  and  endeavoring 
to  use  such  a  manner  as  would  become 
him  in  addressing  a  father  almost  three- 
score years  and  ten,  he  said — "  Father, 
I  delight  to  lead  in  this  exercise  when 
at  home,  but  I  am  affected  with  the 
thought  that  there  is  to  be  no  more 
prayer  here,  until  I  shall  return.  How 
is  it  that  you  have  never  established 
family  prayer?  I  know  the  diffidence 
of  your  nature — I  know  that  it  would 
be  hard  to  overcome  it — but  would  it 
not  have  been  attended  with  satisfaction 
to  yourself,  and  a  blessing  to  the  family 
worth  a  far  greater  sacrifice  ?  You  can 
ask  a  favor  of  a  neighbor — to  do  the 
same  thing  with  God,  is  prayer :  and 
he  greatly  mistakes,  who  thinks  that 
the  best  prayer  is  that  clothed  in  the 
most  fluent  language."  The  old  man 
was  affected — said  he  knew  that  it  was 
so — and  then  gave  an  account  of  his 
feelings  and  practice  in  this  respect 
since  the  commencement  of  his  Christian 
633 


3SS,  329 


PRAYER. 


course.  Tears  glistened  in  the  eyes  of 
some  unaccustomed  to  weep  for  sin,  and 
the  father's  expression  gave  encourage- 
ment to  hope  that  the  suggestion  would 
not  be  in  vain,  and  that  an  altar  would 
still  be  erected,  whence  incense  and  a 
pure  offering  should  daily  rise  to  Hea- 
ven. On  the  day  following,  befo 
leaving,  the  son  mentioned  the  scene  of 
the  previous  evening  to  the  minister  of 
the  place,  who  took  an  opportunity  to 
add  his  influence  to  what  had  been  said, 
and  it  proved  effectual.  The  man 
whose  voice,  though  for  forty  years  a 
professed  Christian  and  a  father,  had 
never  been  heard  in  prayer  by  his  chil- 
dren, at  the  age  of  threescore  years  and 
ten,  commences  the  discharge  of  that 
duty  in  his  family,  and  so  far  as  I  know 
never  ceases  until  the  infirmities  of  age 
render  it  impossible.  His  children, 
ten  in  number,  who  had  not  before, 
have  since  professed  the  religion  of 
Christ,  though  I  cannot  say  how  much 
the  father's  prayers  had  to  do  with  this 
result. 

(n)  FAMILY  WORSHIP  ESTA- 
BLISHED BY  A  CHILD.— A  boy, 
about  fourteen  years  of  age,  who  had 
learned,  at  one  of  the  schools  belonging 
to  the  Gaelic  Society,  the  value  of  his 
own  soul,  was  deeply  impressed  with 
the  importance  of  family  religion.  As 
none  of  the  family  could  read  but  him- 
self, he  intimated  his  intention  of  esta- 
blishing family  worship.  No  answer 
was  made,  no  opposition  started,  and  as 
little  encouragement  given.  Still  he 
made  the  attempt.  He  read  the  Scrip, 
tures,  and  prayed  for  himself,  and  for 
all  present.  The  rest  of  the  family 
looked  on.  Alone  he  continued  to  wor- 
ship God  in  this  manner  for  some  time, 
the  others  being  merely  spectators  ;  but 
at  length,  one  after  another  sunk  down 
m  their  knees  beside  him,  until  the 
A^'hole  domestic  circle  united  in  the  hal- 
lowed exercise  ;  the  gray-headed  father 
kneeling  down  beside  his  child,  and 
joining  in  his  artless  aspirations  to  God 
the  Father  of  all. 

(o)  A  FAMILY  CONVERTED.— 
A  man  in  the  western  country  removed 
into  a  new  town  and  took  the  first  mea- 
sures to  establish  religious  meetings. 
The  Lord  blessed  his  exertions ;  a  church 
634 


was  formed  of  which  he  was  chosen 
deacon,  and  a  minister  was  settled. 
His  family  grew  up  around  him,  but 
none  of  his  children  were  converted, 
and  he  felt  great  anxiety  lest  fainily 
prayer  should  cease  after  he  should  be 
removed.  He  lived  to  be  upwards  of 
seventy  years  old,  and  all  the  time  his 
constant  prayer  was,  that  God  would 
have  mercy  on  liis  children  and  not 
suffer  the  lamp  of  piety  to  go  out  in  his 
house.  One  of  the  sons  moved  into  the 
family  mansion  to  take  care  of  the  old 
man,  as  his  wife  was  dead.  He  still 
kept  up  family  prayer  as  usual, 
never  forgetting  to  pray  for  his  son,  that 
he  might  be  converted  and  take  his 
place  at  the  family  altar.  A  revival 
commenced  in  the  town  and  the  minister 
heard  that  there  was  sometliing  unusual 
at  the  old  family  mansion.  He  called 
to  see  them  ;  in  one  room  he  beheld  six 
or  seven  persons  weeping,  distressed  for 
their  sins,  and  the  old  man  kneeling  in 
one  corner  with  his  eyes  and  hands 
lifted  up  to  heaven,  crying  to  God  to 
have  mercy  on  his  children.  The  minis- 
ter attempted  to  address  them,  but  found 
every  thing  he  attempted  to  say  far  be- 
neath the  subject.  God  was  there  doing 
his  own  work — to  this  God  he  kneeled 
and  prayed  and  then  left  them.  The 
result  was  that  the  son,  and  several  of 
his  children  were  converted,  and  the 
good  old  man  could  say  with  Simeon, 
"  Now  Lord  lettest  thou  thy  servant  de- 
part in  peace,  for  mine  eyes  have  seen 
thy  salvation.' 

§29.  Giving  Thanks  at  Meals. 

(a)  DON'T  LET  US  FORGET.— 
At  Lebanon,  in  the  state  of  New  York, 
there  dwelt  a  certain  man,  about  fifty 
years  of  age,  who  had  not  only  lived  a 
very  careless  life,  but  was  an  open  op- 
poser  of  the  gospel  plan  of  salvation, 
and  of  t'  \e  work  of  God  in  the  late  re- 
vival of  religion  in  that  part  of  the 
country ;  he  was,  however,  brought 
under  serious  convictions  in  the  follow- 
ing manner: — One  day  there  came  into 
his  house  a  traveler  with  a  burden  on 
his  back  ;  the  family  being  about  to  sit 
down  to  dinner,  the  stranger  was  invited 
to  partake  with  them,  which  he  accord- 


OCCASIONS  OF  PRAYER. 


329,  330 


ingly  did.  When  the  repast  was  fin- 
ished, and  the  members  of  the  family 
were  withdrawing  from  their  seats,  the 
stranger  said,  "  Don't  let  us  forget  to 
give  thanks  to  God."  He  accordingly 
gave  thanks,  and  departed.  The  man 
of  the  house  felt  reproved  and  con- 
founded. The  words  of  the  stranger 
were  fastened  on  his  mind  by  the  power 
of  God.  He  was  led  to  reflect  on 
his  wickedness  in  being  unmindful  of 
God,  and  in  neglecting  prayer  and 
thanksgiving ;  he  was  also  led  to  re- 
flect on  his  manifold  sins,  which  soon 
appeared  to  him  a  burden  infinitely 
greater  than  that  which  the  traveler 
bore.  He  found  no  relief  until  he 
sought  in  that  very  way  which  ne  used 
formerly  to  despise,  through  the  peace- 
speaking  blood  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ. 

{b)  REBUKE  ADMINISTERED. 
— Very  salutary  impressions  have  fre- 
quently been  produced  upon  the  minds 
of  foreigners  by  the  pious  example  of 
the  native  converts.  I  was  on  one  oc- 
casion dining  on  board  an  English  ship 
of  war  with  Queen  Pomare,  other 
members  of  the  royal  family,  and  sev- 
eral chiefs.  A  large  table  was  pre- 
pared on  the  quarter-deck.  All  being 
seated,  the  plates  were  soon  abun- 
dantly supplied,  but  not  one  of  the  na- 
tives attempted  to  eat.  The  captain 
was  greatly  surprised  at  this,  and  said 
to  me,  "  Mr.  Pritchard,  I  fear  we  have 
not  provided  such  food  as  the  natives 
like  ;  I  don't  see  one  of  them  begin  to 
eat."  I  replied,  "  You  could  not  have 
provided  any  thing  that  the  natives 
would  like  better  ;  the  reason  why  they 
do  not  commence  eating  is  simply  this, 
they  are  accustomed  always  to  ask  a 
blessing."  Before  I  could  say  any 
thing  more,  the  captain  evidently  feel- 
ing a  little  confused,  said,  "  I  beg  your 
pardon,  Mr.  Pritchard:  please  to  say 
grace."  I  immediately  "  said  grace," 
when  the  natives  soon  gave  proof  that 
they  liked  the  food,  which  had  been 
provided.  One  of  the  officers  from  the 
end  of  the  table  looked  at  the  captain 
very  significantly,  and  said,  "  We  have 
got  it  to-day  !"  And  then  addressing 
himself  to  me  he  said,  "  Mr.  Pritchard, 
you  see  what  o.  graceless  set  we  are." 


All  the  gentlemen  seemed  to  feel  the 
rebuke  thus  unintentionally  given. 

{(')  THE  KIiNG  OF  TOOBOW.— 
The  king  of  the  island  of  Toobow,  one 
of  the  Friendly  Islands,  avowed  an  at- 
tachment to  Christianity.  In  the  early 
part  of  1823,  he  went  on  board  a  British 
vessel,  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  captain 
and  unconsciously  conveyed  a  very  for- 
cible practical  reproof  to  the  party. 
He  sat  down  at  the  captain's  tabhi  to 
partake  of  some  refreshment;  though 
food  was  placed  before  him,  he  made  a 
very  observable  pause  ;  and  when  ask- 
ed why  he  did  not  begin,  he  replied  that 
he  was  waiting  till  a  blessing  had  been 
asked  on  their  food.  The  reproof  was 
felt ;  and  the  party  were  ashamed  at 
being  rebuked  by  a  man  whose  intel- 
lectual attainments  they  considered  far 
inferior  to  their  own.  They  rose,  and 
the  king  gave  thanks  previously  to  their 
commencing  the  repast. 

§30.  Social  and  Public  Prayer. 

{a)  PRAYER  MEETING  ABAN- 
DONED. — In  former  times,  there  was 
a  neighborhood  some  few  miles  from 
Philadelphia,  where  the  inhabitants  did 
not,  it  would  seem,  enjoy  but  seldom  the 
blessings  of  a  gospel  ministry.  Still, 
some  of  them  were  professors  of  I'eli- 
gion,  and  for  a  long  time  they  met  to- 
gether in  a  school-house  in  the  capacity 
of  a  conference  and  prayer  meeting. 
The  spirit  of  religion,  however,  was  so 
low  among  them,  that  their  meetings 
were  conducted  with  little  interest  and 
attended  by  a  scanty  number.  At 
length,  at  the  close  of  a  lifeless  service, 
some  dne  proposed  that  the  meetings 
thereafter  should  be  abandoned.  All 
assented  but  an  aged  mother  in  Israel, 
who,  after  a  vain  remonstrance,  assured 
them  that  the  worship  of  God  should  be 
kept  up  there,  though  she  might  have 
to  keep  it  up  alone.  On  the  ensuing 
Sabbath  she  accordingly  bent  her  soli- 
tary steps  to  the  deserted  sanctuary. 
She  read  a  portion  of  Scripture,  sang  a 
hymn,  and  knelt  down  to  weep  and  pray 
over  the  desolation  of  Zion.  While  en- 
gaged in  this  exercise,  two  men  happen- 
ed to  be  strolling  by,  and  overhearing 
prayer,  went  in.  What  was  their  sur- 
635 


»»0 


PRAYER. 


prise  on  entering,  to  find  but  a  single 
Christian  present,  where  they  expected 
to  find  an  assembly.  They  took  their 
seats  and  waited  till  she  had  got  done. 
As  she  rose  fi^om  her  knees,  seeing 
strangers  present,  she  asked  them  to 
engage  in  prayer.  They  had  probably 
never  prayed  in  their  lives,  and  accord- 
ingly, they  peremptorily  refused.  Hav- 
ing, therefore,  we  presume,  addressed 
them  faithfully  on  the  subject  of  religion, 
she  sung  another  hymn,  and  once  more 
addressed  the  throne  of  grace.  At  the 
close  of  the  services,  she  gave  out  an 
appointment  for  a  prayer  meeting  in  the 
same  place  on  the  ensuing  Sabbath. 
These  men  were  not  slack  in  publishing 
their  singular  visit  to  the  school-house, 
or  in  circulating  the  notice  of  another 
meeting  which  was  to  be  held  there  the 
next  Lord's  day.  When  the  time  ar- 
rived, some  came  from  shame,  perhaps, 
and  more  from  curiosity,  and  so  the 
school-house  was  filled  !  The  Spirit  of 
the  Lord  now  began  to  work  ;  Christians 
confessed  their  lukewarmness  and  de- 
voted themselves  afresh  to  the  service 
of  God  ;  and  sinners  began  to  inquire, 
"  What  shall  we  do  to  be  saved  ?"  In- 
deed, there  was  a  precious  revival ;  and 
as  the  result,  a  church  was  constituted, 
and  remains  as  a  monument  of  that 
Christian  woman's  .faithfulness  to  this 
day.  One  of  the  converts  became  a 
minister  of  the  gospel,  and  labored  in 
the  western  part  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
was,  perhaps,  instrumental  in  the  con- 
version  of  many  souls.  Despise  not  the 
day  of  small  things.  Keep  up  the 
prayer  meetings. 

{b)  A  PRAYER  MEETING  OF 
FORTY   YEARS.— Mr.  W-^,^,   of 

,  N.  Y.,  (says  the  writer  of  a  tract,) 

was  a  plain  man,  a  farmer,  with  a  very 
limited  common-school  education.  But 
he  studied  the  Bible  diligently,  not  to 
theorize,  but  that  he  might  know  the 
will  of  God,  and  do  it.  His  piety  was 
consistent,  humble,  meek,  benevolent, 
active,  uniform.  He  was  acknowledged 
by  all  to  be  an  every-day  Christian. 

At  a  time  when  the  church  was  small 
and  but  two  or  three  brethren  lived  in 
his  vicinity,  he  consulted  his  pastor  and 
established  a  neighborhood  prayer  meet- 
ing, to  be  held  on  Sabbath  evening  in 
636 


the  district  school-house.  In  the  circle 
of  attendance  there  were  sixteen  or 
eighteen  families,  in  very  few  of  which 
the  domestic  altar  had  ever  been  erect- 
ed.    The  meeting  was  commenced  in 

the  year  1800.      Mr.  W led  it  for 

twenty  years,  when,  with  a  hope  full  of 
immortality,  and  a  faith  whicii  triumph 
ed  over  death,  he  entered  his  eternal] 
rest. 

Others  were  raised  up,  who  have  also' 
gone  to  their  reward.  And  after  the 
lapse  of  forty  years,  when  but  two  of 
the  original  heads  of  families  yet  live,! 
the  prayer  meeting,  which  no  heat  o| 
cold,  no  darkness  or  storm,  breaks  uj 
is  still  sustained  and  cherished  witl 
warm^ffection. 

During  the  first  year  of  the  meetingj 
several  parents  and  a  few  youth  wen 
brought  publicly  to  profess  Christ. 
Then  succeeded  a  long  and  severe  trij 
of  faith  and  perseverance.  For  four^i 
teen  years  very  few  were  added  to  th< 
church,  and  "the  ways  of  Zion  mourn-' 
ed."  Thoughtlessness  and  mirth  pre- 
vailed. Few  came  to  the  prayer  meet- 
ing, but  it  was  never  relinquished.  Mr. 

W and  one  or  two  others,  now  in 

heaven,  were  always  at  their  post,  to 
pray  and  speak  a  word  for  the  Redeem- 
er, to  warn  sinners  of  the  error  of  their 
way,  and  beseech  them  to  become  re- 
conciled to  God. 

During  the  fourteenth  year  of  this 
spiritual  dearth,  these  individuals  be- 
came so  deeply  affected  in  view  of  the 
condition  of  the  impenitent,  and  so  anx- 
ious that  "  Zion  might  arise  and  shine," 
that  after  others  had  retired  from  the 
school-house,  they  frequently  remained 
one,  two,  or  three  hours  in  prayer.  In 
the  opening  spring  their  hopes  revived. 
The  meetings  became  full  and  solemn. 
Their  cries  had  reached  heaven,  ani 
the  Holy  Spirit  came  down.  One  eve- 
ning, a  youth  who  had  been  deeply  im- 
pressed for  several  days,  could  no  longer 
suppress  his  feelings.  He  gave  vent  to 
his  burdened  heart  by  a  single  expres- 
sion of  warning  to  his  companions,  which 
carried  conviction  to  several  other  minds, 
and  from  that  hour  a  deep  solemnity 
pervaded  the  neighborhood,  and  resulted 
in  a  glorious  and  powerful  wojk  of 
grace.      The  means,  blessed  of  God, 


OCCASIONS  OF  PRAYER. 


330 


were  personal  conversation,  family  visit- 
ing, and  more  frequent  prayer  meetings, 
all  conducted  among  themselves,  with 
very  little  ministerial  help. 

The  revival  continued  for  two  years, 
and  spread  not  only  through  that  con- 
gregation, but  into  neighboring  churches, 
and  hundreds  renounced  their  sins  and 
consecrated  themselves  to  God.  In  this 
district  nearly  every  family  had  now 
erected  a  family  altar,  and  nearly  every 
adult  was  rejoicing  in  hope  of  the  glory 
of  God.  Other  seasons  of  refreshiug 
have  been  enjoyed,  and  eternity  alone 
can  make  known  the  number  of  souls 
that  have  been  and  will  be  converted  in 
answer  to  the  prayers  offered  in  that 
school-room.  Some  whole  households 
down  to  the  second  and  third  genera- 
tions, give  evidence  that  they  will  be 
united  in  the  great  family  above.  And 
as  another  result,  not  less  than  ten  men 
have  been  raised  up  in  these  families  to 
preach  the  blessed  gospel. 

(c)  THE  AGED  LADY  AND  THE 
PRAYER  MEETING.— A  pious  old 
lady,  (says  the  Religious  Intelligencer,) 
in  a  country  town,  has  long  been  in  the 
habit  of  attending  religious  conference 
meetings,  fov,  like  many  others,  she  had 
often  found  them  refreshing.  It  hap- 
pened, however,  as  in  many  other  pla- 
ces, religion  had  got  to  a  low  ebb — the 
ways  of  Zion  mourned  because  few 
came  to  her  solemn  feasts — the  love  of 
Christians  had  waxed  cold — the  wise 
and  the  foolish  were  alike  asleep,  and 
they  gave  up  conference  meetings  en- 
tirely. I  am  inclined  to  think,  howev- 
er, that  it  was  because  they  gave  up 
these  meetings  and  neglected  other  du- 
ties, that  they  became  so  cold  and  stu- 
pid ;  be  that  as  it  may,  the  old  lady 
could  not  bear  to  give  them  up  ;  she 
spoke  to  one  and  another  of  the  breth- 
ren to  introduce  them  again  ;  but  with 
one  accord  they  replied,  "  We  have 
worn  them  quite  out,  nobody  will  at- 
tend." Not  satisfied,  the  old  lady  said 
she  would  go,  if  nobody  else  went.  Ac- 
cordingly, the  next  Wednesday  evening 
she  took  her  hymn-book  and  walked 
some  distance  to  the  school-house  where 
the  meetings  used  to  be  held — here  she 
prayed,  and  sung,  and  prayed.  On  her 
way  home,  she  stopped  at  a  neighbor's 


house  to  rest.  ' "  Where  have  you 
been  ?"  said  the  neighbor.  "  Why,  I 
have  been  to  conference."  "  To  con- 
ference !  I  didn't  know  there  was  one 
— who  was  there  '?"  "  O,  God  was 
there,  and  I  was  there,  and  we  have  had 
a  good  conference ;  and  there  is  to  be 
another  next  Wednesday  evening." — 
Accordingly,  next  week  the  old  lady 
went  as  before ;  but  what  was  her  joy 
and  surprise  to  find  the  house  was 
crowded  ;  her  pious  zeal  had  admonish- 
ed professors ;  Christians  were  awaken- 
ed ;  sinners  were  alarmed  ;  and  verily, 
God  was  there,  and  from  that  time  has 
been  carrying  on  a  glorious  work  of 
grace  in  that  place. 

(d)  DR.  FRANKLIN'S  PROPO- 
SAL. — While  the  important  question  of 
the  representation  of  the  American 
States  in  the  senate  was  the  subject  of 
debate,  and  the  states  were  almost 
equally  divided  upon  it,  Dr.  Franklin 
moved  that  prayers  should  be  attended 
in  the  convention  every  morning,  and  in 
support  of  his  motion,  thus  addressed 
the  president : 

"  Mr.  President :  The  small  progress 
we  have  made  after  four  or  five  weeks 
of  close  attendance  and  continual  rea- 
sonings with  each  other,  our  different 
sentiments  on  almost  every  question, 
several  of  the  last  producing  as  many 
noes  as  ayes,  is,  methinks,  a  melancholy 
proof  of  the  imperfection  of  the  human 
understanding.  We  indeed  seem  to  feel 
our  own  want  of  political  wisdom,  since 
we  have  been  running  all  about  in  search 
of  it.  We  have  gone  back  to  ancient 
history  for  models  of  government,  and 
examined  the  different  forms  of  repub- 
lics, which,  having  been  originally  form- 
ed with  the  seeds  of  their  own  dissolu- 
tion, now  no  longer  exist ;  and  we  have 
viewed  modern  states  all  around  Eu- 
rope, but  find  none  of  their  constitutions 
suitable  to  our  circumstances.  n  this 
situation  of  this  assembly,  gropnig,  as 
it  were,  in  the  dark,  to  find  political 
truth,  and  scarcely  able  to  distinguish  it 
when  presented  to  us,  how  has  it  hap- 
pened, sir,  that  we  have  not  hitherto 
once  thought  of  humbly  applying  to  the 
Father  of  lights,  to  illuminate  our  un- 
derstandings ?  In  the  beginning  of  the 
contest  with  Great  Britain,  and  when 
637 


330,  331 


PRAYER. 


we  were  sensible  of  danger,  we  had 
daily  prayers  in  this  room  for  Divine 
protection.  Our  prayers,  sir,  were 
heard,  and  they  were  graciously  an- 
swered. All  of  us  who  were  engaged 
in  the  struggle,  must  have  observed  fre- 
quent instances  of  a  superintending  Pro- 
vidence  in  our  favor.  To  that  kind 
.  Providence  we  owe  this  happy  opportu- 
nity of  consulting  in  peace,  on  the  means 
of  establishing  our  future  national  feli- 
city. And  have  we  now  forgotten  that 
powerful  Friend  ?  or  do  we  imagine  we 
no  longer  need  his  assistance  ?  1  have 
lived,  sir,  a  long  time,  and  the  longer  I 
live,  the  more  convincing  proofs  I  see 
of  this  truth — that  God  governs  in  the 
affairs  of  men.  And  if  a  sparrow  can- 
not fall  to  the  ground  without  his  no- 
tice, is  it  probable  that  an  empire  can 
rise  without  his  aid  ?  We  have  been 
assured,  sir,  in  the  sacred  writings,  that 
*  except  the  Lord  build  the  house,  they 
labor  in  vain  that  build  it.'  I  firmly 
believe  this;  and  I  also  believe,  that 
without  this  concurring  aid,  we  shall 
succeed  in  this  political  building  no  bet- 
ter than  the  builders  of  Babel ;  we  shall 
be  divided  by  our  little  partial  local  in- 
terests, our  projects  will  be  confounded, 
and  we  ourselves  shall  become  a  re- 
proach and  a  by- word  to  future  ages. 
And  what  is  worse,  mankind  may  here- 
after, from  this  unfortunate  instance, 
despair  of  establishing  governments  by 
human  wisdom,  and  leave  it  to  chance, 
war,  or  conquest.  I  therefore  beg  leave 
to  move,  that  henceforth  prayers,  im- 
ploring the  assistance  of  Heaven,  and 
its  blessings  on  our  deliberations,  be 
held  in  this  assembly  every  morning 
before  we  proceed  to  business ;  and  that 
t  one  or  more  of  the  clergy  of  this  city 
be  requested  to  officiate  in  that  service." 

What  a  lesson  to  the  legislators  of 
other  nations ! 

(e)  FORGETTING  THE  OF- 
FENCE. — A  person  came  to  Mr.  Long- 
don  one  day  and  said,  "  I  have  some- 
thing against  you,  and  I  am  come  to 
tell  you  of  it."  "  Do  walk  in,  sir,"  he 
replied  ;  "  you  are  my  best  friend  :  if  I  ■ 
could  but  engage  my  friends  to  be  faith- 
ful with  me,  I  should  be  sure  to  pros- 
per ;  but,  if  you  please,  we  will  both 
pray  in  the  first  place,  and  ask  the  bless- 
638 


ing  of  God  upon  our  interview."  Af- 
ter they  rose  from  their  knees,  and  had 
been  much  blessed  together,  he  said, 
"  Now  I  will  thank  you,  my  brother,  to 
tell  me  what  it  is  that  you  have  against 
me."  '-'Oh,"  said  the  man,  "I  really 
don't  know  what  it  is ;  it  is  all  gone, 
and  I  believe  I  was  in  the  wrong." 

PRAYER  ANSWERED. 

Sll.  Prayer  Answered  by  God's  Providential 
Control  of  Material  and  Animal  Agencies. 

(a)  THE  PILGRIM  FATHERS 
AND  THE  DROUGHT.— It  is  well 
known,  that  many  of  the  good  men  who 
were  driven  from  England  to  America, 
by  persecution,  in  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury, had  to  endure  great  privations.  A 
numerous  party,  who  came  out  about 
1620,  were  for  a  time  supplied  with 
food  from  England,  and  from  the  na- 
tives of  the  western  wilderness.  But 
as  these  resources  were  uncertain,  they 
began  to  cultivate  the  ground.  In  the 
spring  of  1623,  they  planted  more  corn 
than  ever  before,  but  by  the  time  they 
had  done  planting,  their  food  was  spent. 
They  daily  prayed,  "Give* us  this  day 
our  daily  bread  ;"  and,  in  some  way  or 
other,  the  prayer  was  always  answered. 
With  a  single  boat  and  fishing-net  they 
caught  bass,  and  when  these  failed,  they 
dug  for  clams.  In  the  month  of  June, 
their  hopes  of  a  harvest  were  nearly 
blasted  by  a  drought,  which  withered 
up  their  corn,  and  made  the  grass  look 
like  hay.  All  expected  to  perish  with 
hunger. 

In  their  distress,  the  pilgrims  set* 
apart  a  day  for  humiliation  and  prayerj 
and  continued  their  worship  for  eight  ol 
nine  hours.  God  heard  their  prayers 
and  answered  them  in  a  way  which  ex^ 
cited  universal  admiration.  Althougl 
the  morning  of  that  day  was  clear,  anc 
the  weather  very  hot  and  dry  during 
the  whole  forenoon,  yet  before  night  ii 
began  to  rain,  and  gentle  showers  coni 
tinned  to  fall  for  many  days,  so  that  th< 
ground  became  thoroughly  soaked, 
the  drooping  corn  revived.  \      ■ 

(b)  THE  SOUTH  SEA  ISLANDS 
ERS. — About  the  time  when  the-Gos^ 
pel  was  beginning  to  make  its  way  ii 


PRAYER  ANSWERED. 


33t 


Raiatea,  a  canoe,  with  four  men  in  it, 
was  upset  at  sea,  and  the  men  were 
thrown  into  the  water,  where,  though 
nearly  amphibious,  they  must  have  been 
drowned,  the  waves  drifting  them  to  and 
fro,  unless  speedily  carried  to  shore,  or 
taken  up  by  some  vessel.  Two  of  the 
men  having  embraced  Christianity,  im- 
mediately cried  out,  "  Let  us  pray  to 
Jehovah  ;  for  he  can  save  us.''  "  Why 
did  you  not  pray  to  him  sooner  ?"  re- 
plied their  pagan  comrades  :  "  here  we 
are  in  the  water,  and  it  is  useless  to  pray 
now."  The  Christians,  however,  did 
cry  mightily  unto  their  God,  while  all 
four  were  clinging  for  life  to  their  bro- 
ken canoe.  In  this  situation,  a  shark 
suddenly  rushed  towards  them,  and  seiz- 
ed one  of  the  men.  His  companions 
held  him  as  fast  and  as  long  as  they 
could ;  but  the  monster  prevailed,  and 
hurried  the  unfortunate  victim  into  the 
abyss,  marking  the  track  with  his  blood. 
He  was  one  of  the  two  who  were  idola- 
ters. After  sometime,  the  tide  bore  the 
surviving  three  to  the  reef,  when,  just 
as  they  were  cast  upon  it,  a  second 
shark  snatched  the  other  idolater  with 
his  jaws,  and  carried  off  his  prey,  shriek- 
ing in  vain  for  assistance,  which  the  two 
Christians,  themselves  struggling  with 
the  breakers,  could  not  afford  him.  This 
circumstance  very  naturally  made  a 
great  impression  upon  the  minds  of  their 
countrymen,  and  powerfully  recom- 
mended to  them  the  "  God  that  heareth 
prayer."  ^ 

(c)  LUTHER'S  PRAYER  FOR 
MELANCTHON.— At  a  certain  time 
Luther  received  an  express,  stating  that 
his  bosom  friend  and  co-worker  in  the 
reformation,  Philip  Melancthon,  was  ly- 
ing at  the  point  of  death  ;  upon  which 
information  he  immediately  set  out  upon 
the  journey  of  some  150  miles,  to  visit 
him,  and  upon  his  arrival,  he  actually 
f()und  all  the  distinctive  features  of 
death  ;  such  as  the  glazed  eye,  the  cold 
clammy  sweat,  and  insensible  lethargy, 
upon  him.  Upon  witnessing  these  sure 
indications  of  a  speedy  dissolution,  as  he 
mournfully  bent  over  him,  he  exclaimed 
with  great  emotion,  "  Oh,  how  awful  is 
the  change  wrought  upon  the  visage  of 
my  dear  brother !"  On  hearing  this 
voice,  to  the  astonishment  of  all  present^ 


Melancthon  opened  his  eyes,  and  look- 
ing up  into  Luther's  face,  remarked, 
"  Oh  Luther,  is  this  you  ?  Why  don't 
you  let  me  depart  in  peace  ?"  Upon 
which  Luther  replied,  "  O  no,  Philip,  we 
cannot  spare  you  yet."  Luther  then 
turned  away  from  the  bed,  and  fell  up- 
on his  knees,  with  his  face  towards  the 
window,  and  began  to  wrestle  with  God 
in  prayer,  and  to  plead  with  great  fer- 
vency, for  more  than  an  hour,  the  many 
proofs  recorded  in  Scripture  of  his  be- 
ing a  prayer-hearing  and  prayer-answer- 
ing God  ;  and  also  how  much  he  stood 
in  need  of  the  services  of  Melancthon, 
in  furthering  that  cause,  in  which  the 
honor  and  glory  of  God's  great  name, 
and  the  eternal  welfare  of  unnumbered 
millions  of  immortal  souls,  were  so  deep- 
ly interested  ;  and  that  God  should  not 
deny  him  this  one  request,  to  restore  him 
the  aid  of  his  well  tried  brother  Melanc- 
thon. He  then  rose  up  from  prayer, 
and  went  to  the  bedside  again,  and  took 
Melancthon  by  the  hand.  Upon  which 
Melancthon  again  remarked,  "  Oh,  dear 
Luther,  why  don't  you  let  me  depart  in 
peace  ?"  To  which  Luther  again  an- 
swered, "  No,  no,  Philip,  we  cannot  pos- 
sibly spare  you  from  the  field  of  labor 
yet."  Luther  then  requested  the  nurse 
to  go  and  make  him  a  dish  of  soup,  ac- 
cording to  his  instructions.  Which  be- 
ing prepared,  was  brought  to  Luther, 
who  requested  his  friend  Melancthon  to 
eat  of  it.  Melancthon  again  asked  him, 
"  Oh,  Luther,  why  will  you  not  let  mo 
go  home,  and  be  at  rest?"  To  which 
Luther  replied  as  before,  "  Philip,  we 
cannot  spare  you  yet."  Melancthon 
then  exhibited  a  disinclination  to  partake 
of  the  nourishment  prepared  for  him. 
Upon  which  Luther  remarked,  "  Philip, 
eat,  or  I  will  excommunicate  you." — 
Melancthon  then  partook  of  the  food 
prepared,  and  immediately  grew  better, 
and  was  speedily  restored  to  his  wonted 
health  and  strength  again,  and  labored 
for  years  afterwards  with  his  coadjutors 
in  the  blessed  cause  of  the  reformation. 
Upon  Luther's  arrival  at  home,  he 
narrated  to  his  beloved  wife  Catharine 
the  above  circumstances,  and  added, 
"  God  gave  me  my  brother  Melancthon 
back  in  direct  answer  to  prayer;"  and 
added  further,  with  patriarchal  simpli- 
639 


331 


PRAYER. 


city,  "  God  on  a  former  occasion  gave 
me,  also,  you  back,  Kata,  in  answer  to 
my  prayer." 

(d)  PRAYER  FOR  FAIR  WEA- 
THER.—In  the  life  of  the  Rev.  Robert 
Blair,  a  Scottish  minister  of  the  seven- 
teenth century,  the  following  passage 
occurs : 

"  There  having  been  incessant  rain 
for  a  month  in  harvest,  the  corn  was 
growing  a  finger  length  in  the  sheaves, 
and  the  whole  crop  was  in  hazard  of 
perishing.  In  this  deplorable  situation, 
the  people  resolved  solemnly,  by  humi- 
liation and  fasting,  to  beseech  the  Lord 
to  avert  the  threatened  famine.  When 
the  day  came,  it  rained  heavily  from 
morning  till  night ;  so  that  the  Lord 
seemed  to  be  thrusting  out  their  prayers 
from  him.  But  that  same  night  he  sent 
a  mighty  wind,  which  did  fully  dry  the 
corn  and  check  the  growing ;  and  this 
wind  continuing  to  blow  fair  for  two 
days,  the  people  ceased,  neither  night 
nor  day,  till  the  whole  corn  was  got  in. 
During  these  two  days,  I  and  two  neigh- 
boring ministers  were  continuing  our 
supplications  and  thanksgivings  to  the 
Lord  for  his  great  mercy." 

(e)  PRAYING  FOR  A  LUNATIC. 
— Richard  Cook,  a  pious  man,  during 
Mr.  Baxter's  residence  at  Kiddermin- 
ster, went  to  live  in  the  next  house  to 
him.  After  some  time  he  was  seized 
with  melancholy,  which  ended  in  mad- 
ness. The  most  skillful  help  was  ob- 
tained, but  all  in  vain.  While  he  was 
in  this  state,  some  pious  persons  wished 
to  meet  to  fast  and  pray  in  behalf  of  the 
sufferer ;  but  Mr.  Baxter,  in  this  in- 
stance, dissuaded  them  from  it,  as  he 
apprehended  the  case  to  be  hopeless,  and 
thought  they  would  expose  prayer  to 
contempt  in  the  eyes  of  worldly  persons, 
when  they  saw  it  unsuccessful.  When 
ten  or  a  dozen  years  of  affliction  had 
passed  over  Richard  Cook,  some  of  the 
pious  men  referred  to  would  no  longer 
be  dissuaded,  but  fasted  and  prayed  at 
his  house.  They  continued  this  prac- 
tice once  a  fortnight  for  several  months ; 
at  length  the  sufferer  began  to  amend, 
his  health  and  reason  returned,  and,  adds 
Mr.  Baxter,  "  he  is  now  as  well  almost 
as  ever  he  was,  and  so  hath  continued 
for  a  considerable  time." 

640 


(/)  TWO  CHRISTIANS  IN  AVA. 
— The  Rev.  Eugenio  Kincaid  states, 
that  among  the  first  converts  in  Ava, 
were  two  men  who  had  held  respectable 
offices  about  the  palace.  Some  time 
after  they  had  been  baptized,  a  neigh- 
bor determined  to  report  them  to  go- 
vernment, and  drew  up  a  paper  setting 
forth  that  these  two  men  had  forsaken 
the  customs  and  religion  of  their  fathers, 
were  worshiping  the  foreigner's  God, 
and  went  every  Sunday  to  the  teacher's 
house,  &c.  He  presented  the  paper 
to  the  neighbors  of  the  two  disciples, 
taking  their  names  as  witnesses,  and 
saying  that  he  should  go  and  present  the 
accusation  on  the  next  day.  The  two 
Christians  heard  of  it,  and  went  to  K.  in 
great  alarm,  to  consult  as  to  what  they 
should  do.  They  said  if  they  were  ac- 
cused to  government,  the  mildest  sen- 
tence they  could  expect  would  be  im- 
prisonment for  life  at  hard  labor,  and 
perhaps  they  would  be  killed.  K.  told 
them  that  they  could  not  flee  from  Ava, 
if  they  would  ;  that  he  saw  nothing  he 
could  do  for  them,  and  all  that  they 
could  do  was  to  trust  in  God.  He  then 
knelt  with  them,  and  besought  God  to 
protect  them,  and  deliver  them  from  the 
power  of  their  enemies.  They  also 
prayed,  and  soon  left  K.,  saying  that 
they  felt  more  calm,  and  could  leave 
the  matter  with  God.  That  night  the 
persecutor  was  attacked  by  a  dreadful 
disease  in  the  bowels,  which  so  distressed 
him,  that  he  roared  like  a  madman; 
and  his  friends,  as  is  too  often  the  case 
with  the  heathen,  left  him  to  suffer  and 
die  alone.  The  two  Christians  whom 
he  would  have  ruined,  then  went  and 
took  care  of  him  till  he  died,  two  or 
three  days  after  his  attack.  The  whole 
affair  was  well  known  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, and  from  that  time  not  a  dog  dare 
move  his  tongue  against  the  Christians 
of  Ava.  Is  there  no  evidence  in  this 
of  a  special  providence,  and  that  God 
listens  to  the  prayers  of  his  persecuted 
and  distressed  children  ? 

(g)  ELLIOTT'S  PRAYER  FOR 
FOSTER. — Among  many  remarkable 
instances  of  the  prevalence  of  prayer, 
which  Dr.  Mather  in  his  Magnalia, 
mentions,  the  following  anecdote  of  the 
celebrated  Elliott  deserves  notice,  which 


PRAYER  ANSWERED. 


331 


I  give  in  Dr.  Mather's  own  words. 
There  was  a  ,2;odly  gentleman  of 
Charlestown,  one  Mr.  Foster,  who,  with 
his  son  was  taken  captive  by  the  Turks. 
Much  prayer  was  employed,  both  pub- 
licly and  privately,  by  the  good  people 
here,  for  the  redemption  of  that  gentle- 
man, but  we  were  at  last  informed,  that 
the  bloody  prince  in  whose  dominion  he 
was  now  a  slave,  was  resolved,  that  in  his 
lifetime,  no  prisoner  should  be  released, 
and  so  the  distressed  friends  of  this  pri- 
soner now  concluded,  "  our  hope  is  lost.'^ 
Upon  this,  Mr.  Elliot  in  some  of  his 
next  prayers  before  a  very  solemn  con- 
gregation, broadly  begged,  "  Heaveiily 
FatJier,  work  for  the  redemption  of  thy 
■poor  servant,  Foster  ;  and  if  the  Prince 
who  detains  him,  will  not,  as  they  say, 
dismiss  him,  as  long  as  himself  lives  ; 
Lord,  we  pray  thee  to  kill  that  cruel 
Prince:  kill  him  and  glorify  thyself 
upon  him.  And  now  behold  the  an- 
swer :  the  poor  captive  gentleman  quick- 
ly returns  to  us,  that  had  been  mourn- 
ing for  him  as  a  lost  man,  and  brings 
us  news  that  the  Prince  was  come  to  an 
untimely  death,  by  which  means  he  was 
now  set  at  liberty." 

(A)  THE  COVENANTER'S 
PRAYER.— Mr.  Alexander  Peden,  a 
Scotch  Covenanter,  with  some  others, 
had  been,  at  one  time,  pursued  both  by 
horse  and  foot,  for  a  considerable  way. 
At  last,  getting  some  little  height  be- 
tween them  and  their  persecutors,  he 
stood  still  and  said,  "  Let  us  pray  here,  for 
if  the  Lord  hear  not  our  prayer  and  save 
us,  we  are  all  dead  men."  He  then 
prayed,  saying,  "  O  Lord,  this  is  the 
hour  and  the  power  of  thine  enemies, 
they  may  not  be  idle.  But  hast  thou 
no  other  work  for  them  than  to  send 
them  after  us  ?  Send  them  after  them 
to  whom  thou  wilt  gi'e  strength  to  flee, 
for  our  strength  is  gane.  Twine  them 
about  the  hill,  O  Lord,  and  cast  the  lap 
of  thy  cloak  over  puir  auld  Saunders, 
and  thir  puir  things,  and  save  us  this  ae 
time,  and  we  will  keep  it  in  remem- 
brance, and  tell  to  the  commendation 
of  thy  guidness,  thy  pity  and  compas- 
sion, what  thou  didst  for  us  at  sic  a 
time."  And  in  this  he  was  heard,  f9r 
a  cloud  of  mist  immediately  intervened 
between  them  and  their  persecutors; 
41 


and  in  the  meantime,  orders  came  to  go 
in  quest  of  James  Renwick,  and  a  great 
company  with  him. 

(/)  THE  FRENCH  ARMAMENT. 
— The  destruction  of  the  French  arma- 
ment, under  the  Duke  d'Anville,  in  the 
year  1746,  ought  to  be  remembered 
with  gratitude  and  admiration  by  every 
inhabitant  of  this  country.  This  fleet 
consisted  of  forty  ships  of  war;  was 
destined  for  the  destruction  of  New, 
England,  was  of  suflicient  force  to  ren- 
der that  destruction,  in  the  ordinary  pro- 
gress of  things,  certain  ;  and  sailed  from 
Chebucto,  in  Nova  Scotia  for  this  pur- 
pose. 

In  the  meantime,  our  pious  fathers, 
apprised  of  their  danger,  and  feeling 
that  their  only  safety  was  in  God,  had 
appointed  a  season  of  fasting  and  prayer 
to  be  observed  in  all  their  churches. 
"  While  Mr.  Prince  was  officiating"  in 
this  church  (Old  South  Church)  on  this 
fast  day,  and  praying  most  fervently  to 
God,  to  avert  the  dreaded  calamity,  a 
sudden  gust  of  wind  arose,  (the  day  had 
till  now  been  perfectly  clear  and  calm,) 
so  violent  as  to  cause  a  loud  clattering 
of  the  windows.  The  Rev.  pastor  paus- 
ed in  his  prayer,  and  looking  round  up- 
on the  conjjregation  with  a  countenance 
of  hope,  he  again  commenced,  and  with 
great  devotional  ardor,  supplicated  the 
Almighty  God  to  cause  that  wind  to 
frustrate  the  object  of  our  enemies,  and 
save  the  country  from  conquest  and 
popery.  A  tempest  ensued  in  which 
the  greater  part  of  the  French  fleet 
was  wrecked  on  the  coast  of  Nova 
Scotia.  The  Duke  D'Anville  the  prin- 
cipal general,  and  the  second  in  com- 
mand, both  committed  suicide.  Many 
died  with  disease,  and  thousands  were 
consigned  to  a  watery  grave.  The 
small  number  that  remained  alive,  re- 
turned to  France  without  health  and 
without  spirits.  "  And  the  enterprise 
was  abandoned,  and  never  again  resum- 
ed." 

(j)  VESSEL  SAVED  BY  PRAY- 
ER. — The  following  striking  anecdote 
is  recorded  in  the  diary  kept  at  Freid- 
ensburg,  a  settlement  of  the  Moravians, 
in  St.  Croix  : — 

In  March,  1819,  Mr.  Bell,  a  captain 
of  a  ship  from  Philadelphia,  who  is  a  re- 
641 


331 


PRAYER. 


ligious  man,  living  some  time  in  this 
island,  paid  us  several  visits.  One  day 
he  brought  with  him  another  captain 
from  Baltimore,  by  the  name  of  Boyle. 
Having  for  some  time  conversed  on  reli- 
gious subjects,  the  latter  inquired  whe- 
ther any  of  our  family  were  on  board  an 
English  vessel,  with  only  six  guns,  and 
twenty-two  men,  which  in  the  year 
1814  was  attacked  by  a  North  Ameri- 
can privateer,  of  fourteen  guns,  and  one 
hundred  and  twenty  men,  on  her  voyage 
to  St.  Thomas  ;  and  which,  after  a  most 
desperate  conflict  beat  off  the  American 
enemy.  He  added,  that  he  supposed 
very  fervent  prayer  had  been  offered 
up  on  board  the  vessel.  Sister  Ramock 
answered,  that  she  was  on  board  the 
English  vessel,  and  could  assure  him 
that  there  was.  "  That  I  believe,"  re- 
plied the  captain,  "  for  I  felt  the  effects 
of  your  prayers  !"  He  then  informed 
us,  that  he  was  the  captain  who  com- 
manded the  privateer.  "According  to 
my  wild  way  of  thinking,  at  that  time, 
1  was  determined  to  strain  every  nerve 
to  get  possession  of  the  British  vessel, 
or  sink  her ;  but  she  was  protected  by 
a  higher  power,  against  which  all  my 
exertions  proved  vain."  This  disap- 
pointment and  defeat  astonished  him : 
but  when  he  afterwards  heard,  that  mis- 
sionaries were  on  board  the  English 
vessel,  it  struck  him,  that  the  fervent 
prayers  to  God  had  brought  them  pro- 
tection and  safety.  This  led  him  to  a 
further  thought  about  these  things  ;  and 
at  length,  by  God's  mercy,  to  a  total 
change  of  mind.  On  his  making  this 
statement,  we  joined  him  in  thanking  the 
Lord  for  his  goodness.  From  this  au- 
thentic fact,  we  learn  that  under  all 
circumstances,  however  bad  and  hope- 
less, it  is  the  Christian's  duty  to  pray 
and  not  to  faint ;  to  exercise  faith  and 
hope  in  that  Almighty  Jehovah,  whose 
ear  is  never  heavy  that  he  cannot  hear, 
nor  his  hand  shortened  that  he  cannot 
save. 

ik)  THE  INDIAN  MOTHER'S 
PRAYER. — "  Pummehanuit,  an  Indian 
of  prime  quality,  on  Martha's  Vineyard, 
and  his  wife,  had  buried  their  first  five 
children  successively,  every  one  within 
ten  days  of  their  birth,  notwithstanding 
all  their  use  of  powows  and  of  medi- 
642 


cines  to  preserve  them.  They  had  a 
sixth  child,  (a  son,)  born  about  the  year 
1638,  which  was  a  few  years  before 
the  English  settled  on  the  Vineyard. 
The  mother  was  greatly  perplexed  with 
fear  that  she  should  lose  this  child  like 
the  former;  and  utterly  despairing  of 
any  help  from  such  means  as  had  been 
formerly  tried  with  so  little  success,  as 
soon  as  she  was  able,  with  a  sorrowful 
heart,  she  took  up  her  child  and  went  out 
into  the  field,  that  she  might  weep  out  her 
sorrows.  While  she  was  musing  on  the 
insufficiency  of  all  human  help,  she  felt 
it  powerfully  suggested  to  her  mind  that 
there  is  one  Almighty  God  who  is  to  be 
prayed  unto,  that  this  God  had  created 
all  the  things  that  we  see — and  that  the 
God  who  had  given  being  to  herself, 
and  all  other  people,  and  given  her 
child  unto  her,  was  easily  able  to  con- 
tinue the  life  of  her  child. 

Hereupon,  this  poor  pagan  woman  re- 
solved, that  she  would  seek  unto  this 
God  for  that  mercy,  and  did  according- 
ly. The  issue  was,  that  her  child  lived, 
and  her  faith  in  Him  who  thus  answer- 
ed her  prayer  was  wonderfully  strength- 
ened, the  consideration  whereof  caused 
her  to  dedicate  this  child  unto  the  ser- 
vice of  that  God  who  had  preserved  his 
life,  and  educated  him,  as  far  as  might 
be,  to  become  the  servant  of  God. 

Not  long  after  this,  the  English  ciime 
to  settle  on  Martha's  Vineyard  •  and 
the  Indians  who  had  been  present  at 
some  of  the  English  devotions,  reported 
that  they  assembled  together,  and  that 
the  man  who  spoke  among  them  often 
looked  upwards.  This  woman,  from 
this  report,  presently  concluded  that 
their  assemblies  were  for  prayers,  and 
that  their  prayers  were  unto  that  very 
God  whom  she  had  addressed  for  the 
life  of  her  child.  She  was  confirmed 
in  this  when  the  gospel  was  not  long 
after  preached  by  Mr.  Mayhew  to  the 
Indians ;  which  gospel  she  readily, 
cheerfully,  and  heartily  embraced.  And 
in  the  confession  that  she  made  publicly 
at  her  admission  into  the  church,  she 
gave  a  relation  of  the  preparation  for 
the  knowledge  of  Christ,  wherewith  God 
hito  in  this  remarkable  way  favored 
her.  Her  child,  whose  name  was  Ja- 
phet,  became  afterwards  an  eminent  min- 


PRA.YER  ANSWERED. 


331 


ister  of  Christ.  He  was  pastor  of  an 
Indian  church,  on  Martha's  Vyieyard  ; 
he  also  took  much  pains  to  carry  the 
gospel  unto  other  Indians  on  the  main 
land,  and  his  labors  were  attended  with 
much  success." 

(/)  THE  GUARDED  HOUSE.— 
f>When  the  year  1814  began,  troops  of 
Swedes,  Cossacks,  Germans,  and  Rus- 
sians, were  within  half  an  hour's  march 
of  the  town  of  Sleswick  ;  and  new  and 
fearful  reports  of  the  behavior  of  the 
soldiers  were  brought  from  the  country 
every  day.  There  had  been  a  truce, 
which  was  to  come  to  an  end  at  mid- 
night of  the  5th  of  January,  which  was 
now  drawing  near. 

On  the  outskirts  of  the  town,  on  the 
side  where  the  enemy  lay,  there  was  a 
house  standing  alone,  and  in  it  there 
was  an  old  pious  woman,  who  was 
earnestly  praying,  in  the  words  of  an 
ancient  hymn,  that  God  would  raise  up 
a  wall  around  them,  so  that  the  enemy 
might  fear  to  attack  them. 

In  the  same  house  dwelt  her  daugh- 
ter, a  widow,  and  her  grandson,  a  youth 
of  twenty  years.  He  heard  the  prayer 
of  his  grandmother,  and  could  not  re- 
strain himself  from  saying,  that  he  did 
not  understand  Jiow  she  could  ask  for 
any  thing  so  impossible,  as  that  a  wall 
should  be  built  around  them,  which 
could  keep  the  enemy  away  from  their 
house.  The  old  woman,  who  was  now 
deaf,  caused  what  her  grandson  said  to 
be  explained  to  her,  but  only  answered 
that  she  had  but  prayed  in  general  for 
protection  for  themselves  and  their  town 
people.  "  However,"  she  added,  "  do 
you  think  that  if  it  were  the  will  of  God 
to  build  a  wall  around  us,  it  would  be 
impossible  to  him  ?" 

And  now  came  the  dreaded  night  of 
the  5th  of  Januaiy ;  and  about  mid- 
night  the  troops  began  to  enter  on  all 
sides.  The  house  we  were  speaking 
of  lay  close  by  the  road,  and  was  larger 
than  the  dwellings  near  it,  which  were 
only  very  small  cottages.  Its  inhabit- 
ants looked  out  with  anxious  fear,  as 
parties  of  the  soldiers  entered  one  after 
another,  and  even  went  to  the  neighbor- 
ing houses  to  ask  for  what  they  want- 
ed ;  but  all  rode  past  their  dwelling. 
Throughout  the  whole   day  there  had 


been  a  heavy  fall  of  snow — the  first 
that  winter — and  towards  evening  the 
storm  became  violent  to  a  degree  sel- 
dom known.  At  length  came  four 
parties  of  Cossacks,  who  had  been  hin- 
dered by  the  snow  from  entering  the 
town  by  another  road.  This  part  of 
the  outskirts  was  at  some  distance  from 
the  town  itself  and  therefore  they  would 
not  go  further ;  so  that  all  the  houses 
around  that  where  the  old  woman  lived, 
were  filled  with  these  soldiers,  who  quar- 
tered themselves  in  them  ;  in  several 
houses  there  were  fifty  or  sixty  of  these 
half-savage  men.  It  was  a  terrible 
night  for  those  who  dwelt  in  this  part 
of  the  town,  filled  to  overflowing  with 
the  troops  of  the  enemy. 

But  not  a  single  soldier  came  into  the 
grandmother's  house  ;  and  amidst  the 
loud  noises  and  wild  sounds  all  around, 
not  even  a  knock  at  the  door  was  heard, 
to  the  great  wonder  of  the  family  with- 
in. The  next  morning,  as  it  grew 
light,  they  saw  the  cause.  The  storm 
had  drifted  a  mass  of  snow,  to  such  a 
height,  between  the  roadside  and  the 
house,  that  to  approach  it  was  impossi- 
ble. "  Do  you  not  now  see,  my,  son," 
said  the  old  grandmother,  "  that  it  was 
possible  for  God  to  raise  a  wall  around 
us?" 

Does  not  this  story  remind  us  of  the 
words — "The  angel  of  the  Lord  en- 
campeth  round  about  them  that  fear 
Him  and  delivereth  them !"  Does  it 
not  seem  as  if  the  snow  had  been  ga- 
thered together  as  by  angels'  hands  to 
form  a  defence  for  that  house  where  one 
dwelt  who  thus  feared  God  and  trusted 
in  him  ? 

(m)  THE  TIDE  RETARDED.^ 
"  In  the  number  of  providential  inter- 
positions in  answer  to  prayer,"  says  Le 
Clerc,  "  may  be  placed  what  happened 
on  the  coast  of  Holland,  in  the  year  1672. 
The  Dutch  expected  an  attack  from 
their  enemies  by  sea,  and  public  pray- 
ers were  ordered  for  their  deliverance. 
It  came  to  pass,  that  whem  theic  ene- 
mies waited  only  for  the  tide,  in  order 
to  land,  the  tide  was  retarded,  contrary 
to  its  usual  course,  for  twelve  hours ;  so 
that  their  enemies  were  obliged  to  de- 
fer the  attempt  to  another  opportunity, 
which  they  never  found,  because  a 
643 


833 


PRAYER. 


storm  arose  afterwards,  and  drove  them 
from  the  coast." 


M.    Prayer  answered  by  God's  Provi- 
dential Control  of  Men's  Minds. 

(a)  THE  WELL-TIMED   LOAF. 

— A  lady,  who  had  just  sat  down  to 
breakfast,  had  a  strong  impression  on 
her  mind,  that  she  must  instantly  carry 
a  loaf  of  bread  to  a  poor  man,  who  lived 
about  half  a  mile  from  her  house,  by 
the  side  of  a  common.  Her  husband 
wished  her  either  to  postpone  taking  it 
till  after  breakfast,  or  to  send  it  by  a  ser- 
vant ;  but  she  chose  to  take  it  immedi- 
ately herself.  As  she  approached  the  hut, 
she  heard  the  sound  of  a  human  voice,  and 
wishing  to  discover  what  was  said,  she 
stepped  unperceived  to  the  door.  She 
heard  the  poor  man  praying,  and  among 
other  things  he  said,  "  O  Lord,  help  me  ; 
Lord,  thou  wilt  help  me ;  thy  promise 
cannot  fail :  although  my  wife,  my- 
self, and  children,  have  no  bread  to  eat, 
and  it  is  now  a  whole  day  since  we  had 
any,  I  know  thou  wilt  supply  me, 
though  thou  shouldst  again  rain  down 
manna  from  heaven."  The  lady  could 
wait  no  longer,  but  opening  the  door, 
"  Yes,"  she  replied,  "  God  has  sent 
you  relief.  Take  this  loaf,  and  be  en- 
couraged to  cast  your  care  upon  Him 
who  careth  for  you  ;  and  whenever  you 
want  a  loaf  of  bread,  come  to  my  house." 
(h)  SLAVE'S  PRAYER.— A  mis- 
sionary in  India,  passing  one  day 
through  the  school-room,  observed  a 
little  boy  engaged  in  prayer,  and  over- 
heard  him  say,  "  O  Lord  Jesus,  I  thank 
thee  for  sending  big  ship  into  my  country, 
and  wicked  men  to  steal  me,  and  bring 
me  here  that  I  might  hear  about  thee, 
and  love  thee  ;  and  now.  Lord  Jesus,  I 
have  one  great  favor  to  ask  thee,  please 
to  send  wicked  men  with  another  big 
ship,  and  let  them  catch  my  father  and 
my  mother,  and  bring  them  to  this 
country,  that  they  may  hear  the  mis- 
sionaries preach,  and  love  thee."  The 
missionary  in  a  few  days  after,  saw  him 
standing  on  the  sea  shore,  looking  very 
intently  as  the  ships  came  in.  "  What 
are  you  looking  at,  Tom  ?"  "  I  am 
looking  to  see  if  Jesus  Christ  answer 
prayer."  For  two  years  he  was  to  be 
644 


seen  day  after  day,  watching  the  arrival 
of  every,  ship.  One  day,  as  the  mis- 
sionary  was  viewing  him,  he  observed 
him  capering  about,  and  exhibiting  the 
liveliest  joy.  "  Well,  Tom,  what  oc- 
casions so  much  joy  ?"  '•  0,  Jesus 
Christ  answer  prayer — father  and  mo- 
ther  come  in  that  ship  ;"  which  was  ac-« 
tually  the  case. 

(c)  FRANCKE'S  SCHOOL  AT 
HALLE. — The  conduct  of  the  emi- 
nent and  justly  celebrated  Francke,  in 
the  establishment  of  the  hospital  and 
school  for  the  poor,  at  Halle,  near  Glau- 
cha,  in  Saxony,  is  well  known.  Hav- 
ing  no  permanent  funds  to  meet  the 
expenses,  it  may  be  easily  supposed  that 
the  good  man  would  frequently  be  re- 
duced to  great  difficulties ;  at  such  times 
the  interpositions  of  the  providence  of 
God  were  truly  remarkable.  About 
Easter,  1696,  he  knew  not  where  to  ob- 
tain money  for  the  expenses  of  the  en- 
suing week  ;  but  when  their  food  was 
reduced  to  the  very  last  morsel,  one 
thousand  crowns  were  contributed  by 
some  entirely  unknown  person.  At 
another  time,  all  their  provisions  were 
exhausted,  and  the  good  minister  wisely 
presented  his  requests  to  the  God  of 
mercy,  who  careth  even  for  the  ravens 
when  they  cry.  When  prayer  was 
over,  just  as  he  was  taking  his  seat,  a 
friend  from  a  distance  arrived  with  fifty 
crowns,  which  was  shortly  followed  by 
twenty  more.  At  another  period,  the 
workmen  wanted  thirty  crowns,  when 
he  remarked  that  he  had  no  money,  but 
that  he  trusted  in  God  ;  scarcely  had 
he  uttered  the  sentence,  when,  in  this 
moment  of  necessity,  the  precise  sum 
arrived. 

"  Another  time,"  says  Francke,  "  all 
our  provision  was  spent ;  but,  in  ad- 
dressing myself  to  the  Lord,  I  found 
myself  deeply  affected  with  the  fourth 
petition  of  the  Lord's  prayer,  '  Give  us 
this  day  our  daily  bread  ;'  and  my 
thoughts  were  fixed  in  a  more  especial 
manner  upon  the  words  'this  day,'  be- 
cause on  the  very  same  day  we  had 
great  occasion  for  it.  While  I  was  yet 
praying,  a  friend  of  mine  came  before 
my  door  in  a  coach,  and  brought  the 
sum  of  four  hundred  crowns  !" 


PRAYER  ANSWERED. 


332,  333 


(d)  THE  LUNATIC  RESTORED. 

— The  following  particulars,  says  the 
Columbian  Star,  are  communicated  by 
a  friend,  who  received  the  information 
immediately  from  one  of  the  brethren 
who  attended  the  prayer  meeting. 

The  daughter  of  a  very  eminent 
Christian,  and  a  deacon  of  the  Baptist 
church  at  Birmingham  in  England, 
married  a  respectable  merchant  of  the 
city  of  Bristol  (distant  from  each  other 
about  100  miles),  and  at  a  subsequent 
period  (such  was  the  will  of  Providence) 
by  one  sudden  and  unexpected  loss  at 
sea,  he  was  nearly  ruined.  This  news 
gave  such  a  shock  to  his  amiable  com- 
panion, that  she  was  rendered  altogether 
insane,  and  that  to  such  a  degree,  that 
it  was  necessary  to  confine  her  in  order 
to  prevent  her  from  doing  herself  and 
others  harm.  Her  distressed  situation 
was  immediately  communicated  by  a 
letter  to  her  father,  who  on  receiving  it, 
like  one  of  old,  "  conferred  not  with 
flesh  and  blood,"  but  presented  the  case 
before  his  heavenly  Father  ;  and  in  the 
eveninfj  crathered  tocfether  at  his  house 
many  of  his  brethren  in  the  church  for 
the  purpose  of  pleading  with  God  in  her 
behalf.  It  was  a  season  of  solemn  and 
united  supplication  to  the  Lord.  He 
answered  prayer ;  for  a  few  days 
after  a  letter  was  received  by  her  father 
informing  him  that  on  such  an  hour, 
her  reason  returned,  she  sat  up  in 
bed,  her  bands  of  confinement  were 
removed,  and  she  was,  as  it  were,  in  an 
instant  restored  to  her  usual  health. 
That  evening  and  that  hour  of  restora- 
tion, were  the  same  evening,  and  the 
sa7ne  hour  when  many  were  gathered 
together  and  prayer  was  made  unto 
God  for  her. 


Ul  Prayer  answered  by  Ihe  Agency  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  in  various  interesting 
Conversions. 

(a)  THE  PRAYING  SISTERS.— 
Two  young  men,  members  of  a  family 
the  greater  number  of  whom  were  de- 
voted to  God,  left  the  house  of  their 
widowed  mother,  to  reside  in  a  distant 
state.  After  a  little  while  they  imbibed 
exceedingly  erroneous  views  of  religion, 


and  were  thus  exposed  to  the  utmost 
danger.  Their  sisters  heard  of  their 
errors,  and  resolved  to  seek  their  deliv- 
erance from  them  by  earnest  prayer. 
They  agreed  separately  to  spend  half 
an  hour  at  sunset  every  Saturday 
evening  in  fervent  supplication  for  their 
brothers.  The  hearer  of  prayer  was 
not  unmindful  of  their  requests.  The 
two  brothers  were  awakened  to  a  sense 
of  their  danger,  and  hopefully  con- 
verted to  God. 

(b)  AN  INFIDEL  CONVERTED. 
— A  writer  in  the  Christian  Witness, 
speaking  of  the  conversion  of  some  of 
Abner  Kneeland's  followers,  says  :  One 
is  so  remarkable  that  we  cannot  forbear 
relating  it  to  our  readers.  The  subject 
of  it  is  a  young  man,  engaged  in  a  pub- 
lic establishment,  and  in  the  employ  of 
a  pious  individual.  His  former  efforts 
to  introduce  his  baneful  doctrines  into 
the  establishment,  were  a  source  of 
great  annoyance  to  his  employer.  He 
embraced  every  opportunity  to  expose 
to  visitors  his  utter  contempt  of  all  the 
sacred  things  of  the  gospel. — His  bold 
blasphemies,  and  his  scornful  sneers, 
were  alike  shocking  to  decency  and  re- 
ligion. The  vile  print  which  weekly 
disseminates  its  moral  poison  through 
our  community,  he  contrived  as  fre- 
quently as  possible  to  bring  under  the 
notice  of  the  visitors  of  the  establish- 
ment, though  his  employer  as  vigilantly 
sought  to  destroy  it,  whenever  introduced 
there. — Withal,  he  was  given  to  occa- 
sional fits  of  intemperance,  in  which  his 
treatment  to  his  family  rendered  him  a 
terror,  where  he  ought  to  have  been  a 
comfort  and  support.  His  great  use- 
fulness in  the  establishment,  alone  re- 
conciled his  employer  to  the  utterance 
of  his  wicked  principles,  and  his  vicious 
conduct.  To  manifest  his  contempt  for 
the  ordinances  of  religion,  and  his  open 
defiance  of  the  God  of  the  Bible,  he  laid  a 
wager  with  his  profane  companions, 
that  he  would  attend  a  Methodist  prayer 
meeting  in  his  neighborhood,  and  go  for- 
ward to  be  prayed  for.  And  now  mark 
how  God  brings  good  out  of  evil.  He 
went — and  his  hardihood  carried  him 
through  the  accomplishment  of  his 
wicked  purpose.  But  perhaps  his  con- 
science was  not  so  much  at  ease  as  his 
645 


333 


PRAYER. 


demeanor  indicated  ;  perhaps  the  rude 
impertinence  of  his  blasphemy  startled 
even  his  own  proud  heart,  and  awaken- 
ed  his  attention  to  the  things  he  was  en- 
deavoring to  ridicule  ;  perhaps  his  char- 
acter and  purposes  were  known  to  "  the 
sons  of  God,"  so  that  they  adapted  their 
supplications  to  the  dreadful  enormity 
of  his  sins.  Whatever  may  have  been 
the  immediate  influence  by  which  he 
was  moved,  certain  it  is  that  the  Spirit 
of  God  strove  with  him,  and  subdued 
the  stubborn  rebellion  of  his  heart. 
Conscience  arose  in  its  intended  and 
outraged  majesty;  and  like  Esau,  when 
he  had  lost  his  birthright,  he  "  lifted  up 
a  great  and  bitter  cry."  He  went  forth 
from  the  house  of  prayer,  his  spirit  bowed 
within  him,  and  his  very  frame  sym- 
pathizing in  its  strong  commotion.  He 
has  found  peace  in  believing.  The 
influence  of  his  change  wrought  upon 
her  with  whose  happiness  his  principles 
had  hardly  less  to  do  than  with  his 
own  ;  and  they  both  entered  on  proba- 
tion as  candidates  for  full  communion  in 
the  denomination  by  whose  pious  in- 
strumentality the  husband  was  first 
called  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth. 

(c)  THE  BEGGAR'S  PRAYER. 
A  wealthy  merchant  in  this  country 
once  gave  the  following  account : — As 
he  was  standing  at  his  door,  a  venerable 
gray-headed  man  approached  him  and 
asked  an  alms.  He  answered  him  with 
severity,  and  demanded  why  he  lived 
so  useless  a  life.  The  beggar  answer- 
ed that  "  age  disabled  him  for  labor  and 
he  had  committed  himself  to  the  prov- 
idence of  God,  and  the  kindness  of  good 
people."  The  rich  man  was  at  this 
time  an  infidel.  He  ordered  the  old 
man  to  depart,  at  the  same  time  casting 
some  reflections  on  the  providence  of 
God.  The  venerable  beggar  descended 
the  steps,  and  kneeling  at  the  bottom 
offered  up  the  following  prayer : — "  O  my 
gracious  God,  I  thank  thee  that  my  bread 
and  water  are  sure  ;  but  I  pray  ihee,  in 
thy  intercession  above,  to  remember  this 
man ;  he  hath  reflected  on  thy  provi- 
dence. Father!  forgive  him,  he  knows 
not  what  he  saith."  Thus  the  present 
scene  ended.  The  words,  "  Father !  for- 
give him,  he  knows  not  what  he  saith," 
constantly  rung  in  the  ears  of  the  rich 
646 


man.  He  was  much  disconcerted  the 
following  night.  The  next  day,  being 
:  called  on  business  to  a  neighboring  town 
!  he  overtook  the  old  man  on  the  road. 
i  As  he  afterwards  confessed,  the  sight 
j  almost  petrified  him  with  guilt  and  fear. 
j  He  dismounted,  when  an  interesting  con- 
versation ensued.  .At  the  clbse  of  it 
the  old  man  remarked  : — "  Yesterday,  I 
was  hungry,  and  called  at  the  door  of  a 
rich  man.  He  was  angry,  and  told 
me  he  did  not  believe  in  the  providence 
of  God,  and  bid  me  depart ;  but  at  the 
next  house  I  had  a  plentiful  meal. 
And  this,  mark  ye  !  was  at  the  house 
of  a  poor  woman."  The  wealthy  man 
confessed,  that  at  this  moment  he  was 
pierced  with  a  sense  of  guilt.  He  then 
gave  some  money  to  the  poor  man,  of 
whom  he  never  could  hear  afterwards  ; 
yet  the  sound  of  these  words  being  im- 
pressed on  his  mind  by  the  last  inter- 
view — "  He  knows  not  what  he  saith," 
— never  left  him,  till  he  was  brought 
to  Christian  repentance. 

(d)  MOTHER  PRAYING  FOR  A 
SON  AT  A  BALL.— When  I  was 
about  18  years  of  age,  says'  a  blind 
preacher,  there  was  a  dancing  party  in 
Middleboro,  Mass.,  which  I  was  solicit- 
ed to  attend,  and  act  as  usual,  in  the 
capacity  of  musician.  I  was  fond  of 
such  scenes  of  amusement  then,  and  I 
readily  assented  to  the  request.  I  had 
a  pious  mother  ;  and  she  earnestly  re- 
monstrated against  my  going.  But  at 
length,  when  all  her  expostulations  and 
entreaties  failed  in  changing  my  pur- 
pose, she  said  :  "  Well,  my  son,  I  shall 
not  forbid  your  going ;  but,  remember 
that  all  the  time  you  spend  in  that  gay 
company,  I  shall  spend  in  praying  for 
you  at  home."  I  went  to  the  ball,  but 
1  was  like  the  stricken  deer,  carrying 
an  arrow  in  his  side.  I  began  to  play  ; 
but  my  convictions  sunk  deeper  and 
deeper,  and  I  felt  miserable  indeed.  I 
thought  I  would  have  given  the  world  to 
have  been  rid  of  that  mother's  prayers. 
At  one  time  I  felt  so  wretched  and  so 
overwhelmed  with  my  feelings,  that  I 
ceased  playing  and  dropped  my  musical 
instrument  from  my  hand.  There  was 
another  young  person  there  who  re- 
fused to  dance  ;  and,  as  I  learned,  her 
refusal  was  owing  to  feelings  similar  to 


PRAYER  ANSWERED. 


33^ 


my  own,  and  perhaps,  they  arose  from 
a  similar  cause. 

My  mother's  prayers  were  not  lost. 
That  was  the  last  ball  I  ever  attended, 
except  one,  where  I  was  invited  to  play 
again,  but  went  and  prayed  and  preach- 
ed instead,  till  the  place  of  dancing  was 
converted  into  a  Bochim,  a  place  of 
weeping.  The  convictions  of  that 
wretched  night  never  wholly  left  me, 
till  they  left  me  at  the  feet  of  Christ, 
and  several  of  my  young  companions  in 
sin  ere  long  were  led  to  believe  and 
obey  the  gospel  also. 

(e)  THE  PRAYING  MOTHER 
AND  HER  SIX  DAUGHTERS.— In 
a  sea-port  town  in  New  England,  lived 
a  pious  mother,  who  had  six  daughters. 
At  the  age  of  sixty,  she  had  been  for 
many  years  the  subject  of  disease, 
which  confined  her  to  her  house,  and 
almost  to  her  room.  To  a  Christian 
friend  she  remarked,  "  I  have  not  for 
these  many  years  known  what  it  is  to 
go  to  the  house  of  God,  in  company 
with  his  people,  and  to  take  sweet  coun- 
sel with  them.  But  I  have  another 
source  of  grief  greater  than  this  ;  one 
that  weighs  down  my  spirits  day  and 
night,  while  disease  and  pain  bear  my 
body  towards  the  grave.  I  have  six 
daughters ;  two  are  married  and  live 
near  me,  and  four  are  with  me  ;  but 
not  one  of  them  is  pious.  I  am  alone. 
I  have  no  one  for  a  Christian  compan- 
ion. Oh  that  even  one  of  them  were 
pious,  that  I  might  walk  alone  no  lon- 
ger!" Such  was  her  language.  She 
was  evidently  a  woman  of  a  sorrowful 
spirit,  beseeching  the  Lord  with  much 
entreaty.  Soon  after  this,  a  revival  of 
religion  commenced  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, of  which  her  four  single  daugh- 
ters were  among  the  first  subjects.  A 
fifth  was  soon  added  to  the  number,  but 
the  other,  the  eldest,  was  unmoved. 
"  Mother,"  said  one  of  the  converts, 
"  let  us  all  unite  in  observing  a  day  of 
fasting  and  prayer  for  our  unawakened 
sister."  The  agreement  was  made  ;  the 
day  was  observed.  Of  this,  the  subject 
of  their  prayers  had  no  knowledge  ;  but 
on  the  same  day,  while  engaged  in  her 
domestic  concerns  at  home,  her  mind 
was  solemnly  arrested  ;  and  she  was 
soon  after  added  to  the  Christian  sister. 


hood.  The  praying  mother  lived  a  few 
years  to  enjoy  tlieir  Christian  society. 
They  surrounded  her  dying  bed,  re- 
ceived her  last  blessing,  commended  her 
spirit  to  God,  and  followed  the  faith  and 
patience  of  that  mother  who  was  first 
removed  to  inherit  the  promises. 

(/)  PRAYING  AN  HOUR  DAI- 
LY EIGHTEEN  MONTHS.— A  poor 
woman,  at  Berwick  St.  John,  in  Wilt- 
shire, England,  the  wife  of  a  day  la- 
borer, being  called  by  the  grace  of  God, 
her  husband  became  a  bitter  persecu- 
tor;  and,  because  his  wife  would  not 
relinquish  the  service  of  God,  he  fre- 
quently turned  her  out  of  doors  in  the 
night,  and  during  the  winter  season. 
The  wife,  being  a  prudent  woman,  did 
not  expose  this  cruelty  to  her  neigh- 
bors, but,  on  the  contrary,  to  avoid  their 
observations,  she  went  into  the  adjacent 
fields,  and  betook  herself  to  prayer. 
Greatly  distressed,  but  not  in  despair, 
her  only  encouragement  was,  that  with 
God  all  things  are  possible  ;  she  there- 
fore resolved  to  set  apart  one  hour  eve- 
ry day,  to  pray  for  the  conversion  of 
her  persecuting  husband.  This  she 
was  enabled  to  do,  without  missing  a 
single  day,  for  a  whole  year.  Seeing 
no  change  in  her  husband,  she  formed 
a  second  resolution  to  persevere  six 
months  longer,  which  she  did  up  to  the 
last  day,  when  she  retired  at  about  twelve 
o'clock  as  usual,  and,  as  she  thought, 
for  the  last  time.  Fearing  that  her 
wishes,  in  this  instance,  might  be  con- 
trary to  the  will  of  God,  she  resolved  to 
call  no  more  upon  him  ;  her  desire  not 
being  granted,  her  expectation  appear- 
ed to  be  cut  off.  That  same  day  her 
husband  returned  from  his  labor  in  a 
state  of  deep  dejection,  and,  instead  of 
sitting  down  as  usual  to  his  dinner,  he 
proceeded  directly  to  his  chamber.  His 
wife  followed,  and  heard,  to  her  grate- 
ful astonishment,  that  he  who  used  to 
mock,  had  returned  to  pray. 

He  came  down  stairs,  but  refused  to 
eat,  and  returned  again  to  his  labor  un- 
til the  evening.  When  he  came  home, 
his  wife  affectionately  asked  him,  "  What 
is  the  matter  ?" 

"  Matter  enough,"  said  he,  "  I  am  a 
lost  sinner.  About  twelve  o'clock  this 
morning,"  continued  he,  "  I  was  at  my 
647 


333 


PRAYER. 


work,  and  a  passage  of  Scripture  was 
deeply  impressed  upon  my  mind,  which 
I  cannot  get  rid  of,  and  I  am  sure  I  am 
lost." 

His  wife  encouraged  him  to  pray, 
but  he  replied,  "  O  wife,  it  is  of  no 
use,  there  is  no  forgiveness  for  me !" 
Smitten  with  remorse  at  the  recollec- 
tion of  his  former  conduct,  he  said  to 
her,  '•  Will  you  forgive  me  ?"  She  re- 
plied, "  Oh  yes."  "  Will  you  pray 
for  me  ?"  "Oh  yes,  that  I  will." 
"  Will  you  pray  for  me  now .?"  "  That 
I  will,  with  all  my  heart."  They  in- 
stantly fell  on  their  knees  and  wept, 
and  made  supplication.  His  tears  of 
penitence  mingled  with  her  tears  of 
gratitude  and  joy.  He  became  decid- 
edly pious,  and  afterwards  greatly  ex- 
erted himself  to  make  his  neighbors 
acquainted  with  the  way  of  salvation  by 
Christ  Jesus. 

(g)  A  WRITTEN  PRAYER  AN- 
SWERED.— Captain  Mitchell  K.  was 
from  early  life  accustomed  to  the  sea. 
He  commanded  a  merchant  ship  that 
sailed  from  Philadelphia.  After  his 
marriage,  he  again  went  to  sea,  and 
one  day  committed  to  writing,  while  in 
a  highly  devotional  frame  of  mind,  a 
prayer  for  the  temporal  and  eternal 
happiness  of  his  beloved  wife  and  un- 
born babe.  This  prayer,  nearly  filling 
a  sheet  of  paper,  was  deposited,  with  his 
other  writings,  at  the  bottom  of  an  old 
oak  chest.  The  captain  died  before 
the  completion  of  the  voyage,  in  the 
year  1757,  and  his  instruments,  papers, 
etc.,  were  returned  to  his  wife.  Finding 
.  they  were  generally  what  she  could  not 
understand,  she  locked  up  the  chest  for 
the  inspection  and  use  of  her  babe,  (who 
proved  to  be  a  son,)  at  some  future  pe- 
riod.  At  eighteen,  this  son  entered  the 
army,  and  in  1775  marched  for  Boston. 
^  He  gave  the  reins  to  his  lusts,  and  for 
many  years  yielded  to  almost  every 
temptation  to  sin.  At  last,  he  was 
called  to  the  death-bod  of  his  mother, 
who  gave  him  the  key  of  his  father's 
chest,  which,  however,  he  did  not  open, 
lest  he  should  meet  with  something  of 
a  religious  kind,  that  would  reprove  his 
sins  and  harass  his  feelings.  At  length, 
in  1814,  when  in  his  fifty-sixth  year, 
he  determined  to  examine  its  contents. 
648 


When  he  reached  the  bottom,  he  dis- 
covered a  paper  neatly  folded,  and  en- 
dorsed— "  Tiie  prayer  of  Mitchell  K. 
for  blessings  on  his  wife  and  child. 
August  23,  1757."  He  read  it.  The 
scene,  the  time,  the  place  and  circum- 
stances  under  which  it  was  written  and 
put  there,  all  rushed  upon  his  mind, 
and  overwhelm.ed  him;  for  often  had 
his  widowed  mother  led  him  to  the 
beach,  and  pointed  to  him  the  direction 
on  the  horizon,  where  she  had  traced 
the  last  glimpse  of  flowing  canvas  that 
bore  his  father  from  her,  never  to  re- 
turn. He  threw  the  contents  back 
into  the  chest,  folded  up  the  prayer, 
and  put  it  in  the  case  with  his  father's 
quadrant,  locked  up  the  chest,  and  de- 
termined never  again  to  unlock  it. 
But  his  father's  prayer  still  haunted  his 
imagination,  and  he  could  not  forget  it. 
His  distress  then  became  extreme,  and 
a  woman  with  whom  he  sinfully  lived 
entreated  to  know  the  cause.  He  look- 
ed on  her  with  wildness,  and  replied, 
"  I  cannot  tell  you."  This  only  in- 
creased her  solicitude  ;  he  entreated 
her  to  withdraw  ;  as  she  left  the  room, 
she  cast  an  anxious  and  expressive  look 
on  him,  and  he  instantly  called  her 
back.  He  then,  with  all  the  feelings 
which  an  awakened  guilty  conscience 
could  endure,  told  her  the  cause  of  his 
agonies — his  father's  prayer  found  in 
the  old  oak  chest.  She  thought  him 
deranged,  his  neighbors  were  called  in 
to  comfort  him,  but  in  vain.  The 
prayer  had  inflicted  a  wound  which  the 
great  Physician  of  souls  only  could 
heal.  From  that  period  he  became  an 
altered  man.  He  married  this  woman, 
whom  he  had  formerly  seduced  ;  uni- 
ted himself  to  the  church  of  Christ, 
manumitted  his  slaves  ;  and  lived  and 
died  a  humble,  exemplary  Christian. 

(h)  PRAYER  FOR  THREE  SIS- 
TERS.— A  young  lady,  who  afterwards 
became  the  wife  of  an  American  mis- 
sionary, immediately  after  her  own  con- 
version, began  to  pray  and  use  means 
for  the  salvation  of  her  three  younger 
sisters.  Sho  began  and  continued  to 
act  systematically.  A  little  season  was 
devoted  every  week  to  pray  with  and 
for  them.  At  length,  He  who  is  both 
a  prayer-hearing  and  a  prayer-answer. 


PRAYER  ANSWERED. 


33S 


ing  God,  who  has  said,  "  Ask,  and  ye 
shall  receive,"  and  who  never  said, 
"  Seek  ye  me  in  vain,"  condescended  to 
give  her  a  gracious  answer.  The  three 
sisters  were  brought  to  bow  to  the  sceptre 
of  Jesus,  and  to  take  upon  them  the  pro- 
fession of  his  name.  After  their  conver- 
sion, the  prayer-meeting  became  doubly 
interesting  to  all ;  and  it  was  continued 
by  the  three,  for  whom  it  was  first  estab- 
lished, and  the  mother  occasionally 
united  with  them.  If  all  Christians 
were  thus  devoted  to  prayer,  how 
much  good  might  be  effected ! 

(i)  "  I  KNOW  WHAT  IS  THE 
MATTER." — A  gay,  dissipated  young 
man,  went  one  day  to  his  pious  mother, 
and  said,  "  Mother,  let  me  have  my 
best  clothes,  I  am  going  to  a  ball  to- 
night." She  expostulated  with  him,  and 
urged  him  not  to  go,  by  every  argu- 
ment in  her  power.  He  answered, 
*'  Mother,  let  me  have  my  clothes,  I 
will  go,  and  it  is  -  useless  to  say  any 
thing  about  it."  She  brought  his 
clothes ;  he  put  them  on,  and  was  go- 
ing out.  She  stopped  him,  and  said, 
"  My  child,  do  not  go."  He  said  he 
would  ;  she  then  said  to  him,  "  My 
son,  while  you  are  dancing  with  your 
gay  companions  in  the  ball-room,  I 
shall  be  out  in  that  wilderness  praying 
to  the  Lord  to  convert  your  soul."  He 
went ;  the  ball  commenced  ;  but  instead 
of  the  usual  gayety,  an  unaccountable 
gloom  pervaded  the  whole  assembly. 
One  said,  "  We  never  had  such  a  dull 
meeting  in  our  lives;"  another,  "I 
wish  we  had  not  come,  we  have  no 
life,  we  cannot  get  along  ;"  a  third,  "  I 
cannot  think  what  is  the  matter."  The 
young  man  instantly  burst  into  tears, 
and  said,  "  I  know  what  is  the  mat- 
ter ;  my  poor  old  mother  is  now  pray- 
ing in  yonder  wilderness  for  her  un- 
godly son."  He  took  his  hat,  and  said, 
"  I  will  never  be  found  in  such  a  place 
as  this  again,"  and  left  the  company. 
To  be  short,  the  Lord  converted  his 
soul.  He  became  a  member  of  the 
church — was  soon  after  taken  ill — and 
died  happy. 

(j)  A  FATHER  AND  HIS 
FRIENDS  PRAYING.— The  Boston 
Christian  Herald  relates  the  following 
instance  of  the  efficacy  of  prayer.     A 


gentleman  in  Boston  had  an  impenitent 
son  in  Vermont,  for  whose  salvation  he 
felt  extremely  anxious,  and  calling  on 
some  of  the  brethren  of  the  church, 
made  known  to  them  his  feelings,  and 
requested  them  to  go  with  him  and  pray 
that  his  son  might  be  converted  to  God. 
He  prevailed  on  his  brethren,  and  they 
joined  him  in  prayer. 

Not  long  after  this,  his  son  knocked 
at  his  father's  door  in  Boston  ;  his  father 
went  to  the  door,  and  his  son  on  seeing 
him,  exclaimed,  weeping,  "  I  have 
come  to  see  you  that  you  might  rejoice 
with  me  for  what  the  Lord  has  done  for 
my  soul."  His  father  inquired  at  what 
time  his  mind  was  first  arrested — he 
replied  on  such  an  evening,  about  eight 
o'clock.  His  father  remembered  it  was 
the  same  time,  at  which  he  and  his 
brethren  engaged  in  prayer  for  his  son, 
and  he  greatly  rejoiced  with  him  in  the 
goodness  of  God. 

(k)  THE  WIFE'S  LAST  PRAY- 
ER. — In  a  revival  that  occurred  some 
years  ago  in  New  England,  several 
hardened  men,  past  the  meridian  of  life, 
became  as  little  children,  and  were  ad- 
mitted to  the  church.  The  case  of  one 
excited  peculiar  attention.  He  had 
been  moral,  indeed,  but  ignorant  of  re- 
ligion, while  most  of  his  family  had 
become  members  of  the  church.  He 
had  withstood  the  gospel  so  long  that 
Christians  seemed  to  regard  his  case  as 
hopeless,  and  forgot  him  in  their  efforts 
and  supplications.  But  his  wife  had 
long  been  faithful  in  entreating  him, 
and  for  years  had  made  him  the  subject 
of  many  prayers.  And  now  she  felt 
moved  once  more  to  enter  her  closet  in 
his  behalf  and  submit  his  case,  with  an 
agonizing  effort,  fully  and  finally  to 
God's  disposal,  and  there  lay  down  for- 
ever the  burden  of  her  anxiety  on  his 
account.  After  long  wrestling,  she 
came  at  length  from  the  place  of  her 
intercessions,  and  finding  him  at  the  door 
engaged  with  his  axe,  she  begged  him 
in  a  farewell  entreaty,  for  her  sake  if 
not  for  his  own,  to  go  immediately  and 
pray  for  the  salvation  of  his  soul.  He 
seemed  amazed,  like  Saul  of  Tarsus 
when  the  voice  came  from  Heaven. 
He  stood  a  moment  trembling — the  axe 
fell  from  his  hand — and  he  replied,  "  / 
649 


333 


PRAYER. 


I 


will."  He  went  to  a  retired  place,  re- 
mained till  some  time  in  the  evening, 
and  when  he  returned  he  was  under 
deep  convictions.  He  began  from  this 
time  to  attend  all  the  meetings  for 
prayer  and  worship.  But  his  feelings 
were  unknown  to  Christians,  and  at  the 
close  of  the  solemn  meetings,  he  would 
linger  behind,  standing  apart,  neglected, 
and  gazing  at  the  group  of  happy  con- 
verts, a  lame  old  man  waiting  beside 
the  pool  and  none  to  help  him  into  the 
healing  waters.  His  wife  watched  his 
course,  and  said  but  little.  At  length 
the  light  broke  gradually  in  upon  his 
soul.  His  life  exhibited  a  marvelous 
change.  He  attended  every  meeting, 
old  as  he  was,  with  the  zeal  of  a  young 
convert  ;  he  confessed  Christ  before 
men,  and  resolved  to  erect  a  family  al- 
tar. After  knowing  such  a  fact  what 
wife  could  cease  praying  for  a  hus- 
band's conversion  ? 

(l)  PRAYER  FOR  AN  ABSENT 
BROTHER.— A  lady  in  New- York 
was  one  day  called  on  by  her  pastor, 
who  found  her  earnestly  telling  her 
newly  converted  husband,  of  the  assu- 
rance she  felt  that  the  Lord  had  heard 
her  prayer  for  the  conversion  of  an 
absent  brother,  who  was  engaged  in 
mercantile  business  at  the  South.  The 
husband,  though  recently  brought  to 
Christ  in  answer  to  her  prayers,  smiled 
incredulously  at  what  he  considered  her 
enthusiasm.  The  pastor  pointed  out 
some  passages  of  Scripture  which  war- 
ranted the  pious  woman,  as  he  thought, 
in  exercising  such  feelings  and  expec- 
tations, though  he  himself  was  but  half 
convinced  that  the  sequel  would  con- 
firm her  sanguine  hopes.  Her  own 
confidence,  however,  was  strengthened  ; 
she  felt  more  than  ever  assured  that 
God  had  heard  her  supplications. 

This  lady  had  previously  done  all  she 
could  by  writing  to  awaken  her  brother 
to  a  sense  of  his  condition  as  a  sinner, 
and  then  had  besieged  the  throne  of 
grace  in  his  behalf.  The  result  was 
that  as  soon  as  a  letter  could  come  from 
the  South,  she  received  a  letter  from 
him,  informing  her  that  on  that  same 
afternoon,  at  the  same  time  she  was 
bowing  her  knees  in  his  behalf  in  her 
closet,  and  her  soul  set  at  rest  concern- 
650 


ing  him,  he,  thousands  of  miles  away 
from  his  sister,  entered  into  his  chanj- 
ber  grieving  over  his  sins.  There  he 
made  a  full  surrender — there  he  knelt 
in  sorrow,  but  arose  rejoicing  in  Christ, 
(m)  PRAYER  MEETING  FOR 
THE  CONSUMPTIVE.— A  young 
lady  who  had  for  several  successive 
terms  been  connected  with  a  Seminary 
in  H.,  Mass.,  was  taken  sick  with  con- 
sumption. Her  amiable  disposition  and 
attractive  manners  had  won  for  her  the 
esteem  and  love  of  both  teacher  and 
classmates.  But  amiable  and  morally 
good  as  she  was,  she  was  entirely  des- 
titute of  that  grace  which  would  have 
added  lustre  to  all  her  virtues.  She 
was  not  a  Christian.  She  now  found 
herself  upon  a  sick  bed,  death  staring 
her  in  the  face,  "  without  God  and  with- 
out hope  in  the  world."  The  several 
clergymen  in  the  place,  visited  and 
conversed  with  her  day  after  day,  and 
yet,  believer  as  she  was  in  the  revealed 
truths  of  the  Gospel,  she  still  appeared 
unaffected.  Several  weeks  passed  on  ; 
her  disease  in  the  meantime  had  been 
making  rapid  inroads  upon  her  consti- 
tution, and  it  was  now  thought  that  she 
could  survive  but  a  short  time.  Her 
friends  renewed  their  efforts  to  bring  her 
to  Christ.  They  plainly,  but  affection- 
ately told  her  of  the  danger  to  which 
she  was  exposed,  and  urged  her  as  she 
valued  her  soul,  to  secure  its  salvation. 
She  appeared  to  have  clear  intellectual 
views  of  her  case,  and  expressed  a 
strong  desire  that  Go^  would  bring  her 
to  repentance,  but  seemed  disinclined 
to  make  any  effort  for  herself.  The 
pious  students  in  the  Seminary,  and 
some  of  her  classmates  in  an  especial 
manner,  felt  deeply  interested  in  her 
case,  and  one  of  them,  a  young  man, 
proposed  to  several  of  his  companions, 
that  they  should  commence  a  series  of 
prayer-meetings  for  the  purpose  of  mak- 
ing special  effort  for  her  conversion, 
and  continue  them  until  she  was  by  the 
blessing  of  God  converted.  And  the 
ensuing  evening  they  met,  a  little  band 
of  the  fiiithful  followers  of  the  Redeemer, 
and  he,  true  to  his  promise,  met  with 
them.  Each  in  his  turn,  feelingly  and 
fervently  presented  her  case  before  God, 
pleading  with  him  to  have  mercy  upon 


PRAYER  ANSWERED. 


333,  334 


her,  and  bring  her  to  a  saving  know- 
ledge of  his  grace. 

The  meeting  at  length  closed,  and 
they  parted  to  meet  again  the  next 
evening.  But  they  had  prayed  in 
'•'  faith  believing,"  and  he  who  has  pro- 
mised to  hear  and  answer  such  prayer, 
had  by  his  Spirit  been  operating  upon 
that  young  lady's  heart,  even  at  the 
very  time  that  others  were  interceding 
for  her  ;  and  the  next  morning,  these 
pious  students  had  the  satisfaction  of 
hearing  that  Miss  D had  acknow- 
ledged God  as  her  Savior,  and  was 
rejoicing  in  the  hope  of  immortal  life. 
She  was  converted  while  they  were 
praying  for  her.  She  gave  abundant 
evidence  of  the  genuineness  of  her  con- 
version, and  died  soon  after,  exclaiming 
"  Jesus  is  precious." 

(n)  THE  PIOUS  LAD  AND  HIS 
PERSECUTING  FATHER.  —  In 
1828  or  9,  a  lad  in  Kentucky  was  hope- 
fully converted,  whose  father  was  a 
decided  enemy  of  the  gospel  of  Christ ; 
and  while  his  affectionate  son  entreated 
him  with  tears  to  seek  the  favor  of  his 
Maker,  he  turned  away  with  scoffing 
and  profaneness. 

It  is  true  that  the  Christian  character 
shines  most  beautiful  in  adversity.  It 
gathers  fragrance  from  affliction.  So 
it  was  in  the  instance  before  us.  This 
lad  had  learned  in  the  school  of  Christ; 
and  though  he  received  in  return  the 
unkindest  treatment,  he  continued  his 
entreaties  to  his  ungrateful  parent. 

The  father  at  length  became  enraged, 
and  in  a  fit  of  passion  told  his  son  to 
quit  his  religion,  or  he  should  quit  his 
father's  house.  He  gave  him  until 
the  next  morning  to  decide  the  ques- 
tion. 

The  night,  as  we  may  well  suppose, 
was  spent  by  this  young  disciple  in 
laying  his  complaints  before  God  ;  and 
He  whose  ear  is  never  closed  to  the 
supplications  of  humble  and  contrite 
hearts,  was  graciously  pleased  to  afford 
him  relief. 

The  morning  came.  The  father,  firm 
to  his  purpose,  demanded  of  the  son  if 
he  had  made  his  decision.  "  Yes,  fa- 
ther," said  the  faithful  boy,  "  /  am 
decided  to  serve  God — to  serve  him  as 
long  as  I  live — and  I  feel  assured,  that 


'  when  my  father  and  my  mother  forsake 
me,  then  the  Lord  will  take  me  up.'  " — 
The  inflexible  father  directed  him  to 
the  door — to  leave  his  house  forever. 
The  son  begged  permission  to  pray  with 
his  parents  once  more,  before  he  bade 
them  a  final  adieu.  So  reasonable  a 
request  could  not  be  refused.  He 
kneeled  down  and  prayed.  The  full- 
ness of  his  soul  was  poured  out,  and  his 
ardent  cries  went  up  to  the  throne  of 
God.  The  Holy  Spirit  descended,  and 
both  father  and  mother  fell  upon  the 
floor,  under  the  oppressive  weight  of 
their  sins. 

When  the  lad  rose  from  his  knees, 
the  hearts  of  his  parents  relented  ;  they 
besought  him  to  tell  them  what  they 
should  do  to  be  saved.  In  the  spirit 
of  the  gospel  he  directed  them  to  the 
Lamb  of  God  which  taketh  away  the 
sins  of  the  world.  There  was  no  need 
of  his  entreaties  now.  God  had  opened 
their  eyes  to  see  the  enormity  of  their 
guilt,  and  they  could  never  have  peace 
till  they  found  it  in  the  hopes  of  the 
gospel.  These  hopes  they  were  aoon 
led  to  cherish,  and  at  the  time  this  ac- 
count was  related,  they  were  adorning 
the  church  of  Christ. 


UL  Prayer  Answered  by  the  Agency  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  in  Various  Interesting 
Revivah. 

(a.)    ASSURANCE   OF  A    REVI- 
VAL'S  APPROACH— There  was   a 

woman  in  New  Jersey,  in  a  place 
where  there  had  been  a  revival.  She 
was  very  positive  there  was  going  to  be 
another.  She  insisted  upon  it,  that  they 
had  had  the  former  rain,  and  were  now 
going  to  have  the  latter  rain.  She 
wanted  to  have  conference  meetings 
appointed.  But  the  minister  and  elders 
saw  nothing  to  encourage  it,  and  would 
do  nothing.  She  saw  they  were  blind, 
and  so  she  went  forward  and  got  a  car- 
penter to  make  seats  for  her,  for  she  said 
she  would  have  meetings  in  her  own 
house.  There  was  certainly  going  to  be 
a  revival.  She  had  scarcely  opened  her 
door  for  meetings,  before  the  Spirit  of 
God  came  down  in  great  power.  And 
these  sleepy  church  members  found 
themselves  surrounded  all  at  once  with 
651 


334,  335 


PRAYER. 


convicted  sinners.  And  they  could 
only  say,  "  Surely  the  Lord  was  in  this 
place  and  I  knew  it  not."  The  reason 
why  such  persons  understand  the  indi- 
cation of  God's  will,  is  not  because 
of  the  superior  wisdom  that  is  in  them, 
but  because  the  Spirit  of  God  leads 
them  to  see  the  signs  of  the  times. 
And  this  not  by  revelation,  but  they  are 
led  to  see  that  converging  of  providences 
to  a  single  point,  which  produces  in 
them  a  confident  expectation  of  a  cer- 
tain result. 

(h)  THE  POOR  BLACKSMITH'S 
POWER  WITH  GOD.— In  a  certain 
town,  says  Mr.  Finney,  there  had  been 
no  revival  for  many  years ;  the  church 
was  nearly  run  out,  the  youth  were  all 
unconverted,  and  desolation  reigned  un- 
broken. There  lived  in  a  retired  part 
of  the  town,  an  aged  man,  a  blacksmith 
by  trade,  and  of  so  stammering  a  tongue 
that  it  was  painful  to  hear  him  speak. 
On  one  Friday,  as  he  was  at  work  in 
his  shop,  alone,  his  mind  became  greatly 
exercised  about  the  state  of  the  church, 
and  of  the  impenitent.  His  agony  be- 
came so  great,  that  he  was  induced  to 
lay  aside  his  work,  lock  the  shop  door, 
and  spend  the  afternoon  in  prayer. 

He  prevailed,  and  on  the  Sabbath, 
called  on  the  minister  and  desired  him 
to  appoint  a  conference  meeting.  After 
some  hesitation,  the  minister  consented, 
observing,  however,  that  he  feared  but 
few  would  attend.  He  appointed  it  the 
same  evening,  at  a  large  private  house. 
When  evening  came,  more  assembled 
than  could  be  accommodated  in  the 
house.  All  was  silent  for  a  time,  until 
one  sinner  broke  out  in  tears,  and  said, 
if  any  one  could  pray,  he  begged  him  to 
pray  hrhim.  Another  followed,  and  an- 
other, and  still  another,  until  it  was  found 
that  persons  from  every  quarter  of  the 
town  were  under  deep  convictions.  And 
what  was  remarkable,  was,  that  they  all 
dated  their  conviction  at  the  hour  when 
the  old  man  was  praying  in  his  shop. 
A  powerful  revival  followed.  Thus 
this  old  stammering  man  prevailed,  and, 
as  a  prince,  had  power  with  God. 

(c)  REVIVAL   WITHOUT  A  MI- 
NISTER.—The  following    facts  were 
stated  by  Rev.   Mr.  Crane,  at   a  mis- 
sionary meeting  in  New- York  city. 
652 


Not  four  miles  from  my  residence, 
said  Mr.  Crane,  in  the  western  part  of 
this  state,  there  was  to  be  found  a  few 
years  since,  a  most  abandoned  and  pro- 
fligate set  of  men,  who  disregarded  re- 
ligion and  despised  its  power.  In  the 
course  of  Providence,  a  professor  of  re- 
ligion from  Connecticut  happened  to 
come  amongst  them.  He  mourned  over 
their  state,  and  wet  his  couch  with  his 
tears.  He  prayed  unceasingly  that  he 
might  see  the  souls  of  those  around  him 
saved.  One  was  finally  brought  to  a 
knowledge  of  the  truth,  and  with  him 
joined  in  prayer.  A  revival  of  religion 
followed ;  and  soon  there  were  to  be 
numbered  fifteen  professing  Christians. 
In  answer  to  their  prayers  another  in- 
crease was  experienced ;  a  proposal 
was  then  made  to  send  for  a  missionary 
that  should  labor  amongst  them.  To 
this  the  aged  father  of  the  colony  ob- 
jected, trusting  that  He  who  had  helped 
them  thus  far,  would  not  permit  them 
to  fail.  No  minister  came  among  them 
until  their  number  amounted  to  fifty- 
four,  and  they  were  able  to  build  a 
church,  and  settle  one  with  a  salary 
adequate  to  his  support.  All  this  with- 
out any  preaching,  other  than  the  ex- 
ample ana  prayers  of  a  single  Christian. 

S^i  Various  Examples  of  the  Power  of^ 
Prayer. 

{a)  DR.  MASON  AND  THE  DY- 
ING UNITARIAN.— The   Rev.   Dr. 

Mason,  of  New- York,  was  once  re- 
quested to  visit  a  lady  in  dying  circum- 
stances, who,  together  with  her  husband, 
openly  avowed  infidel  principles,  though 
they  attended  on  his  ministry.  On  ap- 
proaching her  bedside,  he  asked  her  if 
she  felt  herself  a  sinner,  and  perceived 
the  need  of  a  Savior.  She  frankly  told 
him,  she  did  not ;  and  that  she  wholly 
disbelieved  the  doctrine  of  a  Mediator. 
"Then,"  said  the  doctor,  "I  have  no 
consolation  for  you  ;  not  one  word  of 
comfort.  There  is  not  a  single  passage 
in  the  Bible  that  warrants  me  to  speak 
peace  to  any  one  who  rejects  the  Me- 
diator provided  for  lost  sinners.  You 
must  abide  the  consequences  of  your 
infidelity."  Saying  that,  he  was  on  the 
point  of  leaving  the  room,  when  some 


POWER  OF  PRAYER. 


335 


one  said,  "  Well,  but  doctor,  if  you 
cannot  speak  consolation  to  her,  you 
can  pray  for  her."  To  this  he  assented, 
and  kneeling  down  by  the  bedside, 
prayed  for  her  as  a  guilty  sinner,  just 
sinking  into  hell ;  and  then  arising 
from  his  knees,  he  left  the  house.  A 
day  or  two  after,  he  received  a  letter 
from  the  lady  herself,  earnestly  desiring 
that  he  would  come  and  see  her  without 
delay.  He  immediately  obeyed  the 
summons  ;  but  what  was  his  amaze- 
ment, when,  on  entering  the  room,  she 
held  out  her  hand  to  him,  and  said,  with 
a  benignant  smile,  "  It  is  all  true  ;  all 
that  you  said  on  Sunday  is  true.  I 
have  seen  myself  the  wretched  sinner 
which  you  described  me  to  be  in  prayer. 
I  have  seen  Christ  that  all-sufficient  Sa- 
vior you  said  he  was;  and  God  has 
mercifully  snatched  me  from  the  abyss 
of  infidelity  in  which  I  was  sunk,  and 
placed  me  on  the  Rock  of  ages.  There 
1  am  secure ;  there  I  shall  remain.  I 
know  in  whom  I  have  believed  !"  All 
this  was  like  a  dream  to  him  ;  but  she 
proceeded,  and  displayed  as  accurate  a 
knowledge  of  the  way  of  salvation  re- 
vealed in  the  gospel,  and  as  firm  a  re- 
liance on  it,  as  if  she  had  been  a  dis- 
ciple of  Christ  for  many  years.  Yet 
there  was  nothing  like  boasting  or 
presumption — all  was  humility,  resigna- 
tion and  confidence.  She  charged  her 
husband  to  educate  their  daughter  in 
the  fear  of  God  ;  and,  above  ail,  to  keep 
from  her  those  novels  and  books  of  infi- 
del sentimentality,  by  which  she  had 
been  nearly  brought  to  ruin.  On  the 
evening  of  the  same  day,  she  expired  in 
fullness  of  joy  and  peace  in  believing. 

(b)  THE  MURDERERS  OVER- 
AWED.— Maree,  a  Polynesian,  was  a 
man  of  fine  natural  talents,  and  was 
not  destitute  of  acquired  ones  ;  being 
able  to  read  and  write  well,  and  ac- 
quainted with  some  of  the  first  rules  of 
arithmetic.  He  was  possessed  of  a  sur- 
prisiixg  memory,  a  quick  perception, 
and  a  good  understanding,  with  a  sound 
and  penetrating  judgment ;  while,  to 
crown  all,  he  was  a  man  of  genuine 
piety  and  ardent  zeal  in  the  Savior's 
cause.  He  was  one  of  the  first  who 
publicly  embraced  Christianity  among 
these  islanders,  and,  before  it  became 


general,  his  life  was  often  in  jeopardy, 
through  his  profession  of  it.  More  than 
one  attempt  was  made,  by  a  number  of 
wicked  men,  to  shoot  him,  and  a  little 
praying  company  who  used  to  meet 
with  him  that  they  might  together  wor- 
ship the  true  God.  On  one  occasion, 
these  men  having  found  him  and  his 
little  party  at  prayer  in  a  place  appro- 
priated for  the  purpose,  leveled  their 
muskets  at  them,  with  a  view  to  execute 
their  cruel  design,  when,  as  though 
withheld  by  an  unseen  hand,  their  at- 
tention was  arrested  by  the  prayers 
offering  up  by  the  intended  victims  of 
their  fury.  The  effect  was  instantane- 
ous and  powerful.  Abandoning  their 
murderous  purpose,  they  went  in  and 
sat  down  with  Maree  and  his  company, 
confessed  what  their  intention  had  been, 
and  told  them  not  to  be  afraid,  as  they 
should  not  molest  them  any  more; 
which  promise  they  kept. 

(c)  "SHOW  THEM  THY  CROSS." 
— Says  a  pastor  in  one  of  the  Middle 
States,  during  a  pleasing  and  powerful 
revival  of  religion,  having  but  very 
few  male  members  to  take  part  in  the 
prayer  meetings,  I  was  accustomed  oc- 
casionally to  call  on  one  or  two  females, 
to  whom  the  voice  of  the  community 
by  general  consent  seemed  to  have  con- 
ceded  the  propriety  of  the  exercise  in 
such  meetings.  While  one  was  thus 
engaged,  all  was  solemnity,  anxiety,  and 
agony,  with  twenty  or  more  anxious 
souls  around  us.  She  prayed,  "  Show 
them  thy  cross  and  lead  them  to  it ;  en- 
able them  to  see  the  sufferer  there,  and 
the  blood  thou  hast  shed  in  their  behalf. ^^ 
These, words  came  like  the  rising  sun 
upon  the  mind  of  an  intelligent  man 
then  in  agony  .among  the  anxious,  and 
were  like  balm  to  his  soul.  His  guilt 
and  danger  were  in  full  view,  but  now 
he  saw  the  ground  of  hope  and  safety- 
and  gladly  resorted  to  it,  submitted,  be- 
lieved and  rejoiced  ;  and  before  he  left 
the  house  told  us  of  the  relief  and  peace 
he  had  found.  But  while  these  words 
seemed  to  give  life  to  one,  they  at  the 
same  moment  smote  another. 

There  was  standing  a  little  on  one 
side,  an  intelligent,  influential,  but  stub- 
born  young   man,    observing    all   that 
passed ;    and   as   these   words   of  that 
653 


335 


PRAYER. 


prayer  fell  upon  his  ear  in  all  the  feel- 
ing earnestness  in  which  they  were  ut- 
tered, he  said  they  came  like  a  bolt 
from  heaven ;  his  muscles  relaxed,  his 
knees  gave  way,  and  he  sank  upon  the 
seat  by  him  as  weak  as  water.  He 
passed  through  a  season  of  deep  dis- 
tress, obtained  peace  with  the  former, 
became  an  active,  devoted  and  efficient 
Christian  ;  and  is  now  a  leading  mem- 
ber of  a  prosperous  church,  and  su- 
perintendent of  a  flourishing  Sabbath 
School. 

(d)  NONE  PRAYS  FOR  ME.— A 
writer  in  the  N.  Y.  Evangelist  says : 

Whilst  a  meeting  of  much  interest 
was  going  on  in  a  certain  country  town 
in  Virginia,  Mr.  K.,  a  pious  young  man, 
selected  a  young  lawyer  who  was  a 
noted  scorner,  and  made  him  the  sub- 
ject of  special  prayer.  About  two  days 
afterwards,  the  young  lawyer  came  to 
the  house  where  the  pastor  was.  I  my- 
self was  in  the  same  house  at  this  time, 
but  being  particularly  engaged  I  re- 
quested the  pastor  to  speak  to  him. 
"  O,"  says  he,  "  he  is  not  serious." 
Yes,  I  replied,  he  must  be,  or  he  would 
not  come  here.  "  I  know  him  better 
than  you  do,"  said  the  pastor,  "  he  is 
a  scorner.  There  is  no  hope  of  him." 
The  young  lawyer  was  permitted  to 
depart,  I  believe  without  a  single  reli- 
gious remark  having  been  made  to  him. 
My  conjectures  were  true.  He  was 
then  under  awakening  influences,  and 
a  few  days  afterwards  he  professed  con- 
version ! 

Perhaps  two  weeks  after  that,  this 
young  lawyer  was  riding  along  the 
road  on  his  way  to  a  protracted yneet- 
ing,  about  to  be  held  in  an  adjacent 
county.  Before  he  reacjhed  the  place 
he  fell  in  with  another  young  man,  Mr. 
P.,  going  to  the  same  meeting.  Reli- 
gious conversation  was  introduced,  and 
the  hopefully  converted  sinner  spoke 
freely  of  the  change  of  views  and  feel- 
ings which  he  had  experienced,  and 
ascribed  them,  under  God,  to  the  pray- 
ers of  his  friend,  Mr.  K.,  who  selected 
him  as  the  subject  of  special  prayer. 
"Ah,"  said  Mr.  P.,  "I  had  friends 
once  who  used  to  pray  for  me ;  but  I 
have  been  so  careless,  so  wicked,  they 
don't  think  it  worth  while  to  pray  for 
654 


me  now.  They  have  all  given  nje  up. 
There  is  not  one,  I  suppose,  on  earth, 
who  remembers  me  in  prayer."  "  O, 
yes,"  replied  the  young  lawyer,  "  there 
is  one  I  know."  "  Who  is  it  ?"  quickly 
asked  Mr.  P.  "  The  very  same  who 
prayed  for  me,  has  made  you  the  sub- 
ject of  special  prayer."  "  Is  it  possi- 
ble !"  said  Mr.  P. ;  and  throwing  him- 
self back,  he  had  well  nigh  fallen  from 
the  horse  upon  wliich  he  was  riding. 
From  that  moment  he  waked  up  to  the 
claims  of  his  undying  soul.  A  few 
days  after,  with  great  joy,  he  was  tell- 
ing to  all  around,  what  a  dear  Savior 
he  had  found  ! — Blessed  be  God,  the 
effectual  fervent  prayer  of  a  righteous 
man  availeth  much. 

(e)  A  DUEL  BROKEN  UP.— A 
pious  young  man  in  the  army,  not 
having  a  place  in  the  barracks  in  which 
he  was  quartered,  wherein  he  could 
pour  out  his  soul  unto  God  in  secret, 
went  for  this  purpose  one  dark  night 
into  a  large  field  adjoining.  Here  he 
thought  that  no  human  being  could  see 
or  hear  him.  But  that  God  whose 
thoughts  and  ways  are  superior  to  ours, 
ordained  otherwise.  Two  wicked  men 
belonging  to  the  same  regiment,  in 
whose  hearts  enmity  had  long  existed 
against  each  other,  were  resolved,  as 
they  said,  to  end  it  that  night  in  a  bat- 
tle. They  chose  the  same  field  to  fight 
in,  where  the  other  had  *gone  to  pray. 
The  field,  however,  was  large,  and  they 
might  have  taken  different  ways;  but 
they  were  led  by  Providence  to  the 
same  spot  where  the  young  man  was  en- 
gaged in  his  delightful  exercise.  They 
were  surprised  at  hearing,  as  they 
thought,  a  voice  in  the  field  at  that 
time  of  night ;  and  much  more  so  when 
they  drew  nearer,  and  heard  a  man  at 
prayer.  They  halted,  and  gave  atten- 
tion ;  and  the  effect  of  the  prayer  was 
to  turn  their  mutual  aversion  into  love. 
They  took  each  other  instantly  by  the 
hand,  and  cordially  confessed  that  there 
remained  no  longer  in  either  of  their 
breasts  hatred  against  each  other. 

(/)  A  BALL  BROKEN  UP.— In 
a  certain  place,  where  there  had  for  a 
long  time  been  no  revival,  there  was  to 
be  a  splendid  ball.  There  were  three 
very  pious  and  devoted  Christians  in 


POWER  OF  PRAYER. 


335 


the  village  who  mourned  over  the  exces- 
sive dissipation  and  folly  of  the  rising  ge- 
neration, and  especially  over  the  coming 
ball.  They  naturally  feared  it  would 
do  much  to  deepen  the  disrelish  of  the 
youth  for  sacred  things,  and  to  entrench 
them  more  securely  in  the  charmed 
circle  of  worldlines  and  vanity.  They 
knew  no  means  to  prevent  the  ball,  and 
they  determined  on  the  evening  of  the 
dance,  to  meet  together  and  carry  the 
case  to  God,  and  beseech  Him  to  con- 
found this  artful  scheme  of  Satan  to 
delude  and  ruin  the  young.  They 
prayed  with  earnestness,  and  with  faith, 
wrestling  as  Jacob  did  with  the  angel 
of  God.  Ere  long  they  arose  from 
their  knees,  believing  their  supplica- 
tions had  found  audience  in  heaven. 
How  was  it  ?  Soon  after  the  ball  com- 
menced, a  young  lady  was  led  out  on 
the  floor  to  dance,  and  being  struck 
with  an  awful  sense  of  her  guilt  and 
madness,  she  fell  down  on  her  knees, 
and  in  the  utmost  agony  and  horror  of 
conscience,  began  to  cry  to  God  to  have 
mercy  on  her  soul.  Confusion,  sadness, 
and  dismay  spread  like  fire  through  all 
the  circle,  music  and  mirth  suddenly 
ceased,  and  all  returned  to  their  homes. 
Was  not  this  the  finger  of  God  ?  Was 
not  this  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  ? 
Was  not  His  promise  verified  to  the 
two  or  three,  who  were  agreed  as  touch- 
ing one  thing  ? 

(g)  SCHOOLMASTER  PREPA- 
RING TO  PRAY.  — A  minister  re- 
lates  a  very  extraordinary  fact,  which 
he  had  from  a  gentleman  of  respectabi- 
lity. In  one  of  the  Southern  cities,  an 
instructor  was  wanted  to  take  the  charge 
of  a  school.  A  gentleman  well  quali- 
fied by  talents,  made  application  for  the 
situation,  and  was  appointed.  On  be- 
coming acquainted  with  the  duties 
which  he  must  perform,  he  found,  to  his 
surprise,  that  one  of  the  requisitions 
which  were  made  on  the  instructor  was, 
that  he  must  daily  open  the  school  by 
prayer.  As  he  was  an  infidel  in  his 
opinions,  this  was  to  him  an  appalling 
condition.  How  could  he,  with  his  pecu- 
liar views,  attempt  to  pray  to  a  God,  in 
whose  existence  and  attributes  he  did 
not  believe  ?  Here  was  a  mortal  strug- 
gle.    As,  however,  he  greatly  coveted 


the  situation,  to  which  at  his  own  re- 
quest he  had  been  appointed,  he  came 
to  the  conclusion  he  would  endeavor  to 
surmount  the  difficulty,  by  learning  in 
some  way  a  form  of  prayer.  The  time 
drawing  near  when  he  must  open  the 
school,  he  retired  to  a  forest  of  woods 
in  the  vicinity,  where  he  might  be  per- 
fectly free  in  expressing  himself  audi- 
bly and  without  interruption,  resolving 
to  do  so  as  if  it  were  the  first  day  of 
opening  the  school.  He  commenced, 
but  before  leaving  the  woods,  light 
darted  on  his  mind,  and  conviction 
arrested  his  conscience.  He  became 
deeply  sensible  of  the  being  and  per- 
fections of  Almighty  God,  against  whom 
he  had  transgressed  in  denying  his  ex- 
istence ;  and  when  the  season  arrived 
for  commencing  his  duties  as  a  teacher, 
he  had  become  a  true  Christian,  and  he 
prayed  with  the  unction  and  penitence 
of  the  publican.  He  became  the  in- 
strument of  the  conversion  of  a  number 
of  his  pupils,  and  was  afterwards  an 
acceptable  and  highly  popular  preacher 
of  the  gospel. 

(7i)  PRAYER  ON  HORSEBACK. 
— A  young  lady,  says  a  writer  in  the 
Pastor's  Journal,  in  making  a  visit  to 
one  of  her  acquaintance,  took  an  unfre- 
quented path  through  a  deeply  shaded 
grove  ;  and  as  the  day  was  very  warm, 
after  pursuing  her  walk  some  distance 
up  a  somewhat  steep  acclivity,  she 
stopped  to  rest  her  on  a  beautiful  mossy 
bank.  While  seated  there,  the  tones 
of  a  human  voice  very  unexpectedly 
broke  upon  her  ear.  On  turning  her 
eye  the  way  from  whence  it  came,  she 

saw   Deacon  M on   horseback, 

making  his  way  up  the  same  hill.  The 
thought  occurred  to  her  that  she  would 
retire  from  the  sight  of  the  road,  let 
him  pass,  and  remain  undiscovered. 
This  she  did.  As  Deacon  M ap- 
proached leisurely  on  his  horse,  she 
was  wondering  what  could  be  his  object 
in  being  so  busily  employed  in  talking 
to  himself,  as  she  could  distinctly  dis- 
cover that  no  fellow  mortal  accompa- 
nied him.  As  he  drew  nearer,  and  she 
could  hear  his  voice  more  plainly,  she 
ascertained  that  he  was  engaged  in 
prayer.  The  only  sentence  that  lefl  a 
distinct  impression  on  her  mind  was, 
655 


336 


PRAYER. 


"  O  Lord  have  mercy  on  the  dear  youth 
in  this  place."  He  passed  on,  praying, 
till  the  sounds  which  came  from  his 
lips  died  away  on  her  ear.  But  an  im- 
pression was  made  upon  her  heart,  as 
it  may  be  hoped,  which  will  never  die 
away,  but  prepare  her  to  mingle  in  the 
symphonies  of  the  redeemed  in  ascrib- 
ing salvation  to  God  and  the  Lamb.  A 
new  discovery  respecting  Christians  was 
at  this  instant  made  to  her.  "  Is  this 
the  manner,"  she  reflected  with  herself, 
"  in  which  they  live,  and  pass  on  their 
way  about  the  town  ?  Do  they  thus 
pray  for  the  youth  ?  How  unlike  a 
Christian  have  I  lived  !  I  have  never 
prayed  in  this  manner :  I  have  seldom 
thought  of  the  souls  of  others,  and  cared 
but  very  little  for  my  own.  While 
others  pray  for  me,  I  live  without  prayer 
for  myself." 

Her  sins,  particularly  her  neglect 
of  prayer  to  Him  who  is  every  where, 
now  became  a  distressing  burden  to 
her.  Soon,  we  have  had  reason  to  hope, 
there  was  joy  among  the  angels  of  God 
over  her  as  a  penitent,  and  over  many 
others  in  the  town.  She  was  first  awa- 
kened in  a  revival. 

§36.  Mlscallaiieous  Facts  Respecting  Prayer. 

(a)  MASSA,  YOU  NO  UNDER- 
STAND IT.— There  once  lived  in  one 
of  our  large  cities  a  poor  colored  woman, 
named  Betty,  who  had  been  confined 
by  sickness  for  nearly  twenty  years. 
By  the  few  friends  that  knew  her  she 
was  familiarly  called  poor  Betty.  Betty 
had  seen  comfortable  days.  She  had 
long  been  blind,  and  was  said  to  be  105 
years  old. 

Mr.  B.  was  a  man  of  wealth  and 
business  in  the  same  city.  His  signa- 
ture was  better  than  silver  on  the  ex- 
change,  because  it  was  more  easily 
transferred.  His  sails  whitened  the 
ocean,  his  charity  gladdened  many 
hearts,  and  his  family  gave  impulse  to 
many  benevolent  operations.  Notwith- 
standing the  pressure  of  business,  Mr.  B. 
often  found  time  to  drop  in  and  see 
what  became  of  poor  Betty.  His  voice, 
and  even  his  step  had  become  familiar 
to  her,  and  always  lighted  up  a  smile 
656 


on  her  dark  wrinkled  face.  He  would 
often  say  some  pleasant  things  to 
cheer  this  lonely  pilgrim  on  her  way  to 
Zion. 

One  day  Mr.  B.  took  a  friend  from 
the  country  to  see  Betty.  As  he  stop- 
ped and  entered  the  cottage  door,  he 
said,  "  Ah,  Betty,  you  are  alive  yet." 
"  Yes,  tank  God,"  said  Betty.  "  Betty,' ' 
said  he,  "  why  do  you  suppose  God 
keeps  you  so  long  in  this  world,  poor, 
and  sick,  and  blind,  when  you  might  go 
to  heaven  and  enjoy  so  much  1" 

While  Mr.  B.'s  tone  and  manner 
were  half  sportive,  he  yet  uttered  a 
serious  thought  which  had  more  than 
once  come  over  his  mind.  Now  comes 
the  sermon. 

Betty  assumed  her  most  serious  and 
animated  tone  and  replied,  "  Ah,  massa, 
you  no  understand  it.      Dare   be  two 

'  great  things  to  do  for  de  church ;  one 
be  to  pray  for  it,  toder  he  to  act  for  it. 
Now,  massa,  God  keep  me  alive  to  pray 

i  for  de  church,  and  he  keep  you  alive  to 
act  for  it.  Your  great  gifts  no  do  much 
good,  massa,  without  poor  Betty's  pray- 
ers." 

For  a  few  moments  Mr.  B.  and  his 
friend  stood  silent,  thrilled,  and  aston- 
ished. They  felt  the  knowledge,  the 
dignity,  the  moral  sublimity  of  this  short 
sermon.  It  seemed  to  draw  aside  the 
veil  a  little,  and  let  them  into  heaven's 
mysteries.  "  Yes,  Betty,"  replied  Mr. 
B.,  in  the  most  serious  and  subdued 
tones,  "  your  prayers  are  of  more  im- 
portance to  the  church  than  my  alms." 
This  short  sermon  preached  by  poor 
Betty,  was  never  forgotten  by  Mr.  B. 
or  his  friend.  It  made  them  more 
prayerful,  more  submissive  in  affiic- 
tions. 

(b)  GOD  LESS  CRITICAL  THAN 
MEN. — "  My  grandfather,"  says  Mr. 
Orton,  "  once  solicited  a  very  excellent 
but  modest  minister  to  pray  in  his  family 
when  there  were  several  others  present ; 
he  desired  to  be  excused,  alleging  that 
he  had  not  thought  of  it,  and  there  were 
so  many  other  ministers  present." 
My  grandfather  replied,  "  Sir,  you  are 
to  speak  to  your  master,  and  not  to  them, 
and  my  Bible  tells  me,  he  is  not  so  criti- 
cal and  censorious  as  men  are." 


PRIDE. 


337 


337.  PRIDE. 


(a)  HOWARD  AND  THE  COUN- 
TESS. —  The  eminently  great  and 
good  Howard,  the  philanthropist,  neither 
wanted  courage  or  talent  to  administer 
reproof  where  he  thought  it  was  needed. 
A  German  count,  governor  of  Upper 
Austria,  with  his  countess,  called  one 
day  on  a  man  who  had  excited  so  large 
a  share  of  the  public  attention.  The 
count  asked  him  the  state  of  the  prisons 
within  his  department.  Mr.  Howard 
replied,  "  The  worst  in  all  Germany  ;" 
and  advised  that  the  countess  should 
visit  the  female  prisoners.  "  I,"  said 
she,  haughtily  ;  "  1  go  into  prisons  !" 
and  rapidly  hastened  down  stairs  in 
great  anger.  Howard,  indignant  at  her 
proud  and  unfeeling  disposition,  loudly 
called  alter  her,  "  Madam,  remember 
that  you  are  a  woman  yourself,  and  you 
must  soon,  like  the  most  miserable  fe- 
male prisoner  in  a  dungeon,  inhabit  but 
a  small  space  of  that  earth  from  which 
you  equally  originated." 

(b)  THE  CHIEF'S  INQUIRY.— 
A  petty  African  prince  who  was  visit- 
ed in  his  cell  by  an  English  traveler, 
folded  his  arms  with  an  air  of  imperial 
consequence,  as  he  sat  upon  the  floor, 
and  demanded  of  his  guest,  "  What  do 
they  think  of  me  in  Europe  ?" 

(c)  THE  CONQUEROR  CON- 
QUERED. —  Tigranes,  an  ancient 
monarch  of  Pontus,  furnishes  a  striking 
instance  of  the  uncertainty  of  worldly 
possessions.  At  the  beginning  of  his 
reign  his  dominions  were  small ;  but 
he  overthrew  many  cities  of  Parthia 
and  Greece,  conquered  the  whole  of 
Syria  and  Palestine,  and  gave  laws  to 
the  Scenites  of  Arabia  :  he  acquired  an 
authority  which  was  respected  by  all 
the  princes  of  Asia,  and  was  honored 
by  the  people  almost  with  adoration. 
His  pride  was  inflamed  and  supported 
by  the  immense  riches  he  possessed,  by 
the  excessive  and  continual  praises  of 
his  flatterers,  and  by  a  prosperity  which 
had  never  known  an  interruption.  He 
knew  no  law  but  his  own  will,  and  as- 
sumed the  title  of  king  of  kings !  So 
far  did  he  carry  his  pride  as  to  be  wait^ 
42 


ed  on  by  crowned  heads.  He  never  ap- 
peared in  public  without  the  attendance 
of  four  kings  on  foot,  two  on  each  side 
of  his  horse ;  these  persons  performed 
for  him  the  meanest  services,  especially 
when  he  gave  audience  to  foreign 
ambassadors.  On  such  occasions  they 
were  compelled  to  appear  in  the  habits 
and  posture  of  slaves.  Such  pride  is 
universally  hateful,  and  is  sure  to  be 
ultimately  punished.  Tigranes  was 
compelled  to  resign  his  dominions  to 
Pompey,  who  only  restored  to  him  a 
small  part  of  his  power. 

(d)  THE  ANGRY  MONK.— "I  re- 
member," says  a  keen  writer,  "when  at 
Tivoli,  near  Rome,  conversing  with  a 
monk,  who  with  a  face  of  much  sorrow 
told  me,  that  he  was  a  great  rascal  and 
the  chiefest  of  sinners,  worse  than 
Judas  Iscariot,  and  altogether  vile.  I 
said  to  him  in  reply,  '  Alas,  my  poor 
friend,  it  is  but  too  true,'  and  then  the 
man  got  very  angry,  and  would  not  talk 
with  me  any  more  !" 

(e)  THE  PEDANT  SILENCED. 
— At  a  dinner  party  one  of  the  com-^ 
pany  challenged  any  person  to  start  a 
question  to  which  he  could  not  give  a 
satisfactory  answer.  All  were  silent, 
till  a  worthy  clergyman  said,  "  This 
plate  furnishes  me  with  a  question — 
Here  is  a  fish  tKat  has  always  lived  in 
salt  water ;  pray  tell  me  why  it  should 
come  out  a  fresh  fish,  and  not  a  salt 
one  ?"  The  boaster  was  silenced  :  nor 
was  there  one  in  the  room  who  envied 
him  his  feelings. 

(/)  SOCRATES  AND  ALCIBI- 
ADES. — One  'day,  when  Alcibiades 
was  boasting  of  his  wealth  and  the  great 
estates  he  had  in  possession,  which  gen- 
erally feed  the  pride  of  young  people 
of  high  rank,  Socrates  carried  him  to  a 
geographical  map,  and  asked  him  to  find 
Attica.  It  could  scarcely  be  perceived 
upon  the  draught ;  he  found  it,  how- 
ever, though  with  much  diflSculty  ;  but 
upon  being  desired  to  point  out  his  own 
estate  there,  "  It  is  too  small,"  said  he, 
"  to   be   distinguished    in    so   little    a 


space. 


"  See,  then,"  replied  the  phi 
657 


337 


PRIDE. 


losopher,  "  how  much  you  are  affected 
about  an  imperceptible  point  of  land  !" 

(g)  AFFECTED  HUMILITY  AND 
REAL  PRIDE.  —  Thomas  a  Becket, 
who  was  afterwards  primate  of  England, 
was  a  strange  compound  of  affected 
humility  and  real  pride.  While  he  per- 
formed the  lowly  office  of  washing  the 
feet  of  thirteen  beggars  every  morning, 
his  supercilious,  obstinate,  and  turbulent 
spirit  assumed  a  proud,  overbearing, 
spiritual  authority  over  his  sovereign, 
whom  he  was  in  the  habit  of  treating 
with  all  the  insolence  of  a  licensed 
censor. 

(h)  THE  BOASTER  BECOMING 
AN  IDIOT.— Simon  Tournay  affords 
a  memorable  and  affecting  proof  of  the 
truth  of  that  scripture,  "  Professing 
themselves  to  be  wise,  they  became 
fools."  In  1201,  after  he  had  excelled 
all  Oxford  in  learning,  and  had  become 
so  eminent  at  Paris  as  to  be  made  chief 
doctor  of  the  Sorbonne,  he  was  so  puffed 
up  with  foolish  pride  as  to  hold  Aris- 
totle superior  to  Moses  and  Christ,  and 
yet  but  equal  to  himself.  In  his  latter 
days,  however,  he  grew  such  an  idiot 
as  not  to  know  one  letter  in  a  book,  or 
to  remember  one  thing  he  had  ever 
done. 

(i)  TRIUMPHING  BEFORE  THE 
BATTLE.—"  Nothing,"  says  Bishop 
Home,  "  can  be  got,  but  much  may  be 
lost,  by  triumphing  before  a  battle. 
When  Charles  V  invaded  France,  he 
lost  his  generals  and  a  great  part  of  his 
army  by  famine  and  disease  ;  and  re- 
turned baffled  and  thoroughly  mortified 
from  an  enterprise  which  he  began  with 
such  confidence  of  its  happy  issue  that 
he  desired  Paul  Jovius,  the  historian,  to 
make  a  large  provision  of  paper  suffi- 
cient to  record  the  victories  which  he 
was  going  to  acquire." 

( j)  THE  GAY  GIRL'S  DEATH.— 
A  young  lady,  eighteen  years  of  age, 
in  the  city  of  New- York,  was  brought 
up  by  her  parents  in  all  the  gayety  and 
follies  of  youth ;  by  them  encouraged 
to  ornament  her  person,  and  engage  in 
every  vain  amusement.  When  she  was 
taken  ill,  three  physicians  were  sent  for 
immediately,  who  pronounced  her  to  be 
near  her  dying  hour.  No  sooner  was 
their  opinion  made  known  to  her,  than 
658 


she  requested  as  a  favor,  that  all  her 
gay  companions  might  be  collected  with 
haste.  They  were  soon  around  her 
bed,  when  she  told  them  she  was  going 
to  die — described  the  awful  manner  in 
which  they  had  spent  their  precious 
time,  and  exhorted  them  all  to  repent- 
ance before  it  was  too  late,  in  a  very 
affecting  manner.  She  then,  turning 
to  her  father  and  mother,  addressed  to 
them,  in  the  presence  of  her  acquaint- 
ances, these  heart-rending  words :  "  You 
have  been  the  unhappy  instruments  of 
my  being;  you  fostered  me  in  pride, 
and  led  me  in  the  paths  of  sin ;  you 
never  once  warned  me  of  my  danger, 
and  now  it  is  too  late.  In  a  few  hours 
you  will  have  to  cover  me  with  earth  ; 
but  remember,  while  you  are  casting 
earth  upon  my  body,  my  soul  will  be 
in  hell,  and  yourselves  the  cause  of  my 
misery  !"     She  soon  after  expired.. 

(k)  FINE  CLOTHES  AND  THE 
DEATH-BED.— A  young  lady,  about 
twenty  years  of  age,  had  been  born  to 
a  rich  inheritance,  and  was  the  only 
child  of  parents  who  were  exceedingly 
fond  of  her.  Nothing  was  spared  to 
complete  her  education,  as  a  lady  of 
fashion.  As  she  grew  up  she  answered 
all  her  mother's  hopes  in  making  a  dis- 
play in  the  fashionable  world.  But  the 
hour  of  sickness  came — it  was  a  dread- 
ful hour,  for  it  was  the  termination  of 
all  her  hopes.  The  minister  was  called 
in.  He  talked  of  death,  judgment,  and 
eternity.  She  had  never  heard  such 
language  addressed  to  her,  and  she 
trembled.  In  her  dying  hour,  she  call- 
ed for  some  of  her  fine  clothes.  When 
they  were  brought,  she  looked  up  to  her 
mother,  and  said,  "  These  have  ruined 
me.  You  never  told  me  I  must  die. 
You  taught  me  that  my  errand  into 
this  world  was  to  be  gay  and  dressy, 
and  to  enjoy  the  vanities  of  life.  What 
could  you  mean  ?  You  knew  I  must 
die  and  go  to  judgment.  You  never  told 
me  to  read  the  Bible,  or  to  go  to  church, 
unless  to  make  a  display  of  some  new 
finery.  Mother,  you  have  ruined  me. 
Take  them  away,  and  keep  them  as  a 
remembrance  of  your  sin,  and  my  sad 
end."  She  died  in  a  few  moments 
after. 


PROFANITY. 


338,  339 


PROFANITY. 


318.  Profanity  Sinful. 


{a)  SWEARING  AT  A  CHILD 
FOR  SWEARING.— A  profkne  father 
in  one  of  the  New  England  States,  one 
day  learned  that  his  little  son  had  ut- 
tered some  blasphemous  expressions — 
doubtless  a  second  edition  of  his  own. 
But  the  father  had  no  fancy  for  having 
his  child  coming  forward  so  fast  in  his 
own  footsteps.  He  called  the  child  to 
account  for  his  vicious  conduct — re- 
proved him  severely  for  his  profanity, 
and  then  commenced  whipping  him  and 
scolding  him  at  the  time.  While  whip- 
ping his  son  for  his  profanity,  he  swore 
several  profane  oaths  himself! 

(b)  THE  PEASANT'S  QUERY. 
— An  elector  of  Cologne  (who  was  like- 
wise an  archbishop)  one  day  swearing 
profanely,  asked  a  peasant,  who  seemed 
to  wonder,  what  he  was  so  surprised  at. 
"  To  hear  an  archbishop  swear,"  an- 
swered the  peasant.  "  I  swear,"  re- 
plied the  elector,  "  not  as  an  archbishop, 
but  as  a  prince."  "  But,  my  lord," 
said  the  peasant,  "  when  the  prince 
goes  to  the  devil,  what  will  become  of 
the  archbishop  ?" 

(c)  HOWARD'S  OPINION.— As 
he  was  standing  one  day  near  the  door 
of  a  printing-office,  he  heard  some  dread- 
ful volleys  of  oaths  and  curses  from  a 
public  house  opposite,  and  buttoning  his 
pocket  up  before  he  went  into  the  street, 
he  said  to  the  workmen  near  him,  "  I 
always  do  this  whenever  I  hear  men 
swear,  as  I  think  that  any  one  who  can 
take  God's  name  in  vain  can  also  steal, 
or  do  any  thing  else  that  is  bad." 

(d)  ROMAINE'S  REPROOF— 
The  Rev.  William  Romaine,  of  London, 
in  crossinof  the  Black  Friar's  bridge, 
came  up  with  a  man  who,  in  a  style  of 
unusual  and  fearful  impiety,  called  up- 
on God  '•  to  damn  his  soul  for  Christ's 
sake  !"  Mr.  Romaine,  laying  his  hand 
upon  the  blasphemer's  shoulder,  said  : 
"  My  friend,  God  has  done  many  things 
for  Christ's  sake,  and  perhaps  he  will 
do  THAT  too ;"  and  passed  on.  The 
reproof,  quite  as  original  as  the  impre- 


cation, went  to  the  wretch's  heart ;  and 
was  the  occasion  of  his  "  turning  from 
the  power  of  Satan  unto  God,"  and  be- 
coming an  exemplary  follower  of  that 
Redeemer  whom  he  had  been  in  the 
habit  of  insulting.  "  A  word  spoken  in 
due  season,  how  good  is  it!"  The 
power  of  Jesus  to  save,  how  mighty  ! 
His  grace,  how  free  ! 

Si9.  Profanity  Rebuked,  Suppressed, 
Abandoned. 

{a)  ROWLAND  HILL  AND  THE 
CAPTAIN. — Once  when  I  was  return- 
ing from  Ireland,  says  Rowland  Hill,  I 
found  myself  much  annoyed  by  the  re- 
probate conduct  of  the  captain  and  mate, 
who  were  both  sadly  given  to  the  scan- 
dalous habit  of  swearing.  First,  the 
captain  swore  at  the  mate — then  the 
mate  swore  at  the  captain — then  they 
both  swore  at  the  wind — when  I  called 
to  them  with  a  strong  voice  for  fair  play. 
"  Stop  !  stop  !"  said  I,  "  if  you  please, 
gentlemen,  let  us  have  fair  play  :  it's 
my  turn  now."  "  At  what  is  it  your 
turn,  pray  ?"  said  the  captain.  "  At 
swearing,"  I  replied.  Well,  they  wait- 
ed and  waited  until  their  patience  was 
exhausted,  and  then  wanted  me  to  make 
haste  and  take  my  turn.  I  told  them, 
however,  that  I  had  a  right  to  take  my 
own  time,  and  swear  at  my  own  conve- 
nience. To  this  the  captain  replied, 
with  a  laugh,  "  Perhaps  you  don't  mean 
to  take  your  turn  ?"  "  Pardon  me, 
captain,"  I  answered,  "  but  I  do,  as 
soon  as  I  can  find  the  good  of  doing  so." 
My  friends,  I  did  not  hear  another  oath 
on  the  voyage. 

{h)  MR.  CLARK  AND  HIS 
WORKMEN.— Mr.  A.  Clark,  of  Edin- 
burgh,  was  accustomed,  previous  to  en- 
gaging a  workman,  to  put  this  question 
directly  to  him,  "  Are  you  a  swearer 
in  common  conversation  ?  for  if  you  are, 
you  shall  not  work  with  me.  I  am 
determined  to  permit  none  in  my  shop 
to  take  the  sacred  name  of  God  in  vain, 
before  whose  presence  angels  bow  down 
and  adore." 

659 


339 


PROFANITY. 


(c)  THE  MERCHANT  AND  HIS 
CAPTAIN. — A  merchant  in  one  of  our 
seaports,  on  fitting  out  a  ship  for  India, 
told  the  captain,  at  the  time  of  making 
the  contract  for  the  voyage,  that  there 
must  be  no  swearing  among  the  crew  ; 
that  he  (the  captain)  must  engage  not 
to  swear  himself,  nor  permit  others  to 
be  profane ;  that  he  must  do  as  he 
pleased,  with  respect  to  taking  com- 
mand of  the  ship  on  these  terms ;  but 
if  he  accepted  the  employment,  it  would 
be  expected,  that  he  should  rigidly  ad- 
here to  the  stipulation,  and  that  it  should 
be  known,  as  the  law  of  the  ship,  that 
no  profaneness  should  be  indulged. 
The  captain  seemed  to  have  no  objec- 
tion to  reforming,  but  inquired,  "  How 
can  I  suddenly  break  off  an  inveterate 
habit  V  "  I  will  take  care  that  you  be 
reminded  of  your  duty,"  said  the  owner. 
"  Wear  the  ring  that  I  will  give  you, 
and  let  the  law  of  the  vessel  be  expli- 
citly known."  Accordingly  he  pro- 
cured a  ring  for  the  captain,  with  this 
motto  engraved  upon  it,  "  Swear  not 
AT  ALL."  The  vessel  soon  sailed,  and 
after  performing  the  voyage  returned 
to  the  seaport  from  whence  he  sailed. 
On  being  inquired  of  respecting  the 
subject,  the  supercargo  declared,  that 
there  had  been  no  profaneness  on  board 
excepting  a  little  within  the  first  twenty 
days  after  sailing.  At  the  close  of  this 
short  period,  the  old  habit  was  entirely 
destroyed  ;  and  during  the  remainder 
of  the  voyage,  both  in  sea  and  in  port, 
the  success  of  the  experiment  was  com- 
plete. 

This  single  fact  is  of  inestimable  va- 
lue, and  it  shows  how  groundless  are 
the  palliations  of  profaneness,  and  how 
easy  it  is  to  do  good,  when  a  person  is 
seriously  engaged  in  it,  is  influenced 
by  principle,  and  acts  with  decision. 

(d)  THE  CAPTAIN'S  REQUEST. 
— "  My  lads,"  said  a  captain,  when 
about  to  take  command  of  a  ship,  read- 
ing his  orders  to  the  crew  on  the  quar- 
ter-deck, "  there  is  one  law  I  am  deter- 
mined to  make,  and  I  shall  insist  on  its 
being  kept.  It  is  a  favor,  indeed,  I 
will  ask  of  you,  and  which,  as  a  Brit- 
ish officer,  I  expect  will  be  granted  by 
a  crew  of  British  seamen.  What  say 
you,  my  lads  ?  are  you  willing  to  grant 

660 


your  new  captain  one  favor  ?"  "  Ay 
ay,  "  cried  all  hands,  "  let's  know  what 
it  is,  sir."  "  Well,  my  lads,  it  it  this  : 
that  you  must  allow  me  to  swear  the 
first  oath  in  this  ship.  No  man  on 
board  must  swear  an  oath  before  I  do  : 
I  am  determined  to  swear  the  first  oath 
on  board.  What  say  you,  my  lads, 
will  you  grant  me  this  favor  ?"  The 
men  stared,  and  stood  for  a  momen' 
quite  at  a  loss  what  to  say.  "  Thoy 
were  taken,"  one  said,  "  all  aback.*' 
"  They  were  brought  up,"  said  another, 
"  all  standing."  The  appeal  seemed 
so  reasonable,  and  the  manner  of  the 
captain  so  kind  and  prepossessing,  that 
a  general  burst  from  the  ship's  com- 
pany answered,  "  Ay,  ay,  sir,"  with 
their  usual  three  cheers.  Swearing 
was  thus  wholly  abolished  in  the  ship. 

(e)  COLONEL  GARDINER  PUT- 
TING  DOWN  PROFANITY.— Dur- 
ing Colonel  Gardiner's  residence  at 
Bankton,  the  Commander  of  the  King's 
forces,  witlv  several  colonels  and  gentle- 
men of  rank,  one  day  dined  with  him. 
When  the  company  assembled,  he  ad- 
dressed them  with  a  great  deal  of  re- 
spect, and  yet  with  a  very  frank  and 
determined  air,  and  told  them  that  he 
had  the  honor  in  that  district  to  be  a 
Justice  of  the  Peace,  and,  consequent- 
ly, that  he  was  sworn  to  put  the  laws 
in  execution,  and,  among  the  rest,  those 
against  swearing ;  that  he  could  not 
execute  upon  others  with  any  confi- 
dence, or  approve  himself  as  a  man  of 
impartiality  and  integrity  to  his  own 
h^art,  if  he  suffered  them  to  be  broken 
in  his  presence  by  persons  of  any  rank 
whatever ;  and  that,  therefore,  he  en- 
treated all  the  gentlemen  who  then 
honored  him  with  their  company,  that 
they  would  please  to  be  on  their  guard  ; 
and  that  if  any  oath  or  curse  should 
escape  them,  he  hoped  they  would  con- 
sider his  legal  animadversion  upon  it 
as  a  regard  to  the  duties  of  his  office, 
and  dictates  of  his  conscience,  and  not 
as  any  want  of  deference  to  them. 
The  commanding  officer  immediately 
supported  him  in  this  declaration,  as 
entirely  becoming  the  station  in  which 
he  was,  assuring  him  he  would  be 
ready  to  pay  the  penalty  if  he  inad- 
vertently transgressed  ;  and  when  Col- 


PROFANITY  REBUKED,  SUPPRESSED,  ABANDONED. 


339 


onel  Gardiner  on  any  occasion  stepped 
out  of  the  room,  he  himself  undertook 
to  be  the  guardian  of  the  law  in  his 
absence  ;  and,  as  one  of  the  inferior 
officers  offended  during  this  time,  he 
informed  the  colonel,  so  that  the  fine 
was  exacted  and  given  to  the  poor,  with 
the  approbation  of  the  company. 

(f)  THE  TRAVELER  AND  THE 
SAILOR.— From  the  tract  entitled 
"  The  Christian  Traveler,  "  (one  of  the 
most  interesting  and  profitable  tracts 
ever  published,)  we  take  the  following 
scene  which  transpired  on  board  a  ves- 
sel on  one  of  the  western  lakes.  The 
young  man,  a  mechanic,  and  the  hero 
of  the  scene,  had,  at  the  breakfast  table, 
with  almost  inimitable  wisdom  and  pro- 
priety, obtained  leave  of  the  captain  to 
attempt  to  put  an  end  to  the  profanity 
of  the  sailors,  one  of  the  best  means  to 
reprove  the  captain  himself  for  his  own 
sin  in  this  respect.  Mark  the  manner 
in  which  the  attempt  was  executed. 

"  As  soon  as  breakfast  was  over, 
the  oldest  and  most  profane  of  the  sail- 
ors seated  himself  on  the  quartei^deck 
to  smoke  his  pipe.  The  young  man 
entered  into  conversation  with  him, 
and  soon  drew  from  him  a  history  of 
the  adventures  of  his  life.  From  his 
boyhood,  he  had  followed  the  ocean. 
He  had  been  tossed  on  the  billows  in 
many  a  tempest ;  had  visited  several 
missionary  stations  in  difTerent  parts 
of  the  world,  and  gave  his  testimony 
to  the  good  effects  of  missionary  efTorts 
among  the  natives  of  the  Sandwich 
Islands.  Proud  of  his  nautical  skill, 
he  at  length  boasted  that  he  could  do 
any  thing  that  could  be  done  by  a  sail- 
or. 

'  I  doubt  it,'  said  the  young  man. 

'  I  can,'  answered  the  hardy  tar, 
*  and  will  not  be  outdone,  my  word  for 
it.' 

'  Well,  when  a  sailor  passes  his 
word  he  ought  to  be  believed.  I  know 
a  sailor  who  resolved  to  stop  swear- 
ing ;  and  did  so.' 

'  Ah !'  said  the  old  sailor,  '  you 
have  anchored  me  ;  I'm  fast — but  I  can 
do  it.' 

*  I  know  you  can,'  said  the  young 
man,  '  and  I  hope  you  will  anchor  all 
your  ship-mates'  oaths  with  yours.' 


"  Not  a  word  of  profanity  was  after- 
wards heard  on  board  the  vessel.  Dur- 
ing the  day,  as  opportunity  presented 
itself,  he  conversed  with  each  sailor 
singly,  on  the  subject  of  his  soul's  sal- 
vation, and  gained  the  hearts  of  all.  " 

{g)  AN  OLD  MAN'S  REBUKE.— 
A  good  old  man  was  once  in  company 
with  a  gentleman,  who  occasionally  in- 
troduced into  conversation  the  words 
"  devil,  deuce,"  etc.,  and  who,  at  last, 
took  the  name  of  God  in  vain.  "  Stop, 
sir,"  said  the  old  man,  ^'  I  said  nothing 
while  you  only  used  freedoms  with  the 
name  of  your  own  master,  but  I  insist 
upon  it  that  you  shall  use  no  freedoms 
with  the  name  of  mine." 

(h)  SLAVE  CURING  HIS  MAS- 
TER. — An  American  planter  had  a 
favorite  domestic  negro,  who  was  order- 
ed to  stand  opposite  to  him  and  to  wait 
at  table.  His  master  was  a  profane 
person,  and  often  took  the  name  of  God 
in  vain.  Whenever  he  did  so,  the  ne- 
gro made  a  low  and  solemn  bow.  On 
being  asked  why  he  did  this,  he  replied, 
that  he  never  heard  this  great  name  men- 
tioned, but  it  filled  his  whole  soul  with 
reverence  and  awe.  His  master  took  the 
hint  without  offence,  and  was  reclaimed 
from  a  very  sinful  and  pernicious  prac- 
tice by  his  pious  slave.  The  poorest 
Christian  may  thus  be  encouraged  in 
the  faithful  discharge  of  duty.  A  word 
spoken  in  due  season,  how  good  is  it !" 

(z)  GEORGE  III  AND  THE  AR- 
CHITECT.— A  pious  architect,  having 
some  business  with  his  majesty  George 
III,  attended  at  one  of  his  palaces,  and 
was  shown  into  a  room  where  a  noble- 
man afterwards  came,  and  used  much 
impious  and  blasphemous  language,  for 
which  the  gentleman  felt  it  his  duty  to 
rebuke  him.  The  peer  became  very 
angry,  so  that  the  king  came  into  the 
room  to  inquire  the  cause  of  the  noise, 
when  the  nobleman  informed  him  that 
he  had  been  insulted  by  the  other  per- 
son ;  but  upon  the  architect  explaining 
that  he  only  rebuked  him  for  profane- 
ness  and  blasphemy,  his  majesty  said, 
he  had  his  approbation  for  what  he  had 
done,  as  he  did  not  allow  blasphemy  in 
his  dwelling.  He  afterwards  desired 
the  architect  to  sit  down,  to  forget  his 
royalty,  and  freely  tell  him  the  ground 
661 


339,  340 


PROFANITY. 


•)f  his  hope  of  salvation,  which  he  stated 
to  be  the  sacrifice  and  work  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  The  king  said,  that 
also  was  the  ground  of  his  dependence. 
(j)  WASHINGTON'S  OPINION. 
— "  Many  and  pointed  orders  have  been 
issued  against  the  unmeaning  and  abo- 
minable custom  of  swearing  ;  notwith- 
standing which,  with  much  regret,  the 
general  observes  that  it  prevails,  (if  pos- 
sible,) more  than  ever.  His  feelings  are 
continually  wounded  .by  the  oaths  and 
imprecations  of  the  soldiers,  whenever 
he  is  in  hearing  of  them.  The  name  of 
that  Being,  from  whose  bountiful  good- 
ness we  are  permitted  to  exist  and  enjoy 
the  comforts  of  life  is  incessantly  im- 
precated and  profaned,  in  a  manner  as 
wanton  as  it  is  shocking.  For  the  sake, 
therefore,  of  religion,  decency,  and  or- 
der, the  general  hopes  and  trusts  that 
officers  of  every  rank  will  use  their 
influence  and  authority  to  check  a  vice 
which  is  as  unprofitable  as  wicked  and 
shameful.  If  officers  would  make  it  an 
inviolable  rule  to  reprimand,  and  (if  that 
won't  do)  to  punish  soldiers  for  offences 
of  this  kind,  it  would  not  fail  of  having 
the  desired  effect." 

(k)  WREN  AND  HIS  WORKMEN. 
—  When  this  eminent  architect  was 
building  St.  Paul's  Cathedral,  he  caused 
the  following  notice  to  be  affixed  to  seve- 
ral parts  of  the  structure  : — "  Whereas 
among  laborers  and  others,  that  ungodly 
custom  of  swearing  is  so  frequently 
heard,  to  the  dishonor  of  God  and  con- 
tempt of  his  authority  ;  and  to  the  end 
that  such  impiety  may  be  utterly 
banished  from  these  works,  which  are 
intended  for  the  service  of  God,  and  the 
honor  of  religion  ;  it  is  ordered  that 
profane  swearing  shall  be  a  sufficient 
crime  to  dismiss  any  laborer  that  comes 
to  the  call ;  and  the  clerk  of  the  works, 
upon  a  sufficient  proof,  shall  dismiss 
him  accordingly :  and  if  any  master, 
working  by  task,  shall  not,  upon  ad- 
monition,  reform  the  profanation  among 
his  apprentices,  servants,  and  laborers, 
it  shall  be  construed  his  fault,  and  he 
shall  be  liable  to  be  censured  by  the 
commissioners." 

(Z)   THE   SWEARER  AND    HIS 
BOY. — A  man  in  the  state  of  New- 
York,  who  was  extremely  addicted  to 
662 


profane  swearing,  was  one  day  at  work 
with  a  yoke  of  oxen  near  his  house. 
The  oxen  not  working  to  suit  him,  he 
began  whipping  them  severely,  at  the 
same  time  uttering  vollies  of  most  hor- 
rid blasphemous  oaths.  The  oxen 
breaking  loose  from  their  burthen,  ran 
to  the  house,  while  the  owner  in  a  pas- 
sion pursued  them,  and  coming  up  with 
them  at  the  house,  began  whipping  them 
again,  and  swearing  horridly  as  before. 
His  little  boy,  at  this  time  just  old 
enough  to  begin  to  talk,  began  to  prattle 
his  profane  oaths  over  after  him.  No 
sooner  did  the  father  hear  this,  than  his 
feelings  were  wrought  up  to  a  lively 
sensibility.  He  paused  for  a  moment, 
dropt  his  whip,  sat  down  and  wept  bit- 
terly. A  flood  of  keen  reflections  at 
once  rushed  upon  his  convicted  con- 
science, which  produced  such  an  effect^ 
that  he  found  no  rest  to  his  mind,  day 
nor  night,  until  his  sins  were  forgiven 
and  washed  away  in  the  blood  of  Christ, 
which  took  place  a  few  weeks  after- 
wards. 

(m)  CHRYSOSTOM'S  DIREC 
TION. — Chrysostom  proposes  a  singu- 
lar method  to  facilitate  the  leaving  off* 
this  practice  of  customary  swearing. 
"  Would'st  thou  know,"  says  the  father, 
"  by  what  means  thou  may'st  be  rid  of 
this  wicked  custom  of  swearing,  I'll  tell 
thee  a  way,  which  if  thou'lt  take,  will 
certainly  prove  successful.  Every  time, 
whenever  thou  shalt  find  thyself  to  have 
let  slip  an  oath,  punish  thyself  for  it  by 
missing  the  next  meal.  Such  a  course 
as  this,  though  troublesome  to  the  flesh, 
will  be  profitable  to  the  spirit ;  and  cause 
a  quick  amendment;  for  the  tongue 
will  need  no  other  monitor  to  make 
it  take  heed  of  swearing  another  time, 
if  it  has  been  thus  punished  with 
hunger  and  thirst  for  its  former  trans- 
gression, and  knows  it  shall  be  so  pun- 
ished again  if  ever  it  commits  the  like 
crime  hereafter." 

MO.  Profanity,  Punishment  of. 

(a)  SUDDEN  VENGEANCE.— 
There  was,  in  a  populous  Swiss  village, 
a  pious  and  excellent  clergyman,  who 
preached  and  lived  with  such  holy  zeal 
and  exemplary  piety,  that  many  were 


PROFANITY,  PUNISHMENT  OF. 


340 


converted  under  his  ministry.  But 
there  lived  in  the  same  place  a  wicked 
and  abandoned  man,  who  not  only- 
slighted  all  the  means  of  grace,  but 
turned  the  most  serious  matters  into 
ridicule,  and  made  a  laughing-stock  of 
the  preacher's  expressions.  One  morn- 
ing, he  went  early  to  the  public  house, 
and  began  to  intoxicate  himself  with 
liquor,  profaning  the  name  and  word 
of  God,  and  ridiculing  the  term  conver- 
sion. ^'  Now,"  said  he,  "  I  myself  will 
become  a  convert,"  turning  himself 
from  one  side  to  the  other,  and  dancing 
about  the  room  with  a  variety  of  foolish 
gestures.  He  quickly  went  out,  and 
falling  down  the  stairs,  broke  his  neck, 
and  expired,  exhibiting  an  awful  monu- 
ment of  God's  most  righteous  vengeance, 
which  sometimes,  even  in  this  life, 
overtakes  those  that  profane  his  holy 
name. 

(b)  THE  COAL  MERCHANT'S 
DEATH. — A  coal  merchant  at  Brigg, 
in  Lincolnshire,  had  occasion  to  send  a 
boat  to  Barton,  with  a  cargo  of  coals, 
and  ordered  one  of  his  men  to  take 
charge  of  it.  As  the  boat  was  leaving 
the  wharf,  a  person  civilly  accosted  the 
man,  asking  where  he  was  going.  "  I 
am  going  to  hell,"  said  he,  with  an  oath. 
Awful  to  relate,  he  died  suddenly,  be- 
fore he  reached  Barton ! 

(c)  THE  LAST  OATH.  — Two 
soldiers,  at  Chatham,  (Eng.)  once  laid 
a  trifling  wager  which  could  swear 
most  oaths.  After  one  of  them  had 
uttered  many  shocking  ones,  he  hesi- 
tated a  short  time,  and  said,  he  could 
think  of  one  more,  which  should  be  his 
last,  but  was  instantly  siruck  speechless, 
and  so  remained  for  about  three  hours, 
when  he  died.  His  body  was,  by  order 
of  his  officers,  made  a  public  spectacle 


to  the  populace,  soldiers,  and  sailors,  as 
a  warning  to  them. 

{d)  DEATH  FROM  PROFANITY 
AND  ANGER. — A  person  of  consider- 
able  property  and  eminence  in  the  city 

of  N ,  who  lived  in  habits  of  impiety 

and  profaneness,  was  seized  by  an  in- 
disposition, which  induced  him  to  call  a 
medical  gentleman ;  but  being  disap- 
pointed for  a  time,  by  his  absence  from 
home,  he  fell  into  a  violent  agitation, 
which  was  vented  in  horrid  impreca- 
tions. As  soon  as  the  medical  gentle- 
man arrived,  he  was  saluted  with  a 
volley  of  oaths.  The  violence  of  his 
agitation  broke  a  blood-vessel ;  so  that 
oaths  and  blood  continued  to  flow  from 
his  mouth,  till  he  could  speak  no  longer ; 
and  in  this  situation  he  expired. 

(e)  THE  INTOXICATED  HORSE- 
MAN.— The  following  event,  says  a 
correspondent  of  the  Charleston  Intel- 
ligencer, occurred  in  my  native  town : 
A  young  man,  about  twenty  years  of 

age,  of  the  name  of  G ,  on  a  public 

day,  being  somewhat  intoxicated,  rode 
down  the  main  street  with  considerable 
rapidity,  and  meeting  a  friend,  he  reined 
in  his  horse,  which  was  skittish,  in 
order  to  converse  with  him.  Not  many 
words  had  passed,  when  the  young 
man's  friend  requested  him  to  turn 
about  and  go  with  him  to  the  "  North 
Woods."  "/'//  go  to  hell  first  r  was 
the  reply.  The  words  hardly  escaped 
his  lips,  when  his  horse  suddenly  reared 
himself  on  his  hind  legs,  and  pitching 
backwards,  fell  on  his  rider,  and  crush- 
ed him  to  death !  He  was  taken  up  a 
corpse,  and  carried  into  an  adjoining 
house,  where  I  saw  him.  He  was 
taken  at  his  word  !  Oh !  where  is  his 
soul? 


663 


3il 


PROVIDENCE. 


PROVIDENCE. 


IN  BESTOWING  TEMPORAL  BLESSINGS. 

Preserving  Life. 

By  the  Control  of  Material  and  Animal 
Agencies. 

341.  Preserving  from  Fires,  Famines,  and 
Similar  Dangers. 

(a)  PREACHING  DURING  A 
PLAGUE. — The  great  plague  in  Lon- 
don, in  the  year  1665,  gave  occasion 
for  the  display  of  the  piety  and  zeal  of 
several  of  the  ejected  ministers,  and 
of  the  providence  of  God  in  preserving 
them  from  the  contagion,  when  prose- 
cuting their  ministerial  labors  in  the 
midst  of  it.  The  Rev.  Thomas  Vin- 
cent was  at  this  period  tutor  of  an 
academy  at  Islington,  but  determined  to 
leave  his  situation,  and  devote  himself 
to  the  spiritual  instruction  of  the  people 
in  London,  where  many  of  the  pulpits 
were  deserted.  His  friends  vainly  en- 
deavored to  dissuade  him  from  the  dan- 
gerous enterprise.  He  agreed,  how- 
ever,  to  follow  the  advice  of  his  rever- 
end brethren  in  and  about  the  city. 
When  they  were  assembled,  he  told 
them  his  resolution,  and  assured  them 
that  it  had  been  the  result,  of  much  se- 
rious thought.  He  had  carefully  ex- 
amined the  state  of  his  own  soul,  and 
could  look  death  in  the  face  with  com- 
fort. He  thought  it  absolutely  neces- 
sary  that  the  vast  numbers  of  people 
then  dying,  should  have  some  spiritual 
assistance,  and  that  he  could  never 
again  have  such  a  prospect  of  ministeri- 
al usefulness  as  now  presented  itself. 
He  added,  that  he  had  solemnly  devoted 
himself  to  God  and  souls  upon  this  oc- 
casion ;  and  that,  therefore,  he  hoped 
none  of  them  would  endeavor  to  weak- 
en his  hands  in  this  work.  Encour- 
aged by  the  ministers,  who  prayed  for 
his  protection  and  success,  he  entered 
on  his  labors  with  fortitude  and  dili- 
geace.  During  all  the  time  of  the 
plague,  he  preached  every  Sabbath  in 
some  of  the  parish  churches.  He  chose 
664 


the  most  moving  and  important  subjects, 
and  treated  them  in  the  most  pathetic 
and  searching  manner.  The  awfulness 
of  the  judgment  then  before  the  eyes  of 
all,  gave  great  force  to  his  addresses, 
and  a  very  general  inquiry  was  always 
made  where  he  would  preach  the  next 
Sabbath.  Many  learned  from  him  the 
necessity  of  salvation,  and  the  way  to 
heaven  through  the  blood  of  Christ.  He 
visited  all  who  sent  for  him,  and  it 
pleased  God  to  lake  especial  care  of 
his  life  ;  for  though  in  this  year  there 
died  in  London,  of  the  plague,  68,596, 
including  seven  persons  in  the  family  in 
which  he  lived,  he  continued  in  perfect 
health  all  the  time,  and  was  a  useful 
minister  to  a  numerous  congregation  at 
Hoxton  for  upwards  of  tv/elve  years 
afterwards.  Thus  were  the  promises 
in  the  ninety-first  Psalm  fulfilled  to  this 
servant  of  God. 

(l)  ESCAPE  FROM  AN  EARTH- 
QUAKE. — The  following  epitaph  is 
said  to  have  been  copied  from  a  tomb, 
in  the  vicinity  of  Port  Royal,  Jamai- 
ca : — 

"  Here  lieth  the  body  of  Louis  Cal- 
DY,  Esq.,  a  native  of  Montpelier,  in 
France,  which  country  he  left  on  ac- 
count of  the  revocation.  He  was 
swallowed  up  by  the  earthquake  which 
occurred  at  this  place  in  1692,  but,  by 
the  great  providence  of  God,  was,  by  a 
second  shock,  flung  into  the  sea,  where 
he  continued  swimming  till  rescued  by 
a  boat,  and  lived  forty  years  after- 
wards." 

How  wonderful  are  the  judgments  of 
God,  and  his  ways  "  past  finding  out." 

(c)  REV.  T.  RABAN'S  ESCAPES. 
— During  the  life  of  this  Avorthy  man, 
who  was  a  Christian  minister  for  many 
years  at  Yardley  Hastings,  England,  he 
was  several  times  preserved  from  threat- 
ened death.  On  one  occasion,  being  in 
an  unfinished  building  two  stories 
high,  his  foot  slipped,  and  he  fell  to  the. 
ground  upon  an  axe  the  edge  of  which' 
stood  upright :  it  cut  his  hat  but  not  his 
head,  and  he  suffered  but  little  injury. 


IN  BESTOWING  TEMPORAL  BLESSINGS. 


341 


At  another  time,  a  large  piece  of  tim- 
ber, on  which  he  had  set  his  foot,  heav- 
ed up,  and  fell  with  him  into  a  saw-pit, 
and  an  anvil  of  a  hundred  pounds 
weight  connected  with  it,  fell  upon  him, 
but  it  only  slightly  bruised  his  leg.  A 
still  more  remarkable  preservation  was 
afforded  him.  As  he  was  assisting  in 
raising  a  beam  in  a  mill,  the  rope  slip- 
ped, and  the  beam  under  which  he 
stood  fell  with  him  the  height  of  four 
stories,  and  yet  he  was  saved.  And, 
once  more  :  he  was  driving  a  team  with 
a  load  of  hay  down  a  narrow  lane  ; 
when,  attempting  to  pass  on  to  the 
other  side  of  the  wagon,  he  fell,  and  was 
thrown  under  one  of  the  wheels ;  but 
calling  out  to  the  horses,  they  instantly 
stopped. 

But  while  God  thus  preserves  the 
lives  of  his  servants,  that  they  may  ac- 
complish his  designs,  he  often  removes 
them  in  a  way  not  expected,  when  those 
designs  are  accomplished.  Mr.  Raban 
was  to  learn  by  experience  the  truth 
of  his  friend  Cowper's  statement : 

"  Safety  consists  not  in  escape 
From  dangers  of  a  frightful  shape  ; 
An  earthquake  may  be  bid  to  spare 
The  man  that's  strangled  by  a  hair." 

After  preaching  one  Lord's  day,  and 
walking  home^  his  foot  slipped  over  a 
pebble,  and  he  broke  his  leg,  which  in 
a  few  weeks  brought  on  his  death. 
{d)  THE  LOST  AND  FOUND.— 
A  youth,  sixteen  years  of  age,  the 
son  of  a  respectable  Christian  minister, 
was  bathing  some  years  ago  in  the 
river  Mersey.  The  tide  was  return- 
ing, and  having  ventured  too  far  into 
the  water  for  the  purpose  of  swimming, 
he  was  carried  down  the  current  to  the 
distance  of  three  or  four  miles.  All 
hope  of  reaching  the  shore  vanished  ; 
and,  at  the  moment  he  was  about  to 
give  up  the  struggle,  he  was  providen- 
tially perceived  by  the  crew  of  a  ves- 
sel bound  from  Liverpool  to  Dublin. 
When  brought  on  board,  every  means 
was  kindly  used  to  restore  nature  :.  the 
youth  recovered,  and  was  carried  to  the 
port  of  the  Irish  capital.  In  the  mean- 
time, a  person  to  whom  he  was  known, 
and  who  had  seen  him  go  into  the 
water,  returning,  and  finding  his  clothes 


on  the  shore,  but  seeing  nothing  of  his 
person,  concluded  he  was  drowned,  and 
carried  the  afflictive  intelligence  to  his 
parents.  A  reward  was  offered  for  the 
body,  and  suitable  mourning  was  order- 
ed. 

On  the  arrival  of  the  vessel  at  Dub- 
lin, the  youth  was  humanely  furnished, 
by  the  crew,  with  such  articles  of  cloth- 
ing as  they  <could  spare  ;  and  the  cap- 
tain gave  him  a  piece  of  silver,  and 
put  him  on  shore.  The  singularity  of 
his  dress  restrained  him  from  making 
known  his  situation  to  those  who,  from 
respect  to  his  father,  would  gladly  have 
rendered  him  assistance.  He  therefore 
inquired  for  a  vessel  bound  to  Liver- 
pool, and  having  providentially  met 
with  one,  was  received  on  board,  and 
reached  the  place  of  his  destination  on 
the  very  day  of  the  following  week  that 
he  was  supjxtsed  to  have  been  lost.  No 
sooner  did  he  get  on  shore  than  he 
hastened  to  his  father's  house.  Noth- 
ing could  have  been  more  unexpected 
to  the  sorrowing  parents  than  the  ap- 
pearance of  their  son.  The  mourning 
which  they  had  ordered  was,  that  eve- 
ning, to  be  brought  home,  and  worn  on 
the  following  day.  The  children,  at 
the  sight  of  their  brother,  shrieked  with 
fear  :  the  surprise  was  too  great  for  the 
delicate  frame  of  his  affectionate  moth- 
er ;  before  she  could  embrace  her  son, 
she  fainted  away ;  and  the  father,  more 
collected  and  composed,  wept  tears  of 

joy- 

\e)  THE  WALDENSES  AND  THE 
WHEAT.— It  is  well  known,  that,  in 
the  year  1686,  the  Duke  of  Savoy  was 
prevailed  on  by  Louis  XIV  to  expel 
the  Waldensian  Christians  from  their 
native  valleys.  In  1689,  eight  or  nine 
hundred  of  these  persons,  through  great 
difficulties,  returned.  Dr.  Calamy,  in 
his  "  Life  and  Times,"  relates,  that  M. 
Arnauld,  their  minister  and  leader,  told 
him  that  when  they  had  nearly  reached 
their  houses,  pursued"  by  a  number  of 
their  enemies,  they  were  in  great  danger 
of  dying  from  want  of  provisions.  Such, 
however,  was  the  kindness  of  God  to 
them,  that  a  sudden  thaw  removed  in 
one  night  a  mass  of  snow  from  the 
fields,  when  they  discovered  a  consi- 
derable quantity  of  wheat,  standing  in 
665 


341 


PROVIDENCE. 


the  earth,  ready  for  the  sickle,  that  had 
been  suddenly  covered  with  snow,  and 
which  now  as  unexpectedly  left  it.  On 
this  corn  they  lived  till  other  sources 
supplied  them  with  food. 

(/)  MISSIONARY  AND  THE 
SEAL. — Nathaniel,  an  assistant  to  the 
Moravian  missionaries  in  Greenland, 
when  engaged  in  the  seal-fishery,  being 
in  company  with  another  brother,  who 
was  yet  inexperienced  in  the  manage- 
ment of  a  kayak  (a  Greenland  boat), 
he  met  a  Neitsersoak,  the  largest  kind 
of  seal,  which  he  killed.  He  then  dis- 
covered his  companion  on  a  flake  of 
ice,  endeavoring  to  kill  another  of  the 
same  species,  and  in  danger ;  he,  there- 
fore, left  his  dead  seal,  kept  buoyant  by 
the  bladder,  and  hastened  to  help  his 
brother.  They  succeeded  in  killing 
the  seal ;  but  suddenly  a  strong  north 
wind  arose,  and  carried  off  both  the 
kayaks  to  sea ;  nor  could  they  discover 
any  kayaks  in  the  neighborhood.  They 
cried  aloud  for  help,  but  in  vain.  Mean- 
while the  wind  rose  in  strength,  and 
carried  both  the  kayaks,  and  also  the 
piece  of  ice,  swiftly  along  with  the 
waves.  Having  lost  sight  of  the  kayaks, 
they  now  saw  themselves  without  the 
least  hope  of  deliverance.  Nathaniel 
continued  praying  to  his  Savior,  and 
thought  with  great  grief  of  the  situation 
of  his  poor  family,  but  felt  a  small  de- 
gree of  hope  arising  in  his  breast.  Un- 
expectedly, he  saw  his  dead  seal  float- 
ing towards  him,  and  was  exceedingly 
surprised  at  its  approaching  against  the 
wind,  till  it  came  so  near  the  flake  of 
ice,  that  they  could  secure  it.  But  how 
should  a  dead  seal  become  the  means 
of  their  deliverance  ?  and  what  was 
now  to  be  done  ?  All  at  once,  Na- 
thaniel resolved,  at  a  venture,  to  seat 
himself  upon  the  dead  floating  seal ; 
and  by  the  help  of  his  paddle,  which  he 
had  happily  kept  in  his  hand  when  he 
joined  his  brother  on  the  ice,  to  go  in 
quest  of  the  kayaks.  Though  the  sea 
and  waves  continually  overflowed  him, 
yet  he  kept  his  seat,  made  after  the 
kayaks,  and  succeeded  in  overtaking 
his  own,  into  which  he  crept,  and  went 
in  quest  of  that  of  his  companion,  which 
he  likewise  found.  He  also  kept  pos- 
session of  the  seal ;  and  now  hastened 
66t3 


in  search  of  the  flake  of  ice,  on  which 
his  companion  was  most  anxiously  look- 
ing out  for  him  ;  having  reached  it,  he 
brought  him  his  kayak,  and  enabled 
him  to  secure  the  other  seal,  when  both 
returned  home  in  safety.  When  re- 
lating his  dangerous  adventure,  he 
ascribed  his  preservation,  not  to  his 
own  contrivance,  but  to  the  mercy  of 
God  alone. 

{g)  THE  FALLEN  TREE.— About 
the  year  1830,  while  a  young  man  of 
the  town  of  Wells,  Maine,  was  at  work 
in  the  woods  alone,  he  felled  a  tree 
which  struck  a  large  log,  lying  up  some 
distance  from  the  ground.  When  the 
tree  struck  the  log,  the  butt  bounded, 
struck  the  man,  carried  him  some  dis- 
tance, plunged  him  into  a  deep  snow, 
and  fell  across  his  stomach,  confining 
him  there.  The  log  across  which  the 
tree  fell,  served  as  a  fulcrum,  being 
so  near  the  middle  of  the  tree  as  to  pre- 
vent it  from  lying  so  heavily  upon  him 
as  to  give  much  immediate  distress. 
His  feet  were  so  completely  confined 
that  he  had  no  power  to  move  them ; 
his  hands  being  the  only  means  with 
which  he  could  do  the  least  towards 
extricating  himself,  which  he  used  in 
the  best  possible  manner  he  was  capa- 
ble of;  but  he  was  utterly  unsuccessful 
in  his  efforts  to  raise  the  body  of  the 
tree,  or  beating  away  the  snow.  Now 
feeling  in  some  degree  that  all  hopes 
of  being  delivered  from  that  state  of 
confinement  also  were  vain,  he  cast  his 
eyes  toward  heaven,  when  he  saw  a 
large  limb,  which  had  broken  from  the 
tree  while  falling,  suspended  in  the  air 
by  the  branch  of  another  tree,  and  at 
the  distance  of  thirty  or  forty  feet  above 
him,  apparently  directly  over  his  head.j 
What  must  have  been  his  feelings  while 
thus  confined,  and  viewing  that  threat* 
ening  death  hanging  directly  over  him, 
and  expecting  every  moment  it  woulc 
fall  and  terminate  his  existence  ? 

While  he  thus  lay,  with  his  eyes  fas 
tened  upon  the  limb,  waiting  for  the  re- 
sult he  thought  must  soon  take  place, 
the  twig  by  which  it  was  suspended! 
gave  way — the  limb  fell  and  struck  the 
snow  about  one  foot  from  his  head. 
He  immediately  thought  to  use  that  aa| 
a  lever,  by  which  to  raise  the  tree; 


IN  BESTOWING  TEMPORAL  BLESSINGS. 


341 


the  effort  proved  successful,  and  he 
made  his  escape  without  any  material 
injury. 

(h)  WESLEY'S  ESCAPE  FROM 
FIRE.— Mr.  Wesley,  father  of  the  Rev. 
John  Wesley,  was  roused  from  sleep 
by  the  cry  of  fire  from  the  street ;  but, 
little  imagining  that  the  fire  was  in  his 
own  house,  he  opened  his  bed-room 
door,  and  found  the  place  full  of  smoke, 
and  that  the  roof  was  already  burned 
through.  Directing  his  wife  and  two 
girls  to  rise  and  flee  for  their  lives,  he 
burst  open  the  nursery-door,  where  the 
maid  was  sleeping  with  five  children. 
She  snatched  up  the  youngest,  and 
bade  the  others  follow  her:  the  three 
eldest  did  so  ;  but  John,  who  was  then 
six  years  old,  was  not  awakened,  and 
in  the  alarm  was  forgotten.  The  rest 
of  the  family  escaped — some  through 
the  windows,  others  by  the  garden 
door ;  and  Mrs.  Wesley,  to  use  her 
own  expression,  "  waded  through  the 
fire."  At  this  time  John,  who  had  not 
been  remembered  till  that  moment,  was 
heard  crying  in  the  nursery.  The 
father  ran  to  the  stairs,  but  they  were 
so  nearly  consumed  that  they  could  not 
bear  his  weight ;  and  being  utterly  in 
despair,  he  fell  upon  his  knees  in  the 
hall,  and,  in  agony,  commended  the 
soul  of  the  child  to  God.  John  had 
been  awakened  by  the  light ;  and  find- 
ing it  impossible  to  escape  by  the  door, 
climbed  up  a  chest  that  stood  near  the 
window,  and  he  was  then  seen  from 
the  yard.  There  was  no  time  for  pro- 
curing a  ladder ;  but  one  man  was 
hoisted  on  the  shoulders  of  another,  and 
thus  he  was  taken  out.  A  moment 
afler  the  roof  fell  in.  When  the  child 
was  carried  out  to  the  house  where  his 
parents  were,  the  father  cried  out, 
"  Come,  neighbors,  let  us  kneel  down  ; 
let  us  give  thanks  to  God  !  He  has 
given  me  all  my  eight  children :  let 
the  house  go,  I  am  rich  enough."  Mr. 
Wesley  remembered  this  providential 
deliverance  through  life  with  the  deep- 
est gratitude. 

(?:)  THE  WIDOW  AND  THE 
TURK.— During  the  struggle  of  the 
Greeks  to  regain  their  liberty,  a  body 
of  Turks  were,  in  1824,  encamped  in  a 
part  of  Greece,  and  committed  every 


kind  of  outrage  upon  the  inhabitants. 
One  of  these  barbarians,  an  officer,  had 
pursued  a  Greek  girl,  who  took  refuge 
in  the  house  of  a  widow.  The  widow 
met  him  at  the  door,  and  mildly  at- 
tempted to  dissuade  him  from  forcing 
his  way  in  to  seize  the  girl.  Enraged, 
he  drew  his  sabre  ;  but  when  in  the 
act  of  attempting  to  cut  down  the  wi- 
dow,  it  snapped  in  two  pieces  before 
it  reached  the  victim.  The  wretch 
paused,  yet  drew  a  pistol,  to  accomplish 
his  purpose,  but  it  missed  fire ;  and 
when  in  the  act  of  drawing  a  second, 
he  was  forcibly  dragged  away  by  one 
of  his  companions,  who  exclaimed,  "  Let 
her  alone.  Do  not  you  see  that  her 
time  is  not  yet  come  ?"  Resolved,  hcMr- 
ever,  on  taking  some  revenge,  he  car- 
ried off  her  infant  child  to  the  camp  ; 
but,  as  though  Providence  designed  to 
frustrate  all  his  designs  on  this  occa- 
sion, whilst  he  was  asleep,  the  child 
was  carried  back  to  the  widow  by  one 
of  his  own  men. 

0)  THE  MARTYR  SAVED.— It 
is  related,  in  the  memoirs  of  the  cele- 
brated William  Whiston,  that  a  Pro- 
testant, in  the  days  of  Queen  Mary,  of 
the  name  of  Barber,  was  sentenced  to 
be  burned.  He  walked  to  Smithfield, 
was  bound  to  the  stake,  the  fagots  were 
piled  around  him,  and  the  executioner 
only  waited  the  word  of  command  to 
apply  the  torch.  At  this  crisis,  tidings 
came  of  the  queen's  death  ;  the  officers 
were  compelled  to  stay  proceedings  till 
tlie  pleasure  of  Elizabeth  should  be 
known  ;  and  thus  the  life  of  the  good 
man  was  spared,  to  labor,  with  some  of 
his  descendants,  successfully  in  the 
service  of  the  Lord  Jesus  and  his 
church. 

(k)  THE  SPANISH  ARMADA.— 
When  the  Spaniards,  on  the  defeat  of 
their  Invincible  Armada,  stung  with 
disappointment,  and  wishing  to  detract 
from  the  honor  which  our  brave  de- 
fenders had  acquired,  exclaimed,  that 
the  English  had  little  reason  to  boast, 
for  if  the  elements  had  not  fought  against 
them,  they  would  certainly  have  con- 
quered us  ;  the  enlarged  and  vivid  mind 
of  Queen  Elizabeth  improved  the  hint. 
She  commanded  a  medal  to  be  struck, 
representing  the  Armada  scattered  and 
667 


342 


f 

PROVIDENCE. 


sinking  in  the  back-ground  ;  and  in  the 
front,  the  British  fleet  riding  triumphant, 
with  the  following  passage  as  a  motto 
round  the  medal :  "  Thou  didst  blow 
with  thy  wind,  and  the  sea  covered 
them."  It  becomes  us  to  say  in  refer- 
ence to  this,  as  well  as  many  other 
national  deliverances,  "  Blessed  be  the 
Lord;  who  hath  not  given  us  as  a  prey 
to  their  teeth." 

Ut.  Preserving  from  Persecutors  and  other 
Enemies. 

(a)  JOACHIM  AND  THE  WAL- 
DENSES. — Maximilian,  the  emperor 
of  Germany,  conversing  one  day  in  his 
dfbich  with  Johannes  Crato,  who  was 
his  principal  physician,  and  a  learned 
Protestant,  was  lamenting  the  divisions 
of  Christians,  and  asked  Crato  which 
party,  in  his  opinion,  approached  the 
nearest  to  apostolic  simplicity.  Crato 
replied,  that  he  thought  that  honor  be- 
longed to  the  brethren  called  Picards, 
(these  were  also  called  Waldenses  and 
Albigenses.)  The  emperor  said,  "  I 
think  so,  too."  This  being  reported  to 
them,  afforded  them  much  encourage- 
ment, and  induced  them  to  dedicate  to 
him  a  book  of  their  devotions ;  for,  du- 
ring the  preceding  year,  God  had  mar- 
velously  preserved  him  from  the  guilt 
of  their  blood.  Joachim,  a  Novo  Domo, 
chancellor  of  Bohemia,  went  to  Vienna, 
and  would  give  the  emperor  no  rest  un- 
til he  procured  for  him  a  mandate  for 
the  revival  of  a  former  persecuting  or- 
dinance against  them.  Having  obtained 
his  commission,  as  he  was  leaving  Vi- 
enna, and  passing  a  bridge  over  the  Da- 
nube, the  bridge  gave  way  and  fell ; 
when  Joachim  and  all  his  retinue  were 
plunged  into  that  great  river ;  and  all 
were  drowned  except  six  horsemen  and 
one  young  nobleman,  who  perceiving 
his  lord  in  the  water,  caught  hold  of  his 
gold  chain,  and  held  him  up  till  some 
fishermen  came  to  their  assistance ;  but 
they  found  Joachim  dead,  and  his  box 
containing  the  persecuting  mandate  had 
sunk  beyond  recovery.  The  young  no- 
bleman was  so  affected  by  the  hand  of 
God  in  this  affair,  that  he  joined  the 
brethren  in  their  religion,  and  the  per- 
secution dropped. 

668 


(b)  THE  MERCHANT  AND  THE 
CRIMINAL. — A  gentleman  in  an  ex- 
tensive lino  of  business,  in  a  distant  part 
of  the  country,  left  his  house  with  an 
intention  of  going  to  Bristol  fair ;  but, 
when  he  had  proceeded  about  half  way, 
he  was  taken  ill,  and  detained  several 
days.  As  the  fair  by  this  time  was  in 
a  considerable  degree  over,  he  returned 
home.  Some  years  after,  the  same  gen- 
tleman, happening  to  be  at  the  place 
where  the  assizes  for  the  county  were 
held,  was  induced  to  be  present  at  the 
execution  of  a  criminal.  While  he  was 
mixed  with  the  crowd,  the  criminal  per. 
ceived  him,  and  expressed  a  desire  to 
speak  with  him.  On  the  gentleman 
approaching  him,  he  asked,  *'  Do  you 
recollect  at  such  a  time  intending  to  be 
at  Bristol  fair  ?"  "  Yes,  perfectly  well." 
"  It  is  well  that  you  did  not  go,  for  I  and 
several  others,  who  knew  that  you  had 
a  considerable  sum  of  money  about  you, 
had  resolved  to  waylay  and  rob,  and 
then  murder  you,  to  prevent  detection." 

(c)  GILPIN'S  FALL.— When  this 
zealous  minister  was  on  his  way  to  Lon- 
don, to  be  tried  before  the  popish  party, 
he  broke  his  leg  by  a  fall,  which  put  a 
stop  for  some  time  to  his  journey.  The 
person  in  whose  custody  he  was,  took 
occasion  from  this  circumstance  to  retort 
upon  him  an  observation  he  used  fre- 
quently to  make,  "  That  nothing  hap- 
pens to  the  people  of  God  but  what  is 
intended  for  their  good;"  asking  him, 
"  whether  he  thought  his  broken  leg  was 
so."  He  answered  meekly,  "  I  make 
no  question  but  it  is."  And  so  it  proved ; 
for  before  he  was  able  to  travel.  Queen 
Mary  died.  Being  thus  providentially 
preserved  from  probable  death,  he  re- 
turned to  Houghton  through  crowds  of 
people,  who  expressed  the  utmost  joy, 
and  blessed  God  for  his  deliverance. 

{d)  THE  CHILD  AND  THE  LI- 
ON. — The  Rev.  John  Campbell  relates^ 
a  singular  escape  of  a  Bushman  child 
from  being  devoured  by  a  lion.  The 
child  was  only  four  years  of  age,  and' 
was  sleeping  beside  its  parents  in  a  halt 
open  hut.  About  midnight  the  child' 
awoke,  and  sat  by  a  dull  fire.  The  fa-/ 
ther  happening  to  awake  about  the  same 
time,  looked  at  his  child,  and  while 
looking,  a  lion  came  to  the  opposite  side 


IN  BESTOWING  TEMPORAL  BLESSINGS. 


342,  343 


of  the  fire.  The  child,  ignorant  of  its 
danger,  was  not  afraid,  but  spoke  to  it, 
and  sportingly  threw  live  cinders  at  it, 
on  which  the  lion  snarled,  and  approach- 
ed nearer,  when  the  child  seized  a  burn- 
ing stick,  and  playfully  thrust  it  into 
its  mouth,  when  the  lion  scampered  off 
as  fast  as  it  could  run.  The  father  wit- 
nessed all  this,  but  was  afraid  to  inter- 
fere, lest  he,  as  well  as  his  child,  should 
have  been  torn  to  pieces  by  the  fero- 
cious animal. 

(e)  THE  CZAR  AND  THE  NO- 
BLEMAN'S  DINNER.  — Alexander 
Menzikoff,  who  rose  to  the  highest  offi- 
ces of  state  in  Russia,  during  the  reign 
of  Peter  the  Great,  was  born  of  parents 
so  excessively  poor,  that  they  could  not 
afford  to  have  him  taught  to  read  and 
write.  After  their  death,  he  went  to 
Moscow  to  seek  for  employment,  where 
he  found  an  asylum  with  a  pastry-cook. 
He  had  a  very  fine  voice,  and  soon  be- 
came known  in  that  great  city,  from  the 
musical  tone  of  his  cry  when  vending 
his  master's  pastry  in  the  street.  His 
voice  also  gained  him  admission  into  the 
houses  of  many  noblemen  ;  and  he  was 
fortunate  enough  one  day  to  be  in  the 
kitchen  of  a  great  lord  with  whom  the 
emperor  was  to  dine.  While  Menzikoff 
was  there,  the  nobleman  came  into  the 
kitchen,  and  gave  directions  about  a 
particular  dish,  to  which  he  said  the 
emperor  was  very  partial ;  into  this  dish 
he  dropped  (as  he  thought  unperceived) 
a  powder.  Menzikoff  observed  it,  but 
taking  no  notice,  immediately  left  the 
house  ;  and  when  he  saw  the  emperor's 
carriage  coming,  he  began  to  sing  very 
loud.  Peter,  attracted  by  his  voice, 
called  him,  and  bought  all  the  pies  he 
had  in  his  basket.  He  asked  some 
questions  of  Menzikoff,  and  was  so  much 
pleased  with  his  answers,  that  he  com- 
manded him  to  follow  him  to  the  noble- 
man's house,  and  wait  behind  his  chair. 
The  servants  were  surprised  at  this  or- 
der, but  it  proved  of  the  greatest  im- 
portance  to  Peter ;  for  when  the  noble- 
man pressed  his  royal  guest  to  take  of 
this  favorite  dish,  his  new  servant  gently 
pulled  him  by  tlie  sleeve,  and  begged  he 
would  not  touch  it  till  he  had  spoken  to 
him.  The  emperor  immediately  with- 
drew  with  Menzikoff,  who  informed  his 


imperial  master  of  his  suspicions.  The 
czar  returned  to  the  company,  and  sud- 
denly turning  to  his  host,  pressed  him 
to  partake  of  the  favorite  dish.  Terri- 
fied at  this  command,  he  said,  "  It  did 
not  become  the  servant  to  eat  before  his 
master."  The  emperor  then  offered  it 
to  a  dog,  who  greedily  devoured  its  con- 
tents, and  shortly  afterwards  expired  in 
the  greatest  torments ! 

Ml  Preserving  from  Animals  or  by  means 
of  them. 

(a)  DU  MOULIN  AND  THE  SPI- 
DER.— During  the  awful  massacre  at 
Paris,  by  which  so  many  Christians 
were  removed  from  the  present  world, 
the  celebrated  Moulin  crept  into  an  oven, 
over  the  mouth  of  which  a  spider  in- 
stantly wove  its  web ;  so  that  when  the 
enemies  of  the  Christians  inspected  the 
premises,  they  passed  by  the  oven,  with 
the  remark,  that  no  one  could  have  been 
there  for  some  days.  So  easily  can  the 
blessed  God  devise  means  for  the  safety 
of  his  servants ! 

The  memoirs  of  the  late  Rev.  E. 
White,  of  Chester,  by  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Fletcher,  of  Stepney,  relate  a  very  sim- 
ilar anecdote  of  one  of  the  ancestors  of 
that  pious  and  useful  minister. 

(h)  A  HEN  SUPPORTING  A 
CHAPLAIN.— In  the  melancholy  Bar- 
tholomew massacre,  in  France,  for  three 
days  every  Protestant  who  could  be 
found  was  put  to  death.  By  order  of 
the  king,  Admiral  de  Coligny  was  mur- 
dered in  his  own  house,  but  Merlin,  his 
chaplain,  concealed  himself  in  a  hay- 
loft. It  is  recorded  in  the  acts  of  the 
next  synod,  of  which  he  was  a  modera- 
tor, that  though  many  in  similar  circum- 
stances died  of  hunger,  he  was  sup- 
ported by  a  hen  regularly  laying  an 
egg  near  his  place  of  refuge. 

(c)  GRESHAM  AND  THE  GRASS. 
HOPPER.— Sir  Thomas  Gresham,  who 
built  the  Royal  Exchange  in  London, 
was  the  son  of  a  poor  woman,  who,  while 
he  was  an  infant,  abandoned  him  in  a 
field.  By  the  providence  of  God,  how- 
ever,  the  chirping  of  a  grasshopper  at- 
tracted a  boy  to  the  spot  where  the  child 
lay  ;  and  his  life  was,  by  this  means, 
preserved.  After  Sir  Thomas  had,  by 
669 


343 


PROVIDENCE. 


his  unparalleled  success  as  a  merchant, 
risen  to  the  pinnacle  of  commercial 
wealth  and  greatness,  he  chose  a  grass- 
hopper for  his  crest;  and  becoming,  un- 
der Queen  Elizabeth,  the  founder  of  the 
Royal  Exchange,  his  crest  was  placed 
on  the  walls  of  the  building  in  several 
parts,  and  a  vane,  or  weathercock,  in 
the  figure  of  a  grasshopper,  was  fixed 
on  the  summit  of  the  tower. 

(d)  THE  EAGLE'S  NEST  AND 
THE  CHILD.— Sir  Robert  Sibbald  re- 
lates, that  a  woman  in  the  Orkney  Isl- 
ands,  having  left  her  child  of  about  one 
year  old,  in  a  field,  while  she  went  to 
some  distance,  an  eagle  passing  by  took 
up  the  infant  by  its  clothes,  and  carried 
it  to  her  nest  on  a  neighboring  rock ; 
which  being  observed  by  some  fisher- 
men, they  instantly  pursued  the  eagle, 
attacked  her  nest,  and  brought  back  the 
child  unhurt. 

(e)  THE  HOTTENTOT  AND 
THE  LION.— In  the  year  1829,  a 
Hottentot,  in  South  Africa,  went  out  on 
a  hunting  excursion,  accompanied  by 
several  other  natives.  Arriving  on  an 
extensive  plain,  where  there  was  abun- 
dance of  game,  they  discovered  a  num- 
ber of  lions,  also,  which  appeared  to  be 
disturbed  by  their  approach.  A  pro- 
digiously large  male  immediately  se- 
parated himself  from  the  troop,  and  be- 
gan slowly  to  advance  towards  the 
party,  the  majority  of  whom  were 
young,  and  altogether  unaccustomed  to 
rencontres  of  so  formidable  a  nature  ; 
the  very  appearance  of  the  lion 
made  them  tremble.  While  the  ani- 
mal was  yet  at  a  distance,  they  all  dis- 
mounted to  prepare  for  firing  ;  and,  ac- 
cording to  the  custom  on  such  occasions, 
began  tying  their  horses  together  by 
means  of  the  bridles,  with  the  view  of 
keeping  the  latter  between  them  and 
the  lion,  to  attract  his  attention,  until 
they  were  able  to  take  deliberate  aim. 
His  movements,  however,  were  too 
swift  for  them.  Before  the  horses  were 
properly  fastened  to  each  other,  the 
monster  made  a  tremendous  bound  or 
two,  and  suddenly  pounced  upon  the  hind 
parts  of  one  of  them  ;  which,  in  its  fright, 
plunged  forward,  and  knocked  down  the 
poor  man  who  was  holding  the  reins  in 
his  hand.     His  comrades  instantly  took 

670 


flight,  and  ran  off  with  all  their  speed ; 
and  he,  of  course,  rose  as  quickly  as 
possible,  in  order  to  follow  them.  But 
no  sooner  had  he  regained  his  feet,  than 
the  lion,  with  a  seeming  consciousness 
of  his  superior  might,  stretched  forth  his 
paw,  and  striking  him  just  behind  the 
neck,  immediately  brought  him  to  the 
ground  again.  He  then  rolled  on  his 
back,  when  the  lion  set  his  foot  upon  his 
breast,  and  lay  down  upon  him.  The  poor 
man  now  became  almost  breathless,  part- 
ly  from  fear,  but  principally  from  the  in- 
tolerable pressure  of  his  terrific  load. 
He  endeavored  to  move  a  little  to  one 
side,  in  order  to  breathe  ;  but  feeling 
this,  the  lion  seized  his  left  arm,  close 
to  the  elbow,  and  continued  to  amuse 
himself  with  the  limb  for  some  time, 
biting  it  in  different  places  down  to  the 
hand,  the  thick  part  of  which  seemed  to 
have  been  pierced  entirely  through. 
All  this  time  the  lion  did  not  appear  to 
be  angry,  but  merely  caught  at  his 
prey,  like  a  cat  sporting  with  a  mouse 
that  is  not  quite  dead-,  so  that  there 
was  not  a  single  bone  fractured,  as 
would  in  all  probability  have  been  the 
case  had  the  creature  been  hungry 
or  irritated.  Whilst  writhing  in  agony, 
gasping  for  breath,  and  expecting  every 
moment  to  be  torn  limb  from  limb,  the 
sufferer  cried  to  his  companions  for  as- 
sistance, but  cried  in  vain.  On  raising 
his  head  a  little,  the  beast  opened  his 
dreadful  jaws  to  receive  it,  but  provi- 
dentially the  hat  slipped  off,  so  that  the 
points  of  the  teeth  only  just  grazed  the 
surface  of  the  skull.  The  lion  now  set 
his  foot  upon  the  arm  from  which  the 
blood  was  freely  flowing ;  his  fearful 
paw  was  soon  covered  with  it,  and  he 
again  and  again  licked  it  clean  !  But 
this  was  not  the  worst ;  for  the  animal 
then  steadily  fixed  his  flaming  eyes 
upon  those  of  the  man ;  smelt  on  one 
side,  and  then  on  the  other,  of  his  face  ; 
and,  having  tasted  the  blood,  he  appear- 
ed half  inclined  to  devour  his  helpless 
victim.  "At  this  critical  moment," 
said  the  poor  man,  *'  I  recollected  hav- 
ing heard  that  there  was  a  God  in  the 
heavens,  who  was  able  to  deliver  at  the 
very  last  extremity,  and  I  began  to  pray 
that  he  would  save  me,  and  not  allow 
the  lion  to  eat  my  flesh  and  drink  my 


IN  BESTOWING  TEMPORAL  BLESSINGS. 


313 


blood."  Whilst  thus  engaged  in  call- 
ing upon  God,  the  beast  turned  himself 
completely  round.  On  perceiving  this, 
the  Hottentot  made  an  effort  to  get  from 
under  him ;  but  no  sooner  did  the  crea- 
ture observe  his  movement  than  he 
took  fast  hold  of  his  right  thigh.  This 
wound  was  dreadfully  deep,  and  occa- 
sioned the  sufferer  most  excruciating 
pain.  He  again  sent  up  his  cry  to  God 
for  help  ;  nor  were  his  prayers  in  vain. 
The  huge  animal  soon  afterwards  quiet- 
ly relinquished  his  prey,  though  he  had 
not  been  in  the  least  interrupted.  Hav- 
ing risen  from  his  seat,  he  walked 
majestically  off,  to  the  distance  of  thirty 
or  forty  paces,  and  then  lay  down  in 
the  grass,  as  if  for  the  purpose  of  watch- 
ing the  man.  The  latter  being  happily 
relieved  of  his  load,  ventured  to  sit  up, 
which  circumstance  immediately  at- 
tracted the  lion's  attention ;  neverthe- 
less it  did  not  induce  another  attack,  as 
the  poor  fellow  naturally  expected  ;  but 
as  if  bereft  of  power,  and  unable  to  do  any 
thing  more,  the  lion  again  rose,  took  his 
departure,  and  was  seen  no  more.  The 
man  seeing  this,  took  up  his  gun,  and 
hastened  away  to  his  terrified  com- 
panions, who  had  given  him  up  for 
dead.  Being  in  a  state  of  extreme  ex- 
haustion, from  loss  of  blood,  he  was  im- 
mediately set  upon  his  horse,  carried 
away,  and  by  the  use  of  suitable  means, 
soon  recovered. 

(/)  THE  SAILOR  AND  THE 
CROCODILE. —Campbell,  the  sailor, 
being  at  sea,  felt,  one  evening  when 
near  the  shore,  a  disposition  to  bathe.  His 
companions  would  have  dissuaded  him 
from  it,  as  they  had  recently  seen  se- 
veral sharks ;  but  being  partly  intoxi- 
cated, he  would  not  listen  to  their  per- 
suasions. Nearly  as  soon  as  he  was 
in  the  water,  his  companions  saw  an 
alligator  directing  his  course  towards 
him,  and  considered  his  escape  from 
death  totally  impossible.  They  fired 
at  the  alligator,  but  in  vain.  Campbell 
became  aware  of  his  danger,  and  im- 
mediately made  for  the  shore.  On  ap. 
preaching  within  a  short  distance  of 
some  canes  and  shrubs  that  covered  the 
bank,  and  while  closely  pursued  by  the 
alligator,  a  ferocious  tiger  sprung  to- 
wards him,  at  the  very  instant  he  was 


about  being  devoured  by  his  first  enemy. 
At  this  awful  moment  he  was  preserv- 
ed. The  eager  tiger  overleaped  him, 
fell  into  the  grasp  of  the  alligator,  and, 
after  a  long  struggle,  was  killed  by 
him.  Campbell  was  conveyed  to  his 
vessel,  gratefully  returned  thanks  to 
Providence  which  had  preserved  him, 
and  from  that  period  a  marked  change 
was  observed  in  his'character. 

(g)  RUGGLES  AND  THE  IN- 
DIANS. — This  worthy  man,  who  was 
an  American  minister,  had  a  remark- 
able preservation  from  death.  While 
he  was  once  preaching,  a  party  of  In- 
dians came  suddenly  upon  the  congre- 
gation, scattered  them,  and  carried  him 
away  into  the  forest.  At  night,  he  was 
left  under  the  charge  of  two  women, 
while  the  men  went  to  rest ;  but  his 
female  keepers,  as  well  as  the  dogs, 
falling  asleep,  he  took  the  opportunity 
to  make  his  escape.  He  had  not  gone 
far  before  he  heard  the  alarm  cry,  and 
the  crashing  of  the  bushes  behind  warn- 
ed him  that  the  enemy  were  already  in 
close  pursuit  of  him.  In  his  distress  he 
crept,  with  little  hope  of  safety,  into  a 
hollow  tree,  at  whose  foot  there  happen- 
ed to  be  an  opening,  through  which  he 
could  squeeze  his  body,  and  stand  up- 
right within.  The  Indians  soon  rushed 
by  in  full  chase,  without  stopping  to 
search  his  retreat ;  and,  what  is  more 
extraordinary,  their  dogs  had  previous- 
ly smelled  about  the  root  of  the  tree, 
and  ran  forward  without  barking,  as 
though  they  had  discovered  nothing. 

(h)  THE  TRAVELER  AND  THE 
STRANGE  DOG.— A  gentleman,  says 
the  London  Methodist  Magazine,  travel- 
ing in  Cornwall,  observed  a  strange  dog 
following  him  on  the  road,  which,  not- 
withstanding every  effort  he  used  to 
drive  him  back,  claimed  acquaintance 
with  him. 

Being  benighted  in  a  lonely  place,  he 
called  at  the  first  inn  he  met  with,  and 
desired  to  be  accommodated  with  a 
room.  After  supper  the  gentleman  re- 
tired to  rest.  No  sooner  had  he  opened 
the  door,  than  the  before  mentioned  dog 
rushed  in.  After  some  fruitless  ef- 
forts to  drive  the  dog  away,  the  gentle- 
man permitted  him  to  stay  in  the  room ; 
thinking  he  could  do  him  no  harm. 
671 


343 


PROVIDENCE. 


When  the  gentleman  began  to  prepare 
for  bed,  the  dog  ran  to  a  closet  door,  and 
then  ran  back  to  him,  looking  very 
wistfully  at  him.  This  the  dog  did  se- 
veral limes,  which  so  far  excited  the 
curiosity  of  the  gentleman,  that  he  open- 
ed the  closet  door;  and  to  his  great 
terror,  saw  a  person  laid  with  his  throat 
cut.  Struck  with  horror,  he  began  to 
think  of  his  own  state.  To  attempt  to 
run  away  he  supposed  would  be  unsafe. 
He  therefore  began  to  barricade  the 
door  with  the  furniture  of  the  room,  and 
laid  himself  on  the  bed  with  his  clothes 
on.  About  midnight  two  men  came  to 
the  door  and  requested  admittance, 
stating  that  the  gentleman  that  slept 
there  the  preceding  night,  had  forgotten 
something  and  was  returned  for  it. 
He  replied,  the  room  was  his,  and  no 
one  should  enter  his  room  until  morn- 
ing. They  went  away,  but  soon  return- 
ed with  two  or  three  other  men,  and  de- 
manded entrance;  but  the  gentleman, 
with  an  austere  voice,  threatened  if 
they  did  not  desist,  he  would  defend 
himself.  Awed  apparently  by  this  bold 
reply,  they  left  him  and  disturbed  him 
no  more. 

In  the  morning  he  inquired  for  a 
barber ;  one  was  immediately  sent  for, 
when  the  gentleman  took  the  opppor- 
tunity  of  inquiring  into  the  character  of 
his  host.  The  barber  replied,  he  was  a 
neighbor,  and  did  not  wish  to  say  any 
thing  to  his  disadvantage.  The  gentle- 
man still  urged  his  inquiry,  assuring 
him  he  had  nothing  to  fear,  till  the  bar- 
ber said,  "  Sir,  if  I  must  tell  the  truth, 
they  bear  a  very  bad  character,  for  it 
has  been  reported,  that  persons  have 
called  here,  who  have  never  been  heard 
of  afterwards."  Can  you,  said  the  gen- 
tleman keep  a  secret  ?  On  his  answer- 
ing in  the  affirmative,  the  gentleman 
opened  the  closet  door,  and  showed  him 
the  person  with  his  throat  cut ;  he  then 
directed  the  barber  to  procure  a  con- 
stable,  and  proper  assistance  with  all 
speed,  which  was  done  immediately, 
and  the  host  and  hostess  were  both 
taken  into  custody,  to  take  their  trial  at 
the  next  assize.  They  took  their  trial 
and  were  found  guilty  of  the  murder, 
condemned  and  executed.  The  dog  was 
never  seen  bv  the  gentleman  afterwards. 
672 


(i)  ESCAPE  FROM  BUFFALOES 
AND  A  PANTHER.~Mr.  Hunter,  in 
the  narrative  of  his  life  among  the 
western  Indians,  says,  "  In  one  of  my 
excursions,  while  seated  in  the  shade  of 
a  large  tree,  situated  on  a  gentle  de- 
clivity, with  a  view  to  procure  some 
mitigation  from  the  oppressive  heat  of 
the  noonday  sun,  1  was  surprised  by  a 
tremendous  rushing  noise.  I  sprang 
up,  and  discovered  a  herd  I  believe  of  a 
thousand  buffaloes,  running  at  full  speed 
directly  towards  me ;  as  I  supposed 
to  beat  off  the  flies,  which  at  this  season, 
inconceivably  trouble  some  of  those 
animals. 

"  I  placed  myself  behind  the  tree,  so 
as  not  to  be  seen,  not  apprehending  any 
danger,  because  they  ran  with  too  great 
rapidity  and  too  closely  together,  to 
afford  any  one  of  them  any  opportunity 
of  injuring  me  while  protected  in  this 
manner.  "  The  buffaloes  passed  so 
near  me  on  both  sides  that  I  could  have 
touched  several  merely  by  extending  my 
arm.  In  the  rear  of  the  herd,  was  one 
on  which  a  huge  panther  had  fixed,  and 
was  voraciously  engaged  in  cutting  off 
the  muscles  of  its  neck.  I  did  not  dis- 
cover this  circumstance  till  it  had  nearly 
passed  beyond  rifle  shot  distance,  when 
I  discharged  my  piece  and  wounded  the 
panther.  It  instantly  left  its  hold  on  the 
buffalo,  and  bounded  with  great  rapidity 
towards  me.  On  witnessing  the  result 
of  my  shot,  the  apprehensions  I  suffered 
can  hardly  be  imagined.  I  had,  however, 
sufficient  presence  of  mind  to  retreat, 
and  secrete  myself  behind  the  trunk 
of  the  tree,  opposite  to  its  approaching  di- 
rection. Here,  solicitous  for  what  possi- 
bly might  be  the  result  of  my  unfortu- 
nate shot,  I  prepared  both  my  knife 
and  tomahawk,  for  what  I  supposed  a 
dreadful  conflict  with  this  terrible 
animal.  In  a  few  moments,  however,  I 
had  the  satisfaction  to  hear  it  in  the 
branches  of  the  tree  over  my  head. 
My  rifle  had  just  been  discharged,  and 
I  entertained  fears  that  I  could  not  re- 
load it,  without  discovery,  and  yet  ex- 
posing myself  to  the  fury  of  its  destruc- 
tive rage.  I  looked  into  the  tree  with 
the  utmost  caution,  but  could  not  per- 
ceive it,  though  its  groans  and  ven- 
geance-breathing growls,  told  me  that 


IN  BESTOWING  TEMPORAL  BLESSINGS. 


313 


it  was  not  far  off,  and  also  what  I  had 
to  expect,  in  case  it  should  discover  me. 
In  this  situation,  with  my  eyes  almost 
constantly  upwards  to  observe  its  mo- 
tions, I  silently  loaded  my  rifle,  and  then 
creeping  softly  round  the  tree,  saw  my 
formidable  enemy  resting  on  a  consider- 
able branch  about  thirty  feet  from  the 
ground,  with  his  side  fairly  exposed.  I 
was  unobserved,  took  deliberate  aim,  and 
shot  it  through  the  heart.  It  made  a 
single  bound  from  the  tree  to  the  earth, 
and  died  in  a  moment  afterwards. 

(j)  CHILD  CARRIED  AWAY  BY 
AN  EAGLE. — A  peasant  with  his  wife 
and  three  children,  had  taken  up  his 
summer  quarters  in  a  chalet,  and  was 
pasturing  his  flock  on  one  of  the  rich 
Alps  which  overhang  the  Durance. 
The  oldest  boy  was  an  idiot,  about  eight 
years  of  age  ;  the  second  was  five  years 
old,  and  dumb ;  and  the  youngest  was 
an  infant.  It  so  happened,  that  the  in- 
fant was  left  one  morning  in  charge  of 
his  brothers,  and  the  three  had  rambled 
to  some  distance  from  the  chalet  before 
they  were  missed.  When  the  mother 
went  in  search  of  the  little  wanderers, 
she  found  the  two  elder,  but  could  dis- 
cover no  traces  of  the  babe.  The  idiot 
boy  seemed  to  be  in  a  transport  of  joy, 
while  the  dumb  child  displayed  every 
symptom  of  alarm  and  terror.  In  vain 
did  the  terrified  parent  endeavor  to  col- 
lect what  had  become  of  the  lost  infant. 
The  antics  of  the  one  and  the  fright  of 
the  other  explained  nothing.  The  dumb 
boy  was  almost  bereft  of  his  senses, 
while  the  idiot  appeared  to  have  acquir- 
ed an  unusual  degree  of  mirth  and  ex- 
pression. He  danced  about,  laughed, 
and  made  gesticulations  as  if  he  were 
imitating  the  action  of  one  who  had 
caught  up  something  of  which  he  was 
fond,  and  hugged  to  his  heart.  This, 
however,  was  some  slight  comfort  to  the 
poor  woman  ;  for  she  imagined  that 
some  acquaintance  had  fallen  in  with 
the  children,  and  had  taken  away  the 
infant.  But  the  day  and  night  wore 
away,  and  no  tidings  came  of  the  lost 
child.  On  the  morrow,  when  the  pa- 
rents were  pursuing  their  search,  an 
eagle  flew  over  their  heads,  at  the  sight 
of  which  the  idiot  renewed  his  antics, 
and  the  dumb  boy  clung  to  his  father, 
43 


with  shrieks  of  anguish  and  afTrijrht. 
The  horrible  truth  then  burst  upon  their 
minds,  that  the  miserable  infant  had 
been  carried  off  in  the  talons  of  a  bird 
of  prey,  and  that  the  half-witted  elder 
brother  was  delighted  at  his  riddance  of 
an  object  of  whom  he  was  jealous. 

On  the  morning  on  which  the  accident 
happened,  an  Alpine  yager, 

"  Whose  joy  was  in  the  wilderness — to  breathe 
The  diliiuult  air  of  the  iced  mauntain's  top," 

had  been  watching  near  an  eagle's  seat, 
under  the  hope  of  shooting  the  bird  upon 
her  return  to  her  nest.  The  yager, 
waiting  in  all  the  anxious  perseverance 
of  a  true  sportsman,  beheld  the  eagle 
slowly  Avinging  her  way  toward  the 
rock,  behind  which  he  was  concealed. 
Imagine  his  horror,  when,  upon  her 
nearer  approach,  he  heard  the  cries  and 
distinguished  the  figure  of  an  infant  in 
her  fatal  grasp.  In  an  instant  his  re- 
solution was  formed — to  fire  at  the  bird 
at  all  hazards,  the  moment  she  should 
alight  upon  her  nest,  and  rather  to  kill 
the  child,  than  leave  it  to  be  torn  to 
pieces  by  the  horrid  devourer.  With  a 
silent  prayer,  and  a  steady  aim,  the 
mountainer  poised  his  rifle.  The  ball 
went  directly  through  the  head  or  heart 
of  the  eagle,  and  in  a  minute  afterward, 
the  gallant  hunter  of  the  Alps  had  the 
unutterable  delight  of  snatching  the  child 
from  the  nest,  and  bearing  it^away  in 
triumph.  It  was  dreadfully  wounded 
by  the  eagle  in  one  of  its  arms  and  sides, 
but  not  mortally  ;  and,  within  twenty-  > 
four  hours  after  it  was  first  missed,  he 
had  the  satisfaction  of  restoring  it  to  its 
mother's  arms. 

(k)  THE  IMPORTUNATE  IN- 
TRUDER.—Sir  Harry  Lee,  in  Ditch- 
long,  in  Oxfordshire,  ancestor  of  the  late 
earl  of  Litchfield,  had  a  mastiff  which 
guarded  the  house  and  yard,  but  had 
never  met  with  the  least  particular  at- 
tention  from  his  master,  and  was  retain- 
ed  for  his  utility  only,  and  not  from 
any  particular  regard.  One  night  as 
his  master  was  retiring  to  his  chamber, 
attended  by  his  faitlif id  valet,  an  Italian, 
the  mastiff  silently  followed  him  up 
stairs,  which  he  had  never  been  known 
to  do  before,  and  to  his  master's  aston- 
ishment, presented  himself  in  his  bed- 
673 


343,  314 


PROVIPENCE. 


room.  Being  deemed  an  intruder,  lie 
was  instantly  ordered  to  be  turned  out ; 
which  being  complied  with,  the  poor 
animal  began  scratching  violently  at 
the  door,  and  howling  loudly  for  admis- 
sion. The  servant  was  sent  to  drive 
him  away.  Discouragement  could  not 
check  his  labor  of  love,  or  rather  provi- 
dential impulse  ;  he  returned  again,  and 
was  more  importunate  than  before  to  be 
let  in.  Sir  Harry,  weary  of  opposition, 
bade  the  servant  open  the  door,  that  they 
might  see  what  he  would  do.  This 
done,  the  mastiff,  with  a  wag  of  his  tail, 
and  a  look  of  affection  at  his  lord,  delib- 
erately walked  up,  and  crawling  under 
the  bed,  laid  himself  down  as  if  desirous 
of  taking  up  his  night's  lodging  there. 
To  save  farther  trouble,  but  not  from 
any  partiality  for  his  company,  the  in- 
dulgence was  allowed.  About  the  hour 
of  midnight  the  chamber  door  opened, 
and  a  person  was  heard  stepping  across 
the  room.  Sir  Harry  started  from  his 
sleep ;  the  dog  sprung  from  his  covert, 
and,  seizing  the  unwelcome  disturber, 
fixed  him  to  the  spot !  All  was  dark, 
and  Sir  Harry  rung  his  bell  in  great 
trepidation,  in  order  to  procure  a  light. 
The  person  who  was  pinned  to  the  floor 
by  the  courageous  mastiff  roared  for 
assistance.  It  was  found  to  be  the  va- 
let, who  little  expected  such  a  reception. 
He  endeavored  to  apologize  for  his  in- 
trusion, and  to  make  the  reasons  which 
induced  him  to  take  the  step  appear 
plausible ;  but  the  importunity  of  the 
dog,  the  time,  the  place,  and  the  man- 
ner of  the  valet,  all  raised  suspicion  in 
Sir  Harry's  mind,  and  he  determined  to 
refer  the  investigation  of  the  business  to 
a  magistrate.  The  perfidious  Italian, 
alternately  terrified  by  the  dread  of 
punishment,  and  soothed  with  the  hope 
of  pardon,  at  length  confessed  that  it 
was  his  intention  to  murder  his  master, 
and  then  rob  the  house.  This  diaboli- 
cal design  was  frustrated  only  by  the 
dog,  who  had  perhaps  providentially 
overheard  some  expressions  in  soliloquy 
or  conversation,  from  the  valet,  respect- 
ing his  contemplated  crime. 

(l)  KICHERER  AND    THE  AS- 

SASSIN. — This  name  will  remind  the  ! 

reader  of  the  first  Missionary  to  the  Af-  I 

rican   Hottentots.      During   his    early  ! 

674 


residence  among  them,  he  was  visited 
by  a  man  who  had  been  sentenced  at 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  to  death,  but 
had  effected  his  escape ;  and  who, 
making  great  pretensions  to  religion, 
imposed  on  Mr.  K.  and  induced  him  to 
receive  him  into  his  house.  He  slept 
in  a  room  immediately  adjoining  that  of 
the  Missionary,  and  rose  during  the 
night  with  the  design  of  murdering  him, 
and  of  making  his  escape,  with  the 
property  on  the  premises,  to  a  distant 
place.  At  the  moment  he  was  proceed- 
ing to  the  bedside  of  this  good  man,  Mr. 
K.  was  suddenly  awoke  in  a  fit  of  ter- 
ror, and  unconsciously  cried  out,  as 
though  aware  of  the  design  of  this  wick- 
ed man,  who,  in  consequence,  became 
alarmed,  and  fled. 

(m)  DREAM  OF  THE  SERVANT. 
— Mr.  Williams,  an  eminently  pious 
man,  who  lived  at  Kidderminster  in  the 
last  century,  records  in  his  diary  a  re- 
markable interposition  of  the  providence 
of  God,  in  preserving  his  family  and 
property  from  devouring  flames.  One 
of  his  servants  dreamed  that  a  neigh- 
bor's house  was  on  fire,  and  through 
the  agitation  which  the  dream  occasion- 
ed, she  made  a  little  noise,  which  awoke 
Mrs.  W.  who  was  sleeping  in  a  room 
below.  On  awaking,  she  found  her 
room  filled  with  smoke ;  and  when  Mr. 
Williams  arose  and  examined  the  house, 
he  found  part  of  one  of  the  lower  rooms 
on  fire ;  which,  but  for  the  singular 
manner  in  which  they  had  been  disturb- 
ed, would  have  speedily  placed  the 
whole  family  in  danger;  and,  as  the 
house  was  not  that  year  insured,  have 
deprived  the  good  man  of  nearly  all  he 


BY  THE  CONTROL  OF  MIND. 

314.  In    Overruling   Involuntary   Affec- 
tions and  Dreams. 

(a)  THE  SOLDIER  AND  THE 
JEWELER.— During  the  late  French 
war,  the  French  and  Prussian  troops 
met  in  Lubec.  The  inhabitants  could 
not  anticipate  any  thing  but  plunder  and 
murder. 

Among  others,  a  very  pious  jeweler 
determined  to  fly  to  God  for  refuge.  All 
his  gold  and  silver  articles  being  placed 


IN  BESTOWING  TEMPORAL  BLESSINGS. 


344 


upon  a  table,  he  requested  all  the  mem- 
bers of  his  family  to  unite  with  him  in 
prayer.  While  on  their  knees,  a  French 
soldier  burst  open  the  door  of  the  house, 
and  stood  still,  until  the  jeweler  closed 
the  solemn  exercise.  He  then  invited 
the  soldier  to  the  table,  saying,  "  Sir, 
take  of  these  articles  whatever  you 
please."  "  No !"  said  the  soldier,  I 
will  take  nothing;  but  shall  continue 
with  you  as  a  guard,  until  we  march 
away.  At  night,  a  bed  was  offered  to 
the  soldier,  but  he  declined  accepting  it, 
preferring  to  remain  in  the  room  below, 
in  order  to  be  ready  at  any  moment  for 
defending  the  jeweler  against  plunder- 
ers. The  French  after  some  days 
withdrew.  The  soldier  of  course  joined 
his  troops.  Stationed  in  another  city, 
ho  was  quartered  at  the  house  of  an  in- 
timate friend  of  the  jeweler,  to  whom 
he  related  the  occurrence,  adding,  I 
never  knew  what  fear  was,  until  I  un- 
expectedly saw  the  jeweler  and  his 
family  upon  their  knees  praying.  Such 
was  the  degree  of  terror  with  which  I 
was  struck,  that  T  could  not  move  from 
the  sill  of  the  door  until  the  jeweler 
came  to  me !  God  protects  his  chil- 
dren. 

(b)  THE  MISSIONARIES  AND 
l^HE  MURDERERS.—Soon  after  the 
Moravian  brethren  had  commenced 
their  zealous  and  disinterested  labors  in 
Greenland,  a  number  of  murderers,  ex- 
cited by  the  angekoks,  or  sorcerers, 
threatened  to  kill  the  Missionaries,  and 
entered  their  house  for  that  purpose,  at 
a  time  when  all  were  absent,  excepting 
one,  named  Matthew  Stach.  When 
they  arrived,  they  found  him  engaged 
in  the  work  of  translation,  in  which  he 
went  on,  without  showing  any  marks 
of  fear,  though  uncertain  as  to  their  in- 
tention. After  they  had  sat  awhile, 
their  leader  said,  "  We  are  come  to  hear 
good."  "  I  am  glad  of  it,"  replied  the 
Missionary,  and  silence  being  obtained, 
he  sang,  prayed,  and  then  proceeded  : 
"  I  will  not  say  much  to  you  of  the 
Creator  of  all  things — you  know  there 
is  a  Creator ;" — to  this  they  all  assent- 
ed, except  one.  "  You  also  know  that 
you  are  a  wicked  people."  "  Yes  !" 
was  the  unanimous  reply.  "  Now, 
then,"  resumed  the  Missionary,  "  I  will 


tell  you  what  is  most  necessary  to 
know."  He  then  proceeded  to  declare 
the  incarnation  and  death  of  Jesus ; 
spoke  of  his  resurrection  from  the  dead  ; 
and  assured  them,  that  he  would  be  the 
final  Judge  of  all  men.  He  then  sol- 
emnly appealed  to  the  leader  of  the 
banditti,  as  to  the  account  he  would 
render  of  his  murders  and  other  crimes 
at  the  last  day,  and  entreated  him  im- 
mediately to  accept  the  mercy  offered 
him  by  the  Lord  Jesus.  After  he  had 
done,  a  woman,  whose  brother  they  had 
murdered,  spoke  of  the  efficacy  of  the 
Savior's  atonement,  told  them  she  felt 
it,  and  exhorted  them  no  longer  to  resist 
•the  truth.  They  heard  all  this  with 
attention,  walked  for  some  time  before 
the  house  with  their  hands  folded,  and 
towards  evening  retired,  without  offer- 
ing either  violence  or  insult. 

(c)  HILL  AND  HIS  GARDEN- 
ER.—The  Rev.  Rowland  Hill  had 
great  reason  to  rejoice  in  the  consistent 
lives,  and  zealous  devotion  to  God,  of 
many  of  his  people  at  Wotton.  There 
was  amongst  them  a  person  of  the  name 
of  Rugg,  of  a  piety  so  deep,  and  of  a 
life  so  useful  and  unblemished,  that 
even  his  enemies  admired  and  were 
awed  by  his  character.  Mr.  Hill's 
gardener  at  Wotton,  who  had  always 
passed  for  an  honest,  quiet  sort  of  man, 
was  at  length  discovered  to  have  been 
the  perpetrator  of  several  burglaries, 
and  other  daring  robberies  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, though  he  had,  till  caught  in 
the  fact,  never  been  even  suspected. 
He  was  tried  at  Gloucester,  condemned, 
and  executed.  It  need  scarcely  be  said 
that  his  master  visited  him  in  gaol. 
During  his  interview  with  him  there,  he 
confessed  the  many  crimes  of  which  he 
had  been  guilty.  "  How  was  it,  Wil- 
liam,"  he  inquired,  '•'  that  you  never 
robbed  me,  when  you  had  such  abun- 
dant opportunity  ?"  "  Sir,"  replied  he, 
"  do  you  recollect  the  juniper  bush  on 
the  border  against  the  dining  room  ?  I 
have  many  times  hid  under  it  at  night, 
intending,  which  I  could  easily  have 
done,  to  get  into  the  house  and  plunder 
it ;  but,  sir,  I  was  afraid  :  something 
said  to  me,  He  is  a  man  of  God :  it  is  a 
house  of  prayer ;  if  I  break  in  I  shall 
surely  be  found  out :  so  I  never  could 
675 


344 


PROVIDENCE. 


pluck  up  courage  to  attempt  it."  In 
another  conversation,  he  told  him,  "  Sir, 
I  well  knew  that  old  Mr.  Rugg  was  in 
the  habit  of  carrying  a  deal  of  money  in 
his  pocket :  times  and  times  have  I  hid 
behind  the  hedge  of  the  lane  leading  to 
his  house  :  he  has  passed  within  a  yard 
of  me,  when  going  home  from  the  pray- 
er-meeting, again  and  again ;  I  could 
not  stir ;  I  durst  not  touch  so  holy  a 
man.  I  was  afraid.  I  always  began 
to  tremble  as  soon  as  he  came  near  me, 
and  gave  up  the  thought  altogether,  for 
I  knew  he  was  a  holy  man." 

(d)  RUFFIANS  FRIGHTENED 
BY  PRAYER.— A  lady  in  one  of  our 
large  cities  had  been  in  the  habit  of  at- 
tending religious  meetings  in  the  even- 
ing. When  she  had  no  one  to  accom- 
pany her,  she  would  go  alone,  although 
frequently  admonished  of  her  danger. 
On  her  return  one  evening  from  the 
place  of  worship,  in  crossing  a  public 
walk  which  lay  in  her  way  home,  she 
was  met  by  two  ruffians,  who  stopped 
before  her,  and  presenting  a  pistol  to  her 
breast,  demanded  her  watch  and  money. 
Although  alone  as  they  supposed,  there 
was  one  present  in  whom  she  trusted, 
that  the  wretches  did  not  see,  and  at 
whose  approach  others  like  them  once 
"  went  backward  and  fell  to  the  ground." 
As  she  had  no  arm  of  flesh  to  protect 
her,  she  instantly  fell  upon  her  knees 
before  them,  and  with  uplifted  hands 
cried  out,  "  Now,  Lord  Jesus,  help  !" 
The  affrighted  assassins  fled. 

(e)  BUNYAN  AND  THE  JAIL- 
ER.— The  respectability  of  Bunyan's 
character  and  the  propriety  of  his  con- 
duct, while  in  prison  at  Bedford,  appear 
to  have  operated  very  powerfully  on  the 
mind  of  the  jailer,  who  showed  him 
much  kindness,  in  permitting  him  to  go 
out  and  visit  his  friends  occasionally, 
and  once  to  take  a  journey  to  London. 

The  following  anecdote  is  told  respect- 
ing the  jailer  and  Mr.  Bunyan  : — It  be- 
ing known  to  some  of  his  persecutors, 
in  London,  that  he  was  often  out  of 
prison,  they  sent  an  officer  to  talk  with 
the  jailer  on  the  subject ;  and,  in  order 
to  discover  the  fact,  he  was  to  get  there 
in  the  middle  of  the  night.  Bunyan 
was  at  home  with  his  family,  but  so  rest- 
less that  he  could  not  sleep  ;  he  there- 
676 


fore  acquainted  his  wife  that,  though  the 
jailer  had  given  him  liberty  to  stay  till 
the  morning,  yet,  from  his  uneasiness, 
he  must  immediately  return.  He  did 
so,  and  the  jailer  blamed  him  for  coming 
in  at  such  an  unseasonable  hour.  Early 
in  the  morning  the  messenger  came, 
and  interrogating  the  jailer,  said,  "  Are 
all  the  prisoners  safe  ?"  "  Yes."  "  Is 
John  Bunyan  safe  ?"  "  Yes."  "  Let 
me  see  him."  He  was  called,  and  ap- 
peared, and  all  was  well.  After  the 
messenger  was  gone,  the  jailer,  address- 
ing Mr.  Bunyan,  said,  "  Well,  you  may 
go  in  and  out  again  just  when  you  think 
proper,  for  you  know  when  to  return 
better  than  I  can  tell  you. 

(/)  THE  DROWNING  LADY.— 
— A  gay  lady  in  New  England  once 
had  occasion  to  go  to  a  neighboring  town, 
where  she  had  often  been  before.  In 
the  immediate  vicinity  was  a  stream 
which  she  had  to  go  near,  and  which  at 
this  period  was  high.  With  a  view  of 
showing  her  courage  to  a  young  person 
whom  she  had  taken  with  her  as  a  com- 
panion, she  went  into  the  stream  with 
her  horse,  and  in  a  very  little  time  was 
thrown  into  the  water, — had  already 
sunk  once  or  twice  to  the  bottom,  and 
felt  that  she  was  within  a  few  moments 
of  an  eternal  world,  without  being  pre- 
pared for  so  great  a  change. 

It  so  happened,  that  a  young  man  in 
another  neighboring  town  had  felt  a 
powerful  impression  on  his  mind  that 
morning,  that  he  would  visit  the  same 
place.  He  had  no  business  to  transact ; 
but,  being  forcibly  impressed  with  the 
importance  of  going  thither,  he  invited 
a  young  man  to  accompany  him.  Ar- 
riving at  the  side  of  the  stream  just  as 
the  young  ladies  were  about  to  cross  it, 
they  saw  it  was  improbable  that  they 
could  ford  it ;  yet,  as  the  ladies  went, 
they  determined  to  follow. 

By  the  time  the  young  lady  was 
thrown  from  her  horse,  the  others  had 
nearly  reached  the  opposite  shore  ;  but, 
perceiving  her  danger,  one  of  them  im- 
mediately followed  her  on  his  horse,  and 
in  the  last  moment  of  life,  as  it  then  ap- 
peared, she  caught  hold  of  the  horse's 
leg  ;  he  thus  secured  her,  and  snatching 
hold  of  the  other  drowning  young  lady, 
she  was  saved  also.     After  the  use  of 


IN  BESTOWING  TEMPORAE  BLESSINGS. 


344 


proper  remedies  they  recovered  ;  and 
the  young  gentlemen,  believing  that 
the  design  of  their  coming  from  home 
was  now  answered,  returned  back. 

The  impressions  made  on  the  mind 
of  this  young  lady  were  permanent,  and 
she  was  led  to  reflect  on  the  sins  she 
had  committed  against  God,  to  pray  for 
the  pardon  of  her  guilt,  and  to  devote 
herself  to  the  Divine  service.  She  em- 
braced the  mercy  of  the  Lord,  believing 
in  the  Redeemer,  who  alone  saves  from 
the  wrath  to  come. 

In  the  same  town  with  herself  lived 
a  young  gentleman,  who  had  often  spent 
his  hours  in  vain  conversation  with  her. 
On  her  return  home,  he  went  to  congra- 
tulate her  on  her  escape,  and  to  his  sur- 
prise, found  she  attributed  her  deliver- 
ance to  the  power  of  God,  and  urged 
him  to  seek  that  grace  which  they  had 
both  neglected.  Her  serious  conversa- 
tion was  blest  to  his  conversion,  and  he 
became  a  fiithful  minister  of  Jesus 
Christ. 

(g)  WISHART  AND  THE  FOR- 
GERY.— The  name  of  this  eminent 
man  is  well  known  in  Scotland,  where 
he  acted  a  distinguished  part  in  the  re- 
formation of  religion,  which  rendered 
him  a  constant  object  of  the  hatred  of 
the  popish  party.  Cardinal  Benson  fre- 
quently formed  plans  to  take  away  his 
life.  At  one  time,  he  procured  a  letter 
to  be  sent  to  him  as  from  an  intimate 
friend,  the  laird  of  Kinnier,  in  which  he 
was  requested  to  come  to  him  without 
delay,  as  he  had  been  seized  with  sud- 
den illness.  In  the  meantime,  the  car- 
dinal had  provided  sixty  men  to  waylay 
him,  and  deprive  him  of  life. 

The  letter  having  been  delivered  by 
a  boy  who  also  brought  a  horse  to  con- 
vey him  on  his  journey,  VVishart  set 
out,  but  suddenly  stopping  by  the  way, 
avowed  to  the  friends  who  had  accom- 
panied him,  his  strong  conviction  that 
God  did  not  will  that  he  should  proceed  ; 
for  that  there  was  treachery  in  this  bu- 
siness. The)^  went  forward  without  him, 
and  discovered  the  whole  plot,  by  which 
means  bis  life  was  preserved. 

(h)  KNOX  AND  THE  ASSAS- 
SIN.— This  celebrated  Scotch  reformer 
had  many  surprising  escapes  from  the 
malicious  designs  of  his  enemies.     He 


was  accustomed  to  sit  at  the  head  of  the 
table  in  his  own  house,  with  his  back 
to  the  window  ;  on  one  particular  even- 
ing, however,  he  would  neither  himself 
sit  in  his  chair,  nor  allow  any  one  else 
to  do  so.  That  very  night  a  bullet  was 
shot  in  at  the  window  purposely  to  kill 
him ;  it  grazed  the  chair  in  which  he 
usually  sat,  and  made  a  hole  in  the  foot 
of  the  candlestick. 

(i)  DOD'S  SINGULAR  VISIT.— 
It  is  recorded  of  Mr.  Dod,  one  of  the 
Puritan  ministers,  that  being  one  even- 
ing late  in  his  study,  his  mind  was 
strongly  inclined,  though  he  could  as- 
sign no  reason  for  it,  to  visit  a  gentle- 
man of  his  acquaintance,  at  a  very  un- 
seasonable hour.  Not  knowing  the 
design  of  Providence,  he  obeyed  and 
went.  When  he  came  to  the  house, 
after  knocking  a  few  times  at  the  door, 
the  gentleman  himself  came,  and  in- 
quired if  he  wanted  him  upon  any  par- 
ticular business.  Mr.  Dod  having  an- 
swered in  the  negative,  and  signified 
that  he  could  not  rest  till  he  had  seen 
him,  the  gentleman  replied,  "  O,  sir, 
you  are  sent  of  God  at  this  very  hour, 
for  I  was  just  now  going  to  destroy  my- 
self!" and  immediately  pulled  the  halter 
out  of  his  pocket,  by  which  he  had  in- 
tended to  commit  the  horrid  deed,  which 
was  thus  prevented. 

ij)  THE  LOST  WOMAN.— A  poor 
woman  residing  in  a  village  in  Bedford- 
shire, had  occasion  to  go  to  another  vil- 
lage, about  three  miles  distant ;  and  as 
she  could  not  return  before  evening,  it 
was  agreed  that  her  husband,  who  was 
a  laboring  man,  should  meet  her  as  she 
returned  home. 

The  night  being  extremely  dark,  she 
unfortunately  missed  her  way,  and  her 
endeavors  to  find  the  path  only  led  her 
so  much  the  farther  from  it.     Bewilder- 
ed and  alarmed,  she  wandered  she  knew 
not  whither.     In  this  distressing  situa- 
tion she  walked   about  for  some  time, 
until  completely  fatigued  and  exhausted. 
At  this  moment  it  was  strongly  im- 
:  pressed  upon  her  mind  to  sit  down,  and 
I  wait  the  return  of  morning,  which  she 
\  accordingly  did  ;  and  on  extending  her 
I  feet  in  order  to  obtain  as  much  relief  as 
\  possible     for    her    v/eary   limbs,   they 
;  splashed  in  some  water. 
677 


345 


PROVIDENCE. 


Ignorant  of  her  real  situation,  and 
without  one  ray  of  light  to  direct  her, 
her  feelings  may  be  more  easily  con- 
ceived than  described  ;  with  the  utmost 
anxiety  she  awaited  the  dawn  of  day, 
which  discovered  her  perilous  situation, 
on  the  bank  of  a  deep  river,  the  Ouse, 
into  which  another  step  would  inevita- 
bly have  plunged  her. 

Being  a  pious  woman,  she  first  ac- 
knowledged, with  unfeigned  gratitude, 
the  hand  of  her  gracious  Preserver,  and 
then  made  the  best  of  her  way  home. 

S45.  In  Overrnliiig  Voluntary  Acts  and 
Affections. 

(a)  THE  SOLDIER'S  SHIELD.— 
Samuel  Proctor  was  trained  up  in  the 
use  of  religious  ordinances,  and  in  early 
life  felt  some  religious  impressions.  He 
afterwards  enlisted  as  a  soldier  in  the 
first  regiment  of  foot  guards,  and  was 
made  a  grenadier.  Notwithstanding 
this,  the  impressions  made  upon  his 
mind  continued  ;  and  the  fear  of  the 
Lord,  as  a  guardian  angel,  attended  him 
through  the  changing  scenes  of  life. 
There  were  a  few  in  the  regiment  who 
met  for  pious  and  devotional  exercises  ; 
he  cast  in  his  lot  among  them,  and  al- 
ways carried  a  small  pocket  Bible  in 
one  pocket,  and  his  hymn-book  in  the 
other.  He  took  part  in  the  struggle  on 
the  plains  of  Waterloo  in  1815.  In  the 
evening  of  June  16th,  in  the  tremendous 
conflict  on  that  day,  his  regiment  was 
ordered  to  dislodge  the  French  from  a 
wood,  of  which  they  had  taken  posses- 
sion, and  from  which  they  annoyed  the 
allied  army.  While  thus  engaged,  he 
was  thrown  a  distance  of  four  or  five 
yards  by  a  force  on  his  hip,  for  which 
he  could  not  account  at  the  time ;  but, 
when  he  came  to  examine  his  Bible,  he 
saw,  with  overwhelming  gratitude  to  the 
Preserver  of  his  life,  what  it  was  that 
had  thus  driven  him.  A  musket-ball 
had  struck  his  hip  where  his  Bible 
rested  in  his  pocket,  and  penetrated 
nearly  half  through  that  sacred  book. 
All  who  saw  the  ball,  said  that  it  would 
undoubtedly  have  killed  him,  had  it  not 
been  for  the  Bible,  which  served  as  a 
shield.  The  Bible  was  kept  as  a  sacred 
treasure,  and  laid  up  in  his  house,  like 
678 


the  sword  of  Goliath  in  the  tabernacle. 
"  That  Bible,"  said  Proctor,  '•  has 
twice  saved  me  instrumentally — first, 
from  death  in  battle,  and  second  from 
death  eternal." 

(b)  POWELL  SAVED  BY  FIDE:. 
LITY. — This  good  man  was  one  of 
those  devoted  ministers,  who,  in  the 
seventeenth  century,  were  grievously 
persecuted.  In  an  account  of  the  trials 
and  mercies  he  experienced,  Jbe  tells  us, 
that  two  of  the  enemies  of  religion  on 
one  occasion  severely  beat  him,  one  of 
whom,  with  a  cudgel,  greatly  wounded 
him  ;  but  his  life  was  preserved.  At 
another  time,  four  armed  men  waylaid 
him,  intending  to  kill  him,  but  were 
unexpectedly  discovered  by  two  stran- 
gers, who  dispersed  them.  One  of  these 
persecutors  that  very  day  became,  un- 
der Mr.  Powell's  preaching,  convinced 
of  his  sin,  and  refrained  ever  after  from 
persecution.  At  another  period,  a  poor 
man  took  an  oath  to  kill  him  ;  but,  after 
several  ineffectual  attempts  to  accom- 
plish his  purpose  he  went  to  hear  Mr. 
P.  deliver  a  sermon,  in  which  the  mercy 
of  Christ  as  the  Savior  of  sinners  was 
so  powerfully  exhibited,  that  his  heart 
was  melted ;  he  entreated  Mr.  P.  to 
pray  for  him  and  become  his  friend. 
On  another  occasion  Mr.  P.  was  appre- 
hended while  preaching  ;  and  on  his 
way  to  the  justice  of  peace,  he  so 
preached  as  to  be  the  instrument  of 
causing  one  of  his  greatest  enemies  to 
weep.  When  he  arrived  at  the  house 
of  the  magistrate,  who  was  not  at  home, 
he  preached  even  there,  and  the  impres- 
sion on  the  minds  of  his  two  daughters 
was  such,  that  they  became  his  inter- 
cessors, and  he  was  released. 

(c)  ESCAPE  OF  GEN.  WASH- 
INGTON.— Major  Ferguson,  who  com- 
manded a  rifle  corps  in  advance  of  tlie 
hussars  under  Kniphausen,  during  some 
skirmishing  a  day  or  two  previous  to 
the  battle  of  Brandywine,  was  the  hero 
of  a  very  singular  incident,  which  he 
thus  relates  in  a  letter  to  a  friend.  It 
illustrates,  in  a  most  forcible  manner, 
the  overruling  hand  of  Providence  in 
directing  the  operations  of  a  man's 
mind,  in  moments  when  he  is  least  of 
all  aware  of  it. 

"  We  had  not  lain  long,  when  a  rebel 


IN  BESTOWING  TEMPORAL  BLESSINGS. 


345 


officer,  remarkable  by  a  hussar  dress, 
pressed  towards  our  army,  within  a 
hundred  yards  of  my  right  flank,  not 
perceiving  us.  He  was  followed  by 
another,  dressed  in  dark  green  and 
blue,  mounted  on  a  bay  horse,  with  a 
remarkably  high  cocked  hat.  I  ordered 
three  good  shots  to  steal  near  to  them, 
and  fire  at  them  ;  but  the  idea  disgust- 
ing me,  I  recalled  the  order.  The  hus- 
sar, in  returning,  made  a  circuit,  but 
the  other  pas5,ed  within  a  hundred  yards 
of  us,  upon  which  I  advanced  fVom  the 
wood  towards  him.  Upon  my  calling, 
he  stopped  ;  but  after  looking  at  me,  he 
proceeded.  I  again  drew  his  attention, 
and  made  signs  to  him  to  stop,  leveling 
my  piece  at  him  ;  but  he  slowly  can- 
tered away.  As  I  was  within  that  dis- 
tance at  which,  in  the  quickest  firing, 
I  could  have  lodged  half  a  dozen  balls 
in  or  about  him,  before  he  was  out  of 
my  reach,  I  had  only  to  determine  ; 
but  it  was  not  pleasant  to  fire  at  the 
back  of  an  unoffending  individual,  who 
was  acquitting  himself  very  coolly  of 
his  duty  ;  so  I  let  him  alone. 

"  The  day  after,  I  had  been  telling 
this  story  to  some  wounded  officers  who 
lay  in  the  same  room  with  me,  when 
one  of  the  surgeons,  who  had  been 
dressing  the  wounded  rebel  officers, 
came  in,  and  told  us,  that  they  had 
been  informing  him  that  General  Wash- 
ington was  all  the  morning  with  the 
light  troops,  and  only  attended  by  a 
French  officer  in  a  hussar  dress,  he 
himself  dressed  and  mounted  in  every 
point  as  above  described,  I  am  not 
sorry  that  I  did  not  know  at  the  time 
who  it  was." 

(d)  TEMPTED  CHRISTIAN 
SAVED.— About  the  year  1808,  a 
young  lady,  walking  out  late  on  a  win- 
ter's evening,  on  the  Kentish  coast,  was 
alarmed  by  overhearing  a  conversation 
of  some  Irish  laborers,  which  proved 
she  was  in  danger  of  being  robbed,  if 
not  murdered.  She  resolved  to  return 
to  the  village  she  had  just  left,  which 
she  accomplished,  though  pursued  by 
one  of  the  men,  from  whom  she  was 
mercifully  delivered. 

Agitated  and  distressed,  she  deter- 
mined to  stay  at  the  village  for  the  night, 
and  went  to  the  house  of  a  baronet  in 


pursuit  of  a  pious  woman,  who,  in  the 
absence  of  the  family,  always  slept  in 
it.  She  was  surprised  that,  for  a  long 
time,  lier  rap  at  the  door  was  not  an- 
swered ;  and  still  more  to  find,  when 
entrance  was  permitted,  all  the  doors 
she  had  to  pass  with  her  friend  fasten- 
ed ;  nor  was  her  astonishment  lessened, 
when  she  learned  that  the  good  woman 
was  entirely  without  food,  or  firing. 
However,  she  stayed  for  the  night,  and, 
in  the  morning,  went  home. 

Ten  years  rolled  along,  during  which 
time  the  old  woman  treated  her  young 
friend  with  much  kindness;  the  former 
had  buried  several  of  her  family,  and 
was  about  to  leave  the  neighborhood. 
Previous  to  this,  she  called  on  her  friend, 
reminded  her  of  the  circumstances, 
which,  indeed,  she  had  never  forgotten  ; 
and  then,  under  a  promise  of  secrecy 
during  her  life,  divulged  the  following 
facts  : — 

For  some  time  before  the  events  first 
alluded  to  occurred,  the  poor  old  lady, 
though  a  pious  woman,  had  been  the 
subject  of  many  temptations.  Melan- 
choly and  doubting,  Satan  at  last  pre- 
vailed on  her  to  attempt  to  take  away 
her  life.  And  so  nearly  was  this  pur- 
pose accomplished,  that,  at  the  time  this 
young  lady  sought  admission  to  the 
house,  she  had  locked  up  all  its  doors, 
and  was  passing  down  the  yard  to  throw 
herself  into  the  sea  !  She  recognised 
the  hand  of  God  in  this  interposition  to 
save  her  life,  lived  to  his  praise  for 
twelve  or  fourteen  years  after  this  event, 
and  at  length  died  in  the  full  hope  of 
immortality,  through  the  mediation  of 
the  Lord  Jesus. 

(e)  AUGUSTINE'S  MISTAKE.— 
Posidonius,  in  his  life  of  Augustine,  re- 
lates, that  the  good  man,  going  on  one 
occasion  to  preach  at  a  distant  town, 
took  with  him  a  guide  to  direct  him  in 
the  way.  This  man,  by  some  unac- 
countable means,  mistook  the  usual 
road,  and  fell  into  a  bye-path.  It  after- 
wards proved,  that  in  this  way  the 
preacher's  life  had  been  saved,  as  his 
enemies,  aware  of  his  journey,  had 
placed  themselves  in  the  proper  road 
with  a  design  to  kill  him. 

(f)  THE  SADDLE-BAG  IN  THE 
WRONG    BOAT. —  The    Rev.    T. 

679 


345 


PROVIDENCE. 


Charles,  who  was  well  known  as  a  holy 
and  useful  minister  in  Wales,  had  once 
a  remarkable  escape  from  death.  In 
one  of  his  journeys  to  Liverpool,  his 
saddle-bag  was,  by  mistake,  put  into  a 
boat  different  from  that  in  which  he  in- 
tended to  go,  which  made  it  necessary 
to  change  his  boat,  even  after  he  had 
taken  his  seat.  By  this  change,  so  con- 
trary to  his  intentions,  he  was  gracious- 
ly preserved ;  for  the  boat  in  which  he 
meant  to  sail  was  lost,  and  all  its  pas- 
sengers were  drowned. 

(g)  DR.  COLE'S  COMMISrON.— 
It  is  related,  in  the  papers  of  Richard 
earl  of  Cork,  that  towards  the  conclu- 
sion of  Queen  Mary's  reign,  a  commis- 
sion was  signed  for  the  persecution  of 
the  Irish  Protestants;  and,  to  give 
greater  weight  to  this  important  affair, 
Dr.  Cole  was  nominated  one  of  the  com- 
mission. The  doctor  in  his  way  to 
Dublin,  stopped  at  Chester,  where  he 
was  waited  upon  by  the  mayor ;  to  whom, 
in  the  course  of  conversation,  he  im- 
parted the  object  of  his  mission,  and  ex- 
hibited the  leather  box  which  contained 
his  credentials.  The  mistress  of  the 
inn,  where  this  interview  took  place, 
being  a  Protestant,  and  having  over- 
heard the  conversation,  seized  the  op- 
portunity, while  the  doctor  was  attend- 
ing the  mayor  to  the  bottom  of  the 
stairs,  of  exchanging  the  commission 
for  a  dirty  pack  of  cards,  on  the  top  of 
which  she  facetiously  turned  up  the 
knave  of  clubs.  The  doctor,  little  sus- 
pecting the  trick,  secured  his  box,  pur- 
sued his  journey,  and  arrived  in  Dublin 
on  the  7th  of  October,  1558.  He  then 
lost  no  time  in  presenting  himself  before 
lord  Fitzwalter  and  the  privy  council ; 
to  whom,  after  an  explanatory  speech, 
the  box  was  presented,  which  to  the  as- 
tonishment of  all  present,  was  found  to 
contain  only  a  pack  of  cards !  The 
doctor,  greatly  chagrined,  returned  in- 
stantly to  London,  to  have  his  commis- 
sion renewed  :  but  while  waiting  a  se- 
cond time  on  the  coast  for  a  favorable 
wind,  the  news  reached  him  of  the  queen's 
decease,  which  prevented  the  persecu- 
tion, that  would  have  otherwise  proved 
so  awful  a  calamity.  Queen  Elizabeth 
was  so  much  gratified  with  these  facts, 
which  were  related  to  her  by  Lord  Fitz-  ! 
680 


waiter  on  his  return  to  England,  that 
slie  sent  for  the  woman,  whose  name 
was  Elizabeth  Edwards,  and  gave  her 
a  pension  of  forty  pounds  a  year  during 
her  life. 

(h)  HOWARD  AND  THE  HIGH- 
WAYMAN.  —  John  Howard,  Esq., 
the  eminent  philanthropist,  always  set 
a  very  high  value  on  the  Sabbaths  he 
spent  in  England ;  and,  during  his  ab- 
sence on  the  continent,  he  deeply  ueplored 
the  want  of  Christian  privileges.  That  he 
might  not  increase  the  labor  of  his  ser- 
vants, nor  prevent  their  attendance  on 
Divine  worship,  he  usually  walked  to 
the  chapel,  where  he  attended,  at  Bed- 
ford, though  at  a  distance  of  nearly 
three  miles  from  his  residence.  So  re- 
gularly did  he  pursue  this  practice,  that 
an  idle  and  dissolute  man,  whom  he  had 
reproved  for  his  sins,  determined  to 
avail  himself  of  this  opportunity  to 
waylay  and  murder  him.  But  Divine 
Providence  remarkably  interposed  to 
preserve  so  valuable  a  life,  by  inclin- 
ing him  that  morning  to  go  on  horse- 
back  a  different  road,  by  which  means 
his  valuable  life  was  prolonged. 

(z)  GREENLAND  MISSION- 
ARIES FED.— When  the  Moravian 
missionaries  first  went,  in  the  last  cen- 
tury, to  labor  in  Greenland,  they  were 
called  to  endure  the  most  painful  and 
distressing  trials,  both  in  reference  to 
the  indifference  of  the  heathen,  and  the 
want  of  food.  Famine,  of  the  most 
afflictive  kind,  almost  constantly  threat- 
ened them.  But  in  the  darkest  hours, 
God  always  appeared  in  some  way  or 
other,  for  their  help.  On  one  occasion. 
He  disposed  a  Greenlander,  a  perfect 
stranger  to  them,  to  travel  forty  leagues 
to  sell  them  some  seals,  the  flesh  of 
which,  with  oatmeal  and  train  oil,  was  a 
delicacy  to  them  compared  with  the  old 
tallow  candles  on  which  they  some- 
times lived.  At  another  time,  when 
they  had  just  returned  from  a  toilsome 
excursion,  in  which  they  could  obtain 
no  food,  a  Greenlander  brought  them 
word  that  a  Dutch  ship  was  lying  at 
some  distance  to  the  south,  the  captain 
of  which  had  letters  for  them.  On 
sending  to  the  ship,  they  found  a  cask 
of  provisions  sent  them  by  a  kind  friend 
at  Amsterdam,  with  the  proposal  to  send 


IN  BESTOWING  VARIOUS  BLESSINGS. 


345,  346 


more  if  they  needed.  At  another  pe- 
riod, they  were  returning  home  empty  in 
their  frail  boat,  when  a  contrary  wind 
forced  them  on  a  desolate  island,  where 
they  were  compelled  to  remain  all 
night.  Here  they  shot  an  eagle,  and 
thus  obtained  food,  and  also  quills  for 
writing. 

(j)  MRS.  ERSKINE'S  RELEASE. 
— There  is  a  remarkable  circumstance 
connected  with  the  history  of  Ralph 
Erskine — a  fact  well  authenticated  in 
the  part  of  Scotland  where  his  family 
lived.  His  mother  "  died  and  was  bu- 
ried," some  years  before  he  was  born. 
She  wore  on  her  finger  at  the  time  of 
her  death  a  rich  gold  ring,  which,  from 
some  domestic  cause  or  other,  was 
much  valued  by  the  family.  After  the 
body  was  laid  m  the  coffin,  an  attempt 
was  made  to  remove  the  ring,  but  the 
hand  and  the  finger  were  so  much 
swollen  that  it  was  found  impossible. 
It  was  proposed  to  cut  off  the  finger, 
but  the  husband's  feelings  revolted  at 
the  idea.  She  was  therefore  buried 
with  the  ring  on  her  finger.  The  sex- 
ton, who  was  aware  of  the  fact,  formed  a 
resolution  to  possess  himself  of  the  ring. 
Accordingly  on  the  same  night  he  open- 
ed the  grave  and  coffin. — Having  no 
scruples  about  cutting  off  the  finger  of 
a-  dead  woman,  he  provided  himself 
with  a  sharp  knife  for  the  purpose.  He 
lifted  the  stiff  arm,  and  made  an  incision 
by  the  joint  of  the  finger.  The  blood 
flowed — and  the  woman  arose  and  sat 
up  in  her  coffin  !  The  grave  digger 
fled  with  affright,  while  the  lady  made 
her  way  from  her  narrow  tenement  and 
walked  back  to  the  door  of  her  dwell- 
ing, where  she  stood  without  and 
knocked  for  admittance.  Her  hus- 
band, who  was  a  minister,  sat  con- 
versing with  a  friend.  When  the 
knock  was  repeated  he  observed,  "  were 
it  not  that  my  wife  is  in  her  grave,  I 
should  say  that  was  her  knock."  He 
arose  hastily  and  opened  the  door. 
There  stood  his  dear  companion,  wrap- 
ped in  her  grave  clothes,  and  her 
uplifted  finger  dropping  blood.  "  My 
Margaret !"  hs  exclaimed.  "  The 
same,"  said  she — "  Your  dear  wife,  in 
her  own  proper  person ;  do  not  be 
alarmed." 


The  lady  in  question,  lived  seven  or 
eight  years  after  this  occurrence,  and 
became  the  mother  of  several  children, 
among  whom  was  the  person  above 
spoken  of. 

(k)  WISHART  AND  THE 
PSALM. — The  Covenanters,  in  the  time 
of  the  civil  wars  were  exceedingly  fond 
of  singing  psalms.  When  the  great 
Montrose  was  taken  prisoner,  his  chap- 
lain, Wishart,  the  elegant  historian  of 
his  deeds,  shared  the  same  fate  with  his 
patron,  and  was  condemned  to  the  same 
punishment.  Being  desired  on  the  scaf- 
fold to  name  what  psalm  he  wished  to 
have  sung,  he  selected  the  119th,  consist- 
ing of  twenty-four  parts.  In  this  he  was 
guided  by  God  ;  for  before  two  thirds 
of  the  psalm  was  sung  a  pardon 
arrived. 

IN  BESTOWING  VARIOUS  BLESSINGS. 

316.  In  Overruling  Benevolenee. 

(a)  "THERE  IS  THAT  SCAT- 
TERETH,"  &c.— During  the  siege  of 
the  Protestant  city  of  Rochelle,  under 
Louis  XIII  and  Cardinal  Richelieu,  the 
inhabitants  endured  great  miseries  be- 
fore they  yielded  to  an  honorable  capi- 
tulation, the  terms  of  which  were,  how- 
ever, far  from  being  kept  by  their  ene- 
mies. One  of  the  many  touching  inci- 
dents of  the  siege  is  recorded  by  Meri- 
vault.  "  Ho  gives  the  names  of  the 
parties  chiefly  concerned,"  says  Smed- 
ley  ;  "  and  the  narrative  is  marked  by 
an  air  of  truth,  which  renders  its  au- 
thenticity undoubted.  During  the  height 
of  calamity  among  the  Rochellois,  some 
charitable  individuals,  who  had  previ- 
ously formed  secret  magazines,  relieved 
their  starving  brethren  without  blazon- 
ing their  good  deed.  The  relict  of  a 
merchant,  named  Prosni,  who  was  left 
in  charge  of  four  orphan  children,  had 
literally  distributed  her  stores,  while 
any  thing  remained,  among  her  less 
fortunate  neighbors  ;  and  whenever  she 
was  reproached  with  profusion  and  want 
of  foresight  by  a  rich  sister-in-law  of 
less  benevolent  temper,  she  was  in  the 
habit  of  replying,  '  The  Lord  will  pro- 
vide for  us.'  At  length,  when  her  stock 
of  food  was  utterly  exhausted,  and  she 
was  spurned  with  taunts  from  the  door 
681 


346 


PROVIDENCE. 


of  her  relative,  she  returned  home  des- 
titute, broken-hearted,  and  prepared  to 
die,  together  with  her  children.  But  it 
seemed  as  if  the  mercies  once  displayed 
at  Zarephath  were  again  to  be  mani- 
fested ;  and  that  there  was  still  a  barrel 
and  a  cruse  in  reserve  for  the  widow, 
who,  humbly  confident  in  the  bounty  of 
Heaven,  had  shared  her  last  morsel  with 
the  supplicant  in  affliction.  Her  little 
ones  met  her  at  the  threshold  with  cries 
of  joy.  During  her  short  absence,  a 
stranger,  visiting  the  house,  had  deposit- 
ed in  it  a  sack  of  flour ;  and  the  single 
bushel  which  it  contained  was  so  hus- 
banded as  to  preserve  their  lives  till  the 
close  of  the  siege.  Their  unknown 
benefactor  was  never  revealed  ;  but  the 
pious  mother  was  able  to  reply  to  her 
unbelieving  kinswoman, '  The  Lord  hath 
provided  for  us.'  " 

(b)  ANDERSON  AND  THE  MER- 
CHANT.— This  worthy  man,  formerly 
minister  at  Walton-upon-Thames,  being 
the  subject  of  persecution  in  England, 
in  the  year  1662,  and  apprehensive  of 
the  ascendency  of  Popery,  removed  to 
Middleburgh,  in  Zealand.  The  little 
money  he  took  with  him  was  soon  ex- 
pended, and  he  was  reduced  with  his 
family  to  very  great  want,  which  his 
modesty  would  not  allow  him  to  make 
known.  In  this  perplexity,  after  he  had 
been  at  prayer  one  morning  with  his 
family,  his  children  asked  for  some 
bread  for  their  breakfast ;  but  he  having 
none,  nor  money  to  buy  any,  they  all 
burst  into  tears.  While  they  were  thus 
sorrowing  together,  the  door  bell  was 
rung  ;  Mrs.  Anderson  went  to  the  door, 
where  she  was  met  by  a  man  who  pre- 
sented a  small  parcel,  saying  it  had 
been  sent  by  a  gentleman,  and  that  some 
provision  would  be  sent  in  shortly. 
When  they  opened  the  paper,  they  found 
it  to  contain  forty  pieces  of  gold.  Soon 
afterwards  a  countryman  arrived,  with 
a  horse-load  of  whatever  could  contri- 
bute to  their  comfort.  These  supplies 
were  continued  at  intervals  to  his  dying 
day,  without  his  knowing  where  they 
came  from.  It  afterwards  appeared, 
that  these  kindnesses  were  shown  by  a 
pious  merchant  at  Middleburgh ;  who 
observing  a  grave  English  minister  fre- 
quently walk  the  streets  with  a  dejected 
682 


countenance,  inquired  privately  into  his 
circumstances,  and  sent  him  the  gold  by 
his  apprentice,  and  the  provision  by  his 


country  servant,   sayu)< 


God  forbid 


that  any  of  Christ's  ambassadors  should 
be  strangers,  and  we  not  visit  them ;  or 
in  distress,  and  we  not  assist  them  ;"  at 
the  same  time  expressly  charging  them 
to  conceal  his  name. 

(c)  THE  MINISTER'S  STARV- 
ING  FAMILY.— A  clergyman  of  the 
state  of  New- York,  (says  the  Religious 
Museum,)  through  a  misapprehension 
of  a  leading  member,  was  precipitately 
deprived  of  his  pulpit,  which  involved  a 
large  family  in  necessity.  At  supper, 
the  good  man  had  the  pain  of  beholding 
the  last  morsel  of  bread  placed  upon  the 
table,  without  the  least  means  or  pros- 
pect of  a  supply  for  his  children's  break- 
fast.  His  wife,  full  of  grief,  with  her 
children,  retired  to  her  bed.  The  min- 
ister chose  to  sit  up  and  employ  his  dark 
hours  in  prayer,  and  reading  the  pro- 
mises of  God.  Some  secret  hope  of 
supply  pervaded  his  breast ;  but  when, 
whence,  or  by  whom,  he  knew  not.  He 
retired  to  rest,  and  in  the  morning  ap- 
peared with  his  family,  and  performed 
the  duty  of  prayer.  It  being  the  depdi 
of  winter,  and  a  little  fire  upon  the 
hearth,  he  desired  his  wife  to  hang  on 
the  kettle,  and  spread  the  cloth  upon  the 
table.  The  kettle  boiled — the  children 
cried  for  bread — the  afflicted  father, 
standing  before  the  fire,  felt  those  emo- 
tions of  heart  unknown  to  those  whose 
tables  are  replenished  with  affluence. 

While  in  this  painful  state,  some  one 
knocked  at  the  door,  entered,  and  de- 
livered a  letter  into  the  minister's  hand. 
When  the  gentleman  was  gone,  the  let- 
ter was  opened,  and  to  the  minister's  as- 
tonishment, it  contained  a  few  bank  bills 
with  a  desire  of  acceptance.  So  mani- 
fest an  interposition  of  Divine  goodness 
could  not  but  be  received  with  gratitude 
and  joy ;  and  should  be  a  lesson  to  oth- 
ers to  trust  in  that  Savior  who  hath  said, 
"  Verily  thou  shalt  be  fed  ;"  Psalm  37  : 
3.  "  I  never  will  leave  thee  nor  forsake 
thee;"  Heb.  13:  5. 

This  remarkable  occurrence  being 
communicated  to  the  editor,  who  hav- 
ing an  intimacy  with  the  gentleman 
said  to  be  the  hand  that  offered  the  sea- 


IN  BESTOWING  VARIOUS  BLESSINGS. 


316 


sonable  relief,  was  determined  the  next 
time  he  made  him  a  visit  to  introduce 
the  subject,  and  if  possible,  to  know  the 
reason  that  induced  the  generous  action. 
The  story  being  told,  the  gentleman 
discovered  a  modest  blush,  which  evinc- 
ed the  tenderness  of  his  heart.  On  in- 
terrogation, he  said,  "  he  had  frequent- 
ly heard  that  minister;  on  a  certain 
morning  he  was  disposed  for  a  walk  ; 
thought  in  the  severity  of  the  winter 
season  a  trifle  might  be  of  service  as 
fuel  was  high  ;  felt  a  kind  of  necessity 
to  enclose  the  money  in  a  letter,  went 
to  the  house,  found  the  family  adjusted 
as  was  described  ;  delivered  the  paper 
and  retired  ;  but  knew  not  the  extreme 
necessity  of  the  minister  and  his  family 
until  this  moment. 

(d)  KNOLLYS'  DELIVERANCE. 
— The  Rev.  Hanserd  Knollys  suffered 
much  persecution  for  his  conscientious 
attachment  to  the  truth.  In  the  early 
part  of  his  ministry,  he  emigrated  from 
England  to  America,  the  common  asy- 
lum at  that  time,  for  all  who  wished  to 
enjoy  liberty  of  conscience.  There  he 
sojourned  four  years,  but  returned  in 
1641,  at  the  earnest  request  of  an  aged 
father.  On  his  arrival  in  England  he 
was  reduced  to  great  straits,  but  expe- 
rienced the  goodness  of  Providence  in  a 
peculiar  manner.  The  following  par- 
ticulars are  extracted  from  his  own  ac- 
count. "  I  was  still  poor  and  sojourned 
in  a  lodging  till  1  had  but  sixpence  left, 
and  knew  not  how  to  provide  for  my 
wife  and  child.  Having  prayed  to  God 
and  encouraged  my  wife  to  trust  in  him, 
and  to  remember  former  experiences, 
and  especially  that  word  of  promise,  '  I 
will  never  leave  thee  nor  forsake  thee,' 
1  paid  for  my  lodging  and  went  out,  not 
knowing  whither  God's  good  hand  would 
lead  me  to  receive  something  towards  my 
present  subsistence.  About  seven  or  eight 
doors  from  my  lodgings,  a  woman  met  me 
in  the  street,  and  told  me  she  came  to 
seek  me,  and  her  husband  had  sent  her 
to  tell  me  that  there  was  a  lodging  pro- 
vided and  prepared  in  his  house  by  some 
Christian  friends  for  me  and  my  wife. 
I  told  her  my  present  condition  and  went 
along  with  her  to  the  house.  There 
she  gave  me  twenty  shillings  which  Dr. 
Bastock,  a  late  sufferer,  had  given  her 


for  me,  and  some  linen  for  my  wifo; 
;  which  I  received,  and  told  her  husband 
i  I  would  fetch  my  wife  and  child  and 
I  lodge  there.  I  returned  with  great  joy, 
i  and  my  wife  was  greatly  affected  with 
this  seasonable  and  suitable  supply. 
After  we  had  returned  praises  to  God, 
we  went  to  our  new  lodgings,  where  we 
found  all  things  necessary  provided  for 
us,  and  all  charges  paid  for  fifteen 
weeks."  When  the  time  was  expired, 
he  undertook  a  school,  and  by  the  bless- 
ing of  God  was  successful  in  bringing 
up  a  large  family  creditably,  and  though 
several  times  imprisoned  for  religion, 
continued  the  laborious  and  esteemed 
pastor  of  a  poor  church,  for  fifty  years, 
till  he  went  to  his  reward,  Sept.  19th, 
1691,  aged  ninety-two  years. 
(e)  ERSKINE'S  DELIVERANCES. 
— Rev.  Henry  Erskine  was  often  in 
great  straits  and  difficulties.  Once 
when  he  and  his  family  had  supped  at 
night,  there  remained  neither  bread, 
meal,  flesh,  nor  money,  in  the  house. 
In  the  morning  the  young  children  cried 
for  their  breakfast,  and  their  father  en- 
deavored to  divert  them,  and  did  what 
he  could  at  the  same  time  to  encourage 
himself  and  wife  to  depend  upon  that 
Providence  that  hears  the  young  ravens 
when  they  cry.  While  thus  engaged, 
a  countryman  knocked  hard  at  the  door, 
and  called  for  some  one  to  help  him  off 
with  his  load.  Being  asked  whence  he 
came,  and  what  he  would  have,  he  told 
them  he  came  from  Lady  Reburn  with 
some  provisions  for  Mr.  Erskine.  They 
told  him  he  must  be  mistaken,  and  that 
it  was  more  likely  to  be  for  another  Mr. 
Erskine  in  the  same  town.  He  replied, 
no,  he  knew  what  he  said,  he  was  sent 
to  Mr.  Henry  Erskine,  and  cried, 
"  Come,  help  me  off  with  my  load,  or 
else  I  will  throw  it  down  at  the  door." 
Whereupon  they  took  the  sack  from 
him,  and  on  opening  it,  found  it  well 
stored  with  fish  and  meat. 

At  another  time,  being  at  Edinburgh, 
he  was  so  reduced  that  he  had  but  three 
half  pence  in  his  pocket.  VVhen  he  was 
walking  about  the  streets,  not  knowing 
what  course  to  steer,  one  came  to  him 
in  a  countryman's  habit,  presented  him 
with  a  letter  in  which  were  enclosed 
several  Scotch  ducatoons,  with  these 
683 


347 


PROVIDENCE. 


words  written,  "  Sir,  receive  this  from 
a  sympathizing  friend.  Farewell."  Mr. 
Erskine  never  could  find  out  whence 
the  money  came. 

At  another  time,  being  on  a  journey 
on  foot,  his  money  fell  short  and  he  was 
in  danger  of  being  reduced  to  distress. 
Having  occasion  to  fix  his  walking  stick 
in  some  marshy  ground,  among  the 
rushes,  he  heard  something  tinkle  at 
the  end  of  it ;  it  proved  to  be  two  half 
crowns,  which  greatly  assisted  in  bear- 
ing his  charges  home.  In  days  of  per- 
secution and  poverty  God  wonderfully 
interposes  for  his  people. 

§17,  In  Overruling  Various  Acts  and  Affec- 
tions. 

(a)  THE  BUTCHER  AND  THE 
REDEMPTIONER.  — A  person  in 
Holland,  who  had  made  a  considerable 
fortune  in  Philadelphia,  as  a  butcher, 
went  on  board  a  ship  from  Amsterdam, 
which  carried  a  number  of  German 
Redemptioners,*  for  the  purpose  of  pur- 
chasing one  to  assist  him  in  his  business. 

After  examining  the  countenances 
of  several  of  the  passengers,  without 
being  able  to  please  himself,  his  atten- 
tion was  arrested  by  the  tranquil  and 
composed  countenance  of  a  man  ad- 
vanced in  years,  but  with  much  appear- 
ance of  strength  and  activity. 

Not  less  pleased  with  the  tenor  of  the 
conversation  of  his  fellow  countryman, 
than  with  his  exterior,  he  described  the 
purpose  for  which  he  wanted  a  servant, 
and  obtained  the  man's  consent  to  pur- 
chase his  indentures,  providing  he 
would  also  purchase  those  of  his  wife, 
who  had  accompanied  him. 

The  parties  then  went  ashore  to  com- 
plete the  business,  attended  by  the  cap- 
tain ;  and  upon  the  names  of  the  persons 
being  mentioned,  to  insert  them  in  the 
writings,  they  were  found  to  be  the 
name  of  the  purchaser's  father  and 
mother :    and,   upon  further   inquiries, 

*  A  redemptioner  is  a  person  who  engages 
to  article  himself,  by  indenture,  for  an  agreed 
number  of  years,  to  some  one  who  may  want 
him,  on  his  arrival  in  America:  and  the  captain 
receives  the  sum  paid  for  the  services  of  the 
individual  so  articled,  as  passage  and  subsis- 
tence money. 

684 


he  ascertained  them  to  be,  in  fact,  his 
father  and  mother,  the  latter  declaring, 
that  if  he  was  their  son,  he  had  a  re- 
markable mole  upon  his  left  arm,  Mdiich 
proved  to  be  the  case. 

Nothing  could  surpass  the  joy  of  all 
parties.  The  providence  of  God  had 
snatched  the  venerable  pair  from  po- 
verty  and  servitude,  and  conducted 
them  to  plenty  and  independence,  under 
the  protection  of  an  affectionate  son. 

He,  it  appeared,  had  run  away  from 
his  parents  when  quite  a  boy,  and, 
from  the  continual  wars  in  Europe, 
neither  party  had  heard  of  the  other 
since  that  period. 

{b}  MR.  NEWTON'S  HABIT.— 
"  Nothing  was  more  remarkable,"  says 
the  biographer  of  Mr.  Newton,  "  than 
his  constant  habit  of  regarding  the  hand 
of  God  in  every  event,  however  trivial 
it  might  appear  to  others.  In  walking 
to  his  church,  he  would  say,  '  The  way 
of  man  is  not  in  himself,  nor  can  he 
conceive  what  belongs  to  a  single  step. 
When  I  go. to  St.  Mary  Woolnoth,  it 
seems  the  same  whether  I  turn  down 
Lothbury,  or  go  through  the  Old  Jewry ; 
but  the  going  through  one  street,  and 
not  another,  may  produce  an  effect  of 
lasting  consequence.  A  man  cut  down 
my  hammock  in  sport,  but  had  he  cut  it 
down  half  an  hour  later,  I  had  not  been 
here,  as  the  exchange  of  crew  was 
then  making.  A  man  made  a  smoke 
on  the  sea-shore,  at  the  time  a  ship 
passed,  which  was  thereby  brought  to, 
and  afterwards  brought  me  to  Eng- 
land.' " 

(c)  AN  OLD  PERSON.— The  Rev. 
Dr.  Bedell  relates,  that  while  Bishop 
Chase,  of  Ohio,  was  at  the  house  of  a 
Mr.  Beck,  in  Philadelphia,  he  received 
a  package  from  Dr.  Ward,  the  Bishop 
of  Sodor  and  Man,  making  inquiries 
relating  to  certain  property  in  America, 
of  which  some  old  person  in  his  diocese 
was  the  heir.  The  letter  had  gone  to 
Ohio,  followed  him  to  Washington,  then 
to  Philadelphia,  and  found  him  at  Mr. 
Beck's :  when  he  read  it  to  Mr.  B.,  the 
latter  was  in  amazement,  and  said, 
"  Bishop  Chase,  I  am  the  only  man  in  the 
world  who  can  give  you  information.  I 
have  the  deeds  in  my  possession,  and  have 
had  them  forty-three  years,  not  knowing 


IN  BESTOWING  VARIOUS  BLESSINGS. 


347 


what  to  do  with  them,  or  where  any 
heirs  were  to  be  found."  How  wonder- 
ful, that  the  application  should  have 
been  made  to  Bishop  Chase,  and  he  not 
in  Ohio,  but  a  guest  in  the  house  of  the 
only  man  who  possessed  any  information 
on  the  subject ! 

{d)  THE  LORD  WAS  THEIR 
BANKEPv.— Mr.  Philip  Henry,  one  of 
the  non-comformist  ministers,  when 
silenced  from  preaching,  by  the  act  of 
uniformity,  took  comfort  himself,  and 
administered  comfort  to  others,  from  the 
passage,  "  Let  mine  outcasts  dwell  with 
thee,  Moab."  "God's  people,"  he  ob- 
served, "  may  be  an  outcast  people, 
cast  out  of  men's  love,  their  synagogues, 
their  country;  but  God  will  own  his 
people  when  men  cast  them  out ;  they 
are  outcasts,  but  they  are  his,  and  some 
way  or  other  he  will  provide  a  dwelling 
for  them."  Shortly  before  his  death, 
the  same  pious  man  observed,  that, 
though  many  of  the  ejected  ministers 
were  brought  very  low,  had  many  chil- 
dren, were  greatly  harassed  by  perse- 
cution, and  their  friends  generally  poor 
and  unable  to  support  them  ;  yet,  in  all 
his  acquaintance,  he  never  knew,  nor 
could  remember  to  have  heard  of,  any 
non-conformist  minister  in  prison  for 
debt. 

(e)  HAPPY  MEETING.— After  the 
battle  of  Talavera,  among  the  prisoners 
sent  to  France  was  an  interesting  child, 
about  seven  years  old,  concerning  whom 
one  of  the  English  officers  received  an 
account,  that  he  was  the  son  of  a  ser- 
geant  M'CuUum,  who  had  served  in  the 
42d  Highland  regiment,  under  Sir  John 
Moore,  in  the  Peninsula,  and  was  killed 
in  the  battle  of  Corunna.  The  child's 
engaging  manners  had '  greatly  won 
upon  several  persons,  one  of  whom,  as 
he  passed  through  Toboso,  immediately 
took  him  under  his  protection,  and  ob- 
tained leave  to  bring  him  to  England, 
having  a  recommendation  to  the  Duke 
of  York.  His  royal  highness,  from 
what  he  had  heard,  felt  such  an  interest 
in  the  boy,  that,  when  brought  into  his 
presence,  he  took  him  on  his  knee,  con- 
versed with  him  in  the  French  and 
German  lans^uasjes,  which  the  child 
knew,  and  made  arrangements  promptly 
for  his  admission  into  the  Military  Asy- 


lum, at  Chelsea.  It  being  necessary  to 
obtain  the  signature  of  Lord  Huntly 
before  the  boy  could  be  admitted,  the 
officer  and  his  little  protege  were  pro- 
ceeding to  Richmond  House  for  that 
purpose,  when,  on  reaching  Charing 
Cross,  he  perceived  a  soldier,  in  the 
Highland  uniform,  walking  before  him : 
he  quickened  his  pace,  and  soon  over- 
took this  man,  who  happened  to  belong 
to  the  42d  regiment.  On  inquiring  of 
him  if  he  had  been  acquainted  with 
sergeant  M'Cullum,  who  was  killed  the 
year  before  at  Corunna,  he  replied, 
"Sir,  I  did  not  know  any  man  of  that 
name  who  was  killed ;  but  will  you  be 
so  good,  sir,  as  to  tell  me  why  you  have 
asked  that  question  ?"  "  Because,"  said 
the  officer,  pointing  to  the  boy,  "  that  is 
his  child,  whom  I  found  in  Spain." 
"  O  sir,"  said  he,  rushing  over  to  the 
boy,  "  he  is  my  child  !  Jamie,  don't  you 
know  me  ?"  The  scene,  as  may  be 
supposed,  was  truly  affecting.  The 
feelings  depicted  in  the  soldier's  coun- 
tenance, on  the  sudden  discovery  of  his 
long-lost  child,  together  with  the  rush 
of  thought  upon  the  past  scenes  of  the 
boy  abroad,  so  overcame  the  officer, 
that  he  was  obliged  to  retire  into  an 
adjoining  shop,  to  give  vent  to  his  emo- 
tions. 

(/)  THE  CAPTIVE  AND  HER 
FAVORITE  HYMN.— In  the  year 
1754,  a  dreadful  war  broke  out  in  Can- 
ada, between  the  French  and  the  Eng- 
lish. The  Indians  took  part  with  the 
French,  and  made  excursions  as  far  as 
Pennsylvania,  where  they  plundered 
and  burned  all  the  houses  they  came  to, 
and  murdered  the  people.  In  1755, 
they  reached  the  dwelling  of  a  poor 
family  from  Wirtemberg,  while  the  wife 
and  one  of  the  sons  were  gone  to  a  mill, 
four  miles  distant,  to  get  some  corn 
ground.  The  husband,  the  eldest  ?od, 
and  two  little  girls,  named  Barbara  and 
Regina,  were  at  home.  The  father  and 
his  son  were  instantly  killed  by  the  sav- 
ages, but  they  carried  the  two  little  girls 
away  into  captivity,  with  a  great  many 
other  children,  who  were  taken  in  the 
same  manner.  They  were  led  many 
miles  through  woods  and  thorny  bushes, 
that  nobody  might  follow  them.  In  this 
condition  they  were  brought  to  the  hab- 
685 


347 


PROVIDENCE. 


itations  of  the  Indians,  who  divided 
among  themselves  all  the  children  whom 
they  had  taken  captive. 

Barbara  was  at  this  time  ten  years 
old,  and  Regina  nine.  It  was  never 
known  what  became  of  Barbara ;  but 
Regina,  with  a  Utile  girl  of  two  years 
old,  whom  she  had  never  seen  before, 
were  given  to  an  old  widow,  who  was 
•  to  them  very  cruel.  In  this  melancholy 
state  of  slavery  these  children  remained 
nine  long  years,  till  Regina  reached  the 
age  of  nineteen,  and  her  little  compan- 
ion was  eleven  years  old.  While  cap- 
tives, their  hearts  seemed  to  have  been 
drawn  towards  what  was  good.  Regina 
continually  repeated  the  verses  from  the 
Bible,  and  the  hymns  which  she  had 
learnt  when  at  home,  and  she  taught 
them  to  the  little  girl.  They  often  used 
to  cheer  each  other  with  one  hymn 
from  the  hymn  book  used  at  Halle,  in 
Germany  : 

"  Alone,  yet  not  alone  am  I, 
Though  in  this  solitude  so  drear." 

They  constantly  hoped  that  the  Lord 
Jesus  would,  some  time,  bring  them  back 
to  their  Christian  friends. 

In  1764,  the  hope, of  these  children 
was  realized.  The  merciful  providence 
of  God  brought  the  English  Colonel 
Bouquet  to  the  place  where  they  were 
in  captivity.  He  conquered  the  Indians, 
and  forced  them  to  ask  for  peace.  The 
first  condition  he  made  was,  that  they 
should  restore  all  the  prisoners  they  had 
taken.  Thus  the  two  poor  girls  were 
released.  More  than  400  captives  were 
brought  to  Colonel  Bouquet.  It  was  an 
affecting  sight  to  see  so  many  young 
people  wretched  and  distressed.  The 
colonel  and  his  soldiers  gave  them  food 
and  clothes,  brought  them  to  the  town 
of  Carlisle,  and  published  in  the  Penn- 
sylvania newspapers,  that  all  parents 
who  had  lost  their  children  might  come 
to  this  place,  and  in  case  of  their  find- 
ing them,  they  should  be  restored.  Poor 
Regina's  sorrowing  mother  came,  among 
many  other  bereaved  parents,  to  Car- 
lisle ;  but,  alas  !  her  child  had  become 
a  stranger  to  her ;  Regina  had  acquired 
the  appearance  and  manner,  as  well  as 
the  language  of  the  natives.  The  poor 
mother  went  up  and  down  amongst  the 
686 


young  persons  assembled,  but  by  no 
efforts  could  she  discover  her  daughters. 
She  wept  in  bitter  grief  and  disappoint- 
ment. Colonel  Bouquet  said,  "  Do  you 
recollect  nothing  by  which  your  chil- 
dren might  be  discovered  ?"  She  an- 
swered that  she  recollected  nothing  but 
a  hymn,  which  she  used  to  sing  with 
them,  and  which  was  as  follows : 

"  Alone,  yet  not  alone  am  I, 
Though  in  this  solitude  so  drear  ; 

I  feel  my  Savior  always  nigh, 
He  comes  the  weary  hours  to  cheer. 

I  am  with  him,  and  he  with  me. 

Even  here  alone  I  cannot  be." 

The  colonel  desired  her  to  sing  this 
hymn.  Scarcely  had  the  mother  sung 
two  lines  of  it,  when  Regina  rushed 
from  the  crowd,  began  to  sing  it  also, 
and  threw  herself  into  her  mother's 
arms.  They  both  wept  for  joy,  and  the 
colonel  restored  the  daughter  to  her 
mother.  But  there  were  no  parents  or 
friends  in  search  of  the  other  little  girl ; 
it  is  supposed  they  were  all  murdered  ; 
and  now  the  child  clung  to  Regina,  and 
would  not  let  her  go;  and  Regina's 
mother,  though  very  poor,  took  her  home 
with  her.  Regina  repeatedly  asked  after 
"  the  book  in  which  God  speaks  to  us." 
But  her  mother  did  not  possess  a  Bible  ; 
she  had  lost  every  thing  when  the  na- 
tives burnt  her  house. 

{g)  THE  CAPTIVE'S  RELEASE. 
— "In  the  war  called  Braddock's  war," 
says  a  writer  in  the  Christian's  Advo- 
cate, "  my  father  was  an  officer  in  the 
British  Navy.  One  night  as  they  were 
running  close  to  the  coast  of  Barbary, 
the  officers  on  deck  heard  some  person 
singing.  A  moment  convinced  them 
that  he  was  singing  the  Old  Hundred 
psalm  tune.  They  immediately  con- 
jectured that  the  singer  was  a  Christian 
captive,  and  determined  to  attempt  his 
rescue.  Twenty  stout  sailors,  armed 
with  pistols  and  cutlasses,  manned  the 
ship's  boats  and  approached  the  shore. 
Directed  by  the  voice  of  singing  and 
prayer,  they  soon  reached  the  abode  of 
the  Christian  captive.  It  was  a  little 
hut  at  the  bottom  of  his  master's  gar- 
den on  a  small  river.  They  burst  open 
the  door,  and  took  him  from  his  knees, 
and  in  a  few  moments  he  was  on  the 
ship's  deck  frantic  with  joy.     The  ac- 


IN  CONVERSIONS. 


347,  34§ 


count  he  gave  of  himself  was,  that  his 
name  was  McDonald ;  that  he  was  a 
native  of  Scotland  ;  and  had  been  a 
captive  eighteen  years  ,  he  had  obtained 
the  confidence  of  his  master,  was  his 
chief  gardener,  and  had  the  privilege  of 
living  by  himself.  He  said  he  was  not  at 
all  surprised  when  they  burst  open  his 
door,  for  the  Turks  had  often  done  so, 
and  whipped  him  when  on  his  knees." 
(h)  THE  BROTHERS'  MEET- 
ING.— A  gentleman  residing  near  Marl- 
borough, went  to  New-York  to  get  a 
hand  to  work  for  him  on  his  farm.  He 
chanced  to  have  recommended  to  him,  a 
young  man  who  had  just  emigrated  from 
Germany,  and  through  hired  persons 
(as  the  German  could  not  speak  Eng- 
lish,) he  engaged  to  work  for  him,  and 
brought  the  young  man  over  to  his  re- 
sidence. At  dusk  the  gentleman  sent 
to  a  neighbor  for  a  German  who  had 
been  working  there  a  long  time,  having 
emigrated  from  Germany  many  years 
since,  and  whose  steady  habits  had,  as 
much  as  any  thing,  influenced  him  in 
retaining  the  young  man,  to  come  and 
talk  with  the  new  work-hand.  The 
German  who  was  sent  for,  came  and 
seated  himself  by  the  fire,  back  of 
the  other,  who  was  drinking  his  tea. 
The  family  were  waiting  for  the  meal 
to  be  finished,  expecting  to  here  some 
regular  Dutch  talk  ;  nor  did  they  wait 
in  vain,  for  the  moment  the  young  man 
turned  from  the  table,  his  eyes  were 
fixed  on  the  other  German.  Both  stood 
a  moment,  regarding  each  other — and 
then  nished  into  each  other's  arms — 
they  were  brothers,  and  had  met  for  the 
first  time  in  many  years.  The  kind 
feeling,  the  unbounded  joy,  the  repeat- 
ed embrace,  were  worthy  of  lovers. 
These  two  honest  Dutchmen  did  talk 
real  Dutch  that  night,  and  will  proba- 
bly do  so  a  long  time,  as  they  work  on 
farms  that  adjoin  each  other. 

IN  CONVERSIONS. 

348.  Overruling  Misfortunes  and  Bereave- 
ments. 

(a)    GAME    OF   FOOT-BALL.— 

Vavasor  Powell,  an  eminent  minister  of 
the  seventeenth  century,  being  appoint- 


I  ed  to  preach  on  a  certain  day,  in  a 
I  meadow,  near  Treozaron,  Cardigan- 
I  shire,  a  number  of  idle  persons,  enemies 
j  to  religion,  agreed  to  meet  at  the  same 
time  and  place,  to  play  at  foot-ball,  and 
thereby  create  a  disturbance.  Among 
them  was  a  young  man  of  respectable 
family  in  that  neighborhood,  lately  re- 
turned home  from  school,  who  being 
nimble-footed  and  dextrous  at  the  game, 
had  obtained  possession  of  the  ball,  in- 
tending to  kick  it  in  the  face  of  the 
preacher.  At  this  instant,  another  per- 
son ran  towards  him,  and  tripped  up 
his  heels.  By  the  fall  his  leg  was 
broken ;  and  after  lying  on  the  ground 
in  great  agony,  he  expressed  a  wish  to 
see  the  minister,  to  whom,  on  his  arri- 
val, he  confessed  his  wicked  intention, 
and  acknowledged  that  the  just  judg- 
ment  of  God  had  befallen  him. 

Mr.  Powell,  having  represented  to' 
him  the  evil  and  danger  of  sin,  preach- 
ed the  power  and  grace  of  the  Savior ; 
and,  at  the  request  of  the  young  man, 
accompanied  him  to  his  father's  house. 
So  great  was  the  change  produced  in 
him  by  means  of  this  affliction,  that  on 
his  recovery  he  began  to  preach,  and 
was  for  many  years  the  most  laborious 
and  useful  minister  in  those  parts.  His 
name  was  Morgan  Howell. 

(b)  THE  INFIDEL  CONVERT- 
ED. — The  conversion  of  Dr.  Vander- 
kemp  was  preceded  by  a  very  remark- 
able interposition  of  the  providence  of 
God,  in  the  preservation  of  his  life.  He 
was  sailing  on  the  river  near  Dort,  in 
company  with  his  wife  and  daughter, 
when  a  violent  storm  arose,  and  a  water- 
spout broke  on  the  boat,  by  which  it  was 
instantly  overset.  Mrs.  and  Miss  Van- 
derkemp  were  immediately  drowned ; 
and  the  survivor,  clinging  to  the  boat, 
was  carried  down  the  stream  nearly  a 
mile ;  no  one  daring,  in  so  dreadful  a 
storm,  to  venture  from  the  shore  to  his 
assistance.  A  vessel  then  lying  in  the 
port  of  Dort,  was  by  the  violence  of  the 
storm  driven  from  her  moorings,  and 
floated  towards  the  part  of  the  river  in 
which  he  was,  just  ready  to  perish  ;  and 
the  sailors  took  him  from  the  wreck. 
Thus  remarkably  was  a  life  preserved, 
which  was  afterwards  to  be  employed 
for  the  advantage  of  mankind,  and  for 
687 


34§ 


PROVIDENCE. 


the  propagation  of  that  faith  which  he 
had  labored  to  destroy.  The  sudden 
loss  of  his  earthly  comforts,  and  his 
long  struggle  against  a  painful  death, 
softened  his  hard  heart,  shook  tlie  infi- 
del principles  he  had  hitherto  cherished, 
and  ended  in  the  consecration  of  his  life 
to  the  cause  of  God. 

(c)  THE  WRECKED  SAILOR'S 
CONSECRATION.  —  A  ship,  says 
Rev.  John  Blain,  was  wrecked  amongst 
the  rocks,  near  Cape  Horn.  While  the 
winds  fiercely  blowed,  and  the  foaming 
billows  dashed  the  timbers  in  pieces, 
one  seaman  reached  a  lonely,  barren 
rock.  The  day  passed  slowly  away. 
He  stretched  his  eye  to  the  east  and 
west,  to  the  north  and  south,  over  the 
deep,  dark,  and  ever  restless  waters — 
but  no  friendly  sail  appeared !  The 
sun  disappeared,  and  he  sat  down  to 
pass  in  solitude  the  lonely  night.  His 
shipmates  were  cold  and  silent  in  their 
watery  graves.  The  waves  dashed 
against  the  rock,  the  winds  passed 
swiftly  onward,  the  lamps  of  night  shed 
their  dismal  light  on  the  bosom  of  the 
deep — but  no  human  voice  sounded  in 
his  ear,  no  brother's  hand  administered 
to  his  wants.  Hunger  and  thirst  made 
strong  demands,  but  he  had  no  means 
to  relieve  them.  The  b.read  and  the 
water  were  entombed  with  his  compa- 
nions. Nor  had  he  any  consolation  to 
draw  from  a  future  world.  The  Bible 
and  the  Redeemer  had  been  neglected, 
and  he  was  strangely  indifferent.  An- 
other day  came  and  passed,  and  an- 
other night.  On  the  third  night,  as  he 
lay  on  his  back,  gazing  into  the  stariy 
heavens,  he  began  to  think  about  God 
and  eiernity,  his  past  life,  and  the  in- 
terests of  his  soul.  But  all  was  dark. 
His  skin  was  peeling  from  his  face,  his 
teeth  all  loose,  his  thirst  almost  intoler- 
able, and  death  seemed  to  stand  by  his 
side.  He  had  never  prayed,  nor  did 
he  know  how  to  pray.  A  single  com- 
mandment was  all  he  remembered,  and 
that  commandment  his  dear  mother 
taught  him  when  a  child.  And  how 
should  he  meet  that  mother  and  his 
God  in  a  future  world  1  His  sins 
passed  in  review,  and  pressed  on  his 
guilty  conscience,  while  bitter  tears 
of  repentance  began  to  roll  down  his 
688 


scalded  cheeks.  Without  knowing  what 
the  Lord  required  of  him,  he  rose,  stood 
on  his  kness,  lifted  his  feeble  hands  to- 
wards heaven,  and  there  on  that  lonely 
rock,  far,  far  away  from  home  and 
friends,  he  submitted  all  to  God,  and 
most  solemnly  promised,  if  his  life  was 
spared,  he  would  learn  and  do  what- 
ever God  required.  From  that  conse- 
crated and  blessed  hour,  peace  flowed 
into  his  soul — Christ  was  his  Savior, 
and  hope  entered  within  the  vail.  The 
next  day  the  life-boat  from  a  passing 
ship  took  him  from  the  Bethel  rock.  He 
landed  in  Boston,  found  the  sailor's 
friend,  and  the  sailor's  home,  and 
listened  to  the  gospel  of  peace.  Father 
Taylor  gave  him  a  Bible,  which  he 
read  with  prayerful  attention.  He 
came  to  New- York — visited  different 
churches,  searched  for  truth,  remem- 
bered his  solemn  vow,  and  in  February, 
1843,  while  I  was  preaching  in  the 
Baptist  Tabernacle,  he  offered  himself 
to  the  church.  On  hearing  his  expe- 
rience, every  heart  felt — every  eye 
wept.  Bro.  Wm.  W.  Everts  baptized 
him,  welcomed  him  to  the  church,  and 
he  went  on  his  vay  rejoicing. 

(d)  CURE  FOR  NERVOUS  EX- 
CITEMENT.—A  friend  once  told  me 
that,  amongst  other  symptoms  of  high 
nervous  excitement,  he  had  been  pain- 
fully harassed  by  the  want  of  sleep. 
To  such  a  degree  had  this  proceeded, 
that  if  in  the  course  of  the  day  any 
occasion  led  him  to  his  bed-chamber, 
the  sight  of  his  bed  made  him  shudder 
at  the  idea  of  the  restless  hours  he  had 
passed  upon  it.  In  this  case  it  was  re- 
commended  to  him  to  endeavor,  when 
he  lay  down  at  night,  to  fix  his  thoughts 
on  something  at  the  same  time  vast  and 
simple — such  as  the  wide  expanse  of 
ocean,  or  the  cloudless  vault  of  heaven  ; 
that  the  little  hurried  and  disturbing 
images  that  flitted  before  his  mind 
might  be  charmed  away,  or  hushed  to 
rest,  by  the  calming  influence  of  one 
absorbing  thought.  Though  not  at  all 
a  religious  man  at  the  time,  the  advice 
suggested  to  his  mind,  that  if  an  object  . 
at  once  vast  and  simple  was  to  be  se- 
lected, none  could  serve  the  purpose  so 
well  as  that  of  God.  He  resolved  then 
to  make  the  trial,  and  to  think  of  Him. 


IN  CONVERSIONS. 


34§ 


The  result  exceeded  his  most  san- 
guine hopes  ;  in  thinking  of  God  he  fell 
asleep.  Night  after  night  he  resorted 
to  the  same  expedient.  The  process 
became  delightful ;  so  much  so,  that  he 
used  to  long  for  the  usual  hour  of  re- 
tiring, that  he  might  flill  asleep,  as  he 
termed  it,  in  God.  What  began  as  a 
mere  physical  operation,  grew  by  im- 
perceptible degrees  into  a  gracious  in- 
fluence. The  same  God  who  was  ^  his 
repose  at  night,  was  in  all  his  thoughts 
by  day.  And  at  the  same  time  this 
person  spol^e  to  me,  God,  as  revealed 
in  the  gospel  of  his  Son,  was  "  all  his 
salvation,"  so  inscrutable  are  the  ways 
by  which  God  can  "  fetch  home  again 
his  banished." 

(e)  THE  STUDENT  AND  HIS 
MOTHER'S  LETTERS.— Among  the 
students  in  an  Academy  in  Massachu- 
setts in  1845,  was  one,  who  was  the 
son  of  a  pious  mother,  but  whose  father 
was  a  professed  believer  in  the  doctrine 
of  the  final  and  universal  restoration  of 
all  men,  and  openly  rejected  and  ridi- 
culed true  religion.  Yet,  notwithstand- 
ing  Mr.  F.'s  (the  young  man's  father) 
hostility  to  religion,  he  had  permitted 
his  son  to  be  trained  up  in  the  Sabbath 
school,  where  the  true  principles  of  the 
gospel  had  been  so  instilled  into  his 
young  mind  that  all  the  sophistical  argu- 
ments used  by  his  father  were  unable  to 
move  him.  But  at  the  period  of  which 
we  are  speaking,  the  young  man  was  a 
stranger  to  God  experimentally. 

The  second  week  after  he  entered 
school, .  he  received  a  letter  from  his 
mother,  in  which  she  warned  him  of  the 
danger  to  which  he  exposed  himself  by 
living  in  rebellion  against  God,  and  urged 
him  to  repent.  He  thought  but  little 
of  the  letter,  and,  being  a  close  student, 
applied  himself  to  his  books,  entirely 
regardless  of  the  concerns  of  his  soul. 
Two  weeks  passed  and  another  letter 
came,  containing  the  same  warning  and 
expostulations  as  the  first.  And  thus 
she  continued,  for  some  months,  to  write 
to  her  impenitent  son,  using  every  argu- 
ment a  mother's  love  and  concern  for 
his  soul  could  suggest  to  persuade  him 
to  become  a  Christian.  Still  his  mind 
remained  unaffected. 

In  the  meantime  a  protracted  meeting 
44 


was  being  held  in  the  village  where 
the  academy  was  located.  The  young 
man  had  frequently  been  solicited  to 
lay  aside  his  books  and  attend  it.  This 
he  refused  to  do,  saying,  he  did  not 
feel  at  all  interested  in  the  meetings, 
nor  had  he  the  least  concern  for  his 
soul ;  besides,  it  was  more  profitable 
for  students  to  attend  to  their  books, 
than  spend  their  time  in  that  manner. 

Two  weeks  had  passed  since  he  re- 
ceived his  mother's  last  letter ;  he  went 
to  the  post-office  for  another,  and  found 
one  with  the  post-mark  of  his  native 
village  upon  it ;  but  on  opening  it,  in- 
stead of  seeing  the  familiar  hand  of  his 
mother,  his  eye  rested  on  characters 
scarcely  legible.  What  could  this 
mean?  He  began  to  read,  and  soon 
learned  that  his  mother  by  accident  had 
been  deprived  of  the  use  of  her  right 
hand,  and  had  written  with  her  left  ; 
still  presenting  to  him  the  important 
theme  of  his  salvation.  This  touched 
a  chord  in  the  young  man's  heart,  and 
he  said,  "  If  my  sins  are  the  cause  of 
so  much  grief  to  my  mother,  there 
must  be  something  wrong,  and  by  the 
grace  of  God  I  will  forsake  them,  and 
begin  now  to  seek  my  soul's  salvation." 
That  evening  he  went  to  the  prayer- 
meeting  ;  and  when  ''  the  anxious " 
were  requested  to  come  forward  to  the 
altar  that  Christians  might  pray  for 
them,  he  was  among  the  first  there. 
But  as  he  afterward  stated,  he  had  no 
conviction  for  sin,  though  he  knew  he 
was  a  sinner,  and  without  repentance 
could  not  be  saved.  It  was  love  for 
his  mother  alone  which  prompted  him 
to  take  the  step  he  had,  and  love  for 
her  led  him  still  further.  For  several 
successive  evenings  he  was  seen  upo» 
the  anxious  seat,  yet  there  appeared  to 
be  no  change  wrought  in  him.  At 
length,  one  evening  he  rose  up,  and" 
stated  what  his  feelings  had  been,  and' 
added,  that  he  now  began  to  desire  re- 
ligion because  he  believed  it  to  be  the 
"  power  of  God  unto  salvation." 

Conviction  from  this  time  began  to 
roll  in  upon  his  mind,  and  he  saw  him- 
self as  he  never  had  done  before,  a  lost 
and  condemned  creature,  without  God 
and  without  hope.  His  distress  of  mind 
was  great,  and  his  trials  unusually 
689 


349 


PROVIDENCE. 


severe.  But  he  heard  a  voice  saying, 
"  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God  which  taketh 
away  the  sins  of  the  world,"  and  like 
Andrew  he  went  to  meet  Him  and 
became  his  disciple,  and  one  of  the 
brightest  ornaments  of  religion  among 
the  many  who  were  hopefully  con- 
verted at  that  time. 

349.  Overrnling  Intended  or  Actual  Per- 
secution. 

(a)  INTENDED  MURDERER 
AND  THE  SERMON-— Mr.  Brad- 
bury possessed  an  ardent  zeal  in  the 
cause  of  civil  and  religious  liberty,  and 
had  many  admirers.  This  exposed 
him  to  the  hatred  of  the  popish  faction, 
whose  designs  in  respect  of  the  Jacobi- 
tish  succession  he  had  often  exposed. 
They  once  employed  a  person  to  take 
away  his  life.  To  make  himself  fully 
acquainted  with  Mr.  Bradbury's  per- 
son, the  man  frequently  attended  at 
plfices  of  worship  where  he  preached, 
place  himself  in  front  of  the  gallery, 
with  his  countenance  steadfastly  fixed 
on  the  preacher.  It  was  scarcely  pos- 
sible, in  such  circumstances,  wholly  to 
avoid  listening  to  what  was  said.  Mr. 
Bradbury's  forcible  way  of  presenting 
divine  truth  awakened  the  man's  atten- 
tion ;  the  truth  entered  his  understand- 
ing, and  became  the  means  of  changing 
his  heart.  He  came  to  the  preacher 
with  trembling  and  confusion,  told  his 
affecting  tale,  gave  evidence  of  his  con- 
version, became  a  member  of  Mr.  Brad- 
bury's church,  and  was,  to  his  death, 
an  ornament  to  the  gospel  which  he 
professed. 

(b)  WHITEFIELD'S  PERSECU- 
TORS.— When  this  distinguished  min- 
ister was  once  at  Plymouth,  four  gen- 
tlemen came  to  the  house  of  one  of  his 
particular  friends,  kindly  inquiring  after 
him,  and  desiring  to  know  where  he 
lodged.  Soon  afterwards,  Mr.  White- 
lield  received  a  letter,  informing  him 
that  the  writer  was  a  nephew  of  Mr. 
S — ,  an  attorney  at  New-York ;  that  he 
had  the  pleasure  of  supping  with  Mr. 
Whitefield  at  his  uncle's  house,  and  de- 
sired his  company  to  sup  with  him  and 
a  few  friends  at  a  tavern.  Mr.  White- 
field  sent  hijn  word,  that  it  was  not 
691) 


customary  for  him  to  sup  abroad  at 
taverns ;  but  he  should  be  glad  of  the 
gentleman's  company  to  eat  a  morsel 
with  him  at  his  lodging :  he  according- 
ly came  and  supped,  but  was  observed 
frequently  to  look  around  him,  and  to 
be  very  absent  in  mind.  At  last  he 
took  his  leave,  and  returned  to  his  com- 
panions in  the  tavern ;  and  on  being 
asked  by  them  what  he  had  done,  he 
answered,  that  he  had  been  used  so 
civilly,  that  he  had  not  the  heart  to 
touch  him.  Upon  which  another  of 
the  company,  a  lieutenant  of  a  man- 
of-war,  laid  a  wager  of  ten  guineas  that 
he  would  do  his  business  for  him.  His 
companions,  however,  had  the  precau- 
tion to  take  away  his  sword.  It  was 
now  about  midnight,  and  Mr.  White- 
field,  having  that  day  preached  to  a 
large  congregation,  and  visited  the 
French  prisons,  had  gone  to  bed,  when 
the  landlady  came  and  told  him  that  a 
well-dressed  gentleman  desired  to  speak 
with  him.  Mr.  Whitefield  imagining 
it  was  somebody  under  conviction,  de- 
sired him  to  be  brought  up.  He  came, 
and  sat  down  by  the  bed-side,  congratu- 
lated him  upon  the  success  of  his  min- 
istry, and  expressed  much  concern  at 
being  detained  from  hearing  him.  Soon 
after,  he  broke  out  into  the  most  abusive 
language,  and  in  a  cruel  and  cowardly 
manner  beat  him  in  his  bed.  The 
landlady  and  her  daughter,  hearing  the 
noise,  rushed  into  the  room  and  laid 
hold  of  him ;  but  he  soon  disengaged 
himself  from  them  and  repeated  his 
blows  upon  Mr.  Whitefield,  who  being 
apprehensive  that  he  intended  to  shoot 
or  stab  him,  underwent  all  the  surprise 
of  a  sudden  and  violent  death.  After- 
wards a  second  came  into  the  house,  and 
cried  out,  from  the  bottom  of  the  stairs, 
"  Take  courage,  I  am  ready  to  help 
you !"  But,  by  the  repeated  cry  of 
"  murder !"  the  alarm  was  now  so 
great,  that  tliey  both  made  off.  "  The 
next  morning,"  says  Mr.  Whitefield, 
"  I  was  to  expound  at  a  private  house, 
and  then  to  set  out  for  Bidcford.  Some 
urged  me  to  stay  and  prosecute ;  but, 
being  better  employed,  I  went  on  my 
intended  journey,  was  greatly  blessed 
in  preaching  the  everlasting  gospel, 
and,   upon  my  return,  M'as  well    pairf 


IN  CONVERSIONS. 


349 


for  what  I  had  suffered,  curiosity  hav- 
ing led  perhaps  two  thousand  more 
than  ordinary  to  see  and  hear  a  man 
that  had  like  to  have  been  murdered  in 
his  bed.  And  I  trust,  in  the  five  weeks 
that  I  waited  for  the  convoy,  hundreds 
were  awakened  and  turned  unto  the 
Lord." 

(c)  THE  POINTED  SERMON.— 
In  thd^  year  1743,  the  Rev.  George 
Whitefield  had  resolved  to  come  to  this 
country,  and  had  engaged  his  passage 
in  a  ship  that  was  to  sail  from  Ports- 
mouth ;  but  as  the  captain  afterwards 
refused  to  take  him,  "  for  fear  of  his 
spoiling  the  sailors,"  he  was  obliged  to 
go  to  Plymouth.  While  staying  there, 
he  frequently  preached,  and  an  attempt 
having  recently  been  made  to  murder 
him  in  his  bed,  much  attention  was  ex- 
cited, and  many  thousands  flocked  to 
hear  him.  While  he  was  one  day 
preaching,  Mr.  Tanner,  who  was  at 
work  as  a  ship-builder,  at  a  distance, 
heard  his  voice,  and  resolved,  with  five 
or  six  of  his  companions,  to  go  and 
drive  him  from  the  place  where  he 
stood  ;  and  for  this  purpose  they  filled 
their  pockets  with  stones.  When,  how- 
ever, Mr.  T.  drew  near,  and  heard  Mr. 
Whitefield  earnestly  inviting  sinners  to 
Christ,  he  was  filled  with  astonishment, 
his  resolution  failed  him,  and  he  went 
home  with  his  mind  deeply  impressed. 
On  the  following  evening,  he  again  at- 
tended, and  heard  Mr.  Whitefield  on 
the  sin  of  those  who  crucified  the  Re- 
deemer. After  he  had  expatiated  on 
their  guilt,  he  appeared  to  look  intently 
on  Mr.  Tanner,  as  he  exclaimed  with 
energy,  "  Thou  art  the  man  !"  These 
words  powerfully  affected  Mr.  T. ;  he 
felt  his  iniquities  to  be  awfully  great, 
and  in  the  agony  of  his  soul  he  cried, 
"  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner." 
The  preacher  then  proceeded  to  pro- 
claim the  free  and  abundant  grace  of 
Jesus,  which  He  commanded  to  be 
preached  among  the  very  people  who 
had  murdered  him  ;  on  hearing  which, 
Mr.  T.  was  encouraged  to  hope  for 
mercy,  and  he  surrendered  himself  to 
Christ.  This  sermon  was  made  emi- 
nently useful  to  many  other  persons. 

(d)  THE  "  HELL-FIRE  CLUB." 
— The   Rev.  John   Cookc;  of  Maiden- 


head, (Eng.)  was  once  called  on  to 
preach  at  the  opening  of  a  chapel.  Six 
years  afterwards,  a  man  came  to  him 
after  preaching  at  Bristol,  and  told  him 
that,  at  the  period  first  referred  to,  he 
belonged  to  an  awfully  wicked  society, 
called,  "  The  hell-fire  club,"  the  mem- 
bers  of  which  always  endeavored  to  coin 
a  new  oath  for  each  evening  on  which 
they  met,  the  chairman  deciding  who 
had  the  preference.  As  this  man  was 
walking  towards  his  club,  he  was  ask- 
ing himself  what  sin  he  had  not  com- 
mitted, resolving  he  would  commit  it 
before  he  went  to  bed.  His  attention 
was  arrested  by  the  lights  of  the  chapel, 
and  the  voice  of  the  preacher.  After 
some  hesitation,  whether  he  should  en- 
ter the  chapel  for  sport  now,  or  as  he 
returned  from  the  club,  he  determined 
on  the  former.  He  entered  as  the 
preacher  was  repeating  his  text,  "  All 
manner  of  sin  and  blasphemy  shall  be 
forgiven  unto  men ;  and  whosoever 
speaketh  a  word  against  the  Son  of  man, 
it  shall  be  forgiven  him  :  but  whosoever 
speaketh  against  the  Holy  Ghost,  it 
shall  not  be  forgiven  him,  neither  in  this 
world,  neither  in  the  world  to  come." 
He  described  the  nature  of  the  sin;  the 
reason  why  it  was  unpardonable  ;  show- 
ed who  had  not  committed  it,  and  proved 
that  their  sins  might  be  pardoned.  The 
man  went  home,  locked  himself  in  his 
bedroom,  fell  on  his  knees,  thanked  God 
he  was  out  of  hell,  and  prayed  for  the 
pardon  which  he  was  delighted  to  know 
he  might  yet  receive,  though  he  had 
often  wished  to  die,  that  he  might  know 
the  worst  of  hell.  He  read,  prayed, 
heard  the  gospel,  looked  by  faith  to 
Christ,  and  soon  enjoyed  a  sense  of 
pardon,  and  the  privilege  of  friendship 
with  God.     In  his  case  he  considered, 

"  .Tehovah  here  resolved  to  show 
What  his  Almighty  grace  could  do." 

(e)  MR.  WHITEFIELD  AND  THE 
TRUMPETER.— On  one  occasion, 
during  Whitcfield's  residence  in  Amer- 
ica, a  black  trumpeter,  belonging  to  an 
English  regiment,  resolved  to  interrupt 
him  during  a  discourse  which  he  was 
expected  to  deliver  in  the  open  air.  At 
the  hour  appointed  for  the  sermon,  he 
691 


349 


PROVIDENCE. 


repaired  to  the  field  where  it  was  to  be 
preached,  carrying  his  trumpet  with  him 
on  purpose  to  blow  it  with  all  his  might 
about  the  middle  of  the  sermon.  He 
took  his  stand  in  front  of  the  minister, 
and  at  no  great  distance.  The  con- 
course that  attended  became  very  great, 
and  those  who  were  towards  the  extrem- 
ity of  the  crowd  pressed  forward,  in  or- 
der to  hear  more  distintly,  which  caused 
such  a  pressure  at  the  place  where  the 
trumpeter  stood,  that  he  found  it  impos- 
sible to  raise  up  the  arm  which  held 
the  trumpet  at  the  time  he  intended  to 
blow  it.  He  attempted  to  extricate 
himself  from  the  crowd,  but  found  this 
equally  impossible,  so  that  he  was  kept 
within  hearing  of  the  gospel  as  securely 
as  if  he  had  been  chained  to  the  spot. 
In  a  short  time,  his  attention  was  ar- 
rested, and  he  became  so  powerfully 
affected  by  what  the  preacher  presented 
to  his  mind,  that  he  was  seized  with  an 
agony  of  despair,  and  was  carried  to  a 
house  in  the  neighborhood.  When  the 
service  was  over,  he  was  visited  by  Mr. 
Whitefield,  who  tendered  some  season- 
able counsels  ;  and  the  poor  trumpeter 
from  that  time  became  an  altered  man. 
(/)  WHITEFIELD  AND  THE 
FIDDLER.— John  Skinner,  of  Hounds- 
croft,  in  Gloucestershire,  (Eng.,)  was  a 
strolling  fiddler,  going  from  fair  to  fair, 
and  supplying  music  to  any  party  that 
would  hire  him.  Having  determined  to 
interrupt  that  great  and  successful 
minister  of  Christ,  Mr.  Whitefield,  he 
obtained  a  standing  on  a  ladder  raised 
to  a  window  near  the  pulpit ;  he  re- 
mained a  quiet,  if  not  an  attentive  hear- 
er, till  the  text  was  named,  when  he 
intended  to  begin  his  annoying  exercise 
on  the  violin.  It  pleased  God,  howev- 
er, while  he  was  putting  his  instrument 
in  tune,  to  convey  the  word  spoken 
with  irresistible  power  to  his  soul ;  his 
attention  was  diverted  from  his  original 
purpose,  he  heard  the  whole  sermon, 
and  became  altos^ether  a  new  man. 

(g)  THE  \V^IDOW  AND  HER 
SON. — A  minister  from  England  being 
at  Edinburgh,  was  accosted  very  civil- 
ly by  a  young  man  in  the  street,  with 
an  apology  for  the  liberty  he  was  tak- 
ing :  "  I  think,  sir,"  said  he,  "  I  have 
heard  you  at  Spafield's  chapel."  "  You 
692 


probably  may,  sir ;  for  I  have  some- 
times ministered  there."  "  Do  you  re- 
member," said  he,  "  a  note  put  up  by 
an  afflicted  widow,  begging  the  prayers 
of  the  congregation  for  the  conversion 
of  an  ungodly  son  ?"  "  I  do  very  well 
remember  such  a  circumstance." 
"  Sir,"  said  he,  "  I  am  the  very  per- 
son ;  and,  wonderful  to  tell,  ^le  prayer 
was  effectual.  Going  on  a  frolrc  with 
some  other  abandoned  young  men,  one 
Sunday,  through  the  Spafields,  and 
passing  by  the  chapel,  I  was  struck 
with  its  appearance,  and  hearing  it  was 
a  Methodist  chapel,  we  agreed  to  min- 
gle with  the  crowd,  and  stop  for  a  few 
minutes  to  laugh  and  mock  at  the 
preacher  and  the  people.  We  had  on- 
ly just  entered  the  chapel,  when  you, 
sir,  read  the  note,  requesting  the  pray- 
ers of  the  congregation  for  an  afflicted 
widow's  son.  J  heard  it  with  a  sensa- 
tion I  cannot  express.  I  was  struck  to 
the  heart ;  and,  though  I  had  no  idea 
that  I  was  the  very  individual  meant,  I 
felt  that  it  expressed  the  bitterness  of  a 
widow's  heart,  who  had  a  child  as  wick- 
ed as  I  knew  myself  to  be.  My  mind 
was  instantly  solemnized.  I  could  not 
laugh  ;  my  attention  was  riveted  on  the 
preacher.  I  heard  his  prayer  and  ser- 
mon with  an  impression  very  different 
from  that  which  had  carried  me  into 
the  chapel.  From  that  moment,  the 
truths  of  the  gospel  penetrated  my 
heart ;  I  joined  the  congregation  ;  cried 
to  God  in  Christ  for  mercy,  found  peace 
in  believing,  and  became  my  mother's 
comfort,  as  I  had  long  been  her  heavy 
cross. 

(h)  THE  PERSECUTING  FA- 
THER  AND  HIS  DAUGHTER.— 
During  a  series  of  religious  meetings, 
held  in  the  school-house  of  a  small  vil- 
lage, a  very  little  girl  became  much  in- 
terested for  the  salvation  of  her  soul. 
Her  father,  a  hater  of  holiness,  who 
lived  next  door  to  the  place  of  meeting, 
finding  that  his  little  daughter  was  much 
interested  in  the  meetings,  and  had  been 
forward  to  be  prayed  for,  strictly  for- 
bade her  again  entering  the  "  house  of 
prayer."  The  poor  little  girl  was  much 
oppressed,  and  knew  not  what  to  do,  but 
obeyed  her  father  until  the  next  meet- 
ing was  nearly  half  through,  then  slip- 


IN  CONVERSIONS. 


350 


ping  out  without  his  knowledge,  and 
getting  through  a  hole  in  the  back  yard 
fence,  she  hastily  ran  to  the  meeting. 
It  was  some  time  before  her  father  missed 
her,  but  when  he  found  her  gone,  he 
went  immediately  to  the  meeting,  where 
she  was  on  her  knees,  with  others  whom 
the  people  of  God  were  praying  for.  So 
enraged  was  he,  that  he  went  directly 
forward,  and  took  her  in  his  arms,  to 
carry  her  from  the  place.  As  he  raised 
her  from  her  knees,  she  looked  up  with 
a  heavenly  smile,  and  said,  "  It  is  too 
late  now,  pa  ;  I  have  given  my  heart  to 
the  Savior."  This  was  too  much  for 
the  hardened  sinner :  he  too  sunk  on 
his  knees,  while  he  was  prayed  for  ; 
and  very  soon  he  found  that  Savior  he 
had  in  vain  attempted  to  s-hut  out  from 
his  daughter's  heart. 

S§0.  Overruling  various  forms  of  Wicked- 
ness. 

(a)  WORD  OF  GOD  POWER- 
FUL.— An  eminently  pious  curate,  in 
England,  was  accustomed,  on  account 
of  the  village  in  which  he  resided  being 
at  a  great  distance  from  the  church,  to 
preach  on  the  sabbath  evening  in  his 
own  house.  On  his  return  from  his  stated 
parochial  duties,  one  sabbath  afternoon, 
he  was  warned  byone  of  his  neighbors  to 
keep  a  strict  look-out  against  two  sus- 
picious characters  then  lurking  in  the 
village,  as  there  was  some  reason  to  ap- 
prehend that  they  intended  that  night 
to  rob  his  house.  They  contrived  how- 
ever, by  some  means,  to  get  within  his 
premises  while  the  people  were  assem- 
bling in  considerable  numbers  for  wor- 
ship, and  concealed  themselves  in  a  re- 
tired part  of  the  house  ;  but  not  being 
far  from  the  room  where  the  worthy 
man  was  preaching,  they  could  distinct- 
ly hear  his  voice.  The  sword  of  the 
Spirit  pierced  their  hearts ;  they  were  not 
only  convinced  of  the  wickedness  of  their 
meditated  burglary,  but  of  the  awful 
criminality  of  sin  as  committed  against 
God,  and  left  their  dark  retreat  under 
the  most  pungent  sense  of  guilt.  From 
this  time,  an  effectual  change  was 
wrought  in  their  minds  and  conduct, 
and  the  pious  clergyman,  after  several 
years,  could  bear  testimony  that  by  their 


unblamable  lives,  they  adorned  the  gos- 
pel of  Christ. 

(h)  THE  NEGRO'S  SERMON.— 
A  worthy  and  excellent  bishop  of  the 
Episcopal  church  was  in  early  life  an 
immoral  and  dissipated  man.  Dining 
one  evening  with  a  party  of  gentlemen, 
they  sat  late  over  their  wine,  and  with 
a  view  to  promote  merriment,  this  young 
man  sent  for  one  of  his  slaves,  who  was 
in  the  habit  of  preaching  to  his  com- 
panions in  slavery,  and  ordered  him  to 
preach  a  sermon  to  the  company.  The 
good  man  hesitated  for  a  time,  but  at 
length  began  to  address  them.  Instead 
of  the  mirth,  however,  which  they  an- 
ticipated from  the  ignorance  and  sim- 
plicity of  the  poor  man,  the  piety  and 
fervor  of  his  discourse  produced  a  con- 
trary effect.  The  solemn  truths  he  de- 
livered sank  deeply  into  the  hearts  of 
some  of  the  company,  and,  through  the 
Divine  blessing,  carried  conviction  to 
the  heart  of  his  master,  who  now  seri- 
ously  inquired  after  the  way  of  salva- 
tion ;  which  having  learned,  he  began 
from  a  sense  of  duty  to  publish  the 
grace  of  Christ,  and  became  an  or- 
nament to  the  Christian  ministry. 

(c)  THE  SCOFFER  CONVERT- 
ED.— When  the  Rev.  G.  Whitefield 
and  J.  Wesley  commenced  their  zeal- 
ous and  successful  labors,  there  was  a 
very  prevalent  disposition  to  oppose  and 
misrepresent  them.  Many  of  the  pub- 
lic-houses became  places  where  their 
doctrines  and  zeal  were  talked  of  and 
ridiculed.  Mr.  Thorpe,  and  several 
other  young  men  in  Yorkshire,  under- 
took at  one  of  these  parties  to  mimic  the 
preaching  of  these  good  men.  The  pro- 
position met  with  applause  ;  one  after 
another  stood  on  a  table  to  perform  his 
part,  and  it  devolved  on  Mr.  T.  to  close 
this  very  irreverent  scene.  Much  elat- 
ed, and  confident  of  success,  he  exclaim- 
ed, as  he  ascended  the  table,  "  I  shall 
beat  you  all."  Who  would  have  sup- 
posed that  the  mercy  of  God  was  now 
about  to  be  extended  to  this  transgres- 
sor of  his  law  !  The  Bible  was  handed 
to  him ;  and,  by  the  guidance  of  un- 
erring Providence,  it  opened  at  Luke 
13  :  3.  "Except  ye  repent,  ye  shall 
all  likewise  perish."  The  moment  he 
read  the  text  his  mind  was  impressed  in 
693 


^50 


PROVIDENCE. 


a  most  extraordinary  manner ;  he  saw- 
clearly  the  nature  and  importance  of 
the  subject ;  and  as  he  afterwards  said, 
if  he  ever  preached  with  the  assistance 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  it  was  at  that  time. 
His  address  produced  a  feeling  of  de- 
pression in  his  auditors  ;  '  and,  when  he 
had  finished,  he  instantly  retired  to 
weep  over  his  sins :  he  associated  with 
the  people  of  God  ;  and  became  a  use- 
ful minister  of  the  New  Testament,  and 
died  at  Masborough,  in  1776. 

{d)  TAKING  OFF  THE  ME- 
THODIST.—The  Rev.  Mr.  Madan  was 
educated  for  the  bar.  His  conversion 
to  God  arose  from  the  following  circum- 
stances. Some  of  his  companions,  when 
assembled  one  evening  at  a  coffee-house, 
requested  him  to  go  and  hear  the  Rev. 
John  Wesley,  who,  they  were  informed, 
was  to  preach  in  the  neighborhood,  and 
then  to  return  and  exhibit  his  manner 
and  discourse  for  their  entertainment. 
With  that  intention  he  went  to  the  house 
of  God.  Just  as  he  entered  the  place, 
Mr.  Wesley  read  as  his  text,  "  Prepare 
to  meet  thy  God,"  Amos  4:12,  with 
a  solemnity  of  accent  which  excited  his 
attention,  and  produced  a  seriousness 
which  increased  as  the  good  man  pro- 
ceeded in  exhorting  his  hearers  to  re- 
pentance. Mr.  Madan  returned  to  the 
coffee-room,  and  was  asked  by  his  com- 
panions if  he  had  taken  off  the  old  me- 
thodist.  He  replied,  "  No,  gentlemen, 
but  he  has  taken  me  off;"  and  from  that 
time  forsook  their  company,  associated 
with  true  Christians,  and  became  an 
eminently  good  man. 

(e)  A  SINGULAR  MOTIVE  FOR 
ATTENDING  CHURCH.— A  young 
man  of  the  city  of  Norwich,  (Eng.,) 
about  eighteen  years  of  age,  was  walk- 
ing one  morning  with  several  compan- 
ions, who  had  agreed  on  that  day  to 
take  their  pleasure.  The  first  object 
that  attracted  attention  was  an  old  wo- 
man, who  pretended  to  tell  fortunes. 
They  immediately  employed  her  to  tell 
theirs,  and  that  they  might  qualify  her 
for  the  undertaking,  first  made  her 
thoroughly  intoxicated.  The  young 
man,  of  whom  mention  was  first  made, 
was  informed,  among  other  things,  that 
he  would  live  to  a  very  old  age,  and  see 
his  children,  grandchildren,  and  great- 
694 


grandchildren  growing  up  around  him. 
Though  he  had  assisted  in  intoxicating 
the  old  woman,  he  had  credulity  enough 
to  be  struck  with  those  parts  of  the  pre- 
diction which  related  to  himself.  "  And 
so,"  said  he,  when  alone,  "  I  am  to 
see  children,  grandchildren,  and  great- 
grandchildren !  At  this  age,  I  must  be 
a  burden  to  the  young  people.  What 
shall  I  do?  There  is  no  way  for  an 
old  man  to  render  himself  more  agree- 
able to  youth,  than  by  sitting  and  tell- 
ing them  pleasant  and  profitable  stories. 
I  will  then,"  thought  he,  "  during  my 
youth,  endeavor  to  store  my  mind  with 
all  kinds  of  knowledge.  I  will  see  and 
hear,  and  note  down  every  thing  that  is 
rare  and  wonderful,  that  I  may  sit,  when 
incapable  of  other  employments,  and  en- 
tertain  my  descendants.  Thus  shall 
my  company  be  rendered  pleasant,  and 
I  shall  be  respected,  rather  than  neg- 
lected, in  old  age.  Let  me  see,  what 
can  I  acquire  first  ?  Oh  !  here  is  the 
famous  methodist  preacher,  Whitefield  ; 
he  is  to  preach,  they  say,  to-night — 1 
will  go  and  hear  him." 

From  these  strange  motives  the  young 
man  declared  he  went  to  hear  Mr. 
Whitefield.  He  preached  that  evening 
from  Matthew,  3:  7.  "But  when  he 
saw  many  of  the  Pharisees  and  Sad- 
ducees  come  to  his  baptism,  he  said  unto 
them,  O  generation  of  vipers,  who  hath 
warned  you  to  flee  from  the  wrath  to 
come?"  "Mr.  Whitefield,"  said  the 
young  man,  "  described  the  Sadducees' 
character ;  this  did  not  touch  me ;  I 
thought  myself  as  good  a  Christian  as 
any  man  in  England.  From  this  he 
went  to  that  of  the  Pharisees.  He  de- 
scribed their  exterior  decency,  but  ob- 
served, that  the  poison  of  the  viper 
rankled  in  their  hearts.  This  rather 
shook  me.  At  length,  in  the  course  of 
his  sermon,  he  abruptly  broke  off;  paus- 
ed for  a  few  moments ;  then  burst  into 
a  flood  of  tears  ;  lifted  up  his  hands  and 
eyes,  and  exclaimed,  '  Oh,  my  hearers ! 
the  wrath's  to  come!  the  wrath's  to 
come !'  These  words  sunk  into  my 
heart,  like  lead  in  the  waters ;  I  wept, 
and,  when  the  sermon  was  ended,  re- 
tired alone.  For  days  and  weeks  I 
could  think  of  little  else.  Those 
awful  words  would  follow  me  wherever 


IN  CONVERSIONS. 


350 


I  went,  '  The  wrath's  to  come !  the 
wrath's  to  come  !'  "  The  issue  was, 
that  the  young  man  soon  after  made  a 
public  profession  of  religion,  in  a  little 
lime  became  an  eminent  preacher,  and 
he  himself  related  these  circumstances 
to  the  late  Rev.  Andrew  Fuller  of  Ket- 
tering. 

(/)  PLAYIiNG  BALL  ON  THE 
SABBATH.— The  following  interest- 
ing facts  were  related  to  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Conder,  of  London,  by  an  old  gentle- 
man, who  remembered  when  a  boy  to 
have  heard  them  from  the  great-grand- 
father of  that  gentleman  : — 

I  used,  said  he,  when  young,  to  ac- 
company my  father  to  Royston  market, 
which  Mr.  Conder  also  frequented.  The 
custom  of  the  worthy  men  in  those  days 
was,  when  they  had  done  their  market- 
ing, to  meet  together,  and  take  needful 
refreshment  in  a  private  room,  where, 
without  interruption,  they  might  talk 
freely  about  the  things  of  God — how 
they  had  heard  on  the  Sabbath  day,  and 
how  they  had  gone  on  the  week  past, 
etc.  I  was  admitted  to  sit  in  a  corner 
of  the  room.  One  day,  when  I  was 
there,  the  conversation  turned  upon  the 
question,  "  By  what  means  God  first 
visited  their  souls,  and  began  a  work  of 
grace  upon  them  ?"  It  was  your  great- 
grandfather's turn  to  speak,  and  his  ac- 
count struck  me  so,  that  I  never  forgot 
it.  He  told  the  company  as  follows  : — 
"  When  I  was  a  young  man,  was  I  great- 
ly addicted  to  foot-ball  playing  ;  and, 
as  the  custom  was  in  our  parish,  and 
in  many  others  also,  the  young  men, 
as  soon  as  church  was  over,  took  a  foot- 
ball and  went  to  play.  Our  minister 
often  remonstrated  against  our  break- 
ing the  Sabbath,  which,  however,  had 
but  little  effect ;  only  my  conscience 
checked  me  at  times,  and  I  would  some- 
times steal  away  and  hide  myself  from 
my  companions.  But  being  dextrous 
at  the  game,  they  would  find  me  out, 
and  get  me  among  them.  This  would 
bring  on  me  more  guilt  and  horror  of 
conscience.  Thus  I  went  on  sinning 
and  repenting  a  long  time,  but  had  no 
resolution  to  break  off  from  the  practice, 
till,  one  Sabbath  morning,  our  minister 
acquainted  his  hearers  that  he  was  very 
sorry  to  tell  them,  that  by  order  of  the 


I  king  (James  L)  and  his  council,  he 
must  read  them  the  following  paper  or 
relinquish  his  living.  This  was  the 
Book  of  Sports,  forbidding  the  ministers 
or  churchwardens,  or  any  others,  to  mo- 
lest or  discourage  the  youth,  in  what 
were  called  their  manly  sports  and  re- 
creations on  the  Lord's  day,  etc.  While 
our  minister  was  reading  it,  I  was 
seized  with  a  chill  and  horror  not  to  be 
described.  Now,  thought  I,  iniquity  is 
established  by  a  law,  and  sinners  are 
hardened  in  their  sinful  ways  !  What 
sore  judgments  are  to  be  expected  upon 
so  wicked  and  guilty  a  nation !  What 
shall  I  do?  Whither  shall  1  flee? 
How  shall  I  escape  the  wrath  to  come  ? 
— And  thus  God  convinced  me  that  it 
was  high  time  to  be  in  earnest  about  sal- 
vation. And  from  that  time,  I  ne- 
ver had  the  least  inclination  to  take  a 
foot-ball  in  hand,  or  to  join  my  vain 
companions  any  more :  so  that  I  date 
my  conversion  from  that  time,  and  adore 
the  grace  of  God  in  making  that  to  be 
an  ordinance  for  my  salvation,  which 
the  devil  and  wicked  governors  laid  as 
a  trap  for  my  destruction." 

This,  continued  the  narrator,  I  heard 
him  tell :  and  I  hope  with  some  serious 
benefit  to  my  own  soul. 

ig)  THE  ROBBER  AND  THE 
STOLEN  SERMONS.— A  minister, 
had  been  preaching  one  evening,  in  a 
village  at  some  distimce  from  his  home  ; 
when,  on  his  return,  he  was  stopped  by 
a  footpad,  who  presented  a  pistol,  and 
demanded  his  money.  The  minister 
allowed  him  to  take  his  watch  and  his 
money;  and  the  thief,  feeling  some 
papers  in  his  pocket,  took  them  also 
away  with  him,  saying,  that  for 
any  thing  he  knew,  there  might  be 
bank  notes  among  them.  These  papers 
were,  however,  manuscript  sermons, 
written  out  at  length  in  a  fair  and  legi- 
ble hand.  Some  months  afterwards,  a 
respectable  looking  man  called  upon  the 
same  minister,  recalled  to  his  recollec- 
tion the  robbery,  stated  that  he  had  been 
the  robber,  restored  the  watch  and  a  sum 
of  money  equivalent  to  that  which  he 
had  taken  away,  and  stated  the  cause 
of  his  making  restitution  was,  that  upon 
looking  over  the  papers,  he  found  a 
a  sermon  on  the  words,  "  Thou  shall 
695 


350 


PROVIDENCE. 


not  steal."  The  singularity  of  this 
circumstance  induced  him  to  read  it ; 
and  the  impression  produced  by  its 
warnings  upon  him  svas  so  powerful, 
that  he  abandoned  his  profligate 
courses,  became  an  altered  man,  devo- 
ted himself  to  industrious  labor,  and 
took  the  earliest  opportunity  of  restor- 
ing the  property  he  had  stolen. 

(h)  DRUNKARD  SAVED  FROM 
SUICIDE.— An  aged  Christian  in  Ber- 
wick  upon  the  Tweed,  England,  gave  a 
visiter  of  the  poor  the  following  account 
of  his  conversion.  He  said,  that  previous 
to  the  Lord's  meeting  with  him,  he 
was  a  notoriously  wicked  character, 
and,  among  many  other  vices,  he  was 
much  addicted  to  drinking  to  excess. 
On  a  certain  occasion,  he  had,  what  he 
termed,  broke  out,  and  had  been  in  a 
state  of  intoxication  for,  I  think  he  said, 
a  fortnight.  When  the  effects  of  the 
liquor  left  him,  and  he  began  to  come 
to  himself,  his  spirits  sunk  unusually 
low,  and '  guilt  and  remorse  preyed  on 
his  mind  so  much,  that  he  was  driven 
to  despair,  and  felt  himself  so  misera- 
ble, that  he  determined  on  the  rash  act 
of  putting  an  end  to  his  existence  ;  he 
accordingly  procured  a  rope  to  hang 
himself.  At  that  time,  his  wife,  who 
was  a  truly  pious  woman,  was  at  Spa- 
fields  chapel.  A  thought  came  into  his 
mind,  that  he  should  like  his  wife  to 
know  his  fate  soon  after  he  was  dead  ; 
this  induced  him  to  go  round  the  back 
of  the  chapel,  to  seek  for  a  convenient 
place  to  commit  the  fatal  deed,  expect- 
ing that  when  the  congregation  came 
out  he  should  be  found  dead,  and  that 
liis  wife  would  be  informed.  When 
passing  the  back  of  the  chapel,  with  the 
rope  in  his  pocket,  the  sound  of  the 
minister's  voice  caught  his  ear,  and  in- 
duced him  to  go  and  look  in  at  the  door. 
At  the  instant  the  minister  was  preach- 
ing, in  a  very  animated  manner,  on  the 
efficacy  of  the  blood  of  Christ  to  cleanse 
the  guilty  conscience,  stated  that  the 
Savior  was  able  and  willing  to  save  the 
vilest  rebels,  and  then  gave  a  most 
pressing  invitation  to  the  chief  of  sin- 
ners, saying, 

"Come  and  welcome,  come  and  welcome. 
All  that  feel  your  need  of  him." 

696 


These  and  similar  sentences  so  pene- 
trated his  iieart,  that  they  produced 
feelings  which  are  easier  conceived  than 
described. 

When  the  service  was  over,  he  went 
home,  fell  on  his  knees,  and  cried  for 
mercy.  His  wife  was,  at  first,  aston- 
ed  at  the  wonderful  change  ;  but,  on 
inquiry,  she  found  the  Lord  had  answer- 
ed her  prayer  in  behalf  of  her  husband. 

(0  THE  THREE  SCOFFERS.— 
In  a  sea-port  town  on  the  west  coast  of 
England,  notice  was  once  given  of  a 
sermon  to  be  preached  there  one  Sunday 
evening.  The  preacher  was  a  man  of 
great  celebrity  ;  and  that  circumstance, 
together  with  the  object  of  the  discourse 
being  to  enforce  the  duty  of  strict  ob- 
servance of  the  Sabbath,  attracted  an 
overflowing  audience.  After  the  usual 
prayers  and  praises,  the  preacher  read 
his  text,  and  was  about  to  proceed  with 
his  sermon,  when  he  suddenly  paused, 
leaning  his  head  on  the  pulpit,  and  re- 
mained silent  for  a  few  moments.  It 
was  imagined  that  he  had  become  indis- 
posed ;  but  he  soon  recovered  himself, 
and,  addressing  the  congregation,  said 
that  before  entering  upon  his  discourse, 
he  begged  to  narrate  to  them  a  short 
anecdote.  "  It  is  now  exactly  fifteen 
years,"  said  he,  "  since  I  was  last  with- 
in this  place  of  worship  ;  and  the  occa- 
sion was,  as  many  here  may  probably 
remember,  the  very  same  as  that  which 
has  now  brought  us  together.  Amongst 
those  who  came  hither  that  evening, 
were  three  dissolute  young  men,  who 
came  not  only  with  the  intention  of  in- 
sulting and  mocking  the  venerable  pas- 
tor, but  even  with  stones  in  their  pockets 
to  throw  at  him  as  he  stood  in  the  pul- 
pit. Accordingly,  they  had  not  attend- 
ed long  to  the  discourse,  when  one  of 
them  said  impatiently,  "  Why  need  we 
listen  any  longer  to  the  blockhead  ? — 
throw !"  But  the  second  stopped  him,  say- 
ing, "  Let  us  first  see  what  he  makes  of 
this  point."  The  curiosity  of  the  latter 
was  no  sooner  satisfied,  than  he,  too> 
said.  "Ay,  confound  him,  it  is  only  as 
I  expected — throw  now  !"  But  here 
the  third  interposed,  and  said,  "  It  would 
be  better  altogether  to  give  up  the  de- 
sign which  has  brought  us  here."  At 
this  remark  his  two  associates  took  of. 


IN  CONVERSIONS. 


350 


fence,  and  left  the  place,  while  he  him- 
self remained  to  the  end.  Now  mark, 
my  brethren,"  continued  the  preacher, 
with  much  emotion,  "  what  were  after- 
wards the  several  fates  of  these  young 
men  ?  The  first  was  hanged,  many 
years  ago,  at  Tyburn,  for  the  crime  of 
forgery ;  the  second  is  now  lying 
under  the  sentence  of  death,  for  mur- 
der, in  the  jail  of  this  city.  The  third, 
my  brethren  "  —  and  the  speaker's 
agitation  here  became  excessive,  while 
he  paused,  and  wiped  the  large  drops 
from  his  brow — "  the  third,  my  breth- 
ren, is  he  who  is  now  about  to  address 
you  ! — listen  to  him." 

(j)  THE  INFIDEL'S  SERMON 
TO  THE  PIRATES.— A  native  of 
Sweden,  residing  in  the  South  of  France, 
had  occasion  to  go  from  one  port  to 
another  in  the  Baltic  Sea.  When  he 
came  to  the  place  whence  he  expected 
to  sail,  the  vessel  was  gone.  On  in- 
quiring, he  found  a  fishing  boat  going 
the  same  way,  in  which  he  embarked. 
After  being  for  some  time  out  to  sea, 
the  men  observed  that  he  had  several 
trunks  and  chests  on  board,  concluded 
he  must  be  very  rich,  and  therefore 
agreed  among  themselves  to  throw  him 
overboard.  This  he  heard  them  ex- 
press, which  gave  gave  him  great  un- 
easiness. However,  he  took  occasion 
to  open  one  of  his  trunks  which 
contained  some  books.  Observing  this, 
they  remarked  among  themselves  that 
it  was  not  worth  while  to  throw  him 
into  the  sea,  as  they  di4  not  want  any 
books,  which  they  supposed  was  all  the 
trunks  contained.  They  asked  him  if 
he  were  a,  priest.  Hardly  knowing 
what  reply  to  make,  he  told  them  he 
was ;  at  which  they  seemed  much 
pleased,  and  said  they  would  have  a 
sermon  on  the  next  day,  as  it  was  the 
Sabbath. 

This  increased  the  anxiety  and  dis- 
tress  of  his  mind,  for  he  knew  himself 
to  be  as  incapable  of  such  an  undertak- 
ing, as  it  was  possible  for  any  one  to  be, 
as  he  knew  very  little  of  the  Scriptures ; 
neither  did  he  believe  in  the  inspiration 
of  the  Bible. 

At  length  they  came  to  a  small 
rocky  island,  perhaps  a  quarter  of  a 
mile   in  circumference,  where  was    a 


company  of  pirates,  who  had  chosen 
this  little  sequestered  spot  to  deposit  their 
treasures.  He  was  taken  to  a  cave,  and 
introduced  to  an  old  woman,  to  whom 
they  remarked  that  they  were  to  have 
a  sermon  preached,  the  next  day.  She 
said  she  was  very  glad  of  it,  for  she  had 
not  heard  the  word  of  God  for  a  great 
while.  His  was  a  trying  case,  for 
preach  he  must,  still  he  knew  nothing 
about  preaching.  If  he  refused,  or  un- 
dertook to  preach  and  did  not  please, 
he  expected  it  would  be  his  death. 
With  tliese  thoughts  he  passed  a  sleep- 
less night.  In  the  morning  his  mind 
was  not  settled  upon  any  thing.  To 
I  call  upon  God,  whom  he  believed  to  be 
inaccessible,  was  altogether  vain.  He 
could  devise  no  way  whereby  he  might 
be  saved.  He  walked  to  and  fro,  still 
shut  up  in  darkness,  striving  to  collect 
something  to  say  to  them,  but  could  not 
think  of  even  a  single  sentence. 

When  the  appointed  time  for  the 
evening  arrived,  he  entered  the  cave 
where  he  found  the  men  assembled. 
There  was  a  seat  prepared  for  him,  and 
a  table  with  a  Bible  on  it.  They  sat 
for  the  space  of  half  an  hour  in  pro- 
found silence ;  and  even  then,  the  an- 
guish of  his  soul  was  as  great  as  human 
nature  was  capable  of  enduring.  At 
length  these  words  came  to  his  mind, — 
"  Verily,  there  is  a  reward  for  the 
righteous :  verily,  there  is  a  God  that 
judgeth  in  the  earth."  He  arose  and 
delivered  them :  then  other  words  pre- 
sented themselves,  and  so  on  till  his  un- 
derstanding became  opened — his  heart 
enlarged  in  a  manner  astonishing  to 
himself.  He  spoke  upon  subjects 
suited  to  their  condition ;  the  rewards 
of  the  righteous — the  judgments  of  the 
wicked — the  necessity  of  repentance, 
and  the  importance  of  a  change  of  life. 
The  matchless  love  of  God  to  the  chil- 
dren of  men,  had  such  a  powerful  effect 
upon  the  minds  of  these  wretched  beings, 
that  they  were  melted  into  tears.  Nor 
was  he  less  astonished  at  the  unbounded 
goodness  of  Almighty  God,  in  thus  in- 
terposing to  save  his  spiritual  as  well  as 
his  natural  life,  and  well  might  he 
exclaim, — "  This  is  the  Lord's  doings,- 
and  marvelous  in  our  eyes."  Under 
a  deep  sense  of  God's  goodness,  his 
697 


351 


PROVIDENCE. 


heart  became  filled  with  such  thankful- 
ness, that  it  was  out  of  his  power  to 
express.  What  marvellous  change  was 
thus  suddenly  brought  about  by  Divine 
interposition !  He  who  a  little  before 
disbelieved  in  communion  with  God 
and  the  soul,  became  as  humble  as  a 
little  child.  And  they  who  were  so 
lately  meditating  on  his  death,  now  are 
filled  with  love  and  good  will  towards 
each  other,  particularly  towards  him ; 
manifesting  affectionate  kindness,  and 
willing  to  render  him  all  the  assistance 
in  their  power ! 

The  next  morning  they  fitted  out  one 
of  their  vessels,  and  conveyed  him 
where  he  desired.  From  that  time  he 
became  a  changed  man.  From  senti- 
ments of  infidelity  he  became  a  sincere 
believer  in  the  power  and  efficacy  of 
the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus. 

M,  Overruling  Dreams  and  Involuntary 
Affections. 

(a)  THE  MOUNTAINEER'S 
DREAM. — A  man  who  has  long  lived 
in  an  obscure  place,  on  one  of  the 
mountains  in  Berkshire  county,  Mass., 
(says  the  New- York  Evangelist  of 
1831),  who  had  been  taught  to  read  the 
Bible  in  childhood,  but  had  not  been  to 
any  religious  meeting,  or  had  a  Bible 
in  his  house  for  many  years,  began  last 
spring  to  dream  every  night  whole 
chapters  of  what  he  had  read  in  early 
life,  and  to  think  of  what  he  had  dream- 
ed during  the  day.  This  he  did  several 
nights  and  days  in  succession,  till  the 
truth  thus  brought  to  mind,  effected  a 
deep  conviction  of  sin,  which  resulted 
in  his  hopeful  conversion. 

(b)  THE  BACKSLIDER'S 
DREAM. — A  young  gentleman  being 
reproved  by  his  mother  for  being  re- 
ligious, made  her  this  answer  :  "  1  am 
resolved  by  all  means  to  save  my  soul." 
Some  time  after  he  fell  into  a  lukewarm 
state,  during  which  time  he  was  sick 
and  nigh  unto  death.  One  night  he 
dreamed  that  he  saw  himself  summon- 
ed before  God's  angry  throne,  and  from 
thence  hurried  into  a  place  of  torments : 
where,  seeing  his  mother  full  of  scorn, 
she  upbraided  him  with  his  former  an- 
swer ;  why  he  did  not  save  his  soul  by 

698 


all  means.  This  was  so  much  im- 
pressed on  his  mind  when  he  awoke, 
that,  under  God,  it  became  the  means 
of  his  turning  again  to  him  ;  and  when 
any  body  asked  him  the  reason  why  he 
became  again  religious,  he  gave  them 
no  other  answer  than  this  :  "  If  I  could 
not  in  my  dream  endure  my  mother's 
upbraiding  my  folly  and  lukewarmness, 
how  shall  I  be  able  to  suffer  that  God 
should  call  me  to  an  account  in  the  last 
day,  and  the  angels  reproach  my  luke- 
warmness, and  the  devil  aggravate  my 
sins,  and  all  the  saints  of  God  deride 
my  folly  and  hypocrisy  ?"    • 

(c)  THE  FATHER'S  DREAM 
OF  J  U  D  G  M  E  N  T.—"  In  January 
last,"  said  a  pious  father  in  writing  to 
his  friends,  "  I  dreamed  that  the  day 
of  judgment  was  come.  I  saw  the 
Judge  on  his  great  white  throne,  and 
all  nations  were  gathered  before  him. 
My  wife  and  I  were  on  the  right  hand  ; 
but  I  could  not  see  my  children.  I 
said,  I  cannot  bear  this  ;  I  must  go  and 
seek  them.  I  went  to  the  lefl  hand  of 
the  Judge,  and  there  found  them  all 
standing  in  the  utmost  despair.  As 
soon  as  they  saw  me,  they  caught  hold 
of  me  and  cried,  '  O  !  father,  we  will 
never  part.'  I  said,  '  my  dear  chil- 
dren, I  am  come  to  try,  if  possible,  to 
get  you  out  of  this  awful  situation.' 
So  I  took  them  all  with  me,  but  when 
we  came  near  the  Judge  I  thought  he 
cast  an  angry  look,  and  said,  '  What 
do  thy  children  with  thee  now  ?  they 
would  not  take  thy  warning  when  on 
earth,  and  they  shall  not  share  with 
thee  the  crown  in  heaven  ;  depart,  ye 
cursed.'  At  these  worc^,  I  awoke 
bathed  in  tears.  A  while  afler  this, 
as  we  were  all  sitting  together  on  a 
Sabbath  evening,  I  related  to  them  my 
dream.  No  sooner  did  I  begin  than 
first  one,  and  then  another,  yea,  all  of 
them,  burst  into  tears,  and  God  fastened 
conviction  on  their  hearts.  Five  of 
them  are  rejoicing  in  God  their  Savior ; 
and  I  believe,  the  Lord  is  at  work  with 
the  other  two,  so  that  I  doubt  not  he 
will  give  them  also  to  my  prayers. 

(d)  HILL'S  REPLY  TO  THE 
CONVERT.— A  candidate  for  admis- 
sion to  church  membership  under  the 
Rev.  Rowland  Hill  being  required  to 


IN  CONVERSIONS. 


353 


give  some  account  of  his  first  impres- 
sions as  to  the  evil  of  sin,  and  the  need 
of  the  gospel,  related  a  dream  by  which 
he  had  been  affected  and  led  to  serious 
inquiry,  to  flie  hearing  of  sermons,  &c. 
When  he  had  ended,  Mr.  Hill  said, 
We  do  not  wish  to  despise  a  good  man's 
dreams  by  any  means ;  but  we  will 
tell  you  what  we  think  of  the  dream, 
after  we  have  seen  how  you  go  on  when 
you  are  awake. 

§32.  Overruling  various  Feelings,  Actions, 
and  Events. 

{a)  GUTHRIE  AND  THE  PA- 
PIST.— Mr.  Guthrie,  an  eminent  mi- 
nister in  Scotland,  was  one  evening 
traveling  home  very  late.  Having  lost 
his  way  on  a  moor,  he  laid  th«  reins  on 
the  neck  of  his  horse,  and  committed 
himself  to  the  direction  of  Providence. 
After  long  traveling  over  ditches  and 
fields,  the  horse  brought  him  to  a  farm- 
er's house,  into  which  he  went,  and 
requested  permission  to  sit  by  the  fire 
till  morning,  which  was  granted.  A 
popish  priest  was  administering  extreme 
unction  to  the  mistress  of  the  house, 
who  was  dying.  Mr.  Guthrie  said  no- 
thing till  the  priest  had  retired  :  then 
he  went  forward  to  the  dying  woman, 
and  asked  her  if  she  enjoyed  peace  in 
the  prospect  of  death,  in  consequence 
of  what  the  priest  had  said  and  done  to 
her.  She  answered,  that  she  did  not ; 
on  which  he  spoke  to  her  of  salvation 
through  the  atoning  blood  of  the  Re- 
deemer. The  Lord  taught  her  to  un- 
derstand, and  enabled  her  to  believe 
the  message  of  mercy,  and  she  died 
triumphing  in  Jesus  Christ  her  Savior. 
Afler  witnessing  this  astonishing  scene, 
Mr.  Guthrie  mounted  his  horse,  and 
rode  home.  On  his  arrival,  he  told 
Mrs.  Guthrie  he  had  seen  a  great  won- 
der during  the  night.  "  I  came,"  said 
he,  "  to  a  farm-house,  where  I  found 
a  woman  in  a  state  of  nature  ;  I  saw 
her  in  a  state  of  grace  ;  arid  left  her  in 
a  state  of  glory." 

[1)  THE  DYING  MINISTER'S 
DISSOLUTE  SON.— Mr.  Nathan  Da- 
vies,  the  eldest  son  of  a  respectable 
Christian  minister  in  Wales,  was  a 
youth  of  wild   and  dissolute   conduct, 


and  thereby  occasioned  much  grief  to 
his  pious  parents.  Neither  the  mild 
nor  the  severe  methods  used  to  reclaim 
him  had  the  desired  etTect.  At  length, 
a  period  arrived  when  the  aged  and 
venerable  father  must  die ;  and,  like 
Jacob,  he  desired  that  his  children 
should  be  called  to  his  bedside,  to  re- 
ceive his  dying  admonitions.  Having 
addressed  them  all,  one  by  one,  except 
the  profligate  son,  in  a  very  affectionate 
and  solemn  manner,  he  concluded  by 
warning  them  to  shun  the  bad  example 
and  wicked  ways  of  their  eldest  brother, 
and  advised  them  to  act  towards  him 
with  caution  and  forbearance,  adding, 
that  he  feared  they  would  experience 
from  him  nothing  but  sorrow  and  trou- 
ble. He  then  dismissed  them,  and  soon 
after  died. 

The  circumstance  of  the  father's 
silence  made  a  deeper  impression  on 
the  mind  of  Nathan  than  all  the  re- 
proofs and  exhortations  he  had  before 
received ;  and,  to  use  his  own  expres- 
sion, he  thought  at  the  time  that  his 
heart  v/ould  have  burst.  He  was  then 
about  twenty-seven  years  of  age  ;  and,  ^ 
through  the  Divine  blessing,  a  great 
change  became  visible  in  him  ;  he 
abandoned  his  former  ways  and  com- 
panions, became  a  serious  hearer  of  the 
word,  and,  in  a  short  time,  a  member 
of  the  church  over  which  his  late  father 
had  been  pastor.  A  few  years  after- 
wards he  was  called  to  the  ministry, 
succeeded  his  father  in  the  pastoral 
office,  and  was  blessed  in  it  with  emi- 
nent success  until  the  day  of  his  death, 
which  took  place  in  the  year  1726. 

(c)  HOWE  AND  HIS  ENEMY. 
— When  the  melancholy  state  of  the 
times  compelled  this  excellent  man  to 
quit  the  public  charge  of  his  beloved 
congregation  at  Torrington,  in  Devon- 
shire, impressed  with  a  sense  of  duty, 
he  embraced  every  opportunity  of 
preaching  the  word  of  life.  He  and 
Mr.  Flavel  used  frequently  to  conduct 
their  secret  ministrations  at  midnight 
in  different  houses  in  the  north  of  De- 
vonshire. One  of  the  principal  of  these 
was  Hudscott,  an  ancient  mansion  be- 
longing to  the  family  of  Rolle,  between 
Torrington  and  Southmolton.  Yet,  even 
here,  the  observant  eye  of  malevolence 
699 


352 


PROVIDENCE. 


was  upon  them.  Mr.  Howe  had  been 
officiating  there,  in  a  dark  and  tem- 
pestuous wintry  night,  when  an  ahirm 
was  made  that  information  had  been 
given,  and  a  warrant  granted  to  appre- 
hend him.  It  was  judged  prudent  for 
nim  to  quit  the  house ;  but  in  riding 
over  a  large  common,  he  and  his  ser- 
vant missed  their  way.  After  several 
fruitless  efforts  to  recover  it,  the  at- 
tendant went  forward  to  seek  for  a  ha- 
bitation, where  they  might  either  find 
directions  or  a  lodging.  He  soon  dis- 
covered a  mansion,  and  received  a 
cheerful  invitation  to  rest  there  for  tlie 
night.  But  how  great  was  Mr.  Howe's 
surprise,  to  find,  on  his  arrival,  that  the 
house  belonged  to  his  most  inveterate 
enemy,  a  country  magistrate,  who  had 
often  breathed  the  most  implacable 
vengeance  against  him,  and,  as  he  had 
reason  to  believe,  was  well  acquainted 
with  the  occasion  of  his  traveling  at 
such  an  hour.  However,  he  put  the 
best  face  he  could  upon  it,  and  even 
mentioned  his  name  and  residence  to 
the  gentleman,  trusting  to  Providence 
for  the  result.  His  host  ordered  supper 
to  be  provided,  and  entered  into  a 
lengthened  conversation  with  his  guest ; 
and  was  so  delighted  with  his  company, 
that  it  was  a  very  late  hour  before  he 
could  permit  him  to  retire  to  his  cham- 
ber. In  the  morning,  Mr.  Howe  ex- 
pected to  be  accosted  with  a  commit- 
ment, and  sent  to  Exeter  ;  but,  on  the 
contrary,  he  was  received  by  the  family 
k  at  breakfast  with  a  very  hospitable  wel- 
come. After  mutual  civilities,  he  de- 
parted to  his  own  abode,  greatly  won- 
dering to  himself  at  the  kindness  of  a 
man  from  whom  he  had  before  dreaded 
so  much. 

Not  long  after,  the  gentleman  sent 
for  Mr.  Howe,  who  found  him  confined 
to  his  bed  by  sickness,  and  still  more 
deeply  wounded  with  the  sense  of  sin. 
He  acknowledged  that,  when  Mr.  Howe 
came  first  to  his  door,  he  inwardly  re- 
joiced that  he  had  an  opportunity  of 
exercising  his  malice  upon  him,  but 
that  his  conversation  and  his  manner 
insensibly  awed  him  into  respect.  He 
had  long  ruminated  on  the  observations 
which  had  fallen  from  the  man  of  God, 
and  was  become  a  penitent,  earnestly 
700 


anxious  for  the  blessings  of  eternal  life. 
From  that  sickness  he  recovered,  be- 
came  an  eminent  Christian,  a  friend  to 
the  conscientious,  and  an  intimate  com- 
panion of  the  man  whom  he  had  threat- 
ened with  his  vengeance. 

{d)  THE  DUMB  SERMON  EF- 
FECTUAL.— The  Rev.  William  Ten- 
nant  once  took  much  pains  to  prepare  a 
sermon,  to  convince  a  celebrated  infidel 
of  the  truth  of  Christianity.  But,  in 
attempting  to  deliver  this  labored  dis- 
course, he  was  so  confused,  as  to  be 
compelled  to  stop,  and  close  the  service 
by  prayer.  This  unexpected  failure,  in 
one  who  had  so  often  astonished  the  un- J 
believer  with  the  force  of  his  eloquence," 
led  the  infidel  to  reflect  that  Mr.  T.  had  ^ 
been,  at  other  times,  aided  by  a  Divine 
power.  This  reflection  proved  the 
means  of  his  conversion.  Thus  God 
accomplished  by  silence  what  his  serv- 
ant wislied  to  effect  by  persuasive 
preaching.  Mr.  Tennant  used  after- 
wards to  say,  his  dumb  sermon  was  one 
of  the  most  profitable  sermons  that  he 
had  ever  delivered. 

(e)  THE  DRUNKARD'S  CON- 
VERSION.— In  a  regiment  of  soldiers 
stationed  at  Edinburgh,  there  was  a  ser- 
geant named  Forbes,  a  very  abandoned 
man,  who  got  in  debt  for  liquor  wher- 
ever he  could.  His  wife  washed  for 
the  regiment,  and  thus  obtained  a  little 
money.  ,  She  was  a  pious  woman,  but 
all  her  attempts  to  reclaim  him  were 
long  unsuccessful.  During  one  of  Mr. 
Whitefield's  visits  to  that  city,  she  of- 
fered her  husband  a  sum  of  money  if  he 
would  for  once  go  and  hear  him.  This 
was  a  strong  inducement,  and  he  en- 
gaged to  go.  The  sermon  was  in  a 
field,  as  no  building  could  have  contain- 
ed the  audience.  The  sergeant  was  ra- 
ther early,  and  placed  himself  in  the 
middle  of  the  field,  that  he  might  file  off 
when  Mr.  Whitefield  ascended  the  pul- 
pit ;  as  he  only  wished  to  be  able  to  say 
that  he  had  seen  him.  The  crowd,  how- 
ever, increased  ;  and  when  Mr.  White- 
field  appeared,  they  pressed  forward,  and 
he  found  it  impossible  to  get  away.  The 
prayer  produced  some  impression  on  his 
mind,  but  the  sermon  most  deeply  con- 
vinced him  of  his  sinfulness  and  danger. 
He  became  an  altered  man,  and  proved 


IN  CONVERSIONS. 


352 


the  reality  of  his  conversion,  by  living  for 
rtiany  years  with  the  strictest  economy, 
in  order  to  liquidate  the  claims  of  every 
one  of  his  creditors. 

(/)  THE  MATHEMATICIAN 
CONFOUNDED.— A  young  man,  who 
had  graduated  at  one  of  the  first  col- 
leges in  America,  and  was  celebrated 
for  his  literary  attainments,  particularly 
his  knowledge  of  mathematics,  settled 
in  a  village  where  a  faithful  minister 
of  the  gospel  was  stationed.  It  was  not 
long  before  the  clergyman  met  with 
him  in  one  of  his  evening  walks,  and 
after  some  conversation,  as  they  v/ere 
about  to  part,  addressed  him  as  follows: 
"  I  have  heard  you  are  celebrated  for 
your  mathematical  skill ;  I  have  a  prob- 
lem which  I  wish  you  to  solve."  "  What 
is  it  ?"  eagerly  inquired  the  young 
man.  The  clergyman  answered,  with 
a  solemn  tone  of  voice,  "  What  shall  it 
profit  a  man,  if  he  shall  gain  the  whole 
world,  and  lose  his  own  soul  ?"  The 
youth  returned  home,  and  endeavored 
to  shake  off  the  impression  fastened  on 
him  by  the  problem  proposed  to  him, 
but  in  vain.  In  the  giddy  round  of 
pleasure,  in  his  business,  and  in  his 
studies,  the  question  still  forcibly  re- 
turned to  him,  "  What  shall  it  profit  a 
man,  if  he  shall  gain  the  whole  world, 
and  lose  his  own  soul  ?"  It  finally  re- 
sulted in  his  conversion,  and  he  became 
an  able  advocate  and  preacher  of  that 
gospel  which  he  once  rejected. 

{g)  THE  MERCHANT  TURNED 
PRE  ACHER.— Peter  Waldo  was  a  citi- 
zen and  opulent  merchant  of  Lyons,  and 
at  one  period  a  believer  of  the  errors  of 
popery.  Being  in  company,  however, 
with  some  friends,  one  of  whom  sudden- 
ly fell  dead  to  the  ground,  he  was 
aroused  to  the  importance  of  religious 
truth,  and  led  to  inquire  seriously  after 
it.  So  deeply  was  he  impressed  with 
the  superior  value  of  eternal  things, 
that  he  gave  up  his  mercantile  occupa- 
tions, distributed  his  wealth  to  the  poor, 
exhorted  his  neighbors  to^eek  the  bread 
of  life,  and  became  a  most  eminent  min- 
ister in  the  Waldensian  churches,  who 
are  thus  designated  from  him. 

{h)  THE  ACTRESS  AND  THE 
COTTAGER'S  FAMILY.— An  ac- 
tress in  one  of  the  English  provincial  or 


country  theatres,  was  one  day  passing 
through  the  streets  of  the  town  in  which 
she  then  resided,  when  her  attention 
was  attracted  by  the  sound  of  voices, 
which  she  heard  in  a  poor  cottage  be- 
fore her.  Curiosity  prompted  her  to 
look  in  at  an  open  door,  when  she  saw 
a  iew  poor  people  sitting  together,  one 
of  whom,  at  the  moment  of  her  observa- 
tion, was  giving  out  the  following  hymn, 
which  the  others  joined   in  singing : — 

"  Depth  of  mercy  !  can  there  be 
Mercy  still  reserved  for  me  V 

The  tune  was  sweet  and  simple,  but 
she  heeded  it  not.  The  words  had  riv- 
eted  her  attention,  and  she  stood  motion- 
less, until  she  was  invited  to  enter,  by 
the  woman  of  the  house,  who  had  ob- 
served her  standing  at  the  door.  She 
complied,  and  remained  during  a  pray- 
er which  was  offered  up  by  one  of  the 
little  company ;  and  uncouth  as  the 
expressions  sounded,  perhaps,  to  her 
ears,  they  carried  with  them  a  convic- 
tion of  sincerity,  on  the  part  of  the  per- 
son  then  employed.  She  quitted  the 
cottage,  but  the  words  of  the^hymn  fol- 
lowed her.  She  could  not  banish  them 
from  her  mind,  and  at  last  she  resolved 
to  procure  the  book  which  contained  it. 
She  did  so,  and  the  more  she  read  it, 
the  more  decided  her  serious  impres- 
sions became.  She  attended  the  minis- 
try of  the  gospel,  read  her  hitherto  neg- 
lected and  despised  Bible,  and  bowed 
herself  in  humility  and  contrition  of 
heart,  before  him  whose  mercy  she  now 
felt  she  needed,  whose  sacrifices  are 
those  of  a  broken  heart  and  a  contrite 
spirit,  and  who  has  declared,  that  with 
such  sacrifices  he  is  well  pleased. 

Her  professsion  she  determined  at 
once  and  for  ever  to  renounce  ;  and  for 
some  little  time  excused  herself  from 
appearing  on  the  stage,  without,  howev- 
er, disclosing  her  change  of  sentiments 
or  making  known  her  resolution  finally 
to  leave  it. 

The  manager  of  the  theatre  called 
upon  her  one  morning,  and  requested 
her  to  sustain  the  principal  character  in 
a  new  play  which  was  to  be  performed 
the  next  week  for  his  benefit.  She  had 
frequently  performed  this  character  to 
general  admiration  ;  but  she  now,  how- 
701 


332 


PROVIDENCE. 


ever,  told  him  her  resolution  never  to 
appear  as  an  actress  again,  at  the  same 
time  giving  her  reasons.  At  first  he 
attempted  to  overcome  her  scruples  by 
ridicule,  but  this  was  unavailing ;  he 
then  represented  the  loss  he  should  in- 
cur by  her  refusal,  and  concluded  his 
arguments  by  promising,  that  if  to  oblige 
him,  she  would  act  on  this  occasion,  it 
should  be  the  last  request  of  the  kind  h6 
would  ever  make.  Unable  to  resist  his 
solicitations,  she  promised  to  appear, 
and  on  the  appointed  evening  went  to 
the  theatre.  The  character  she  as- 
sumed required  her,  on  her  first  entrance 
to  sing  a  song ;  and  when  the  curtain 
drew  up,  the  orchestra  immediately  be- 
gan the  accompaniment.  But  she  stood 
as  if  lost  in  thought,  and  as  one  forget- 
ting all  around  her,  and  her  own  situa- 
tion. The  music  ceased,  but  she  did 
not  sing  ;  and  supposing  her  to  be  over- 
come by  embarrassment,  the  band 
again  commenced.  A  second  time  they 
paused  for  her  to  begin,  and  still  she 
did  not  open  her  lips.  A  third  time 
the  air  was  played,  and  then,  with 
clasped  hands,  and  eyes  suffused  with 
tears,  she  sang,  not  the  words  of  the 
song,  but, 

"  Depth  of  mercy  !  can  there  be 
Mercy  still  reserved  for  me  ?" 

It  is  almost  needless  to  add,  that  the 
performance  was  suddenly  ended  ; 
many  ridiculed,  though  some  were  in- 
duced from  that  memorable  night  to 
"  consider  their  ways,"  and  to  reflect  on 
the  wonderful  power  of  that  religion 
which  could  so  influence  the  heart,  and 
change  the  life  of  one  hitherto  so  vain, 
and  so  evidently  pursuing  the  road 
which  leadeth  to  destruction. 

It  would  be  satisfactory  to  the  reader 

to  know,  that  the  change  in  Miss 

was  as  permanent  as  it  was  singular  ; 
she  walked  consistently  with  her  pro- 
fession of  religion  for  many  years,  and 
at  length  became  the  wife  of  a  minister 
of  the  gospel  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

(i)  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  GLOOMY 
DEATH. — A  pious  parent  had  three 
sons,  who,  notwithstanding  all  his  ad- 
monitions and  instructions,  mingled  with 
many  prayers  and  tears,  grew  up  to 
manhood  in  skepticism  and  profligacy. 
702 


The  father  lay  dying  ;  and,  conceiving 
that  it  might  perhaps  produce  a  good 
impression  on  the  minds  of  his  aban- 
doned children,  to  let  them  see  how  a 
Christian  dies,  the  friends  of  the  family 
introduced  them  to  the  bedside  of  their 
expiring  parent.  But,  to  their  unspeak- 
able  grief,  the  good  man  died  without 
any  expressions  of  Christian  confidence, 
and  appeared  destitute  of  those  strong 
consolations  which  believers  in  Jesus 
usually  experience  in  the  closing  scene. 
It  was  now  apprehended  that  the  effect 
of  this  melancholy  circumstance  on  the 
young  men  would  be  to  confirm  them  in 
their  prejudice  against  religion,  and  af- 
ford them,  in  their  opinion,  a  sufficient 
evidence  that  it  is  all  a  cunningly  de- 
vised fable.  However,  it  was  not  so  : 
the  ways  of  God  are  not  as  our  ways, 
neither  are  his  thoughts  as  our  thoughts. 
A  few  days  after  the  funeral,  the  youn- 
ger brother  entered  the  room  in  which 
the  other  two  were  ;  and  observing  that 
he  had  been  weeping,  they  inquired  the 
cause  of  his  grief,  "  I  have  been  think- 
ing," said  he,  "  of  the  death  of  our  fath- 
er." "  Ah,"  said  they,  "  a  dismal  death 
it  was  ;  what  truth  or  reality  can  there 
be  in  religion,  when  such  a  man  as  he 
died  in  such  a  state  of  mind  ?"  "It 
has  not  affected  me  in  this  way,"  re- 
plied the  younger  brother ;  "  we  all 
know  what  a  holy  life  our  father  led, 
and  what  a  gloomy  death  he  died  ;  now 
I  have  been  thinking,  how  dreadful  our 
death  must  be,  who  lead  such  a  wicked 
life  !"  The  observation  was  like  an 
arrow  to  their  consciences  ;  and  they 
began  to  be  alarmed.  They  repaired 
to  the  ordinances  of  religion,  which,  in 
their  father's  life  time  they  had  neglect- 
ed, and  ultimately  became  as  eminent 
for  piety  as  their  exemplary  parent  had 
been. 

(j)  SAY  YOUR  PRAYERS  IN 
FAIR  WEATHER.— A  sea  captaii^ 
of  a  profligate  character,  who  commands 
ed  a  vessel  trading  between  Liverpool 
and  America,  during  the  last  war,  once 
took  on  board  a  man  as  a  common  sailor^ 
to  serve  during  the  voyage,  just  as  he 
was  leaving  port.  The  new  comer  wa* 
soon  found  to  be  of  a  most  quarrelsome, 
untractable  disposition,  a  furious  bias* 
phemer,  and,  when  an  opportunity  oU 


IN  CONVERSIONS. 


353 


fered,  a  drunkard.  Besides  all  these 
disqualifications,  he  was  wholly  ignorant 
of  nautical  affairs,  or  counterfeited 
ignorance  to  escape  duty.  In  short,  he 
was  the  bane  and  plague  of  the  vessel, 
and  refused  obstinately  to  give  any  ac- 
count of  himself,  or  his  family,  or  past 
life. 

At  length  a  violent  storm  arose,  all 
hands  were  piped  upon  deck,  and  all, 
as  the  captain  thought,  were  too  few  to 
save  the  ship.  When  the  men  were 
hnustered  to  their  quarters,  the  sturdy 
blasphemer  was  missing,  and  my  friend 
went  below  to  seek  for  him ;  great  was 
his  surprise  at  finding  him  on  his  knees, 
repeating  the  Lord's  prayer  with  won- 
derful rapidity,  over  and  over  again,  as 
if  he  had  bound  himself  to  countless 
reiterations.  Vexed  at  what  he  deemed 
hypocrisy  or  cowardice,  he  shook  him 
roughly  by  the  collar,  exclaiming,  "say 
your  prayers  in  fair  weather.^'  The 
man  rose  up,  observing  in  a  low  voice, 
"  God  grant  I  may  ever  see  fair  weather 
to  say  them." 

In  a  few  hours  the  storm  happily 
abated,  a  week  more  brought  them  to 
harbor,  and  an  incident  so  trivial  passed 
quickly  away  from  the  memory  of  the 
captain  ;  the  more  easily,  as  the  man 
in  question  was  paid  off  the  day  after 
landing,  and  appeared  not  again. 

Four  years  more  had  elapsed,  during 
which,  though  the  captain  had  twice 
been  shipwrecked,  and  was  grievously 
hurt  by  the  falling  of  a  spar,  he  pursued 
without  amendment  a  life  of  profligacy 
and  contempt  of  God.  At  the  end  of 
this  period,  he  arrived  in  the  port  of 
New- York,  after  a  very  tedious  and 
dangerous  voyage  from  England. 

It  was  on  a  Sabbath  morning,  and  the 
streets  were  thronged  with  persons  pro- 
ceeding to  the  several  houses  of  worship, 
with  which  that  city  abounds — but  the 
captain  was  bent  on  far  other  occupa- 
tion, designing  to  drown  the  recollection 
of  perils  and  deliverances,  in  a  cele- 
brated tavern  which  he  had  too  long, 
and  too  often  frequented. 

As  he  walked  leisurely  towards  this 
goal,  he  encountered  a  very  dear  friend, 
a  quondam  associate  of  many  a  thought- 
less hour.  Salutations  over,  the  captain 
seized  him  by  the   arm,  declaring  that 


he  should  accompany  him  to  the  hotel. 
"  I  will  do  so,"  replied  the  other,  with 
great  calmness,  "  on  condition  that  you 
come  with  me  first  for  a  single  hour  into 
this  house,  (a  church,)  and  thank  God 
for  his  rriercies  to  you  on  the  deep.  The 
captain  was  ashamed  to  refuse,  so 
the  two  friends  entered  the  temple  to- 
gether. Already  all  the  seats  were 
occupied,  and  a  dense  crowd  filled  the 
aisle  ;  and  by  dint  of  personal  exertion, 
they  succeeded  in  reaching  a  position 
right  in  front  of  the  pulpit,  at  about  five 
yards  distance.  The  preacher,  one  of 
the  most  popular  of  the  day,  riveted  the 
attention  of  the  entire  congregation,  in- 
cluding the  captain  himself,  to  whom 
his  features  and  voice,  though  he  could 
not  assign  any  time  or  place  of  previous 
meeting,  seemed  not  wholly  unknown, 
particularly  when  he  spoke  with  anima- 
tion. At  length  the  preacher's  eye  fell 
upon  the  spot  where  the  two  friends 
stood.  He  suddenly  paused — still  gaz- 
ing upon  the  captain,  as  if  to  make  him- 
self sure  that  he  labored  under  no  optical 
delusion — and  after  a  silence  of  more 
than  a  minute,  pronounced  with  a  voice 
that  shook  the  building,  ^^  say  your 
prayers  in  fair  weather. ^^ 

The  audience  were  lost  in  amaze- 
ment, nor  was  it  until  a  considerable 
time  had  elapsed,  that  the  preacher  re- 
covered sufficient  self-possession  to  re- 
count the  incident  with  which  the  reader 
is  already  acquainted,  adding,  with  deep 
emotion,  that  the  words  which  his  cap- 
tain uttered  in  the  storm,  had  clung  to 
him  by  day  and  by  night  after  his 
landing,  as  if  an  angel  had  been  charged 
with  the  duty  of  repeating  them  in  his 
ears — that  he  felt  the  holy  call  as  com- 
ing direct  from  above,  to  do  the  work 
of  his  crucified  Master — that  he  had 
studied  at  college  for  the  ministry,  and 
was  now,  through  grace,  such  as  they- 
saw  and  heard. 

At  the  conclusion  of  this  affecting 
address,  he  called  on  the  audience  to 
join  in  prayer  with  himself,  that  the 
same  words  might  be  blessed  in  turn  to 
him  who  first  had  used  them.  But  God 
had  outrun  their  petitions — the  captain 
was  already  His  child,  before  his  former 
shipmate  had  ceased  to  tell  his  story. 
The  power  of  the  Spirit  had  wrought 
703 


352,  353 


PROVIDENCE. 


effectually  upon  him,  and  subdued  every 
lofty  imagination.  And  so,  when  the 
people  dispersed,  he  exchanged  the 
hotel  for  the  house  of  the  preacher,  with 
whom  he  tarried  six  weeks,  and  parted 
from  him  to  pursue  his  profession,  with 
a  heart  devoted  to  the  service  of  his 
Savior,  and  with  holy  and  happy  assur- 
ances which  advancing  years  hallowed, 
strengthened,  and  sanctified. 

(k)  CONVERSION  OF  THE  HAL- 
DANES.— The  Rev.  James  Haldane 
(pastor  of  one  of  the  Baptist  churches 
in  Edinburgh,  Scotland),  says  Rev.  Mr. 
Turnbull,  was  a  junior  member  of  a 
highly  respectable  and  wealthy  family. 
In  his  youth,  he  became  connected  with 
the  British  navy,  and  rose  to  the  post 
of  captain,  in  one  of  his  majesty's  war 
ships.  On  one  occasion,  being  engaged 
in  a  warmly  contested  battle,  he  saw 
the  whole  of  his  men  on  deck  swept  off 
by  a  tremendous  broadside  from  the 
enemy.  He  ordered  another  company 
to  be  "  piped  up  "  from  below,  to  take 
the  place  of  their  lost  companions.  On 
coming  up,  they  saw  their  mangled  re- 
mains strewn  upon  the  deck,  and  were 
seized  with  a  sudden  and  irresistible 
panic.  On  seeing  this,  the  captain 
jumped  up,  and  swore  a  horrid  oath, 
imprecating  the  vengeance  of  Almighty 
God  upon  the  whole  of  them,  and  wish- 
ing that  they  might  all  sink  to  hell.  An 
old  marine,  who  was  a  pious  man, 
stepped  up  to  him,  and  respectfully 
touching  his  hat,  said  : — "  Captain,  I 
believe  God  hears  prayer ;  and  if  God 
had  heard  your  prayer  just  now,  what 
would  have  become  of  us  ?"  Having 
spoken  this,  he  made  a  respectful  bow, 
and  retired  to  his  place.  After  the 
engagement,  the  captain  calmly  reflect- 
ed upon  the  words  of  the  old  marine, 
and  was  so  deeply  affected  by  them, 
that  he  devoted  his  attention  to  the 
claims  of  religion,  and  was  subsequently 
converted  to  God. 

Of  course  he  informed  his  brother 
Robert  of  his  change  of  views,  but  in- 
stead of  being  gratified  by  it,  his  brother 
was  greatly  offended,  and  requested 
him  never  to  enter  his  house  till  he  had 
changed  his  views.  "  Very  well,  Ro- 
bert," said  James,  "  but  I  have  one 
comfort  in  the  case,  and  that  is,  you 
704 


cannot  prevent  my  praying  for  you  ;" 
and  holding  out  his  hand,  he  bade  him 
good-bye.  His  brother  Robert  was 
much  affected  by  this ;  he  could  not 
get  rid  of  the  idea  that  his  brother  was 
constantly  praying  for  him.  He  saw 
the  error  of  his  ways,  and  af\er  much 
investigation  and  reflection,  became  a 
decided  Christian. 

Some  years  afterwards,  Robert  Hal- 
dane made  a  journey  to  the  Continent, 
and  settled  for  some  time  in  Geneva. 
He  was  much  affected  with  the  low 
spiritual  condition  of  the  Protestant 
church  there,  which  had  become  infect- 
ed with  the  rationalistic  and  neological 
views  prevalent  in  Germany.  Indeed, 
the  clergy  themselves,  had  so  far 
departed  from  the  faith  of  the  Reforma- 
tion, as  to  reject  almost  all  the  funda- 
mental doctrines  of  the  gospel,  particu- 
larly the  divinity  of  Christ,  and  the 
doctrine  of  atonement.  Mr.  Haldane 
made  himself  acquainted  with  the 
students  attending  the  divinity  school  in 
Geneva,  and  invited  a  number  of  them 
to  his  house,  and,  by  free  conversation, 
endeavored  to  teach  them  the  gospel, 
and  the  nature  of  spiritual  religion. 
This  he  frequently  repeated,  till  at  last, 
God  blessed  his  efforts  to  the  conversion 
often  or  twelve  of  them.  Among  them 
were  Felix  Nef,  subsequently  pastor  in 
the  high  Alps,  and  one  of  the  purest 
and  most  devoted  men  that  ever  lived. 
Henry  Pyt,  another  well-known  and 
truly  pious  man,  and  Henry  Merle 
D^Auhigne,  well  known  throughout  the 
literary  and  religious  world,  as  the  au- 
thor of  the  History  of  the  Reformation, 
and  President  of  the  New  Evangelical 
School  of  Theology  in  Geneva. 

Ul  Trust  in  Providence. 

(a)  THE  WIDOW'S  PRAYER 
ANSWERED.— A  correspondent  of 
The  Tract  Magazine  gives  the  follow- 
ing account  as  she  had  it  from  the  lips 
of  a  pioifs  widow  of  her  acquaintance  : 

"  One  evening  we  were  eating  our 
supper,  we  had  nothing  but  bread,  and 
of  that  not  sufficient  to  satisfy  our  hun- 
ger. '  Mother,'  said  little  John,  when 
he  was  finishing  his  last  morsel,  '  what 
shall  we  do  to-morrow  morning  ?  there 


TRUST  IN  PROVIDENCE. 


353 


is  no  bread  in  the  house ;  we  shall  have 
no  breakfast.'  I  answered  hjm,  'Do 
not  fear,  John  :  God  has  not  forsaken 
us  :  let  us  pray  to  him,  and  be  assured 
he  will  remember  us.'  I  made  him 
kneel  down  by  my  side,  and  prayed  to 
God,  that  he  would  in  his  goodness  have 
pity  upon  us,  and  give  us  bread  for  the 
morrow.  I  then  put  my  child  to  bed, 
telling  him  to  go  to  sleep  quietly,  and  to 
de})end  upon  his  God,  who  never  forgot 
those  who  put  their  trust  in  him.  I 
myself  went  to  bed,  firmly  believing 
that  my  God  had  heard  my  prayer,  and, 
commending  myself  to  the  protection  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  I  slept  comfort- 
ably till  four  in  the  m.orning,  when  John 
woke  me  ;  '  Mother,'  said  he,  '  is  the 
bread  come  V  Poor  little  fellow  !  he 
had  but  a  scanty  supper,  and  was  very 
hungry.  '  No,'  I  answered,  '  it  is  not 
yet  come,  but  be  quiet,  and  go  to  sleep 
again ;  it  will  come.'  We  both  went 
to  sleep  :  I  was  awakened  a  little  before 
six  in  the  morning  by  some  one  rapping 
at  my  window.  '  Dame  Bartlet,'  said  a 
woman,  '  you  must  get  up  immediately. 
Mrs.  Martin's  dairymaid  is  taken  very 
ill,  and  you  must  come  and  milk  her 
cows  :'  here  then  was  bread  for  us.  I 
went  to  Mrs.  Martin's,  and  milked  her 
cows,  and  afterwards  sat  c?own  in  the 
kitchen  to  breakfast ;  but  I  thought  of 
my  child,  and  could  not  eat.  Mrs. 
Martin  observing  me,  said,  '  You  do  not 
eat  your  breakfast.  Dame  Bartlet.'  I 
thanked  her,  and  told  her  I  had  left  a 
little  boy  at  home  in  bed,  very  hungry  ; 
if  she  would  permit  me,  I  should  prefer 
carrying  my  breakfast  home  to  him. 
'  Eat  your  breakfast  now,'  was  the  kind 
answer  of  Mrs.  Martin ;  '  you  shall 
carry  some  breakfast  home  to  your 
little  boy  besides.'  Mrs.  Martin  then 
gave  me  a  basket  of  provisions,  sufficient 
for  myself  and  child  for  two  or  three 
days.  As  I  returned  home,  I  could  not 
but  thank  my  God,  and  feel  grateful  to 
him,  and  my  kind  benefactress :  I  re'- 
joiced  my  little  boy's  heart  by  a  sight 
of  my  breakfast.  He  got  up  directly, 
eager  to  partake  of  Mrs.  Martin's  kind- 
ness: after  a  good  breakfast,  I  made 
him  kneel  down  again  by  my  side, 
whilst  I  returned  thanks  to  our  gracious 
God,  who  had  heard  our  prayers  the 
45 


evening  before,  and  who  had  given  us 
a  kind  benefactress.  When  we  rose,  I 
took  him  in  my  lap,  and  said  to  him, 
'  Now,  John,  I  hope  what  has  happened 
to  us  will  be  remembered  by  you 
through  your  whole  life.  Last  evening 
we  had  eaten  all  our  bread,  we  had 
none  left  for  this  morning ;  but  we 
prayed  to  God  that,  through  his  mercy, 
and  for  the  sake  of  his  Son  Jesus  Christ, 
he  would  give  us  our  daily  bread.  God 
has  heard  us,  and  has  given  us  bread  : 
may  this  teach  you  through  life  to  put 
your  trust  and  faith  in  your  heavenly 
Father.  I  most  earnestly  pray  to  God 
that  you  may  never  forget  ihis.'  " 

Dame  Bartlet  concluded  her  interest- 
ing narrative  by  adding,  "  And,  madam, 
I  have  never  wanted  bread  since.  I 
am  blessed  in  rfiy  son,  who  is  now  a 
man  ;  he  is  datiful  and  good  to  me,  and 
has  never  Ijrgotten  the  pains  his  mother 
took  witii  him  in  his  childhood  ;  noi 
the  exftoration  I  then  gave  him,  to  trust 
in  God." 

(b)  THE  PERSECUTED  WO- 
MAN FED. — A  pious  woman  in  the 
days  of  persecution,  used  to  say,  she 
should  never  want,  because  her  God 
would  supply  her  every  need.  She 
was  taken  before  an  unjust  judge  for 
attending  the  worship  of  God.  The 
judge,  on  seeing  her,  tauntingly  said, 
"  I  have  often  wished  to  have  you  in 
my  power,  and  now  I  shall  send  you  to 
prison,  and  then  how  will  you  be  fed  ?" 
She  replied,  "  If  it  be  my  heavenly 
Father's  pleasure,  I  shall  be  fed  from 
your  table."  And  that  was  literally 
the  case;  for  the  judge's  wife  being 
present  at  her  examination,  was  greatly 
surprised  with  the  good  woman's  firm- 
ness, and  took  care  to  send  her  victuals 
from  her  table,  so  that  she  was  com- 
fortably supplied  all  the  time  she  was 
in  confinement ;  and  the  other  found 
her  reward,  for  the  Lord  was  pleased 
to  convert  her  soul,  and  give  her  the 
blessings  of  his  salvation. 

(c)  "BREAD  SHALL  BE  GIVEN 
THEE."  —  In  a  large  and  populous 
village,  in  one  of  the  hundreds,  or 
wapentakes  of  Yorkshire,  England, 
lived  a  poor,  but  honest  and  pious  man, 
whose  name  was  Jonathan.  He  was 
an  afflicted  man,  and  much  paralyzec' 

705 


353 


PROVIDENCE. 


by  disease.  He  liad  a  wife,  and  two 
or  three  children,  whose  chief  depend- 
ence in  life  was  upon  his  small  earn- 
ings. Jonathan  was  patient,  industrious, 
and  persevering  in  his  efforts  to  provide 
for  himself  and  for  his  household,  all 
of  whom  were  content  with  homely 
fare.  At  the  time  the  writer  of  this 
account  knew  him,  he  might  be  from 
forty  to  fifty  years  of  age.  Amongst 
other  occurrences  of  his  life,  he  says,  I 
distinctly  recollect  the  following,  which 
he  related  to  me  : — 

During  the  time  of  harvest,  while 
employed  in  gathering  the  fruits  of  the 
earth,  he  accidentally  slipped  from  the 
top  of  a  barley,mow,  and  sprained  one 
or  both  of  his  ankles ;  in  consequence 
of  which  he  was  co^fined  to  his  room 
and  bed  for  some  weeks.  It  is  unne- 
cessary to  state,  that  in  i\\e  meantime, 
his  family  must  have  felt  the,  loss  of  his 
weekly  labor  and  income.  His  wife, 
on  one  occasion,  went  up  stairs  iht.o  his 
room  weeping.  "  What  is  the  mattei  V' 
said  Jonathan,  "  what  is  distressing 
thee  ?"  "  Why,  the  children  are  cry- 
ing for  something  to  eat,  and  I  have 
nothing  to  give  them,"  vvas  the  affecting 
/•eply.  "Hast  thou  faith  in  God?" 
asked  Jonathan.  "  Dost  thou  believe  in 
his  providence,  and  in  his  word  ?  Has 
he  not  said,  '  Bread  shall  be  given  thee, 
and  thy  water  shall  be  sure?'  Tsa. 
xxxiii.  16.  Kneel  down,"  he  contin- 
ued, "  at  the  bedside,  and  pray  to  God. 
Tell  him  how  thy  children  are  circum- 
stanced ;  that  they  have  no  bread  ;  that 
thou  hast  nothing  wherewith  to  buy 
Ihem  any  ;  and  I  will  also  pray.  Who 
can  tell  what  God  may  do  ?  He  hear- 
eth  prayer." 

Jonathan  and  his  wife  prayed  ear- 
nestly together  ;  they  pleaded  the  prom- 
ises of  God,  and  waited  the  result.  Soon 
after,  a  person  came  to  the  door  with  a 
loaf  of  bread.  She  came  from  a  house 
in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  Jona- 
than, the  occupier  of  which  was  one  of 
several  branches  of  a  family  who  were 
proprietors  of  very  extensive  iron  works, 
carried  on  in  the  village  where  Jonathan 
lived.  No  sooner  did  the  good  woman 
receive  the  loaf  of  bread,  than  she  ran 
to  Jonathan  to  tell  him  how  God  had 
answered  their  prayer.  "  Now,"  said 
706 


Jonathan,  "  before  any  thing  else  be 
done,  kneel  down  at  the  bedside,  and 
return  thanks  to  God  for  having  heard 
our  prayer."  She  did  so :  they  praised 
his  name  together :  and  then  ate  their 
food  with  gladness  and  with  singleness 
of  heart.  Not  many  hours  elapsed  be- 
fore another  kind  interposition  of  Provi- 
dence presented  itself.  A  second  visitor 
brought  them  a  joint  of  meat.  When 
this  was  told  Jonathan,  he  replied  to  his 
wife,  "  Aye !  see  !  God  is  even  better 
than  his  word  !  He  promised  bread, 
and  he  sends  flesh  in  addition.  Kneel 
down,  and  thank  him  again." 

(d)  THE  FARMER  AND  THE 
SOLDIERS. — Soon  after  the  surrender 
of  Copenhagen  to  the  English,  in  the 
year  1807,  detachments  of  soldiers  were, 
for  a  time,  stationed  in  the  surrounding 
villages.  It  happened  one  day  that 
three  soldiers,  belonging  to  a  Highland 
regiment,  were  sent  to  forage  among 
the  neighboring  farm-houses.  They 
went  to  several,  but  found  them  stripped 
and  deserted.  At  length  they  came  to 
a  large  garden,  or  orchard,  full  of  apple 
trees,  bending  under  the  weight  of  fruit. 
They  entered  by  a  gate,  and  followed  a 
path  which  brought  them  to  a  neat 
farm-houfefj.  Every  thing  without  be- 
spoke quielT^ess  and  security;  but  as 
they  entered  by  the  front  door,  the  mis- 
tress of  the  house  and  her  children  ran 
screaming  out  by  the  back.  The  inte- 
rior of  the  house  presented  an  appear- 
ance of  order  and  comfort  superior  to 
what  might  be  expected  from  people  in 
that  station,  and  from  the  habits  of  the 
country.  A  watch  hung  by  the  side 
of  the  fireplace,  and  a  neat  book-case, 
well  filled,  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
elder  soldier.  He  took  down  a  book  : 
it  was  written  in  a  language  unknown 
to  him,  but  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ 
was  legible  on  every  page.  At  this 
moment,  the  master  of  the  house  enter- 
ed by  the  door  through  which  his  wife 
and  childen  had  just  fled. 

One  of  the  soldiers,  by  threatening 
signs,  demanded  provisions :  the  man 
stood  firm  and  undaunted,  but  shook  his 
head.  The  soldier  who  held  the  book 
approached  him,  and  pointing  to  the 
name  of  Jesus  Christ,  laid  his  hand  up- 
on his  heart,  and  looked   up  to  heaven 


TRUST  IN  PROVIDENCE. 


353 


Instantly  the  farmer  grasped  his  hand, 
shook  it  vehemently,  and  then  ran  out 
of  the  room.  He  soon  returned  with 
his  wife  and  children  laden  with  milk, 
eggs,  bacon,  etc.,  which  were  freely 
tendered  ;  and  when  money  was  offered 
in  return,  it  was  at  first  refused.  But 
as  two  of  the  soldiers  were  pious  men, 
they,  much  to  the  chagrin  of  their  com- 
panion, insisted  upon  paying  for  all  they 
received.  When  taking  leave,  the  pious 
soldiers  intimated  to  the  farmer  that  it 
would  be  well  for  him  to  secrete  his 
watch :  but,  by  the  most  significant 
signs,  he  gave  them  to  understand  that 
he  feared  no  evil,  for  his  trust  was  in 
God  ;  and  that  though  his  neighbors,  on 
the  right  hand  and  on  the  left,  had  fled 
from  their  habitations,  and  by  foraging 
parties  had  lost  what  they  could  not  re- 
move, not  a  hair  of  his  head  had  been 
injured,  nor  had  he  even  lost  an  apple 
from  his  trees. 

"  The  angel  of  the  Lord  encampeth 
round  about  them  that  fear  him,  and  de- 
li vereth  them." 

(e)  INCIDENTS  IN  STILLING'S 
LIFE. — In  youth.  Stilling  was  ex- 
tremely poor,  destitute  of  the  common 
comforts  and  necessaries  of  life.  After 
a  long  season  of  anxiety  and  prayer,  he 
felt  satisfied  that  it  was  the  will  of  God 
that  he  should  go  to  a  university,  and 
prepare  himself  for  the  medical  profes- 
sion. He  did  not  at  first  make  choice 
of  a  university,  but  waited  for  an  inti- 
mation from  his  heavenly  Father ;  for 
as  he  intended  to  study  simply  from 
faith,  he  would  not  allow  his  own  will 
in  any  thing.  Three  weeks  after  he 
had  come  to  this  determination,  a  friend 
asked  him  whither  he  intended  to  go. 
He  replied  he  did  not  know.  "  O," 
said  she,  "  our  neighbor,  Mr.  T.,  is  go- 
ing to  Strasburg,  to  spend  the  winter 
there,  go  with  him." 

This  touched  Stilling's  heart ;  he  felt 
that  this  was  the  intimation  he  had 
waited  for.  Meanwhile,  Mr.  T.  entered 
the  room,  and  was  heartily  pleased  with 
the  proposition.  The  whole  of  his  wel- 
fare now  depended  on  his  becoming  a 
physician  ;  and  for  this,  a  thousand  dol- 
lars at  least  were  requisite,  of  which  he 
could  not  tell  in  the  whole  world  where 


to  raise  a  hundred.  He  nevertheless 
fixed  his  confidence  firmly  on  God,  and 
reasoned  as  follows  : 

"  God  begins  nothing  without  termi- 
nating  it  gloriously.  Now,  it  is  most 
certainly  true,  that  he  alone  has  order- 
ed my  present  circumstances,  entirely 
without  my  co-operation.  Consequent- 
ly, it  is  also  most  certainly  true,  that  he 
will  accomplish  every  thing  regarding 
me  in  a  manner  worthy  of  himself." 

He  smilingly  said  to  his  friends,  who 
were  as  poor  as  himself — '•  I  wonder 
from  what  quarter  my  heavenly  Father 
will  provide  me  with  money  ?"  When 
they  expressed  anxiety,  he  said — "  Be- 
lieve assuredly  that  he  who  was  able  to 
feed  a  thousand  people  with  a  little 
bread  lives  still,  and  to  him  I  commend 
myself.  He  will  certainly  find  out 
means.  Do  not  be  anxious,  the  Lord 
will  provide." 

Forty-six  dollars  was  all  that  he  could 
raise  for  his  journey.  He  met  una- 
voidable delay  on  the  way ;  and  while 
at  Frankfort,  three  days'  ride  from 
Strasburg,  he  had  but  a  single  dollar 
left.  He  said  nothing  of  it  to  any  one, 
but  waited  for  the  assistance  of  his 
heavenly  Father.  As  he  was  walking 
the  streets  and  praying  inwardly  to  God, 
he  met  Mr.  L.,  a  merchant  from  the 
place  of  his  residence,  who  says  to  him, 
"  Stilling,  what  brought  you  here  ?" 

"  I  am  going  to  Strasburg,  to  study 
medicine." 

"  Where  do  you  get  your  money  to 
study  with  ?" 

"  I  have  a  rich  Father  in  heaven." 

Mr.  L.  looked  steadily  at  him,  and 
inquired — "  How  much  money  have 
you  on  hand  ?" 

"  One  dollar,"  said  Stilling. 

"  So,"  said  Mr.  L.  "  Well,  I'm  one 
of  your  Father's  stewards,"  and  handed 
him  thirty-three  dollars. 

Stilling  felt  warm  tears  in  his  eyes  ; 
says  he — "  I  am  now  rich  enough,  I 
want  no  more." 

This  first  trial  made  him  so  coura- 
geous, that  he  no  longer  doubted  that 
God  would  help  him  through  every 
thing. 

He   had   been   but  a  short  time  in 
Strasburg,  when  his  thirty-three  dollara 
707 


3^3 


PROVIDENCE. 


had  again  been  reduced  to  one,  on  which 
account  he  began  again  to  pray  very 
earnestly.  Just  at  this  time,  one  morn- 
ing, his  room-mate,  Mr.  T.,  says  to  him, 
"  Stilling,  I  believe  you  did  not  bring 
much  money  with  you,"  and  offered  him 
thirty  dollars  in  gold,  which  he  gladly 
accepted,  as  an  answer  to  his  prayers. 

In  a  few  months  after  this,  the  time 
arrived  when  he  must  pay  the  lecturer's 
fee,  or  have  his  name  struck  from  the 
list  of  students.  The  money  was  to  be 
paid  by  six  o'clock  on  Thursday  eve- 
ning. Thursday  morning  came,  and 
he  had  no  money,  and  no  means  of  get- 
ting any.  The  day  was  spent  in  pray- 
er. Five  o'clock  in  the  evening  came, 
and  yet  there  was  no  money.  His 
faith  began  almost  to  fail ;  he  broke  out 
into  a  perspiration;  his  face  was  wet 
with  tears.  Some  one  knocked  at  the 
door.  "  Come  in,"  said  he.  It  was 
Mr.  R.,  the  gentleman  of  whom  he  had 
rented  the  room. 

•     "  I  called,"  said  Mr.  R.,  "  to  see  how 
you  like  your  room  ?" 

"  Thank  you,"  said  Stilling,  "  I  like 
it  very  much." 

Says  Mr.  R. — "  I  thought  I  would 
ask  you  one  other  question  ;  have  you 
brought  any  money  with  you  ?" 

Stilling  says  he  now  felt  like  Habak- 
kuk  when  the  angel  took  him  by  the 
hair  of  the  head  to  carry  him  to  Baby- 
Ion.  He  answered  "  No ;  I  have  no 
money." 

Mr.  R.  looked  at  him  with  surprise, 
and  at  length  said,  "  I  see  how  it  is ; 
God  has  sent  me  to  help  you." 

He  immediately  left  the  room,  and 
soon  returned  with  forty  dollars  in  gold. 

Stilling  says  he  then  felt  like  Daniel 
in  the  lion's  den,  when  Habakkuk 
brought  him  his  food.  He  threw  him- 
self on  the  floor,  and  thanked  God  with 
tears.  He  then  went  to  the  college, 
and  paid  his  fee  as  well  as  the  best. 

(/)  THE  WALKING  BIBLE.— 
Of  a  good  man  who  from  his  love  to  the 
sacred  volume,  and  his  extensive  know- 
ledge of  its  contents,  was  called  "  the 
walking  Bible,"  it  is  recorded,  that 
when  he  was  very  young,  he  was,  with 
his  parents,  oppressed  with  great  pov- 
erty. In  the  garden  in  which  their 
T08 


cottage,  or  rather  hovel  stood,  there 
was  a  large  pear-tree,  more  venerated 
for  its  age  than  valued  for  its  fruitful- 
ness.  The  mother  requested  him  to 
cut  it  down  for  firewood.  He  heard  the 
request  in  silence ;  she  repeated  it,  and 
he  still  hesitated.  At  length  he  said, 
"  Mother,  I  ought  to  obey  you,  but  I 
must  first  obey  God.  The  tree  is  not 
ours.  It  belongs  to  our  landlord  :  and 
you  know  that  God  says,  "  Thou  shalt 
not  steal.'  I  therefore  hope  you  will 
not  make  me  cut  it  down."  She  de- 
sisted ;  for  a  day  or  two  longer  they 
endured  the  cold,  when  she  peremptorily 
renewed  her  demand  that  the  tree 
should  be  cut  down.  He  then  said, 
"  Mother,  the  good  Being  has  often  help- 
ed us,  and  supplied  our  want  when  we 
have  been  in  trouble.  Let  us  wait  till 
this  time  to-morrow.  Then,  if  we  do 
not  find  some  relief,  though  I  am  sure 
it  will  be  wrong,  yet  if  you  make  me 
do  it,  I  will  cut  down  the  tree  in  obe- 
dience to  your  command."  She  yield- 
ed, and  he,  in  his  simple  manner, 
retired,  and  in  secret  earnestly  prayed 
to  God  to  interfere,  and  prevent  them 
from  displeasing  him  by  a  transgression 
of  his  holy  law.  He  sallied  forth  the 
next  morning,  and  wandering  about 
found  a  man  whose  cart  wheel  had 
broken  under  a  heavy  load  of  coal. 
He  told  his  distress  to  the  man,  who 
was  induced  to  leave  the  coals  for  him 
to  carry  away,  with  the  understanding 
that  whenever  he  called  for  the  money, 
if  the  family  were  able,  they  should 
pay  it.  He  never  after,  however,  made 
his  appearance. 

ig)  REV.  S.  WELLES'  CONFI- 
DENCE IN  GOD.— The  Rev.  Samuel 
Welles,  a  Christian  minister  of  the  sev- 
enteenth century,  constantly  trusted  the 
good  providence  of  God,  and  was  once 
told  by  a  doctor  of  divinity  that  he  lived 
better  on  Providence  than  the  doctor 
himself  with  all  his  income.  Though 
this  good  man  had  ten  or  eleven  children, 
he  declared  that  he  had  no  anxiety 
about  their  support,  for  God  would  ' 
surely  provide.  On  this  principle  he 
acted  in  leaving  a  situation  which 
brought  him  200Z.  a  year  for  one  that 
yielded  only  100/.  per  annum,  that  his 


MISCELLANEOUS. 


353,  354 


usefulness  might  be  increased ;  and 
afterwards  for  the  same  reason  refused 
a  living  of  300Z. 

(Ii)  THE  SUFFERERS  AT  SIG- 
ATEA. — During  the  17th  century, 
while  the  Rev.  Joim  Cotton  was  minis- 
ter of  Boston,  intelligence  reached  that 
town  of  the  distress  of  the  poor  Chris- 
tians at  Sigatea,  where  a  small  church 
existed,  the  members  of  which  were 
reduced  to  great  extremity  of  suffering 
by  persecution.  Mr.  Cotton  imme- 
diately began  to  collect  for  them,  and 
sent  the  sum  of  £700  for  their  relief. 
It  is  remarkable,  that  this  relief  arrived 
the  very  day  after  they  had  divided 
their  last  portion  of  meal,  without  any 
prospect  than  that  of  dying  a  lingering 
death,  and  immediately  after  their  pas- 
tor, Mr.  White,  had  preached  to  them 
from  Psalm  xxiii.  1,  "  The  Lord  is  my 
Shepherd  ;  I  shall  not  want." 

[i)  THE  DYING  MINISTER'S 
FAMILY. — "  I  have  known,"  says  an 
English  writer,  "  wonderful  proofs  of  the 
faithfulness  of  the  Lord  in  answering 
the  prayers  of  parents  who  left  young 
and  helpless  families  behind.  A  friend 
of  mine  in  the  west  of  England,  (a 
faithful  laborious  minister,  but  who,  I 
believe,  never  was  master  of  five  pounds 
at  a  time,)  was  dying. 

His  friends  advised  him  to  make  his 
will ;  he  replied,  "  I  have  nothing  to 
leave  but  my  wife  and  children,  and  I 
leave  them  to  the  care  of  my  gracious 
God."  Soon  after  this  he  died,  happily. 
But  there  appeared  no  prospect  of  sup- 
port for  his  family  at  this  time.  The 
Lord,  however,  stirred  up  a  man,  who 
had  always  despised  his  preaching,  to 
feel  for  the  deceased  minister's  poor, 
destitute  family,  and  he  so  exerted  him- 
self, that  he  was  the  means  of  j£l,600, 
being  raised  by  subscriptions  for  them  ; 
and  the  clergy  of  Exeter,  who  had 
never  countenanced  his  preaching,  gave 
his  widow  a  house  and  garden  for  life, 
so  that  she  lived  in  far  greater  plenty 
than  in  her  husband's  lifetime.  Why 
was  all  this  ?  It  was  in  answer  to  the 
prayers  of  the  good  man,  who  commit- 
ted his  wife  and  family  to  that  God  who 
could  supply  all  their  needs,  and  who 
he  knew  was  able  to  open  the  doors  of 
relief  for  them. 


S54.  Miscellaneous. 

(a)  A  BIRD'S  FLIGHT  DECIDING 
THE  SPREAD  OF  MOHAMME- 
DANISM.— The  great  drama  of  a  na- 
tion's politics,  and  the  most  mighty 
changes  in  the  history  and  character  of 
mankind,  may  hinge  on  circumstances 
of  the  most  trivial  nature.  One  of  the 
most  remarkable  instances  of  this  sort  is 
found  in  the  history  of  Mohammed.  When 
his  pursuers  followed  hard  upon  him  to 
take  his  life,  they  were  turned  away  from 
the  mouth  of  the  cave  in  which  he  had  the 
moment  before  taken  shelter,  by  the 
flight  of  a  bird  from  one  of  the  shrubs 
that  grew  at  its  entry  !  For  they  infer- 
red that  if  he  had  recently  passed  that 
way,  the  bird  must  previously  have 
been  frightened  away,  and  would  not 
now  have  made  its  appearance.  It  is  a 
striking  remark  of  the  historian,  that 
this  bird,  by  its  flight  on  this  occasion, 
changed  the  destiny  of  the  world — in- 
strumental  as  it  was  in  perpetuating  the 
life  of  the  false  Prophet,  and  with  him 
the  reign  of  that  superstition  which  to 
this  day  hath  a  wider  ascendency  over 
ourspecies  than  Christianity  itself.  Such 
are  the  links  and  concatenations  of  all 
history.  It  is  well  that  God  has  the 
management,  and  that  what  to  man  is 
chaos,  in  the  hands  of  God  is  a  sure  and 
unerring  mechanism. 

(b)  SKEPTICAL  SAILOR  CON- 
VINCED— A  careless  sailor,  on  going 
to  sea,  replied  to  his  religious  brother  in 
words  like  these  :  "  Tom,  you  talk  a 
great  deal  about  religion  and  Provi- 
dence ;  and  if  I  should  be  wrecked,  and 
a  ship  was  to  heave  in  sight  and  take 
me  off,  I  suppose  you  would  call  it  a 
merciful  Providence.  It's  all  very 
well,  but  I  believe  no  such  thing  ;  these 
things  happen  like  other  things,  by  mere 
chance,  and  you  call  it  Providence, 
that's  all."  He  went  upon  his  voyage, 
and  the  case  he  put  hypothetically  was 
soon  literally  true ;  he  was  wrecked, 
and  remained  upon  the  wreck  three 
days,  when  a  ship  appeared,  and,  seeing 
their  signal  of  distress,  came  to  their 
relief.  He  returned,  and,  in  relating  it, 
said  to  his  brother,  •'  Oh  !  Toni,  when 
that  ship  hove  in  sight,  my  words  to  you 
came  in  a  moment   into  my  mind;  it 

709 


354,  355 


PUNCTUALITY. 


was  like  a  bolt  of  thunder.  I  have 
never  got  rid  of  it,  and  now  I  think  it 
no  more  than  an  act  of  common  grati- 
tude to  give  myself  up  to  Him  who 
pitied  and  saved  me." 

(c)  COMPLAINING  AGAINST 
PROVIDENCE.— A  person  with  not 
very  ample  means  of  support,  was  bur- 
thened  with  a  large  family.  A  neigh- 
bor had  just  called  to  tell  him  of  a 
friend  who  had  got  a  prize  in  a  lottery, 
when  he  was  also  informed  of  the  birthpf 
his  twelfth  child.  He  exclaimed, 
peevishly,  "  God  sends  meat  to  others, 


children  to  me."  It  so  happened,  that 
God,  at  whose  government  he  had  so  im- 
piously murmured,  sent  him  those  riches 
he  longed  for.  But  as  he  sent  him  the 
wished-for  wealth,  he  deprived  him  of 
the  children  he  had  complained  of.  He 
saw  them  one  by  one  go  to  the  grave 
before  him ;  and  in  advanced  life, 
and  great  affluence,  when  he  endured 
the  stroke  of  having  his  last  beloved 
daughter  taken  from  his  eyes,  he  bit- 
terly remembered  (it  is  hoped  with  salu- 
ary  bitterness)  his  former  rebellious 
murmurings  against  God. 


355.  PUNCTUALITY. 


(a)  WASTING   OTHERS'  TIME. 

— A  committee  of  eight  ladies,  in  the 
neighborhood  of  London,  was  appointed 
to  meet  on  a  certain  day  at  twelve 
o'clock.  Seven  of  them  were  punc- 
tual ;  but  the  eighth  came  hurrying  in, 
with  many  apologies  for  being  a  quar- 
ter of  an  hour  behind  time.  The  time 
had  passed  away  without  her  being 
aware  of  it ;  she  had  no  idea  of  its  being 
so  late,  etc.  A  Quaker  lady  present, 
said,  "  Friend,  I  am  not  so  clear  that 
we  should  admit  thine  apology.  It 
were  matter  of  regret  that  thou  shouldst 
have  wasted  thine  own  quarter  of  an 
hour  ;  but  here  are  seven  besides  thy- 
self, whose  time  thou  hast  also  consum- 
ed, amounting  in  the  whole  to  two 
hours,  and  seven-eighths  of  it  was  not 
thine  own  property." 

(b)  MELANCTHON'S  EXAM- 
PLE.— It  is  said  of  Melancthon,  the  cele- 
brated reformer  and  colleague  of  Mar- 
tin Luther,  that  when  he  made  an  ap- 
pointment,  he  expected  not  only  the 
hour,  but  the  minute  to  be  fixed,  that 
the  day  might  not  run  out  in  the  idle- 
ness of  suspense. 

(c),  WILLIAM  PENN'S  EXAM- 
PLE. — Few  men  have  been  more  dis- 
tinguished for  vigorous  exertions  of 
various  kinds,  than  the  worthy  and  well 
known  William  Penn.  If  we  consider 
the  number  of  books  which  he  wrote 
and  published,  the  number  and  difficult 
active  engagements  in  which  he  was 
710 


occupied,  and  the  almost  incessant  trou- 
bles and  interruptions  to  which  he  was 
subject,  we  shall  wonder  how  it  was 
possible  for  him  to  accomplish  what  he 
did.  He  who  reads  attentively  the  life  of 
this  eminent  man,  written  by  Mr.  Clark- 
son,  will  find  that  the  secret  of  his  ex- 
traordinary despatch  in  study,  writing 
and  business,  was  his  punctuality. 

(d)  BLACKSTONE'S  EXAM- 
PLE.—Of  Sir  William  Blackstone  we 
are  informed,  that  in  reading  his  lec- 
tures, it  could  not  be  remembered  that  he 
ever  made  his  au'dience  wait,  even  for 
a  few  minutes,  beyond  the  time  appoint- 
ed. Indeed  punctuality,  in  his  opinion, 
was  so  much  a  virtue,  that  he  could  not 
bring  himself  to  think  perfectly  well  of 
any  wiio  was  notoriously  defective  in 
this  practice. 

(e)  WAY  TO  PROMOTE  PUNC- 
TUALITY.  —  The  residence  of  the 
Rev.  David  Brown  in  Calcutta,  was  at 
a  considerable  distance  from  the  Mission 
Church,  where  he  preached  ;  but  no 
weather  ever  deterred  him  from  meet- 
ing the  people  at  the  stated  periods  of 
Divine  service.  And  when  on  any  oc- 
casion, and  even  in  cases  of  indisposition 
he  was  urged  to  postpone  the  service, 
he  would  not  consent;  for,  he  would 
observe,  "  If  the  hearers  once  find  a 
minister  to  be  irregular  in  his  attend- 
ance  on  them,  they  will  become  irregu- 
lar in  attending  him ;  but  when  my^ 
congregation  sees  that  no  inconvenience 


PUNCTUALITY. 


355 


whatever  makes  me  neglect  them,  they 
will  be  ashamed  to  keep  away  on  any 
frivolous  pretext." 

(/)  EXAMPLE  OF  WASHING- 
TON.— When  General  Washington 
assigned  to  meet  congress  at  noon,  he 
never  failed  to  be  passing  the  door  of 
the  hall  while  the  clock  was  striking 
twelve. — Whether  his  guests  were 
present  or  not,  he  always  dined  at  four. 
Not  unfrequently  new  members  of  con- 
gress, who  were  invited  to  dine  with 
him,  delayed  until  dinner  was  half  over, 
and  he  would  then  remark,  "  gentlemen, 
we  are  punctual  here."  When  he 
visited  Boston  in  1788,  he  appointed  eight 
A.  M.  as  the  hour  when  he  should  set 
out  for  Salem,  and  while  the  Old  South 
church  clock  was  striking  eight,  he  was 
mounting  his  horse.  The  company  of 
cavalry,  which  volunteered  to  escort 
him,  were  parading  in  Tremont-street, 
after  his  departure,  and  it  was  not  until 
the  President  reached  Charles  River 
Bridge,  that  they  overtook  him.  On 
the  arrival  of  the  corps,  the  President, 
with  perfect  good  nature,  said,  "  Major, 
I  thought  you  had  been  too  long  in  my 
family,  not  to  know  when  it  was  eight 
o'clock."  Captain  Pease,  the  father  of 
the  stage  establishment  in  the  United 
States,  had  a  beautiful  pair  of  horses 
which  he  wished  to  dispose  of  to  the 
President,  whom  he  knew  to  be  an  ex- 
cellent judge  of  horses.  The  President 
appointed  five  o'clock  in  the  morning  to 
examine  them.  But  the  captain  did 
not  arrive  with  the  horses  until  a  quar- 
ter after  five,  when  he  was  told  by  the 
groom  that  the  President  was  there  at 
five  and  was  then  fulfilling  other  engage- 
ments. Pease,  much  mortified,  was 
obliged  to  wait  a  week  for  another  op- 
portunity, merely  for  delaying  the  first 
quarter  of  an  hour. 

(g)  BREWER'S  PUNCTUAL- 
ITY. —  The  Rev.  S.  Brewer  was 
distinguished  for  punctuality.      When 


a  youth  in  college,  he  was  never  known 
to  be  a  minute  behind  time  in  attending 
lectures  of  the  tutors,  or  the  family 
prayers,  at  which  the  young  men  who 
boarded  in  private  families  were  expect- 
ed to  assemble.  One  morning  the 
students  were  collected;  the  clock 
struck  seven,  and  all  rose  up  for  pray- 
er ;  but  the  tutor  observing  that  Mr. 
Brewer  was  not  present,  paused  awhile. 
Seeing  him  enter  the  room,  he  thus  ad- 
dressed him ;  "  Sir,  the  clock  has 
struck,  and  we  are  ready  to  begin  ;  but 
as  you  were  absent,  we  supposed  the 
clock  was  too  fast,  and  therefore 
waited." — The  clock  was  actually  too 
fast  by  some  minutes. 

(h)  CURING  A  CONGREGATION. 
— A  punctual  minister  once  had  the  mis- 
fortune to  succeed  a  tardy  man  who  had 
had  the  congregation  in  charge  for  some 
years.  He  despaired  of  reforming  them 
in  great  matters  if  he  could  not  reform 
them  in  small.  He  found  them  in  the 
habit  of  meeting  at  twelve  o'clock  though 
the  hour  appointed  and  agreed  upon  was 
eleven.  The  preacher  knew  his  duty 
and  begun  at  the  minute.  The  first  day 
after  his  settlement  his  sermon  was  well 
nigh  closed  before  most  of  his  congrega- 
tion arrived.  Some  actually  arrived  just 
at  the'benediction.  They  were  confound- 
ed. He  made  no  apology.  He  only  asked 
the  seniors  if  they  would  prefer  any  other 
time  than  eleven  o'clock  and  he  would 
be  sure  to  attend.  A  few  weeks  passed 
and  the  house  was  regularly  full 
and  waiting  for  the  minute.  The 
preacher  never  failed  in  twenty  years, 
except  in  a  few  cases  of  indisposition, 
to  commence  at'  the  hour  appointed. 
His  congregation  became  as  punctual 
and  circumspect  in  other  matters  as  in 
their  attendance  at  church  ;  for  it  is 
almost  impossible  to  be  habitually  punc- 
tual in  one  class  of  duties  and  to  be  re- 
miss in  all  others. 


Ill 


356 


PUNISHMENT  OF  THE  WICKED,  NOT  IN  THIS  LIFE. 


PUNISHMENT  OF  THE  WICKED,  NOT  IN  THIS  LIFE. 


S56.  Because  their  Remorse  is  not  Commcn- 
snrate  witli  tlicir  Guilt. 

(a)  THE  TWO  GREEK  PI- 
RATES,— Two  Greeks,  notorious  for 
their  piracies  and  other  crimes,  were, 
in  1829,  tried  and  condemned,  and  three 
days  after  executed  at  Malta.  In  the 
course  of  the  trial,  it  appeared  that  the 
beef  and  anchovies,  on  board  one  of  the 
English  vessels  which  they  pirated, 
were  left  untouched,  and  the  circum- 
stances under  which  they  were  left  ap- 
peared to  the  court  so  peculiar,  that  the 
culprits  were  asked  the  cause  of  it.  They 
promptly  answered  that  it  was  at  the  time 
of  the  great  fast,  when  their  church  ate 
neither  meat  nor  fish.  They  appeared 
to  be  most  hardened  and  abandoned 
wretches,  enemies  alike  to  their  own  and 
every  other  nation,  and  yet  rigidly 
maintaning  their  religious  character : 
and  while  they  were  robbing,  plunder- 
ing, and  murdering  and  stealing  the 
women  and  children  of  their  country. 
men,  and  selling  them  to  the  Turks, 
and  committing  other  atrocious  deeds, 
they  would  have  us  understand  that 
they  were  not  so  wicked  as  to  taste 
meat  or  fish,  when  prohibited  by  the 
canons  of  their  church  !  Had  a  single 
drop  of  the  blood  of  the  murdered 
been,  by  means  of  the  blows  inflicted, 
spattered  on  their  lips,  and  thus  by 
chance  passed  into  their  mouth,  they 
would  probably  have  felt  in  continual 
danger  of  the  fire  that  shall  never  be 
quenched,  until  they  could  have  visited 
some  church,  confessed  and  done  penance 
for  having  tasted  something  of  an  animal 
nature  in  the  season  of  a  fast.  I  do  not 
know,  indeed,  says  Mr.  Goodell,  that 
they  would  have  manifested  such  igno- 
rance and  superstition,  but  it  would 
have  given  me  no  surprise  to  hear  that 
they  did ;  and  moreover,  that  they  de- 
rived their  principal  hopes  of  success, 
in  their  villainous  and  horrid  traffic, 
from  a  strict  attention  to  the  require- 
ments of  their  religion. 

[b)  THE  PIRATE  GIBBS.— This 
man,  whose  name  was  for  many  years 

712 


a  terror  to  commerce  with  the  West 
Indies  and  South  America,  was  at  last 
taken  captive,  tried,  condemned,  and  ex- 
ecuted in  the  city  of  New-York.  He 
acknowledged  before  his  death  that 
when  he  committed  the  first  murder  and 
plundered  the  first  ship,  his  compunctions 
were  severe,  conscience  was  on  the 
rack,  and  made  a  hell  within  his  bosom. 
But  after  he  had  sailed  for  years  under 
the  black  flag,  his  conscience  became  so 
hardened  and  blunted,  that  he  could  rob 
a  vessel  and  murder  all  its  crew  and 
then  lie  down  and  sleep  as  sweetly  at 
night  as  an  infant  in  its  cradle.  His 
remorse  diminished  as  his  crimes  in- 
creased. So  it  is  generally.  If  therefore 
remorse  in  this  life  is  God's  way  of 
punishing  crimes,  the  more  they  sin  the 
less  he  punishes  them  !     How  absurd  I 

(c)  THE  SHEPHERD  AND  THE 
PRIEST.-A  Neapolitan  shepherd  came 
in  anguish  to  his  priest,  saying,  "  Fa- 
ther have  mercy  on  a  miserable  sinner. 
It  is  the  holy  season  of  Lent ;  and  while 
I  was  busy  at  work,  some  whey  spurt- 
ing from  the  cheese-press  flew  into  my 
mouth,  and,  wretched  man,  1  swallow- 
ed it.  Free  my  distressed  conscience 
from  its  agonies  by  absolving  me  from 
my  guilt !"  "  Have  you  no  other  sins 
to  confess  ?"  said  his  spiritual  guide. 
"  No  ;  I  do  not  know  that  I  have  com- 
mitted any  other.''  "  There  are,"  said 
the  priest,  "  many  robberies  and  mur- 
ders from  time  to  time  committed  on 
your  mountains,  and  I  have  reason  to 
believe  that  you  are  one  of  the  persons 
concerned  in  them."  "  Yes,"  he  replied, 
"  I  am,  but  these  are  never  accounted 
as  a  crime  ;  it  is  a  thing  practised  by 
us  all,  and  there  needs  no  confession 
on  that  account."  Was  not  this  straining 
at  a  gnat  and  swallowing  a  camel  with 
a  witness  ? 

(d)  REV.  HENRY  WARD  BEE- 
CHER'S  TESTIMONY.—"  I  remem- 
ber the  time  when  I  swore  the  first  oath. 
It  seemed  as  though  every  leaf  on  the 
trees  and  every  blade  of  grass  were 
vocal  in  their  condemnation  of  my  sin. 
The  very  sky  seemed  to  lower  upon 


CONSCIENCE  NOT  TROUBLESOME  WHEN  OFTEN  VIOLATED. 


357 


me,  and  all  Nature  raised  the  note  of  re- 
proof. But  in  after  days,  under  the  de- 
moralizing influence  of  bad  company,  I 
became  able  to  use  profane  language 
without  a  blush — without  the  least  re- 
morse of  conscience  ;  and  finally  with- 
out being  conscious  of  the  language  I 
employed." 


Ul.  Because  Conscience  is  not  Tronble- 
some  when  often  Violated. 

(a)  KILPIN'S  THEFT  OF  A 
PENNY.— The  Rev.  Samuel  Kilpin,  a 
minister  of  Exeter,  (Eng.,)  says,  in  his 
life : — When  seven  years  old,  I  was  left 
in  charge  of  my  father's  shop.  A  man 
passed,  crying,  "Little  lambs,  all  white 
and  clean,  at  one  penny  each."  In  my 
eagerness  to  get  one,  1  lost  all  self-com- 
mand, and  taking  a  penny  from  the 
drawer,  I  made  the  purchase.  My 
keen-eyed  mother  inquired  how  I  came 
by  the  money.  I  evaded  the  question 
with  something  like  a  lie.  In  God's 
sight  it  was  a  lie,  as  I  kept  back  the 
truth. 

The  lamb  was  placed  on  the  chimney 
shelf,  and  was  much  admired.  To  me 
it  was  a  source  of  inexpressible  an- 
guish ;  continually  there  sounded  in  my 
ears  and  heart,  "  Thou  shalt  not  steal ; 
thou  shalt  not  lie."  Guilt  and  dark- 
ness  overcame  my  mind^  and  in  sore 
agony  of  soul  I  went  to  a  hay-loft,  the 
place  is  now  perfectly  in  my  recollection, 
and  there  prayed  and  pleaded,  with 
groanings  that  could  not  be  uttered,  for 
mercy  and  pardon.  I  entreated  for 
Jesus'  sake.  With  joy  and  transport  I 
left  the  loft  from  a  believing  application 
of  the  text,  "  Thy  sins,  which  are  many, 
are  forgiven."  I  went  to  my  mother, 
told  her  what  I  had  done,  and  sought 
her  forgiveness,  and  burned  the  lamb, 
while  she  wept  over  her  young  penitent. 

If  such  was  young  Kilpin's  misery 
and  remorse  in  stealing  a  penny,  then, 
in  justice,  he  who  steals  a  pound  should 
suffer  more,  provided  remorse  of  con- 
science in  this  life  gives  every  sinner 
his  due  punishment.  But  thieves  and 
robbers  who  have  for  years  pursued 
their  path  of  crime,  can  and  do  steal 
hundreds  of  pounds,  and  have  no  such 


sense  of  guilt  and  sof  row  for  it  as  young 
Kilpin  had  tor  his  theft  of  a  penny. 

{b)  STEALING  A  LAMB  AND 
ASKING  A  BLESSING  OVER  IT. 
— Thomas  D.  had  a  large  family,  and 

lived  in  the  parish  of  M ,  (Eng.) 

Time  was  when  he  loved  his  Bible,  at- 
tended his  church,  and  endeavored  to 
instruct  his  children  in  the  fear  of  God. 

In  the  year  1826  work  was  very 
slack,  and  Thomas  struggled  hard 
against  poverty  and  sickness.  His  tri- 
als were  very  great ;  and,  instead  of 
taking  those  trials  to  the  Lord  in  pray- 
er, he  sunk  into  a  low  state,  little  short 
of  desperation.  This  was  Satan's  op- 
portunity. When  Thomas  was  reduced 
to  this  strait,  and  feared  that  his  wife 
and  little  ones  would  be  famished,  he 
meditated  and  planned  a  step,  at  which 
he  would  formerly  have  shuddered  :  he 
resolved  on  stealing  a  lamb  from  the 
flock  of  a  neighboring  farmer.  This, 
after  many  inward  struggles,  was  ac- 
complished, and  that  too  without  detec- 
tion. The  lamb  was  killed,  and  brought 
home.  To  the  inquiries  of  his  wife, 
Thomas  gave  an  evasive  answer,  and 
part  of  the  stolen  provision  was  cooked 
for  supper.  The  poor  woman  called 
her  husband  from  the  loom  when  it  was 
ready,  and  he  was  about  to  follow  his 
usual  custom  of  asking  a  blessing ;  his 
tongue  faltered,  and  he  could  not  do 
it ;  but  snatching  up  the  dish  from  his 
astonished  family,  he  went  with  it  to 
the  farmer's  house,  and  confessed  his 
guilt.  "  My  life,"  said  he,  "  is  yours, 
or  if  you  spare  it,  I  will  try  to  pay  you 
for  the  lamb."  The  farmer  was  touched 
at  his  tale  of  misery,  and  the  voluntary 
confession  of  the  theft.  He  told  the 
poor  fellow  to  take  the  dish  and  its  con- 
tents back  to  his  cottage,  and  freely  for- 
gave him  what  he  had  done. 

What  made  the  thief's  conscience  so 
sensitive  and  his  compunctions  so  se- 
vere ?  Because  he  so  seldom  violated 
it,  while  those  accustomed  to  such  vio- 
lations would  have  felt  little  comfDuac- 
tion,  if  at  all. 

(c)  THE  YOUNG  CONVERT 
AND  HIS  BROTHER'S  SLED.— 
It  is  often  the  case  that  some  compara- 
tively slight  deviation  from  duty  on  the 
part  of  the  Christian  causes  him  more 
713 


358,  359        PUNISHMENT  OF  THE  WICKED,  NOT  IN  THIS  LIFE. 


remorse  of  conscience  than  the  outbreak- 
ing sins  of  the  impenitent.  Rev.  Mr. 
D.,  of  Michigan,  states  that  soon  after 
his  conversion,  when  a  boy  some  four- 
teen years  of  age,  he  vi^as  standing  at 
the  door,  and  in  a  playful  mood,  pull- 
ing back  and  forth  a  sled  belonging  to 
his  younger  brother.  The  child  saw 
him,  and  cried  aloud  as  if  some  great 
outrage  was  being  done  to  his  property. 
Upon  this  Mr.  D.  was  so  much  exasper- 
ated, that  he  hastily  snatched  up  the 
sled  and  threw  it  over  the  fence.  To 
most  impenitent  persons  who  should  do 
such  a  deed,  it  would' cause  little  after- 
thought or  regret.  But  not  so  with  the 
young  convert.  His  conscience  severe- 
ly accused  him  ;  his  convictions  before 
his  conversion  were  scarce  more  ab- 
sorbing and  severe.  He  felt  he  had 
treated  his  little  brother  unkindly  and 
maliciously — acted  inconsistently  with 
his  profession — above  all,  he  had  sinned, 
as  he  felt,  against  God.  His  agony  of 
mind  was  distressing  and  awful ;  and 
it  was  not  till  he  had  wept  and  prayed, 
confessed  his  sins  to  God,  to  his  brother 
whom  he  had  injured,  and  his  mother 
who  had  witnessed  his  conduct,  that  he 
felt  forgiven  or  found  relief  to  his  con- 
science. Did  that  young  convert  suf- 
fer more  than  he  deserved  ?  Then  he 
suffered  unjustly,  and  the  present  retri- 
bution of  conscience  is  evidently  imper- 
fect. Did  he  suffer  no  more  than  he 
deserved?  Thousands  of  hardened  sin- 
ners commit  offences  a  hundred-fold 
more  flagrant  and  feel  little  or  no  com- 
punction. Justice,  therefore,  is  not 
done  in  this  life,  and  it  must  be  done  in 
another. 


858.  Because  they  take  Dcliglit  in  their 
wickedness. 

(a)  THE  BLASPHEMOUS 
THANKSGIVING.— One  of  the  most 
horrid  circumstances  attending  the 
dreadful  massacres  of  the  Protestants 
under  Charles  IX  of  France,  was,  that 
when  the  news  of  this  event  reached 
Rome,  Pope  Gregory  XIII  instituted 
the  most  solemn  rejoicing,  giving  thanks 
to  Almighty  God  for  this  glorious  vic- 
tory over  the  heretics ! 
714 


(b)    BONAPARTE'S     DELIGHT 

IN  MASSACRE.— "Bonaparte,"  says 
Sir  Robert  Wilson,  "  having  carried  the 
town  of  Jaffa  by  assault,  many  of  the 
garrison  were  put  to  the  sword,  but  the 
greater  part  flying  into  the  Mosques, 
and  imploring  mercy  from  their  pursu- 
ers, were  granted  their  lives.  Three 
days  afterwards,  Bonaparte,  who  had 
expressed  much  resentment  at  the  com- 
passion manifested  by  his  troops,  and 
determined  to  relieve  himself  from  the 
maintenance  and  care  of  3800  prison- 
ers, ordered  them  to  be  marched  to  a 
rising  ground  near  Jaffa,  where  a  divi- 
sion of  French  infantry  formed  against 
them.  When  the  Turks  had  entered 
into  their  fatal  alignment,  and  the 
mournful  preparations  were  completed, 
the  signal  gun  fired.  Volleys  of  mus- 
quetry  and  grape  instantly  played 
against  them,  and  Bonaparte,  who  had 
been  regarding  the  scene  through  a  tel- 
escope, when  he  saw  the  smoke  ascend- 
ing, could  not  contain  his  joy. 


^§9.  Because  they  often  Die  in  the  very 
act  of  Sin. 

(a)  DEA.  EATON  AND  THE 
INFIDEL. — Dea.  Eaton,  a  missionary 
on  the  Erie  canal,  once  came  in  con- 
tact with  an  infidel  on  a  canal  boat, 
who  urged  him  into  a  dispute  about  the 
divinity  of  Jesus  Christ.  At  first  he 
proposed  to  argue  the  question  on  the 
ground  of  the  Scriptures,  but  being  con- 
founded by  Dea.  Eaton's  reading  1 
John,  chapter  v.,  he  declared  that  the 
Bible  was  nothing  but  man's  invention. 
"I  saw,"  says  Dea.  E.,  "that  he  ap- 
peared to  be  very  angry,  and  left  him; 
but  during  the  whole  afternoon,  when- 
ever he  had  an  opportunity,  he  would 
vent  some  of  his  spite  upon  me.  When 
we  came  to  Syracuse,  where  we  changed 
packets,  I  thought  I  should  stop,  and 
was  bidding  the  passengers  farewell. 
Among  the  rest  I  shook  hands  with  the 
infidel's  wife,  and  said  to  her,  'I  hope 
you  will  alter  your  belief  before  1  see 
you  again.'  He  saw  me  talking  to  her, 
and  coming  along,  struck  oft'  my  hand 
with  which  I  held  hers,  and  said,  'Let 
the  woman  alone.     If  you  wish  to  at- 


PUNISHMENT,  FUTURE. 


360 


tack  any  one,  try  me,  but  don't  abuse 
the  woman." 

I  asked  his  pardon,  and  told  him  I 
intended  no  abuse  to  any  one.  I  finally 
concluded  to  go  in  the  packet,  and  as  the 
boat  started  many  of  the  passengers  went 
on  deck,  and  among  the  rest  the  infidel 
and  his  wife.  I  was  in  the  cabin  when 
a  man  came  down  in  great  haste,  and 
inquired  for  a  bottle  of  camphor  ;  he  said 
a  man  had  fainted  on  deck.  Without 
knowing  who  it  was,  it  struck  me  imme- 
diately that  it  was  the  infidel,  and  that 
God  had  destroyed  him.  1  went  on  deck, 
and  sure  enough  the  infidel  was  dead. 
A  gentleman  with  whom  he  was  con- 
versinjT,  said  he  was  railin":  against  me, 
and  saymg  1  was  spunging  my  living, 
when  he  fell  in  a  moment  with  a  half- 
uttered  curse  on  his  lips.  They  were 
trying  to  bring  him  back  to  life,  but  I 
saw  that  there  were  no  hopes  that  he 
would  ever  breathe  again.  He  was 
dead  the  moment  he  reached  the  deck, 
and  then  presented  the  most  awful  ob- 
•ect  I  had  ever  looked  upon.  His  eyes 
were  open,  and  his  countenance  indi- 
cated woful  despair.  It  was  a  solemn 
moment,  as  still  as  the  house  of  death. 
One  of  the  boatmen  said  to  me,  "  It  will 
not  do  to  fight  against  God." 

(b)  DYING  WHILE  BLASPHE- 
MING. — A  minister  in  a  small  seaport 
town  in  Scotland,  once  furnished  an  ac- 
count of  a  man,  who  for  many  years 
was  master  of  a  coasting  vessel,  and  an 
inhabitant  of  that  place.  In  his  younger 
days  he  made  a  profession  of  religion  ; 
{ind,  among  the  small  but  respectable 
body  to  which  he  belonged,  he  was 
deemed  an  eminent  Christian.  He  af- 
terwards became  a  deist ! — nay,  a  pro- 
fessed atheist,  and  made  the  existence 
of  the  Deity  and  a  future  state  the  sub- 
jects of  his  ridicule  and  profane  mock- 
ery. For  horrid  swearing  and  lewd- 
ness he  had  perhaps  few  equals  in  Scot- 
land, One  night,  in  a  public  house, 
when  swearing  awfully,  in  a  rage,  he 
was  summoned  into  eternity  in  a  mo- 
ment, by  the  rupture  of  a  blood-vessel. 

Was  he  punished  for  his  blasphemy 
before  his  death  ?  If  not,  then  he  was 
punished  afterwards. 

(c)  DYING  DEAD  DRUNK.— 
George  Davidson,  aged  about  36  years, 


of  Fryeburg  village,  Maine,  had  been 
in  the  habit,  for  a  long  time,  of  drink- 
ing to  excess  occasionally  ;  and,  though 
he  was   provident  when  free  from  this 
bane  of  society,  he   had,  with  his  wife 
and  children,  lived  a  wretched  life.  For 
a  week  prior  to  his  death,  he  was  intoxi- 
cated every  day,  and  abused  his  family 
unmercifully.     That  morning  he  said 
to  his  wife,  with  a  horrible  oath,  "  When 
I  drink  another  glass  of  rum,    I    hope 
God  Almighty  will  strike  me  dead !" 
He  immediately  visited  the  public  house; 
drank  rum  while  there  ;  filled  his  jug; 
and,  returning,  beat  his  wife,  and  threw 
her  on  the  floor,  though  her  peculiar 
situation  demanded  the  most  kind  and 
affectionate    treatment    from    her   hus- 
band.    About  two  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon, he  took  his  "jug,"  and  going  to 
another    room,  said,  "  I    swear  I   will 
drink  till  I  die,  let  it  be  longer  or  short- 
er."    His  wife  expostulated,  when  he 
replied  with  a  most  awful  oath  that  he 
would  do  it.     Before  three  o'clock  his 
spirit  had  fled,  and  where,  ye  drunk- 
ards, do  ye  think  it  went  ?     The  Bible 
says,  that  no  drunkard  shall  enter  the 
kingdom  of  God,  1  Cor.  vi.  10.    Gal.  v. 
21.     What  will  be  the  reward  of  those 
who  are  summoned  to  the  bar  of  eternal 
justice  with  an  oath  on  the    tongue  ? 
Will  such  a  man  at  once  be  happy  in 
the  presence  o^  God  ?     Will  he  say  to 
such,  "  Come,  ye  blessed  ?" 


360.  Punishment,  Fntnre. 

(a)  FUTURE  FEELINGS  OF 
THE  RIGHTEOUS.  —  The  pious 
mother  of  an  unworthy  son,  whose 
misconduct  had  brought  upon  her  that 
species  of  decline  familiarly  termed 
a  broken  heart,  sent  for  him  before 
her  death,  and  addressed  him  in  this 
remarkable  language  :  "  My  dear 
Charlesf  how  tenderly  I  have  loved  you, 
is  but  too  evident  from  the  state  to  which 
you  now  see  me  reduced ;  and  so  long 
as  I  remain  in  this  body,  I  shall  not 
cease  to  love  you,  and  to  pray  for  you, 
with  all  a  mother's  anxiety ;  but  the 
period  is  approaching  when  I  shall  hear 
the  sentence  of  even  your  eternal  de- 
struction with  a  majestic  composure 
715 


360,  361 


QUARRELS. 


and  an  entire  complacency,  arising 
from  a  feeling  identified  only  with  per- 
fect purity  and  infinite  rectitude."  The 
impression  this  appeal  made,  was  never 
effaced  ;  it  was  the  means  of  effecting 
a  permanent  change  of  character. 

(b)  PRESIDENT  N—  AND  THE 
RESTORATIONIST.-President 
N —  once  preached  a  discourse  near 
Schenectady,  in  which  he  set  forth  the 
intense  and  eternal  torment  of  the  finally 
impenitent.  One  of  our  modern  restora- 
tionists  heard  ihe  discourse,  and  having 
"  an  itching  palm"  to  show  his  know- 
ledge of  futurity  and  divine  disposi- 
tions, he  followed  the  President  to  the 
house,  where  he  took  tea  after  the  exer- 
cises of  the  day  were  closed,  and  intro- 
duced himself  by  saying  to  Mr.  N , 

''  Well,  sir,  1  have  been  to  hear  you 
preach,  and  have  come  here  to  request 
you  to  prove  your  doctrine."  "  I  thought 
I  had  proved  it,  for  I  took  the  Bible  for 
testimony,"  was  the  reply.  "  Well,  I 
do  not  find  any  thing  in  my  Bible  to 
prove  that  the  sinner  is  eternally  damn- 
ed, and  I  do  not  believe  any  such 
thing?"  "What  do  you  believe." 
"  Why  I  believe  that  mankind  will  be 
judged  according  to  the  deeds  done  in 
the  body,  and  those  that  deserve  punish- 
ment will  be  sent  to  hell,  and  remain 
there  until  the  debt  is  paid,"  &c.  Says 
Mr.  N — ,  "  I  have  but  a  word  to  say  to 
you  ;  and  first — For  what-did  Christ 
die  ?  And  lastly — there  is  a  straight 
road  to  heaven ;  but  if  you  are  deter- 
mined to  go  round  through  hell  to  get 
there,  I  cannot  help  it."  The  man  took 
his  leave,  but  his  mind  was  "  ill  at 
ease."  There  is  a  straight  road  to 
heaven,  still  rang  in  his  ears  ;  he  went 


home,  read  his  Bible  attentively,  and 
was  soon  convinced  of  and  acknowledged 
his  error  ;  and  after  a  suitable  time, 
united  with  the  followers  of  the  Lamb, 
(c)  A  CLOSE  QUESTION.— A 
pious  minister  of  respectable  talents, 
now  in  the  Methodist- connexion,  was 
previously  a  preacher  among  the  Univer- 
salists.  The  incident  which  led  him 
seriously  to  examine  the  grounds  of  that 
doctrine  is  striking  and  singular.  He 
was  amusing  his  little  son  by  telling 
him  the  story  of  the  "  Children  in  the 
Wood."  The  boy  asked,  "  What  be- 
came of  the  little  innoii^nt  children  ?" 
"  They  went  to  heaven,"  replied  the 
father.  "  What  became  of  the  wicked 
old  uncle  ?"  "He  went  to  heaven 
too."  "  Won't  he  kill  them  again, 
father?"  said  the  bov. 

(d)  MR.  HALLOCK'S  REPLY  TO 
A  FRIEND.— A  clerical  brother  of 
like  sentiments  with  Mr.  Hallock,  who 
had  just  lost  a  dear  son  without  the  con- 
solation, of  strong  hope  in  his  case,  once 
put  this  question,  with  rather  peculiar 
emphasis  :  "  Do  you  not  sometimes 
doubt,  Mr.  Hallock,  whether  a  holy  and 
benevolent  God  will  inflict  eternal  pun- 
ishment upon  a  part  of  mankind  ?"  He 
promptly  replied,  "  No,  sir ;  if  a  man 
should  tell  me  that  he  had  just  seen 
Canton  meeting-house  in  flames,  and  I 
should  hasten  to  the  spot  and  find  it  not 
so,  would  he  be  able  afterwards  to  look 
me  in  the  face  ?  So,  if  there  is  to  be  no 
everlasting  punishment  for  any  of  oui 
race,  how  could  Christ,  after  his  many 
positive  declarations  to  the  contrary, 
hold  up  his  head  before  his  people  in  the 
future  world?" 


36L  QUARRELS. 


(a)   ARISTIPPUS   AND   ^SCHI- 

NES. — Aristippus  and  iEschines  having 
quarreled,  Aristippus  came  to  his  op- 
ponent and  said  : — "  ^schines,  shall  we 
be  friends  ?"  "  Yes,"  he  replied,  "  with 
all  my  heart."  "  But  remember,"  said 
Aristippus,  "that  I  being  older  than 
you,  do  make  the  first  motion." 
"  Yes,"  replied  ^schines,  "  and  there- 
fore I  conclude  that  you  are  the  worth- 
716, 


iest  man  ;  for  I  began  the  strife,   and 
you  began  the  peace." 

(b)  THE  WORTHIEST  MAN— 
Rev.  John  Clark,  of  Frome  (Eng.),  was 
a  man  of  peace.  He  was  asked  one  day, 
by  a  friend,  how  he  kept  himself  from 
being  involved  in  quarrels.  He  answered, 
"  By  letting  the  angry  person  always 
have  the  quarrel  to  himself"  This 
saying  seems  to  have  had  some  influence 


QUARRELS. 


361 


on  some  of  the  inhabitants  of  that  town  ; 
for,  when  a  quarrel  has  been  likely  to 
ensue,  they  have  said,  "Come,  let  us 
remember  old  Mr.  Clark,  and  leave  the 
angry  man  to  quarrel  by  himself."  If 
this  maxim  were  followed,  it  would  be 
a  vast  saving  of  expense,  of  comfort, 
and  of  honor  to  thousands  of  the  human 
race. 

(c)  PEACE  PRESERVED  BY 
PRAYER. —  Mr.  Johnston  of  West 
Africa,  in  one  of  his  journals,  relates 
the  following  very  pleasing  and  instruc- 
tive incident :  "  In  visiting  a  sick  com- 
municant, his  wife,  who  was  formerly 
in  our  school,  was  present.  I  asked 
several  questions,  viz.  if  they  prayed 
together,  read  a  part  of  the  Scriptures 
(the  woman  can  read),  constantly  at- 
tended public  worship,  and  lived  in 
peace  with  their  neighbors.  All  these 
questions  Vv-ere  answered  in  the  affirm- 
ative. I  then  asked  if  they  lived  in 
peace  together.  The  man  answered, 
'  sometimes  I  say  a  word  my  wife  no 
likt  or  my  wife  talk  or  do  what  I  no 
likv  but  when  we  want  to  quarrel  we 
sha.ve  hands  together,  shut  the  door, 
and  go  to  prayer,  and  so  we  get  peace 
again,'  This  method  of  keeping 
peace  quite  delighted  me." 

{(1)  THOMAS,  GERALD,  AND 
THE  CANDY.— These  boys  lived  in 
Rhode  Island,  and  were  brothers.  One 
cold  day,  when  the  ground  was  frozen, 
they  were  out  driving  a  hoop.  Both 
boys  were  following  and  driving  the 
same  hoop.  This  is  rather  dangerous, 
as  the  .boys,  running  one  behind  the 
other,  and  both  driving  the  same  hoop, 
are  liable  to  run  on  to  each  other,  and 
fall.  As  they  were  driving  their  hoop 
down  the  street,  running  as  fast  as  they 
could,  Gerald,  the  younger,  being  be- 
hind, Thomas  hit  his  foot  against  a 
stone,  and  fell  headlong  upon  the  frozen 
ground  —  coming  down  with  violence 
upon  his  bare  hands  and  face.  Gerald, 
being  close  behind,  and  running  fast, 
could  not  stop,  but  came  down  with  his 
whole  weight  on  Thomas.  This  hurt 
Thomas  still  worse.  He  was  angry  at 
Gerald  for  falling  on  him.  They  both 
rose.  Thomas,  in  his  wrath,  began  to 
scold  and  storm  at  his  brother,  and  beat 
him,     What  did  Gerald  do?     Did  he 


cry  out,  and  strike  back  ?  He  did  no 
such  thing.  He  put  his  hand  into  his 
pocket  hurriedly,  fumbled  about,  and 
soon  drew  out  a  stick  of  candy,  and 
thrust  it  into  his  brother's  mouth,  as  he 
was  scolding  and  beating  him.  Thomas 
instantly  stopped,  and  looked  confused 
and  ashamed.  His  brother  urged  him 
to  take  the  candy.  He  took  it  and  be- 
gan to  eat — sorry  enough  that  he  had 
struck  his  affectionate  and  generous 
brother. 

Thus  his  wrath  was  disarmed,  and 
his  blows  stayed,  by  the  love  and  kind- 
ness of  his  gentle-hearted  brother. 

A  stick  of  candy  is  a  better  weapon 
to  fight  with,  and  more  sure  to  gain  a 
victory,  than  a  stick  of  wood,  or  a  fist. 

(e)'THE  YOUNG  LAD  AND  HIS 
BOAT.  —  A  young,  lad  says  Mr. 
Wright,  was  once  rowing  me  across  the 
Merrimack  river  in  a  boat.  Some 
boatmen,  going  down  the  river  with 
lumber,  had  drawn  up  their  boat  and 
anchored  it  on  the  spot  where  the  boy 
wished  to  land  me. 

"  There  !"  he  exclaimed,  "  those 
boatmen  have  left  their  boat  right  in  my 
way." 

"  What  did  they  do  that  for  ?"  I  asked. 

"  On  purpose  to  plague  me^"  said  he  ; 
"  but  I  will  cut  it  loose,  and  let  it  go 
down  the  river.  I  would  have  them 
know  I  can  be  as  ugly  as  they  can." 

"  But,  my  lad,"  said  I,  "  you  should 
not  plague  them  because  they  plague 
you.  Because  they  are  ugly  to  you,  it 
is  no  reason  why  you  should  be  to 
them.  Besides,  how  do  you  know  they 
did  it  to  vex  and  trouble  you  ?" 

"  But  they  had  no  business  to  leave  it 
there — it  is  against  the  rules,"  said  he. 

"  True,"  I  replied,  "  and  you  have 
no  business  to  send  their  boat  down  the 
river.  Would  it  not  be  better  to  ask 
them  to  remove  it  out  of  the  way  ?" 

"  They  will  not  comply,  rf  I  do," 
said  the  angry  boy,  "  and  they  will  do  so 
again." 

"Well,  try  it  for  once,"  said  i. 
"  Just  run  your  boat  a  little  above,  or  a 
little  below  theirs,  and  see  if  they  will 
not  favor  you,  when  they  see  you  dispos- 
ed to  give  way  to  accommodate  them." 

The  boy  complied;    and  when    the 
men  in  the  boat    saw  the  little  fellow 
717 


363 


REASON,  INSUFFICIENCY  OF. 


quietly  and  pleasantly  pulling  at  his 
oars,  to  run  his  boat  ashore  above  them, 
they  took  hold  and  helped  him,  and 
wheeled  their  boat  around,  and  gave 
him  all  the  chance  he  wished. 

Thus,  by  submitting  pleasantly  to 
what  he  believed  was  done  to  vex  him, 
the  boy  prevented  a  quarrel.     Had  he 


cut  the  rope,  at  that  time  and  place, 
and  let  their  boat  loose,  it  would  have 
done  the  boatmen  much  damage. 
There  would  have  been  a  fight,  and 
many  would  have  been  drawn  into  it. 
But  the  boy,  who  considered  himself  the 
injured  party,  prevented  it  all  by  a  kind 
and  pleasant  submission  to  the  injury. 


362.  REASON,  INSUFFICIENCY  OF. 


(a)  "WHAT  IS  GOD?"— Simo- 
nides,  a  heathen  poet,  being  asked  by 
Hiero,  king  of  Syracuse,  What  is  God  ? 
desired  a  day  to  think  upon  it ;  and 
when  that  was  ended,  he  desired  two ; 
and  when  these  were  past,  he  desired 
four  days ;  thus  he  continued  to  double 
the  number  of  days  in  which  he  de- 
sired to  think  of  God,  before  he  would 
give  an  answer.  Upon  which  the  king 
expressed  his  surprise  at  his  behavior, 
and  asked  him,  What  he  meant  by  this  ? 
To  which  the  poet  answered,  "  The 
more  I  think  of  God,  he  is  still  the  more 
dark  and  unknown  to  me." 

(b)  THE  DEIST  CONFOUNDED. 
— A  deist,  on  a  visit  to  his  friends, 
among  other  topics  of  conversation,  en- 
larged considerably  on  the  sufficiency 
of  reason,  separate  from  Divine  assist- 
ance, to  guide  us  to  happiness.  To 
whom  the  relative  present,  who  was  a 
farmer,  made  the  following  reply  : — 
"  Cousin,  when  you  were  about  four- 
teen years  of  age,  you  were  bound  ap- 
prentice to  your  trade,  and  having 
served  the  appointed  time,  you  soon  be- 
came a  master,  and  have  now  continued 
in  business  about  twelve  years.  I  wish 
to  know  whether  you  could  not  prose- 
cute your  trade  at  this  time  to  greater 
advantage  than  when  you  first  embark- 
ed in  it  as  a  master?"  The  tradesman 
admitted  that  his  experience  in  business 
was  of  considerable  value  to  him;  but 
asked,  what  relation  that  had  to  the  pre- 
sent topic  of  discourse.  The  farmer 
answered,  "  You  were  come  to  the  per- 
fect use  of  your  reason,  and  had  been 
for  a  long  time  taught  how  to  manage 
your  trade  ;  and  if,  therefore,  your  rea- 
son without  experience  was  insufficient 
to  preserve  you  from  many  errors,  in  so 

718 


plain  and  easy  a  business  as  yours,  how 
can  you  imagine  that  it  should  be  suf- 
ficient, without  Divine  assistance,  to 
guide  you  to  heaven  ?"  The  deist  was 
confounded. 

(c)  PAINE'S  REGRET.— When 
Thomas  Paine  resided  in  Bordentown, 
in  the  state  of  New  Jersey,  he  was 
one  day  passing  the  residence  of  Dr. 
Staughton,  when  the  latter  was  sitting 
at  the  door.  Paine  stopped,  and  after 
some  remarks  of  a  general  character, 
observed,  "  Mr.  Staugliton,  what  a  pity 
it  is  that  a  man  has  not  some  compre- 
hensive and  perfect  rule  for  the  govern- 
ment of  his  life."  The  doctor  replied, 
"  Mr.  Paine,  there  is  such  a  rule." 
"  What  is  that  ?"  Paine  inquired.  Dr. 
S.  repeated  the  passage,  "  Thou  shalt 
love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy 
heart,  and  thy  neighbor  as  thyself." 
Abashed  and  confounded,  Paine  replied, 
"  Oh,  that's  in  your  Bible,"  and  imme- 
diately walked  awav. 

(d)  ETHICS  ASIDE  FROM  THE 
BIBLE. — De  Luc,  speaking  of  .the  su- 
perior efficacy  of  positive  laws,  com- 
pared with  the  mere  precepts  of  any 
system  of  moral  philosophy,  gives  us 
the  following  narrative. — "  Some  time 
ago  I  was  conversing  upon  this  subject 
with  a  very  celebrated  man,  (the  late 
Sir  John  Pringle,)  who  had  been  pro-  J 
fessor  of  moral  philosophy  in  the  uni-  | 
versity  of  Edinburgh ;  he  was  advanced 
in  years,  and  had  lived  much  in  the 
world.     At  that  time  I  was  still  rather 

a  friend  to  teaching  rational  moralittf, 
thinking  it  was  useful  to  bring  men  ac- 
quainted with  their  duty  in  every  possi- 
ble way.  I  had  just  read  a  work  of 
this  nature,  entitled  '  Of  an  Universal 
Moral,  or  Man's  Duties  founded  upon 


RECONCILIATION  TO  GOD— RELIGION. 


363,  364 


Nature;''  and  as  he  had  not  read  it,  I 
offered  to  lend  it  to  him.  I  cannot  ex- 
press the  tone  in  which  he  refused  this 
offer,  but  you  will  have  some  idea  of  it 
when  you  come  to  know  the  motives 
upon  which  he  did  it.  '  I  have  been,' 
said  he,  '  for  many  years  professor  of 
this  pretended  science ;  I  have  ransack- 
ed the  libraries  and  my  own  brain  to 
discover  the  foundation  of  it ;  but  the 
more  I  sought  to  persuade  and  convince 
my  pupils,  the  less  confidence  I  began 
to  have  myself  in  what  I  was  teaching 
them  ;  so  that  at  length  I  gave  up  my 
profession  and  turned  to  medicine,  which 
had  been  the  first  object  of  my  studies. 
I  have  nevertheless  continued  from  that 


time  to  examine  every  thing  that  ap- 
peared upon  the  subject,  which,  as  I 
have  told  you,  I  could  never  explain  or 
teach  so  as  to  produce  conviction  ;  but 
at  length  I  have  given  up  the  point, 
most  thoroughly  assured,  that  without 
an  express  divine  sanction  attached  to 
the  laws  of  morality,  and  without  posi- 
tive laws,  accompanied  with  determi- 
nate and  urgent  motives,  men  will  ne- 
ver be  convinced  that  they  ought  to  sub- 
mit to  any  such  code,  nor  agree  among 
themselves  concerning  it.  From  that 
time  I  have  never  read  any  book  upon 
morality  but  the  Bihle,  and  I  return  to 
that  always  with  fresh  delight.'  " 


363.  RECONCILIATION  TO  GOD. 


{a)  PROOF  OF  BEING  A  CHRIS- 
TIAN.—The  simplicity  of  youthful 
conversion  was  illustrated  in  the  case 
of  a  child  thirteen  years  old,  some  time 
ago,  in  New-York.  "  Mother,"  said 
this  girl,  "  can  you  know  whether  or 
not  I  am  a  Christian  by  my  feelings  ?" 
"My  dear,"  replied  her  mother,  "I 
must  first  know  what  your  feelings 
are."  The  daughter  smiled,  and  said, 
'^  Well,  then,  you  know,  when  you  have 
been  angry  with  a  person,  and  it  is  all 
made  up,  how  happy  you  feel.  Now  I 
have  been  a  long  time  angry  with  God, 
and  it  is  all  made  up,  and  I  feel  so  hap- 
py." Thus  she  expressed  a  sense  of 
reconciliation  to  God  through  Christ 
•' esus. 

(b)  PEACE  WITH  GOD  AND 
CONSCIENCE.  — "When  I  used  to 
go,"  said  a  man  who  formerly  lived  in 
sin,  "  to  all  kinds  of  fairs,  and  revels, 
and  horse-races,  I  was  never  happy. 
As  I  was  coming  home  through    the 


woods  at  night,  the  rustling  of  a  leaf 
would  frighten  me ;  terrified  by  I  knew 
not  what,  fleeing  when  no  man  pursued, 
I  galloped  home  as  fast  as  my  horse 
could  carry  me.  Now,  if  I  go  to  visit 
a  poor  dying  man,  or  if  I  have  been  en- 
joying the  word  of  life,  I  come  home  in 
a  calm  and  peaceful  frame  of  mind.  I 
find  that  the  Lord  is  present  with  me  ; 
and  as  I  walk  my  horse  gently  along,  I 
look  up  and  see  the  bright  stars  above 
my  head,  and  am  happy  in  the  assur- 
ance that  the  God  who  made  them 
all  is  mine  in  Christ.  O,  what  a  mer- 
cy ! — the  loneliness  of  the  wood,  the 
rustling  of  the  leaves,  the  stillness  of 
night,  no  longer  alarm  me.  I  am,  I 
trust,  reconciled  to  my  God,  and  at 
peace  with  him  and  my  own  conscience, 
through  the  death  of  his  Son.  He  that 
fills  the  heavens  with  his  glory,  and  the 
earth  with  his  mercies,  condescends  to 
dwell  in,  and  to  comfort  my  poor  sinful 
heart." 


364.  RELIGION.  REFORMING  POWER  OF. 


(a)  THE  DISCHARGED  SOL- 
DIER. — Wherever  religion  has  spread 
its  banners  and  enrolled  its  armies,  or- 
der, discipline,  and  efficiency  have 
characterized    its   followers.      A    dis- 


charged soldier  had  been  a  notorious 
Sabbath-breaker.  He  M^as  often  met  on 
that  day,  ragged  and  barefoot,  accom- 
panied with  one  or  two  of  his  children, 
in  a  similar  condition,  strolling  with  a 
719 


364 


RELIGION,  REFORMING  POWER  OF. 


gun  or  a  fishing  pole  to  his  accustomed 
employment  of  the  day.  His  house  was 
the  picture  of  wretchedness.  After  the 
lapse  of  a  few  years,  a  gentleman  in  the 
town  where  lie  lived,  noticed,  one  Sab- 
bath morning,  a  decent  wagon  proceed- 
ing to  church  with  a  well-dressed  fami- 
ly. He  thought  he  knew  the  driver, 
who  appeared  to  be  the  head  of  the 
family,  and  accosted  him.  He  was  not 
mistaken.  It  was  the  identical  Sabbath- 
breaker  and  idler.  He  had  become  a 
religious  man,  which  his  appearance 
evinced,  while  his  tongue  confessed  it. 
His  house  was  found  to  exhibit  econo- 
my and  industry.  Its  windows,  which 
were  once  stuffed  with  rags,  were  now 
glazed.  His  children  attended  the  Sun- 
day school.  He  was  himself  respecta- 
ble, clean,  and  thriving  ;  at  peace  with 
his  own  mind,  and  living  peacably  with 
his  neighbors.  Such  are  some  of  the 
trophies  of  religion,  showing  itself,  as 
indeed  it  is,  profitable  unto  all  things, 
having  promise  of  the  life  that  now  is, 
and  of  that  which  is  to  come. 

(b)  METHODISTS  ACCUSED 
AND  ACQUITTED.— In  an  early 
period  of  the  ministry  of  the  Iflev.  John 
Wesley,  he  visited  Epworth,  in  Lincoln- 
shire, where  his  father  had  formerly 
been  minister,  but  found  the  people 
greatly  opposed  to  what  they  consider- 
ed his  new  notions.  He  tells  us,  in  his 
journal,  that  many  persons  were  con- 
vinced of  the  importance  of  the  truths 
he  delivered  from  the  tombstone  of  his 
father^  some  of  whom  were  conveyed  in 
a  wagon  to  a  neighboring  justice  of  the 
peace,  to  answer  for  the  heresy  with 
which  they  were  charged.  Mr.  Wes- 
ley rode  over,  also :  when  the  magis- 
trate asked  what  these  persons  had 
done,  there  was  a  deep  silence  ;  for  that 
was  a  point  their  conductors  had  forgot- 
ten. At  length,  one  of  them  said, 
"  Why,  they  pretend  to  be  better  than 
other  people  ;  and,  besides,  they  pray 
from  morning  to  night."  He  asked, 
"  But  have  they  done  any  thing  be- 
sides ?"  "  Yes,  sir,"  said  an  old  man, 
"  An't  please  your  worship,  they  have 
ccmvaried  my  wife.  Till  she  went 
among  them,  she  had  such  a  tongue : 
and  now  she  is  as  quiet  as  a  lamb." 
"  Carry  them  back,  carry  them  back," 
720 


replied  the  justice,  "  and  let  them  con- 
vert all  the  scolds  in  the  town." 

(c)  SAVAGE  WARRIOR  CON- 
VERTED.—It  is  related,  in  Abbott's 
American  Religious  Magazine,  that  as 
Dr.  Cornelius  was  riding  through  the 
wilderness  of  the  west,  he  met  a  party 
of  Indian  warriors,  just  returning  from 
one  of  their  excursions  of  fire  and  blood. 
One  of  these  warriors,  of  fierce  and 
fiend-like  aspect,  led  a  child  of  five  years 
of  age,  whom  they  had  taken  captive. 
"  Where  are  the  parents  of  this 
child  ?"  said  Dr.  Cornelius. 

"  Here  they  are,"  replied  the  savage 
warrior,  as  with  one  hand  he  exhibited 
the  bloody  scalps  of  a  man  and  a  wo- 
man, and  with  the  other  brandished  his 
tomahawk  in  all  the  exultation  of  grati- 
fied revenge. 

That  same  warrior  became  a  disciple 
of  Jesus  Christ,  a  humble  man  of  piety 
and  of  prayer.  His  tomahawk  was 
laid  aside,  and  was  never  again  crim- 
soned with  the  blood  of  his  fellow  men. 
His  wife  became  a  member  of  the  same 
church  with  himself,  and  their  united 
prayers  ascended,  morning  and  evening, 
from  the  family  altar.  Their  daughters 
were  amiable  and  humble,  and  devoted 
followers  of  the  blessed  Redeemer, 
trained  up  under  the  influence  of  a 
father's  and  a  mother's  prayers,  for  the 
society  of  angels  and  saints. 

Id)  LION  CHANGED  TO  A 
LAMB. — "  Do  you  remember,"  said 
an  Indian  convert  to  a  Missionary, 
"  that  a  few  years  ago,  a  party  of  war- 
riors  came  to  the  vicinity  of  the  tribe  to 
whom  you  preach,  and  pretending 
friendship,  invited  the  chief  of  the  tribe 
to  hold  a  talk  with  them  ?" 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  Missionary,  "  1 
remember  it  very  well." 

"  Do  you  remember,"  continued  the 
Indian,  ''  that  the  chief,  fearing  treach- 
ery, instead  of  going  himself,  sent  one 
of  his  warriors  to  hold  the  talk  ?" 

"  Yes,"  was  the  reply. 

"  And  do  you  remember,"  proceeded 
the  Indian,  "  that  warrior  never  return- 
ed, but  that  he  was  murdered  by  those 
who,  with  promises  of  friendship,  had 
led  him  into  their  snare  ?" 

"  I  remember  it  all  very  well,"  re- 
plied the  Missionary. 


RELIGION,  REFORMING  POWER  OF. 


364 


"  Well,"  the  Indian  continued,  weep- 
ing with  emotion,  "  I  was  one  of  that 
band  of  warriors.  As  soon  as  our  vic- 
tim was  in  the  midst  of  us,  we  fell  upon 
him  with  our  tomahawks,  and  cut  him 
to  pieces." 

This  man  became  one  of  the  most  in- 
fluential members  of  the  Christian 
church,  and  reflected  with  horror  upon 
those  scenes  in  which  he  formerly  ex- 
ulted. He  gave  his  influence  and  his 
prayers,  that  there  might  be  glory  to 
God  in  the  highest,  peace  on  earth,  and 
good  will  among  men. 

(e)  "IS  JACK  BETTER  FOR 
THE  PREACHING  ?"— A  person  who 
had  expressed  doubts,  whether  the  ne- 
groes received  any  real  advantage  by 
hearing  the  gospel,  was  asked,  whether 
he  did  not  think  one  named  Jack  was 
better  for  the  preaching  ?  He  replied, 
"  Why,  I  must  confess  that  he  was  a 
drunkard,  a  liar,  and  a  thief,  but,  cer- 
tainly,  he  is  now  a  sober  boy,  and  I  can 
trust  him  with  any  thing  ;  and  since  he 
has  talked  about  religion,  I  have  tried 
to  make  him  drunk,  but  failed  in  the 
attempt." 

(/)  DISPLAY  OF  DIVINE 
GRACE.—"  It  is  now  fifteen  years," 
says  the  Rev.  Risdon  Darracott,  in  a 
letter,  "  since  I  was  settled  in  this  place, 
(Wellington,)  and  though  I  found  reli- 
gion at  a  very  low  ebb,  it  pleased  God, 
by  my  poor  ministration,  to  revive  it 
soon  on  my  first  coming,  and  to  con- 
tinue it,  more  or  less,  in  a  flourishing 
state  to  this  day.  Every  year  there 
have  been  additions,  and,  in  some  years, 
very  large,  to  the  Church,  of  such  as  I 
hope  will  be  saved.  Upwards  of  two 
hundred  have  been  taken  into  commun- 
ion, upon  a  credible  profession,  since 
my  settlement ;  many  o^  them  the  most 
profligate  in  the  places  round  us,  whose 
change  has  been  so  remarkable,  that  the 
world  at  once  bears  their  testimony  to, 
and  expresses  their  astonishment  of  it. 
Many  of  them  so  very  ignorant,  as  not 
to  know  the  plainest  and  most  common 
principles  of  religion  ;  yea,  were  not 
able  to  read  a  letter,  who  are  now  mak- 
ing the  word  of  God  their  daily  study 
and  delight ;  many  who  never  prayed 
in  all  their  lives,  and  lived  without  God 
in  the  world,  who  have  attained  to  such 
46 


a  gift  in  prayer,  as  to  be  engaged,  on 
particular  occasions,  in  public,  to  the 
pleasure  and  edification  of  all  present, 
and  whose  houses,  which  were  once 
dens  of  thieves,  are  now  become  Beth- 
els, in  which  family  worship  is  constant- 
ly and  seriously  performed.  O,  my 
dear  sir,  rejoice  with  me,  and  let  us  ex- 
alt  his  name  together  !" 

{g)  RELIGION  ON  SHIP-BOARD. 
— "  1  have  lately  had  the  honor,"  said 
Captain  Parry,  at  a  public  meeting  in 
1826,  "  and  1  may  truly  say  the  happi- 
ness, of  commanding  British  seamen 
under  circumstances  requiring  the  ut- 
most activity,  implicit  and  immediate 
obedience,  and  the  most  rigid  attention 
to  discipline  and  good  order ;  and  I  am 
sure,  that  the  maintenance  of  all  these 
was,  in  a  great  measure,  owing  to  the 
blessing  of  God  upon  our  humble  en- 
deavors to  improve  the  religious  and 
moral  character  of  our  men.  In  the 
schools  established  on  board  our  ships 
in  the  winter,  religion  was  made  the 
primary  object,  and  the  result  was  every 
way  gratifying  and  satisfactory.  It 
has  convinced  me,  that  true  religion  is 
so  far  from  being  a  hinderance  to  the  ar- 
duous duties  of  that  station  in  which  it 
has  pleased  Providence  to  cast  the  sea- 
man's lot,  that,  on  the  contrary,  it  will 
always  incite  him  to  their  performance, 
from  the  highest  and  most  powerful  of 
motives  ;  and  I  will  venture  to  predict, 
that  in  proportion  as  this  spring  of  ac- 
tion is  more  and  more  introduced  among 
our  seamen,  they  would  become  such  as 
every  Englishman  would  wish  to  see 
them.  To  this  fact  at  least,  I  can,  on  a 
small  scale,  bear  the  most  decided  testi- 
mony ;  and  the  friends  of  religion  will 
feel  a  pleasure  in  having  the  fact  an- 
nounced, that  the  very  best  seamen  on 
board  the  Hecla — such,  I  mean,  as  were 
always  called  upon  in  any  case  of  ex- 
traordinary emergency — were,  witJiout 
exception,  those  who  had  thought  the 
most  seriously  on  religious  subjects; 
and  if  a  still  more  scrupulous  selection 
were  to  be  made  out  of  that  number, 
the  choice  would  fall,  without  hesitation, 
on  two  or  three  individuals  possessing 
dispositions  and  sentiments  eminently 
Christian.^' 

721 


365 


REMORSE. 


365.  REMORSE. 


(a)  JUDGED  AND  CONDEMN- 
ED.— The  venerable  Bede  tells  us  of  a 
certain  great  man,  who  was  exhorted  to 
repent  of  his  sins,  during  a  season  of 
illness :  he  answered  that  he  would  not 
repent  yet ;  for,  should  he  recover,  his 
companions  would  laugh  at  him  on  ac- 
count of  his  religion.  Getting  worse, 
the  subject  was  again  pressed  on  his  at- 
tention, when  he  replied,  "  It  is  too  late 
now,  for  I  am  judged  and  condemned." 

(h)  A  PRESENT  HELL.— An 
avowed  infidel,  who  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  scoff  at  the  Holy  Scriptures,  to 
exercise  his  profane  wit  in  ridiculing 
the  justice  of  God,  and  the  future  pun- 
ishment of  the  wicked,  and  had  strenu- 
ously denied  that  there  was  a  hell,  with 
his  last  quivering  breath  exclaimed, 
"  Now  I  know  that  there  is  a  hell,  for  I 
feel  it." 

(c)  SABAT'S  WRETCHEDNESS. 
— After  poor  Sabat,  an  Arabian,  who 
had  professed  fliith  in  Christ  by  means 
of  the  labors  of  the  Rev.  Henry  Mar- 
tyn,  had  apostatized  from  Christianity, 
and  written  a  book  in  favor  of  Moham- 
medanism, he  was  met  at  Malacca,  by 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Milne,  who  proposed 
to  him  some  very  pointed  questions  ;  in 
reply  Xo  which  he  said,  "  I  am  unhap- 
py !  I  have  a  mountain  of  burning 
sand  on  my  head  !  When  I  go  aboui^ 
I  know  not  what  I  am  doing."  It  is 
indeed  "  an  evil  thing  and  bitter  to  for- 
sake the  Lord  our  God." 

{d)  A  MODERN  JUDAS.— John 
Diazius,  a  native  of  Spain,  having  em- 
braced the  Protestant  faith,  came  after- 
wards to  Germany,  where  he  visited 
Malvinda,  the  Pope's  agent  there.  Hav- 
ing attempted  in  vain  to  bring  him  back 
to  the  church  of  Rome,  Malvinda  sent 
to  Rome  for  his  brother  Alphonsus  Di- 
azius, who,  hearing  that  his  brother  was 
become  a  Protestant,  came  into  Germa- 
ny with  an  assassin,  resolving  either  to 
draw  him  back  to  Popery,  or  to  destroy 
him.  Alphonsus  finding  his  brother  so 
steadfast  in  his  belief  of  the  truths  of 
the  gospel,  that  neither  the  promises  nor 
threats  of  the  Pope's  agent,  nor  his  own 
722 " 


pretensions  of  brotherly  love,  could  pre- 
vail on  him  to  return  to  Popery,  feigned 
to  take  a  most  friendly  and  affectionate 
farewell,  and  then  departed.  Having 
soon  returned,  he  sent  in  the  ruffians 
who  accompanied  him,  with  letters  to 
his  brother,  himself  following  behind, 
and  while  his  brother  was  reading  them, 
the  assassin  cleft  his  head  with  a  hatch- 
et which  they  purchased  on  the  way 
from  a  carpenter ;  and,  taking  horse, 
they  both  rode  off.  Alphonsus,  though 
highly  applauded  by  the  Papists,  be- 
came the  prey  of  a  guilty  conscience. 
His  horror  and  dread  of  mind  were  so 
insupportable,  that,  being  at  Trent  dur- 
ing the  general  council,  like  another 
Judas,  he  put  an  end  to  his  life  by  hang- 
ing himself. 

(e)  A  MARTYR'S  CROWN 
J_^OST. — James  Le  Fevre,  of  Etables, 
did  not  outwardly  depart  from  the 
church  of  Rome,  yet  at  the  bottom  of 
his  heart  he  was  a  Protestant.  He  was 
protected  by  the  Queen  of  Navarre,  sis- 
ter to  Francis  I ;  and,  dining  with  her 
in  company  v/ith  some  other  learned 
men,  whose  conversation  pleased  the 
queen,  he  began  to  weep  :  and  when 
the  queen  asked  him  the  reason  of  it,  he 
answered,  "the  enormity  of  his  sins 
threw  him  into  that  grief!  It  was  not 
the  remembrance  of  any  lewdness  he 
had  been  guilty  of,  and  with  regard  to 
other  vices,  he  felt  his  conscience  easy 
enough  ;  but  he  was  pricked  in  his  con- 
science, that  having  known  the  truth 
and  taught  it  to  several  persons  who 
had  sealed  it  with  their  blood,  he  had 
the  weakness  to  keep  himself  in  an  asy- 
lum far  from  the  places  where  crowns 
of  martyrdom  were  distributed."  He 
went  to  bed,  where  he  was  found  dead 
a  few  hours  after. 

(/)    DEATH    OF    JOHN    RAN- 
DOLPH.— John  Randolph  of  Roanoke, 

was  near  his  end.  Dr. was  sitting 

by  the  table,  and  his  man  John  sitting 
by  the  bed,  in  perfect  silence,  when  he 
closed  his  eyes,  and  for  a  few  moments 
seemed,  by  his  hard  breathing,  to  be 
asleep.     But   as   the  sequel  proved,  it 


REPENTANCE. 


366 


was  the  intense  working  of  his  mind. 
Opening  his  keen  eyes  upon  the  doctor, 
he  said,  sharply,  "  rewor^e" — soon  af- 
terward more  emphatically,  "  remorse" 
— presently  at  the  top  of  his  strength, 
he  cried  out,  "  RExMORSE."  He  then 
added,  "  Let  me  see  the  2oord."  The 
doctor  not  comprehending  his  desire, 
made  no  reply.  Randolph  then  said  to 
him  with  great  energy,  "  Let  ine  see 
the  word.  Show  me  it  in  a  Diction- 
ary.'^ The  Dr.  looked  round  and  told 
him  he  believed  there  was  none  in  the 
room.  "  Write  it  then,''  said  Randolph. 
The  Dr.  perceiving  one  of  Randolph's 
engraved  cards  lying  on  the  table,  wrote 
the  word  in  pencil  under  the  printed 
name,  and  handed  it  to  Randolph.     He 


!  seized  it,  and  holding  it  up  to  his  eyes 
I  with  great   earnestness,  seemed   much 
I  agitated.       After   a    few   seconds,   he 
i  handed  back    the  card,  saying,  "  Write 
'  it  on  the  other  side."     The  Dr.  did  so, 
in  larger  letters.       He  took   it  again, 
and  after  gazing    earnestly  upon    it  a 
few    seconds,    returned '  it,  and    said, 
"  Lend  John  your  pencil,  and  let  him 
put  a  stroke  under    it.""       The  black 
man  took  the  pencil  and  did  so,  leav- 
ing it  on  the  table.     '•  Ah !"  said  the 
dying  man,  "  Remorse,  you  don't  know 
what  it  means !  you  don't  know  what 
it  means."     But  added    presently,  ''I 
cast  myself  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
for  mercy." 


360.  REPENTANCE. 


{a)  LITTLE  BOY'S  FALSE- 
HOOD.—''  A  man,"  says  the  Rev.  J. 
Todd,  "  who  is  now  a  minister  of  the 
Gospel,  gave  me  the  following  account. 
I  tell  it  to  you  in  order  to  show"  you 
what  repentance  is.  '  I  had  one  of  the 
kindest  and  best  of  fathers ;  and  when 
I  was  a  little  white-headed  boy  about 
six  years  old,  he  used  to  carry  me  to 
school  before  him  on  his  horse,  to  help 
me  in  my  little  plans,  and  always 
seemed  trying  to  make  me  happy  ;  and 
he  never  seemed  so  happy  himself,  as 
when  making  me  happy.  When  I 
was  six  years  old,  he  came  home  one 
day,  very  sick.  My  mother,  too,  was 
sick,  and  thus  nobody  but  my  two  sis- 
ters could  take  care  of  my  father.  In 
a  few  days  he  was  worse,  very  sick, 
and  all  the  physicians  in  the  region 
were  called  in  to  see  him.  The  next 
Sabbath  morning  early,  he  was  evident- 
ly much  worse.  As  I  went  into  his 
room  he  stretched  out  his  hand  to  me 
and  said,  "  My  little  boy,  I  am  very 
sick.  I  wish  you  to  take  that  paper  on 
the  stand,  and  run  to  Mr.  C.'s,  and  get 
me  the  medicine  written  on  that  paper." 
I  took  the  paper  and  went  to  the  apoth- 
ecary's shop,  as  I  had  often  done  be- 
fore. It  was  about  half  a  mile  off; 
but  when  I  got  there,  I  found  it  shut, 
and  as  Mr.  C.  lived  a  quarter  of  a  mile 


.further  off,  I  concluded  not  to  go  to 
find  him.  I  then  set  out  for  home. 
On  my  way  back  I  contrived  what  to 
say.  1  knew  how  wicked  it  was  to  tell 
a  lie,  but  one  sin  always  leads  to  anoth- 
er. On  going  in  to  my  father,  I  saw 
that  he  was  in  great  pain  ;  and  though 
pale  and  weak,  I  could  see  great  drops 
of  sweat  standing  on  his  forehead,  forced 
out  by  the  pain.  O  then  I  was  sor- 
ry I  had  not  gone  and  found  the  apoth- 
ecary. At  length  he  said  to  me,  "  My 
son  has  got  the  medicine,  I  hope,  for  I 
am  in  great  pain."  I  hung  my  head 
and  muttered,  for  my  conscience  smote 
me,  "  No,  sir,  Mr.  Carter  says   he   has 


got  none !" 


"  Has  got   none  !    Is  this 


possible?"  He  then  cast  a  keen  eye 
upon  me,  and  seeing  my  head  hang, 
and  probably  suspecting  my  falsehood, 
said,  in  the  mildest,  kindest  tone,  "  My 
little  hoy  will  see  his  father  svffer  great 
pain  for  the  want  of  that  medicine .'" 
I  went  out  of  the  room,  and  alone,  and 
cried.  I  was  soon  called  back.  My 
brothers  had  come,  and  were  standing 
— all  the  children  were  standing  round 
his  bed,  and  he  was  committing  my 
poor  mother  to  their  care,  and  giving 
them  his  last  advice.  I  was  the  young- 
est, and  when  he  laid  his  hand  on  my 
head  and  told  me  "  that  in  a  few  hours 
I  should  have  no  father  ;  that  he  would 
723 


366 


REPENTANCE. 


in  a  day  or  two  be  buried  up  ; — that  I 
must  now  make  God  my  father,  love 
him,  obey  him,  and  always  do  right  and 
speak  the  truth,  because  the  eye  of  God 
is  always  upon  me" — it  seemed  as  if  I 
should  sink  ;  and  when  he  laid  his  hand 
upon  my  hea(^  again  and  prayed  for  the 
blessing  of  God  the  Redeemer  to  rest 
upon  me,  "  soon  to  be  a  fatherless 
orphan,"  I  dared  not  look  at  him  1  felt 
so  guilty.  Sobbing,  I  rushed  from  his 
bed-side,  and  thought  I  wished  I  could 
die.  They  soon  told  me  he  could  not 
speak.  O  how  much  would  I  have 
given  to  go  in  and  tell  him  that  I  had 
told  a  lie,  and  ask  him  once  more  to  lay 
his  hand  on  my  head  and  forgive  me ! 
I  crept  in  once  more  and  heard  the 
minister  pray    for  "  the    dying  man." 

0  how  my  heart  ached.  I  snatched 
my  hat  and  ran  to  the  apothecary's 
house  and  got  the  medicine.  I  ran 
home  with  all  my  might,  and  ran  in, 
and  ran  up  to  my  father's  bed-side  to 
confess  my  sin,  crying  oui,  "  O  here 
father," — but  I  was  hushed:  and  I  then 
saw  that  he  was  pale,  and  that  all  in  the 
room  were  weeping.  My  dear  father  was 
dead  !  And  the  last  thing  I  ever  spake 
to  him  was  to  tell  a  lie  !  I  sobbed  as  if 
my  heart  would  break  ;  for  his  kind- 
nesses, his  tender  looks,  and  my  own 
sin,  all  rushed  upon  my  own  mind.  And 
as  I  gazed  upon  his  cold,  pale  face,  and 
saw  his  eyes  shut,  and  his  lips  closed, 
could  I  help  thinking  of  his  last  words ; 
"  My  little  boy  will  see  his  father  suffer 
great  pain  forthe  want  of  that  medicine ;" 

1  could  not  know  but  he  died  for  the 
want  of  it. 

"  '  In  a  day  or  two  he  was  put  into 
the  ground  and  buried  up.  There 
were  several  ministers  at  the  funeral, 
and  each  spoke  kindly  to  me,  but  could 
not  comfort  me.  Alas  !  they  knew  not 
what  a  load  of  sorrow  lay  on  my 
heart.  They  could  not  comfort  me.  My 
father  was  buried,  and  the  children 
all  scattered  abroad,  for  my  mother  was 
too  feeble  to  take  care  of  them. 

" '  It  was  twelve  years  after  this, 
while  in  college,  that  I  went  alone  to 
the  grave  of  my  father.  It  took  me  a 
good  while  to  find  it ;  but  there  it  was, 
with  its  humble  tomb-stone,  and  as  I 
stood  over  it,  I  seemed  to  be  back  at  his 
724 


bed-side,  to  see  his  pale  face,  and  hear 
his  voice.  Oh!  the  thought  of  that  sin 
and  wickedness  cut  me  to  the  heart. 
It  seemed  as  if  worlds  would  not  be 
too  much  to  give,  could  I  then  only 
have  called  loud  enough  to  have  him 
hear  me  ask  his  forgiveness.  But  it 
was  too  late.  He  had  been  in  the  grave 
twelve  years,  and  I  must  live  and  die, 
weeping  over  the  ungrateful  falsehood. 
May  God  forgive  me.'" 

{b)  KILPIN'S  PENITENT  SON. 
— Rev.  Samuel  Kilpin  gives  the 
following  account  of  his  son : — On 
one  occasion,  when  he  had  offended 
me,  I  deemed  it  right  to  manifest 
displeasure,  and  when  he  asked  a  ques- 
tion about  the  business  of  the  day,  I 
was  short  and  reserved  in  my  answers 
to  him.  An  hour  or  more  elapsed. 
The  time  was  nearly  arrived  when  he 
was  to  repeat  his  lessons.  He  came 
into  my  study,  and  said,  "  Papa,  I  can- 
not learn  my  lessons  except  you  are  re- 
conciled. I  am  very  sorry  1  have  of- 
fended you,  I  hope  you  will  forgive  me  : 
I  think  I  shall  never  offend  again." 

I  replied,'  "  All  I  want  is  to  make 
you  sensible  of  your  fault ;  when  you 
acknowledge  it,  you  know  all  is  easily 
reconciled  with  me." 

"  Then,  papa,"  said  he  "  give  me  the 
token  of  reconciliation,  and  seal  it  with 
a  kiss."  The  hand  was  given,  and  the 
seal  most  heartily  exchanged  on  each 
side. 

"  Now,"  exclaimed  the  dear  boy,  "  I 
will  learn  Greek  and  Latin  with  any 
body  ;"  and  was  hastening  to  his  study. 

"  Stop,  stop,"  I  called  after  him, 
"  have  you  not  a  heavenly  Father  ?  If 
what  you  have  done  has  been  evil,  he 
is  displeased,  and  you  must  apply  to 
him  for  forgiveness." 

With  tears  starting  in  his  eyes,  he 
said,  "  Papa,  I  went  to  him  first :  I 
knew  that  except  he  was  reconciled,  I 
could  do  nothing;"  and  with  tears  fast 
rolling  down  his  cheeks,  he  added,  "  I 
hope,  I  hope  he  has  forgiven  me,  and 
now  I  am  happy !"  I  never  had  again 
occasion  to  look  at  him  with  a  shade  of 
disapprobation. 

(c)  MOST  DELIGHTFUL  EMO- 
TION.— "  Which  is  the  most  delight- 
ful emotion  ?"  said  an  instructor  of  the 


REPENTANCE  ON  DEATH-BEDS. 


366,  367 


deaf  and  dumb  to  his  pupils,  after  teach- 
ing them  the  names  of  our  various  feel- 
ings. The  pupils  turned  instinctively 
to  their  slates,  to  write  an  answer  ;  and 
one  with  a  smiling  countenance  wrote 
Joy.  It  would  seem  as  if  none  could 
write  any  thing  else  ;  but  another  with  a 
look  of  more  thoughtfulness,  put  down 
Hope.  A  third  with  beaming  counten- 
ance wrote  Gratitude.  A  fourth  wrote 
Love,  and  other  feelings  still,  claimed  the 
superiority  on  other  minds.  One  turn- 
ed back  with  a  countenance  full  of 
peace,  and  yet  a  tearful  eye,  and  the 
teacher  was  surprised  to  find  on  her 
slate,  '■  Repentance  is  the  most  delight- 
ful emotion."  He  returned  to  her  with 
marks  of  wonder,  in  which  her  compan- 
ions doubtless  participated,  and  asked, 
"  Why  ?"  "  Oh,"  said  she,  in  the  ex- 
pressive  languasje  of  looks  and  gestures, 
which  marks  these  mutes — "  It  is  so 
delightful  to  be  humbled  before  God !" 
{d)  A  GREAT  SINxNER  AND  NO 
SINNER. — A  woman  professing  to  be 
under  deep  conviction,  went  to  a  minis- 
ter, crying  aloud  tliat  she  was  a  sinner ; 
but  when  he  came  to  examine  her  in 
what  point,  though  he  went  over  and  ex- 
plained all  the  ten  commandments,  she 
would  not  own  that  she  had  broken  one 
of  them. 

367.  Repentance  on  Death-beds. 
{a)  DEATH  WILL  NOT  WAIT 
FOR  EXPLANATION.— Mr.  Wilcox 
in  his  sermon  mentions  the  following  in- 
cident. A  young  man  in  the  vigor  of 
health,  with  the  fairest  prospect  of  a 
long  and  prosperous  life,  was  thrown 
from  a  vehicle,  and  conveyed  to  the 
nearest  house,  in  a  state  that  excited  in- 
stant and  universal  alarm  for  his  safety. 
A  physician  was  called.  The  first 
question  of  the  wounded  youth  was, 
"  Sir,  must  I  die  1  must  I  die  ?  deceive 
me  not  in  this  thing."  His  firm  tone 
and  penetrating  look  demanded  an  hon- 
est reply.  He  was  told  he  could  not 
live  more  than  an  hour.  He  waked 
up,  as  it  were,  at  once,  to  a  full  sense 
of  thedreadful  reality.  "  Must  I  then  go 
into  Eternity  in  an  hour  ?  Must  I  ap- 
pear before  my  God  and  Judge  in  an 
hour  ?  God  knows  that  I  have  made  no 
preparations  for    this    event.     I  knew 


that  impenitent  youth  were  sometimes 
cut  off  thus  suddenly,  but  it  never  enter- 
ed  my  mind  that  I  was  to  be  one  of  the 
number.  And  now  what  shall  I  do  to 
be  saved  ?"  He  was  told  that  he  must 
repent  and  believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  •'  But  how  shall  I  repent  and 
believe  ?  There  is  no  time  to  explain 
the  manner.  Death  will  not  wait  for 
explanation.  The  work  must  be  done. 
The  whole  business  of  an  immortal  be- 
ing in  this  probationary  life  is  now 
crowded  into  one  short  hour — and  that 
is  an  hour  of  mental  agony  and  distrac- 
tion." -  Friends  were  weeping  around, 
and  running  to  and  fro  in  the  frenzy  of 
grief.  The  poor  sufferer,  with  a  bosom 
heaving  with  emotion,  and  an  eye 
gleaming  with  desperation,  continued 
his  cry  of  "  What  shall  I  do  to  be 
saved  ?"  till,  in  less  than  an  hour,  his 
voice  was  hushed  in  the  stillness  of 
death. 

(h)  MR.  BOOTH'S  TESTIMO- 
NY.— "  I  pay  more  attention,"  says 
Mr.  Booth,  "  to  people's  lives  than  to 
their  deaths.  In  all  the  visits  I  have 
paid  to  the  sick  during  the  course  of  a 
long  ministry,  I  never  met  with  one, 
who  was  not  previously  serious,  that 
ever  recovered  from  what  he  supposed 
the  brink  of  death,  who  afterwards  per- 
formed his  vows,  and  became  religious," 
notwithstanding  the  very  great  appear- 
ance there  was  in  their  favor  when  they 
thought  they  could  not  recover." 

(c)  TESTIMONY  OF  AN  AME- 
RICAN PHYSICIAN.  —  A  certain 
American  physician,  whose  piety  led 
him  to  attend  not  only  to  people's  bod- 
ies, but  to  their  souls,  stated  that  he  had 
known  a  hundred  or  more  instances  in 
his  practice,  of  persons  who,  in  prospect 
of  death,  had  been  hopefully  converted, 
but  had  subsequently  been  restored  to 
health.  Out  of  them  all  he  did  not 
know  of  more  than  three  who  devoted 
themselves  to  the  service  of  Christ  after 
their  recovery,  or  gave  any  evidence  of 
genuine  conversion.  If  therefore  they 
had  died  as  they  expected,  their  hopes 
of  heaven  would  have  proved  terrible 
delusions. 

{d)  TESTIMONY  OF  AN  ENG- 
LISH  PHYSICIAN.— A  pious  English 
physician  once  stated  that  he  had  known 
725 


368 


REPROOF  OF  SIN. 


some  three  hundred  sick  persons  who, 
soon  expecting  to  die,  had  been  led,  as 
they  supposed,  to  repentance  of  their 
sins,  and  saving  faith  in  Christ,  but  had 
eventually  been  restored  to  health  again. 
Only  ten  of  all  this  number,  so  far  as 


he  knew,  gave  any  evidence  of  being 
really  regenerated.  Soon  after  their 
recovery,  they  plunged,  as  a  general 
thing,  into  the  follies  and  vices  of  the 
world.  Who  would  trust,  then,  in  such 
a  conversion  ? 


REPROOF  OF  SIN. 


368.   Faithfulness  and  Firmness  in  Re- 
proving. 

(a)  LATIMER'S  REPROOF.— 
Latimer  was  obliged  to  attend  the  par- 
liament and  the  convocation,  but  he 
always  avoided  meddling  in  state  affairs, 
and  never  stayed  in  London  longer  than 
he  could  help.  Once  he  was  in  town 
on  new-year's  day,  at  which  season  it 
was  customary  for  the  bishops  and  no- 
bility, then  at  court,  to  make  presents 
to  the  king  :  some  of  the  former  gave 
considerable  sums  of  money,  in  propor- 
tion to  their  expectations ;  but  Lati- 
mer's gift  was  more  simple,  and  highly 
characteristic  of  himself.  It  was  a  New 
Testament,  with  a  leaf  doubled  down  at 
Hebrews  xiii.  4  :  "  Whoremongers 
and  adulterers  God  will  judge  I"  Henry 
the  Eighth,  forcibly  as  he  must  have 
felt  this  rebuke  of  his  sins,  did  not  ap- 
pear offended,  but  manifested  decided 
kindness  to  his  reprover.  Bad  men 
seldom  despise  those  whose  holy  and 
consistent  character  condemns  their 
wicked  conduct. 

{b)  POINTED  REPLY  TO  A 
YOUTH. — An  eminent  man  is  said  to 
have  been  so  remarkable  for  his  rever- 
ence of  the  Divine  name,  that  even  the 
bold  blasphemer  was  awed  before  Iiim, 
and  could  not  swear.  A  youth,  who 
was  his  nephew,  one  day  said  to  him, 
"  Sir,  I  believe  some  parts  of  the  Bible." 
The  uncle  replied,  "  Great  condescen- 
sion in  you,  no  doubt,  to  believe  any 
thing  your  Maker  has  said.  Vain  boy  ! 
whether  you  believe  it  or  not,  that  word 
with  which  you  trifle,  shall  judge  you 
in  the  last  day." 

(c)    "SIR,    I  FEAR    GOD."— On 

one    ogcasion,    the    Rev.    A.    Fuller, 

when  traveling  in  the  Portsmouth  mail, 

was  much  annoyed  by  the  profane  con- 

726 


versation  of  two  young  men  who  sat 
opposite  to  him.  After  a  time,  one  of 
them,  observing  his  gravity,  accosted 
him  with  an  air  of  impertinence,  inqui- 
ring, in  rude  and  indelicate  language, 
whether,  on  his  arrival  at  Portsmouth, 
he  should  not  indulge  himself  in  a  man- 
ner corresponding  with  their  own 
vicious  intentions.  Mr.  Fuller,  lower- 
ing his  ample  brows,  and  looking  the 
inquirer  full  in  the  face,  replied  in  a 
measured  and  solemn  tone,  "Sir,  I  fear 
God."  Scarcely  a  word  was  uttered 
during  the  remainder  of  the  journey. 

{d)  IRRELIGION  REPROVED.— 
A  man  was  tried  at  Cambridge,  for  a 
robbery  committed  on  an  aged  lady,  in 
her  own  house.  The  judge  was  Baron 
Smith,  who  maintained  a  consistent 
profession  of  religion.  He  asked  the 
lady  if  the  prisoner  at  the  bar  was  the 
person  who  robbed  her  ?  "  Truly,  my 
lord,"  said  she,  "  I  cannot  positively 
say  it  was  he,  for  it  was  rather  dark 
when  I  was  robbed ;  so  dark  that  I 
could  hardly  discern  the  features  of  his 
face."  "  Wliere  were  you  when  he 
robbed  you  ?"  "  t  was  in  a  closet  that 
joins  to  my  bed-chamber,  and  he  had 
got  into  my  house  while  my  servant  had 
gone  out  on  an  errand."  "  What  day 
of  the  week  was  it  ?"  "  It  was  the 
Lord's  day  evening,  my  lord."  "  How 
had  you  been  employed  when  he  robbed 
you  ?"  "  My  lord,  I  am  a  Protestant 
dissenter  ;  I  had  been  at  the  meeting 
that  day,  and  had  retired  into  my  closet 
in  the  evening  for  prayer,  and  medita- 
tion on  what  I  had  been  hearing  through 
the  day."  When  she  uttered  these 
words,  the  court,  which  was  crowded 
with  some  hundreds  of  persons,  includ- 
ing many  young  men,  rung  with  a  peal 
of  loud  laughter.  The  judge  looked 
round  the  court  as  one  astonished,  and 


FAITHFULNESS  AND  FIRMNESS  IN  REPROVING. 


368 


with  a  decent  solemnity  laid  his  hands 
upon  the  bench,  as  if  going  to  rise,  and, 
with  great  emotion,  spoke  to  the  follow- 
ing  effect :  "  Where  am  1  ?  Am  1  in 
the  place  of  one  of  the  universities  of 
this  kingdom,  where  it  is  to  be  supposed 
that  young  gentlemen  are  educated  in 
the  principles  of  religion,  as  well  as  in 
all  useful  learning  ?  and  can  such  per- 
sons laugh  in  so  improper  a  manner  on 
hearinof  an  ased  Christian  relate  that 
she  retired  into  her  closet  on  a  Lord  s 
day  evening,  for  prayer  and  meditation  ! 
Blush,  and  be  ashamed,  all  of  you,  if 
you  are  capable  of  it,  as  well  you  may.'' 
And  then  turning  to  the  lady,  he  said, 
"Do  not  be  discouraged,  madam,  by 
this  piece  of  rude  and  unmannerly,  as 
well  as  irreligious  conduct ;  you  have 
no  reason  to  be  ashamed  of  what  you 
have  on  this  occasion,  and  in  this  pub- 
lic manner,  said.  It  adds  dignity  to 
your  character,  and  shame  belongs  to 
those  who  would  expose  it  to  ridicule." 
(e)  THE  SERVANT  AND  THE 
SABBATH-BREAKER.— When  Rev. 
John  Fletcher  was  residing,  as  a  tutor, 
in  the  family  of  Thomas  Hill,  Esq.,  of 
Tern  Hall,  in  Shropshire,  (Eng.,)  though 
he  felt  the  importance  of  religion,  he 
was  far  from  being  an  open  and  decided 
servant  of  Christ.  On  one  Sabbath 
evening,  a  servant  coming  into  his  room 
to  make  up  his  fire,  observed  he  was 
writing  music,  and  looking  at  him  with 
serious  concern,  said,  "  Sir,  1  am  sorry 
to  see  you  so  employed  on  the  Lord's 
day."  At  first  his  pride  was  offended, 
and  his  resentment  excited,  at  being  re- 
proved by  a  servant ;  but,  upon  reflec- 
tion, he  felt  that  the  reproof  was  just. 
He  immediately  put  away  his  music, 
and  from  that  hour  became  a  strict  ob- 
server of  the  Lord's  day. 

( f)  THE  SABBATH  SCHOOL 
GIRL  AND  HER  PROFANE  FATH- 
ER.— In  the  town  of  W — ,  Connecticut, 
there  was  a  pious  little  girl  belonging  to 
the  Sabbath  School,  whose  father  was 
an  opposer  of  religion.  One  day  he  had 
several  men  to  assist  him  in  haying. 
They  indulged  in  proftmity  and  scofTing 
at  religion ;  and  their  employer  rather 
encouraged  them  in  it.  The  little  girl 
overheard  them,  and  was  so  shocked 
and  grieved  at  their  conduct,  that  slie 


went  into  the  meadow  and  asked  them 
if  they  did  not  know  it  was  wicked  to 
use  such  profane  language  ?  This 
drew  forth  their  ridicule,  and  so  exas- 
perated her  father  that  he  gave  her  a 
severe  rebuke,  and  sent  her  back  into 
the  house.  She  returned  as  command- 
ed ;  but  retired  to  her  closet  and  prayed 
for  those  who  had  abused  her.  In  the 
course  of  the  day  she  overheard  their 
profanity  again,  and  resolved  again  to 
reprove  them  whatever  might  be  the 
results. 

As  she  addressed  them  the  second 
time  in  her  artless  manner,  her  father 
became  so  angry  he  told  her :  "  My 
daughter,  we  don't  want  any  of  your  re- 
ligion here  ;  if  you  say  any  thing  more 
upon  that  subject,  you  must  quit  my 
house.  Now  return  and  attend  to  your 
business."  The  little  girl  returned; 
but  resolved  rather  to  quit  the  paternal 
roof  than  to  do  violence  to  her  con- 
science. She  went  back  to  her  cham- 
ber, and  having  prayed  to  God,  pro- 
ceeded to  tie  up  her  clothes,  and  then 
put  on  her  bonnet  and  went  out,  scarce 
knowing  whither  she  went. 

She  went  first  to  the  field  to  bid  her 
father  farewell,  and  fell  at  his  feet,  say- 
ing, "  Pa,  I  must  leave  you.  I  am  go- 
ing away,  but  I  shall  pray  for  you." 
She  immediately  left  the  field,  and  pass- 
ing over  the  hill  was  soon  out  of  sight. 
The  unfeeling  father  now  began  to  re- 
flect on  what  he  had  done  ;  and  his  tor- 
pid conscience  began  to  awake.  He 
could  not  work  ;  and  after  some  time 
he  threw  down  his  scythe  and  started  in 
pursuit  of  his  daughter.  As  he  was 
hurrying  on  to  overtake  her,  he 
came  near  to  a  grove,  and  as  he  listen- 
ed he  heard  a  voice  in  the  adjacent 
field.  He  crept  softly  along  to  the  stone 
wall  and  listened  again :  the  woods 
were  still,  he  heard  it  again.  It  was 
the  voice  of  prayer — the  voice  of  his 
little  daughter  praying  for  her  father's 
salvation  !  The  stubborn  heart  of  the 
father  was  melted ;  he  hastened  over 
the  wall  to  his  daughter  ;  and  clasping 
her  in  his  arms  asked  her  to  pray  for 
him,  "  for,"  said  he, "  I  am  a  great  sin- 
ner." O  !  it  was  an  affecting  scene, 
one  that  must  have  awakened  the  joy  of 
ansels  !  He  carried  his  little  daughter 
727 


369,  370 


REPROOF  OF  SIN. 


home  in  his  arms,  and  ere  long  obtain- 
ed forgiveness  of  his  sins,  and  father 
and  child  were  soon  rejoicing  together 
in  the  blessings  of  the  Christian's  hope. 


369.  Proper  Spirit  in  Reproving. 

(a)  THE  PIOUS  SAILOR'S  RE- 
BUKE.— A  merchant  and  a  ship  own- 
er,  of  the  city  of  New  York,  stood  at 
the  entrance  of  his  store,  conversing 
with  a  gentleman  on  business.  A  pi 
ous  sailor  belonging  to  one  of  his  vessels 
approached  the  store  with  the  design  of 
entering  it,  but  observing  the  door  was 
occupied,  modestly  stepped  aside,  not 
willing  to  interrupt  the  conversation. 

As  he  stood  waiting  patiently  an  op- 
portunity to  pass  into  the  store,  he 
overheard  profane  allusions  made  to 
Christ,  and  turning  to  look  he  perceived 
it  was  his  employer  that  was  speaking. 
Instantly  he  changed  his  position,  and 
stood  in  front  of  the  gentleman  with  his 
head  uncovered,  and  his  hat  under  his 
arm,  and  addressed  his  employer  in  the 
following  language.  "  Sir,  will  you  for- 
give me  if  I  speak  a  word  to  you  ?" 
The  gentleman  recognizing  in  the  sail- 
or one  of  the  crew  of  the  vessel  recent- 
ly arrived,  and  supposing  he  might  have 
something  to  communicate  affecting  his 
interests,  kindly  encouraged  him  to 
speak  on.  Without  further  hesitation, 
the  sailor  proceeded  :  "  You  won't  be 
offended  then,  sir,  with  a  poor  ignorant 
sailor,  if  he  tells  you  his  feelings." 
The  gentleman  again  assured  him  he 
had  nothing  to  fear.  "  Well  then,  sir," 
said  the  honest-hearted  sailor  with  emo- 
tion, "will  you  be  so  kind  as  not  to 
take  the  name  of  my  blessed  Jesus  in 
vain  ;  he  is  a  good  Savior — he  took 
my  feet  from  the  pit  and  the  miry  clay, 
and  established  my  going.  O  sir! 
don't,  if  you  please,  take  the  name  of 
my  Jesus  in  vain,  he  never  did  any  one 
any  harm,  but  is  always  doing  good." 
The  rebuke  was  not  lost  upon  him  for 
whom  it  was  intended  ;  a  tear  suffused 
his  eye,  and  he  replied  to  his  urgent 
request,  "  My  good  fellow,  God  helping 
me,  I  never  will  again  take  the  name 
of  your  Savior  in  vain."  "  Thank 
you,  sir,"  said  this  faithful  witness  of 
728 


Christ,  and  putting  on  his  hat  he  walk- 
ed away. 

(h)  THE  YOUNG  MAN  NEAR 
PHILADELPHIA.— A  young  man  in 
the  vicinity  of  Philadelphia,  was  one 
evening  stopped  in  a  grove,  with  the 
demand,  "  your  money  or  your  life." 
The  robber  then  presented  a  pistol  to 
his  breast.  The  young  man,  having  a 
large  sum  of  money,  proceeded  leisurely 
and  calmly  to  hand  it  over  to  his  ene- 
my, at  the  same  time  setting  before  him 
the  wickedness  and  peril  of  his  career. 
The  rebukes  of  the  young  man  cut  the 
robber  to  the  heart.  He  became  en- 
raged, cocked  his  pistol,  held  it  to  the 
young  man's  head,  and  with  an  oath, 
said;  "  Stop  that  preaching,  or  I  will 
blow  out  your  brains."  The  young 
man  calmly  replied, — "  Friend,  to  save 
my  money,  I  would  not  risk  my  life  ; 
but  to  save  you  from  your  evil  course, 
I  am  willing  to  die.  I  shall  not  cease 
to  plead  with  you."  He  then  poured 
in  the  truth  still  more  earnestly  and 
kindly.  Soon  the  pistol  fell  to  the 
ground  ;  the  tears  began  to  flow  ;  and 
the  robber  was  overcome.  He  handed 
the  money  all  back  with  the  remark, 
"  I  cannot  rob  a  man  of  such  princi- 
ples." 

(c)  DR.  JOHNSON  AND  PRO- 
FANITY.— Dr.  Johnson  never  suffered 
an  oath  to  pass  un rebuked  in  his  pres- 
ence. When  a  libertine,  but  a  man  of 
some  note,  was  once  talking  before 
him,  and  interlarding  his  stories  with 
oaths,  Johnson  said,  "  Sir,  all  this 
swearing  will  do  nothing  for  our  story  ; 
I  beg  you  will  not  swear."  The  nar- 
rator went  on  swearing  :  Johnson  said, 
"  I  must  again  entreat  you  not  to 
swear."  He  swore  again,  and  Johnson 
indignantly  quitted  the  room. 

S70.  Skill  and  Prudence  in  Reproring. 

(a)  THE  OPPOSING  MILLER 
REPROVED.— An  active  and  skillful 
young  minister  in  the  village  of  J — , 
was  told  of  a  miller,  who,  with  more 
than  usual  profaneness,  had  repelled 
every  attempt  to  approach  him  on  the 
subject  of  religion,  and  had  discouraged 
the  hopes  and  efforts  of  the  few  serious 
persons  in  his  vicinity.     Among  other 


SKILL  AND  PRUDENCE  IN  REPROVING. 


S70 


practices  of  sinful  daring,  he  uniformly 
kept  his  windmill,  the  most  striking  ob- 
ject in  the  hamlet,  going  on  the  Sabbath. 
In  a  little  time,  the  minister  determined 
to  make  an  effort  for  the  benefit  of  the 
hopeless  man.  He  undertook  the  office 
of  going  for  his  flour  the  next  time  him- 
self. "  A  fine  mill,"  said  he,  as  the 
miller  adjusted  his  sack  to  receive  the 
flour  ;  "  a  fine  mill  indeed  ;  one  of  the 
completest  I  have  ever  seen."  This 
was  nothing  more  than  just — the  miller 
had  heard  it  a  thousand  times  before ; 
and  would  firmly  have  thought  it,  though 
he  had  never  heard  it  once ;  but  his 
skill  and  judgment  were  still  gratified 
by  this  new  testimony,  and  his  feelings 
conciliated,  even  towards  the  minister. 
"  But,  oh  !"  continued  his  customer,  af- 
ter a  little  pause,  "  there  is  one  defect 
in  it!"  "What  is  that?"  carelessly 
asked  the  miller,  "  A  very  serious  de- 
fect loo."  "  Eh  !"  replied  the  miller, 
turning  up  his  face.  "  A  defect  that  is 
likely  to  counterbalance  all  its  advanta- 
ges." "  Well,  what  is  it  ?"  said  the 
miller,  standing  straight  up,  and  looking 
the  minister  in  the  face.  He  went  on  : 
"  A  defect  which  is  likely  to  ruin  the 
mill."  "  What  is  it  ?"  rejoined  the 
miller.  "  And  will  one  day  no  doubt 
destroy  the  owner."  "  And  can't  you 
say  it  out?"  exclaimed  the  impatient 
miller.  "  Ft  goes  on  the  Sabbath  !"  pro- 
nounced the  minister,  in  a  firm,  and 
solemn,  and  monitory  tone.  The  as- 
tonished man  stood  blank  and  thun- 
derstruck ;  and  remained  meek  and 
submissive  under  a  remonstrance  and 
exhortation  of  a  quarter  of  an  hour's 
length,  in  which  the  danger  of  his  state 
and  practices,  and  the  call  to  repentance 
towards  God,  and  faith  in  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  were  fully  proposed  to 
him. 

(b)  DR.  GIFFORD'S  REPROOF 
OF  PROFANITY.— As  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Gliford  was  one  day  showing  the  Brit- 
ish Museum  to  some  strangers,  he  was 
much  shocked  by  the  profane  lan- 
guage of  a  young  gentleman  belong- 
ing to  the  party.  Taking  down  an  an- 
cient copy  of  the  Septuagint,  he  showed 
it  to  the  youth  ;  on  which  he  exclaimed, 
"  Oh  !  I  can  read  this."  "  Then,"  said 
the  doctor,  "  read  that  passage,"  point- 


ing to  the  third  commandment.  The 
reproof  went  home  to  his  conscience, 
and  he  immediately  refrained  from 
swearing. 

(c)  THE  SURGEON  AND  HIS 
PATIENT.— Mr.  Meikle,  a  gentleman 
of  eminent  piety,  was  a  surgeon  at 
Carnwath,  in  Scotland.  He  was  once 
called  to  attend  a  gentleman  who  had 
been  stung  in  the  face  by  a  wasp  or 
bee,  and  found  him  very  impatient,  and 
swearing,  on  account  of  his  pain,  in 
great  wrath.  "  O  doctor,"  said  he,  "  I 
am  in  great  torment ;  can  you  any  way 
help  ?"  ''  Do  not  fear,  replied  Mr.  M., 
"  all  will  be  over  in  a  little  while." 
Still,  however,  the  gentleman  continued 
to  swear,  and  at  length  his  attendant  de- 
termined to  reprove  him.  "I  see,  no- 
thing the  matter,"  said  he,  "only  it 
might  have  been  in  a  better  place." 
"Where  might  it  have  been?"  asked 
the  sufferer.  "  Why,  on  the  tip  of  your 
tongue." 

(d)  POINTED  REBUKE  OF  PRO- 
FANITY. — A  minister  traveling  in  a 
stage  coach,  had  the  mortification  of  be- 
ing shut  up  for  the  night  with  a  naval 
officer,  who  was  much  addicted  to  swear- 
ing. At  length  the  conversation  turned 
on  the  topic  of  the  day,  the  Boulogne 
flotilla  ;  when  the  officer  observed,  "  If 
one  of  our  ships  meet  with  them,  "  she 
will  send  them  all  to  the  devil."  "  There 
is  a  great  deal  of  propriety,  sir,"  said 
the  minister,  "  in  your  observation  ;  for 
as  it  is  probable  there  are  many  profane 
swearers  on  board  the  French  ships, 
should  these  men  die  in  their  sins,  they 
will  certainly  go  to   the   devil." 

(e)  WESLEY,  AND  A  YOUNG 
OFFICER.— The  Rev.  John  Wesley 
once  traveled  in  a  stage  coach  with  a 
young  officer,  who  swore  and  uttered 
curses  upon  himself  in  almost  every 
sentence.  Mr.  W.  asked  him  if  he  had 
read  the  Common  Prayer  Book  ;  for,  if 
he  had,  he  might  remember  that  collect 
beginning,  "  O  God,  who  art  ever  more 
ready  to  hear  than  we  are  to  pray,  and 
art  wont  to  give  more  than  either  we 
desire  or  deserve."  The  young  gentle- 
man, who  had  contracted  a  very  com- 
mon, but  despicably  vulgar  and  sinful 
habit,  had  the  good  sense  to  make  the 
application,  and  behave  accordingly. 

729 


370 


REPROOF  OF  SIN. 


(/)  HOWE  AND  THE  NOBLE- 
MAN.— At  the  time  when  the  Confor- 
mity Bill  was  debated  in  Parliament, 
Mr.  Howe  passed  a  noble  lord  in  a  chair 
in  St.  James's  Park,  who  sent  his  foot- 
man to  call  him,  desiring  to  speak  with 
him  on  this  subject.  In  the  conversation, 
speaking  of  the  opponents  of  the  dissent- 
ers, he  said,  "  D — n  these  wretches,  for 
they  are  mad."  Mr.  Howe,  who  was 
no  stranger  to  the  nobleman,  expressed 
great  satisfaction  in  the  thought  that 
there  is  a  God  who  governs  the  world, 
who  will  finally  make  retribution  to  all 
according  to  their  present  characters  ; 
"  And  he.  my  lord,  has  declared  he  will 
make  a  ditTerence  between  him  that 
sweareth,  and  him  that  feareth  an  oath." 
The  nobleman  was  struck  with  the  hint, 
and  said,  "  I  thank  you,  sir,  for  your 
freedom.  I  take  your  meaning,  and 
shall  endeavor  to  make  good  use  of  it." 
Mr.  Howe  replied,  "  My  lord,  1  have 
more  reason  to  thank  your  lordship  for 
saving  me  the  most  difficult  part  of  a 
discourse,  which  is  the  application." 

(g)  MEMNON  AND  HIS  SOL- 
DIER.— During  the  war  between  Al- 
exander the  Great  and  Darius,  King  of 
Persia,  a  soldier  in  the  army  of  the  lat- 
ter, thought  to  ingratiate  himself  with 
Memnon,  the  Persian  General,  by  utter- 
ing the  fiercest  invectives  against  Alex- 
ander:  Memnon  gently  struck  the  fel- 
low with  his  spear,  and  answered, 
"  Friend,  I  pay  you  to  fight  against  Al- 
exander, not  to  revile  him." 

(h)  MR.  HOWE  AND  THE 
PROFANE.— The  excellent  Mr.  Plowe 
being  at  dinner  with  some  persons  of 
fashion,  a  gentleman  expatiated  largely 
in  prai'se  of  King  Charles  I.,  introducing 
some  harsh  reflections  upon  others.  Mr. 
Howe,  observing  that  the  gentleman 
mixed  many  oaths  with  his  discourse, 
told  him  that,  in  his  humble  opinion,  he 
had  omitted  a  singular  excellence  in  the 
character  of  that  prince.  The  gentle- 
man eagerly  desired  him  to  mention  it, 
and  seemed  all  impatience  to  know  what 
it  was.  "It  was  this,  sir,"  said  Mr. 
Howe  ;  "  he  was  never  heard  to  swear 
an  oath  in  common  conversation."  The 
hint  was  as  politely  received  as  given  ; 
and  the  gentleman  promised  to  break 
off  the  practice. 

730 


At  another  time,  passing  two  persons 
of  quality,  who  were  talking  with  great 
eagerness,  and  imprecating  curses  on 
each  other  repeatedly  ;  Mr.  H.  said  to 
them,  taking  off  his  hat  in  a  respectful 
manner,  "  I  pray  God  save  you  both  ;" 
for  which  handsome  reproof  they  imme- 
diately returned  him  thanks. 

(i)  PROFANITY  SILENCED.— 
As  a  minister  was  on  his  way  from  one 
town  to  another,  for  several  miles  his 
ears  were  assailed  by  oaths  too  awful  to 
mention  :  how  to  stop  it  he  was  at  a  loss 
to  know  :  at  last,  having  looked  to  God 
for  direction,  he  asked  the  gentlemen  if 
they  would  grant  a  stranger  a  particu- 
lar favor.  They  all  agreed  that  if  it 
were  in  their  power,  they  would  grant 
it.  Being  assured  that  it  was  in  their 
power,  the  minister  begged  that  what  he 
was  going  to  say  to  them  might  not 
give  offence.  They  all  agreed  that 
whatever  ho  said  should  not.  Seeing 
their  curiosity  excited,  he  mildly  told 
them  that  he  was  astonished  to  hear  so 
many  oaths  uttered,  and  would  esteem 
it  a  great  favor  if  they  would  refrain 
from  them.  One  of  the  gentlemen 
made  this  reply,  "  You  have  acted  wise- 
ly in  making  us  promise  to  perform, 
and  also  not  to  be  angry  ;  and  we,  as 
gentlemen,  will  endeavor  to  keep  our 
word.  I  believe  you  are  correct  in  dis- 
liking swearing  ;  it  is  a  very  bad  cus- 
tom, and  it  is  a  pity  there  should  be  so 
much  of  it ;  for  my  own  part,  I  am  not 
one  who  swears  as  some  do."  The 
minister,  glad  to  hear  this  confession, 
said  that  he  was  unacquainted  with  the 
meaning  of  some  common  oaths,  but 
would  briefly  explain  the  meaning  of 
some  words  he  heard  repeated  by  them, 
and  they  would  be  better  able  to  judge 
as  to  their  propriety  ;  accordingly  he 
went  over  word  by  word,  explaining 
each,  when  they  all  agreed  they  were 
wrong  in  using  them,  and  promised  to 
refrain  in  future.  It  is  gratifying  to 
know  that  they  did  as  they  said.  One 
loquacious  gentleman,  who  had  inter- 
larded almost  every  sentence  with  oaths, 
now  sat  silent;  even  the  coachman 
ceased  to  add  an  oath  in  calling  to  his 
horses.  The  conversation  turned  upon 
useful  subjects,  and  the  minister  in- 
wardly thanked  God  for  the  word  spo- 


SKILL  AND  PRUDENCE  IN  REPROVING. 


STO 


ken  in  season.  One  of  their  friends, 
who  was  riding  inside,  wishing  to  enjoy 
the  fine  evening  breeze,  proposed  getting 
on  the  outside,  and  the  minister  offered 
to  give  him  his  place.  "  No,  no,"  cried 
more  than  one,  "  you  must  not  leave  us, 
you  must  remain,  for  your  company  is 
highly  necessary."  It  is  pleasing.to  say 
that  for  nearly  forty  miles,  except  once, 
they  kept  to  their  promise :  and  when 
he  left  the  coach,  they  thanked  hijTi  for 
his  company,  and  hoped  they  should  not 
forget  his  advice.  How  important  is  it 
to  use  prudence  with  zeal ! 

(j)  REPLY  TO  A  SABBATH 
BREAKER.— One  Lord's  day,  a  few 
children  were  gathered  round  the  porch 
of  a  village  church,  waiting  for  the  com- 
mencement of  public  worship,  when  a 
wagon,  with  a  number  of  persons  in  it 
who  were  going  out  on  pleasure,  stop- 
ped, and  one  of  the  men  called  out  to 
the  children,  "  Halloo  there,  what  sort 
of  religion  do  you  have  there  ?"  One 
of  the  young  lads  replied,  "  A  sort  of 
religion  that  forbids  our  traveling  on 
the  Sabbath." 

(k)  TARRYING  AT  JERICHO— 
A  very  young  clergyman,  who  had  just 
left  college,  presented  a  petition  to  the 
King  of  Prussia,  requesting  that  his  Ma- 
jesty would  appoint  him  inspector  in  a 
certain  place  where  a  vacancy  had  just 
happened.  As  it  was  an  office  of  much 
consequence,  the  King  was  offended  at 
the  presumption  and  intportunity  of  so 
young  a  man,  and  instead  of  any  an- 
swer to  the  petition,  ho  wrote  under- 
neath, "  2  Book  of  Samuel,  Chap.  x. 
ver.  5,"  and  returned  it.  The  young 
clergyman  was  eager  to  examine  the 
quotation,  but,  to  his  great  disappoint- 
ment, found  the  words,  "  Tarry  at  Jer- 
icho until  vour  beards  be  grown." 

(/)  THE  DEIST  AND  THE  QUA- 
KER.— A  gay  young  man,  traveling 
in  a  stage  coach  to  London,  forced  his 
deistical  sentiments  on  the  company  by 
attempting  to  ridicule  the  Scriptures  ; 
and,  among  other  topics,  made  himself 
merry  with  the  story  of  David  and  Go- 
liath,  strongly  urging  the  impossibility 
of  a  youth  like  David  being  able  to  throw 
a  stone  with  sufficient  force  to  sink  into 
the  giant's  forehead.  On  this  he  ap- 
pealed  to  the  company,  and  particularly 


to  a  grave  Quaker  gentleman,  who  sat 
silent  in  one  corner  of  the  carriage. 
"  Indeed,  friend,"  replied  he,  "  I  do  not 
think  it  at  all  improbable,  if  the  Philis- 
tine's head  was  as  soft  as  thine."  This 
grave  rebuke  reduced  the  young  man  to 
silence. 

(m)  REPROOFS  FROM  DR. 
WAUGH.— At  one  of  the  half-yearly 
examinations  at  the  Protestant  Dissent- 
ers' Grammar  School,  at  Mill  Hill,  the 
head  master  informed  the  examiners 
that  he  had  been  exceedingly  tried,  by 
the  misconduct  and  perverseness  of  a  boy 
who  had  done  something  very  wrong ; 
and  who,  though  he  acknowledged  the 
fact,  could  not  be  brought  to  acknowl- 
edge the  magnitude  of  the  offence.  The 
examiners  were  requested  to  expostulate 
with  the  boy,  and  try  if  he  could  be 
brought  to  feel  and  deplore  it.  Dr. 
Waugh  was  solicited  to  undertake  the 
task  ;  and  the  boy  was,  in  consequence; 
brought  before  him.  How  long  have 
you  been  in  the  school,  my  boy  ?"  ask- 
ed the  doctor.  "Four  months,  sir." 
"  When  did  you  hear  from  your  father 
last?"  "  My  father's  dead,  sir."  "Ay! 
alas  the  day  !  'tis  a  great  loss,  a  great 
loss,  that  of  a  father.  But  God  can 
make  it  up  to  you,  by  giving  you  a 
tender,  affectionate  mother."  Oa  this 
the  boy,  who  had  previously  seemed  as 
hard  as  a  flint,  began  to  soften.  The 
doctor  proceeded  :  "  Well,  laddie,  where 
is  your  mother  V  "On  her  voyage 
home  from  India,  sir."  "  Ay !  good 
news  for  you,  my  boy :  do  you  love 
your  mother  ?"  "  Yes,  sir."  "  And 
do  you  expect  to  see  her  soon  ?"  "Yes, 
sir."  "  Do  you  think  she  loves  you  ?" 
"  Yes,  sir,  I  am  sure  of  it."  "  Then 
think,  my  dear  laddie,  think  of  her  feel- 
ings when  she  comes  here,  and  finds 
that,  instead  of  your  being  in  favor  with 
every  one,  you  are  in  such  deep  dis- 
grace as  to  run  the  risk  of  expulsion  : 
and  yet  are  too  hardened  to  acknowl- 
edge that  you  have  done  wrong.  Win- 
na  ye  break  your  poor  mother's  heart, 
think  ye  ?  Just  think  o'  that,  my  lad." 
The  poor  culprit  burst  into  a  flood  of 
tears,  acknowledged  his  fault,  and  pro- 
mised amendment. 

On  one  occasion,  a  young   minister 
having  animadverted,  in  the  presence  of 
731 


3T0,  371 


REPROOF  OF  SIN. 


Dr.  Waugh,  on  the  talents  of  another 
minister,  in  a  manner  which  he  thought 
might  leave  an  unfavorable  impression 
on  the  minds  of  some  of  the  company, 
Dr.  W.  observed,  "  I  have  known  Mr. 

many  years,   and   I  never  knew 

him  to  speak  disrespectfully  of  a  brother 
in  my  life." 

At  another  time,  in  a  company  of 
nearly  forty  gentlemen,  a  student  for  the 
ministry  entertained  those  around  him 
with  some  ungenerous  remarks  on  a 
popular  preacher  in  London.  Dr. 
Waugh  looked  at  him  for  some  time  with 
pity  and  grief  depicted  in  his  counte- 
nance, and  when  he  had  thus  arrested 
the  attention  of  the  speaker,  he  mildly 
remarked,  "  My  friend,  there  is  a  say- 
ing in  a  good  old  book  which  1  would 
recommend  to  your  consideration  :  '  The 
spirit  that  dwelleth  in  us  lusteth  to  en- 
vy.' " 

(n)  THE  CLERGYMAN  AND 
THE  PROFLIGATE.— A  clergyman 
having  made  several  attempts  to  reform 
a  profligate,  was  at  length  repulsed  with, 
"  It  is  all  in  vain,  doctor ;  you  cannot  get 
me  to  change  my  religion."  "  I  do  not 
want  that,"  replied  the  good  man ;  "  1 
wish  relisjion  to  change  you." 

(o)  WESLEY'S  REQUEST  OF 
THE  OFFICER.— John  Wesley,  hav- 
ing to  travel  some  distance  in  a  stage 
coach,  fell  in  with  a  pleasant  tem- 
pered, well  informed  officer.  His 
conversation  was  sprightly,  and  enter- 
taining, but  frequently  mingled  with 
oaths.  When  they  were  about  to  take 
the  next  stage,  Mr.  Wesley  took  the  of- 
ficer apart,  and  after  expressing  the 
pleasure  he  had  enjoyed  in  his  company, 
told  him  he  was  thereby  encouraged  to 
ask  of  him  a  very  great  favor.  "  I 
would  take  a  pleasure  in  obliging  you," 
said  the  officer,  "  and  I  am  sure  you 
will  not  make  an  unreasonable  request." 
"  Then,"  says  Mr.  Wesley,  "  as  we 
have  to  travel  together  some  time,  I  beg 
that  if  I  should  so  far  forget  myself  as 
to  swear,  you  will  kindly  reprove  me." 
The  officer  immediately  saw  the  motive, 
and  felt  the  force  of  the  request,  and 
smiling  said,  "  None  but  Mr.  Wesley 
could  have  conceived  a  reproof  in  such 
a  manner." 

732 


(p)  A  NOBLEMAN  REPROVED 
BY  HIS  SERVANT.— A  nobleman 
seeing  a  large  stone  lying  near  his  gate, 
ordered  his  servant,  with  an  oath,  to 
send  it  to  hell.  "  If,"  said  the  servant, 
"  I  were  to  throw  it  to  Heaven,  it  would 
be  more  completely  out  of  your  lord- 
ship's  way." 

iq)  WHERE  YOU  OUGHT  TO 
HAVE  BEEN.— A  clergyman  who 
was  in  the  habit  of  preaching  in  differ- 
ent parts  of  the  country,  was  once  at  an 
inn,  where  he  observed  a  horse-jockey 
trying  to  take  in  a  simple  gentleman,  by 
imposing  upon  him  a  broken  winded 
horse  for  a  sound  one.  The  parson  knew 
the  bad  character  of  the  jockey,  and,  tak- 
ing the  gentleman  aside,  told  him  to  be 
cautious  of  the  person  he  was  dealing 
with.  The  gentleman  finally  declined 
the  purchase,  and  the  jockey,  quite  net- 
tled, observed,  "  Parson,  I  would  much 
rather  hear  you  preach  than  see  you 
privately  interfere  in  bargains  between 
man  and  man,  in  this  way."  "  Well," 
replied  the  parson,  "  if  you  had  been 
where  you  ought  to  have  been  last  Sun- 
day, you  might  have  heard  me  preach." 
"  Where  was  that  ?"  inquired  the  jock- 
ey. "  In  the  State  Prison,"  returned 
the  clergyman. 

m.  Happy  Effects  of  Reproving. 

(a)  SUCCESSFUL  REBUKE  OF 
PROFANITY*.- When  the  Rev.  Mr. 

K was  settled  in  his  congregation 

of  S ,  they  could  not  furnish  him 

with  a  manse,  or  even  with  lodgings. 
In  these  circumstances,  a  Captain  P — , 
in  the  neighborhood,  though  a  stranger 
to  religion,  generously  took  him  into  his 
family,  and  gave  him  his  board,  it  is  be- 
lieved,  gratuitously.  But  our  young 
clergyman  soon  found  himself  in  very 
unpleasant  circumstances,  owing  to  the 
captain's  usual  practice  of  profane 
swearing.  Satisfied  of  his  duty,  how- 
ever,  he  determined  to  perform  it  at  all 
hazards.  Accordingly,  one  day  at  ta- 
ble, after  a  very  liberal  volley  of  oaths 
from  the  captain,  he  observed  calmly, 
"  Captain,  you  have  certainly  on  the 
present  occasion  made  use  of  a  number 
of  very  improper  terms."     The  captain. 


MISCELLANEOUS. 


371,  372 


who  was  rather  a  choleric  man,  was  in. 
stantly  in  a  blaze.  "  Pray,  sir,  what 
improper  terms  have  I  used  ?"  "  Sure- 
ly, captain,  you  must  know,"  replied 
the  clergyman,  with  greater  coolness, 
''  and  having  already  put  me  to  the  pain 
of  hearing  them,  you  cannot  be  in  ear- 
nest in  imposing  upon  me  the  additional 
pain  of  repeating  them."  "  You  are 
right,  sir,"  resumed  the  captain,  "  you 
are  right.  Support  your  character,  and 
we  will  respect  you.  We  have  a  par- 
cel of  clergymen  around  us  here,  who 
seem  quite  uneasy  till  they  get  us  to  un- 
derstand that  we  may  use  any  freedom 
we  please  before  them,  and  we  despise 
them."  It  ought  to  be  known,  that  the 
captain  never  afterwards  repeated  the 
offence    in   his   presence,    and    always 

treated  Mr.  K with  marked  respect, 

and  befriended  him  in  all  his  interests. 

(b)  ALLEINE'S  REPROOF.— The 
Rev.  Joseph  AUeino  was  very  faithful 
and  impartial  ih  administering  reproof. 
Once,  when  employed  in  a  work  of  this 
kind,  he  said  to  a  Christian  friend,  "  I 
am  now  going  about  that  which  is  like- 
ly to  make  a  very  dear  and  obliging 
friend  become  an  enemy.  But,  how- 
ever,  it  cannot  be  omitted  ;  it  is  better 
to  lose  man's  favor  than  God's."  But, 
so  far  from  becoming  his  enemy  for  his 
conscientious  faithfulness  to  him,  he  ra- 
ther loved  him  the  more  ever  after,  as 
long  as  he  lived. 

(c)  THE  FAITHFUL  YOUNG 
INDIAN. — At  a  meeting  of  a  mission- 
ary society  in  Philadelphia,  at  which 
two  Indian  chiefs  were  present,  and  ad- 
dressed a  very  large  audience,  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Finley,  in  the  concluding  part  of 
his  speech,  related  one  or  two  very  in- 
teresting anecdotes,  to  show  the  progress 
of  the  revival,  and  the  depth  of  solid  pi- 
ety among  the  Wyandots.  In  one  of 
his  tours  he  took  with  him  an  Indian 
youth  of  zeal  and  piety.  On  setting 
out,  he  told  him  it  was  possible,  when 
he  got  among  sinful  and  wicked  com- 
pany, that  he  might  forget  his  God, 
and  again  betake  himself  to  the  paths  of 
folly  and  sin.  "  But,"  said  he,  calling 
him  by  his  name,  "  I  would  rather 
preach  your  funeral  sermon  than  see 
you  depart  from  the  paths  of  piety." 
They  proceeded,  and  in  their  tour  came 


to  the  house  of  a  very  wealthy  merchant, 
where  they  remained  for  some  time. 
The  merchant  had  two  or  three  clerks, 
who  were  giddy,  gay  young  men.  The 
Indian  boy  was  put  to  sleep  in  a  room 
with  these  clerks.  Before  retiring  to 
bed,  he  knelt  down  to  pray.  The  oth- 
ers began  to  disturb  and  torment  him, 
but  he  heeded  them  not.  This  contin- 
ued for  some  tinie  :  at  length,  one  night 
when  they  were  become  so  bad  as  to 
disturb  him  very  much,  the  youth  re- 
monstrated, pointed  out  the  wickedness 
of  their  conduct,  and  concluded  by  say- 
ing, that  they  were  really  worse  than 
any  Indian  in  all  the  Wyandot  tribe  of 
Upper  Sandusky,  observing,  that  Indians 
would  be  ashamed  of  such  conduct,  as 
they  had  more  common  sense,  virtue, 
and  piety.  This  appeal  came  home 
with  keen  conviction  to  the  hearts  of 
the  young  men.  The  effect  was  deep 
and  lasting,  the  reproof  was  blessed  to 
them,  and  they  became  humble  and  de- 
voted Christians. 

{d)  MARTIN  AND  THE  GOWNS- 
MAN.— When  the  Rev.  Henry  Martyn 
was  at  college,  he  was  called  to  visit  a 
family  in  great  distress  on  account  of 
the  expected  death  of  the  husband  and 
father.  Some  of  the  family,  lest  the  ag- 
ony of  their  grief  should  add  to  the  dis- 
tress of  the  dying  man,  had  removed  to 
another  house,  where  Martyn  found  a 
gownsman  reading  a  play  to  them  with 
a  view  to  their  consolation.  He  very 
properly  rebuked  him  with  some  severi- 
ty  for  this  great  impropriety,  and  was 
led  to  fear,  from  the  manner  in  which 
his  reproof  was  received,  that  some  un- 
pleasant results  might  follow.  But 
mark  the  goodness  of  God,  in  blessing 
the  means  employed  for  the  advance- 
ment of  his  glory.  When  this  gowns- 
man again  saw  Martyn,  it  was  to  thank 
him  for  his  faithful  admonition,  which 
proved  the  means  of  a  saving  change  of 
heart ;  and  these  two  holy  men  labored 
together  in  India  in  extending  the  know- 
ledge of  the  Lord  Jesus. 

m.  Miscellaneous. 

(a)  FULLER'S  SEVERITY.— The 

natural  temper  of  the  Rev.  Andrew  Ful- 
ler, of  Kettering,  though  neither  churl- 
733 


372,  373 


RESTITUTION. 


ish  nor  morose,  was  not  distinguished  by- 
gentleness,  meekness,  or  affability.  He 
could  rarely  be  faithful  without  being 
severe  ;  and,  in  giving  reproof,  he  was 
often  betrayed  into  intemperate  zeal. 
Once,  at  a  meeting  of  ministers,  he  took 
occasion  to  correct  an  erroneous  opinion, 
delivered  by  one  of  his  brethren  ;  and 
he  laid  on  his  censure  so  heavily,  that 
Dr.  Ryland  called  out  vehemently,  in  his 
own  peculiar  tone  of  voice,  "  Brother 
Fuller !  brother  Fuller  !  you  can  never 
•  admonish  a  mistaken  friend,  but  you  must 
take  up  a  sledge  hammer  and  knock  his 
brains  out !" 

(b)  JUDGE  REPROVED  BY  A 
LOOK. — An  eminent  judge  of  Virginia, 
once  said  to  a  friend,  that  the  most  cut- 
ting reproof  he  had  ever  received  for 


profaneness,  was  without  words.  He 
happened  to  be  crossing  a  ferry  with 
Dr.  John  H.  Rice.  On  account  of 
shallows,  the  boat  could  not  be  brought 
to  land,  and  they  were  carried  to  the 
shore  by  the  black  ferryman.  One  of 
these  was  so  careless  as  to  suffer  Judge 
H.'s  clothes  to  become  wetted,  and  the 
latter  expressed  his  anger  by  an  impre- 
cation. Dr.  Rice,  without  saying  a 
word,  turned  to  him  his  large  speaking 
eye,  with  sorrowful  expression.  "  I  ne- 
ver so  felt  a  reproof,"  said  the  judge, 
"  in  my  life  ;  and  instantly  begged  his 
pardon.  '  Ask  pardon  of  God,'  said 
Dr.  Rice.  I  shall  never  forget  it.'^ 
At  this  time  Judge  H.  was  entirely  ig- 
norant who  his  reprover  was. 


373.  RESTITUTION 


{a)  A  PENITENT  YOUTH.— A 
draper  in  Yarmouth,  England,  discov- 
ered that  a  lad  in  his  service  had  stolen 
his  property.  He  was  tried,  found  guil- 
ty, and  sentenced  to  seven  years'  trans- 
portation ;  but,  on  account  of  some  fa- 
vorable traits  in  his  character,  applica- 
tion was  made  to  the  Secretary  of  State, 
and  the  punishment  was  mitigated  to 
five  years'  imprisonment  in  the  Mill- 
bank  Penitentiary.  At  the  expiration 
of  three  years,  his  conduct  induced  the 
authorities  to  release  him,  when  he  went 
at  once  to  Yarmouth,  called  on  his  for- 
mer employer,  and,  in  the  spirit  of  a 
sincere  penitent,  expressed  his  sorrow 
for  his  dishonesty  and  ingratitude  to  so 
good  a  master,  and  said,  "  Sir,  I  have 
taken  care  of  the  money  that  I  took 
away,  and  am  now  come  to  return  your 
property."  The  gentleman  was  sur- 
prised at  this  announcement ;  and  see- 
ing him  put  his  hand  in  his  pocket,  be- 
gan to  expect  to  receive  from  him  a  few 
pounds.  Great  was  his  astonishment, 
when  the  lad  handed  to  him  £102  16*. 
6d. 

(h)  A  PENITENT  YOUNG  JEW. 
— A  young  Jew,  who  had  been  admitted 
into  an  asylum  for  the  benefit  of  that 
nation,  near  Dusseldorf,  in  the  Prus- 
sian dominions,  after  having-  long  given 
734 


pain  by  his  improper  behavior,  became 
very  deeply  impressed  under  a  sermon, 
preached  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Schmidt,  and 
afterwards  furnished  evidence  that  his 
impressions  were  deep  and  abiding. 

in  the  course  of  one  of  his  sermons, 
the  minister,  to  whom  we  have  referred, 
was  led  to  speak  of  persons  who  glory 
in  their  shame,  and  even  boast  of  their 
crimes  in  having  robbed  or  defrauded 
their  neighbors.  This  young  man  be- 
came visibly  affected,  turned  pale,  fell 
into  fits,  and  was  carried  out  of  the 
place.  He  was  afterwards  visited  by 
the  minister,  to  whom  he  exclaimed,  "  I 
am  lost ;  lost  whhout  remedy."  In  the 
course  of  the  conversation,  he  confessed 
that  he  had  robbed  a  widow  of  one  thou- 
sand dollars,  and  that  his  life  had  been 
one  whole  series  of  awful  crimes.  The 
minister  did  not  attempt  to  palliate  his 
sins,  but  explained  to  him  the  atonement 
of  Jesus,  and  the  efficacy  of  his  blood  to 
take  away  all  sin,  encouraging  him  in 
this  way  to  seek  pardon.  This  at  length 
afforded  him  rest.  He  now  felt  it  his 
duty  to  travel  to  the  residence  of  the 
widow,  to  acknowledge  his  crime,  and 
thus  to  subject  himself  to  the  punish- 
ment of  the  law.  When  he  was  last 
heard  of,  he  had  set  out  on  his  journey, 
with  the  determination  that,  if  the  wid- 


RESTITUTION. 


373 


ow  did  not  prosecute  him,  he  would,  by 
his  labor,  pay  the  debt  due  to  her. 

(c)  SIXTY  POUNDS  RESTORED. 
— A  gentleman  residing  in  the  vicinity 
of  York  once  received  an  anonymous 
letter,  appointing  a  meeting  in  the  oat- 
market,  when,  as  the  letter  stated, 
something  would  be  communicated 
for  his  advantage.  The  gentleman 
kept  the  appointment,  and  was  accosted 
by  a  respectable  looking  man,  who  pro- 
posed that  they  should  go  to  an  inn  to- 
gether. The  gentleman  consented ; 
and  having  entered  a  private  room,  they 
both  sat  down  at  a  table,  when  the  stran- 
ger presented  his  new  friend  with  sixty 
pounds,  which  he  said  was  his  property. 
The  gentleman  refused  to  take  it  with- 
out an  explanation  ;  but  the  stranger 
then  presented  him  with  sixty  pounds 
more,  and  said  that  this  was  also  due 
besides,  as  interest  for  the  money,  sim- 
ple and  compound,  during  the  time  he 
held  his  property.  He  afterwards  gave 
the  following  explanation  to  the  gentle- 
man :  "  More  than  twenty  years  ago, 
you  had  an  uncle,  whose  property  you 
now  possess :  his  age  and  infirmities 
rendered  it  expedient  for  him  to  have  a 
housekeeper  to  manage  his  affairs.  My 
sister  was  that  housekeeper.  Some  time 
after  his  death  she  found  sixty  pounds 
folded  up  in  one  of  her  trunks,  which 
she  believed  to  have  belonged  to  him  at 
the  time  of  his  death.  She  sent  for  me, 
gave  it  into  my  hands,  and  requested 
that  I  would  restore  it  to  you,  as  the 
lawful  heir  of  her  master's  property. 
This  I  promised  to  do,  but  being  embar- 
rassed in  my  circumstances  at  the  time, 
I  made  use  of  it  for  my  own  purposes. 
I  now  make  the  proper  restitution.  I 
do  it  to  the  utmost,  and  with  pleasure  ; 
and  I  do  assure  you  that  this  transac- 
tion has  taken  a  very  heavy  weight 
from  my  distressed  mind."  Various 
circumstances  then  occurred  to  the  gen- 
tleman's mind,  which  left  no  doubt  of 
the  truth  of  the  stranger's  story. 

(d)  STOLEN  WATCH  RE- 
STORED.—As  a  gentleman  in  Lon- 
don  entered  his  house,  he  found  a  well 
dressed  female  sitting  on  the  stairs,  who 
asked  pardon  for  the  liberty  she  had  ta- 
ken, saying,  that  hearing  the  alarm  of 
a  mad  dog,  she  had  taken  refuge  in  his 


house,  and  had  almost  fainted  away. 
On  hearing  her  story,  the  gentleman 
gave  her  some  refreshment,  when  she 
recovered  and  walked  off,  thanking  him 
for  his  civility.  In  the  evening  his  lady 
missed  a  gold  watch,  which  she  had  left 
hanging  at  the  head  of  her  bed  ;  the 
servants  said  no  person  had  been  in  that 
room  since  they  had  made  up  the  bed, 
when  they  were  certain  the  watch  was 
there.  It  was,  therefore,  concluded  that 
this  female  was  the  thief. 

Fifteen  years  afterwards,  the  guard 
of  the  York  mail  coach  called  with  a 
small  parcel,  saying,  that  a  gentleman 
had  given  him  five  shillings  to  deliver 
it.  On  opening  the  parcel,  it  was  found 
to  contain  the  lost  watch,  and  a  note 
from  a  female,  saying,  that  as  the  gospel 
had  changed  her  heart,  she  desired  to 
return  the  watch  to  its  rightful  oMmer. 

(e)  THE  SURPLUS  CHANGE 
RETURNED.— In  the  course  of  the 
forenoon  of  yesterday,  says  the  New 
York  Statesman,  for  183-,  a  person  call- 
ed at  the  office  of  Messrs.  Beers  and 
Bunnell,  and  handed  to  Mr.  Beers  the 
sum  of  twenty  dollars,  stating  that  it 
was  from  a  young  man  who,  in  chang- 
ing money  for  his  master,  received  that 
sum  above  what  he  should  have  re- 
ceived, at  Beers  and  Bunnell's  office, 
and,  without  saying  any  thing  of  it  to  his 
master,  appropriated  it  to  his  own  use. 
The  person  who  handed  in  the  money 
declined  giving  the  name  of  the  con- 
science-struck young  man,  but  observed 
that  he  was  lying  on  a  bed  of  sickness, 
probably  of  death,  and  that  he  could  not 
rest  in  view  of  the  hereafter,  till  the  mo- 
ney had  been  returned  as  evidence  of 
his  bitter  contrition. 

(/)  THE  DISHONEST  CLERK. 
— A  young  man,  says  a  writer  in  the 
N.  Y.  Evangelist,  went  into  one  of  our 
large  cities  and  offered  his  services  to  a 
man  in  important  public  business. 
Here  he  labored  for  years,  having  the 
entire  confidence  of  his  employer.  But 
he  performed  a  hard  service  at  small 
wages,  and  was  many  times  deprived 
of  his  rest  all  night.  At  length  the 
thought  thwarted  his  mind,  that  the  en- 
tire confidence  placed  in  him  gave  him 
opportunity  to  do  himself  justice.  This 
evil  thought  was  the  opening  wedge. 
735 


373 


RESTITUTION. 


He  laid  by  from  time  to  time  such  sums 
as  he  supposed  would  make  up  the  de- 
fect in  his  wages,  till  before  he  quitted 
the  man  it  amounted  to  some  hundreds 
of  dollars.  He  then  went  into  another 
part  of  the  country  to  thrive  on  his 
earnings,  and  as  he  still  supposed,  hon- 
est earnings.  There,  though  still  in 
rather  humble  life,  he  thrived  well,  and 
was  esteemed  and  respected,  till  within 
a  few  years  since.  The  Spirit  of  God 
came  down  upon  the  people  where  he 
lived.  He  became  awakened,  and  at 
length  obtained  a  hope  in  the  mercy  of 
God,  and  took  his  seat  with  those  who 
felt  as  he  did.  But  his  conscience  was 
slumbering  over  the  scenes  of  olden 
time.  He  was  happy  because  God  suf- 
fered past  scenes  to  be  forgotten.  He 
had  never  pondered  on  the  doctrine  of 
retribution,  and  went  sailing  on  to  hea- 
ven with  fair  breeze  and  sails  all  filled. 

At  length,  however,  he  became  cast 
down  and  disconsolate,  and  the  mystery 
was  that  no  one  could  get  from  him  the 
secret  of  his  distress,  not  even  his  be- 
loved wife.    What  could  the  matter  be  1 

At  length,  when  he  could  keep  the 
fire  shut  up  in  his  bones  no  longer,  he 
sought  an  interview  with  his  pastor. 
He  watched  a  long  time  to  find  him  en- 
tirely alone,  and  where  he  could  not  be 
overheard  while  he  opened  his  whole 
heart.  There  was  a  very  sequestered 
spot  in  a  deep  glen,  where  the  pastor 
used  to  retire  to  hold  uninterrupted 
communion  with  God.  There  this 
wretched  man  met  him  and  told  him  all 
his  heart — the  length,  and  breadth,  and 
height,  and  aggravation  of  his  sin.  And 
what  must  he  do  ?  He  could  not  dis- 
close the  matter  to  his  wife.  It  would 
ruin  his  family.  He  dare  not  seek  and 
could  not  find  the  man  he  had  wronged 
— the  disclosure  would  imprison  him. 
Indeed  he  was  in  the  grave  by  this 
time,  and  whether  any  heir  of  his  was 
living,  to  whom  the  debt  could  be  re- 
funded, so  that  God  would  forgive  him 
and  let  him  live,  demanded  a  doubt. 

At  length  the  pastor  set  out  to  seek  the 
heirs,  if  they  could  be  found,  that  the 
money  might  be  refunded  to  them.  On 
his  way  he  called  on  the  writer  of  this 
and  gave  me  the  whole  story.  After 
going  from  street  to  street  and  house  to 
786 


house  many  days,  till  it  seemed  to  him 
impossible  that  he  should  ever  find  the 
object  of  his  chase,  he  entered  a  lonely 
and  humble  habitation,  where  he  found 
the  only  surviving  daughter  and  child 
of  the  injured  man.  And  to  her  at  that 
time  he  was  indeed  an  angel  of  mercy. 
She  had  been,  as  he  presumed,  in  better 
circumstances,  but  was  brought  to  pov- 
erty, and  was  then  a  widow  poor  and 
needy.  He  paid  her  some  two  hundred 
dollars,  and  will  perhaps  come  on  simi- 
lar errands  of  mercy  hereafter.  The 
widow  he  found  trying  to  support  her 
half  famished  family  by  sewing. 

(g)  THE  INFIDEL  AND  HIS 
EMPLOYER.— Mr.  C—  an  avowed 
infidel,  was  for  many  years  in  the  em- 
ploy of  a  worthy  and  respectable  me- 
chanic, in  a  small  village  in  R.  I.  He 
was  a  man  of  steady  habits  and  a  good 
workman,  and  consequently  had  se- 
cured the  favor  and  confidence  of  Mr. 
A — ,  his  employer.  It  was  Mr.  A — 's 
custom  to  settle  with  his  workmen  but 
once  a  year. 

At  one  time,  a  few  months  before  the 
time  for  settlement  arrived,  Mr.  C — 
was  in  want  of  some  money,  and  called 
at  Mr  A — 's  counting-room,  and  asked 
him  for  twenty-five  dollars.  The 
money  was  handed  him,  but,  through 
negligence,  no  charge  made  against 
him.  At  the  expiration  of  the  year, 
Mr.  C —  went  to  receive  the  remainder 
of  his  wages,  but  perceiving  the  $25 
was  forgotten  by  his  employer,  received 
the  whole  amount  credited  him. 

Years  passed  on,  and  a  revival  of  re- 
ligion took  place  in  that  village,  and 
among  those  who  were  hopefully  con- 
verted was  the  infidel  C — .  But  no 
sooner  had  the  Spirit  of  God  wrought  a 
work  of  grace  in  his  heart,  than  he  be- 
gan to  think  of  the  injury  he  had  done 
his  employer,  and  he  felt  that  he  ought 
to  confess  his  sin  and  make  restitution. 
But  unsubdued  pride  at  first  prevented 
his  doing  this.  At  length,  convictions 
for  this  sin  came  with  such  overwhelming 
force  as  to  threaten  destruction  to  his 
peace  of  mind,  and  he  went  to  Mr.  A — , 
confessed  his  guilt,  paid  him  back  the 
$25,  and  went  on  his  way  rejoicing.  He 
remained  afterwards  a  consistent  fol- 
lower of  Christ. 


RESTITUTION. 


373 


(A)  PAINFUL  EFFECTS  OF  A 
JOKE. — A  gentleman  in  at- 
tended the  preaching  of  Dr.  Clarke, 
and  was  deeply  convinced  of  sin.  With 
strong  prayer  and  tears  he  sought  par- 
don, but  found  not.  Being  confined  by 
sickness  soon  after,  he  sent  for  Dr. 
Clarke,  who  came  ;  but  learning  how 
long  he  had  mourned,  and  with  what 
earnestness  he  had  sought  salvation,  he 
secretly  wondered  at  God's  so  long 
withholding  freedom  from  such  deep 
repentance  ;  and  finding  the  lamp  of 
life  burning  low,  and  mental  agony 
hurrying  on  its  extinction,  with  tender 
but  firm  language  he  said,  "  It  is  not 
— ,  that   God  thus   deals 


often,  Mr.  - 
with  a  soul  so  deeply  humbled  as  yours, 
and  in  his  own  appointed  way  seeking 
redemption.  Sir,  there  must  be  a 
cause.  You  iiave  left  something  un- 
done which  it  is  your  duty  and  interest 
to  have  done.  God  judge  between  you 
and  it." 

Fixing   his   eyes   intently   on    Dr. 
Clarke,  the  gentleman  gave  the  follow. 

ing   narration :  "  In   the   year  I 

was  at ,  and  took  my  passage  in 

the   ship   for   England.     Before 

sailing,  some  merchants  put  on  board  a 
small  bag  of  dollars,  which  were  given 
in  charge  to  the  captain  for  such  and 
such  parties.  I  saw  the  transaction, 
and  noticed  the  captain's  carelessness, 
who  left  the  bag  day  after  day  rolling 
upon  the  locker.  For  the  simple  pur- 
pose of  frightening  him,  I  hid  it.  He 
made  no  inquiries,  and   we  arrived   at 

.     I  still    retained    it  till  it  should 

be  missed.  Months  passed,  and  still  no 
inquiry  was  made.  The  parties  to 
whom  it  had  been  consigned  came  to 
the  captain  for  it.  He  remembered  re- 
ceiving it  in  charge,  but  no  more.  It 
must  have  been  left  behind.  Search 
was  made,  letters  written,  but  it  could 
not  be  found.  All  this  occupied  some 
months.  I  had  now  become  alarmed 
and  ashamed  to  confess,  lest  I  should 
implicate  my  character. 

"  The  captain  was  sued,  and,  having 
nothing  to  pay,  was  cast  into  prison. 
He  maintained  his  innocence  as  to  the 
theft,    but   confessed   his   carelessness. 


He  languished  two  years  in  prison,  and 
died.  Guilt  had  by  this  time  hardened 
my  mind,  t  strove  to  be  happy  in  the 
amusements  of  the  world,  but  all  in 
vain.  Under  your  preaching  the  voice 
of  God  broke  in  upon  my  conscience.  I 
have  agonized  at  the  throne  of  mercy 
for  the  sake  of  Christ  for  pardon  ;  but 
God  is  deaf  to  my  prayer.  I  must  go 
down  to  the  grave  unpardoned,  un- 
saved." 

Dr.  Clarke  suggested  to  the  dying 
penitent  that  God  claimed  from  him  not 
only  repentance,  but  restitution.  The 
widow  and  fatherless  children  still 
lived.  The  gentleman  readily  consent- 
ed. The  sum,  with  interest  and  com- 
pound interest,  was  made  up  and  given 
to  the  widow,  to  whom  the  circumstan- 
ces were  made  known.  The  dying 
man's  mind  was  calmed,  and  soon,  in 
firm  hope  of  pardon,  he  died. 

(i)  THE  PURSE  RESTORED.— 
Forty-two  years  ago,  says  a  writer  in 
the  Boston  Mercantile  Journal  of  183-, 
my  father  was  a  poor  man,  with  a  wife 
as  industrious  as  himself,  and  one  child, 
and  he  worked  early  and  late  for  a  sup- 
port. One  dollar  then  in  his  purse 
made  him  feel  richer  than  he  now  feels 
with  a  title  to  a  good  farm. 

Returning  home  one  day  with  a  purse 
containing  ten  silver  dollars  in  his  pock- 
et, he  lost  it  on  the  road.  Long  and 
diligent  was  the  search  for  it,  but  in 
vain,  as  a  neighbor  had  picked  it  up 
and  appropriated  it  to  his  own  use.  It 
must,  however,  have  been  a  fire  in  his 
bosom;  for  how  could  he  travel  that 
road,  or  pass  the  house  of  his  neighbor, 
without  feeling  the  lashes  of  a  guilty 
conscience  ? 

Recently  he  has  been  brought  under 
the  influence  of  that  gospel  which  teach- 
es man  to  do  justly.  He  went  to  his 
neighbor,  confessed  the  injury  done, 
asked  his  forgiveness,  restored  the  mo- 
ney, promised  the  accumulated  interest 
of  forty  two  years,  and  any  other  remu- 
neration in  his  power.  "  Not  a  wink," 
said  he,  "  could  I  sleep  last  night ;  nor 
could  I  rest  till  I  had  made  confession 
and  restitution." 


47 


737 


374 


RICHES. 


374.  RICHES. 


(a)  RICHES    AND    COVETOUS- 

NESS. — A  respectable  widow  lady, 
with  a  very  small  income,  which  she 
was  obliged  to  elie  out  by  the  produce 
of  her  own  industry  and  ingenuity,  was 
remarkable  for  her  generous  liberality, 
especially  in  contributing  to  the  cause 
of  religion.  When  any  work  of  pious 
benevolence  was  going  forward,  her 
minister  hesitated  to  call  on  her,  lest  her 
liberal  spirit  should  prompt  her  to  con- 
tribute beyond  her  ability  ;  but  she  was 
always  sure  to  find  out  what  was  in 
hand,  and  voluntarily  to  offer  a  dona- 
tion equal  to  those  of  persons  in  com- 
parative affluence,  accompanied  by  a 
gentle  rebuke  to  her  minister  for  having 
passed  her  by.  In  process  of  time,  this 
lady  came  into  the  possession  of  an 
ample  fortune,  greatly  to  the  joy  of  all 
who  knew  her  willing  liberality.  But 
it  was  with  no  small  degree  of  regret 
that  her  minister  observed  she  no  longer 
came  forward  unsolicited  towards  the 
cause  of  Christ,  and  that  when  applied 
to,  she  yielded  her  aid  but  coldly  and 
grudgingly,  and  sometimes  excused  her- 
self from  giving  at  all.  On  one  occa- 
sion she  presented  a  shilling  to  the  same 
cause  to  which  she  had  formerly  given 
a  guinea,  when  in  a  state  of  compara- 
tive poverty.  The  minister  felt  it  his 
duty  to  expostulate  with  her,  and  re- 
mind her  of  her  former  generosity  wheti 
her  means  were  so  circumscribed.  "  Ah  ! 
sir,"  she  affectingly  replied,  "  then  I  had 
the  shilling  means,  but  the  guinea 
heart ;  now  I  have  the  guinea  means, 
but  only  the  shilling  heart.  Then,  I 
received  from  my  heavenly  Father's 
hand,  day  by  day,  my  daily  bread,  and 
i  had  enough,  and  to  spare  ;  now,  I 
have  to  look  to  my  ample  income,  but  I 
live  in  constant  apprehension  that  I  may 
come  to  want !"  Can  any  reader  be  at  a 
loss  to  decide  which  was  the  time  of  her 
poverty  and  which  of  her  riches  ? 

(b)  AFFECTING  CONTRAST.— 
I  once  accompanied  a  friend,  wrote  the 
Rev.  S.  Kilpin,  in  1830,  to  see  the  prince- 
ly abode  of  a  certain  nobleman,  and 
was  much  struck  with  the  splendor  of 

738 


the  place.  The  cajstle  stood  on  the  side 
of  a  beautiful  river,  the  water  of  which, 
as  it  rushed  over  some  large  frag- 
ments of  an  old  bridge,  glittered  in  the 
sunbeams.  The  warder  opened  the 
massy  gate  at  the  lodge,  and  we  pro- 
ceeded up  an  avenue  hewn  through  the 
solid  rock,  whose  sides  were  festooned 
with  different  shrubs  and  lichens.  The 
towers  and  battlements  were  high  and 
strong  ;  the  smoothly  shaven  lawn  wide 
and  green  ;  the  pleasure  grounds  exten- 
sive ;  and  the  broad,  dark,  and  flat 
branches  of  the  goodly  cedars  swept 
gracefullv  the  very  ground. 

But  if  the  outside  of  the  castle  was 
fair  to  gaze  upon,  the  inside  of  it  was 
still  more  worthy  of  attention.  Almost 
every  room  was  ornamented  with  va- 
luable paintings,  hung  with  curious  ta- 
pestry, and  adorned  with  costly  vases  ; 
statues  of  marble  stood  in  niches  in  the 
hall,  and  in  the  avenues  leading  from 
one  apartment  to  another  ;  the  armory 
was  filled  with  coats  of  mail,  helmets, 
spears,  and  various  ancient  instruments 
of  warfare  ;  and  some  thousands  of  vo- 
lumes were  arranged  in  the  library. 
The  pomp  and  splendor  of  the  whole 
were  enough  to  make  any  one  believe 
that  the  possessor  of  such  a  mansion 
must  be  a  rich  man ;  and  yet,  at  the 
moment  that  I  was  walking  through  his 
castle,  he  himself  was  not  permitted  to 
enter  it !  His  constitution  was  decayed ; 
his  conduct  had  diminished  his  re- 
sources, so  that  his  own  castle  was,  for 
a  season,  closed  against  him.  How 
then  could  he  be  a  rich  who  had  neither 
health  of  body  nor  peace  of  mind  ? 

Now,  it  happened,  at  the  time  of 
which  I  am  speaking,  that  I  knew  a 
man  who  was  considered  poor,  who  lived 
at  no  great  distance  from  the  castle. 
He  dwelt  near  the  road  side,  and  though 
he  had  neither  turrets,  nor  lawns,  nor 
goodly  cedars,  yet  his  cottage  was  a 
comfortable  abode  ;  the  green  before  his 
door  was  very  pleasant,  and  the  fruit 
trees  in  his  little  garden  were  covered 
with  blossoms. 

He  had  neither  paintings,  statues,  nor 


RICHES. 


374 


vases  ;  nor  would  they  have  made  him 
more  happy  had  he  possessed  them.  A 
sampler,  which  had  been  wrought  by 
his  wife  in  her  youthful  days,  hung 
framed  and  glazed  opposite  the  window  ; 
and  a  painted  tea-tray  was  placed  up- 
right upon  a  table  against  the  wall : 
these  were  the  principal  decorations  of 
his  humble  abode.  His  library  was  not 
like  that  of  the  castle,  for  it  consisted 
only  of  about  half-a-dozen  books,  one 
of  which  was  the  Bible,  and  a  few  tracts. 
He  was  a  hard-working  man,  had  an 
excellent  constitution,  which  he  did  not 
abuse  ;  and,  what  was  better  than  all, 
he  was  a  reader  of  his  Bible,  and  a 
humble  and  sincere  disciple  of  Jesus 
Christ.  He  had  health  of  body  and 
peace  of  mind. 

(c)  THE  MERCHANT  AND  THE 
"  WHITE  STONE."— In  the  strait 
between  Johor  and  Rhio,  there  is  a 
small  white  rock,  called  the  "  White  j 
Stone,"  very  little  elevated  above  the  | 
water,  and  so  exactly  in  the  centre  of 
the  passage,  that  many  vessels,  un- 
acquainted with  it,  have  been  wrecked 
upon  it.  A  Portuguese  merchant  pass- 
ing this  strait,  in  a  vessel  of  his  own, 
richly  laden  with  gold,  and  other  va- 
luable commodities,  asked  the  pilot 
when  this  rock  would  be  passed  :  but 
each  moment  appearing  to  him  long 
until  he  was  secure  from  the  danger, 
he  repeated  his  question  so  often, 
that  the  pilot  impatiently  told  him  the 
rock  was  passed.  The  merchant,  trans- 
ported with  joy,  impiously  exclaim- 
ed, that  "  God  could  not  now  make 
him  poor."  But  in  a  little  while,  the 
vessel  struck  on  the  White  Stone,  and 
all  his  wealth  was  ingulfed  in  the 
abyss ;  life  alone  remained,  to  make 
him  feel  his  misery  and  his  punishment. 

(d)  "  IT  WILL  NOT  DO."— Mr. 
Jeremiah  Burroughs,  a  pious  minister, 
mentions  the  case  of  a  rich  man,  who, 
when  he  lay  on  his  sick-bed,  called  for 
his  bags  of  money ;  and  having  laid  a 
bag  of  gold  to  his  heart,  after  a  little  he 
bade  them  take  it  away,  saying,  "  It 
will  not  do  !  it  will  not  do  !" 

(e)  THE  RICH  MAN'S  PORTION. 
— A  nobleman,  who  lived  in  the  neigh- 
borhood   of  the  Rev.  Mr.  D ,  one 

day  asked  him  to  dine  with  him.     Be- 


fore dinner  they  walked  into  the  garden, 
and  after  viewing  the  various  produc- 
tions and  rarities  with  which  it  abounded, 
his    lordship    exclaimed,    "  Well,    Mr. 

D ,  you  see  I  want  for  nothing  :  I 

have  all  that  my  heart  can  wish  for." 
As  Mr.  D made  no  reply,  but  ap- 
peared thoughtful,  his  lordship  asked 
him  the  reason.  "  Why,  my  lord," 
said  the  old  man,  "  I  have  been  think- 
ing, that  a  man  may  have  all  these 
things,  and  go  to  hell  after  all.  The 
words  powerfully  struck  the  nobleman, 
and  through  the  blessing  of  God  termi- 
nated in  his  conversion. 

( /)  THE  NOBLEMAN  AND  THE 
COTTAGER.— A  nobleman  in  the 
north  of  England  once  said  to  a  gentle- 
man who  accompanied  him  in  a  walk, 
"  These  beautiful  grounds,  as  far  as  your 
eye  can  reach,  those  majestic  woods  on 
the  brow  of  the  distant  hills,  and  those  ex- 
tensive and  valuable  mines  belong  to 
me  ;  yonder  powerful  steam  engine  ob- 
tains the  produce  of  my  mines ;  and 
those  ships  convey  my  wealth  to  other 
parts  of  the  kingdom."  '•'  Well,  my 
lord,"  replied  the  gentleman,  "  do  you 
see  yonder  little  hovel  that  seems  but  a 
speck  in  your  estate  ?  there  dwells  a 
poor  woman  who  can  say  more  than  all 
this,  for  she  can  say,  '  Christ  is  mine.' 
In  a  very  few  years  your  lordship's  pos- 
sessions will  be  confined  within  the 
scanty  limits  of  a  tomb  ;  but  she  will 
then  have  entered  on  a  far  nobler  inhe- 
ritance than  your  lordship  now  possesses 
— an  inheritance  incorruptible,  unde- 
filed,  and  that  fadeth  not  away,  reserved 
in  heaven  for  those  who  are  kept  by  the 
power  of  God  through  faith  unto  salva- 
tion." 

(g)  CHOOSING  AFFLICTION.— 
The  Rev.  H.Venn  once  told  his  children, 
that  he  would  take  them  to  see  one  of 
the  most  interesting  sights  in  the  world. 
He  would  not  tell  them  what  it  was ; 
but  in  the  evening  led  them  to  a  miser- 
able hovel,  whose  ruinous  walls  and 
broken  windows  showed  an  extreme  de- 
gree of  poverty  and  want.  "  Now," 
said  he,  "  my  dear  children,  can  any 
one  that  lives  in  such  a  wretched  habi- 
tation as  this  be  happy  ?  Yet  this  is 
not  all  ;  a  poor  young  man  lies  there  on 
a  miserable  straw  bed,  dving  of  disease, 
739 


374,  375 


RIDICULE. 


at  the  age  of  nineteen,  consumed  with 
fever,  and  afflicted  with  nine  painful 
ulcers."  "  How  wretched  !"  they  all 
exclaimed.  He  then  led  them  into  the 
cottage,  and  addressing  the  poor  dying 
young  man,  said,  "  Abraham  Midwood, 
I  have  brought  my  children  here  to  show 
them  that  it  is  possible  to  be  happy  in  a 
state  of  disease,  and  poverty,  and  want : 
now,  tell  them  if  it  is  not  so."  The 
dying  youth,  with  a  sweet  smile,  replied, 
"  Oh !  yes,  sir ;  I  would  not  change 
my  state  with  that  of  the  richest  person 
on  earth,  who  has  not  those  views  which 
I  have.  Blessed  be  God  !  I  have  a  good 
hope,  through  Christ,  of  being  admitted 
into  those  blessed  regions  where  Lazarus 
now  dwells,  having  long  forgotten  all 
his  sorrows  and  miseries.  Sir,  this  is 
nothing  to  bear  whilst  the  presence  of 
God  cheers  my  soul,  and  whilst  I  can 
have  access  to  him,  by  constant  prayer, 
through  faith  in  Jesus.  Indeed,  sir,  I 
am  truly  happy,  and  I  trust  to  be  happy 
through  eternity ;  and  I  every  hour 
thank  God,  who  has  brought  me  from 
a  state  of  darkness  into  marvelous  light, 
and  has  given  me  to  enjoy  the  unsearch- 
able riches  of  his  grace." 

(h)  CECIL'S  RICH  HEARER.— 
Mr.  Cecil  had  a  rich  hearer,  who,  when 
a  young  man  had  solicited  his  advice, 
but  who  had  not,  for  some  time,  had  an 
interview  with  him.  Mr.  C.  one  day 
went  to  hi-s  house  on  horseback,  being 
unable  to  walk,  and,  after  the  usual  sa- 
lutations, adressed  him  thus  : — "  I  un- 
derstand you  are  very  dangerously  sit- 
uated !"  Here  he  paused,  and  his 
friend  replied,  "  I  am  not  aware  of  it, 
sir."  "  ]  thought  it  was  probable  you 
were  not ;  and  therefore  I  have  called 
on  you.  I  hear  you  are  getting  rich  ; 
take  care,  for  it  is  the  road  by  which 


j  the  devil  leads  thousands  to  destruction !" 
!  This  was  spoken  with  such  solemnity 
j  and  earnestness,  that  it  made  a  deep  and 
lasting  impression. 

(zV  FULLER'S  QUESTION.— 
"  This  morning,"  says  Mr.  Fuller,  "  I 
have  read  another  of  Edwards'  sermons, 
on  God  the  Christianas  Portion,  from 
Psalm  Ixxiii.  25.  The  latter  part  comes 
very  close,  and  1  feel  myself  at  a  loss 
what  to  judge  as  to  God's  being  my 
chief  good.  He  asks,  whether  we  had 
rather  live  in  this  world  rich  and  with- 
out God,  or  poor  and  with  him  ?  Per- 
haps I  should  not  be  so  much  at  a  loss 
to  decide  this  question  as  another  ;  name- 
ly, had  I  rather  be  rich  in  this  world, 
and  enjoy  but  little  of  God  ;  or  poor  and 
enjoy  7nuch  of  God  ?  I  am  confident 
the  practice  of  great  numbers  of  pro- 
fessing Christians  declares  that  they 
prefer  the  former ;  and  in  some  in- 
stances 1  feel  guiltv  of  the  same  thing." 
(j)  "  P  O  S  S  E  S  S  I  N  G  ALL 
THINGS."— A  lady  in  England,  more 
than  seventy  years  of  age,  who  had  long 
been  known  as  an  "  Israelite  indeed," 
was  called,  in  the  providence  of  God, 
to  pass  her  last  days  in  a  poor-house. 

She  was  visited  one  day  by  a  Wes. 
leyan  minister  ;  and  while  in  conversa- 
tion with  her  on  the  comforts,  prospects, 
and  rewards  of  religion,  he  saw  an  un- 
usual lustre  beaming  from  her  counte- 
nance, and  the  calmness  of  Christian 
triumph  glistening  in  her  eye.  Ad- 
dressing her  by  name,  he  said,  "  Will 
you  tell  me  what  thought  it  was  that 
passed  through  your  mind,  which  was 
the  cause  of  your  appearing  so  joyful  ?" 
The  reply  of  the  "  old  disciple"  was, 
"  Oh  f  sir,  I  was  just  thinking  what  a 
change  it  will  he  from  the  poor-house  to 


HEAVEN 


f" 


375.  RIDICULE. 


(a)  LAUGHED  OUT  OF  RELI- 
GION.— A  poor  man,  who  had  heard 
the  preaching  of  the  Gospel,  and  to 
whom  it  had  been  greatly  blessed,  was 
the  subject  of  much  profane  jesting  and 
ridicule  among  his  fellow  workmen  and 
neighbors.  On  being  asked  if  these 
740 


daily  persecutions  did  not  sometimes 
make  him  ready  to  give  up  his  profes- 
sion of  attachment  to  Divine  truth,  he 
replied,  "  No ;  I  recollect  that  our  good 
minister  once  said  in  his  sermon,  that  if 
we  were  so  foolish  as  to  permit  such  people 
to  laugh  us  out  of  our  religion,  till  at 


ROBBERS— ROBBERY. 


3T5,  SrO 


last  we  dropped  into  hell,  they  could 
not  laugh  us  out  again." 

(h)  LANDLADY'S  GIFT  TO  AD- 
MIRAL  COLPOYS.— Admiral  Col- 
poys,  who  rose  to  that  high  station 
as  the  effect  of  his  meritorious  exer- 
tions, used  to  be  fond  of  relating,  that 
on  first  leaving  an  humble  lodging  to 
join  his  ship,  as  a  midshipman,  his 
landlady  presented  him  with  a  Bible  and 


a  guinea,  saying,  "  God  bless  you,  and 
prosper  you,  my  lad  ;  and  as  long  as 
you  live,  never  suffer  yourself  to  be 
laughed  out  of  your  money  or  your 
prayers."  The  young  sailor  carefully 
followed  this  advice  through  life,  and 
had  reason  to  rejoice  that  he  did  so ; 
while  thousands  have  unavailingly  re- 
gretted that  they  pursued  a  different 
course. 


376.  ROBBERS— ROBBERY. 


(a)  ROBBERY  ITS  OWN  PUN- 
ISHMENT.—The  only  sailor  who  per- 
ished  in  the  Kent  Indiaman  was  pres- 
ent in  the  hold  very  shortly  after  the 
commencement  of  the  fire  which  des- 
troyed the  vessel,  when,  availing  him- 
self of  the  confusion,  he  hastened  to 
the  cabin  of  the  second  mate,  forced 
open  a  desk,  and  took  from  thence  four 
hundred  sovereigns,  which  he  rolled  up 
in  a  handkerchief,  and  tied  round  his 
waist ;  but  in  attempting  to  leap  into 
one  of  the  boats,  he  fell  short,  and  the 
weight  of  his  spoils  caused  him  imme- 
diately to  sink !  Unhappy  sailor !  of 
what  avail  were  his  four  hundred  sove- 
reigns when  he  lifted  up  his  eyes  in  an 
eternal  world,  and  stood  before  the  right- 
eous Judge  as  a  self-convicted  robber  ? 
What  if  he  had  gained  the  whole  world, 
and  could  have  put  it  round  him  ?  It 
would  only  have  sunk  him  deeper  and 
quicker  into  the  bottomless  pit.  How 
many  millions  of  immortal  souls  have 
gone  down  to  this  abyss,  loaded  with 
ill-gotten  wealth  ! 

(b)  WARNING  TO  YOUTH.— 
The  St.  Louis  Reveille  contains  an  ac- 
count of  the  death  of  a  young  man  by 
the  name  of  Leak,  who,  although  only 
twenty-two  years  of  age,  had  made 
himself  notorious  in  crime.  He  was 
arrested  for  robbing  a  store,  having 
been  betrayed  by  one  of  his  compan- 
ions in  crime.  He  plead  his  own  case 
before  the  jury,  and  besought  them  to 
deal  lightly  with  him,  for  he  was  both 
young  in  years  and  in  the  knowledge 
of  crime.  The  jury  leaned  to  the  side 
of  mercy,  and  instead  of  ten,  alloted 
him  four  years  in  the  state  penitentiary. 


A  struggle  now  commenced  in  the  fel- 
on's heart  which  finally  ended  in  sui- 
cide. 

Nashville,  the  seat  of  the  state  pris- 
on, was  the  home  of  his  childhood,  and 
his  aged  mother  lived  there,  highly  res- 
pected ;  his  brother  and  sisters,  also, 
the  former  being  a  respectable  mer- 
chant of  that  city.  He  spoke  frequent- 
ly on  the  trip  up,  of  how  hard  it  would 
be  for  him  to  pass  his  mother's  door  in 
chains,  on  his  way  to  prison,  and  said 
he  would  rather  die  than  undergo  the 
ignominy.  The  companions  of  his 
childhood,  his  schoolmates,  he  said, 
would  gather  about  him  and  look  upon 
his  wretched  felon  carcass  until  their 
eyes  would  burn  into  his  heart.  To 
his  wretchedness  of  mind  was  added 
sickness  of  body,  and  at  length,  when 
eight  miles  above  Cairo,  on  the  Ohio 
river,  the  miserable  felon,  bearing  the 
manacle  badges  of  his  wickedness  upon 
his  person,  plunged  Into  the  river  and 
ended  his  guilty  career.  "  Truly  the 
way  of  the  transgressor  is  hard." 

(c)  ROBBER  ^SON  RECLAIMED. 
— The  following  is  related  of  Mr.  John 
Welsh.  He  was,  it  is  said,  a  most 
hopeless  and  extravagant  youth.  He 
frequently  played  truant ;  and,  at  last, 
while  very  young,  he  left  his  studies, 
and  his  father's  house,  and  went  and 
joined  himself  to  the  thieves  on  the 
borders  of  the  then  two  kingdoms,  who 
lived  by  robbery  and  plunder.  After 
he  had  suffered  many  hardships  among 
them,  and,  like  the  prodigal  in  the  gos- 
pel, began  to  be  in  great  misery,  and 
no  man  gave  unto  him,  he  took  the 
prodigal's  resolution  to  return  home  to 
741 


977 


RULE,  GOLDEN,  THE. 


his  father's  house.  He  made  Dumfries 
in  his  way  homeward,  where  lived  a 
Mrs.  Forgath,  his  father's  cousin  :  he 
earnestly  entreated  her  to  bring  about  a 
reconciliation  for  him  with  his  father. 

He  had  not  been  long  with  this 
lady,  before  his  father  came,  providen- 
tially, to  visit  her  ;  to  whom,  after  con- 
versing a  while,  she  said,  "  Cousin,  have 
you  heard  any  thing  of  your  son 
John  ?"  "  Oh  !  cruel  woman !'"'  said 
the  father,  with  grief,  "  how  can  you 
mention  his  name  to  me  ?  The  first 
news  I  expect  to  hear  of  him,  is,  that 
he  is  hanged  for  a  thief."  She  an- 
swered, "  Many  a  profligate  boy  has 
become  a  virtuous  man  ;"  and  endeav- 
ored to  comfort  him,  but  in  vain.  At 
length,  he  asked  her  if  she  knew 
whether  his  lost  son  was  yet  living. 
She  answered,  "  Yes,  he  is  yet  alive, 
and  I  hope  he  will  make  a  better  man 
than  he  was  a  boy,"  at  the  same  time 
she  introduced  him  to  his  father.     The 


youth  came  in  weeping,  and  threw  him- 
self at  his  father's  feet,  beseeching  him, 
for  Christ's  sake,  to  pardon  his  misbe- 
havior,  and  earnestly,  and  with  much 
apparent  sincerity,  promising  future 
amendment.  His  father  reproached  and 
threatened  him ;  but,  upon  the  impor- 
tunities  of  Mrs.  Forgath,  he  was  per- 
suaded to  a  reconciliation.  He  then 
besought  his  father  to  send  him  to  col- 
lege, saying,  "  that  if  ever  he  misbe- 
haved again,  he  would  be  content  that 
his  father  should  disclaim  him  forever." 
His  father  granted  him  his  request; 
and,  after  a  little  time  spent  there,  not 
only  a  thorough  reformation,  but  a  sav 
ing  conversion,  took  place  in  him  ;  and 
he  was  so  diligent  a  student,  that,  in 
much  less  time  than  could  be  expected, 
he  went  through  all  his  necessary  stud- 
ies, and  entered  early  into  the  ministry. 
He  became  one  of  the  most  extraordi- 
nary characters  of  his  age. 


377.  RULE,  GOLDEN,  THE. 


(a)  GOLDEN  RULE  VIOLA- 
TED.— The  manner  in  which  some 
professed  Christians  violate  the  golden 
rule  in  their  business  transactions,  is 
deeply  to  be  regretted  as  evidence  of 
the  bluntness  of  their  moral  perceptions, 
as  a  disgrace  to  the  cause  of  true  reli- 
gion, and  a  stumbling-block  to  the  im- 
penitent. The  correspondent  of  a  cer- 
tain religious  journal  says,  "  I  passed 
an  American  eagle  and  a  Spanish  doub- 
loon to  a  countryman,  for  value  re- 
ceived, as  I  had  given  full  value  for 
them.  True,  I  had  heard  from  a  gen- 
tleman broker,  that  they  were  of  suspi- 
cious character,  and  probably  base  met- 
al merely  baptized  in  gold.  But  as  I 
did  not  certainly  know  that  they  were 
base  coins,  ought  I  to  have  offered  them 
to  persons  who  were  not  judges  of  them, 
without  any  intimation  of  the  report  ?  I 
also  passed  in  silence  a  850  bank  note 
of  doubtful  character,  to  a  farmer, 
which  I  had  unsuspectingly  received  in 
a  fair  sale  of  the  necessaries  of  life  ; 
but  not  knowing  it  to  be  a  counterfeit,  I 
did  not  altogether  condemn  myself,  as  I 
742 


had  said  nothing  in  commendation  of  it. 
But  on  reading  some  of  your  remarks  I 
fear  I  have  done  wrong.  Pray  what  is 
your  opinion  ?"  The  editor  promptly 
replies,  "  My  opinion  is  that  you  did  a 
moral  wrong.  You  have  not  done  to 
another  what  you  would  have  done  to 
you  ?"  And  the  editor's  reply  is  the 
heartfelt  response  of  every  enlightened, 
conscientious  Christian,  who  will,  for  a 
moment,  make  the  case  of  the  "  coun- 
tryman" and  "  farmer,"  who  were  de- 
ceived by  the  money,  their  own. 

Take  another  instance  of  the  viola- 
tion of  the  same  precept.  "  I  heard," 
says  a  Western  Preacher,  "  a  conversa- 
tion between  a  father  and  a  son,  both 
members  of  the  same  church,  in  the 
presence  too  of  both  their  families. 
"  My  son,"  said  he,  "  you  got  cheated 
in  that  horse :  he  stumbles  wretchedly, 
and  will  certainly  go  blind.  You 
ought  to  sell  him  the  first  opportunity." 
"  Yes,  father,  1  was  deceived  :  but  he 
is  a  good  looking  horse  ;  and  I  think  by 
putting  him  into  the  hands  of  your  auc- 
tioneer I  can  sell  him  for  cost."    "  You 


SABBATH,  THE  CHRISTIAN. 


371',  JJ78 


ought  then  to  do  it  soon,"  replied  his 
father,  "  or  perhaps  you  will  lose  by 
the  transaction."  "  I  will  send  him  to 
town  to-morrow,  and  let  the  bidder  do 
as  I  did — trust  to  his  own  eyes  and 
judgment,  for  I  will  not  warrant  him." 
''  You  ought  not  to  warrant  him  for  two 
reasons — first,  because  the  thing  is 
wrong  in  itself;  and  in  the  next  place, 
you  might  be  made  to  pay  the  damages. 
Honesty  is  the  best  policy,  my  son. 
Remember  that."  Strange  that  pro- 
fessed Christians  should  talk  in  this 
manner  !  Fluently  and  conscientiously 
passing  a  cheat  upon  themselves,  and 
acting  the  villain  under  the  guise  of  hon- 
esty and  fair  dealing.  How  differs  such  a 
transaction  in  principle  from  robbery  ? 
Touch  such  a  transaction  with  the  gol- 
den rule,  and  its  true  character  and  de- 
formity will  be  at  once  apparent,  like- 
those  of  Satan  at  the  touch  of  Ithuriel's 
spear. 


{h)  TEDYNSCUNG  AND  HIS 
FRIEND. — Tedynscung  was  a  cele- 
brated chief  among  the  Delaware  In- 
dians  of  North  America,  about  1780. 
The  efforts  of  the  Christian  missiona- 
ries had  been  the  means  of  diffusing 
much  scriptural  knowledge  among  the 
native  Indians,  and  their  doctrines  were 
frequently  the  subject  of  conversation 
among  them.  One  evening,  Tedyn- 
scung was  sitting  by  the  fireside  of  hi& 
friend,  who  mentioned  the  golden  rule 
to  him  as  very  excellent,  "  For  one 
man  to  do  to  another  as  he  would  the 
other  should  do  to  him!"  "  It  is  im- 
possible ;  it  cannot  be  done,"  said  the 
Indian  chief.  After  smoking  his  pipe, 
and  musing  for  about  a  quarter  of  an 
hour,  Tedynscung  again  gave  his  opin- 
ion, and  said,  "  Brother,  I  have  been 
thoughtful  on  what  you  told  me.  If 
the  great  Spirit  that  made  man  would 
give  him  a  new  heart,  he  could  do  so 
as  you  say,  but  not  else." 


SABBATH,  THE  CHRISTIAN. 


BENEFITS  OF  THE  SABBATH. 

178.  Physical  Benefits  to  Domestic  Ani- 
mals. 

{a)  THE  DROVERS  AND 
THEIR  SHEEP.— Two  neighbors  in 
the  state  of  New- York,  each  with  a 
drove  of  sheep,  started  on  the  same  day 
for  a  distant  market.  One  started  sev- 
eral hours  before  the  other,  and  travel- 
ed uniformly  every  day.  The  other 
rested  every  Sabbath.  Yet  he  arrived 
at  the  market  first,  with  his  flock  in  a 
better  condition  than  that  of  the  other. 
In  giving  an  account  of  it,  he  said  that 
he  drove  his  sheep  on  Monday  about 
seventeen  miles,  on  Tuesday  not  over 
sixteen,  and  so  lessening  each  day,  till 
on  Saturday  he  drove  them  only  about 
eleven  miles.  But  on  Monday,  after 
resting  on  the  Sabbath,  they  would 
travel  again  seventeen  miles,  and  so  on 
each  week.  But  his  neighbor's  sheep, 
which  were  not  allowed  to  rest  on  the 
Sabbath,  before  they  arrived  at  the  mar- 
ket, could  not  travel  without  injury 
more  than  six  or  eight  miles  in  a  day. 


(J)     WAY  TO  EXPEDITION.— 

At  a  tavern  in  Pennsylvania,  a  man, 
who  had  arrived  the  evening  before, 
was  asked  on  Sabbath  morning  whether 
he  intended  to  pursue  his  journey  on 
that  day.  He  answered,  "  No."  He 
was  asked,  "  Why  not  ?"  "  Because," 
said  he,  "  I  am  on  a  long  journey,  and 
wish  to  perform  it  as  soon  as  I  can.  I 
have  long  been  accustomed  to  travel  on 
horseback,  and  have  found  that,  if  I 
stop  on  the  Sabbath,  my  horse  will 
travel  farther  during  the  week  than  if  I 
do  not." 

(c)  THE  VICTORIOUS  TRAV- 
ELER. — A  gentleman  started  from 
Connecticut  with  his  family  for  Ohio. 
He  was  on  the  road  about  four  weeks, 
and  rested  every  Sabbath.  From  morn- 
ing to  night  others,  journeying  the  same 
way,  were  passing  by.  Before  the  close 
of  the  week  he  passed-  them.  Those 
who  went  by  late  on  the  Sabbath  he 
passed  on  Monday  ;  those  who  went  by 
a  little  earlier  he  passed  on  Tuesday  ; 
and  so  on,  till  before  the  next  Sabbath 
he  had  passed  them  all.  His  horses 
were  no  better  than  theirs,  nor  were 
743 


378,  379 


SABBATH,  THE  CHRISTIAN. 


they  better  fed.  But  having  had  the 
benefit  of  resting  on  the  Sabbath,  ac- 
cording to  the  command  of  God  and  the 
law  of  nature,  they  could  out-travel 
those  who  had  violated  that  law. 

(d)  MANUFACTURERS  AND 
THEIR  TEAMS.— A  manufacturing 
company,  which  had  been  accustomed 
to  carry  their  goods  to  market  with 
their  own  teams,  kept  them  employed 
seven  days  in  a  week,  as  that  was  the 
time  in  which  they  could  go  to  the  mar- 
ket and  return.  But  by  permitting  the 
teams  to  rest  on  the  Sabbath,  they  found 
that  they  could  drive  them  the  same 
distance  in  six  days,  that  they  formerly 
did  in  seven,  and  v/ith  the  same  keep- 
ing preserve  them  in  better  order. 

{e)  THE  TEAMSTER  AND  HIS 
HORSES. — A  gentleman  in  Vermont, 
who  was  in  the  habit  of  driving  his 
horses  twelve  miles  a  day  seven  days  in 
a  week,  afterwards  changed  his  practice, 
and  drove  them  but  six  days,  allowing 
them  to  rest  one.  He  then  found  that,  with 
the  same  keeping,  he  could  drive  them 
fifteen  miles  a  day,  and  preserve  them 
in  as  good  order  as  before.  So  that  a 
man  may  rest  on  the  Sabbath,  and  let 
his  horses  rest,  yet  promote  the  benefit 
of  both,  and  be  in  all  respects  the 
gainer. 

(/)  EXPERIMENT  WITH  CAT- 
TLE.— A  number  of  men  started  to- 
gether from  Ohio,  with  droves  of  cattle 
ibr  Philadelphia.  They  had  often  been 
before,  and  had  been  accustomed  to  drive 
on  the  Sabbath  as  on  other  days.  One  had 
now  changed  his  views  as  to  the  pro- 
propriety  of  traveling  on  that  day.  On 
Saturday  he  inquired  for  pastures. 
His  associates  wondered  that  so  shrewd 
a  man  should  think  of  consuming  so 
great  a  portion  of  his  profits  by  stopping 
with  such  a  drove  a  whole  day.  He 
stopped,  however,  and  kept  the  Sabbath. 
They,  thinking  that  they  could  not  af- 
ford to  do  so,  went  on.  On  Monday  he 
started  again.  In  the  course  of  the 
week  he  passed  them,  arrived  first  in 
the  market,  and  sold  his  cattle  to  great 
advantage.  So  impressed  were  the 
others  with  the  benefits  of  thus  keeping 
the  Sabbath,  that  ever  afterwards  they 
followed  his  example. 
744 


m.  Physical  Benefits  to  Man. 

(a)  PHYSICIANS  OF  ROCHES. 
TER. — Dr,  F.  Backus  and  seven  other 
respectable  physicians  of  Rochester, 
New- York,  have  given  the  following 
testimony  :  "  Having  most  of  us  lived 
on  the  Erie  Canal  since  its  completion, 
we  have  uniformly  witnessed  the  same 
deteriorating  effects  of  seven  days'  work- 
ing upon  the  physical  constitution,  both 
of  man  and  beast,  as  have  been  so  ably 
depicted  by  Dr.  Farre."  They  are 
more  sickly  than  others,  bring  upon 
themselves,  in  great  numbers,  a  prema- 
ture old  age,  and  sink  to  an  untimely 
grave. 

(b)  EXPERIMENT  IN  A  MILL, 
— The  experiment  was  tried  in  a  large 

I  flouring  establishment.  For  a  number 
of  years  they  worked  the  mills  seven 
days  in  a  week.  The  superintendent 
was  then  changed.  He  ordered  all  the 
works  to  be  stopped  at  eleven  o'clock  on 
Saturday  night,  and  to  start  none  of 
them  till  one  o'clock  on  Monday  morn- 
ing, thus  allowing  a  full  Sabbath  every 
week.  And  the  same  men,  during  the 
year,  actually  ground  thousands  of 
bushels  more  than  had  ever  been 
ground,  in  a  single  year,  in  that  estab- 
lishment before.  The  men,  having 
been  permitted  to  cleanse  themselves, 
put  on  their  best  apparel,  rest  from 
worldly  business,  go  with  their  families 
to  the  house  of  God,  and  devote  the 
Sabbath  to  its  appropriate  duties,  were 
more  healthy,  moral,  punctual  and  dili- 
gent. They  lost  less  time  in  drinking, 
dissipation  and  quarrels.  They  were 
more  clear-headed  and  whole-hearted, 
knew  better  how  to  do  things,  and  were 
more  disposed  to  do  them  in  the  right 
way. 

(c)  RESULT  OF  EXPERIENCE. 
— In  the  year  1839  a  committee  was 
appointed  in  the  legislature  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, who  made  a  report  with  regard 
to  the  employment  of  laborers  on  their 
canals.  In  that  report,  they  say,  in 
reference  to  those  who  had  petitioned 
against  the  employment  of  the  work- 
men on  the  Sabbath,  •"  They  assert,  as 
the  result  of  their  experience,  that  both 
man   and   beast  can  do  more  work  by 


BENEFITS  OF  THE  SABBATH. 


3T9 


resting  one  day  in  seven,  than  by  work- 
ing on  the  whole  seven."  They  then 
add,  "  Your  committee  feel  free  to  con- 
fess, that  their  own  experience  as  busi- 
ness men,  farmers,  or  legislators,  cor- 
responds with  the  assertion." 

{d)  EXPERIMENT  IN  THE 
LAST  WAR. — An  experiment  was 
tried  on  the  northern  frontier  of  the  Uni- 
ted States,  during  the  last  war.  When 
building  vessels,  making  roads,  and  per- 
forming other  laborious  services,  the 
commander  stated  that  it  was  not  prof- 
itable to  employ  the  men  on  the  Sabbath, 
for  it  was  found  that  they  could  not,  in 
the  course  of  the  week,  do  as  much 
work. 

{e)  BRITISH  HOUSE  OF  COM- 
MONS.—In  the  year  1832,  the  British 
House  of  Commons  appointed  a  commit- 
tee to  investigate  the  effects  of  labor- 
ing seven  days  in  a  week,  compared 
with  those  of  laboring  only  six,  and 
resting  one.  That  committee  consisted 
of  Sir  i\ndrew  Agnew,  Sir  Robert  Peel, 
Sir  Robert  Inglis,  Sir  Thomas  Baring, 
Sir  George  Murray,  Powell  Buxton, 
Lord  Morpeth,  Lord  Ashley,  Lord  Vis- 
count Sandon,  and  twenty  other  mem- 
bers of  Parliament.  They  examined 
a  great  number  of  witnesses,  of  various 
professions  and  employments.  Among 
them  was  John  Richard  Farre,  M.  D., 
of  London  ;  of  whom  they  speak  as  "  an 
acute  and  experienced  physician." 
The  following  is  the  testimony  : 

"  I  have  practised  as  a  physician  be- 
tween thirty  and  forty  years  ;  and  dur- 
ing the  early  part  of  my  life,  as  the 
physician  of  a  public  medical  institu- 
tion. I  had  charge  of  the  poor  in  one 
of  the  most  populous  districts  of  London. 
I  have  had  occasion  to  observe  the  ef- 
fect of  the  observance  and  non-observ- 
ance of  the  seventh  day  of  rest  during 
this  time.  I  have  been  in  the  habit, 
during  a  great  many  years,  of  consi- 
dering the  tLses  of  the  Sabbath,  and  of 
observing  its  abuses.  The  abuses  are 
chiefly  manifested  in  labor  and  dissipa- 
pation.  Its  use,  medically  speaking,  is 
that  of  a  day  of  rest. 

"  As  a  day  of  rest,  I  view  it  as  a  day 
of  compensation  for  the  inadecpiate  re- 
storative power  of  the  body  under  con- 
tinued labor  and  excitement.     A  physi- 


cian always  has  respect  to  the  preser- 
vation of  the  restorative  power ;  because, 
if  once  this  be  lost,  his  healing  office  is 
at  an  end.  A  physician  is  anxious  to 
preserve  the  balance  of  circulation,  as 
necessary  to  the  restorative  power  of 
the  body.  The  ordinary  exertions  of 
man  run  down  the  circulation  every  day 
of  his  life  ;  and  the  first  general  law  of 
nature,  by  which  God  prevents  man 
from  destroying  himself,  is  the  alternat- 
ing of  day  and  night,  that  repose  may 
succeed  action.  But,  although  the 
night  apparently  equalizes  the  circula- 
tion, yet  it  does  not  sufficiently  restore 
its  balance  for  the  attainment  of  a  long 
life.  Hence,  one  day  in  seven,  by  the 
bounty  of  Providence,  is  thrown  in  as 
a  day  of  compensation,  to  perfect  by  its 
repose  the  animal  system. 

"  I  consider,  therefore,  that,  in  the 
bountiful  provision  of  Providence  for 
the  preservation  of  human  life,  the  sab- 
batical appointment  is  not,  as  it  has 
been  sometimes  theologically  viewed, 
simply  a  precept  partaking  of  the  na- 
ture of  a  political  institution,  but  that  it 
is  to  be  numbered  amongst  the  natural 
duties,  if  the  preservation  of  life  be  ad- 
mitted to  be  a  duty,  and  tlie  premature 
destruction  of  it  a  suicidal  act." 

(/)  NEW^  HAVEN  MEDICAL  AS- 
SOCIATION.— At  a  regular  meeting 
of  the  New  Haven  Medical  Association, 
composed  of  twenty-five  physicians, 
among  whom  were  the  professors  of  the 
Medical  College,  the  following  questions 
were  considered  : 

1 .  Is  the  position  taken  by  Dr.  Farre 
in  his  testimony  before  the  committee 
of  the  British  House  of  Commons,  in 
your  view,  correct  ? 

2.  Will  men  who  labor  but  six  days 
in  a  week  be  more  healthy  and  live 
longer,  other  things  being  equal,  than 
those  who  labor  seven  ? 

3.  Will  they  do  more  work,  and  do 
it  in  a  better  manner? 

The  vote  on  the  above  was  unani- 
mously in  the  affirmative  ;  signed  by  Eli 
Ives,  chairman,  and  Pliny  A.  Jewett, 
clerk. 

{g)  MINISTER  OF  MARINE  IN 

FRANCE. — The  minister  of  marine  in 

France  has  addressed  a  letter  to  all  the 

maritime    prefects,   directing   that    no 

745 


379,  380 


SABBATH.  THE  CHRISTIAN. 


workman,  except  in  case  of  absolute 
necessity,  be  employed  in  the  govern- 
ment dock-yards  on  the  Sabbath.  One 
reason  which  he  gives  is,  that  men  who 
do  not  rest  on  the  Sabbath  do  not  per- 
form as  much  labor  during  the  week, 
and,  of  course,  that  it  is  not  profitable 
to  the  state  to  have  labor  performed  on 
that  day.  Another  reason  is,  that  it  is 
useful  to  the  state  to  promote  among 
the  laboring  classes  the  religious  observ- 
ance of  the  Sabbath. 

(h)  THOROUGH  EXPERIMENT 
WITH  LABORERS.— Nor  is  it  true 
that  men  who  labor  six  days  in  a  week, 
and  rest  on  one,  are  more  healthy  mere- 
ly, and  live  longer  than  those  who  la- 
bor seven  ;  but  they  do  more  work,  and 
in  a  better  manner.  The  experiment 
was  tried  in  England  upon  two  thou- 
sand men.  They  were  employed  for 
years,  seven  days  in  a  week.  To 
render  Ihem  contented  in  giving  up 
their  right  to  the  Sabbath,  as  a  day  of 
rest,  that  birthright  of  the  human  family, 
they  paid  them  double  wages  on  that 
day,  eight  days'  wages  for  seven  days' 
work.  But  they  could  not  keep  them 
healthy,  nor  make  them  moral.  Nor 
can  men  ever  be  made  moral,  or  kept 
most  healthy  in  that  way.  Things  went 
badly,  and  they  changed  their  course 
— employed  the  workmen  only  six  days 
in  a  week;  and  allowed  them  to  rest  on 
the  Sabbath.  The  consequence  was, 
that  they  did  more  work  than  ever  be- 
fore. This,  the  superintendent  said, 
was  owing  to  two  causes,  viz. :  demor- 
alization of  the  people  under  the  first  sys- 
tem, and  exhaustion  of  bodily  strength, 
which  was  visible  to  the  most  casual 
observer.  Such  a  course  will  always 
demoralize  men,  and  diminish  their 
strength. 

%m.  Iiitcllectiial  Benefits. 

{a)  TESTIMONY  OF  WILBER- 
FORCE.— The  celebrated  Wilberforco 
ascribes  his  continuance,  for  so  long  a 
time,  under  such  a  pressure  of  cares 
and  labors,  in  no  small  degree,  to  his 
conscientious  and  habitual  observance 
of  the  Sabbath.  "  O  what  a  blessed 
day,"  he  says,  "  is  the  Sabbath,  which 
allows  us  a  precious  interval  wherein  to 
746 


pause,  to  come  out  from  the  thickets  of 
worldly  concerns,  and  give  ourselves  up 
to  heavenly  and  spiritual  objects.  Ob- 
servation and  my  own  experience  have 
convinced  me  that  there  is  a  special  bless- 
ing on  a  right  employment  of  these  inter- 
vals. O,  what  a  blessing  is  Sunday, 
interposed  between  the  waves  of  worldly 
business,  like  the  divine  path  of  the  Is- 
raelites  through  Jordan.  There  is  no- 
thing in  which  I  would  recommend  you 
to  be  more  strictly  conscientious  than  in 
keeping  the  Sabbath  holy.  By  this  I 
mean  not  only  abstaining  from  all  un- 
becoming sports,  and  common  business, 
but  from  consuming  time  in  frivolous 
conversation,  paying  or  receiving  visits, 
which,  among  relations,  often  leads  to 
a  sad  waste  of  this  precious  day.  I  can 
truly  declare  that  to  me  the  Sabbath  has 
been  invaluable. ^^ 

(b)  MAKING  BRIEFS  ON  SUN- 
DAY.—The  distinguished  Dr.  Wilson, 
Pastor  of  the  first  Presbyterian  Church 
in  Philadelphia,  for  a  number  of  years 
before  he  became  a  preacher  of  the  gos- 
pel, was  an  eminent  lawyer  in  the  state 
of  Delaware.  He  was  accustomed, 
when  pressed  with  business,  to  make 
out  his  briefs  and  prepare  for  his  Mon- 
day's pleading  on  the  Sabbath.  But  he 
so  uniformly  failed,  during  the  week,  in 
carrying  out  his  Sunday  plans,  that  it 
arrested  his  attention.  As  a  philoso- 
pher, he  inquired  into  the  cause  of  his 
uniform  failure,  and  came  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  it  might  be,  and  probably  was 
on  account  of  his  violation  of  the  Sab- 
bath by  employing  it  in  secular  busi- 
ness. He  therefore,  from  that  time, 
abandoned  the  practice  of  doing  any 
thing  for  his  clients  on  that  day.  The 
difficulty  ceased.  His  efforts  on  Mon- 
day were  as  successful  as  on  other  days. 
Such  were  the  facts  in  his  case,  and 
many  others  have  testified  to  similar 
facts  in  their  experience. 

(c)  TESTIMONY  OF  A  FINAN- 
CIER. —  A  distinguished  financier, 
charged  with  an  immense  amount  of 
property  during  the  great  pecuniary 
pressure  of  1836  and  1837,  said,  "  I 
should  have  been  a  dead  man,  had  it 
not  been  for  the  Sabbath.  Obliged  to 
work  from  morning  till  night,  through 
the  whole  week,  I  felt  on  Saturday,  es- 


BENEFITS  OF  THE  SABBATH. 


3§0,  381 


pecially  Saturday  afternoon,  as  if  I  must, 
have  rest.  It  was  like  going  into  a 
dense  fog.  Every  thing  looked  dark 
and  gloomy,  as  if  nothing  could  be 
saved.  I  dismissed  all,  and  kept  the 
Sabbath  in  the  good  old  way.  On  Mon- 
day it  was  all  bright  sunshine.  I  could 
see  through,  and  I  got  through.  But 
had  it  not  been  for  the  Sabbath,  I  have 
no  doubt  I  should  have  been  in  the 
grave." 

{d)  FRUITFUL  CAUSE  OF  IN- 
SANITY.— A  distinguished  merchant, 
who,  for  twenty  years  did  a  vast  amount 
of  business,  remarked  to  Dr.  Edwards  : 
"  Had  it  not  been  for  the  Sabbath,  I 
have  no  doubt  I  should  have  been  a 
maniac  long  ago."  This  was  mention- 
ed in  a  company  of  merchants,  when 
one  remarked,  "  That  is  the  case  exact- 
ly with  Mr.  .     He  was  one  of  our 

greatest  importers.  He  used  to  say 
that  the  Sabbath  was  the  best  day  in 
the  week  to  plan  successful  voyages ; 
showing  that  his  mind  had  no  Sabbath. 
He  has  been  in  the  Insane  Hospital  for 
years,  and  will  probably  die  there." 
Many  men  are  there,  or  in  the  maniac's 
grave,  because  they  had  no  Sabbath. 
They  broke  a  law  of  nature,  and  of  na- 
ture's God,  and  found  "  the  way  of  the 
transgressor  to  be  hard."  Such  cases 
are  so  numerous  that  a  British  writer 
remarks,  "  We  never  knew  a  man  work 
seven  days  in  a  week  who  did  not  kill 
himself  or  kill  his  mind." 

{e)  DR.  SEWALL'S  OPINION.— 
Thomas  Sewall,  M.  D.,  professor  of  pa- 
thology and  the  practice  of  medicine  in 
the  Columbian  College,  Washington,  D. 
C,  remarks  :  "  While  I  consider  it  the 
more  important  design  of  the  institution 
of  the  Sabbath  to  assist  in  religious  de- 
votion, and  advance  men's  spiritual  wel- 
fare, I  have  long  held  ihe  opinion  that 
one  of  its  chief  benefits  has  reference  to 
his  physical  and  intellectual  constitution  ; 
affording  him,  as  it  does,  one  day  in  se- 
ven for  the  renovation  of  his  exhausted 
energies  of  body  and  mind  ;  a  propor- 
tion of  time  small  enough,  according  to 
the  results  of  my  observation,  for  the  ac- 
complishment of  this  object.  I  have  re- 
marked, as  a  general  fact,  that  those  to 
whom  the  Sabbath  brings  the  most  entire 
rest  from  their  habitual  labors,  perform 


the  secular  duties  of  the  week  more 
vigorously,  and  better  than  those  who 
continue  them  without  intermission.  I 
have  no  hesitation  in  declaring  it  as  my 
opinion,  that  if  the  Sabbath  were  univer- 
sally observed  as  a  day  of  devotion,  and 
of  rest  from  secular  occupations,  far 
more  work  of  body  and  mind  would  he  ac- 
complished, and  he  hetter  done ;  more 
health  would  he  enjoyed,  with  more  of 
wealth  and  independence,  and  we  should 
have  far  less  of  crime,  and  poverty  and 
suffering. ^^ 

381.  Providential  Benefits. 

(a)  THE  CONSCIENTIOUS  ES- 
QUIMAUX.— In  December,  says  Mr. 
Barsoe,  the  Missionary,  a  pleasing  cir- 
cumstance occurred  ;  it  showed  the  re- 
verence of  our  Esquimaux  for  the  Lord's 
day.  Owing  to  the  state  of  the  weather 
during  the  preceding  month,  but  few 
seals  had  been  taken ;  and  Saturday, 
the  second  of  December,  was  the  first 
day  on  which  the  state  of  the  ice  per- 
mitted our  people  to  go  out  on  the  seal- 
hunt.  Considering  the  great  uncertain- 
ty which  ever  attends  this  occupation, 
the  inducement  to  pursue  it  on  the  fol- 
lowing day,  in  the  hope  of  securing  a 
better  provision  for  their  families,  was 
any  thing  but  slight.  We  were,  there- 
fore, not  a  little  pleased  to  learn  that  a 
meeting  of  flithers  of  families  had  been 
convened  on  the  Saturday  evening,  and 
that  it  had  been  resolved  that  they  would 
none  of  them  go  out  on  the  ensuing  day 
of  the  Lord,  but  would  spend  it  in  a 
manner  becoming  the  disciples  of  Christ, 
who  were  invited  thankfully  to  comme- 
morate his  coming  into  the  world  to  save 
sinners.  They  expressed  their  belief 
that  their  Heavenly  Father  was  able  to 
grant  them,  on  Monday,  a  sufficiency 
for  the  supply  of  their  wants.  The 
meeting  they  closed  with  the  singing  of 
some  verses,  during  which  they  felt  the 
presence  and  peace  of  their  Lord  and 
Savior.  Their  confidence  in  God  was 
not  put  to  shame.  On  Monday  the 
weather  proved  so  favorable  that  they 
captured  no  fewer  than  one  hundred 
seals  ;  but  in  the  course  of  the  following 
night  the  frost  became  so  intense  as  to 
close  all  the  bays  and  inlets,  and  to  pre- 
747 


3S1 


SABBATH,  THE  CHRISTIAN. 


elude    any    further    attempts    to   take 
seals. 

(b)  THE  CONVERTED  BAKER. 
— A  baker,  who  had  long  been  accus- 
tomed to  attend  to  his  business  on  the 
Lord's  day,  having  had  his  attention 
drawn  to  religion,  and  having  felt  its 
power,  became  desirous  of  associating 
with  a  body  of  Christians ;  who,  however, 
declined  to  receive  him,  unless  he  relin- 
quished baking  on  the  Sabbath.  The 
struggle  in  his  mind  was  long  and  painful, 
as  a  considerable  part  of  the  support  of  his 
family  was  derived  from  his  occupation 
on  that  day,  but  he  at  length  yielded  to 
the  claims  of  duty  ;  and,  by  refusing  to 
serve  his  customers  on  the  Lord's  day, 
gave  them  offence,  and  became  reduced 
to  great  poverty.  His  Christian  friends 
urged  him  to  persevere,  assuring  him 
that  God  would  not  forsake  him.  He 
was  enabled  to  do  so,  and  Providence 
interposed  in  his  behalf.  His  customers 
gradually  returned  to  him,  and  at  length 
he  was  favored  with  a  larger  share  of 
business  than  had  ever  before  fallen  to 
his  lot. 

(c)  STATEMENT  OF  CAPTAIN 
SCORESBY.— "  It  is  a  little  remark- 
able," says  Captain  Scoresby,  in  his 
voyage  to  Greenland,  "  that  during  the 
whole  of  this  voyage,  no  circumstance 
ever  occurred  to  prevent  us  engaging 
in  public  worship  on  the  Sabbath  day. 
In  a  few  instances,  the  hour  of  worship 
could  not  be  easily  kept,  but  opportunity 
was  always  found  of  having  each  of  the 
services  in  succession  on  a  plan  adopted 
at  the  commencement  of  the  voyage. 
And  it  is  worthy  of  observation,  that  in  no 
instance,  when  on  fishing  stations,  was  our 
refraining  from  the  ordinary  duties  of  our 
profession  on  the  Sunday  ever  supposed, 
eventually,  to  have  been  a  loss  to  us  ;  for 
we  in  general  found,  that,  if  others  who 
were  less  regardful,  or  had  not  the  same 
view  of  the  obligatory  nature  of  the  com- 
mand respecting  the  Sabbath  day,  suc- 
ceeded in  their  endeavors  to  promote  the 
success  of  the  voyage,  we  seldom  failed  to 
procure  a  decided  advantage  in  the  suc- 
ceeding week.  Independently,  indeed,  of 
the  divine  blessing  on  honoring  the  Sab- 
bath day,  I  found  that  the  restraint  put 
upon  the  natural  inclinations  of  the  men 
for  pursuing  the  fishery  at  all  opportuni- 

748"' 


ties,  acted  with  some  advantage,  by  prov- 
ing an  extraordinary  stimulus  to  their  ex- 
ertions when  they  were  next  sent  out  after 
whales.  Were  it  not  out  of  place  here,  I 
could  relate  several  instances  in  which, 
after  our  refraining  to  fish  upon  the  Sab- 
bath, while  others  were  thus  successfully 
employed,  our  subsequent  labors  suc- 
ceeded under  circumstances  so  striking, 
that  there  was  not,  I  believe,  a  man  in  the 
ship  who  did  not  consider  it  the  effect  of 
the  divine  blessing." 

(d)  THE  SHOP-KEEPER  AND 
HER  CUSTOMERS —Mrs.  Sarah 
Thorp,  of  Buckingham,  (Engl.,)  was 
left  a  widow  with  four  small  children, 
and  with  nothing  to  support  herself  and 
them  but  the  profits  of  small  chandler's 
shop,  an  annuity  of  ten  pounds  per  an- 
num, left  to  poor  widows,  and  making 
a  little  lace.  While  in  this  state,  a 
Mr.  Cooper  came  to  the  church,  and 
sounded  an  alarm  to  formal  professors, 
moralists,  and  the  profane.  Mrs.  Thorp 
soon  became  convinced  of  the  impro- 
priety of  keeping  her  shop  open  on  the 
Lord's  day,  and  determined  at  all  events 
to  shut  it  up,  and  told  her  customers,  in 
the  week  preceding,  of  her  intention, 
and  begged  of  them  to  come  for  what 
they  wanted  on  the  Saturday.  At  first 
they  took  very  little  notice  of  it,  but 
went  on  Sunday  as  usual ;  but  Mrs. 
Thorp  shut  herself  in  a  back  room,  and 
paid  no  attention  to  the  door.  The  en- 
suing week  they  came  again,  and  were 
very  much  displeased,  saying  they  must 
have  victuals  on  Sunday  as  well  as  on 
the  other  days ;  and  if  they  could  not 
be  served  by  her  they  would  go  where 
they  could.  She  said  she  should  be  sorry 
to  lose  their  custom,  but  she  had  served 
on  the  Lord's  day  too  long.  Many  of 
her  customers  left  her,  and,  for  a  time, 
she  Vv^as  much  straitened  in  her  circum- 
stances ;  but  this  did  not  continue  :  the 
Lord  blessed  her  business  with  increase, 
so  that  in  a  little  time  she  took  the  house 
adjoining  to  her  own,  keeping  the  shop 
for  her  increasing  stock,  as  before  this  she 
had  lived  in  the  shop.  Finding  her  busi- 
ness still  increase,  she  was  enabled  to 
send  to  London  for  goods,  which  she  had 
hitherto  taken  from  a  superior  shop  in 
the  town.  After  this,  she  went  to  the 
gentleman  of  whom  she  had  received 


BENEFITS  OF  THE  SABBATH. 


3§1 


her  annuity,  and  told  him  the  Lord  had 
so  blessed  her  in  her  circumstances, 
that  she  had  now  no  need  of  it,  and 
begged  he  would  confer  it  on  some  one 
who  was  in  greater  necessity.  The 
Lord  still  continued  to  bless  her ;  she 
at  length  bought  the  house  and  shop, 
and  lived  comfortably  in  them  the  re- 
mainder of  her  days. 

(e)  THREE  SHIPHOLDERS.— 
"  Several  years  ago,"  says  a  correspon- 
dent of  the  N.  York  Evangelist,  "  there 
lived  in  one  of  our  seaports,  A.  B.  and 
C,  all  of  whom  were  owners  of  mer- 
chant vessels.  Each  of  these  men  load- 
ed a  ship  at  the  same  time,  which  was 
to  go  first  to  Egypt,  and  then  to  the  Bal- 
tic, to  one  of  the  Russian  ports.  All 
being  loaded,  they  waited  for  a  favora- 
ble wind.  The  harbor  was  so  situated 
that  there  was  no  egress  for  ships  except 
the  wind  blew  in  a  particular  direction. 
On  Sabbath  morning  the  wind  was  fair. 
The  masters  of  the  vessels  went  to  their 
respective  owners  for  sailing  orders. 
A.  and  B.  immediately  had  their  ships 
put  to  sea  ;  but  C.  told  the  master  that 
he  must  remain  in  port  till  the  next  day. 
Before  Monday  morning  the  \vind  had 
changed,  and  remained  contrary  till  the 
next  Sunday,  when  it  again  came  round 
fair.  The  master  of  the  vessel  again 
repaired  to  the  house  of  C.  to  procure 
the  ship's  papers,  and  sailing  orders. 
But,  to  his  astonishment,  C.  remarked 
that  his  sliip  must  not  leave  port  on  the 
Sabbath.  The  captain  attempted  to  rea- 
son the  point  with  him,  but  all  in  vain. 
He  said  if  his  ship  never  sailed  it  should 
not  put  to  sea  on  the  Lord's  day.  He 
was  willing  to  trust  in  Divine  Provi- 
dence. Some  time  during  the  follow- 
ing week  the  ship  sailed.  Ft  arrived  in 
Egypt  just  as  the  ships  of  A.  and  B. 
were  about  to  sail  for  the  Baltic.  In 
the  meantime  information  had  circula- 
ted through  the  country  that  American 
vessels  were  in  port,  wishing  to  sell 
their  cargoes,  and  purchase  a  certain 
kind  of  their  produce,  which,  if  I  mis- 
take not,  was  rice.  The  desired  article 
was  brought  in  such  abundance  that  the 
market  was  glutted  by  the  time  C.'s 
ship  arrived.  In  consequence  of  this 
his  cargo  was  sold  at  an  advanced  price, 
and  his  ship  loaded   at  a  much  better 


rate  than  the  others.  C.'s  vessel  then 
proceeded  on  her  voyage  up  the  Baltic 
The  ships  were  to  dispose  of  their  rice 
in  the  Russian  port,  and  load  for  home 
with  iron.  C.'s  ship  arrived  in  the  Bal- 
tic after  those  of  A.  and  B.  had  pur- 
chased their  freight,  and  nearly  loaded. 
Fortune,  or  to  speak  more  properly. 
Providence  operated  here  much  as  it  did 
in  the  Mediterranean.  Abundance  of 
iron  was  brought  to  market,  and  there 
were  enough  purchasers  for  the  rice. 
All  these  ships  reached  America  about 
the  same  time,  that  of  C.  having  cleared 
as  much  by  the  voyage  as  both  the  oth- 
ers. Thus  C.  found  by  experience,  that 
"in  keeping  God's  commands  there  is 
great  reward,"  even  in  this  world. 

(/)  THE  HIDE  TRADERS  AND 
THE  SABBATH.— I  was  in  command 

of  a  vessel,  says  Capt.  S.,  of  W , 

Mass.,  engaged  in  the  Hide  trade,  be- 
tween N and  a  port  in  Brazil.     In 

performing  one  of  those  voyages,  several 
occurrences  took  place  strictly  providen- 
tial, and  illustrative  of  the  benefits  to  be 
derived  from  a  concientious  regard  to 
the  Sabbath. 

The  custom  of  the  Brazilian  port, 
was  to  load  vessels  on  the  Sabbath. 
This  labor  was  performed  by  gangs  of 
negroes,  under  the  direction  of  steve- 
dores. These  stevedores  were  few  in 
number ;  and,  in  times  of  great  hurry 
of  business,  in  order  to  an  equitable  di- 
vision of  their  services,  the  vessels  were 
accustomed  to  take  their  turns  in  the 
order  in  which  they  were  reported  as 
ready  to  receive  cargo.  If,  when  the 
time  came  round  for  a  particular  vessel 
to  load,  she  was  not  ready,  her  name 
was  transferred  to  the  bottom  of  the 
list.  It  was  my  lot  to  experience  some 
of  the  effects  of  this  custom. 

My  turn  came  to  load.  The  work 
commenced  and  continued  till  Saturday 
night,  when  I  ordered  the  hatches  closed, 
and  forbid  any  work  being  done  on 
board  till  Monday  morning.  The  ste- 
vedore and  his  gang,  muttering  curses, 
left  the  vessel,  threatening  to  do  no 
more  work  on  board. 

Monday  came.     I  made   application 

to  the  commission  merchant,  and  was 

informed   that  I  had  lost   my  turn  in 

loading,  and  must  wait  until   it  came 

749 


3S1 


SABBATH,  THE  CHRISTIAN. 


round  again,  and  that  the  stevedore  and 
his  gang  had  gone  on  board  another  ves- 
sel. 

To  aggravate  my  disappointment,  I 
found  that  a  hostile  feeling  had  sprung 
up  against  me,  and  was  participated  in 
by  all  around.  The  merchant  was 
studiously  polite  and  respectful  as  be- 
fore, but  no  longer  familiar.  Masters 
of  vessels  avoided  my  society.  Evil 
disposed  persons  busied  themselves  in 
doing  me  secret  injuries,  cutting  my 
rigging  in  the  night  time,  and  in  other 
ways  showing  their  malice.  Our  de- 
votional exercises,  morning  and  evening, 
were  interrupted,  and  our  efforts  to  do 
good  derided  and  mocked. 

Thus  things  went  on,  until  our  turn 
came  round  again  ;  when,  there  being 
no  other  vessel  ready  to  load,  we  were 
left  to  do  our  work  in  our  own  way. 
The  loss  of  time,  occasioned  by  the  re- 
fusal to  load  on  the  Sabbath,  amounted 
to  several  weeks ;  but  after  all  was  it 
in  fact  a  loss  ?     The  result  will  show. 

It  was  now  Saturday  night  again,  the 
lading  of  the  ship  was  completed,  and 
we  were  ready  for  sea. 

The  Sabbath  dawned,  and  with  it 
came  a  fresh  and  fair  wind.  Shall  we 
improve  it,  and  violate  the  day,  and 
that  too  after  so  many  sacrifices  to  pro- 
mote its  sanctification  ?  It  was  not  to 
be  thought  of,  and  hoisting  the  Bethel 
flag  as  an  invitation  for  our  shipmates 
to  come  on  board,  we  spent  the  day  in 
devotional  exercises.  It  was  a  happy 
Sabbath  to  all  on  board. 

Monday  morning  early  we  were  un- 
der sail  for  the  lower  harbor,  several 
miles  distant.  On  our  way,  we  passed 
two  brigs  aground  with  lighters  along  side 
discharging  their  hides  in  order  to  light- 
en them  and  get  them  off.  They  left  the 
upper  harbor  on  the  Sabbath,  and  here 
they  were,  and  like  to  be  until  the  next 
fair  wind  had  blown  itself  out.  On 
reaching  the  lower  harbor  we  found  to 
our  surprise,  lying  at  anchor,  upwards 
of  forty  sail  of  shipping  waiting  for  a 
wind.  Among  them  were  all  the  ves- 
sels that  had  cleared  for  the  last  month 
or  more,  including  every  vessel  that  had 
obtained  an  advantage  over  us  in  re-  j 
spect  to  loading.  I 

We  had  now  to  obtain  a  pilot  and  get  I 
750 


to  sea  when  the  wind  came  fair  and  be- 
fore it  had  spent  itself.  These  were  by 
no  means  matters  easy  to  be  accom- 
plished. Pilots  were  few,  and  vessels 
many,  and  here,  loo,  the  principle  of  ro- 
tation was  rigidly  enforced.  The 
winds,  meanwhile,  when  fair,  were 
short-lived  and  feeble,  and  the  har  at 
the  entrance  of  the  harbor,  too  danger- 
ous to  pass  without  a  pilot. 

But  He  who  had  sustained  us  through 
previous  trials  for  his  name's  sake,  did 
not  forsake  us  now.  A  pilot  who  had 
been  on  a  long  visit  to  the  interior,  re- 
turned to  the  sea-board  and  resumed 
his  duties  on  the  very  day  we  reached 
the  outer  harbor,  and  presenting  him- 
self on  board,  offered  to  pilot  us  to  sea. 

Tuesday  morning  found  us,  with  a 
fair  wind,  a  pilot  on  board,  and  under 
way  at  day-light.  We  M^ere  the  second 
vessel  over  the  bar,  and  among  the  first 
to  arrive  in  the  United  States. 

The  getting  out  of  cargo,  its  expo- 
sure and  sale,  were  matters  of  no  little 
interest.  We  t/ie7i  found  that  "  in  keep- 
ing the  commandments  of  God  there  is 
great  reward."  Our  cargo,  owing  to 
the  delay  in  getting  it  on  board,  received 
unusual  attention  at  our  hands,  and  was 
in  perfect  shipping  order  when  stowed 
away,  and  came  out  in  the  same  good 
condition. 

The  cargoes  of  the  other  vessels 
came  out  very  differently,  with  a  loss 
in  some  cases  of  20,  30,  and  even  50 
per  cent.  This  loss  was  occasioned  in 
part  by  hurrying  the  hides  on  board  in 
the  first  instance  without  their  being 
thoroughly  dried,  in  order  to  greater 
dispatch,  and  in  part  to  the  unusual  de- 
tention of  the  vessels  at  the  port  of 
lading.  From  these  two  causes  combi- 
ned, and  the  activity  of  the  wevils  that 
took  possession  of  the  hides,  and  riddled 
them  through  and  through,  several  of 
those  voyages  turned  out  splendid  fail- 
ures. 

(g)  FOUR  FISHING  VESSELS. 
— Capt.  Bourne  states  that  about  1829, 
he  went  out  from  Rhode  Island  in  a 
brig  on  a  fishing  voyage  along  the  coast 
of  Labrador,  with  a  crew  of  thirteen 
men.  Three  other  vessels,  with  larger 
crews,  from  the  same  state,  accompa- 
nied him.     When  they  arrived  upon  the 


EXAMPLES  OF  THE  CONSCIENTIOUS,  ETC. 


3§1,  383 


ground,  Captain  B.  determined  that  he 
and  his  crew  should  sacredly  regard 
the  Sabbath  ;  but  the  other  crews  prose- 
cuted their  employment  on  that  day  the 
same  as  on  others.  After  fishing  with 
them  in  company  for  two  weeks,  and 
finding  it  in  some  respects  quite  disa- 
greeable, he  parted  from  them,  and 
went  farther  north,  and  fished  in  com- 
pany with  English  vessels,  who  pursued 
the  same  course  respecting  the  Sabbath 
day  which  he  did  himself.  Trusting  in 
that  Providence  which  favors  those  who 
regard  the  true  and  right,  he  was  not 
disappointed.  He  and  his  men  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  a  "  full  voyage,"  cu- 
red their  fish  and  sold  it  some  four 
weeks  sooner  than  any  of  the  Sabbath- 
breaking  vessels  that  accompanied 
them.  What  was  better,  Capt.  B.  and 
his  crew  made  more  profits  to  a  share 
in  less  time,  than  those  who  profaned 
the  Sabbath  and  wore  themselves  out  by 
laboring  hard  seven  davs  in  the  week. 

(h)  SABBATH-KEEPING  FISH- 
ERMEN.—A  gentleman,  says  Dr.  Ed- 
wards, who  resides  in  a  fishing  town, 
and  who  has  made  extensive  inquiries, 
remarks,  "  Those  who  fish  on  the  Sab- 
bath do  not,  ordinarily,  take  any  more, 
during  the  season,  than  those  who  keep 
the  Sabbath.  They  do  not  make  more 
money,  or  prosper  better  for  this  world. 

One  man  followed  fishing  eight  years. 
The  first  four  he  fished  on  the  Sabbath. 
The  next  four  he  strictly  kept  the  Sab- 
bath, and  is  satisfied  that  it  was  for  his 
advantage  in  a  temporal  point  of  view. 
Another  man,  who  was  accustomed  for 
some  years  to  fish  on  the  Sabbath,  af- 
terwards discontinued  it,  and  found  that 
his  profits  were  greater  than  before. 
Another  man  testifies  that,  in  the  year 
1827,  he  and  his  men  took  more  fish  by 
far  than  any  who  were  associated  with 
them,  though  he  kept  the  Sabbath  and 
they  did  not.  It  was  invariably  his 
practice  to  rest  from  Saturday  till  Mon- 
day. Though  it  was  an  unfavorable 
season  for  the  fisheries,  he  was  greatly 
prospered  in  every  way,  and  to  such  an 
extent  that  many  regarded  his  success 
as  almost  miraculous. 

Examples  like  the  above  might  be 
multiplied  to  almost  any  extent.  So 
far  as  I  can  learn  by  diligent  inquiry. 


all  who  have  left  off  fishing  on  the  Sab- 
bath, without  an  exception,  think  the 
change  has  been  for  their  temporal  ad- 
vantage. 

(i)  IMPORTANT  TESTIMONY. 
— A  gentlemen,  says  Dr.  Edwards,  be- 
longing to  a  fishing  town,  which  sends 
out  more  than  two  hundred  vessels  in  a 
year,  writes  as  follows :  "  I  think  it 
may  safely  be  stated  that  those  vessels 
which  have  not  fished  on  the  Sabbath 
have,  taken  together,  met  with  7nore 
than  ordinary  success.  The  vessel 
whose  earnings  were  the  highest,  the 
last  year  and  the  year  before,  was  one 
on  board  which  the  Sabbath  was  kept 
by  refraining  from  labor,  and  by  reli- 
gious worship.  There  is  one  firm  which 
has  had  eight  vessels  in  its  employ  this 
season.  Seven  have  fished  on  the  Sab- 
bath, and  one  has  not.  That  one  has 
earned  seven  hundred  dollars  more  than 
the  most  successful  of  the  six.  There 
are  two  other  firms  employing  each 
three  vessels.  Two  out  of  the  three, 
in  each  case,  have  kept  the  Sabbath, 
and  in  each  case  have  earned  more  than 
two-thirds  of  the  profits.'^ 

(j)  SAD  END  OF  SABBATH- 
BREAKERS.— A  distinguished  mer- 
chant, in  a  large  city,  said  to  Dr.  Edwards, 
"  It  is  about  thirty  years  since  I  came  to 
this  city  ;  and  every  man  through  this 
whole  range,  who  came  down  to  his  store, 
or  suffered  his  counting-room  to  be  opened 
on  the  Sabbath,  has  lost  his  property. 
There  is  no  need  of  breaking  the  Sab- 
bath, and  no  benefit  from  it.  We  have 
not  had  a  vessel  leave  the  harbor  on  the 
Sabbath  for  more  than  twenty  years. 
It  is  altogether  better  to  get  them  off"  on 
a  week  day  than  on  the  Sabbath."  It 
is  better  even  for  this  world.  And  so 
with  all  kinds  of  secular  business.  Men 
may  seem  to  gain  for  a  time  by  the 
profanation  of  the  Sabbath  ;  but  it  does 
not  end  well.  Their  disappointment, 
even  here,  often  comes  suddenly. 

M.  Examples  of  the  Conscientious,  &e. 

(a)  MATTHEW  HALE'S  EXAM- 
PLE.— The  following  declaration  of 
Sir  Matthew  Hale  is  an  illustration  of 
this  truth  : 

"  Though  my  hands  and  my  mind 
751 


382 


SABBATH,  THE  CHRISTIAN. 


have  been  as  full  of  secular  business, 
both  before  and  after  I  was  judge,  as,  it 
may  be,  any  man's  in  England,  yet  I 
never  wanted  time  in  six  days  to  ripen 
and  fit  myself  for  the  business  and  em- 
ployments I  had  to  do,  though  I  bor- 
rowed not  one  minute  from  the  Lord's 
day  to  prepare  for  it,  by  study  or  other- 
wise. But,  on  the  other  hand,  if  I  had, 
at  any  time,  borrowed  from  this  day 
any  time  for  my  secular  employment,  I 
found  it  did  further  me  less  than  if  I 
had  let  it  alone  ;  and  therefore,  w|ien 
some  years'  experience,  upon  a  most 
attentive  and  vigilant  observation,  had 
given  me  this  instruction,  I  grew  per- 
emptorily resolved  never  in  this  kind  to 
make  a  breach  upon  the  Lord's  day, 
which  I  have  now  strictly  observed  for 
more  than  thirty  years." 

{h)  WASHINGTON'S  EXAM- 
PLE.— In  one  of  the  towns  of  Connec- 
ticut, when  the  roads  were  extremely 
bad,  Washington,  the  President  of  the 
United  States,  was  overtaken  one  Sat- 
urday night,  not  being  able  to  reach  the 
village  where  he  designed  to  rest  on 
the  Sabbath.  Next  morning,  about 
sun-rise,  his  coach  was  harnessed,  and 
he  was  proceeding  forwards  to  an  inn, 
near  the  place  of  worship  which  he 
proposed  to  attend.  A  plain  man,  who 
was  an  informing  officer,  came  from  a 
cottage,  and  inquired  of  the  coachman, 
whether  there  was  any  urgent  reason 
for  his  traveling  on  the  Lord's  day. 
The  general,  instead  of  resenting  this 
as  impertinent  rudeness,  ordered  the 
driver  to  stop,  and  with  great  civility 
explained  the  circumstances  to  the  offi- 
cer, commending  him  for  his  fidelity, 
and  assuring  him  that  nothing  was  far- 
ther from  his  intention  than  to  treat 
with  disrespect  the  laws  and  usages  of 
Connecticut,  relative  to  the  Sabbath, 
which  met  his  most  cordial  approba- 
tion. How  many  admirers  of  Wash- 
mgton  might  receive  instruction  and 
reproof  from  his  example  ! 

(c)  SENTENCE  WORTHY  OF 
REMEMBRANCE.— A  man  who  had 
been  accustomed  to  go  with  the  cars 
on  week  days,  informed  his  wife  that 
he  had  been  requested  to  go  with  the 
cars  on  the  Sabbath.  She  replied,"! 
take  it  for  granted  that  you  do  not  in- 
752 


tend  to  go."  Such  was  her  confidence 
in  her  husband,  that  she  took  it  for 
granted  that  he  would  not  do  a  wicked 
thing  for  money.  He  told  her  that,  if 
he  should  not  go,  he  might  lose  Jiis 
place ;  that  he  had  no  other  employ- 
ment, the  .times  were  hard,  and  he  had 
a  family  to  support.  "I  know  it," 
said  she,  "  but  I  hope  you  will  not  for- 
get  that,  if  a  man  cannot  support  a  fam- 
ily by  keeping  the  Sabbath,  he  certain- 
ly  cannot  support  them  by  breaking  it" 
— a  sentence  which  ought  to  be  written 
in  letters  of  gold,  and  held  up  to  the 
view  of  all  Christendom.  "I  am  very 
glad,"  said  the  man,  "  that  you  think- 
so.  I  think  so  myself.  That  was 
what  I  wanted — to  see  whether  we 
think  alike."  He  told  the  superintend- 
ent  that  he  liked  his  situation,  and 
should  be  very  sorry  to  lose  it,  but  that 
he  could  not  go  with  the  mail  on  the 
Sabbath  ;  that  he  \vished  to  attend  pub- 
lic worship,  and  go  with  his  children  to 
the  Sabbath-school.  He  did  not  lose 
his  place,  nor  did  he  suffer  in  a  pecuni- 
ary point  of  view.  He  prospered  more 
than  before,  and  lived  to  bear  his  testi- 
mony,  not  only  to  the  duty,  but  to  the 
utility,  even  for  this  world,  of  keeping 
the  Sabbath. 

(d)  JOHN  ADAMS  AND  THE 
SABBATH.— The  elder  John  Adams, 
while  President  of  the  United  States,  as 
he  was  returning  from  the  country  to 
his  family  in  Boston,  was  interrupted 
by  a  New  England  snow  storm,  which 
effectually  blocked  up  his  way.  He 
was  then  at  Andover,  twenty  miles  from 
Boston,  where  his  family,  as  he  had 
learned,  were  waiting  his  arrival.  Sab- 
bath morning,  the  roads  became  for  the 
first  time  passable.  On  the  question 
of  going  to  Boston  that  day,  it  was  the 
opinion  of  the  clergyman  of  the  place, 
that  the  circumstances  of  his  detention, 
and  the  sickness  of  his  family  would 
justify  his  traveling  on  the  Sabbath. 
His  reply  was,  that  the  justifiable  occa- 
sion in  this  case  would  not  prevent  the 
bad  influence  of  his  example  on  those 
who  might  see  him  traveling  on  the 
Sabbath,  without  knowing  the  cause. 
He  therefore  decided  to  wait  till  Monday. 

(e)  HAPPY  EFFECTS  OF  DE- 
CISION. — In  one  of  the  ports  near  the 


EVILS  OF  SABBATH-BREAKING. 


3S3 


southern  shore  of  Lake  Erie,  the  little 
band  of  Christians  were  often  disturbed 
by  the  arrival  and  departure  of  steam- 
boats and  stages,  especially  by  one 
.chiefly  owned  in  the  village,  which  left 
the  port  regularly  every  Sabbath  morn- 
ing. The  Presbyterian  minister  exert- 
ed himself  both  in  public  and  private  to 
enlighten  the  people,  and  show  them  the 
duty  of  keeping  the  Sabbath  holy  ;  and 
publicly  announced  his  determination  to 
do  his  best  to  have  the  Sabbath-breaker 
as  promptly  disciplined  as  any  other 
sinner. 

One  Saturday  night  about  sunset,  an 
estimable  member  of  his  church  called 
to  ask  his  advice.  Fie  said  he  had  bu- 
siness to  a  large  amount  that  must  be 
done  at  the  bank  in  B — ,  on  Wednesday, 
or  a  sad  loss  of  credit  and  money  would 
be  the  consequence  ;  that  he  had  cal- 
culated to  go  in  a  boat  on  Friday  ;  but 
storms  had  prevented  it  coming  in,  that 
the  stage  would  go  on  the  Sabbath,  and 
not  again  till  Tuesday ;  that  the  boat 
then  in  the  harbor  would  go  out  in  the 
morning,  but  no  other  boat  was  expect- 
ed for  some  days.  And  now  what 
should  he  do  ?  He  was  not  rich,  and  a 
delay  would  cost  him  a  serious  loss. 
He  had  subscribed  beyond  his  means 
(and  such  was  the  fact.)  for  building  a 
meeting-house,  and  supporting  the  min- 
ister, and  economized  in  every  way 
possible  to  meet  his  debts. 

He  was  told  that  his  case  was  a  hard 
one  ;  but  that  the  circumstances  of  it 
would  not  justify  him  in  breaking  the 
command  of  God  ;  that  he  had  better 
lose  a  hundred  dollars,  or  go  on  horse- 
back, or  even  on  foot  to  the  next  port 
(50  miles)  than  break  the  Sabbath. 
Seeing  that  his  minister  was  inflexible, 
he  relinquished  his  Sabbath  voyage, 
called  on  several  others  in  town  in  sim- 
ilar circumstances,  mostly  professed 
Christians,  told  them  his  determination, 
and  invited  them  to  go  with  him  in  ex- 
tra stages  early  on  Monday  morning. 
This  they  did,  and  had  a  pleasant  and 
profitable  trip. 

The  steamboat  lost  by  that  single 
circumstance  upwards  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty  dollars.  And  the  proprie- 
tors of  the  boat  immediately  changed 
the  day  of  leaving  the  port  from  Sunday 
48 


to  Thursday.  And  the  following  year, 
their  boat  was  regularly  laid  by  every 
Sabbath  through  the  season. 


EVILS  OF  SABBATH-BREAKING. 
383.  Vice  and  Crime. 

(a)    ENGLISH   CRIMINALS.— A 

gentleman  in  England,  who  was  in  the 
habit,  for  more  than  twenty  years,  of 
daily  visiting  convicts,  states  that,  al- 
most universally,  when  brought  to  a 
sense  of  their  condition,  they  lamented 
their  neglect  of  the  Sabbath,  and  point- 
ed to  their  violation  of  it  as  the  princi- 
pal cause  of  their  ruin.  That  prepared 
them  for,  and  led  them  on,  step  by  step, 
to  the  commission  of  other  crimes,  and 
finally  to  the  commission  of  that  which 
brought  them  to  the  prison,  and  often  to 
the  gallows.  He  has  letters  almost  in- 
numerable, he  says,  from  others,  prov- 
ing the  same  thing,  and  that  they  consi- 
dered the  violation  of  the  Sabbath  the 
great  cause  of  their  ruin.  He  has  at- 
tended three  hundred  and  fifty  at  the 
place  of  execution,  when  they  were  put 
to  death  for  their  crimes.  And  nine 
out  of  ten  who  were  brought  to  a  sense 
of  their  condition  attributed  the  greater 
part  of  their  departure  from  God  to  their 
neglect  of  the  Sabbath. 

\b)  TESTIMONY  OF  CRIMI- 
NALS.— A  gentleman,  who  was  con- 
versant with  prisoners  for  more  than 
thirty  years,  stated,  that  he  found  in  all 
his  experience,  both  with  regard  to 
those  who  had  been  capitally  convicted 
and  those  who  had  not,  that  they  refer- 
red  to  the  violation  of  the  Sabbath  as 
the  chief  cause  of  their  crimes  ;  and 
that  this  has  been  confirmed  by  all  the 
opportunities  he  has  had  of  examining 
prisoners.  Not  that  this  has  been  the 
only  cause  of  crime ;  but,  like  the  use 
of  intoxicating  liquors,  it  has  greatly  in- 
creased public  and  private  immorality, 
and  been  the  means,  in  a  multitude  of 
cases,  of  premature  death. 

(c)  A  WARDEN'S  TESTIMONY. 
— A  gentleman,  who  has  had  charge  of 
more  than  one  hundred  thousand  pri- 
soners, and  has  taken  special  pains  to 
ascertain  the  causes  of  their  crimes^ 
753 


383,  3§  4 


SABBATH,  THE  CHRISTIAN. 


says,  that  he  does  not  recollect  a  single 
case  of  capita]  offence  where  the  party 
had  not  been  a  Sabbath-breaker.  And 
in  many  cases  they  assured  him  that 
Sabbath-breaking  was  the  first  step  in 
their  downward  course.^  Indeed,  he 
says,  with  reference  to  prisoners  of  all 
classes,  nineteen  out  of  twenty  have  ne- 
glected the  Sabbath  and  other  ordinances 
of  religion.  And  he  has  often  met 
with  prisoners  about  to  expiate  their 
crimes  by  an  ignominious  death,  who 
earnestly  enforced  upon  the  survivors 
the  necessity  of  an  observance  of  the 
Sabbath,  and  ascribed  their  own  course 
of  iniquity  to  a  non.observance  of  that 
day. 

Says  the  keeper  of  one  of  the  largest 
prisons,  "  Nine-tenths  of  our  inmates  are 
those  who  did  not  value  the  Sa.bbath,  and 
were  not  in  the  habit  of  attending  public 
20orship." 

(d)  VOICE  FROM  AUBURN  PRI- 
SON.—Of  twelve  hundred  and  thirty- 
two  convicts  who  had  been  committed 
to  the  Auburn  State  Prison  previously 
to  the  year  1838.  four  hundred  and 
forty-seven  had  been  watermen,  either 
boatmen  or  sailors — men  who,  to  a  great 
extent,  had  been  kept  at  work  on  the 
Sabbath,  and  thus  deprived  of  the  rest 
and  privileges  of  that  day.  Of  those 
twelve  hundred  and  thirty-two  convicts, 
only'tv/enty-six4iad  conscientiously  kept 
the  Sabbath. 

(e)  CRIMINALS  IN  MASS. 
STATE  PRISON.— Of  one  hundred 
men  admitted  to  the  Massachusetts  State 
Prison  in  one  year,  eighty-nine  thad 
lived  in  habitual  violation  of  the  Sab- 
bath and  neglect  of  public  worship. 

(/)  SUSPICIOUS  APPRENTICE. 
— A  distinguished  merchant,  long  ac- 
customed to  extensive  observation  and 
experience,  and  who  had  gained  an  un- 
common knowledge  of  men,  said, 
''  When  I  see  one  of  my  apprentices  or 
clerk?  riding  out  on  the  Sabbath,  on 
Monday  I  ^dismiss  him.  Such  an  one 
cannot  be  trusted." 

(g)  MURDERERS  IN  NEW- 
GATE. — In  the  evening,  says  a  writer 
in  an  English  Magazine,  I  stepped  into 
St.  Sepulchre's,  Snow-hill.  Dr.  Rudge, 
a  preacher  of  some  note  in  the  metro- 
polis, is  evening  lecturer  here  ;  and  we 
754 


had  a  sermon  from  him  in  behalf  of  a 
parochial  charity,  by  which  fifty-one 
poor  boys  of  the  parish  are  supported 
and  educated.  Pie  took  occasion  to  re- 
mark, that  his  official  situation  (as 
chaplain  to  Newgate)  often  led  him 
to  hear  the  confessions  of  malefactors, 
under  sentence  of  death  ;  and  that  in 
almost  every  instance,  they  ascribed 
their  ruin  to  their  desertion  of  the  house 
of  God,  and  the  violation  of  the  day  of 
rest. 

S84.  Various  Evils. 

(a)  LESSON  FOR  YOUNG 
MEN. — Seven  young  men,  in  a  town 
in  Massachusetts,  started  in  the  same 
business  nearly  at  the  same  time.  Six 
of  them  had  some  property  or  assistance 
from  their  friends,  and  followed  their  busi- 
ness seven  days  in  a  week.  The  other 
had  less  property  than  either  of  the  six. 
He  had  less  assistance  from  others, 
and  worked  in  his  business  only  six 
days  in  a  week.  He  is  now  (1845) 
the  only  man  who  has  property,  and  has 
not  failed  in  his  business. 

(b)  "THE  FINGER  OF  GOD." 
— A  man  who  ridiculed  the  idea  that 
God  makes  a  difference  in  his  provi- 
dence between  those  who  yield  visible 
obedience  to  his  laws  and  those  who  do 
not,  had  been  engaged,  on  a  certain. 
Sabbath,  in  gathering  his  crops  into  his 
barn.  The  next  week  he  had  occasion  to 
take  fire  out  into  his  field  in  order  to  burn 
some  brush.  He  left  it,  as  he  supposed, 
safely,  and  went  in  to  dinner.  The  wind 
took  the  fire  andljarried  it  into  his  barn- 
yard, which  was  filled  with  combustibles, 
and,  before  he  was  aware  of  it,  the  flames 
were  bursting  out  of  liis  barn.  He 
arose  in  amazement,  saw  that  all 
was  lost,  and  fixing  his  eyes  on  the 
curling  flames,  stood  speechless.  Then, 
pointing  to  the  rising  column  of  fire,  he 
said,  with  a  solemn  emphasis,  "  That  is 
the  finger  of  God." 

(c)  FAILURES  OF  SABBATH- 
BREAKERS.— The  following  fact, 
communicated  by  a  respectable  mer- 
chant of  New- York,  is  well  worthy  of 
notice : — "  I  have  particularly  observ- 
ed," says  the  gentleman,  "that  those 
merchants  in  New-York  who  have  kept 
their  counting-rooms  open  on  the  Sab- 


SABBATH-BREAKING  UNNECESSARY. 


3S4,  3§5 


bath  day,  during  my  residence  there 
(twenty-five  years),  have  failed  without 
exception." 

In  another  part  of  the  country  an  old 
man  remarked,  "  I  can  recollect  more 
than  fifty  years ;  but  I  cannot  recollect 
a  case  of  a  man,  in  this  town,  who  was 
accustomed  to  work  on  the  Sabbath, 
who  did  not  fail  or  lose  his  property  be- 
fore he  died." 

{d)  WAY  WHICH  WORKS 
BEST. — A  distinguished  mechanic,  in 
a  part  of  the  country  where  the  Sab- 
bath was  disregarded,  had  been  accus- 
tomed for  a  time  to  keep  his  men  at 
work  on  that  day.  He  was  afterwards 
at  work  for^a  man  who  regarded  the 
Sabbath,  and  who,  on  Saturday,  was 
anxious  to  know  what  he  intended  to 
do ;  and  therefoVe  asked,  "  What  do 
you  expect  to  do  to-morrow  ?"  He 
said,  "  I  expect  to  stop,  and  keep  the 
Sabbath.  1  used  to  worl;:  on  the  Sab- 
bath, and  often  obtained  higher  wages 
than  on  other  days.  But  I  so  often  lost, 
during  the  week,  more  than  all  I  could 
gain  on  the  Sabbath,  that  I  gave  it  up 
years  ago.  I  have  kept  the  Sabbath 
since,  and  I  find  it  works  better."  It 
does  work  better.  And  all  who  make 
the  experiment  will,  in  due  time,  find  it 
so. 

(O  MORE  LOSSES  THAN 
GAINS. — "  I  used,"  said  the  master  of 
a  vessel,  "  sometimes  to  work  on  the 
Sabbath  ;  but  something  would  happen, 
by  which  I  lost  so  much  more  than  I 
gained  by  working  on  the  Sabbath,  that 
on  one  occasion,  after  having  been  at 
work  and  met  with  some  disaster,  I 
swore  most  profanely  that  I  never  would 
work  again,  or  sufter  my  men  to  work 
on  that  day.  And  I  never  have."  He 
fmds  it  works  better.  He  does  not 
swear  now.  He  has  induced  many 
others  not  to  swear,  and  not  to  break 
the  Sabbath.  He  finds  that  in  the  keep- 
ing of  God's  commands  there  is  great 
reward.  Ail  who  obey  them  will  find 
the  same. 

(/)  OLD  MAN'S  REMARK.— An 
old  gentleman  in  Boston  remarked, 
*'  Men  do  not  gain  any  thing  by  work- 
ing on  the  Sabbath.  I  can  recollect 
men  who,  when  I  was  a  boy,  used  to 
load  their  vessels  down  on  the  Long 


Wharf,  and  keep  their  men  at  work 
from  morning  to  night  on  the  Sabbath 
day.  But  they  have  come  to  nothing. 
Their  children  have  come  to  nothing. 
Depend  upon  it,  men  do  not  gain  any 
thing,  in  the  end,  by  working  on  the 
Sabbath." 

{g)  THE  PEDLER'S  EXPERI- 
ENCE.—The  Rev.  Dr.  Benedict,  of 
Plainfield,  gave  a  writer  in  the  Connec- 
ticut Observer,  the  following  account  a 
few  years  before  his  death. 

Soon  after  he  left  college  he  had  oc- 
casion to  travel  southward  as  far  as  the 
State  of  North  Carolina.  Being  unac- 
quainted with  the  way,  he  was  desir- 
ous of  finding  some  one  to  accompany 
him.  A  man  who  had  frequently  tra- 
veled 'that  road  in  the  business  of  a 
pedier,  was  about  to  commence  the 
journey,  and  informed  him  that  it  would 
afford  him  pleasure  to  be  his  companion 
and  guide.  They  accordingly  set  out 
together.  At  the  close  of  the  week 
Mr.  B.  remarked  to  his  companion,  that 
the  journey  thus  far  had  been  pleasant 
to  him  ;  "  but,'"'  added  he,  "  I  know  not 
how  I  shall  do  next  week,  provided  you 
intend  to  continue  your  journey  on  the 
Sabbath.  I  cannot  proceed  till  Mon- 
day, and  if  you  leave  me,  I  shall  pro- 
pably  lose  my  way."  The  man  re- 
plied, "I  have  not  traveled  on  the  Sab- 
bath for  several  years,  though  my  busi- 
ness leads  me  to  take  long  journeys.  I 
formerly  did  ;  but  I  always  lost  more 
than  1  gained  by  the  practice.  Some 
hinderance  or  accident  would  occur  on 
the  following  week,  which  convinced 
me  that  it  is  for  my  interest  to  rest  up- 
on the  Sabbath." 

38§.  Sabbath-breaking  Unnecessary. 

{a)  SABBATH-KEEPING  MILL- 
OWNER. — At  the  second  annual  meet- 
ing of  the  Society  for  *  Promoting  the 
due  Observance  of  the  Lord's  Day,  the 
Rev.  FL  Stowell  stated,  that  at  a  large 
meeting,  which  was  held  at  Manches- 
ter, (Eng.,)  to  petition  the  legislature 
on  the  better  observance  of  the  Sab- 
bath, a  leading  spinner  came  forward, 
and  said,  that  there  was  nothing  more 
common  than  to  hear  from  his  brother 
spinners  and  master  manufacturers  this 
755 


385 


SABBATH,  THE  CHRISTIAN. 


assertion,  "  If  you  stop  the  mill  altoge- 
ther on  Sunday,  you  must  frequently 
stop  it  on  Monday  also;  because,  if  the 
engine  gets  out  of  order,  or  any  other 
necessary  repair  be  required,  it  must  be 
done  on  the  Sunday,  or  the  mill  cannot 
proceed  on  the  Monday."  Now,  all 
this  seems  mighty  plausible,  said  the 
good  man,  but  1  can  prove  it  to  be  false  ; 
for  in  my  mill  I  never  suffer  a  stroke  to 
be  struck  on  the  Sabbath ;  and  on  one 
occasion,  my  boiler  had  suffered  a  mis- 
fortune on  a  Saturday,  and  I  feared  the 
mill  must  stop  on  the  Monday,  but  de- 
termined to  try  what  could  be  done.  I 
sent  for  a  leading  engineer,  and  said  to 
him,  "  Can  you  have  the  mill  ready  to 
work  on  Monday  morning  ?"  "  Yes, 
certainly  I  can."  "But  then,"  said  I, 
"  you  mean  to  work  on  Sunday  ?"  "  Of 
course,  sir."  •'  But,"  said  I,  "  you 
shall  not  do  it  in  my  mill."  "  But  I 
cannot  mend  the  boiler,  if  I  do  not," 
said  he.  I  said,  "  I  do  not  care,  you 
shall  not  work  in  my  mill  on  Sunday. 
I  would  rather  that  my  mill  stood  the 
whole  of  Monday,  than  that  the  Sab- 
bath  should  be  violated  in  it !"  The 
man  said,  "  You  are  different  from  all 
other  masters."  I  said,  "  My  Bible, 
not  the  conduct  of  others,  is  my  rule  ; 
and  you  must  do  it  without  working  on 
Sunday,  or  I  will  try  to  get  somebody 
else."  This  had  the  desired  effect : 
they  set  to  work,  and  worked  till  twelve 
o'clock  on  the  Saturday  night,  and  began 
again  at  twelve  o'clock  on  the  Sunday 
night ;  and  the  repairs  were  finished, 
and  the  mill  was  in  full  work,  at  the 
usual  hour  on  Monday  morninir. 

(b)  THE  DRUGGIST'S  CONFES- 
SION.— A  chemist  and  druggist  once 
remarked  to  an  American  author, 
"  There  was  a  time  when  I  used  to  court 
business  on  the  Lord's  day  ;  and,  shel- 
tering myself  under  the  alleged  neces- 
sity of  being  at  hand  to  supply  medi- 
cine in  case  of  illness,  I  employed  my- 
self in  preparing  a  quantity  of  tinctures, 
weighing  packets  of  soda-water  pow- 
ders, and  many  such  like  things,  not 
because  they  were  needed,  but  really 
for  the  sake  of  saving  time  on  other 
days.  At  that  time  I  did  take  more 
money  on  the  Sabbath  than  on  any 
other  day,  not  a  pennv  in  a  shilling  of 
756' 


which  was  for  matters  of  real  necessi- 
ty. When  I  began  to  see  it  my  duty 
to  act  differently,  and  refused  to  sell,  on 
the  Sabbath,  perfumery,  cigars,  and 
other  matters,  of  mere  luxury  and  fan- 
cy, I  offended  a  few  of  my  customers, 
and  expected  to  find  that  I  had  seri- 
ously injured  my  business ;  but  in  a 
little  time  people  fell  into  my  arrange- 
ments, and  left  off  coming  for  such 
things.  I  now  enjoy  my  Sabbaths  un- 
disturbed, except  in  cases  of  real  need, 
to  which,  of  course,  I  readily  attend. 
Every  customer  whom  I  would  wish  to 
return  has  come  back  to  me  ;  and,  tak- 
ing into  account  the  saving  of  Sunday 
expenses,  which  almost  invariably  coun- 
tervail Sunday  gains,  I  can  say,  with 
humble  thankfulness,  that  my  prosperity 
is  now  greater  than  e^^r." 

(c)  THE  PHYSICIAN  AND  HIS 
PATIENTS.— A  distinguished  practi- 
tioner was  harassed  with  calls  on  the 
Sabbath — his  Sabbaths  were  broken — 
he  was  detained  from  public  worship ; 
it  was  a  trial  to  him  to  be  obliged  to 
serve  his  patrons  so  often  and  so  con- 
stantly on  the  Sabbath.  At  length  he 
adopted  this  expedient :  he  let  it  be 
known  that  he  viewed  the  Sabbath  as 
the  Lord's  day — sacred  to  his  worship, 
and  that  he  must  regard  his  calls  upon 
the  sick  on  that  day  as  works  of  neces- 
sity and  mercy,  and  thai  he  should  make 
no  charge  for  his  services  on  that  day. 
He  supposed  that  people  would  not  call 
on  him  in  these  circumstances,  that 
they  would  have  too  much  goodness  to 
ask  his  services  gratuitously,  and  that 
he  should  have  few  calls  and  be  free  to 
attend  public  worship.  But  to  his  sur- 
prise it  increased  the  evil ; — if  his  ser- 
vices  were  to  be  given  on  the  Sabbath, 
every  body  wanted  him  on  the  Sabbath  ; 
and  he  was  sent  for  here  and  there  and 
all  about.  There  was  no  keeping  the 
Sabbath  so.  He  accordingly  changed 
the  tables,  and  gave  out  that  he  should 
make  a  double  charge  for  travels  and  vi- 
sits 071  the  Sabbath,  and  of  course  it 
would  cost  as  much  again  to  be  sick  on 
the  Sabbath  as  any  other  day  of  the 
week.  This  expedient  had  the  desired 
effect ;  he  could  do  up  his  business  Sa- 
turday night,  and  with  the  exception  of 
a  few  extreme  cases,  he  could  have  his 


SABBATH-BREAKERS  REPROVED. 


S§.5,  3§6 


Sabbaths  for  religious   uses,  and  regu- 
larly attend  public  worship. 

(d)  THE  MINISTER  HIRING 
HIS  NEIGHBOR.— An  eminent  min. 
ister  in  Wales,  hearing  of  a  neighbor 
who  followed  his  calling  on  the  Lord's 
day,  went  and  aked  him  why  he  broke 
tiie  Sabbath.  The  man  replied,  that  he 
was  driven  to  it,  by  finding  it  hard  work 
to  maintain  his  family.  "  Will  you  at- 
tend public  worship,"  said  Mr.  P.,  "if 
1  pay  you  a  week  day's  wages  ?" 
"  Yes,  most  gladly,"  said  the  poor  man. 
He  attended  constantly,  and   received 


his  pay.  After  some  time  Mr.  P.  forgot 
to  send  the  money  ;  and  recollecting  it, 
called  upon  the  man  and  said,  "  I  am 
in  your  debt."  "  No,  sir,"  he  replied, 
"  you  are  not."  "  How  so,"  said  Mr. 
P.,  '•  I  have  not  paid  you  of  late." 
"  True,"  answered  the  man,  "  but  I 
can  now  trust  God ;  for  I  have  found 
that  he  can  bless  the  work  of  six  days 
for  the  support  of  my  family,  just  the 
same  as  seven."  Ever  after  that  he 
strictly  kept  the  Sabbath,  and  found 
that  in  keeping  God's  commands,  there 
is  not  only  no  loss,  but  great  reward. 


386.  SABBATH-BREAKERS  REPROVED. 


(a)  THE  BLIND  MAN  AND  HIS 
WIFE. — A  pious  man  came  into  west- 
ern New- York,  from  one  of  the  New 
England  States.  He  was  then  perfectly 
blind.  He  had  a  near  relative  in  this 
country,  who  advised  him  to  leave  or 
sell  his  farm,  and  come  and  reside  with 
him,  to  be  taken  care  of.  He  then  had 
a  wife  of  a  similar  religious  character, 
(since  dead.)  They  accepted  the  pro- 
posal of  their  relative  and  came ;  and, 
coming  from  society  highly  refined  and 
moral,  they  were  not  prepared  to  en- 
counter the  disadvantages,  and  real 
evils,  which  attended  a  society  the  re- 
verse of  this.  Their  first  Sabbath  in 
"  York  state,"  he  declared,  would  ne- 
ver be  forgotten.  No  sooner  was  its 
sacred  dawn  ushered  in,  than  shooting 
and  other  recreations  commenced  in  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  his  relative,  while 
the  latter,  being  a  merchant,  dealt  out 
the  whisky  to  all  who  applied.  Con- 
sequently the  day  was  trampled  on,  and 
its  hallowed  hours  spent  in  dissipation. 
Before  breakfast,  which  was  delayed  to 
receive  a  party  of  visitors  from  another 
town,  this  devoted  pair  resolved  to  seek 
.some  retreat  from  the  noise  and  pro- 
faneness,  fled  into  an  adjacent  wood,  the 
wife  taking  the  Bible  and  leading  her 
blind  husband.  Here,  in  the  deep  soli- 
tude of  the  forest,  they  spent  the  first 
Sabbath  in  fasting  and  prayer,  and  read 
ing  the  Word  of  God.  After  the  Sab- 
bath was  past,  they  informed  their  rela- 


tive, they  could  not  live  with  him  if 
such  were  the  manner  of  spending  the 
Sabbath,  in  amusements  and  dissipation. 
They  must  have  a  house  of  their  own. 
He  replied,  that  it  would  avail  nothing, 
for  people  would  visit  him  on  the  Sab- 
bath.    Mr.  D said  firmly,  that  he 

would  risk  their  visits  to  him.  Accord- 
ingly a  house  was  provided.  The  first 
Sabbath  in  their  new  residence,  two  ot 
their  neighbors  called  to  see  them,  one 
of  whom  was  a  magistrate.  His  wife 
was  reading  the  Bible.  After  passing 
the  usual  compliments,  and  providing 
seats,  she  went  on  reading  aloud.  Be- 
fore the  chapter  was  finished,  one  of 
the  visitors  left,  and  before  the  close  of 
the  second,  the  other  left.  But  he  was 
not  troubled  with  visitors.  He  com- 
menced visiting  some  of  his  ungodly 
neighbors,  and  conversing  with  them  on 
the  subject  of  religion,  his  wife  leading 
him.  Soon  they  began  to  hold  meetings 
on  the  Sabbath,  and  many  attended. 
The  wife  read  sermons,  and  the  hus- 
band prayed  and  exhorted.  One  wick- 
ed man,  whose  shop  was  opposite  the 
meeting,  set  open  his  door,  and  worked 
in  order  to  disturb  it.  The  next  Sab- 
bath, this  same  man  came  into  the  meet- 
ing, fell  on  his  knees,  confessing  his 
sins  and  asking  forgiveness.  The  Lord 
came  down  by  his  Spirit  on  that  wicked 
neighborhood,  and  forty  became  the 
members  of  a  church,  afterwards  form- 
ed in  that  place,  as  the  fruits  of  that  re- 
757 


386,  3§'7 


SABBATH  SCHOOLS. 


vival.     There  was  no  regular  preach-  , 
ing  in  the  place  previously,  and  it  was  | 
evidently  through    the  instrumentality  j 
of  this  blind  man  and  his  wife.     That  j 
church,  the  writer  is  acquainted  with. 
It    is    quite    flourishing.     They  have 
built  a  handsome  house  of  worship,  and 
settled  a  minister  to  break  unto  them 
the  bread  of  life. 

(b)  MR.  CRUDEN  AND  THE 
GARDENER.— Mr.  Cruden,  during 
the  last  year  of  his  life,  lived  in  terms 
of  the  strictest  intimacy  with  the  Rev. 
David  Wilson,  minister  of  the  Presby- 
terian congregation.  Bow  Lane,  Lon- 
don. The  two  friends  were  in  the 
habit  of  paying  frequent  visits  to  Mr. 
Gordon,  a  pious  nurseryman  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  metropolis.  One 
evening  Mr.  Gordon  informed  Mr.  Wil- 
son, that  a  young  Scottish  gardener  in 
his  employment,  who  usually  attended 
divine  service  at  Bow  Lane,  sometimes 
absented  himself  from  public  worship 
without  a  sufficient  caus.e,  and  was  be- 
sides rather  indolent,  desiring  the  minis- 


ter td  admonish  him.  The  young  man 
was  accordingly  called  into  the  parlor, 
and  Mr.  Wilson  concluded  a  solemn  ad- 
dress with  these  words :  "  Remember 
the  Sabbath  day,  to  keep  it  holy." 
"  Have  you  done,  sir  ?"  said  Mr.  Cru- 
den.  "  Yes,"  replied  Mr.  Wilson. 
"  Then,"  rejoined  Mr.  Cruden,  "  you 
have  forgotten  one-half  of  the  command- 
ment :  Six  days  shalt  thou  labor,  and 
do  all  thy  work,  &c. ;  for  if  a  man  docs 
not  labor  six  days  pf  the  week,  he  is 
not  likely  to  rest  properly  on  the  se- 
venth." 

(c)  THE  LOST  MOTION.  — A 
motion  was  once  made  in  the  House  of 
Commons  for  raising  and  embodying 
the  militia,  and,  for  the  purpose  of  sav- 
ing time,  to  exercise  them  on  the  Sab- 
bath. When  the  resolution  was  about 
to  pass,  an  old  gentleman  stood  up,  and 
said,  "  Mr.  Speaker,  I  have  one  objec- 
tion to  make  to  this  ;  I  believe  in  an 
old  book  called  the  Bible."  The  mem- 
bers  looked  at  one  another,  and  the  mo- 
tion was  dropped. 


SABBATH  SCHOOL^. 


VARIOUS  SALUTARY  INFLUENCES,  ETC. 

387.  In  Promoting  Religions  Knowledge  and 
Intellectual  Culture. 

(a)  THE  "TENNESSEE  TES- 
TAMENT."—In  the  year  1831,  a 
young  man  from  Tennessee,  apparently 
about  twenty-two  years  of  age,  wan- 
dered into  a  Sabbath  school  in  the  State 
of  Illinois,  and  after  having  gazed  awhile 
upon  the  objects  that  surrounded  him, 
seated  himself  near  one  of  the  classes 
that  was  then  engaged  in  recitation. 
He  was  noticed  by  the  superintendent 
as  apparently  much  interested  in  what 
he  heard,  and  at  the  close,  was  asked 
whether  he  would  like  to  join  the  school. 
He  replied  promptly  in  the  affirmative. 
Next  Sabbath  a  place  was  assigned  him 
in  one  of  the  classes  ;  and  after  he  had 
been  there  a  few  weeks,  the  superin- 
tendent offered  him  a  library  book,  but 
he  refused  to  take  it,  assigning  as  a  rea- 
758 


son  that  he  was  compelled  to  labor  dur- 
ing the  week  for  his  livelihood,  that  ho 
had  little  time  for  reading,  and  all  he 
could  spare  from  his  work  he  wished  to 
spend  in  reading  his  Testament.  He 
was  then  holding  one  in  his  hand,  which 
had  been  given  him  from  the  library  ; 
and  as  he  spoke  of  his  Testament,  his 
coun|cnance  brightened,  and  he  said, 
with  much  apparent  feeling,  "  This 
Testament  is  worth  twenty  Tennessee 
Testaments."  The  superintendent  was 
at  first  at  a  loss  for  his  meaning ;  but  a 
moment's  reflection  made  it  obvious. 
He  had  read  the  Testament  in  Tennes- 
see, and  loved  it ;  but  when  he  came  to 
study  it  in  the  Sabbath  school  so  much 
new  light  was  thrown  upon  it  by  tlie 
instruction  of  the  superintendent  and 
his  teacher,  that  the  one  which  he 
used  in  the  Sabbath  school  seemed  to 
him  a  new  book,  and  worth  twenty  of  ' 
the  Testaments  which  he  had  been  ac- 
customed  to  read  in  Tennessee. 


VARIOUS  SALUTARY  INFLUENCES,  ETC. 


38T 


(b)  DAUGHTER  EXPLAINING 
THE  BIBLE.— A  teacher  called  at  a 
neighbor's  house,  and  the  parents  being 
absent,  questioned  the  children  about 
the  creation,  the  flood,  &c.  They  ap- 
peared much  surprised  at  the  questions, 
and  were  as  unable  to  answer  them  as 
though  they  had  related  to  another  plan- 
et. They  did  not  attend  the  Sabbath 
school. 

In  tlie  same  neighborhood  lived  ano- 
ther child,  whose  age  was  about  the  av- 
erage age  of  those  children  just  men- 
tioned, and  her  advantages,  excepting 
the  Sabbath  school,  of  which  she  was  a 
member,  were  no  better  than  theirs. 
As  her  father  called  on  the  superinten- 
dent to  inquire  the  meaning  of  a  certain 
passage  of  Scripture,  he  remarked  that 
he  was  in  the  habit  of  asking  his  daugh- 
ter the  meaning  of  obscure  portions  of 
the  Bible,  and  that  he  seldom  failed  of 
obtaining  a  satisfactory  explanation. 

(c)  A  SCHOLAR  BECOMING 
BLLND  AND  DEAF.— A  writer  in 
''The  Children's  Friend,"  for  183S, 
states  that  while  attending  an  eminent 
surgeon  to  have  an  operation  performed 
on  one  of  his  eyes,  a  friend  of  his  led 
into  the  same  room  a  young  woman 
who  was  completely  blind  and  deaf. 
This  sad  condition  had  been  brought  on 
suddenly,  by  a  violent  pain  in  the  head. 
Her  case  was  examined  by  a^  number  of 
surgeons  then  present,  all  of  whom  pro- 
nounced it  incurable.  She  was  led 
back  to  the  house  of  my  friend,  when 
she  eagerly  inquired  what  the  doctor 
said  about  her  case,  and  whether  he 
could  afford  her  any  relief.  The  only 
method  by  which  her  inquiries  could  be 
answered  was  by  tapping  her  hand, 
which  signified  No  ;  and  by  squeezing 
it,  which  signified  Yes  ;  for  she  could 
not  hear  the  loudest  noise,  nor  distin- 
guish  day  from  night.  She  had  to  re- 
ceive for  her  answer  on  this  occasion, 
the  unwelcome  tap.  No.  She  burst  in- 
to tears,  and  wept  aloud  in  all  the  bit- 
terness of  despair.  "What!"  said  she, 
"  shall  I  never  again  sec  the  light  of 
day,  nor  hear  a  human  voice  ?  Must  I 
remain  incapable  of  all  social  intercourse 
— shut  up  in  silence  and  darkness  while 
I  live  ?"  Again  she  wept.  The  scene 
was  truly  affecting.     Had  she  been  able 


to  see,  she  might  have  been  pointed  to 
the  Bible  as  a  source  of  comfort.  Had 
she  been  able  to  hear,  words  of  consola- 
tion might  have  been  spoken  ;  but,  alas  ! 
those  channels  to  the  mind  were  closed, 
to  be  opened  no  more  in  this  world. 
Her  friends  could  pity,  but  they  could 
not  relieve ;  and  what  made  her  case 
still  more  deplorable,  she  was  an  orphan, 
had  no  father  or  mother,  or  brother  or 
sister,  to  iphy  and  care  for  her.  She 
was  entirely  dependent  upon  a  few  pi- 
ous friends  for  her  support.  This  she 
felt,  and  continued  to  weep,  till  my 
friend,  with  great  presence  of  mind, 
took  up  the  Bible,  and  placed  it  to  her 
breast.  She  felt  it,  and  said,  "  Is  this 
the  Bible  ?"  Sbe  was  answered  that  it 
was.  She  held  it  to  her  bosom,  and 
said,  '•  This  is  the  only  comfort  I  have 
left,  though  I  shall  never  be  able  to  read 
it  any  more ;"  and  began  to  repeat 
some  of  its  promises,  such  as,  "  Cast  thy 
burden  on  the  Lord,  and  he  will  sustain 
thee."  "  As  thy  day  is,  so  shall  thy 
strength  be."  "Call  upon  me  in  the 
day  of  trouble,  and  I  will  deliver  thee." 
"  My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee,"  etc. 
In  a  moment  she  dried  her  tears,  and 
became  one  •  of  the  happiest  persons  I 
ever  saw.  She  never  seemed  to  de- 
plore her  condition  afterwards.  I  have 
many  times  heard  her  speak  of  the 
strong  consolations  she  felt. 

Happily  for  this  young  woman,  she 
had  been  taken,  when  a  very  little  girl, 
to  a  Sunday  School,  where  she  enjoyed 
the  only  opportunity  she  ever  had  of 
learning  to  read  the  Bible,  and  where 
slie  had  committed  to  memory  those 
passages  of  Scripture  which  now  became 
her  comfort.  With  great  gratitude  she 
used  to  speak  of  her  teachers,  who,  she 
said,  not  only  taught  her  to  read,  but 
took  pains  to  instruct  her  in  the  things 
that  belonged  to  her  etefnal  peace. 
"  What  would  have  become  of  me,  had 
I  not  then  been  taught  the  way  of  sal- 
vation, for  now  I  am  deprived  of  all  out- 
ward means  1"  was  her  constant  lan- 
guage. 

(d)  MILITARY  PENSIONER.— 
An  aged  man  in  America,  a  military 
(pensioner,  who  commenced  his  Christian 
life  at  threescore  years  and  ten,  was  in- 
duced to  join  a  Sabbath  school.  Speak- 
759 


3§8,  S89 


SABBATH  SCHOOLS. 


ing  of  the  benefits  derived  from  the 
school,  he  said  he  had  been  in  the  habit 
of  reading  the  Bible  from  his  youth, 
and  had  read  it  through  many  times, 
and  thought  he  understood  it  tolerably 
well ;  but  when  he  joined  the  Sabbath 
school,  he  found  it  was  necessary  to  do 
something  more  than  read  the  Bible. 
He  had  to  search  the  Scriptures.  And 
it  led  him  to  observe,  that  we  are  no- 
where commanded  to  read  the  Bible,  but 
every  where  directed  and  encouraged  to 
^'search  the  Scriptures." 

S88.  Influence  in  Promoting  Attendance 
on  Public  Worship. 

(a)  LEADING  PARENTS  TO 
WORSHIP.— A  little  girl  one  Sabbath 
morning  was  much  affected  under  the 
sermon,  and  on  her  return  home,  ear- 
nestly entreated  her  mother  would  ac- 
company her  to  chapel  in  the  evening 
to  hear  how  delightfully  the  minister 
talked  about  Jesus  Christ.  The  child 
was  so  intent  on  this  object  that  she 
made  the  request  with  tears,  and  the 
mother,  at  last,  consented  to  accompany 
her  importunate  girl  to  the  chapel .  The 
preacher  chose  for  his  text,  "  I  am  not 
ashamed  of  the  gospel  of  Christ ;  for  it 
is  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation," 
Rom.  i.  16.  The  woman  was  seriously 
and  effectually  impressed  by  the  word 
of  God,  was  led  earnestly  to  seek  salva- 
tion, and  obtained  mercy  by  faith  in 
Christ  Jesus.  The  wife  now  naturally 
became  anxious  for  the  salvation  of  her 
husband,  and  persuaded  him  also  to  at- 
tend the  chapel.  He  also  submitted  to 
the  influence  of  the  truth,  and  both  the 
parents  became  grateful  to  God  for  the 
child  whose  importunity  led  them  to  hear 
the  fijospel  of  salvation. 

(h)  DYING  GIRL  AND  HER 
FATHER.— A  little  girl  went  to  the 
Peter-street,  Wardour-street,  Sunday 
school,  Westminster,  for  about  two 
years:  her  conduct  and  conversation 
were  always  very  exemplary.  Her 
parents  paid  little  or  no  regard  to  reli- 
gion ;  but  when,  on  a  Sunday,  her  father 
was  going  out  to  take  his  pleasure  she 
would  often  say,  "  Father,  the  people 
are  going  and  coming  out  of  church, 
why  do  you  not  go  ?"  and  such  like  ex- 
pressions. Her  death  was  caused  by 
760 


an  accident,  some  boiling  liquid  being 
thrown  over  her,  on  the  20th  of  Novem- 
ber, 1821.  She  lingered  until  the  next 
day,  and  then  died,  aged  eight  years. 
She  bore  the  anguish  with  great  pa- 
tience and  resignation  ;  and  about  two 
hours  before  her  death,  she  said  to  her 
father,  "I  am  going  to  heaven  ;  I  hope 
you  will  go  to  chapel,  that  you  may  go 
to  heaven  when  you  die  ;"  and  he  sol- 
emnly promised  to  do  as  she  requested. 
He  accordingly  attended  public  worship), 
and  the  first  discourses  he  heard  all 
seemed  to  be  directed  only  to  and  for 
him.  He  then  had  reason  to  remember 
his  dear  child,  and  her  words ;  and  a 
radical  change  ensued.  He  constantly 
attended  there  ;  the  word  of  eternal  life 
was  blessed  to  his  soul,  and  he  became 
a  communicant.  There  was  also  a 
change  at  home  ;  the  mother  generally 
attended  with  her  husband.  Thus, 
through  the  instrumentality  of  this  little 
girl,  a  whole  family  was  brought  near 
to  God. 

(c)  A  SCHOOL'S  INFLUENCE. 
— In  a  town  in  Massachusetts  there  was 
a  large  neighborhood,  where  many  of 
the  inhabitants  were  accustomed  to  spend 
the  Sabbath  in  hunting,  fishing,  drunk- 
enness, and  profaneness.  There  was 
only  one  professor  of  religion  in  the 
place.  She  went  to  the  church  with 
which  she  was  connected,  three  or  four 
miles  distant,  and  asked  if  something 
could  not  be  done  to  serve  her  neigh- 
bors? A  few  teachers  were  sent  out 
to  commence  a  Sabbath  school  there. 
One  year  after,  most  of  the  inhabitants 
had  found  their  way  to  the  house  of  God, 
where  they  afterwards  attended  regu- 
larly :  and  one  old  man  who  had  lived 
eighty  years,  zealously  declaring  to  all 
around  him,  that  the  "  wicked  shall  not 
be  turned  into  hell  with  all  the  nations 
that  forget  God,"  erected  the  family  al- 
tar, and  gave  pleasing  evidence  that  he 
had  commenced  a  new  life.  The  whole 
moral  character  of  that  neigborhood  is 
radically  changed. 

3S9.  In  Promoting  Benevolence  and  other 

Virtues. 

{a)    THE    LITTLE    GIRL    AND 

THE     LOS^r    POCKET-BOOK.— A 

gentlemen   jumping   from  an  omnibus 


VARIOUS  SALUTARY  INFLUENCES,  ETC. 


389 


in  the  city  of  New- York,  dropped 
his  pocket-book,  and  had  gone  some 
(]istance  before  he  discovered  its  loss ; 
then  hastily  returning,  inquired  of  every 
passenger  whom  he  met,  if  a  pocket- 
book  had  been  seen.  Finally,  meeting 
a  little  girl  often  years  old,  to  whom  he 
made  the  same  inquiry,  she  asked, 
-'  what  kind  of  a  pocket-book  ?"  He 
described  it — ^then  unfolding  her  apron, 
'•  is  this  it  ?"  "  Yes,  that  is  mine  ;  come 
into  this  store  with  me."  They  entered, 
lie  opened  the  book,  counted  the  notes, 
and  examined  the  papers.  "  They  are 
all  right,"  said  he  ;  "  fifteen  notes  of  a 
thousand  dollars  each ;  had  they  fallen 
into  other  hands,  I  might  never  have 
seen  them  again  ;  take  then,  my  little 
girl,  this  note  of  a  thousand  dollars,  as 
a  reward  for  your  honesty,  and  a  lesson 
to  me,  to  be  more  careful  in  future." 
"  No,"  said  the  girl,  "  1  cannot  ^ke  it ; 
I  have  been  taught  at  Sunday  school 
not  to  keep  what  is  not  mine,  and  my 
parents  would  not  be  pleased  if  I  took 
the  note  home,  they  might  suppose  I 
had  stolen  it."  "  Well,  then,  my  girl, 
show  me  where  your  parents  live." 
The  girl  took  him  to  an  humble  tene- 
ment in  an  obscure  street,  rude,  but 
cleanly;  he  informed  the  parents  of  the 
case  ;  they  told  him  their  child  had  act- 
ed correctly.  They  were  poor,  it  was 
true,  but  their  pastor  had  always  told 
them  not  to  set  their  hearts  on  rich  gifts. 
The  gentleman  told  them  they  must 
take  it,  and  he  was  convinced  they 
would  make  a  good  use  of  it,  from  the 
principle  they  had  professed. 

The  pious  parents  then  blessed  their 
benefactor,  for  such  he  proved,  they 
paid  their  debts  which  had  disturbed 
their  peace,  and  the  benevolent  giver 
furnished  him  employment  in  his  occu- 
pation, as  a  carpenter,  enabling  him  to 
rear  an  industrious  family  in  compara- 
tive happiness.  This  little  girl  became 
the  wife  of  a  respectable  tradesman  of 
New- York,  and  had  reason  to  rejoice 
that  she  was  born  of  pious  parents, 
who  had  secured  their  daughter's  hap- 
piness by  sending  her  to  Sunday  school. 

{b)  ORIGIN  OF  A  MISSIONARY 
SOCIETY.— The  Rev.  Richard  Knill 
writes,  in  January,  1837, — "  There  is 
a  town  in  England  where  the   Sunday 


scholatrs  are  showing  their  love  to  the 
heathen  ;      a    beautiful    description    of 
which  was  sent  to  me  by  their  minister. 
I  give  it  in  his  own  words : — 
'    "  '  But  you  should  have  been  with  us 
last  Sabbath,  for    God   has   turned  his 
hands  upon  the  little  ones.  You  remem- 
ber, when  you  were  here,  I  told  you 
that  the  young  people,  who  were  flock- 
ing around  you,  composed  my  spiritual 
family,     and    that    they    had    raised    a 
Sabbath  school  Missionary  Society.  How 
it  happened,  I  cannot  precisely  relate ; 
but  a  few  months  ago  the  children  began 
to  be  very  desirous  to  havp  a  society  of 
their  own,  and  one  little  girl  came  to 
her  teacher,  and  told  her,  with  tears, 
that  she  had  been  praying  to  God  a  great 
while  to  put  it  into  the  heart  of  her  mo- 
ther to  give  her  a  penny,  to  send  the 
news  of  salvation  to  the  children  of  the 
poor  heathen.     I  knew  the  complaints 
which   had   been    made  respecting  the 
contributions  of  older  persons,  but  what 
could  I  do  ?     If  the  love  of  Christ  had 
been  enkindled  in  the  breasts  of  those 
of  tenderest  yeai*s,  was  it  for  me  to  strive 
to  quench  it  ?     Thirty  or  forty  of  the 
dear  little  creatures  met  privately  in  the 
vestry,  on  Sabbath  morning,  for  prayer, 
and  to  read  the  rules  of  the  society,  and 
I  never  expect  to  have  more  sublime  or 
more  tender  emotions  excited  in  my  bo- 
som, until  I  join    the   company  of  the 
redeemed,  than  I  felt  when  I  looked  up- 
on this  part  of  the  army  of  Jesus,  who 
met  at  the  footstool  of  divine  mercy,  to 
grasp  in  their  feeble  hands  the  banners 
of  the  cross,  and  who  stood  prepared  to 
wage  war  against  the  rulers  of  spiritual 
wickedness  in  high  places.     Oh  !  what 
an  unspeakable  mortification  it  must  be 
to  the  prince  of  darkness,  to  be  con- 
quered by  such  helpless  instruments  as 
these  !'  " 

fc)" BRITISH  CONSUL  AND  SAB- 
BATH  SCHOOL  BOY.— The  follow- 
ing anecdote  is  copied  from  a  New- York 
paper,  of  July,  1818,  in  which  it  ap- 
pears as  a  communication  to  the  editor  : 

"  This  moment  the  British  consul  has 
related  to  me  an  anecdote  too  interesting 
to  be  suffered  to  pass  unnoticed.  A  few 
days  since,  a  young  man,  about  nine- 
teen years  of  age,  called  at  the  consul's 
office,  and  made  himself  known  as  one 
761 


389 


SABBATH  SCHOOLS. 


whom,  but  a  few  years  before,  the  con- 
sul had  taken  into  his  own  Sunday 
school,  in  the  north  of  Ireland.  He 
was  then  a  poor,  little,  helpless,  wretched 
outcast.  No  father  owned  him  for  a 
son  ;  but  the  Sunday  school  was  to  him 
as  a  father,  a  sister  and  a  brother.  The 
precepts  of  religion  and  morality,  which 
he  learned  there,  have  taken  deep  root 
in  his  heart,  and  are  now  ripened  into 
abundance  of  fruit.  He  put  into  the 
consul's  hand  more  than  one  hundred 
dollars,  the  little  earnings  he  had  laid 
up,  to  be  remitted  to  his  destitute  mo- 
ther, the  forlorn  daughter  of  shame  and 
sorrow." 

(d)  BOY  RESISTING  TEMPTA- 
TION.—On  a  Sabbath  afternoon,  a  little 
boy,  eight  years  of  age,  was  in  the  sick 
chamber  of  his  afflicted  father,  reading 
aloud  a  chapter  in  the  Bible,  when  two 
persons  called  in  to  see  the  father ;  they 
requested  that  the  child  might  be  per- 
mitted to  finish  the  chapter,  which  be- 
ing done,  one  of  the  visitors  praised  him 
highly  for  his  reading,  and  gave  him 
sixpence,  desiring  him  to  go  and  buy 
some  cakes,  and  divide  them  with  his 
brothers  and  sisters.  "  What,  to-day  !" 
exclaimed  the  child  with  astonishment, 
for  he  had  been  taught  to  reverence  the 
Sabbath  ;  "  none  but  wicked  people 
keep  open  shop  to-day,  and  I  must  not 
go  and  buy  of  them." 

"  But  mother  will  give  you  leave  for 
once,"  returned  the  injudicious  visitor, 
because  you  have  been  such  a  good  boy, 
and  read  your  chapter  so  well." 

The  parents,  of  course,  expressed 
their  positive  and  entire  objection  to  such 
a  practice,  and  the  child  steadily  refus- 
ed to  receive  the  money.  But  on  the 
persons  taking  their  leave,  the  little  boy 
was  desired  to  go  down  stairs  with  them 
and  open  the  street-door  ;  when  his  mis- 
taken friend  renewed  her  temptation, 
slipping  the  sixpence  into  his  hand,  say- 
ing, "  There,  now  you  can  run  and  buy 
what  you  like,  your  mother  will  not 
miss  you."  "  No,"  replied  the  child, 
"  but  if  she  should  not,  it  is  God's  com- 
mandment that  says,  '  Remember  the 
Sabbath  day  to  keep  it  holy.'  "  So  say- 
ing, he  laid  the  sixpence  on^the  step, 
and  shut  the  door ;  there  it  was  found 
by  the  servant,  some  hours  afterwards ; 
762 


when,  on  inquiry  being  made,  the  little 
boy  confessed  that  the  visitor  had  again 
offered  him  the  money,  and  that  he  had 
refused  it.  It  was  from  the  other  lady, 
who  was  grieved  at  the  impropriety  of 
her  friend's  conduct,  while  she  admired 
that  of  the  child,  that  the  parents  were 
afterwards  informed  of  the  firm  and 
proper  reply.  The  boy's  next  concern 
was,  how  to  return  the  money  ;  for  the 
idea  of  retaining  it  for  his  own  use,  even 
on  another  day,  seemed  never  to  have 
entered  his  mind.  After  a  little  consi- 
deration, he  inquired  if  it  would  ho 
right  to  purchase  with  it  a  little  book  on 
the  subject  of  keeping  holy  the  Sabbath 
day  ;  his  proposal  being  agreed  to,  a 
suitable  book  was  named,  but  as  the 
price  was  a  shilling,  the  boy  cheerfully 
contributed  the  remaining  sixpence  from 
his  own  little  store  ;  and  the  following 
day  a  book  was  purchased,  and  sent  to 
his  mfstaken  friend  ;  with  his  earnest 
prayers  that  a  divine  blessing  might  ac- 
company it. 

(e)  DEATH-BED  CONTRIBU- 
TION. — A  girl  nine  years  of  age  united 
with  the  school  in  T ,  in  tiie  sum- 
mer of  1834.  She  had  not  the  privi- 
lege of  parental  religious  instruction. 
Her  residence  was  two  or  three  miles 
from  school.  On  one  Sabbath  in  August, 
when  notice  was  given  in  the  school 
that  the  next  Sabbath  would  be  contri- 
huiion-day,  she  was  present.  But  it  was 
her  last  Sabbath.  She  went  home  un- 
der the  influence  of  that  disease  which, 
during  the  week,  hurried  her  into  eter- 
nity. 

While  on  her  bed  of  sickness,  she  re- 
membered the  contribution-day,  and 
spoke  of  the  luxury  of  giving.  Twice 
she  had  been  present  on  the  contribu- 
tion Sabbath,  and  had  put  her  cent  into 
the  box.  She  called  for  the  cent  which 
she  had  laid  aside  for  tlie  Sabbath,  gave 
it  to  her  mother,  and  told  her  that  if  she 
died  before  the  next  Sabbath,  to  carry 
it  to  her  teacher,  that  it  might  be  put 
into  the  Sabbath  school  contribution 
trunk.  On  the  next  Sabbath,  her  soul 
was  in  eternity  ;  but  her  cent,  like  the 
poor  widow's  two  mites,  was  cast  into 
the  treasury  of  the  Lord. 

(/)  LITTLE  BOY  AND  HIS 
TRACT.— A  little  boy,  belonging  to  a 


VARIOUS  SALUTARY  INFLUENCES,  ETC. 


3S9 


Sabbath  school  in  London,  having  occa- 
sion every  Sunday  to  go  through  a  cer- 
tain court,  observed  a  shop  always  open 
for  the  sale  of  goods.  Having  been 
taught  the  duty  of  sanctifying  the  Lord's 
day,  he  was  grieved  at  its  profanation, 
and  for  some  time  seriously  considered 
if  it  was  possible  for  him  to  do  any  thing 
to  prevent  it.  At  length  he  determined 
on  leaving  a  tract,  "  On  the  Lord's 
Day,"  as  he  passed  by.  On  the  next 
Sabbath,  coming  the  same  way,  he  ob- 
served that  the  shop  was  shut  up.  He 
stopped,  and  pondered  whether  this 
could  be  the  effect  of  the  tract  he  had 
left.  He  ventured  to  knock  gently  at 
the  door ;  when  a  woman  within,  think- 
ing it  was  a  customer,  answered  aloud, 
"  You  cannot  have  any  thing  ;  we  don't 
sell  on  the  Sunday."  The  little  boy 
still  begged  for  admittance,  encouraged 
by  what  he  had  heard,  when  the  woman 
recollecting  his  voice,  opened  the  door, 
and  said,  "  Come  in,  my  dear  little  fel- 
low :  it  was  you  who  left  the  tract  here 
last  Sabbath  against  Sabbath  breaking, 
and  it  frightened  me  so,  that  I  did  not 
dare  to  keep  my  shop  open  any  longer  ; 
and  I  am  determined  never  to  do  so 
again  while  I  live." 

{g)  SCHOLAR  AND  THE  SICK 
WOMAN. — A  gentleman,  near  Lon- 
don, went  to  visit  a  woman  who  was 
sick.  As  he  was  going  into  the  room, 
he  saw  a  little  girl  kneeling  by  the  side 
of  the  poor  woman's  bed.  The  little 
girl  rose  from  her  knees  as  soon  as  slie 
saw  the  gentleman,  and  went  out  of  the 
room.  "  Who  is  that  child  ?"  the  gentle- 
man asked.  "  O  sir  !"  said  the  sick 
woman,  "  that  is  a  little  angel,  who 
often  comes  to  read  her  Bible  to  me,  to 
my  great  comfort ;  and  she  has  just  now 
given  me  sixpence."  The  gentleman 
was  so  pleased  with  the  little  girl's  con- 
duct, that  he  wished  to  know  how  she 
had  learned  to  love  the  word  of  God, 
and  to  be  so  kind  to  poor  people.  Find- 
ing that  she  was  one  of  the  scholars  of  a 
neighboring  Sunday  school,  he  went  to 
the  school,  and  asked  for  the  child.  She 
felt  rather  afraid  when  she  was  called 
to  the  gentleman  ;  but  he  was  very  kind 
to  her,  and  asked  her  if  she  was  the 
little  girl  that  had  been  to  read  the  Bible 
to  the  sick  woman.     She  said  she  was. 


The  gentleman  said,  "  My  dear,  what 
made  you  think  of  doing  so  V  She 
answered,  "  Because,  sir,  I  find  it  said 
in  the  Bible,  that  "  pure  religion  and 
undefiled  before  God  and  the  Father  is 
this — to  visit  the  fatherless  and  wddows 
in  their  affliction.'  "  "  Well,"  said  he, 
"  and  did  you  give  her  any  money?" 
"  Yes,  sir."  "  And  where  did  you  get 
it  ?  "  Sir,  it  was  given  me  as  a  re- 
ward." 

(h)  LITTLE  PEACE-MAKER.— 
A  gentleman,  once  speaking  at  a  Bible 
Society  meeting,  stated,  that  a  little 
time  previously  he  had  called  in  at  one 
of  the  Sunday  schools  in  South wark  ; 
and  as  he  was  looking  over  one  of  the 
classes,  the  teacher  took  him  aside  and 
said,  "  Sir,  Lucy,  whom  you  have  just 
noticed,  is  one  of  the  most  extraordinary 
children  I  ever  knew,"  "  How  so  ?" 
said  he.  "  Why,  sir,  she  is  remarkably 
diligent,  gentle,  and,  above  all,  remark- 
ably  humble.  She  is  very  forgiving  to 
those  who  have  injured  her  ;  and  there 
never  is  a  quarrel  in  the  school  but  she 
interferes,  and  is  not  satisfied  until  she 
has  reconciled  the  parties.  I  am  almost 
afraid  of  loving  her  too  much."  After 
school  the  gentleman  addressed  her  : 
"  Lucy,  I  am  pleased  to  hear  you  give 
great  satisfaction  to  your  teacher.  What 
is  it  makes  you  so  desirous  to  oblige  your 
schoolfellows,  and  settle  their  disputes?" 
She  blushed,  and  hesitated  some  time  ; 
and  at  last  said,  in  a  meek  voice,  "  Sir, 
I  hope  it  is  because  our  Savior  has 
said,  '  Blessed  are  the  peace-makers.'  " 

(/)  SCHOLARS  AND  THEIR  SICK 
TEACHER.— A  number  of  boys,  who 
had  been  taught  in  a  Sabbath  school 
near  Sheffield,  England,  met  in  a  field  ; 
and  instead  of  spending  their  money  in 
oranges,  on  what  is  called  Slirove- 
Tuesday,  they  agreed  to  give  all  they 
had  to  their  teacher,  who  they  knew 
was  in  great  distress.  They  tied  up  the 
money  in  an  old  cloth  ;  and,  when  it 
was  dark,  they  opened  his  door,  and 
tlirew  it  into  the  house.-  Inside  of  the 
parcel  was  a  small  piece  of  paper,  on 
which  was  written,  '•  Trust  in  the  Lord, 
and  do  good,  and  verily  thou  shalt  be 
fed." 

(?)  THE  BOY  AND   HIS    FAR- 
THINGS.—At  the   anniversary  of  a 
763 


3S9 


SABBATH  SCHOOLS. 


Sunday  school,  at  Copthall,  a  village  in 
Essex,  on  Sunday,  Oct.  5,  1834,  whilst 
the  collection  was  making,  a  little  boy, 
about  seven  years  of  age,  put  a  bag  up- 
on the  plate.  As  it  was  rather  heavy, 
the  collector  was  curious  to  ascertain 
its  contents.  On  examination,  it  was 
found  to  contain  two  hundred  and  eighty- 
five  farthings,  or  five  shillings  and  eleven- 
pence farthing.  Upon  inquiry,  it  was 
found  that  the  boy  was  in  the  habit  of 
going  on  errands  for  his  mother,  and  was 
allowed  the  farthings  in  change,  to  be 
disposed  of  as  he  pleased,  which  he  per- 
severingly  saved,  and  generously  gave 
to  the  support  of  the  Sunday  school. 

(k)  SATURDAY  EVENING 
SCHOOL. — The  following  anecdote  is 
extracted  from  a  letter  from  Baltimore, 
dated  July,  1818  :— 

A  short  time  since,  the  mother  of  one 
of  the  girls  attending  my  school  accost- 
ed me  in  the  street,  and  said  she  had 
been  wishing  to  see  me  for  some  time. 
I  replied,  "  I  am  glad  to  see  you  ;  what 
do  you  want  with  me  ?"  "  Sir,  1  live 
in  a  little  village  about  three  miles  from 
Philadelphia.  We  have  no  Sabbath 
school  there  ;  but  my  little  girl  attends 
yours ;  and  as  she  has  derived  a  great 
deal  of  good  from  it,  she  tried  to  get 
some  of  our  neighbors'  girls  to  go  with 
her,  but  she  could  not  prevail  on  them 
to  go,  it  being  so  far  off;  and  so,  about 
two  months  aw,  she  befran  with  a  Satur- 
day  evening  school."  "  A  Saturday 
evening  school !"  "  Yes,  sir  ;  and  she 
has  now  about  thirty  little  girls  attend- 
ing regularly  ;  my  house  is  quite  filled 
with  them."  "  What  is  the  age  of  your 
daughter  ?"  '•  She  is  only  twelve,  sir." 
"  And  how  does  she  conduct  her  school  ?" 
''  In  the  same  way  that  you  do :  she 
goes  through  all  the  exercises  of  a  Sab- 
bath school ;  and  as  she  has  no  tickets 
to  reward  them  with,  she  is  the  more 
diligent  during  the  week  to  get  her  les- 
son well,  that  she  may  receive  her 
tickets,  and  with  these  she  rewards 
her  own  scholars."  After  getting  her 
address,  I  desired  her  not  to  say  any 
thing  of  our  .meeting,  and  I  would  en- 
deavor to  be  at  her  house  next  Saturday. 
I  went,  and  oh  !  how  was  I  delighted 
with  the  fervency  of  this  dear  child,  in 
ofTering  up  the  first  prayer  !  I  remain- 
764 


ed  concealed  ;  and  witnessed  the  whole 
duties  of  the  school,  conducted  with  all 
the  gravity  of  an  aged  matron. 

(/)  SOLDIER  GIVING  AWAY 
HIS  PENSION.— At  the  annual  meet- 
ing  of  the  Sunday  School  Union,  in 
1822,  the  Rev.  George  Marsden  stated, 
that  as  a  gentleman,  who  by  the  provi- 
dence of  God  had  become  reduced  in  his 
circumstances,  was  walking  along  the 
street,  he  was  met  by  an  old  soldier, 
who  immediately  recognized  him,  and 
mentioned  the  pleasure  he  felt  in  hav- 
ing been  one  of  his  Sabbath  scholars. 
The  soldier  had  heard  of  the  circum- 
stances which  had  reduced  his  former 
teacher  to  distress,  and  thus  addressed 
him  :  "  You  were  my  teacher  ;  I  have 
a  pension  from  Government ;  I  can 
work  a  little,  and  will  willingly  give 
my  pension  for  your  relief." 

(m)  THREE  SCHOLARS  AND 
THEIR  MOTHER.— Three  boys  at- 
tended a  Sunday  school  in  London  for 
some  time ;  at  length  their  father  died, 
and  their  mother  was  taken  so  danger- 
ously ill,  that,  being  very  poor,  she  was 
obliged  to  be  removed  to  the  workhouse. 
The  two  elder  boys  had  employment,  by 
which  they  earned  a  few  shillings  each 
per  week.  On  the  mother's  removal, 
the  three  boys  consulted  together  what 
they  should  do;  and  they  calculated 
that  what  they  could  earn  would  be 
sufficient  to  provide  them  with  food,  and 
to  pay  the  rent  of  the  room  which  had 
been  tenanted  by  their  mother.  They 
asked  the  landlord  if  he  would  let  them 
stop  in  the  room,  if  they  paid  the  weekly 
rent  regularly ;  to  this  he  cheerfully 
consented.  Some  weeks  passed  on,  and 
the  third  boy  got  a  situation,  and  the 
two  eldest  obtained  an  advance  in  their 
wages  on  account  of  their  diligence  and 
good  conduct.  By  this  time  their  mo- 
ther had  nearly  recovered  her  health  ; 
the  three  boys  again  consulted  together, 
and  found  that  their  earnings  would  en- 
able them  to  maintain  their  mother,  and 
they  resolved  upon  trying  to  do  it. 
They  accordingly  made  application  to 
the  parish  officers,  and  their  mother  was 
restored  to  her  house  :  and,  by  prudence 
and  economy,  the  boys  managed  to  main- 
tain the  family,  and  to  pay  their  rent 
regularly.       The   boys   acknowledged 


RELIGIOUS  INFLUENCE,  ETC. 


390,  391 


that  it  was  by  their  attendance  at  the 
Sunday-school  that  they  had  been 
taught  to  feel  for  their  parent,  and  to 
arrange  their  earnings  so  as  to  relieve 
the  parish  from  any  further  charge  on 
her  account. 

M.  In  Reforming  Neighborhoods. 

(a)  TESTIMONY  OF  A  JUS- 
TICE. — A  justice  of  the  peace,  near 
Bristol,  England,  in  1820,  speaking,  of 
the  neighborhood  in  which  a  Sunday 
school  had  been  established,  said,  that 
formerly  it  was  dangerous  even  to  go 
through  the  parish,  in  consequence  of 
the  ignorant  and  depraved  state  of  the 
inhabitants ;  but  now  he  saw  such  an 
alteration  for  the  better,  and  was  so 
pleased  with  the  sight  of  the  children, 
that  on  one  occasion  he  invited  them  all 
to  his  house,  and  gave  them  refresh- 
ment. 

{b)  CHANGE  IN  THE  SINGING 
OF  THE  STREETS.— The  teachers 
in  a  New  England  Sabbath  school,  in 
1830,  were  fully  convinced  of  the  good 
influence  their  school  had  exerted  on  the 
population  with  whom  they  labored. 
Before  its  establishment,  and  even  some 
time  afterwards,  it  was  no  uncommon 
thing  to  hear  songs  and  dancing  tunes 
on  Sabbath  mornings,  in  the  street 
where  the  school  is  located  ;  but  during 
the  year  then  closed,  it  was  not  remem- 
bered that  one  instance  had  occurred  ; 
but,  on  the  contrary,  they  were  often 
heard  singing  psalms  and  hymns. 

(c)  SUNDAY  SCHOLAR  AND 
DANCING.— The  Sunday  school  at 
Sheriff  Hill,  Newcastle,  was  established 
in  the  year  1813,  and  the  circumstances 
attending  its  establishment  were  rather 
singular.  A  dancing  school  had,  at 
that  time,  been  opened  there,  and  many 
seemed  desirous  of  attending  it.  Some 
Christian  colliers  conversing  on  the  sub- 
ject, down  in  the  pit,  and  endeavoring 
to  devise  some  means  for  stopping  the 
progress  of  iniquity,  it  occurred  to  one 
of  them,  that  the  most  effectual  way 
would  be  to  begin  a  Sunday  school. 
When  they  came  up  from  the  pit,  they 
spoke  to  one  of  the  agents  of  the  colliery, 
who  expressed  himself  favorable  to  the 
undertaking,  and  very  handsomely  gave 
them  permission  to  teach  in  the  very  room 


where  the  dancing  was  taught.  They 
went  home  full  of  gratitude  to  the  Lord, 
who  had  so  far  opened  a  way  for  them. 
They  next  canvassed  the  whole  village, 
taking  down  the  names  of  such  children 
as  wished  to  come  :  sixty-five  agreed  to 
attend.  They  had,  however,  neither 
books  nor  forms  for  the  school ;  but  the 
Lord  raised  up  a  kind  friend,  who  sup- 
plied them  with  both.  The  school  was 
then  opened,  and  was  soon  filled.  The 
dancing  was  laid  aside,  and  the  children 
were  employed  in  reading  their  Bibles 
and  singing  hymns. 

M,  In  Counteracting  and  Removing 
Infidelity. 

(a)  THE  INFIDEL  AND  CHILD. 
— A  man,  who  was  once  a  decided  infi- 
del, said  he  desired  to  bless  God  for 
Sunday  schools.  They  had  been,  he 
observed,  the  means  of  saving  his  soul. 
Flis  brother-in-law  and  sister  had,  with 
much  entreaty,  persuaded  him  to  send 
his  little  boy  to  the  Sunday  school.  The 
child  had  often  heard  the  superintend- 
ents enforce  the  duty  and  importance  of 
prayer,  to  which  he  had  listened  atten- 
tively. One  Sunday  morning,  while 
his  mother  was  dressing  his  little  bro- 
ther, this  boy  was  missing,  and  on  in- 
quiring of  him  where  he  had  been,  he 
replied,  he  had  been  saying  his  prayers  : 
and  added,  "  Mother,  does  my  father 
ever  pray  ?"  She  informed  his  father 
what  the  child  had  said.  The  father, 
having  lived  in  the  neglect  of  prayer, 
felt  condemned  ;  conviction  seized  his 
mind  :  he  sought  the  Lord,  and  found 
him,  to  the  joy  of  his  soul. 

{b)  THE  INFIDEL'S  OBJEC- 
TION.— In  conversation  with  a  pious 
woman,  an  infidel  manifested  great  hos- 
tility to  Sabbath  schools.  He  said  it 
took  possession  of  the  minds  of  the  young 
and  made  impressions  which  they  could 
not  get  rid  of!  Such  was  the  case  with 
him,  in  reference  to  the  instructions  of 
his  mother.  Although  he  did  not  be- 
lieve in  the  religious  instructions  she 
inculcated  when  he  was  a  child,  yet  he 
could  never  get  rid  of  it.  It  was  al- 
ways troubling  him.  The  good  woman 
then  told  him,  if  that  was  the  case,  she 
would  do  all  that  she  could  to  encour- 
765 


391,  392 


SABBATH  SCHOOLS. 


age  Sabbath  schools,  and  extend  their 
influence  to  the  utmost. 

(c)  THE  INFIDEL  AND  HIS 
DAUGHTER.— A  deist  whose  infidel- 
ity was  shaken  by  the  conversation  of 
his  little  daughter,  who  attended  a  Sab- 
bath school,  was  induced  to  attend  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel.  The  Holy 
Spirit  accompanied  it  with  his  blessing. 
On  the  following  November  5th,  he  con- 
vened his  family  together,  and  having 
made  a  bonfire  of  his  infidel  books,  they 
all  joined  in  singing  that  hymn,  "  Come 
let  us  join  our  cheerful  songs,"  &c. 

(d)  AN  INFIDEL'S  ALARM.— 
An  infidel  in  the  town  of  B.,  New- York, 
used  to  ridicule  religion  and  rail  against 
it.  On  one  occasion  he  observed,  "  of 
all  religions  that  ever  cursed  the  world, 
the  Christian  religion  is  the  worst. 
But,"  said  he,  as  if  he  was  considering 
what  he  could  do  to  stop  its  progress ; 
"  but,"  said  he,  "  what  1  shall  do  to  put 
down  these  infernal  Sunday  schools,  I 
donH  know,  i'm  afraid  of  them  !"  That 
which  so  alarms  the  fears  of  some  infi- 
dels, should  encourage  the  hopes  and 
nerve  the  hands  of  all  Christians ;  and 
for  the  very  reasons  such  infidels  would 
pull  down  Sunday  schools,  Christians 
should  strive  to  build  them  up. 

MORAL  AND  RELIGIOUS  INFLUENCE  ON 
PUPILS. 

M.  In  Preventing  and  Removing  Crime 
and  Vice. 

(a)  SABBATH  SCHOOLS  AND 
PRISONERS.— Jos.  Lancaster  says : 

"  I  was  naturally  desirous  of  gaining 
information  and  instruction  from  a  ven- 
erable man  of  seventy-two,  who  had  in 
a  series  of  years,  superintended  the  edu- 
cation of  3,000  poor  children  ;  who  had 
been  actively  engaged  in  visiting  both 
the  city  and  the  county  prisons,  where- 
by he  had  gained  an  ample  opportunity 
of  knowing  if  any  of  the  scholars  were 
brought  in  as  prisoners :  and  who  on  ap- 
pealing to  his  memory,  which,  although 
at  an  advanced  age,  is  strong  and  lively, 
could  answer — '  None  !'  " 

In  a  letter  to  the  editors  of  the  New- 
York  Observer,  in  1829,  the  chaplain  of 
the  State  Prison  attests  the  following  im- 
portant fact : — 

766 


"  I  have  lately  made  a  pretty  thor- 
ough inquiry  among  the  convicts  here, 
for  the  purpose  of  learning  who,  and 
how  many,  have  ever  enjoyed  the  ad- 
vantages of  a  Sabbath  school.  There- 
suit  is,  that  out  of  more  than  five  hun- 
dred convicts,  not  one  has  been  found 
who  has  ever  been,  for  any  considera- 
ble time,  a  regular  member  of  a  Sabbath 
school :  and  not  more  than  two  or  three 
who  have  ever  attended  such  a  school 
at  all. 

(b)  SCHOLAR  LEARNING  HON- 
ESTY. — A  colored  boy,  living  with  Dr. 

M ,  of  P ,  was  sent  by  a  little 

boy  in  the  family  with  six  cents  to  buy 
a  top  for  him.  On  his  return,  he  told 
the  child  that  the  top  had  cost  twelve 
cents,  and  that  he  had  paid  the  other  six 
from  his  own  money.  lie  was  repaid, 
and  no  more  was  thought  of  the  afl^air. 

Some  time  after,  the  colored  boy  was 
introduced  to  a  Sunday  school ;  and  hav- 
ing learned  some  valuable  lessons,  he 
one  day  said  to  his  master's  son,  "I 
gave  but  six  cents  for  that  top,  and  not 
twelve,  as  I  told  you ;  but  I  did  not 
know  then,  as  I  do  since  I  have  been  to 
a  Sunday  school,  how  wicked  such 
things  are."  Handing  him  six  cents 
from  his  pocket,  he  said,  "  I  have  been 
saving  them  for  you,  one  by  one — take 
them,  they  are  yours." 

(c)  YOUNG  CRIMINAL  REFOR- 
MED. — The  followino;  interesting^  ac- 
count  appeared  in  the  Christian  Guar- 
dian of  1823,  and  was  furnished  by  a 
gentleman,  who  visited  on  the  Sabbath 
the  city  prison,  in  the  Newgate  of  Dub- 
lin, for  the  purpose  of  affording  reli- 
gious instruction  to  the  prisoners  : — 

One  youth  I  gave  up  as  a  lippeless 
case  ;  he  pretended  he  could  not  read, 
but  I  discovered  he  read  better  than 
any  of  them.  He  endeavored  to  pick 
my  pockets,  and  to  pull  my  coat  when- 
ever I  happened  to  turn  round,  and 
has  pierced  me  with  pins  more  than 
once.  I  bore  it  all  patiently  ;  and,  in- 
stead of  causing  him  to  be  punished,  I 
expostulated  with  him  on  the  folly  and 
wickedness  of  his  ways.  I  also  gave 
him  two  or  three  suitable  tracts,  which 
he  promised  to  read. 

Cold  weather  coming  on,  he  had  no 
coat  or  shoes,  a  common  thing  in  the 


RELIGIOUS  INFLUENCE,  ETC, 


392,  39S 


prison,  where  some,  indeed,  were  almost 
naked.  I  promised  him  an  old  coat  and 
a  pair  of  shoes,  if  he  would  become 
more  attentive.  The  bribe  was  too 
tempting  to  be  refused  ;  and,  aner  two 
or  three  weeks  of  trial,  I  sent  him  the 
coat  and  shoes.  He  continued  promis- 
ing for  some  time,  but  there  was  nothing 
in  his  conduct  which  could  induce  a 
person  to  hope  for  an  entire  reforma- 
tion. It  is  the  duty  of  teachers,  when 
they  meet  with  such  a  scholar,  to  pre- 
sent him  in  fervent  prayer  before  the 
throne  of  grace  ;  yet,  at  the  same  time, 
to  watch  over  him,  and  to  lose  no  oppor. 
tunity  of  communicating  suitable  ad- 
vice. This  was  the  method  adopted  on 
the  occasion,  and  I  trust  it  was  not  una- 
vailing. However,  the  term  of  his  con- 
finement expired,  and  he  was  released. 
Shortly  after,  I  had  occasion  to  leave 
town  ;  and,  on  my  return,  having  been 
reading  the  whole  of  the  day,  T  went 
out  in  the  evening  to  enjoy  a  walk.  My 
spirits  were  unusually  low.  I  pro- 
ceeded along  one  of  the  public  roads  for 
some  time  ;  but  the  noise  and  bustle  not 
suiting  my  feelings,  I  turned  up  a  nar- 
row private  road,  shaded  by  trees  on 
both  sides,  and  interspersed  here  and 
there  with  neat  whitewashed  cottages. 
On  passing  one  of  them,  I  heard  the 
clicking  noise  of  a  busy  loom,  and  the 
singing  of  a  light-hearted  weaver. 
When  I  had  passed  about  fifty  paces, 
the  door  opened,  and  a  neatly-dressed 
young  man  called  after  me  by  name. 
Not  recognising  him,  I  did  not  reply, 
but  proceeded.  He  ran  after  me,  and 
stopped  me.  I  looked  at  him.  "  Do 
you  not  know  me,  sir  ?"  said  he.  "  No, 
indeed  I  do  not."  "  Do  you  not  recol- 
lect  your  scholar  at  Newgate,  James 

?"     I  looked  at  him  from  head  to 

foot ;  but  the  neatly-combed  hair,  the 
clean  face,  new  shirt,  and  plain  and 
comfortable  suit  of  clothes,  had  so 
metamorphosed  him,  that  it  was  with 
difficulty  T  could  recognize  him.  Ta- 
king me  most  affectionately  by  the 
hand,  and  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  he 
said,  "  Sir,  I  saw  you  passing  by,  and 
could  not  refrain  from  coming  out  to 
ask  your  pardon  for  all  my  unkindness 
to  you  ;  and  to  thank  you  for  all  that 
you  and  the  other  young  gentlemen  said 


to  me  while  in  Newgate.  It  was  a  sad 
place,  but  I  thank  God  that  ever  I  was 
put  into  it.  I  shall  count  that  day  the 
happiest  in  my  life.  1  should  have 
been  now,  perhaps,  living  in  wicked- 
ness, and  probably  come  to  the  gallows 
at  last.  When  I  got  out,  I  was  friend- 
less, and  without  a  home.  But  reflect- 
ing on  what  was  often  told  mcie  in  New- 
gate, that  Christ  is  the  Friend  of  sin- 
ners, and  ever  willing  to  receive  the 
vilest,  I  prayed  to  him  to  support  and 
assist  me.  I  shuddered  at  the  idea  of 
going  to  rob  and  pilfer  again,  and  de- 
termined to  work.  I  got  some  work, 
and  some  clothes  too  ;  and  I  have  now 
employment  enough  at  this  cottage ; 
and  I  pass  away  my   time  very  hap- 

{d)^  SABBATH    SCHOOLS   TOO 

LrVTE. — "Sabbath  schools  would  have 

saved  me  from  the  gallows ;  but  they 

I  were   fifteen   years   too  late  for   me," 

I  muttered   the  abandoned  Gibbs,  a  few 

days   before    his    execution.     But   the 

history  of  this  pirate  is  not  the  only  one 

j  that    furnishes  occasion  for  such  a  de- 

j  claration.     Hundreds  before  him,  who 

j  have   shed    innocent    blood,  might   as 

justly  have  said,  if  we  had    been  in- 

I  structed  in  Sabbath  schools,  they  would 

have  saved  us  from  this  ignominious 

death  on  the  scaffold  ! 

(e)  REPORTS  OF  THIRTY-FIVE 
SCHOOLS.— In  the  reports  of  35 
schools  of  Mass.,  in  1829,  it  was  defi- 
nitely stated,  that  no  individual  from 
their  number  had  ever  been  arraigned 
before  a  civil  tribunal  for  immoral  con- 
duct;  while  only  two  from  all  the 
schools  in  the  State,  are  mentioned, 
who  had  been  arrested :  and  these  at- 
tended the  Sabbath  school,  irregularly, 
for  a  very  short  time. 

M,  Conversions. 

(a)  FAITHFULNESS  REWARD- 
ED. — During  a  single  week,  in  1842, 
there  were  six  hopeful  conversions  in 
one  class  of  ten  or  twelve  boys,  in  the 
Pearl-street  Baptist  Sabbath  school  in 
the  city  of  Albany.  The  teacher,  G. 
T.  C,  had  for  three  or  four  weeks  felt 
an  unusual  anxiety  for  their  salvation, 
which  led  him  to  be  faithful  in  his  in- 
767 


393 


SABBATH  SCHOOLS. 


struction,  and  fervent  in  prayer  for 
them.  He  held  several  prayer  meet- 
ings at  his  house  with  them,  to  which 
other  scholars  were  invited,  and  at  one 
or  two  meetings  they  continued  almost 
"  all  night "  in  prayer.  One  Sabbath, 
one  of  them,  who  had  found  peace  the 
night  before,  called  on  the  teacher  at  4 
o'clock  in  the  morning  to  tell  him  how 
joyful  he  felt  in  loving  the  Savior,  and 
he  was  so  happy  he  could  not  wait  until 
he  should  see  hirti  in  the  Sabbath  school. 
When  the  school  assembled  in  the  P. 
M.,  they  all  came  forward  and  told 
what  the  Lord  had  done  for  them,  and 
affectionately  invited  their  associates  to 
come  to  the  Savior  and  taste  the  joys 
they  felt.  Such  a  scene,  and  such  a 
circumstance  would  be  interesting  at 
any  time,  but  at  that  time  particularly 
so,  from  the  fact  that  in  the  rest  of  the 
school,  and  in  the  church,  there  was  a 
lamentable  coldness,  while  the  ways  of 
Zion  mourned,  and  few  came  to  her  sol- 
emn feasts. 

(b)  REV.  MR.  CHARLES'  TES- 
TIMONY.—The  excellent  Rev.  T. 
Charles,  of  Bala,  England,  informed  the 
general  meeting  of  the  Sunday  School 
Union,  in  1813,  that,  throughout  the 
country  in  which  he  resided,  they  re- 
ceived most  of  the  members  into  their 
churches  from  Sunday  schools ;  and 
that,  during  the  preceding  year,  nearly 
one  hundred  persons  had  been  received 
into  Christian  communion  from  the  Sun- 
day schools  in  the  town  of  Bala. 

(c)  GREAT  CHANGE  IN  A 
FAMILY.— The  Rev.  Mr.  Hoover,  in 
addressing  a  meeting  of  the  Philadelphia 
Sunday  School  Union,  thus  spoke  : — 

"  If  you  had  accompanied  me  in  a 
walk  through  this  district,  two  years 
ago,  I  could  have  led  you  to  a  house,  or 
rather  a  hovel,  not  far  from  this  spot, 
which  was  unfit  to  be  the  residence  of 
man  or  beast.  There  you  would  have 
seen  a  widow  with  her  seven  children, 
in  the  rags  of  poverty,  and  with  the  im- 
press of  misery  on  their  countenances  ; 
the  room  and  its  occupants  forming  a 
scene  of  wretchedness  seldom  surpassed. 
If  you  will  go  with  me  to-morrow,  I  will 
show  you  the  same  house,  but  no  longer 
a  miserable  tenement.  Within,  you 
shall  behold  the  same  widow,  and  the 
768 


same  seven  children  ;  but  clothed  in 
comfortable  raiment,  and  peace  smiling 
in  their  faces.  The  Sabbath  school 
teacher  has  been  there,  and  he  has  led 
them  to  the  place  of  holy  instruction. 
God  has  visited  them  in  the  plenitude  of 
his  grace,  and  five  of  those  seven  chil- 
dren give  joyful  evidence  that  they  have 
passed  from  death  unto  life." 

(d)  "  FROM  THE  TOP  OF  THE 
ROCKS  I  SEE  HIM."— The  Rev.  T. 
T.  Biddulph,  of  St.  James's  Church, 
Bristol,  England,  mentioned  from  the 
pulpit,  about  1818,  that  a  boy,  some 
years  before,  behaved  so  ill  in  the  St. 
James's  Sunday  school,  that  neither 
kindness  nor  severity  appeared  to  have 
any  effect  on  him.  At  length  the  teach- 
ers were  very  reluctantly  obliged  to  ex- 
pel him.  For  several  years  they  heard 
nothing  of  him,  and  had  almost  forgot- 
ten the  circumstance  of  his  expulsion. 
Lately,  however,  as  a  clergyman,  who 
had  been  a  teacher  in  the  school,  Avas 
sitting  in  his  study,  in  a  distant  country 
village,  a  sailor  knocked  at  the  door. 
On  being  admitted,  he  said  to  the  cler- 
gyman, "  I  suppose  that  you  have  for- 
gotten me,  sir  ?"  "  Yes,"  said  the  Rev. 
Henry  Poole,  "  I  have,  if  I  ever  knew 
you."  "  Do  you  remember  a  wicked 
boy  named  James  Saunders?"  "Oh, 
yes,"  said  he,  "  I  have  cause  to  remem- 
ber him  ;  he  gave  me  much  trouble  and 
anxiety.  What  do  you  know  of  him  ?" 
"  I  am  the  lad  !"  "  You  are  grown  so, 
and  so  much  altered,  1  could  not  have 
believed  it.  Well,  James,  what  account 
can  you  give  of  yourself?"  "  A  very 
sorry  one,  sir.  When  I  was  expelled 
from  the  school,  I  left  the  city,  and  wan- 
dered, I  scarcely  knew  or  cared  where.  • 
At  length  I  found  myself  at  the  sea-side. 
Weary  of  living  by  lying  and  stealing, 
I  got  on  shipboard  ;  and  after  sailing  in 
various  parts  of  the  world,  I  was  ship- 
wrecked in  a  hurricane  in  the  Bay  of 
Honduras.  After  swimming  till  my 
strength  failed  me,  I  gave  myself  up  for 
lost.  In  the  middle  of  a  dark  night,  I 
came  to  my  senses,  and  found  myself 
on  a  rock  half  covered  with  water.  I 
looked  around  and  called  out  for  my 
shipmates,  and  found  that  two  of  them 
were  circumstanced  like  myself,  every 
moment    expecting    a    watery   grave. 


RELIGIOUS  INFLUENCE,  ETC. 


393 


For  the  first  time  since  I  left  the  school, 
you,  sir,  darted  into  my  mind.  I  thought 
of  your  kindness,  of  my  base  ingratitude, 
and  of  some  of  the  sacred  truths  you 
took  so  much  pains  to  fix  in  my  memo- 
ry ;  particularly  that  passage  in  Num- 
bers xxiii.  9,  '  From  the  top  of  the  rocks 
I  see  him.'  In  my  extremity,  I  looked 
to  the  Savior,  of  whom  I  had  heard  so 
much,  but  whom  I  had  so  long  slighted 
and  despised.  1  knelt  down,  up  to  my 
waist  in  water,  and  cried  mightily,  that 
God  would  be  the  rock  of  my  heart,  and 
my  portion  for  ever.  I  found  your 
words  true,  that  '  praying  breath  was 
never  spent  in  vain.'  On  the  day  break- 
ing, we  discovered  some  pieces  of  the 
wreck,  on  which  we  ultimately  succeed- 
ed in  reaching  the  shore.  Then  many 
precious  truths  which  you  had  taught 
me  from  the  Bible  came  fresh  into  my 
memory  ;  though  I  had  almost  forgotten 
during  my  career  of  iniquity,  even  that 
there  was  such  a  book.  I  thought,  sir, 
you  would  be  glad  to  find  that  all  your 
care  and  anxiety  on  my  behalf  was  not 
lost;  1  therefore  walked  from  my  ship 
to  thank  you,  in  the  best  manner  I  can, 
for  your  former  kindness  to  me."' 

Knowincj  the  cunning:  adroitness  of 
the  lad,  Mr.  Poole  was  half  inclined  to 
discredit  him.  He  inquired  the  name 
of  his  captain,  to  whom  he  wrote,  and 
ascertained  that  since  this  young  man 
had  sailed  with  him,  his  conduct  had 
been  so  correct  and  exemplary,  that 
whenever  he  knew  James  Saunders  was 
on  deck,  he  made  himself  perfectly  easy, 
knowing  that  the  duties  of  the  ship 
would  be  faithfully  attended  to.  Many 
months  afterwards,  Mr.  Poole  received 
a  letter  from  the  captain,  saying  that 
poor  James  Saunders,  in  a  distant  part 
of  the  world,  was  seized  with  a  fever ; 
that  during  its  progress  he  sent  for  the 
sailors,  read  to  them  while  lie  was  able 
out  of  the  Bible,  exhorted  them  to  cleave 
to  the  Block  of  ages  that  never  moves, 
to  take  example  by  him,  though  one  of 
the  vilest  of  sinners,  who  had  found 
mercy  and  grace  to  help  in  every  lime 
of  need ;  and  commending  them  all  to 
Jesus,  he  fell  asleep  in  Him  without  a 
struggle. 

The  new  school  rooms  at  Bristol,  ac- 
commodating from  five  to  six  hundred 
49 


children,  being  in  debt  several  hundred 
pounds,  some  gentlemen  of  the  commit- 
tee, and  other  friends  to  the  institution, 
had  lent  the  money  wanted,  upon  loan, 
in  sums  to  suit  their  convenience,  and 
had  received  bills  for  tbeir  respective 
amounts  bearing  interest.  The  day  af- 
ter narrating  the  above  incident,  Mr. 
Biddulph  received  from  a  member  of 
his  congregation  a  letter,  inclosing  one 
of  these  bills  for  fifty  pounds,  requesting 
Mr.  B.  to  burn  it,  as  the  above  anecdote 
had  amply  repaid  both  the  principal  and 
interest  on  it.  Another  of  the  congre- 
gation, who  held  three  similar  fifty  pound 
bills,  sent  them  with  a  like  request. 
Surely  this  is  encouragement  for  every 
person  connected  with  Sunday  schools, 
to  persevere  amidst  discouragements. 

(e)  TWO  ORPHAN  SCHOLARS. 
— Some  years  ago,  two  little  boys,  de- 
cently clothed,  the  elder  about  thirteen 
years  of  age,  and  the  younger  eleven, 
called  at  a  lodging  house  for  vagrants, 
in  Warrington,  to  stay  for  the  night. 
The  keeper  of  the  house,  very  properly, 
took  them  to  the  Vagrant  Office  to  be 
examined,  that,  if  proper  objects,  they 
might  be  relieved.  The  account  they 
gave  of  themselves  was  very  affecting, 
but  no  doubt  was  entertained  of  its  truth. 
It  appeared,  that  but  a  few  weeks  had 
elapsed  since  these  poor  little  wanderers 
had  resided  with  their  parents  in  Lon- 
don. The  typhus  fever,  however,  in 
one  day,  carried  off  both  father  and  mo- 
ther, leaving  them  orphans.  Immedi- 
ately after  their  parents  were  buried, 
the  children,  having  an  uncle  in  Liver- 
pool, resolved  to  go  and  throw  them- 
selves upon  his  protection  ;  and,  tired 
and  faint,  they  arrived  in  the  town  of 
Warrington,  on  their  way  thither. 

Two  bundles  contained  their  little  all. 
In  the  youngest  boy's  was  found  neatly 
covered  and  carefully  preserved,  a  Bi- 
ble. The  keeper  of  the  lodging  house 
said  to  the  boy,  "  You  have  neither  mo- 
ney nor  meat,  will  you  sell  me  this  Bi- 
ble ?  1  will  give  you  five  shillings  for 
it."  "  No,"  exclaimed  he  ;  "  I'll  starve 
first."  "  The  keeper  then  said,  "  there 
are  plenty  of  books  to  be  bought  besides 
this ;  why  do  you  love  the  Bible  so 
much?"  The  boy  replied,  "-No  book 
has  stood  my  friend  so  much  as  the  Bi- 
769 


393 


SABBATH  SCHOOLS. 


ble."  "  Why,  what  has  the  Bible  done 
for  you  ?"  He  answered,  "  When  I 
was  a  boy  about  seven  years  of  age  I 
became  a  Sunday  scholar  in  London, 
where  I  learned  to  read  my  Bible. 
This  Bible  showed  me  that  I  was  a  sin- 
ner,  and  a  great  one  too.  It  also  point- 
ed me  to  the  Savior,  and  I  thank  God, 
I  have  found  mercy  at  the  hands  of 
Christ,  and  I  am  not  ashamed  to  confess 
him  before  the  world."  To  try  the  boy 
still  farther,  six  shillings  were  offered  to 
him  for  his  Bible.  "  No,"  said  he,  "  it 
has  been  my  support  all  the  way  from 
London.  Hungry  and  weary,  often 
have  I  sat  down  to  read  my  Bible,  and 
have  found  refreshment  from  it,  and  I 
have  experienced  the  comfort  David  felt, 
when  he  said,  '  In  the  multitude  of  my 
thoughts  within  me,  thy  comforts  delight 
my  soul.'  "  He  was  then  asked,  what 
he  would  do  when  he  got  to  Liverpool, 
should  his  uncle  refuse  to  take  him  in  ? 
His  reply  may  excite  a  blush  in  many 
other  Christians ;  "  My  Bible  tells  me, 
'  When  my  father  and  mother  forsake 
me  the  Lord  will  take  me  up.'  "  The 
children  had  in  their  pockets  tickets,  as 
rewards  from  the  Sunday  school  to 
which  they  belonged,  and  thankfulness 
and  humility  were  visible  in  all  their 
deportment.  At  night  they  committed 
themselves  to  God  in  prayer,  and  the 
next  day  pursued  their  journey  to  Liv- 
erpool. 

(/)  CLASS  OF  TWENTY  CHIL- 

DREN.— Rev.   Mr.  ,  of  H , 

Mass.,  in  August,  1830,  thus  wrote  : 
"Since  the  1st  of  February,  of  the  pre- 
.sent  year,  161  persons  have  been  admit- 
ted to  this  Church,  most  of  whom  have 
generally  attended  my  Bible  class  in- 
struction, for  the  last  six  years,  and 
nearly  60  of  them  have  been  members 
of  the  Sabbath  school.  /  have  a  class 
of  twenty  children,  all  of  whom  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Sabbath  school,  who  arc  cher- 
ishing the  hope  that  they  have  jmssedfrom 
death  unto  life.  These  children  are 
from  eight  to  fourteen  years  of  age.  The 
object  of  bringing  them  into  a  class,  has 
reference  to  their  making  a  profession 
of  relio;ion. 

fe)^THE  CLASS  OF  LARGE 
SCHOLARS.— In  1833,  the  superin- 
tendent  of  a  school  in  Massacliusetts 
770 


made  an  attempt  to  gather  into  the 
school  again,  some  of  the  youth  who 
had  left  under  the  impression  that  they 
were  too  old  to  be  members.  At  first  a 
class  of  about  16  females  M^as  formed. 
The  next  summer  [1834]  it  numbered 
40  males  and  females.  Twenty  of  this 
class  in  two  years  after  its  formation, 
made  a  public  profession  of  religion. 

{h)  SAILOR  CONVERTED  IN 
PRISON.— F.  O.  was  a  sailor,  illiterate 
and  headstrong.  Left  in  early  life  with- 
out a  father  to  guide  his  youthful  steps, 
he  rushed  thoughtlessly  along  in  the 
path  of  folly  and  dissipation,  regardless 
of  the  remonstrances  of  a  widowed  mo- 
ther. His  progress  was  consequently 
downwards,  until  he  was  arrested  by 
the  hand  of  civil  justice,  for  a  deed  of 
midnight  villainy.  He  was  convicted, 
and  sentenced  to  the  Auburn  prison, 
New  York.  As  he  was  about  to  take 
his  leave  of  home,  with  the  officer  who 
conducted  him  to  the  place  of  confine- 
ment, he  was  entreated  by  all  the  force 
of  a  mother's  love,  to  think  upon  his 
ways,  to  conform  to  the  laws  of  the  pri- 
son, to  read  his  Bible,  to  repent,  and 
obey  God.  He  mocked  at  the  counsels 
and  tears  of  maternal  tenderness,  de- 
claring, with  dreadful  oaths,  that  he 
would  "  listen  to  none  of  her  pious  en- 
treaties ;  that  he  cared  not  for  God  or 
man  ;  and  that  he  intended  to  give  him- 
self to  sin  while  he  lived !"  During 
the  first  two  years  of  his  imprisonment, 
all  the  bitterness  of  his  hostility  against 
religion  continued.  A  Bible  was  put 
into  his  cell,  but  he  refused  to  read  it, 
and,  to  use  his  own  expression,  "  would 
rather  see  the  devil  than  the  face  of  a 
chaplain."  At  the  end  of  two  years  he 
was  persuaded  to  enter  the  Sabbath 
school  kept  in  the  prison.  Here  the 
"  sword  of  the  Spirit  "  found  an  avenue 
to  his  heart ;  his  enmity  was  slain  ;  his 
stubbornness  yielded  to  tenderness  ;  and 
his  hatred  was  transformed  to  love.  He 
now  spoke  of  the  Savior  with  a  burst- 
ing heart.  "  Oh,"  said  he,  "  I  bless 
God  that  I  was  ever  brought  to  this  pri- 
son !  It  was  this  that  saved  me  from 
destruction.  I  should  certainly  have 
ruined  myself  if  I  had  not  been  arrest- 
ed." At  the  mention  of  his  mother's 
name,  I  have  seen,  said  the  writer  of  the 


RELIGIOUS  INFLUENCE,  ETC. 


393 


account,  the  tear  start  in  his  eye,  and 
his  frame  shake  with  convulsive  emo- 
tion. "  Ah,  my  mother !  had  I  listened 
to  her  counsels !  but  I  have  broken  her 
heart!  How  many  sighs  and  tears, 
how  many  sleepless  nights  and  agoniz- 
ing prayers  1  have  caused  her  !  When 
I  think  of  my  poor  mother,  1  sometimes 
feel  that  I  could  burst  the  walls  of  my 
cell,  that  I  tpight  go  and  fall  before  her, 
to  ask  her  forgiveness."  He  was  re- 
leased from  prison,  and  immediately 
called  on  a  friend,  to  whom  the  above 
confessions  were  made.  After  pledging 
himself  to  unite  with  the  people  of  God, 
a  Bible  was  put  into  his  hands,  when, 
with  a  bounding  heart,  he  took  his  leave 
and  set  his  face  towards  the  mansion  of 
his  mother. 

(/)  THE  WIDOW  AND  HER 
SON. — At  the  annual  meeting  of  a  Sun- 
day School  Union,  in  England,  in  1824, 
the  Rev.  Jacob  Stanley  related  the  fol- 
lowing fact  respecting  a  Sunday  scholar. 
Some  years  ago,  there  was  a  widow  in 
Staffordshire,  whose  son  attended  the 
Sunday  school,  but  he  did  not  at  first  re- 
gard the  religious  instructions  he  re- 
ceived. He  became  wild  and  profligate, 
enlisted  as  a  soldier,  and  was  several 
years  on  the  continent.  Another  young 
man  from  the  same  town,  was  proceed- 
ing to  join  the  regiment  to  which  he  be- 
longed, and  called  on  the  poor  widow  to 
ask  her  if  she  had  any  thing  to  send  to 
her  son.  She  said  she  was  very  poor, 
she  had  no  money  to  send,  and,  if  she 
had,  it  might  do  him  no  good,  but  that 
she  could  send  him  a  Bible ;  and  she 
added,  "  Give  my  love  to  him,  and  tell 
him  that  it  is  my  earnest  wish  that  he 
would  read  this  book,  and,  beginning  at 
Matthew,  that  he  would  read  one  chapter 
every  day."  The  young  man  took 
the  Bible,  and  when  he  joined  the  regi- 
nicnt,  he  found  out  his  townsman,  who 
asked  him,  "  Well  have  you  seen  the 
old  woman,  and  how  is  she  ?"  *'  She 
is  well  and  has  sent  you  this  present,  a 
Bible  ;  and  she  desired  me  to  say  that 
it  was  her  request,  and  perhaps  her  last 
request,  that  you  would  read  a  chapter 
in  it  every  day."  "  Well,"  replied  he, 
"  I  will  comply  with  her  request,  on 
condition  that  you  will  join  with  me  in 
reading  this   chapter."     The   engage- 


ment was  made,  and  they  read  to  the 
third  chapter  of  John,  with  which  they 
were  much  struck.  A  pious  sergeant 
explained  what  they  read,  and  the  Holy 
Spirit  applying  the  truth  to  their  minds, 
they  became  the  subjects  of  godly  sor- 
row, and  attained  that  peace  which  pass- 
eth  all  understanding.  Soon  after  they 
were  called  into  an  engagement,  when 
the  son  of  the  widow  was  wounded,  and 
carried  into  the  rear  by  his  comrade. 
When  the  battle  was  over,  he  went  to 
look  for  his  wounded  comrade,  and  found 
him  with  that  Bible  open  which  had 
been  the  means  of  his  conversion ;  it 
was  covered  with  his  blood,  and  his 
spirit  had  fled.  He  took  up  the  Bible, 
and  on  his  return  waited  on  the  widow- 
ed mother,  and  presented  her  with  it. 

(j)  THE  SHIPWRECKED  SAIL- 
OR.— A  young  man,  about  to  retire 
from  a  school  in  Scotland,  received  from 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Colquhoun,  on  one  occa- 
sion that  he  visited  the  institution,  a  Bi- 
ble, with  a  suitable  inscription,  as  a  re- 
ward for  good  conduct.  Many,  who 
were  present  on  that  occasion,  will  long 
remember  with  what  earnestness  that 
venerable  servant  of  God  invoked  the 
blessing  of  the  Almighty  on  the  young 
man  here  alluded  to,  while  he  stood  with 
the  sacred  gift  in  his  hand ;  that  he 
might  be  protected  by  God  in  whatever 
situation  he  might  be  placed,  and  that 
the  Bible  he  had  that  night  received 
might  prove  a  source  of  consolation  to 
him  in  the  hour  of  adversity  and  distress. 
The  subsequent  history  of  this  unfortu- 
nate youth,  showed  that  these  supplica- 
tions had  been  abundantly  answered ; 
for  shortly  after  he  went  to  sea,  and  the 
vessel  in  which  he  was  on  board,  as  a 
mariner,  was  wrecked  on  the  western 
coast  of  Scotland,  and  all  hands  perish- 
ed. The  corpse  of  the  young  sufferer 
was  found  stretched  on  the  shore,  and 
his  name  and  birth  place  came  to  be 
known  by  the  inscription  on  this  Bible, 
which  was  found  in  his  bosom. 

(k)  A  SAILOR'S  TESTIMONY.— 
The  followiug  letter,  of  a  sailor,  is  ex- 
tracted from  the  American  Sunday 
School  Magazine  : — 

"  I  consider  a  Sunday  school,  proper- 
ly conducted,  a  great  blessing  to  the 
poor  of  our  land.  I  am  a  living  witness 
771 


SABBATH  SCHOOLS. 


of  its  benefits.  I  was  born  of  poor  pa- 
rents, who  could  send  me  to  no  other 
school.  It  was  there,  in  the  course  of 
one  year,  together  with  my  private  tui- 
tion at  home,  that  I  acquired  that  degree 
of  education  which  I  now  possess.  I 
was  taught  to  fear  God,  obey  my  parents, 
reverence  the  Sabbath,  abhor  the  sins  of 
lying,  cheating,  stealing,  and  a  cata- 
logue of  others  :  and  had  it  not  been  for 
a  wicked  relation,  who  inspired  me  with 
a  notion  for  the  sea,  I  perhaps  never 
should  have  sunk  to  such  depths  of  wick- 
edness as  I  have  done.  But  being  sur- 
rounded, while  a  sailor,  with  sinful  com- 
pany, I  soon  forsook  the  holy  counsel 
given  me  by  my  teachers ;  but  I  never 
could  plead  ignorance  in  sinning,  for  the 
convictions  I  received  at  the  Sunday 
school  never  left  me,  although  I  sailed 
eleven  years  on  the  ocean,  in  daily  re- 
bellion against  God.  Surely  I  may  say 
that  goodness  and  mercy  have  followed 
me. 

"  During  those  eleven  years,  I  have 
frequently  sailed  from  England,  my  na- 
tive country,  to  almost  all  parts  of  Eu- 
rope and  Africa,  to  the  East  and  West 
Indies,  South  America,  and  British 
North  America.  And,  oh  !  how  many 
times  has  the  Lord  saved  me  from  an 
untimely  death,  both  in  storms  and  bat- 
tles !  Had  I  room,  I  would  now  record 
them,  and  thereby  render  a  public 
thanksgiving  to  God  my  Savior.  But 
I  cannot  forbear  inserting  one  instance 
of  his  goodness.  In  May,  1812,  we 
were  sailing  to  the  East  Indies,  from 
London,  being  near  the  equinoctial  line, 
two  ships  in  company,  with  a  detach- 
ment of  soldiers  on  board  of  each ;  it 
being  a  fine  day,  and  our  ship  and  her 
consort  not  more  than  three-fourths  of  a 
mile  apart,  the  crews  and  soldiers  of 
both  ships  obtained  leave  from  their  offi- 
cers to  go  a  swipnming.  I,  then  a  dar- 
ing sinner,  plunged  into  the  water,  in 
company,  perhaps,  with  one  hundred 
more.  A  man  from  the  other  ship,  at 
the  same  time,  with  a  bottle  of  rum  in 
his  hand,  while  swimming,  challenged 
any  of  us  to  meet  him  half-way  between 
the  two  ships.  A  soldier  who  was  a 
better  swimmer  than  I  was,  agreed  with 
me  to  meet  him  ;  but  none  of  the  rest 
would  dare  to  go.  We  had  scarcely 
772 


reached  him,  at  the  distance  of  nearly 
half  a  mile  from  our  ship,  when  our 
mate,  who  was  up  in  the  rigging,  saw  a 
shark  coming  astern  of  our  ship,  and 
called  to  us  to  make  haste  on  board. 
Those  who  were  near  the  ship,  got  im- 
mediately on  board,  and  a  boat  was 
lowered  down  for  the  rest ;  but  she 
could  not  hold  all  the  soldiers,  and  1, 
who  was  furthermost  from  tj|e  ship,  was 
in  consequence  left.  By  this  time,  some 
on  board  had  thrown  overboard  a  hook, 
with  an  eight-pound  piece  of  pork  on  it, 
with  the  intention  of  decoying  the  shark 
from  us ;  but  it  seemed  to  take  no  no- 
tice of  it,  but  steered  directly  for  us. 
By  this  time  my  companion,  who  out- 
swam  me,  had  reached  the  head  of  the 
ship,  and  taken  hold  of  a  rope  that  hung 
from  thence,  but  was  so  exhausted  that 
he  could  not  climb  it.  While  he  was 
trying  to  climb  the  rope  I  came  up  to 
him,  and  caught  him  by  the  leg  as  he 
hung  about  half  out  of  water.  My 
clinching  him  caused  him  to  slip  down, 
and  being  more  expert  than  he,  I  caught 
hold  of  the  rope  above  his  hands,  and 
placing  my  knees  u[X)n  his  shoulders,  I 
made  an  effort  to  reach  the  head  of  the 
ship  !  but  at  that  instant  the  rope  broke, 
and  plunged  us  both  in  the  water  along- 
side of  the  shark.  I  then  swam  round 
the  stern  of  the  ship,  and  took  hold  of 
another  rope,  and  was  soon  on  deck  and 
out  of  danger.  I  looked  down  at  the 
soldier,  and  saw  the  shark  open  his 
mouth  to  receive  his  prey.  The  men 
on  deck  called  at  the  same  time  to  the 
man  to  kick  with  his  feet.  He  did  so, 
and  struck  the  shark  on  his  nose  ;  when 
he  directly  turned  away  from  the  man, 
who,  at  that  instant,  was  caught  by  a  rope 
with  a  noose  on  it,  and  hauled  up  into 
the  ship.  The  shark  then  took  the  bait, 
and  we  hoisted  him  in.  He  measured 
about  sixteen  feet ;  and  his  jaws,  when 
extended,  would  admit  of  a  bulk  nearly 
as  large  as  a  barrel.  It  was  now  that 
the  serious  impressions  which  I  received 
at  the  Sunday  school  came  fresh  to  my 
mind,  and  reproached  me  with  ingrati- 
tude against  God.  But  glory  to  his  ho- 
ly name,  he  rescued  me  from  an  un- 
timely death,  and  I  trust  I  shall  praise 
him  for  the  same,  in  time,  and  to  all 
eternity.         "  George  P.  Holmes." 


RELIGIOUR  INFLUENCE,  ETC. 


393,  394 


(Z)  THE  WELSHMAN'S  SAB- 
BATH  SCHOOL.—''  When  I  stand  in 
the  pulpit  before  my  own  people  on  the 
Sabbath,"  says  the  Rev.  John  Todd, 
"  I  see  before  me  an  aged  man  in  the 
gallery,  for  each  Sabbath  he  is  there, 
and  the  sight  of  him  brings  with  it  de- 
lightful associations. 

"  In  former  days  he  resided  in  North 
Wales.  There  were  no  Christians  in 
his  neighborhood.  He  wished  to  com- 
mence a  Sunday-school,  but  could  find 
no  better  place  than  a  back-kitchen. 
Here  he  weekly  assembled  his  little 
flock,  and,  for  eleven  years,  labored 
alone,  except  with  the  aid  of  the  scho- 
lars he  had  trained.  Among  his  first 
pupils  were  two  children  of  impenitent 
parents.  These  two  girls  had  a  little 
brother,  to  whom  they  were  accustomed 
to  teach  what  they  learned  in  the  Sab- 
bath school.  They  were  so  interested 
in  the  Bible,  that,  being  occupied  in 
braiding  straw  as  a  business,  they  would 
first  braid  the  length  of  a  straw,  then 
study  a  verse,  then  braid,  and  then 
study,  so  that  they  always  came  pre- 
pared with  their  Bible  lesson. 

"  Their  instructor,  a  long  time  ago, 
emigrated  to  this  country,  and  this  aged 
parishioner  showed  me  a  letter  he  had 
received  from  this  scene  of  his  early 
labors.  The  Sunday  school  is  still 
taught  there,  not  as  before,  in  a  hack 
kitchen,  but  in  a  neat  house  of  God. 
The  minister  of  this  sanctuary  is  a 
devoted  man,  laboring  faithfully  and 
successfully  in  his  Master's  vineyard. 
He  is  the  "  little  brother "  of  those 
"  little  girls."  His  sisters  are  married. 
One  is  the  mother  of  nine  children,  and 
lost  her  husband  the  last  year  by  the  fall- 
ing in  of  a  coal  mine ;  but  she  had  the 
happiness  to  know  that,  only  the  day 
before  this  event,  he  had  renewedly 
consecrated  himself  to  God.  The  mi- 
nister lives  contentedly  upon  forty 
pounds  a  year,  happy  in  his  home — 
happy  in  his  people — happy  in  his  Sa- 
vior—blessed of  God,  and  blessing 
others.  This  minister,  this  church,  this 
flock,  all  sprang  from  that  Sunday 
school ;  and,  when  I  look  upon  my  aged 
parishioner  in  tJie  gallery,  I  cannot  but 
reflect  what  a  crown  he  has  for  his 
hoary  head." 


S94.  Revivals. 

(a)  HAPPY  RESULTS  OF  ONE 
SCHOOL. — In  a  certain  school  in  New 
England,  in  1832,  sixty -one  out  of  fifteen 
classes  of  160  pupils,  under  16  years  of 
age,  became  hopefully  pious.  In  six 
classes,  embracing  71  young  persons 
over  16  years  of  age,  sixty  indulged  hope 
that  they  had  passed  from  death  unto 
life,  making  in  all  one  hundred  and 
TWENTY-ONE  who  became  hopefully 
pious,  in  a  school  of  231  scholars. 

{h)  REPORT  OF  1836.— The  Re- 
port for  1836,  mentions  one  hundred  and 
seventy-three  teachers,  and  one  thousand 
four  hundred  and  forty-four  scholars, 
who  had  united  with  the  church  during 
the  year. 

(c)  REVIVALS  IN  TEN 
SCHOOLS.  — In  a  County  Sabbath 
school  Society,  in  Mass.,  embracing  ten 
parishes,  and  the  same  number  of  schools, 
the  Lord  smiled  upon  this  institution,  in 
1834-5,  and  shed  down  upon  it  the  in- 
fluence of  his  Holy  Spirit.  Six  schools 
were  blessed  with  powerful  revivals  of 
religion.  Three  hundred  scholars 
from  these  ten  schools  made  a  profession 
during  the  year.  It  is  supposed  the 
whole  number  that  passed  from  death 
unto  life  is  over  four  hundred  !  "  This 
is  the  Lord's  doing,  and  it  is  marvelous 
in  our  eves." 

{d)  ONE  HUNDRED  SCHOLARS 
CONVERTED.— In  ,  Mass.,  ef- 
forts were  made   in  the  early  part  of 
the  year  1835,  to  excite  a  more  general 
and    deeper    interest    in    the  Sabbath 
school  concert.     The  influence  of  these 
efforts  was  to  increase  the  number  of 
the  school  and  the  fidelity  of  the  teach- 
ers.    "  This  general  interest,"  says  the 
pastor,  "  increased  through  the  summer 
till    September,    when   more    manifest 
signs  appeared — though   two  or  three 
conversions  had  before  taken  place — of 
the  presence  of  the  Holy  Spirit.     In  a 
few  weeks  the    attention   had   become 
general    throughout  the   school.     The 
work  of  God  was  very  solemn,  as  well 
I  as  animating,  still  and  deep.    One  hun- 
I  dred  or  more  members  of  the  school, 
!  we  hope,  have  been  converted. 
I      (e)    WHAT   A  TEACHER  CAN 
i  DO. — About   the   first    of   September, 
773 


395 


SABBATH  SCHOOLS. 


1833,  a  deep  and  solemn  interest  upon 
the  subject  of  religion,  began  to  be 
visible  in  the  Presbyterian  church  and 
congregation  of  Washingtonville,  New- 
York,  and  particularly  in  the  Sabbath 
school.  Here  commenced  that  revival 
flame  which  subsequently  spread 
through  the  county,  and  brought  sal- 
vation to  a  multitude  of  souls. 

One  Sabbath  school  teacher,  feeling 
deeply  the  responsibility  resting  upon 
her,  and  the  worth  of  immortal  souls, 
before  the  school  was  dismissed  on  the 
Lord's  day,  affectionately  requested  her 
class,  consisting  of  little  girls  about 
twelve  or  thirteen  years  of  age,  to  re- 
main after  the  rest  of  the  school  had 
retired.  She  then  began,  with  an 
aching  heart  and  with  flowing  tears,  to 
reason  and  plead  with  them  upon  the 
subject  of  personal  religion.  They 
were  deeply  affected,  and  "  wept  bit- 
terly "  in  view  of  their  lost  condition. 
They  then  all  knelt  together  before  the 
Lord,  and  the  teacher  prayed  for  their 
salvation  ;  and  immediately  the  scholar 
next  to  her  commenced  praying  for  her- 
self, and  then  the  next,  and  so  on,  until 
the  whole  class,  with  ardent  supplica- 
tions, begged  for  the  forgiveness  of  their 
sins  and  the  salvation  of  their  souls.  It 
would  take  long  to  tell  the  history  of 
this  class,  and  relate  particular  instances 
of  conversions,  and  the  happy  changes 
which  took  place  in  the  families  to 
which  they  belonged,  and  show  the 
family  altars  which  were  established. 
These  scholars,  with  their  teacher  and 
their  fathers  and  mothers,  brothers  and 
sisters,  were  ere  long  seen  commem- 
orating a  Savior's  dying  love  together. 
The  revival  extended  itself  to  other 
towns,  and  the  great  day  can  alone  un- 
fold the  astonishing  results. 

Wi.  Happy  Deaths. 

(a)  THE  CHILD'S  LAST  PRAY- 
ER.— A  pious  little  boy,  who  attended 
the  Sabbath  school,  a  few  hours  before 
his  death  broke  out  into  singing,  and 
sung  so  loud,  as  to  cause  his  mother  to 
inquire  what  he  was  doing.  "  I  am 
singing  my  sister's  favorite  hymn,  mo- 
ther." "  But  why,  my  dear,  so  loud  ?" 
"  Why,"  said  he,  witli  peculiar  empha- 
774 


sis,  "because  I  am  so  happy."  Just 
before  his  death,  with  uplifted  hands, 
he  exclaimed,  "  Father  !  Father  !  take 
me,  Father."  His  father  went  to  lift 
him  up,  when,  with  a  smile,  he  said, 
"  I  did  not  call  you,  father  ;  but  I  was 
calling  to  my  heavenly  Father  to  take 
me ;  I  shall  soon  be  with  him  :"  and 
then  expired. 

(h)  "  I  HAVE  GIVEN  MYSELF 
TO  MY  SAVIOR."-~I  take  the  liberty 
(writes  the  wife  of  a  pastor  in  Massa- 
chusetts) to  add  a  few  particulars  of 
the  remarkably  happy  death  of  a  young 
lady  who  was  nurtured  in  the  Sabbath 
school,  with  which  she  was  connected 
from  early  childhood  until  her  mar- 
riage about  two  years  since.   ' 

S.  A.  E.  was  constant  in  her  attend- 
ance on  the  Sabbath  school,  punctual 
and  very  correct  in  her  lessons,  and 
amiable  in  her  deportment.  But  it 
was  not  until  the  age  of  16,  that  the 
precious  treasure  of  divine  truth,  stored 
up  in  her  memory,  was  made  instru- 
mental of  awakening  her  conscience, 
and  leading  her  to  the  "  Fountain  opened 
for  sin."  The  moment  will  never  be 
forgotten  when,  in  a  circle  of  weeping 
associates,  who  had  assembled  to  in- 
quire of  their  pastor,  "  What  shall  I  do. 
to  be  saved  ?"  S.  A.  E.  arose,  and  with 
her  characteristic  decision  exclaimed, 
"  I  have  given  myself  to  my  Savior  !" 
Nor  will  those  who  had  assembled  at 
that  hour  to  pray  for  their  beloved 
children,  forget  the  thrill  of  joy  which 
pervaded  the  room  as  the  pastor  an- 
nounced the  fact,  that  this  child  of 
many  prayers  and  tears,  had,  it  was 
believed,  accepted  the  offers  of  mercy. 
Five  years  she  adorned  her  profession, 
and  the  rich  fruits  of  gentleness,  meek- 
ness,  submission  under  severe  trials, 
and  filial  piety,  hung  thickly  on  this 
youthful  plant. 

But,  at  length,  it  pleased  God  to  trv 
the  strength  of  her  faith  in  sickness  and 
death.  Her  illness  was  of  several 
weeks'  continuance,  but  her  mind  was 
calm,  collected,  and  with  entire  sub- 
mission patiently  waiting  the  result. 
The  writer,  who  was  formerly  her 
teacher  in  the  Sabbath  school,  was  per- 
mitted to  enjoy  the  high  privilege  of 
looking  upon  this  young  Christian  as 


RELIGIOUS  INFLUENCE,  ETC. 


395 


she  lay  in  the  embrace  of  the  kinor  of 
terrors.  But  there  was  no  terror  there. 
Her  pallid  face  was  radiant  with  smiles 
of  perfect  peace.  "  I  am  very  low," 
she  remarked,  in  clear  and  distinct  ac- 
cents. "  Yes,  but  you  may  be  raised  up 
again."  "  If  it  be  the  will  of  God,  I  de- 
sire to  live  ;  if  not,  I  desire  to  die.  What- 
ever may  be  His  will,  is  mine.  I  desire 
nothing  but  his  will.  I  hope  I  shall 
never  desire  any  thing  but  His  will.'' 
"  You  are  happy  in  your  Savior  ?" 
"  Oh,  yes  !  Millions  of  worlds  would 
be  nothing  in  comparison  with  my  hope 
in  Him.  His  dying  blood,  how  pre- 
cious !     It  is  all,  all  to  me  now." 

"  You  can  then  resign  your  dear 
babe  to  His  care?"  "Yes,  and  I 
know  he  will  take  care  of  it.  I  have 
not  one  doubt  of  that.  It  is,"  she  added, 
'•  a  great  thing  to  die.  I  have  been  an 
unprofitable  servant,  but  Christ  and  his 
pardoning  blood  are  my  hope."  More 
she  would  have  said,  but  the  day  had 
chiefl}^  been  spent  in  bidding  farewell 
to  her  numerous  friends,  and  express- 
ing to  all  the  happiness  vviiich  she  felt 
in  her  Redeemer.  And  there  she  stood 
amid  the  billows  of  death,  with  her  foot 
firmly  fixed  on  the  Rock  of  Ages.  None 
could  look  unmoved  upon  that  scene. 
None  could  listen  to  such  expressions  of 
confiding  trust  without  exclaiming,  "  It 
is  well  to  be  a  Christian — it  is  well  to 
die  a  Christian."  Lovely  in  life,  hap- 
py in  death,  and  glorious  in  eternity,  is 
our  departed  young  friend.  These 
precious  words  she  left  for  the  subject 
of  her  funeral  sermon  :  "  The  blood  of 
Jesus  Christ  his  Son,  cleanseth  us  from 
all  sin."     1  John  1:7. 

(c)  DEATH  FROM  HYDROPHO- 
BIA.— A  little  boy,  about  eleven  years 
of  age,  a  Sunday  scholar  in  Camber- 
well,  was  bitten  by  a  mad  dog ;  the 
part  was  cut  out,  and  caustic  applied, 
but  the  fatal  poison  could  not  be  arrest- 
ed in  its  progress,  and  nine  weeks  after 
the  accident,  decided  symptoms  of  hy- 
drophobia were  manifested.  It  appears 
that  the  poor  boy  had  depended  chiefly, 
if  not  entirely,  on  Sunday  school  teach- 
ing for  all  his  religious  instruction,  and 
now  the  great  advantage  of  correct  in- 
formation on  scriptural  subjects  was 
evinced-     He  was  aware  of  the  nature 


of  his  disease,  took  patiently  the  medi- 
cines recommended  to  him,  and  bade 
farewell  to  a  playmate,  saying,  he 
should  never  see  him  again.  But 
frightful  paroxysms  of  pain  came  on ; 
sometimes  he  was  lifted  suddenly  up- 
right  in  the  bed,  while  the  agony  of 
speaking  was  so  great  that  he  could 
only  utter  words  at  intervals,  and  then 
in  reply  to  necessary  questions.  But 
in  the  midst  of  judgment  God  remem- 
bered mercy, — an  interval  of  compara- 
tive composure,  a  fact  almost  unprece- 
dented in  this  disease,  was  granted  the 
sufferer;  and  then  was  felt  the  sweet 
influence  of  that  religion  which  he  had 
been  taught,  and  which  gives  divine 
wisdom  to  the  meanest  capacity.  He 
knelt  on  the  bed,  and  prayed — prayed 
to  Jesus,  and  besought  the  salvation  of 
his  soul.  He  needed  comfort ;  but  he 
had  not,  as  is  too  frequently  the  case,  to 
seek  it  amid  the  pains  and  confusions  of 
a  dying  hour,  and,  in  the  darkness  of 
nature,  mistake  broken  reeds  for  sub- 
stantial supports;  no,  the  way  of  peace 
and  life  had  again  and  again  been 
pointed  out  to  him  ;  he  believed,  and 
who  can  doubt  that  he  was  saved  ?  He 
repeated  and  sung  most  of  the  hymns 
he  had  been  taught ;  joy  beamed  on  the 
countenance  which  had  been  so  lately 
distorted  with  agony  ;  he  called  on  those 
around  to  attend  to  the  things  of  re- 
ligion, and  prayed  that  their  hearts 
might  be  turned  from  stone  to  flesh. 
How  sweet,  when  sinking  with  appre- 
hension, to  find  the  means  of  support  so 
near,  with  so  firm  a  foundation  secured 
to  us !  "  Come  to  Jesus,  come  with 
me,"  said  the  little  sufferer,  as  he  qui- 
etly passed  to  glory. 

(d)  CHILDREN'S  INFLUENCE 
ON  PARENTS.— I  can  state,  says 
Mr.  Wilderspin,  that  a  man  discontinued 
drunkenness  from  the  simple  prattle  of 
his  infant.  He  was  in  the  habit  of  fre- 
quently getting  drunk  ;  there  were  two 
or  three  children  under  seven  years  of 
age,  and  they  all  slept  in  the  same 
room,  though  not  in  the  same  bed. 
The  man  came  home  one  night  drunk ; 
his  wife  remonstrated  with  him,  when 
he  struck  her.  The  woman  cried  very 
much,  and  continued  to  cry  after  she 
got  into  bed  ;  but  a  little  creature,  two 
775 


395,  soe 


SABBATH  SCHOOLS. 


or  three  years  old,  got  up,  and  said, 
"Pray,  father,  do  not  beat  poor  mo- 
ther ;"  the  father  ordered  it  to  get  into 
bed  again  :  the  little  creature  got  up 
again,  and  knelt  down  by  the  side  of 
the  bed,  and  repeated  the  Lord's  prayer, 
and  then  concluded  in  this  simple  lan- 
guage :  "  Pray,  God,  bless  dear  father 
and  mother,  and  make  father  a  good 
father.  Amen  !"  This  went  to  the 
heart  of  the  drunkard  ;  the  man  told 
me  he  covered  his  face  over  with  the 
bed-clothes,  and  that  the  first  thoughts 
he  awoke  with  in  the  morning,  were 
thoughts  of  regret,  that  he  should  stand 
in  need  of  such  a  remonstrance  from 
such  a  young  child,  and  it  produced  in 
him  self-examination  and  amendment 
of  life.  The  family  became  united  to 
a  Methodist  chapel  in  that  neighbor- 
hood,  and  I  have  learned  that  they  are 
useful  and  valuable  members  of  that 
society. 

(e)  LEARNING  FROM  THE 
BEST  TEACHER.— The  Rev.  John 
Griffin,  of  Portsea,  England,  gave  the 
following  account  of  the  death  of  one 
of  his  Sunday  scholars,  in  the  year 
1813.  His  mother  at  first  had  opposed 
his  going  to  the  school,  but  afterwards 
determined  to  go  and  hear  what  was 
taught  there,  and  by  this  means  was 
converted  to  God.  Not  long  after  this, 
her  son,  about  eleven  years  of  age,  was 
brought  to  his  death-bed,  and  was  visited 
by  his  ministers  and  teachers. 

The  first  time  I  asked  if  he  expected 
to  go  to  heaven  ;  "  I  do,"  was  the  re- 
ply. I  asked  him,  "  Why  do  you  ex- 
pect to  go  to  heaven  ?  All  that  die  do 
not  go  there,  do  they  ?  and  why  then  do 
you  think  you  shall  go  to  heaven  ?" 
He  replied,  "1  hope  I  shall  go  there, 
because  I  love  the  employment  of  the 
heavenly.  I  think  I  shall  be  happy  in 
praising  God,  and  serving  him  without 
sin ;  and  I  think  I  shall  go  to  heaven, 
because  I  delight  in  the  society  of 
heaven  ;  I  shall  rejoice  in  the  presence 
of  a  holy  God,  and  holy  angels,  and  the 
spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect.''  He 
paused,  and  1  asked  if  he  had  any  other 
reason.  He  replied,  *'  I  hope  I  shall  go 
to  heaven,  because  my  heart  is  already 
there  ;  and  I  do  not  think  the  Spirit  of 
God  would  have  drawn  my  heart  to 
776 


him,  and  made  me  delight  in  holiness 
and  his  service,  if  he  had  not  intended 
to  take  me  to  heaven."  I  asked  him  if 
he  had  always  thought  in  this  way. 
"  No,  no,"  said  he ;  "I  was  once  a 
naughty  and  wicked  boy,  but  by  at- 
tending the  Sunday  school  I  have 
learned  this  :  but  I  hope  I  have  learned 
it  from  a  better  Teacher  than  our  Sun- 
day school  teachers.  I  think  I  have 
learned  it  from  the  Spirit  of  God." 

BENEFITS  OF  SABBATH  SCHOOLS  TO 
PAKENTS,  ETC. 

%%.  Moral  Benefits. 

(a)  SABBATH  SCHOLAR  AND 
THE  PRISONERS.— At  a  Sunday 
school  anniversary,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hoov- 
er related  the  following  facts : — 

He  had  been  called,  in  the  providence 
of  God,  some  months  before,  to  preach 
to  the  inmates  of  a  prison.  On  ap- 
proaching a  cell  with  the  keeper,  he 
heard  the  voice  of  supplication  to  God  ; 
and  when  the  door  v/as  opened,  discov- 
ered the  occupant,  an  old  man,  in  chains, 
sitting  on  a  log,  with  the  Bible  before 
him,  the  open  leaves  of  which  were  wet 
with  his  teal's.  Into  two  other  adjoining 
cells  was  he  conducted,  each  of  which 
was  tenanted  by  men  whose  demeanor 
and  conversation  indicated  that  they 
had  passed  from  death  unto  life.  To 
Mr.  H.'s  questions  of  surprise  and  pleas- 
ure, the  keeper  related,  that  shortly  af^ 
ter  the  imprisonment  of  the  first  men- 
tioned convict,  the  unhappy  man  re- 
ceived a  letter  from  his  little  son,  in 
words  to  the  following  effect : — 

"  Dear  Father — S(X)n  afler  you  lef\ 
us,  a  kind  Sunday  school  teacher  came 
to  our  house,  and  took  us  with  him  to 
the  Sunday  school.  Several  of  my 
companions  go  there  too,  and  we  pray 
for  you  very  much.  We  have  laid  up 
some  money  for  you,  and  are  saving  all 
that  we  can  to  try  to  get  you  out.  Do, 
dear  father,  be  good,  and  trust  in  God.'' 

The  artless  expression  of  love  mani- 
fested in  this  letter  touched  the  father's 
heart ;  and  he,  who  had  hitherto  resist- 
ed the  Bible  and  his  own  conscience^ 
was  now  bowed  to  the  dust,  in  the  an- 
guish of  a  smitten  soul. 

He  began  to  pray,  and  to  read  that 


BENEFITS  TO  PARENTS,  ETC. 


396,  397 


neglected  word  of  life,  and  ceased  not, 
till  He  who  had  wounded,  showed  him 
that  it  was  his  merciful  prerogative  to 
heal.  The  prisoners  in  the  adjoining 
cell,  meanwhile,  hearing  the  language 
of  prayer,  at  first  wondered,  but  shortly 
betook  themselves  to  the  same  throne  of 
mercy.  The  feeling  was  communica- 
ted to  the  next  cell,  and  the  inmates 
were  constrained  to  cry  out,  "  What 
must  we  do?"  The  fruits  of  this 
awakening  were  testified,  in  the  judg- 
ment of  charity,  in  the  conversion  of 
three  of  these  convicts  to  God. 

(b)  THE  PUPIL  AND  HER  MIS- 
TRESS.— A  girl,  who  belonged  to  a 
Sunday  school  in  Birmingham,  obtained 
a  situation  as  nurse  maid  in  a  respecta- 
ble family.  One  Sunday  evening  her 
mistress  was  informed  that  Mary  had 
been  to  the  chapel,  and  she  immediately 
gave  the  girl  warning  to  quit  her  ser- 
vice in  a  month,  saying  that  she  would 
have  no  chapel-going  servants  in  her 
house.  In  the  course  of  the  ensuing 
week,  one  of  the  servants  told  her  mis- 
tress that  Mary  used  to  pray  every  night 
before  she  v/ent  to  sleep.  The  mistress 
inquired  whose  prayer-book  Mary  took 
to  bed  with  her.  She  was  told  that  she 
prayed  without  a  book.  The  mistress 
replied,  "  That  cannot  be,  for  no  one 
can  pray  without  a  book."  The  ser- 
vant asked  her  mistress  to  come  up 
stairs  and  listen,  after  they  were  gone 
to  bed,  that  she  might  hear  Mary  pray 
in  the  dark  without  a  book.  The  mis- 
tress accordingly  went  up  that  night, 
and  heard  Mary  praying  aloud  for  her 
master  and  mistress,  and  particularly 
for  the  little  child  whom  she  used  to 
nurse.  The  mistress  was  much  affect- 
ed, and  informed  her  husband  of  it. 
Ho  went  up  the  next  night,  and  heard 
Mary's  fervent  prayer,  at  which  he  was 
so  (irreatly  affected  that  he  afterwards 
told  his'  wife,  with  tears,  that  she  must 
not  part  with  Mary.  They  ascertained 
tliat  the  girl  had  learned  to  pray  by  at- 
tending]!; the  Sunday  school ;  and  on  the 
next  Sunday  evening  the  master,  the 
mistress,  and  Mary,  all  went  to  chapel 
together.  Thus  Mary  was  confirmed 
in  her  situation,  and  became  the  means 
of  bringing  her  master  and  mistress  to 
attend  a  place  of  worship,  which  they 


afterwards  did  regularly,  and  became 
subscribers  to  the  Sunday  school. 

197.  Religious  Benefits. 

(a)  AN  AFFECTING  MEETING. 
— At  the  foot  of  a  lofty  hill,  writes  a 
correspondent  of  an  American  periodi- 
cal, crowned  to  the  summit  with  the 
richest  verdure,  a  miserable  mud  cabin 
peeped  out  from  among  encircling  bush- 
wood  and  straggling  elms.  A  stillness 
seemed  to  lie  around  the  spot,  and  I  felt 
an  indescribable  sensation  creep  over 
me  as  I  drew  near  the  house  of  mourn- 
ing. I  paused  at  the  entrance.  A  low 
murmuring  kind  of  sound  stole  upon 
my  ear,  and  again  all  was  hushed.  I 
gently  opened  the  door^  and  bent  myself 
forward,  as  if  to  ascertain,  unnoticed, 
what  was  passing  within.  I  saw  at  the 
first  glance  that  death  had  been  there. 
The  apartment  on  the  threshold  of  which 
I  now  stood,  was  of  the  meanest  con- 
struction ;  it  was  without  a  single  piece 
of  furniture  that  deserved  the  name. 
In  one  corner  of  it  a  dead  body  lay 
stretched  out,  very  slightly  covered  with 
a  tattered  coat,  and  a  cold  kind  of  hor- 
rible feeling  ran  through  my  very  soul ; 
and  it  would  probably  have  shrunk 
away  from  any  further  investigation,  if 
I  had  not  been  suddenly  arrested  by  a 
soft  sweet  voice,  mingled  with  a  low 
groan,  somewhat  like  a  death-rattle, 
that  seemed  to  issue  from  the  same 
apartment.  I  turned  my  head  around, 
and  beheld  a  sight  that  chained  me,  as 
if  by  magic,  to  the  ground.  Oh,  it  was 
heart  thrilling  to  behold  !  On  a  bundle 
of  straw,  a  woman,  somewhat  in  years, 
lay  apparently  in  the  agonies  of  death. 
Near  her  head  hung,  reclining  in  deep 
sorrow,  a  beautiful  little  half  naked 
child.  On  one  side,  a  lovely  girl,  about 
thirteen  years  of  age  knelt ;  a  Bible 
clasped  in  her  thin  slender  hands,  with 
which  she  was  endeavoring  to  comfort 
her  dying  mother.  I  instantly  recog- 
nized two  of  my  Sabbath  school  children. 
The  meeting  was  affecting.  They  had 
been  without  food  for  some  days.  The 
mother  died  next  day,  in  the  triumph  of 
that  faith  which  her  little  daughter 
taught  her  out  of  the  Bible.  The  girls 
I  grew  up  to  be  respectable  members  of 
777 


397 


SABBATH  SCHOOLS. 


society,  and  ome  of  them  has  been  a 
teacher  in  a  Sabbath  school  for  several 
years. 

(b)  THE  SKEPTIC  AND  HIS 
SON. — A  pastor's  wife  solicited  a  little 
boy  whose  father  was  dissolute  in  his 
habits  and  skeptical  in  his  sentiments, 
to  attend  the  Sabbath  school.  He  ob- 
tained consent  of  his  parents,  came  the 
following  Sabbath,  and  took  his  place  in 
the  class.  Books  were  served  out  to  him 
among  the  rest ;  he  carried  them  home  ; 
they  were  read.  This  had  a  tendency 
to  draw  his  father  out  to  church,  to  hear 
preaching,  and  lectures  on  the  subject 
of  temperance.  At  one  of  the  lectures, 
the  pastor  presented  the  pledge  to  him 
— he  signed  it  with  his  own  hand.  Very 
soon  the  pastor  was  sent  for  to  pray  and 
converse  with  him  on  the  subject  of  re- 
ligion. In  short,  he  found  the  husband 
and  wife  both  deeply  convicted  on  ac- 
count of  their  sins !  They  were  con- 
verted, baptized,  and  added  to  the  church. 
They  both  honored  their  profession. 
The  husband  became  an  active,  zealous 
member  of  the  church.  His  efforts 
were  untiring,  his  prayers  simple,  fer- 
vent  and  effective. 

(c)  MY  SON  IS  MY  SPIRITUAL 
FATHER. — At  a  Wesleyan  class  meet- 
ing, a  man  rose  and  addressed  the  lead- 
er thus : — "  I  am  very  thankful  to  God, 
and  to  you,  for  your  Sunday  school. 
My  son,  who  now  sits  beside  me,  is  my 
spiritual  father.  He  heard  me  cursing, 
while  in  a  state  of  drunkenness,  and 
said  to  me,  '  O  father  !  my  teacher  said 
to-day,  at  the  Sunday  school,  that  nei- 
ther drunkards  nor  swearers  could  enter 
into  heaven.'  This  so  affected  my  mind, 
that  from  that  time  I  was  enabled,  by 
the  grace  of  God,  to  leave  off  those 
wicked  practices  ;  and  both  myself  and 
my  son  are  now  members  of  your  soci- 
ety." He  then  laid  his  hand  on  his 
son's  head,  and  repeated,  "  My  son  is 
my  spiritual  father." 

{d)  "SPELLING  REPENTANCE." 
— In  one  of  the  counties  in  England,  cel- 
ebrated for  its  valuable  mines,  there 
lived  a  collier,  grossly  ignorant  of  di- 
vine things ;  and  the  doctrines  of  the 
gospel  were  totally  unknown  to  him. 
From  his  habits  of  vicp,  and  aversion  to 
the  worship  of  God,  there  seemed  little 
778 


hope  that  any  moral  change  could  be 
effected  in  him.  But  that  which  to  man 
seemed  so  doubtful,  God  was  pleased  to 
accomplish  in  a  way  exceedingly  simple, 
yet  truly  marvelous.  Destitute,  as  he 
appears  to  have  been,  of  concern  for  his 
spiritual  welfare,  he  was  induced  to 
permit  the  attendance  of  his  children 
at  a  Sunday  school,  conducted  on  reli- 
gious principles  ;  where  the  children 
were  taught  to  practise  moral  duties, 
and  instructed  in  the  essential  doctrines 
of  Christianity.  It  pleased  God  to  visit 
one  of  the  daughters  of  this  wicked  fa- 
ther with  mortal  sickness ;  but,  before 
her  death,  she  was  instrumental  in  ex- 
citing the  attention  of  her  parent  to  the 
concerns  of  his  soul.  "  Father,"  in- 
quired the  dying  child,  "can  you  spell 
repentance  ?"  This  artless  question, 
through  the  blessing  of  God,  was  effect- 
ual to  awaken  concern.  "  Spell  repent- 
ance !"  repeated  the  astonished  father  ; 
"  why,  what  is  repentance  ?"  Thus  he 
became  desirous  of  knowing,  and  ulti- 
mately was  taught  its  sacred  meaning  ; 
and  discovered  that  he  had  been  a  stran- 
ger to  it,  both  in  theory  and  experience. 
He  also  discovered  that  he  needed  repent- 
ance ;  that  he  was  a  guilty  condemned 
sinner,  deserving  God's  wrath  and  ever- 
lasting misery ;  and  repentance  unto 
life  was  granted  to  him.  He  spelled 
out  its  divine  import ;  and  obtained  an 
acquaintance  with  that  Savior  whom 
God  has  exalted  to  give  repentance  and 
remission  of  sins ;  and,  by  bringing 
forth  the  fruits  of  righteousness,  he,  in 
after  life,  supported  and  adorned  his 
Christian  profession. 

(e)  A  PIOUS  BOY'S  FIDELITY. 
— In  New- York  city  a  little  boy  lived, 
who  appeared  to  take  little  or  no  inter- 
est in  learning,  so  that  he  was  pro- 
nounced by  his  teachers  a  very  dull 
scholar.  He  learned  to  read  but  very 
slowly,  and  finally  neglected  the  school, 
thinking  he  should  never  succeed. 
There  was  a  Bible  class  organized, 
which  he  was  induced  to  attend.  And 
here  he  soon  began  to  manifest  an  inter- 
est in  the  study  of  the  Scriptures.  He 
learned  to  read  well,  which  much  as- 
tonished his  father,  who  was  a  very 
wicked  man.  One  Sabbath  his  father 
took  some  nails  and  a  hammer  to  nail 


BENEFITS  TO  PARENTS.  ETC. 


397 


up  a  fence,  when  he  was  reproved  by  ' 
his  little  son,  who  spoke  about  working 
on  the  sabbath  day,  and  invited  him  to 
attend  public  worship.  The  enraged 
father  drove  him  from  his  presence,  and 
threatened  to  punish  him,  if  he  ever 
talked  in  that  way  again.  The  child 
went  away  sorrowful.  Not  long  after 
this,  as  the  little  boy  returned  from  pub- 
lic worship,  he  went  and  looked  over 
his  father's  shoulder,  and  observed  that 
he  was  reading  Hume's  History  of  Eng- 
land. He  went  into  the  middle  of  the 
room,  and  said,  "  Father,  where  do  you 
expect  to  go  when  you  die  ?"  Such  a 
question  from  such  a  child  could  not  be 
borne.  "  Away,"  said  he,  "  from  my 
presence  immediately,  or  I  will  whip 
you."  The  child  retired  ;  but  the  fa- 
ther was  troubled.  He  went  out  to 
walk,  but  still  a  load  was  pressing  on 
his  a^onizinij  soul.  He  thouo;ht  of  at- 
tending  public  worship,  for  nothing  else 
seemed  so  likely  to  soothe  his  troubled 
feelings.  He  entered  while  the  minis- 
ter was  at  prayer,  and  that  day  was  the 
beginning  of  better  days  to  him.  He 
sought  from  God  the  forgiveness  of  his 
sins,  and  soon  obtained  the  hope  of  eter- 
nal life. 

A  few  years  passed  away,  and  tlie 
old  man  was  on  his  dying  bed.  His 
son  attended  him,  constantly  ministering 
to  his  spiritual  wants.  To  a  Christian 
minister  the  father  said,  "  I  am  dying, 
but  I  am  ffoinfj  to  heaven  :  and  mv  son 
has  been  the  instrument  of  saving  my 
soul."  Soon  his  spirit  was  released  to 
be  welcomed,  as  we  have  no  reason  to 
doubt,  into  the  mansions  of  glory.  Hap- 
py child  !  to  be  the  instrument  of  saving 
his  father  from  death.  Happy  parent ! 
to  be  blessed  with  such  a  child. 

(/)  THE  SAILOR  AND  HIS 
DAUGHTER. — In  conversation  with  a 
respectable  middle-aged  seaman,  at  one 
of  the  prayer-mfcetings  of  the  Liverpool 
Seamen's  Friend  Society,  a  friend  asked, 
what  first  induced  him  to  attend  to  re- 
ligion. After  a  pause  of  some  mo- 
ments, he  related  the  following  narra- 
tive : — 

I  have  been  a  sailor  from  a  very  ear- 
ly age,  and  never  thought  about  religion, 
or  the  concerns  of  my  soul,  until  my  re- 
turn from  my  last  voyage.     My  home, 


where  I  have  resided  eighteen  years,  is 
at  a  village  near  Workington,  in  a 
small  cottage,  the  next  to  a  neat  chapel ; 
but  the  people  who  go  to  this  chapel  be- 
ing called  by  the  neighbors,  methodists, 
I  never  would  venture  inside  the  door, 
nor  suffer  my  family  to  do  so,  if  I  could 
prevent  it.  I  usually  sail  out  of  Liver- 
pool. During  the  winter  the  vessel  is 
laid  up.  At  those  times  I  return  home 
for  a  few  weeks  to  my  family.  Having 
a  small  family,  and  the  times  pressing 
rather  hard  upon  us,  during  my  absence 
last  summer,  my  wife,  endeavoring  to 
save  a  little,  sent  my  eldest  girl,  about 
six  years  of  age,  to  the  Sunday  school 
established  at  the  chapel.  My  stay, 
when  at  home,  being  generally  of  short 
duration,  my  wife  might  suppose  it 
would  be  no  difficult  matter  to  keep  me 
in  ignorance  of  the  circumstance. 

I  came  from  my  last  voyage  before 
Christmas,  and  went  home.  Being  late 
when  I  arrived,  I  Jiad  not  the  opportuni- 
ty of  seeing  my  eldest  girl  until  the  fol- 
lowing day.  At  dinner  time,  when  we 
had  sat  down,  I  began  to  eat  what  was 
before  me,  without  ever  thinking  of  my 
heavenly  Father,  who  provided  my  dai- 
ly bread  ;  but,  glancing  my  eye  towards 
this  girl,  of  whom  I  was  dotingly  fond, 
I  observed  her  to  look  at  me  with  aston- 
ishment. After  a  moment's  pause,  she 
asked  me,  in  a  solemn  and  serious  man- 
ner, "  Father,  do  you  never  ask  a  bless- 
ing before  eating  ?"  Her  mother  ob- 
served me  to  look  hard  at  her,  and  hold 
my  knife  and  fork  motionless  (it  was 
not  anger — it  was  a  rush  of  conviction 
which  struck  me  like  lightning) ;  appre- 
hending some  reproof  from  me,  and 
wishing  to  pass  it  by  in  a  trifling  way, 
she  said,  "Do  you  say  grace,  Nanny." 
My  eyes  were  still  riveted  upon  the 
child,  for  I  felt  conscious  I  had  never 
instructed  her  to  pray,  nor  even  set  an 
example,  by  praying  with  my  family. 
The  child,  seeing  me  waiting  for  her 
to  begin,  put.  her  hands  together,  and 
lifting  her  eyes  up  to  heaven,  breathed 
the  sweetest  prayer  I  ever  heard. 
This  was  too  much  for  me ;  the  knife 
and  fork  dropped  from  my  hands,  and  I 
gave  vent  to  my  feelings  in  tears. 
[Here  a  pause  ensued,  and  he  appear- 
ed much  affected  ;  on  recovering  him- 
779 


397 


SABBATH  SCHOOLS. 


self,  he  continued.]  I  inquired  who  had 
thus  instructed  the  child.  The  mother 
informed  me  the  good  people  at  the 
chapel  next  door  ;  and  the  child  never 
would  go  to  bed,  nor  rise  in  the  morning, 
without  kneeling  down  to  pray  for  her- 
self, and  her  dear  father  and  mother. 

Ah  !  thought  I,  and  I  never  prayed  for 
myself  or  my  children.  I  entered  the 
chapel  in  the  evening,  for  the  first  time, 
and  continued  to  attend  the  means 
of  grace  there.  The  Lord  having 
wakened  me  to  a  sense  of  my  danger 
through  the  instrumentality  of  a  dear 
child,  I  am  now  seeking  him  with  all 
my  heart,  and  truly  can  I  say,  I  am 
happy  in  the  thought,  that  Jesus  Christ 
came  into  the  world  to  save  poor 
sinners,  of  whom  I  am  chief. 

{g)  THE  GAMBLING  FATHER. 
— Hannah  Price,  a  poor  girl,  had  been 
instructed  in  a  Sunday  school.  The 
serious  impressions  made  upon  her 
mind  were  soon  visible  ;  and  she  show- 
ed that  she  was  converted  to  God. 
Her  father,  though  in  his  earlier  years 
he  had  received  a  better  education  than 
the  most  respectable  of  the  poor  have 
usually  obtained,  had  become  the  com- 
panion of  the  most  profligate  men  in 
his  native  village,  and,  by  degrees,  the 
worst  of  them  all.  The  alehouse,  at 
night,  received  the  earnings  of  the 
day ;  and  if  any  part  remained  after 
the  guilty  revels  of  the  week,  it  was 
spent  on  Sunday  in  the  same  haunt  of 
vice.  His  wife  never  reproached  him, 
and  only  endeavored  to  lure  him  from 
such  society,  and  such  practices,  by 
the  comforts  of  home.  But  his  home 
was  the  scene  of  his  greatest  misery  ; 
for  there  he  had  time  to  reflect,  and 
there  he  was  surrounded  by  the  wife 
and  children  whom  he  was  daily  inju- 
ring. 

One  Sunday  evening,  atler  drink- 
ing and  gambling  all  the  day,  and  hav- 
ing lost  all  the  earnings  of  the  week, 
he  turned  from  his  companions,  and 
scarcely  knowing  what  he  did,  took  the 
road  homewards.  One  of  them  called 
to  him  to  return,  entreated  him  to  have 
one  more  game,  and  added, 

"  Why,  you  will  be   sure  to  win  it 
all  back,  you  know." 
780 


He  stopped — "  Why,  if  I  could  get 
it  back,"  said  he  to  himself. 

"  Come,  come,"  said  his  companion, 
"  one  more  game,  only  one." 

"No,"  said  Price;  "I've  lost  all 
my  money,  and  so  I  can't  if  I  would." 
But  at  that  moment  it  occurred  to  him, 
that  all  his  quarter's  rent,  except  what 
was  to  be  made  up  out  of  his  last 
week's  work,  had  been  put  in  a  cup- 
board,  in  the  kitchen  at  home ;  and 
that  if  he  could  get  that,  he  should  be 
sure  to  win  back  all  he  had  lost.  The 
money  was  to  be  paid  the  next  day, 
and,  hardened  as  he  was,  he  trembled 
at  what  he  was  going  to  do,  and  was 
terrified  lest  his  wife  and  children  should 
see  him. 

He  approached  the  house,  then  ven- 
tured to  look  in  at  the  window,  and  per- 
ceiving no  one,  he  entered  the  kitchen, 
and  went  hastily  up  to  the  cupboard. 
It  was  locked,  and  he  felt  a  momentary 
relief  in  the  thought  that  he  could  not 
get  the  money.  But  again  he  said  to 
himself,  I  shall  be  sure  to  win  ;  and  he 
hastened  softly  up  stairs  to  look  for  the 
key,  thinking  he  knew  where  his  wife 
had  put  it.  As  he  passed  the  room  in 
which  the  children  slept,  he  thought  he 
heard  a  faint  noise,  and,  listening  he 
heard  several  sobs,  and  then  a  voice. 
It  was  poor  little  Hannah,  praying  that 
her  father  might  see  the  error  of  his 
ways,  that  God  would  change  his  heart, 
and  make  him  a  comfort  to  her  mother, 
and  to  them  all.  Her  sighs  and  tears 
seemed  almost  to  impede  her  utterance  ; 
and  when  he  heard  her  call  him  her 
"  dear,  dear  father,"  and  felt  how  ill  he 
had  deserved  such  a  name,  he  could 
scarcely  forbear  groaning  aloud,  in  the 
anguish  of  his  feelings.  He  forgot  the 
key,  crept  to  his  bed-room,  and  fell  on 
his  knees.  He  uttered  not  one  word, 
but  the  language  of  the  heart  is  audible 
in  the  ears  of  Mercy ;  and  that  evening, 
for  the  first  time,  it  might  be  said  of 
him,  "  Behold  he  prayeth." 

(/i)  LEAVING  ALL  FOR  CHRIST. 
— A  large  family,  who  resided  a  i^ew 
miles  from  the  city  of  New-York,  were 
accustomed  entirely  to  neglect  both  the 
church  and  the  Sabbath  school ;  in  fact, 
the  father  and  mother  \vere  very  much 


CONNECTION  WITH  THE  MINISTRY  AND  MISSIONS. 


398 


opposed  to  religious  instruction  of  any 
kind.  It  so  happened,  however,  that  a 
little  daughter  of  these  parents  became 
connected  with  a  sabbath  school,  and 
was  soon  very  much  interested  in  the 
instruction  she  received.  When  her 
father  heard  of  her  attending  the  school, 
he  forbade  her  going  again  ;  but  the  lit- 
tle girl  supposing  that  he  was  not  really 
in  earnest,  continued  to  go.  At  length, 
the  father,  mother,  brothers  and  sisters 
threatened  in  decided  terms  to  turn  her 
out  of  the  house,  if  she  should  again  be 
seen  at  the  sabbath  school.  She,  how- 
ever, when  Sunday  morning  came, 
dressed  herself  as  usual,  except  putting 
on  her  bonnet.  When  the  hour  arrived 
for  the  school  to  commence,  she  went  to 
her  father,  and  taking  him  by  the  hand, 
said,  "  Father,  I  love  you,  but  I  love  Je- 
sus Christ  more,  so  I  now  bid  you  fare- 
well !"  She  then  took  leave  of  her  mo- 
ther in  the  same  vvay,  and  of  her  bro- 
thers and  sisters,  and  left  them  for  the 
school.  The  warmth  of  regard  of  their 
little  daughter  for  religious  instruction, 
touched  a  tender  chord  in  the  bosom  of 
the  father,  notwithstanding  his  apparent 
hard-heartedness :  he  did  not  repeat  his 
prohibition,  but  followed  silently  after 
her  to  the  school — went  in — and,  on 
witnessing  the  instructions  given  to  the 
children,  became  at  once  reconciled 
towards  his  daughter,  and  interested  in 
the  school.  The  next  sabbath  he  per- 
suaded his  wife  to  accompany  him,  and 
she  was  pleased  also ;  and,  finally,  the 
whole  family  became  not  only  interested 
in  the  sabbath  school,  but  useful  and  ac- 
tive members  of  the  church.  This  lit- 
tle girl,  in  following  the  dictates  of  her 
conscience,  little  thought  that  she  should 
be  the  means  of  bringing  her  father, 
mother,  brothers  and  sisters  to  the  know- 
ledge of  the  truth.  But  God  in  his  in- 
finite goodness,  saw  fit  to  make  her  the 
instrument  in  bringing  about  such  a 
blessed  result. 

S98.  Connection  of  Sabbath  Schools  with 
the  Ministry  and  Missions. 

(a)  THE  BEREAN  CLASS.— A 
writer  speaking  of  a  certain  Sabbath 
school  in  Boston,  says :  "  One  of  the 
former  teachers  in  that  school,  is  now 


settled  in  the  ministry  in  this  vicinity  ; 
another  is  a  useful  printer  in  the  Sand- 
wich  Islands  ;  another  is  a  superintend- 
ent of  a  Sabbath  school  in  this  city  ; 
and  a  fourth  is  studying  at  Andover,  to 
fit  himself  for  teaching  in  a  day  school. 
One  of  the  former  pupils  is  now  study- 
ing with  reference  to  the  ministry  ;  two 
others  are  far  advanced  in  their  college 
course,  and  one  of  these  will  probably 
become  a  herald  of  that  Gospel  which 
he  loves. 

(b)  VARIOUS  INSTANCES.— It 
is  said,  that  of  the  missionaries  who 
have  gone  from  Great  Britain  to  the 
heathen,  nineteen  twentieths  became 
pious  at  the  Sabbath  schools ;  and  that, 
of  the  orthodox  ministers  in  England, 
who  are  under  forty  years  of  age,  more 
than  two-thirds  became  pious  at  the 
Sabbath  schools. 

Henderson  and  Patterson,  who  have 
done  such  wonders  on  the  continent,  in 
regard  to  the  Bible  cause,  it  is  said,  re- 
ceived their  first  impressions  at  Sabbath 
schools.  The  celebrated  Dr.  Morrison, 
missionary  in  the  vast  empire  of  China, 
who  has  translated  the  whole  Bible  into 
Chinese,  a  language  spoken  by  the 
largest  associated  population  on  the 
globe,  became  pious  at  a  Sabbath 
school !  O !  who  can  tell,  how  many 
Brainerds,  and  Buchanans,  and  Mor- 
risons,  and  Martyns,  and  Harriet  New- 
els God  is  training  in  these  schools,  to 
become  the  blessed  instruments  of  re- 
novating the  world ! ! 

(c)  ROBERT  MAY  AND  HIS 
SCHOOL. — Robert  May  was  the  son 
of  a  common  mariner,  in  indigent  cir- 
cumstances. He  was  sent  to  the  Sun- 
day school  at  Wood  bridge  (Eng.),  where 
he  obtained  his  education,  and  greatly 
improved  his  privileges. 

One  Lord's  day  morning,  as  the  mi- 
nister was  going  to  the  meeting-houso, 
Robert  put  into  his  hand  a  humble  peti- 
tion, requesting  that  he  might  be  per- 
mitted to  be  a  teacher  in  the  Sunday 
school ;  an  office  in  which  he  after- 
wards appeared  to  be  both  happy  and 
useful. 

On   the   eleventh   of  March,    1806, 
when  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age, 
he  was  admitted  a  member  of  the  inde- 
pendent chapel  at  Woodbridsre. 
781 


398 


SABBATH  SCHOOLS. 


Robert  now  felt  an  earnest  desire  to 
go  abroad  as  a  missionary.  He  often 
told  his  minister  that  he  thought  there 
were  plenty  of  teachers  at  home,  and 
that  he  should  like  to  go  abroad,  to 
teach  poor  black  children  to  read  the 
Bible,  and  to  learn  hymns  and  cate- 
chisms. 

After  being  eminently  useful  in  im- 
proving and  extending  the  Sunday 
school  system  in  the  United  States,  his 
final  destination  was  Chinsurah,  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Calcutta.  Here  he 
spent  his  time  chiefly  in  instructing  the 
children  of  the  poor  benighted  heathen 
in  the  great  principles  of  Christianity, 
and  in  other  parts  of  useful  knowledge. 

In  connexion  with  his  other  exertions, 
he  published  a  small  volume  of  ser- 
mons, which  he  had  preached  to  chil- 
dren, and  which  have  since  been  re- 
printed in  England. 

He  had  three  thousand  children 
under  his  care,  and  was  about  to  add 
two  thousand  five  hundred  more  to  that 
number,  when  he  was  seized  by  a  vio- 
lent fever,  which,  in  a  few  days,  ter- 
minated his  valuable  life,  and  brought 
him  to  the  house  appointed  for  all 
living. 

(d)  HANDS'  TESTIMONY.— At 
a  public  meeting,  the  Rev.  W.  Hands, 
a  missionary  in  the  East  Indies,  ob- 
served that,  "  he  owed  every  thing  to 
Sunday  schools  ;  for  it  was  there  that 
the  heavenly  spark  had  first  caught  his 
soul ;  it  was  there  that  he  had  first 
lifted  up  his  voice  for  the  purpose  of 
imparting  Christian  instruction  to  others. 
If  it  had  not  been  for  that  opportunity,  he 
should  probably  never  have  offered  him- 
self to  the  Missionary  Society.  There- 
fore, again  he  said,  that  he  had  every 
reason  to  bless  God  that  he  had  begun 
by  being  a  Sunday  school  teacher,  es- 
pecially as  he  believed  that  it  was 
})rincipally  through  the  labors  of  Sun- 
day schools,  that  the  Gospel  of  the  Re- 
deemer was  extended  throughout  the 
world. 

(e)  MUNDY'S  TESTIMONY.— 
On  the  same  occasion,  the  Rev.  George 
Mundy,  missionary  at  Chinsurah,  in  the 
East  Indies,  states  that  he  might  truly 
say,  that  if  he  had  never  been  a  Sun- 

782 


day  school   teacher,   he  should   never 
have  been  a  missionary. 

if)  KNILL'S  TESTIMONY.— The 
Rev.  Richard  Knill  wrote  from  St.  Pe- 
te rsburgh,  in  1819,  as  follows  :  "  As  an 
individual,  I  feel  peculiarly  indebted  to 
such  institutions,  and  to  the  glory  of 
God  I  record  it,  that  all  the  blessings 
which  have  been  given  to  others, 
through  my  instrumentality,  may  be 
traced  up  to  a  Sunday  school.  It  was 
my  privilege  to  be  a  teacher  in  a  Sun- 
day school  at  Bideford  :  hearing  a  ser- 
mon preached  in  behalf  of  the  institu- 
tion led  me  first  to  think  of  being  a 
missionary.  Most  of  my  fellow-students 
at  Axminster  had  been  Sunday  school 
teachers ;  and  out  of  twenty  missiona- 
ries, who  were  my  colleagues  at  Gos- 
port,  three-fourths  of  them  had  been 
engaged  in  the  same  way. 

(g)  PHILIP'S  TESTIMONY.— 
At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Sunday- 
School  Union,  in  May,  1829,  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Philip,  missionary  from  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope,  stated  that  he  commenced 
his  labors  in  the  church  of  Christ  as  a 
Sunday-school  teacher.  The  first  prayer 
that  he  offered  up  in  the  presence  of 
others,  was  in  a  Sunday-school.  The 
first  attempt  he  ever  made  to  speak  from 
the  Holy  Scriptures  was  in  a  Sunday- 
school.  And  he  was  fully  persuaded, 
that  had  it  not  been  for  his  humble  ex- 
ercises in  the  capacity  of  a  Sunday- 
school  teacher,  and  the  advantages  he 
there  acquired,  he  should  never  have 
had  the  confidence  to  become  a  minister 
of  the  gospel,  or  a  missionary  of  Jesus 
Christ.  He  informed  the  meeting,  fur- 
ther, that  when  he  commenced  his  minis- 
terial labors  in  Aberdeen,  he  felt  the  im- 
portance of  .promoting  Sunday  school 
instruction  ;  and  the  benefits  which  had 
resulted  from  the  schools  established  in 
that  town  were,  at  the  present  moment, 
incalculable.  During  the  period  that 
he  labored  there,  twelve  or  fourteen 
young  men  went  out  into  the  field  of 
ministerial  labor,  many  of  whom  became 
missionaries.  One  of  them  was  the  la- 
mented Dr.  Milne,  and  the  other  was  the 
amiable  Keith.  Several  other  ministers 
owed  their  first  religious  impressions  to 
the  tuition  they  received  in  Sunday- 
schools. 


MISCELLANEOUS. 


398,  399 


(h)  FOURTEEN  MINISTERS 
FROM  A  CLASS.— Mr.  Clark,  af- 
terwards schoolmaster  at  Sierra  Leone, 
taught  a  Sunday  school  at  Edinburgh. 
His  method  of  giving  instruction  was, 
after  the  pupils  had  read,  or  repeated  a 
portion  of  Scripture,  to  put  such  explan- 
atory  and  practical  questions  to  them  as 
naturally  arose  out  of  the  passage,  and 
to  conclude  with  a  short  address  and 
prayer.  Of  one  class,  consisting  of  six- 
teen boys,  fourteen  of  them  at  adult  age, 
were  brought  to  the  saving  knowledge  of 
God,  and  acknowledged  the  early  in- 
struction he  had  given  them  as  the 
means  of  their  conversion.  The  whole 
of  these  were  afterwards  engaged  in 
preaching  the  gospel,  some  of  them  in 
Great  Britain,  and  others  in  foreign 
lands. 

{i)  REPORT  OF  BATH  UN- 
ION.— The  Bath  Sunday  school  Union 
Report,  of  1824,  gives  the  pleasing  in- 
formation, that  several  missionaries,  and 
upwards  of  twenty  other  persons,  had 
been  called  out  of  its  schools,  to  preach 
"  the  glorious  gospel  of  the  blessed  God." 

(j)  THE  ORPHAN  HOUSE 
SUNDAY  SCHOOL.— At  a  meeting 
of  teachers  conected  with  the  Newcasile- 
on-Tyne  Sunday  School  Union,  in  1823, 
an  old  teacher  observed  that  he  had 
known  the  Orphan  House  Methodist 
Sunday  school  for  twenty-one  years  ; 
and  that,  during  this  period,  no  less  a 
number  than  twenty-six  preachers  had 
issued  from  it,  either  from  the  scholars 
or  the  teachers.  Can  there  be  a  stronger 
proof  of  the  utility  of  Sunday  schools? 

{k)  THE  CLERGYMAN'S  VIS- 
IT. — I  was,  one  Sabbath  afternoon,  says 
a  superintendent,  about  tp  close  the 
school  in  which  I  was  engaged,  when  a 
well-dressed  genteel  person,  who  pre- 
sented himself  as  a  visitor,  requested  me 
to  allow  him  to  speak  to  the  children. 
This  being  readily  granted,  he  address- 
ed them  nearly  to  the  following  effect : 
There  was  once  a  poor  lad,  who  was 
noted,  even  among  his  sinful  compan- 
ions, for  wickedness,  but  especially  for 
swearing  and  Sabbath  breaking.  He, 
along  with  others,  resolved,  one  Sabbath, 
to  pelt  some  steady  boys  who  were  going 
to  their  school.  However,  it  so  happen- 
ed, that  the  lads,  on  being  attacked,  ran 


away  ;  this  lad  followed  them  to  the 
very  doors  of  the  school,  which,  when 
opened,  as  they  were  then  singing,  such 
a  sound  came  from  the  place  as  seemed 
to  stun  him.  He  wondered  what  they 
could  be  doing  inside  ;  and  a  teacher  at 
that  moment  admitted  the  other  boys, 
and  invited  him  in.  A  new  scene  now 
opened  itself  upon  him  ;  nearly  three 
hundred  boys,  seated  with  their  teachers. 
They  all  appeared  so  neat  and  clean, 
and  in  such  order  that  he  wished  he  was 
"one  of  them."  He  stood,  for  some 
time,  a  spectacle  for  the  whole  school 
dirty  and  ragged,  and  with  his  wooden 
clogs  on.  After  some  consultation,  it 
was  resolved  to  admit  him  into  the  A 
B  C  class.  Every  thing  was  new  to  him. 
The  next  Sabbath  he  appeared,  his  hair 
was  combed,  his  face  washed,  and  a 
pair  of  shoes  were  given  to  him.  He 
now  found  himself  so  much  behind  the 
other  boys,  that  he  resolved  to  strain 
every  nerve  to  get  up  to  them.  This 
determination  was  the  means  of  his  ris- 
ing  to  the  very  first  class  ;  when  his 
conduct  being  approved  of,  he  was 
chosen  a  teacher.  He  now  felt  he  had 
something  more  to  do  than  to  teach ; 
he  had  a  soul  to  be  saved  or  lost.  In  a 
little  time  he  was  enabled,  after  much 
prayer,  to  believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  and  to  rejoice  in  his  salvation. 
The  Lord  then  called  him  to  preach 
these  glad  tidings,  and  happening  some 
time  after  to  officiate  within  twenty 
miles  of  his  own  much  beloved  school, 
he  rode  hard,  after  the  morning's  labors, 
and  reached  the  place  just  in  time  to  see 
the  poor  lads  in  his  own,  very  own 
school ; — and  here  he  is  now  speaking 
to  you. 

The  scene  now  became  truly  affect- 
ing ;  he  burst  into  tears,  as  did  several 
others  around  him  ;  at  last,  he  sobbed 
out,  "  O,  my  dear  lads,  be  in  right  good 
earnest  to  make  the  most  of  your  very 
great  Sabbath  school  privileges  ;  I  have 
kept  you  too  long  !"  He  then  conclud- 
!  ed  with  a  most  affecting  prayer. 

i 

W.  Miscellaneous. 

(a)  CHIEF  JUSTICE  MAR- 
SHALL  AND  JUDGE  WASHING- 
TON.—Chief   Justice    Marshall     and 

783 


399 


SABBATH  SCHOOLS. 


the  late  Judge  Washington,  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States, 
were  both  active  in  the  Sabbath  school 
cause.  At  the  age  of  seventy,  the 
chief  justice  regarded  it  as  his  high 
honor  to  walk  through  the  city  of  Rich- 
mond at  the  head  of  a  Sunday  school 
procession. 

(b)  EFFECT  OF  FAITHFUL- 
NESS.— "  A  class,"  says  the  report 
from  F- 


Mass.,  "  consisting  in  all  of 
six  scholars,  usually  numbering  three 
or  four  on  the  Sabbath,  was  left  vacant 
by  the  removal  of  its  teacher,  who 
might  be  denominated  a  good  common- 
place teacher.  Her  place  was  supplied 
by  one  who  felt  the  solemn  respon- 
sibility of  her  station  and  the  worth  of 
souls.  Her  influence  was  soon  seen 
and  felt.  Numbers  flocked  to  her  class. 
In  a  short  time  it  increased  from  six  to 
fourteen,  and  others  were  necessarily 
denied  admission.  A  deep  interest  and 
general  seriousness  soon  pervaded  the 
whole  class.  This  was  evidently  the 
result  of  direct  and  personal  conversa- 
tion with  them  on  the  subject  of  their 
salvation.  In  a  short  time  this  devoted 
teacher  was  obliged  by  ill  health  to  re- 
sign her  place  to  another  ;  the  class  has 
now  lost  much  of  its  interest  in  spiritual 
things,  and  has  gradually  dwindled 
away  to  nearly  its  former  number. 
This  instance  goes  to  show  that  even 
the  thoughtless  have  a  disposition  to 
covet  and  listen  to  the  instructions  of 
those  who  deal  faithfully  with  their 
souls." 

(c)  THE  THREE  CLASSES  AND 
THE  THREE  RESOLUTIONS.— 
In  the  State  of  New-York,  a  pious 
young  lady  was  once  requested  by  the 
superintendent  to  take  a  class  of  girls 
in  the  Sabbath  school.  She  accepted 
the  invitation  and  engaged  in  the  work. 
She  was  observed  to  be  very  earnest, 
faithful  and  aflectionate  with  her  charge. 
Soon  a  change  was  observed.  One 
after  another  became  thoughtful,  se- 
rious,  anxious  and  hopefully  pious,  un- 
til, in  the  judgment  of  charity,  every 
member  of  her  class  was  converted  to 
God. 

She  was  at  length  requested  to  give 
up  her  class,  and  to  take  another,  none 
784 


of  whom  were  pious.  With  some  hesi- 
tation she,  at  length  consented.  She 
had  not  been  in  her  new  class  long  be- 
fore similar  effects  were  observed,  and 
ultimately  every  member  of  the  class 
cherished  a  hope  in  Christ.  She  was 
finally  induced  to  give  up  this  class  also 
to  be  instructed  by  others,  and  to  take 
another  class,  all  of  whom  were  uncon- 
verted. She  had  not  labored  long  be- 
fore precisely  the  same  results  followed 
her  labors  as  before,  and  every  mem- 
ber of  this  third  class  became  hopefully 
pious.  And  now  her  work  was  done. 
Her  Master  called  her  to  her  rest  in 
heaven.    She  died,  but  her  labors  lived. 

After  her  death,  her  friends,  on  exa- 
mining her  religious  journal,  found  the 
following  resolutions,  viz. — Resolved, 
that  I  iiill  pray  once  each  day  for  each 
member  of  my  class  by  name.  On  look- 
ing farther  in  the  journal,  they  found 
the  same  resolution  re-written  and  re- 
adopted,  with  a  slight  addition,  as  follows, 
viz. — Resolved,  thai,  I  will  pray  once 
each  day  for  each  member  of  my  class 
by  name,  and  agonize  in  pirayer. 

Looking  on  still  farther  in  her  jour- 
nal, the  same  resolution  was  again  found 
re-written  and  re-adopted,  with  another 
slight  addition,  as  follows,  viz. — Re- 
solved, that  I  will  pray  once  each  day 
for  each  member  of  my  class  by  name, 
and  agonize  in  prayer,  and  expect  a  bless- 
ing. Did  that  teacher  do  too  much  and 
pray  too  much  ?  Wliat  answer  would 
her  glorified  spirit  now  give  could  she 
speak  to  us  ? 

(d)  DYING  TEACHER  MISTAK- 
EN.— Mr.  M.  was  for  many  years  a 
pious  and  indefatigable  Sunday  school 
teacher.  It  pleased  God  to  call  him  to 
suffer  severe  affliction,  and  to  an  early 
death.  During  his  long  affliction,  though 
it  was  painful  even  to  see  him  walk,  he 
went  to  his  class,  nor  would  he  resign 
as  long  as  he  could  possibly  reach  the 
school.  "  It  was  my  happiness,"  says 
a  writer  in  the  '  Teacher's  Magazine,' 
"  to  visit  him  during  his  trying  illness ; 
and  the  calmness  of  his  mind  under 
affliction,  and  his  triumphant  departure, 
I  never  shall  forget.  Nor  shall  I  cease 
to  remember  another  circumstance. 
Turning  to  me,  and  with  something  like 


MISCELLANEOUS. 


399 


despondency,  he  said,  '  Well,  I  believe 
I  never  was  useful  as  a  Sunday  school 
teacher.' 

"  Some  short  time  after  his  death,  I 
visited  a  Sunday  school  in  a  small  town 
some  distance  from  that  in  which  Mr. 
M.  had  lived.  1  soon  recognized  among 
the  teachers  one  who  had  been  a  Sun- 
day scholar  ;  I  conversed  with  him  and 
found  that  he  was  a  professor  of  religion, 
and  a  member  of  a  Christian  church  in 
that  town.  I  congratulated  him  upon 
his  employment,  and  inquired  by  what 
means  he  had  been  led  to  love  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  ?  He  replied,  '  The  ad- 
vice which  my  teacher  again  and  again 
gave  me,  led  me  to  reflection  and  to 
prayer,  and  I  hope  was  the  means  of 
leading  me  to  Christ.'  And  who  was 
that  teacher?  He  replied,  'Mr.  M.' 
Yes,  that  same  dear  friend,  who,  upon 
a  dying  bed,  said,  he  believed  he  had 
never  been  useful  as  a  Sunday  school 

(c)  PRESIDENT  HARRISON  A 
TEACHER.  —  President  Harrison 
taught,  for  several  years,  in  a  humble 
Sabbath  school  on  the  banks  of  the 
Ohio.  The  Sabbath  before  he  left 
home  for  Washington,  to  assume  the 
duties  of  chief  magistrate  of  the  nation, 
he  met  his  Bible  class  as  usual.  And 
his  last  counsel  on  the  subject  to  his 
gardener,  at  Washington,  it  may  be 
hoped,  will  never  be  forgotten  by  the 
nation.  When  advised  to  keep  a  dog  to 
protect  his  fruit,  he  replied — "  Rather 
set  a  Sunday  school  teacher  to  take  care 
of  the  boys." 

(/)  EXAMPLE  OF  SEVERAL 
STATESMEN— A  writer  in  the  New- 
York  Journal  of  Commerce  for  1844, 
says  ;  "  The  present  Chancellor  of  the 
University  of  New- York  city,  (Mr.  Pre- 
linghuysen,)  was  a  Sunday  school  teach- 
er while  he  held  the  office  of  Attorney 
General  of  New  Jersey,  and  afterwards, 
while  a  Senator  in  Congress  ;  and  he 
may  still  be  seen  cheerfully  associating 
with  the  humblest  teachers. 

The  Hon.  B.  F.  Butler  was  a  Sun- 
day-school  teacher  while  holding  the 
office  of  Attorney  General  of  the  United 
States,  and  has,  at  the  present  time,  his 
Bible  class  for  young  men. 

And  the  visitor  at  Saratoga  Springs, 
50 


who  will  look  into  the  Sunday  school, 
may  there  see  the  Hon.  Chancellor  of 
the  state  of  New-York  (R.  H.  Walworth) 
with  other  literary  gentlemen,  animating 
the  young  in  their  Bible  investigations. 

Hon.  Wm.  Ellsworth,  while  gover- 
nor of  the  state  of  Connecticut,  instruct- 
ed a  Bible  class  from  Sabbath  to  Sabbath, 
in  one  of  the  Cong-rearational  churches 
of  Hartford.  He  remarked  that  when 
he  quitted  the  gubernatorial  chair  in  the 
State-house  and  came  before  his  class 
to  teach  them  the  word  of  God,  he  felt 
that  he  was  not  going  down,  but  going 
wp." 

(g)  A  GOOD  RESOLUTION.— 
At  the  close  of  an  Agent's  address  to  a 
meeting  in  the  western  part  of  the  state 
of  Massachusetts,  in  1828,  after  alluding 
to  the  fact  that  a  neighboring  town  was 
laboring  to  bring  all  into  the  Sabbath 
school,  that  old  and  young,  in  the  inter- 
val of  divine  service,  should  be  employ- 
ed in  teaching  or  studying  the  Bible,  he 
inquired  whether  it  was  not  the  duty  of 
the  people  of  that  place  to  follow  an  ex- 
>ample  so  worthy  of  imitation  ?  Some 
with  locks  already  white  for  the  grave, 
said  they  would  become  Sabbath-school 
scholars,  and,  in  accents  tremulous  with 
emotion,  gave  thanks  to  God  that  they 
could  now  come  and  enjoy  the  privileges 
with  which  he  was  blessing  their  chil- 
dren. The  following  resolution  was 
then  almost  unanimously  adopted  by 
male  and  female,  viz  :  That,  in  the  opin- 
ion of  this  meeting,  it  is  the  duty  of  every 
PERSON,  not  prevented  by  the  providence 
of  God,  to  be  connected  imth  a  Sabbath 
school.  And  that  we  will  do  all  in  our 
power  to  effect  this  object. 

{h)  SCHOOLS  IN  WALES.— 
A  poor  family,  in  Wales,  had  acquired, 
by  great  industry,  the  sum  of  thirty 
pounds.  This,  for  greater  security,  as 
they  thought,  they  placed  in  the  hands 
of  a  person  reported  to  be  very  rich  ; 
but  he  shortly  afterwards  failed,  and 
they  lost  their  little  all.  They  were 
nearly  broken-hearted  ;  and,  from  their 
abject  condition,  did  not  like  to  be  seen 
in  a  place  of  worship.  After  some  time, 
however,  their  little  boy  found  his  way 
to  a  Sunday  school,  was  very  attentive, 
and  went  regularly  for  a  long  time. 
At  length  he  was  taken  very  ill,  and  re- 
785 


399,  400 


SATAN,  AGENCY  OF. 


quested  the  teachers  to  come  and  pray 
with  him.  He  gradually  got  worse, 
and  it  became  evident  to  himself  and 
others,  that  he  was  soon  to  leave  this 
World.  This  little  boy  then  told  his  pa- 
rents he  felt  quite  happy  in  the  love  of 
God  ;  and  said,  that  if  he  had  not  attend- 
ed a  Sunday  school,  he  should  have 
known  nothing  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
He  entreated,  as  his  dying  request,  that 
his  mother  would  attend  and  take  his 
place  in  the  Sunday  school  ;  for,  in 
Wales,  there  are  nearly  as  many  adults, 
or  grown  people,  in  the  schools,  as  chil- 
dren. The  poor  weeping  mother  con- 
sented, and,  after  her  little  boy's  death, 
attended  where  he  used  to  sit  ;  the  re- 
sult of  which  was,  that  both  she  and  her 
husband  became  truly  converted  to  God. 
(i)  EFFECT  OF  HAVING 
ADULT  SCHOLARS.— A  gentleman, 
speaking  of  a  certain  Sabbath  school  in 


Massachusetts 


says 


The  school  em- 


braces those  of  all  ages,  from  3  to  80. 
With  a  few  exceptions,  the  whole  con- 
gregation attend  the  school. 

A    more   interesting  school    I   have 
never  seen  :  all  seem  desirous  of  under- 


standing the  word  of  God — and  many, 
I  trust,  that  they  may  obey  it.  We 
think  that  a  deep  interest  is  felt  in  con- 
sequence of  all  being  together.  The 
adults  give  character  to  the  school.  The 
younger  members  feel  the  importance 
of  the  study  in  which  the  older  ones  are 
engaged. 

The  happy  effects  of  the  Sabbath 
school  in  this  town  are  perceptible  in  all 
classes  of  persons.  The  aged  have 
opened  their  eyes  upon  a  new  world. 
The  Bible  has  become  the  delightful 
study  of  many  who,  till  within  three 
years,  scarcely  ever  perused  it  :  those 
who  are  past  the  meridian  of  life  often 
remark  to  me  that  they  find  subjects  of 
thought  and  inquiry  which  never  sug- 
gested themselves  to  them  till  they 
studied  for  the  purpose  of  teaching  oth- 
ers, or  to  give  answers  to  questions. 
Our  adult  classes  are  on  the  plan  of 
mutual  instruction — and  I  think  there  is 
quite  as  much  interest  manifested  among 
them  as  among  the  youth.  This  has 
had  a  very  salutary  effect  on  the  young- 
er scholars. 


400.  SATAN,  AGENCY  OF. 


{a)     A    HARD     QUESTION.— 

An  islander  in  the  South  Seas,  once  pro- 
posed the  following  query  to  the  mission- 
aries : — "  You  say  God  is  a  holy  and  a 
powerful  Being  ;  that  Satan  is  the  cause 
of  a  vast  increase  of  moral  evil  or  wick- 
edness in  the  world,  by  exciting  or  dis- 
posing men  to  sin.  If  Satan  be  only  a 
dependent  creature,  and  the  cause  of  so 
much  evil,  which  is  displeasing  to  God, 
why  does  God  not  kill  Satan  at  once, 
and  thereby  prevent  all  the  evil  of  which 
he  is  the  author  ?"  In  answer  he  was 
told,  "  that  the  facts  of  Satan's  depend- 
ence on,  or  subjection  to  the  Almighty, 
and  his  yet  being  permitted  to  tempt 
men  to  evil,  were  undeniable  from  the 
declarations  of  Scripture,  and  the  expe- 
rience of  every  one  accustomed  to  ob- 
serve the  operations  of  his  own  mind. 


Such  an  one,  it  was  observed,  would 
often  find  himself  exposed  to  an  influ- 
ence that  could  be  attributed  only  to 
Satanic  agency  ;  but  that  why  he  was 
permitted  to  exert  this  influence  on  man, 
was  not  made  known  in  the  Bible." 

{b)  "  THE  DEVIL  IS  WROTH." 
— "  I  asked  the  Rev.  Legh  Richmond," 
says  one,  "  how  we  were  to  reconcile 
the  increase  of  religion  with  the  acknow- 
ledged growth  of  crime,  as  evinced  in 
our  courts  of  justice  ?  He  answered, 
'  Both  are  true.  Bad  men  are  becoming 
worse,  and  good  men  better.  The  first 
are  ripening  for  judgment,  the  latter  for 
glory.  The  increase  of  wickedness  is, 
in  this  respect,  a  proof  of  the  increase 
of  religion.  The  devil  is  wroth,  know- 
ing that  his  time  is  short.'  " 


786 


SELF-CONTROL. 


401 


401.  self-control. 


(a)  THE  MERCHANT  AND  THE 
QUAKER. — A  merchant  in  London 
had  a  dispute  with  a  quaker  respecting 
the  settlement  of  an  account.  The  mer- 
chant was  determined  to  bring  the  ac- 
count into  court,  a  proceeding  which 
the  quaker  earnestly  deprecated,  using 
every  argument  in  his  power  to  con- 
vince the  merchant  of  his  error ;  but  the 
latter  was  inflexible.  Desirous  to  make 
a  last  effort,  the  quaker  called  at  his 
house  one  morning,  and  inquired  of  the 
servant  if  his  master  was  at  home,  the 
merchant  hearing  the  inquiry,  and  know- 
ing the  voice,  called  out  from  the  top  of 
the  stairs,  "  Tell  that  rascal  I  am  not 
at  home."  The  quaker  looking  up  at 
him,  calmly  said,  "  Well,  friend,  God 
put  thee  in  a  better  mind."  The  mer- 
chant, struck  afterwards  with  the  meek- 
ness of  the  reply,  and  having  more  de- 
liberately investigated  the  matter,  be- 
came convinced  that  the  quaker  was 
right  and  he  was  wrong.  He  requested 
to  see  him,  and  after  acknowledging  his 
error,  he  said,  "  I  have  one  question  to 
ask  you,  how  were  you  able,  with  such 
patience,  on  various  occasions,  to  bear 
my  abuse  ?"  "  Friend,"  replied  the  qua- 
ker, "I  will  tell  thee ;  I  was  naturally  as 
hot  and  violent  as  thou  art.  I  knew  that 
to  indulge  this  temper  was  sinful  ;  and  I 
found  that  it  was  imprudent.  I  observed 
that  men  in  a  passion  always  spake 
aloud  ;  and  I  thought  if  I  could  control 
my  voice,  f  should  repress  my  passion. 
I  have,  therefore,  made  it  a  rule,  never 
to  let  my  voice  rise  above  a  certain  key  ; 
and  by  a  careful  observance  of  this  rule, 
I  have,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  entirely 
mastered  my  natural  temper."  The 
quaker  reasoned  philosophically,  and 
the  merchant,  as  every  one  else  may  do, 
benefitted  by  his  example. 

(&)  MARLBORO'  AND  HIS  SER- 
VANT.—The  Duke  of  Marlborough 
possessed  great  command  of  temper, 
and  never  permitted  it  to  be  ruffled  by 
little  things,  in  which  even  the  greatest 
men  have  been  occasionally  found  un- 
As  he  was  one  day  riding 


guarded. 


with    Commissary 


Marriot,    it    began  [ 


to  rain,  and  he  called  to  his  servant  for 
his  cloak.  The  servant  not  bringing  it 
immediately,  he  called  for  it  again. 
The  servant,  being  embarrassed  with 
the  straps  and  buckles,  did  not  come  up 
to  him.  At  last,  it  raining  very  hard, 
the  duke  called  to  him  again,  and  asked 
him  what  he  was  about,  that  he  did  not 
bring  his  cloak.  "  You  may  stay,  sir," 
grumbled  the  fellow,  "  if  it  rains  cats 
and  dogs,  till  I  can  get  at  it."  The 
duke  turned  round  to  Marriot,  and 
said,  very  coolly,  "  Now  I  would  not  be 
of  that  fellow's  temper  for  all  the 
world." 

(c)  NEWTON  AND  HIS  DOG.— 
Sir  Isaac  Newton's  temper,  it  is  said, 
was  so  equal  and  mild,  that  no  accident 
could  disturb  it.  A  remarkable  in- 
stance of  which  is  related  as  follows  : — 

Sir  Isaac  had  a  favorite  little  dog, 
which  he  called  Diamond.  Being  one 
evening  called  out  of  his  study  into  the 
next  room.  Diamond  was  left  behind. 
When  Sir  Isaac  returned,  having  been 
absent  but  a  few  minutes,  he  had  the 
mortification  to  find  that  Diamond  had 
overturned  a  lighted  candle  amons:  some 
papers,  the  nearly  finished  labor  of  ma- 
ny years,  which  were  soon  in  flames, 
and  almost  consumed  to  ashes.  This 
loss,  from  Newton's  advanced  age,  was 
irreparable  ;  but,  without  at  all  punish- 
ing the  dog,  he  exclaimed,  "  O,  Dia- 
mond, Diamond  !  you  little  know  the 
mischief  you  have  done  !" 

(d)  THE  LOGICIAN'S  DIGRES- 
SION.—Of  Mr.  John  Henderson,  it  is 
observed,  that  the  oldest  of  his  friends 
never  beheld  him  otherwise  than  calm 
and  collected  ;  it  was  a  state  of  mind  he 
retained  under  all  circumstances.  Dur- 
ing his  residence  at  Oxford,  a  student  of 
a  neighboring  college,  proud  of  his  logi- 
cal acquirements,  was  solicitous  of  a 
private  disputation  with  the  renowned 
Henderson  ,•  some  mutual  friends  intro- 
duced him,  and,  having  chosen  his  sub- 
ject, they  conversed  for  some  time  with 
equal  candor  and  moderation ;  but 
Henderson's  antagonist,  perceiving  hi? 
confutation    inevitable,   (forgetting   ^he 

787 


401,  402 


SELF-DECEPTION. 


character  of  a  gentleman,  and  with  a 
resentment  engendered  by  his  former 
arrogance,)  threw  a  full  glass  of  wine 
in  his  face.  Henderson,  without  alter- 
ing his  features  or  changing  his  position, 
gently  wiped  his  face,  and  then  coolly 
replied,  "  This,  sir,  is  a  digression  ;  now 
for  the  argument," 

(e)  THE  HARDEST  FOE.— Peter 
the  Great  made  a  law  in  1722,  that  if 
any  nobleman  beat  or  ill-treated  his 
slaves,  he  should  be  looked  upon  as  in- 
sane, and  a  guardian  should  be  appoint- 
ed to  take  care  of  his  person  and  of  his 
estate.  This  great  monarch  once  struck 
his  gardener,  who,  being  a  man  of  great 
sensibility,  took  to  his  bed,  and  died  in 
a  few  days.  Peter  hearing  of  this,  ex- 
claimed, with  tears  in  his  eyes,  "  Alas ! 
I  have  civilized  my  own  subjects  ;  I 
have  conquered  other  nations;  yet  I 
have  not  been  able  to  civilize  or  to  con- 
quer myself." 

(/)  SELF-CONTROL  OF  SOC- 
RATES.— Socrates  finding  himself  in 
great  emotion  against  a  slave,  said,  "  I 
would  beat  you  if  I  were  not  an- 
gry." Having  received  a  box  on  the 
ear,  he  contented  himself  by  only  say- 
ing with  a  smile,  "  It  is  a  pity  we  do 
not  know  when  to  put  on  a  helmet." 
Socrates  meeting  a  gentleman  of  rank 
in  the  streets,  saluted  him,  but  the 
gentleman  took  no  notice  of  it.  His 
friends  in  company  observing  what  pass- 
ed, told  the  philosopher  "  they  were  so 
exasperated  at  the  man's  incivility,  that 
they  had  a  good  mind  to  resent  it." 
But  he  very  calmly  made  answer,  ''  If 


you  meet  any  person  in  the  road  in  a 
worse  habit  of  body  than  yourself,  would 
you  think  you  had  reason  to  be  enraged 
at  him  on  that  account ;  pray  then,  what 
greater  reason  can  you  have  for  being 
incensed  at  a  man  for  a  worse  habit  of 
mind  than  any  of  yourselves  ?" 

His  wite,  Xantippe,  was  a  woman  of 
a  most  fantastical  and  furious  spirit. 
At  one  time,  having  vented  all  the  re- 
proaches upon  Socrates  her  fury  could 
suggest,  he  went  out  and  sat  before  the 
door.  His  calm  and  unconcerned  be- 
havior but  irritated  her  so  much  the 
more ;  and  in  the  excess  of  her  rage, 
she  ran  up  stairs  and  emptied  a  vessel 
upon  his  head  ;  at  which  he  only  laugh- 
ed, and  said,  "  that  so  much  thunder 
must  needs  produce  a  shower."  Alci- 
biades,  his  friend,  talking  with  him 
about  his  wife,  told  him  he  wondered 
how  he  could  bear  such  an  everlasting 
scold  in  the  same  house  with  him:  he 
replied,  "  I  have  so  accustomed  myself 
to  expect  it,  that  it  now  offends  me  no 
more  than  the  noise  of  carriages  in  the 
streets. 

(g)  A  GREAT  CONQUEST.— An- 
tigonus,  king  of  Syria,  during  one  of 
his  campaigns,  one  day  overheard  some 
of  his  soldiers  reviling  him  behind  his 
tent.  But  instead  of  summoning  them 
to  appear  and  answer  for  their  contume- 
ly, and  exercising  his  authority  in  their 
punishment,  he  barely  drew  aside  the 
curtain  of  his  tent,  and  said,  "  Gentle- 
men, just  remove  toagreater  distance,  for 
your  king  hears  you." 


402.  SELF-DECEPTION. 


(a)   THE   CHURCH   MEMBER'S 
EXCUSE  FOR  DRUNKENNESS.— 

In  the  town  of  ,  in  the  State  of 

New- York,  there  lived  a  man  who  oc- 
casionally drank  to  intoxication.  He 
was  a  professor  of  religion;  and  as 
private  admonitions  proved  ineffectual, 
he  was  at  length  brought  before  the 
church.  The  evidence  of  his  intem- 
perance was  clear  and  unquestionable  ; 
but  that  he  might  not  be  condemned 
without  the  privilege  of  defence,  he  was 
788 


permitted,  before  the  final  vote  was 
taken,  to  say  what  he  could  in  vindica- 
tion of  his  conduct.  He  arose  and  ac- 
knowledged his  offence,  apparently  with 
the  deepest  contrition,  and  entreated  his 
brethren  (tears  all  the  while  falling 
down  his  cheeks)  that  they  would  not 
excommunicate  him  from  the  church, 
alleging,  as  a  reason  for  the  helpless 
state  in  which  he  was  sometimes  found, 
that "  his  constitution  required  more  spirit 
than  his  legs  would  bear  up  under .'" 


SELF-DECEPTION. 


403 


{h)  THE  MORALIST  CONVERT- 
ED. — Mr.  B.  had  received  a  highly  re- 
ligious education,  and  from  earliest 
years  had  been  surrounded  with  pious 
connections.  So  great  was  his  respect 
for  religious  ordinances,  and  his  con- 
viction of  the  importance  of  maintain- 
ing its  forms,  that  for  years  he  heart- 
lessly officiated  at  the  family  altar.  By 
this  means,  by  regular  attendance  on 
the  sanctuary,  and  by  his  blameless 
deportment,  his  friends  were  led,  in  the 
blindness  of  their  charity,  to  believe 
him  a  truly  pious  man.  Hence,  with- 
out- any  inquiry  into  his  inward  experi- 
ence, they  often  urged  him  to  join  the 
church.  But  some  secret  misgivings 
led  him  to  decline  ;  yet,  as  he  has  since 
remarked,  that  it  was  his  prevailing 
opinion,  that  he  was  better  than  many 
professors  of  religion.  Indeed,  such 
was  the  influence  of  the  opinions  of  his 
friends  over  him,  that  he  gradually  fell 
into  the  belief,  that  at  some  former 
period  he  had,  unawares,  passed  from 
death  unto  life.  While  in  this  state  of 
mind  a  revival  commenced  in  the  con- 
gregation of  which  he  was  a  member, 
with  great  power.  Striking  instances 
of  painful  conviction  and  joyful  con- 
version passed  under  his  observation. 
The  officiating  clergyman  appointed  an 
evening  lecture,  near  Mr.  B.'s  residence. 
With  accustomed  hospitality,  Mr.  B.  in- 
vited the  minister  homo  v/ith  him  after 
the  lecture.  After  some  general  re- 
marks, Mr.  B.  took  occasion  to  dwell 
upon  the  inconsistencies  of  professors 
of  religion.  Little  or  no  reply  was 
made. 

At  length  he  began  to  expose  his  own 
views  and  feelings  respecting  what  he 
thought  true  religion.  But,  much  to  his 
disappointment,  the  clergyman  waived 
the  subject  with  some  indefinite  reply. 
Mr.  B.  thought  he  discovered,  in  this 
unexpected  silence,  that  his  guest  (as 
was  the  fact)  considered  his  religion 
suspicious,  which  not  a  little  disturbed 
his  quiet.  And  this  incident,  slight  as 
it  may  seem,  was  the  means,  apparently, 
of  apprising  this  man  of  the  complete 
deception  under  which  he  and  others 
had  labored,  respecting  the  true  state 
of  his  heart.  He  was  now  constrained 
10  explore  its  dark  re(;csses ;   and  the 


1  more  he  examined,  the  more  he  was 
convinced,  that  he  had  for  years  been 
wrapping  himself  in  a  delusion ;  that 
the  foundation  of  his  hope  was  a  lie. 
He  soon  became  more  deeply  sensible 
to  his  own  sins  than  to  the  sins  of  pro- 
fessors of  religion,  or  of  any  other  hu- 
man being.  At  length  he  submitted,  as 
he  believes,  to  the  conditions  of  divine 
grace  ;  and  continued  afterwards  to  re- 
joice in  the  God  of  his  salvation.  "  Oh ! 
1  shudder,"  said  he,  to  a  friend,  "  at  the 
thought  of  my  hair-breadth  escape. 
How  easy,  how  easy  to  be  deceived  in 
the  belief  that  we  are  Christians,  without 
the  least  spark  of  vital 'piety  .'" 

(c)  THE  RUM-DRINKER'S  CON- 
VERSION.— During  the  revival  at  S., 
says  Rev.  Mr.  Nettleton,  I  witnessed  an 
instance  which,  if  you  please,  1  will  re- 
late. Mr.  A.  was  one  of  the  most  re- 
spectable men  in  that  village,  about 
thirty  years  of  age,  who  kept  a  large 
boarding-house.  His  wife  was  under 
deep  conviction,  and  soon  was  rejoicing 
in  hope,  and  prayed  with  and  tor  her 
husband.  This  was  the  means  of  his 
conviction ;  though,  at  the  time,  ii  was 
not  known.  Report  said  he  was  con- 
fined to  his  bed,  and  dangerously  ill. 
Hints  were  privately  circulating  that 
he  was  anxious  for  his  soul,  and  was 
ashamed  to  have  it  known.  It  was  late 
in  the  evening,  when  Brother  G.  went 
to  his  house,  and  found  him  in  a  bed- 
room, in  a  remote  corner,  in  the  great- 
est agony.  "  What  is  the  matter  ?" 
said  Brother  G.  "  Oh,  I  am  sick  !  I 
am  in  such  distress  !"  "  But  your  pulse 
is  regular.  Where  is  your  pain  ?"  i 
He  made  no  reply ;  but  with  violence 
smote  upon  his  breast.  He  was  asked, 
"Js  it  there  ?"  "  It  is,"  he  replied. 
The  next  evening  I  called,  and  found 
him  still  in  the  same  distress.  His 
convictions  appeared  to  be  deep.  But 
when  I  returned,  I  suggested  to  Brother 
G.  a  suspicion  of  the  smell  of  ardent 
spirits.  1  then  related  a  number  of 
anecdotes  of  false  conversions,  connect- 
ed with  this  suspicious  scent.  "  Mr.  A. 
is  a  very  moral  man,"  said  he,  "  and 
far  from  suspicion  on  that  point."  But, 
for  fear,  he  sent  me  back  to  give  him  a 
solemn  caution.  I  returned,  and  with 
much  delicacy,  warned  him  not  to  taste, 
789 


403 


SELF-DENIAL. 


lest .     He  seemed  startled  at  my 

suggestion,  and  assured  me  that  he  was 
far  from  that  habit.  I  requested  his 
wife  to  watch  him,  and  learned  from 
her,  that  through  his  distress  his  strength 
had  greatly  failed,  and  that  he  had 
taken  a  very  little,  only,  to  prevent  his 
sinking  entirely.  I  returned,  and  ob- 
served to  Brother  G.  that  I  feared  Mr. 
A.  was  a  ruined  man.  His  concern 
continued  for  a  few  days,  when  he  be- 
came exceedingly  joyful.  His  con- 
version was  considered  wonderful.  But 
my  joy  was  checked.  I  could  not  for- 
get the  smell  of  ardent  spirits.  I  called 
and  found  him  much  elated  with  joy. 
But  when  I  cautioned  him,  he  seemed 
surprised  and  somewhat  offended,  and 
observed — "  I  think  I  have  been  dis- 
tressed enough  to  experience  religion." 
"  Ah !"  said  I,  "  now  I  doubt  more  than 
ever  whether  your  heart  has  ever  been 
changed.  Do  you  think  there  is  any 
merit  in  the  distress  of  an  awakened 
sinner  ?  Suppose  you  had  been  to  hell, 
and  endured  the  torments  of  the  damn- 
ed ;  what  then  ?  It  is  not  distress,  but 
love   to   God   and   a   chanfre  of  heart 


which  alone  can  fit  the  sinner  for  hea- 
ven." After  a  little  conversation,  his 
heart  rose  in  such  opposition,  that  he 
relinquished  his  hope.  His  distress  re- 
turned in  a  moment,  and  he  cried  out 
"  What  shall  I  do  ?"  His  heart  was 
evidently  unrenewed,  and  still  quarrel- 
ing with  the  justice  of  God.  From 
some  expressions,  I  caught  a  glimpse  of 
his  heart ;  and  that  if  he  should  ever 
experience  religion,  it  was  his  secret 
purpose  never  to  make  a  public  pro- 
fession of  it.  He  was  evidently  un- 
humbled,  like  a  bullock  unaccustomed  to 
the  yoke.  I  put  into  his  hands  "  Ed- 
wards  on  the  Justice  of  God  in  the 
Damnation  of  Sinners."  Shortly,  he 
again  found  relief  He  wished  to  pro- 
fess religion  with  others,  but  prudence 
led  us  to  wait ;  and  the  result  was,  that 
in  progress  of  time  he  became  a  sot. 
I  know  not  of  a  more  hopeless  be- 
ing on  earth.  He  does  no  business ; 
has  drunk  himself  out  of  his  property, 
and  almost  out  of  his  reason  ;  and,  as 
Brother  G.  says,  he  has  become  a 
brute. 


403.  SELF-DENIAL. 


(a)  TRANSCRIBING  FROM 
DODDRIDGE.— The  Southern  Relig- 
ious Telegraph  states  that  Miss  T , 

of county,  who  was  very  tJiought- 

less,  was  induced  by  a  friend  to  promise 
that  she  would  read  the  "  Rise  and  Pro- 
gress." For  many  weeks  she  postponed 
it ;  but  at  length  became  interested  for 
her  soul,  and  took  up  the  work  and  read 
it  with  care.  Her  feelings  followed 
those  of  the  writer  generally,  and  with 
as  little  opposition  as  could  be  expected 
until  she  came  to  the  17th  chapter. 
That  is  styled  the  "  self-dedication  chap- 
ter." While  transcribing  this  chapter, 
according  to  the  author's  direction,  to 
make  it  her  own  act — consecrating  her- 
self to  Jehovah's  service  for  time  and 
forever — she  hesitated.  Her  wicked 
heart  arose  in  opposition.  She  could 
not  surrender  all  to  God.  There  was 
a  small  portion  of  her  earthly  treasures; 
a  little  shining  dust — used  as  ornaments 
of  her  perishin^f  body,  which  she  was 
790 


unwilling  to  surrender  for  that  "  glitter- 
ing crown  of  glory"  which  Christ  prom- 
ises to  all  those  that  love  and  serve  him. 
In  great  agony  her  pen  was  laid  aside, 
and  for  several  days  she  refused  to  finish 
the  dedication  chapter.  One  day,  Avhile 
complaining  to  a  sister  (since  gone  to 
rest)  that  she  could  find  no  peace,  her 
sister  replied,  "  Perhaps  there  is  some- 
thmg  you  are  unwilling  to  part  with — 
some  little  thing  that  you  will  not  give 
up  for  the  sake  of  an  interest  in  Christ. 
Remember,  he  requires  entire  consecra- 
tion— all."  She  soon  left  her  sister — 
retired  to  her  closet — resolved  to  part 
with  her  jewelry  and  all  things  else  for 
an  interest  in  her  Redeemer.  She  wi 
immediately  able  to  finish  transcribing 
I  her  chapter — light  began  to  dawn  upon^ 
her  soul — and  her  proud  spirit  was 
humbled.  Peace  gradually  dawned  upoi 
her  mind,  and  as  soon  as  an  opportunity! 
presented,  she  united  with  the  church, 
and  now  walks  in  newness  of  life. 


SELF-DENIAL. 


403 


{b)  UNPURCHASED,  UNSE- 
DUCED.~The  Marquis  de  Bougy,  a 
gallant  general  in  the  service  of  Louis 
XIV,  was  greatly  esteemed  by  that 
monarch,  and  by  his  prime  minister. 
Cardinal  Mazarin.  He  would  have 
made  a  great  fortune,  if  he  had  been  a 
Roman  Catholic  ;  and  he  received  sev- 
eral letters  from  the  queen  and  from  the 
cardinal,  wherein  they  exhorted  him  to 
change  his  profession,  and  thereby  re- 
move the  obstacle  which  lay  in  the  way 
of  his  advancement.  They  also  offered 
him  a  marshal's  staff,  and  a  considerable 
government,  provided  he  would  become 
a  Roman  Catholic.  His  answer  was, 
that  if  he  could  resolve  to  betray  his 
God  for  a  marshal's  staff,  he  might  be- 
tray his  king  for  a  less  advantage  ;  but 
that  he  would  do  neither  of  them,  being 
contented  to  see  that  his  services  were 
acceptable,  and  that  his  religion  was  the 
only  reason  why  he  was  not  rewarded 
for  them. 

(c)  THE  EAR-RINGS  SACRI- 
FICED. — "  A  gentleman,"  says  Mr. 
Knill,  missionary  at  Petersburg,  "  res- 
ident on  the  shores  of  the  Caspian,  who 
once  cared  nothing  about  Christ  or  his 
cause,  has,  within  a  few  years,  become 
a  warm-hearted  disciple.  Knowing  his 
character,  I  wrote  to  him  to  assist  me  in 
the  distribution  of  the  Holy  Scriptures. 
To  my  request  he  joyfully  agreed  ;  but 
he  did  not  think  it  sufficient  to  contribute 
towards  it  himself,  but  he  tried  to  enlist 
others  also  in  the  good  work.  He  men- 
tioned it  in  particular  to  a  pious  lady 
of  his  acquaintance,  who  had  just  before 
received  a  present  of  a  hundred  roubles, 
to  purchase  a  pair  of  ear-rings.  Fired 
•with  the  hope  of  promoting  the  eternal 
happiness  of  her  fellow  creatures,  she 
determined  to  sacrifice  her  ear-rings  to 
the  cause  of  God,  and  sent  the  hundred 
roubles  to  mo.  Perhaps  this  was  the 
first  time  that  ever  her  attachment  to 
the  Savior  had  called  for  a  sacrifice  ; 
and  it  must  be  unspeakably  gratifying 
to  her  mind,  when  reviewing  the  trans- 
action, to  feel  that  she  could  part  with 
her  ornamehts  for  her  adorable  Redeem- 
er." 

(d)  SELF-DENIAL  OF  VA- 
RIOUS MARTYRS.— Julius  Palmer, 
in  Queen  Mary's  days,  had  life  and  pre- 


ferment offered  hitn,  if  he  would  recant 
his  faitlr  in  Christ.  His  answer  was, 
that  he  had  resigned  his  living  in  two 
places  for  the  sake  of  the  gospel,  and 
now  was  ready  to  yield  his  life  on  ac- 
count of  Christ. 

William  Hunter,  when  urged  by 
Bonner  to  recant,  replied,  he  could  only 
be  moved  by  the  Scriptures,  for  he  reck- 
oned the  things  of  earth  but  dross  for 
Christ ;  and  when  the  sheriff  offered  him 
a  pardon  at  the  stake,  if  he  would  re- 
nounce his  faith,  he  firmly  rejected  it. 

Antonius  Riceto,  a  Venetian,  was 
offered  his  life,  and  considerable  wealth, 
if  he  would  concede  but  a  little ;  and 
when  his  own  son,  with  weeping  entreat- 
ed him  to  do  so,  he  answered,  that  he 
was  resolved  to  lose  both  children  and 
estate  for  Christ. 

The  Prince  of  Conde,  at  the  mas- 
sacre of  Paris,  when  the  King  assured 
him  that  he  should  die  within  three  days, 
if  he  did  not  renounce  his  religion,  told 
the  monarch  that  his  life  and  estate  were 
in  his  hand,  and  that  he  would  give  up 
both  rather  than  renounce  the  truth. 

(e)  PATRIOTIC  THEOLOGI- 
AN.— Mr.  Weed,  in  one  of  his  letters 
from  Scotland,  says: 

"  While  at  Liberton,  which  place  ig 
about  two  miles  from  the  centre  of  Edin- 
boro',  I  was  informed  of  an  instance  of 
theological  patriotism  that  would  have 
made  the  old  "  Cameronian  cow-feeder," 
were  he  alive,  leap  for  joy.  Observing 
a  dozen  stone  masons  actively  engaged 
in  putting  up  the  wallsof  a  small  edifice, 
at  which  as  many  persons  were  lookers 
on,  my  cabman  informed  me  that  they 
were  building  a  new  Kirk  for  a  "  non- 
intrusionist  minister,"  and  on  further 
inquiry,  I  ascertained  that  this  humble 
temple  was  designed  for  an  eloquent 
preacher  who,  with  a  devotion  worthy 
of  "  Reuben  Butler,"  or  even  of  the 
stoutest  Cameronians,  who  hid  them- 
selves in  caverns  during  the  "  persecut- 
ing times,"  had  renounced  a  living  of 
$3,500  per  annum,  with  a  fine  parson- 
age-house and  glebe,  rather  than  com- 
promise his  principles." 

(f)  THE  CEYLONESE  CON- 
VERTS.— The  simplicity  of  many  of 
the  heathen,  when  they  receive  the  truth 
of  God  in  the  love   of  it,  is  often  very 

791 


403,  404 


SERVANTS. 


admirable.  Rev.  W.  M.  Harvard  stales, 
in  his  narrative  relative  to  Ceylon,  that 
when  he  was  once  addressing  a  native 
congregation  in  the  government  school- 
house  at  Pantura,  from  1  John  iii.  6,  he 
endeavored  to  show  that  the  Kappooa 
system  was  one  of  the  works  of  the 
devil  which  the  Son  of  God  came  to  de- 
stroy ;  and  urged  their  immediate  re- 
nunciation of  all  confidence  in  their  vain 
charms,  and  to  commit  the  keeping  of 
their  bodies  and  their  souls  to  God. 
Appealing  to  their  understandings  and 
consciences,  he  inquired,  "  Which  of 
you  will  now  cast  away  these  works  of 
the  devil,  and  place  himself  under  the 
protection  of  the  Son  of  God  ?"  He 
looked  round  upon  the  congregation,  as 
for  a  reply.  Presently  a  charm  was 
handed  up  to  the  pulpit,  which  had  been 
broken  off  for  that  purpose.  He  held  it 
up,  and  gave  thanks  to  God,  that  in  that 
place  he  had  begun  to  destroy  these 
works  of  the  devil.     He  then  repeated 


the  inquiry,  "  Who  next  ?"  &c.,  and 
two  or  three  more  abandoned  charms 
were  handed  up  in  a  similar  way.  Be- 
fore the  close  of  the  service,  a  handful 
of  them  was  in  his  possession. 

(g)  THE  ONLY  DRESS.— A 
missionary  in  India  says,  "  1  rode  to 
Nallamaram,  and  saw  some  people  of 
the  congregation  there,  together  with 
the  catechist.  The  clothes  of  one  of  the 
women  were  rather  dirty,  and  I  asked 
her  about  it.  "  Sir,"  said  she,  "  I  am 
a  poor  woman,  and  have  only  this  single 
dress."  "  Well,  have  you  always  been 
so  poor  ?"  "  No,  I  had  some  money 
and  jewels,  but  a  year  ago  the  Maravers 
(thieves)  came  and  robbed  me  of  all. 
They  told  me,"  she  said,  "7/"  you  will 
return  to  heathenism  we  shall  restore  you 
everything.'"  "Well,  why  did  you  not 
follow  their  advice  ?  Now  you  are  a 
poor  Christian."  "  O,  Sir,"  she  replied, 
"  I  would  rather  be  a  poor  Christian  than 
a  rich  heathen" 


404.  SERVANTS. 


(a)  THE  DESPISED  CONGRE- 
GATION.— A  worldly  man  began  to 
taunt  a  celebrated  preacher,  and,  among 
other  things,  told  him  it  was  true  his 
congregation  was  large,  but  it  was 
chiefly  made  up  of  servants  and  low 
people.  "  I  know  it  is,"  said  the  saga- 
cious divine  ;  "  my  church  is  composed 
of  such  converts  as  Jesus  Christ  and 
his  apostles  gained  ;  and,  as  for  ser- 
vants, 1  had  rather  be  instrumental  in 
converting  them  than  their  employers." 

"  Why  so?"  inquired  the  man. 

"  Because,"  observed  the  minister, 
"  they  have  the  care  of  all  the  chil- 
dren." 

(b)  DIDEROT'S  SERVANT.— 
The  Abbe  Barruel,  in  the  account  he 
gives  of  the  closing  scenes  of  Diderot's 
life,  tells  us,  that  he  had  a  Christian 
servant,  to  whom  he  had  been  kind,  and 
who  waited  upon  liim  in  his  last  illness. 

'  This  servant  took  a  tender  interest  in 
the  melancholy  situation  of  his  master, 
who  was  just  about  to  leave  this  world, 
without  preparation  for  another.  Though 
a  young  man,  he  ventured  one  dav, 
792 


when  he  was  engaged  about  his  master's 
person,  to  remind  him  that  he  had  a  soul, 
and  to  admonish  him,  in  a  respectful  man- 
ner, not  to  lose  the  last  opportunity  of  at- 
tending to  its  welfare.  Diderot  heard 
him  with  attention,  melted  into  tears, 
and  thanked  him.  He  even  consented 
to  allow  the  young  man  to  introduce  a 
clergyman,  whom  he  would  probably 
have  continued  to  admit  to  his  chamber^ 
if  his  infidel  friends  would  have  suffered 
the  minister  to  repeat  his  visits.  Let 
us  be  encouraged  to  attempt  good  under 
the  most  unpromising  circumstances, 
and,  in  our  different  stations,  to  remem- 
ber we  are  commanded  to  labor  for  the 
welfare  of  those  with  whom  we  are 
connected. 

(c)  MEL ANCTHON'S  SERVANT. 
— Philip  Melancthon,  who  is  univer- 
sally known  as  one  of  the  reformers^ 
was  highly  esteemed  for  his  great  gene- 
rosity. Indeed  his  friends  were  aston- 
ished at  his  liberality,  and  wondered 
how,  with  his  small  means,  he  could 
afford  to  give  so  much  in  charity. 
It   appears  to   have   been    principally 


SIN. 


404,  405 


owing  to  the  care  and  good  manage- 
ment of  an  excellent  and  faithful  ser- 
vant named  John,  a  native  of  Sweden. 
The  whole  duty  of  provisioning  the 
family  was  intrusted  to  this  domestic, 
whose  care,  assiduity  and  prudence  am- 
ply justified  the  unbounded  confidence 
reposed  in  him.  He  made  the  concerns 
of  the  family  his  own,  avoiding  all 
needless  expenditure,  and  watching  with 
a  jealous  eye  his  master's  property. 
He  was  also  the  first  instructor  of  the 
children  during  their  infancy.  John 
grew  old  in  his  master's  service,  and 
expired  in  his  house  amidst  the  affec- 
tionate regrets  of  the  whole  family. 
During  a  service  of  thirty-four  years, 
how  much  usefulness  was  effected  by 
honest  John,  and  by  his  master  through 
his  instrumentality  !  Melancthon  in- 
vited the  students  of  the  university  to 
attend  the  funeral  of  his  faithful  ser- 
vant, delivered  an  oration  over  his  grave, 
and  composed  a  Latin  epitaph  for  his 
tombstone,  of  which  the  following  is  a 
translation : — 

"  Here,  at  a  distance  from  hia  native  land, 
Came  honest  John,  at  Philip's  first  command  ; 
Companion  of  his  exile,  doubly  dear, 
Who  in  a  servant  found  a  friend  sincere  ; 
And   more   than  friend — a  man  of  faith  and 

prayer, 
Assiduous  soother  of  his  master's  care. 
Here  to  the  worms  his  lifeless  body's  given, 
But  his  immortal  soul  sees  God  in  heaven.' 

(d)  A  LIVING  EPISTLE.— "One 
day,  in  my  travels,"  says  Mr.  Jay,  "  I 


heard  of  a  servant  who  had  attended  a 
Wesley  an  chapel.  This  offended  her 
master  and  mistress,  who  told  her  that 
she  must  discontinue  the  practice,  or 
leave  their  service.  She  received  the 
information  with  modesty,  said  she  was 
sorry,  but  so  it  must  be  ;  she  could  not 
sacrifice  the  convictions  of  her  con- 
science to  keep  her  place.  So  they 
gave  her  warning ;  and  she  was  now 
determined,  if  possible  to  be  more  cir- 
cumspect and  exemplary  than  ever; 
determined  that,  if  she  suffered  for  her 
religion,  her  religion  should  not  suffer 
for  her.  Some  time  after  this,  the  mas- 
ter said  to  the  mistress,  "  Why,  this  is 
rather  a  hard  measure  with  regard  to 
our  servant ;  has  she  not  a  right  to 
worship  God  where  she  pleases  as  well 
as  ourselves?" 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  the  mistress ;  "  and 
we  never  had  so  good  a  servant ;  one 
who  rose  so  early,  and  got  her  work 
done  so  well,  was  so  clean,  and  was  so 
economical,  never  answering  again." 

And  so  they  intimated  that  she  might 
remain.  Some  time  after  this  the  wife 
said  to  her  husband,  *'  I  think  Mary's 
religion  does  her  a  great  deal  more 
good  than  our  religion  seems  to  do  us  ; 
1  should  like  to  hear  her  minister." 
And  so  she  went,  and  was  impressed  ; 
and  prevailed  upon  her  husband  to  go, 
and  he  was  impressed  ;  and  now  they 
are  all  followers  of  God,  and  have  the 
worship  of  God  in  their  house. 


405.  SIN. 


(a)   FIVE  DIRECTIONS.— "  Five 

persons,"  says  Mr.  Brooks,  "  were  stu- 
dying what  were  the  best  means  to 
mortify  sin ;  one  said,  to  meditate  on 
death  ;  the  second,  to  meditate  on  judg- 
ment;  the  third,  to  meditate  on  the 
joys  of  heaven  ;  the  fourth,  to  meditate 
on  the  torments  of  Hell  ;  the  fifth,  to 
meditate  on  the  blood  and  sufferings  of 
Jes'us  Christ ;  and  certainly  the  last  is 
the  choicest  and  strongest  motive  of  all. 
If  ever  we  would  cast  off  our  despairing 
thoughts,  we  must  dwell  and  muse 
much   upon,    and   apply  this  precious  I 


blood  to  our  own  souls  ;  so  shall  sorrow 
and  mourning  fiee  away." 

(b)  DEATH  PREFERRED  TO 
SIN. — Count  Godomar,  a  foreigner  of 
note,  often  professed,  in  the  declining 
part  of  his  years,  when  death  and  the 
eternal  world  seemed  nearer,  "  That  he 
feared  nothing  in  the  world  more  than 
sin  ;  and  whatever  liberties  he  had  for- 
merly taken,  he  would  rather  now  sub- 
mit to  be  torn  to  pieces  by  wild  beasts, 
than  knowingly  or  willingly  commit 
any  sin  against  God." 

793 


405,  406 


SIN. 


(c)  USHER'S  LAST  WORDS— 
SINS  OF  OMISSION.  —  The  last 
words  that  Archbishop  Usher  was  heard 
to  express,  were,  "  Lord,  forgive  my 
sins,  especially  my  sins  o^  omission." 

(d)THE  INFANT'S  ANSWER.— 
At  a  missionary  station  among  the  Hot- 
tentots, the  question  was  proposed,  "  Do 
we  possess  any  thing  that  we  have  not 
received  of  God  ?"  A  little  girl  of 
five  years  old  immediately  answered, 
"Yes,  sir,  sin." 

(e)  "THEY  BROKE  THE  OR- 
DER."— A  poor  villager  in  England 
supplied  an  answer  to  the  cavil  of  an 
unbeliever ;  he  said,  "  Time  was,  when 
I  got  amongst  a  set  of  people  who  would 
not  believe  the  Bible,  and  I  heard  all 
their  objections,  and  some  of  them  did 
me  great  hurt ;  for  I  was  not  able  to 
answer  them,  and  my  belief  became 
almost  as  bad  as  theirs.  I  felt  all  the 
time  I  was  wrong,  and  I  could  see  the 
folly  of  some  of  their  objections.  They 
asked  me  one  day,  how  it  could  be  sup- 
posed that  God  would  destroy  Adam 
and  his  descendants,  only  for  eating  an 
apple  ?  In  my  worst  state  I  could  see 
that  there  was  nothing  in  this  often  an- 
swered and  weak  objection ;  it  was  not 
that  our  first  parents  had  only  eaten  of 
some  kind  of  fruit ;  it  was  that  they 
had  disobeyed  God  ;  it  was  sir,"  said 
the  poor  man,  "  that  they  broke  the 
order." 

(/)  NEWTON'S  OPINION.— 
"  Many  have  puzzled  themselves,"  says 
Mr.  Newton,  "  about  the  origin  of  evil ; 
I  observe  there  is  evil,  and  that  there  is  a 
way  to  escape  it,  and  with  this  I  begin 
and  end." 


406.  Sin  Against  the  Iloly  Ghost. 

a)  THE    INFIDEL'S    CONFES- 
SION.— Mr.  F ,  the  subject  of  the 

following  narrative,  was  a  respectable 
inhabitant  of  one  of  the  northern  towns 
of  Pennsylvania.     About  seven  years 

previous   to  his  death,   Mr.  W ,  a 

missionary,  visited  the  town  where  Mr. 
F resided.  Under  his  faithful  la- 
bors, a  revival  of  religion  commenced, 
in  which  numbers  were  hopefully  born 
into  the  kingdom  of  the  Reedemer. 
794 


The  attention  of  Mr.  F was  also 

arrested.  He  was  led  to  see  his 
sinfulness  and  danger,  and  to  inquire, 
"  what  he  must  do  to  be  saved."  His 
convictions  of  sin  were  pungent  for 
some  time,  but,  after  a  few  months,  his 
seriousness  began  to  abate.  Levity  and 
profaneness  succeeded,  and,  like  the 
unclean  spirit  who  walked  through  dry 
places,  seeking  rest  and  finding  none, 
Mr.  F returned  to  a  state  of  stu- 
pidity seven  times  more  dreadful  than 
before.  He  soon  adopted  the  sentiment 
of  Universalism,  and  thence,  as  a  na- 
tural course,  he  descended  to  infidelity  j 
and,  at  lengtli,  boldly  denied  the  in- 
spiration of  the  Scriptures,  and  became 
an  avowed  Deist.  In  this  situation,  he 
was  often  asked  by  those  acquainted 
with  his  previous  seriousness,  what  he 
thought  of  his  former  convictions.  He 
uniformly  imputed  them  to  enthusiasm 
or  the  work  of  the  devil.  The  conse- 
quence was,  as  might  have  been  ex- 
pected, he  became  more  and  more  con- 
firmed in  his  infidel  principles,  until 
about  four  or  five  months  previous  to 
his  death.  It  was  at  this  time  that  the 
writer  first  became  acquainted  with 
him,  and  it  was  from  his  own  lips,  and 
from  his  neighbors,  that  the  above  ac- 
count of  his  life  was  received.  On 
reading  to  him  the  first  nine  verses  of 
the  sixth  chapter  of  thue  Hebrews,  and 
the  last  four  verses  of  the  second  chap- 
ter of  the  Second  Epistle  of  Peter,  he 
was  again  awakened.  The  above 
words  were  like  "  a  sharp  two-edged 
sword."  His  infidel  principles  ap- 
peared in  a  surprising  manner  to  leave 
him,  and  to  be  succeeded  by  a  dreadful 
sense  of  the  threatenings  of  the  Divine 
law.  The  view  which  he  had  of  his 
sinfulness  was  great,  and  such  an  aw- 
ful feelingof  danger  pervaded  his  mind, 
that  he  trembled  with  fear.  Great 
pains  were  taken  to  instruct  him  into 
the  way  of  salvation  by  Jesus  Christ, 
and  prayer  was  literally  made  inces- 
santly for  him.  But  all  availed  nothing, 
his  distress  increased  every  day.  After  a 
few  weeks  he  appeared  to  bo  verging 
fast  to  a  state  of  complete  despair.  This 
appeared  to  be  accelerated  by  a  fixed 
opinion  that  he  had  committed  the  un- 
pardonable sin.     For  some  time  he  re- 


SIN  AGAINST  THE  HOLY  GHOST. 


406 


fused  to  tell  the  sin  which  he  considered 
unpardonable.  After  much  importu- 
nity, however,  he  said  it  consisted  in 
imputing  to  the  devil  his  previous  reli- 
gious impressions.  He  was  informed 
that  it  might  have  proceeded  from  an 
error  in  judgment,  and  not  from  delibe- 
rate malice  of  heart.  He  decided  that 
this  could  not  be  the  case,  for  when  he 
said  that  his  former  convictions  were 
enthusiasm  and  from  the  devil,  he  knew 
they  were  produced  by  the  Holy  Spirit ; 
that  the  above  declaration  proceeded 
directly  from  enmity,  and  had  sealed 
his  perdition.  His  distress  and  horror 
of  mind  increased,  until  they  arose  to 
the  most  alarming  degree.  At  times  he 
appeared  to  be  in  as  much  mental 
agony  as  he  could  possibly  endure  and 
live.  He  often  declared  he  felt  the 
very  pains  of  hell  in  his  bosom,  and 
that  if  his  soul  and  body  were  then  in 
everlasting  burnings,  he  could  not  suffer 
more.  All  means  used  to  relieve  him 
appeared  only  to  increase  the  misery 
and  aojo-ravate  the  horror  of  his  mind. 
Often  with  a  countenance  distorted  with 
all  the  features  of  despair,  he  would 
entreat  those  present  never  to  quench 
the  Spirit,  never  to  deny  the  work  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  or  embrace  the  senti- 
ments of  infidelity,  especially  never  to 
impute  revivals  and  awakenings  to  the 
devil.  His  sufferings  soon  impaired  his 
health ;  he  lost  his  appetite  for  food, 
and  sleep  entirely  forsook  his  eyes.  A 
fearful  earnest  of  future  misery  took 
deeper  and  stronger  hold  on  his  mind, 
till  at  length  reason  reeled  from  her 
throne,  and  he  died  by  his  own  hand. 
We  suppose  this  to  be  a  plain  instance 
of  the  sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost. 

(b)  DELIVERANCE  FROM  A 
DELUSION.— There  are  instances  of 
distressing  fears  on  this  subject,  fears 
which,  as  the  event  shows,  were  unfound- 
ed. The  following  case  is  one  ;  and  one 
of  the  many  which  might  be  cited  to  show 

the  truth  of  this.     Mr.  L had  en- 

'oyed  the  privilege  of  sitting  under  an 
able  and  successful  ministry.  [lis 
heart  had  been  touched  ;  and,  during  a 
remarkable  period,  in  which  he  saw 
many  of  his  friends  embracing  the  hope 
of  salvation,  his  own  convictions  in- 
creased.    Not  lontT  after  his  feelings  of 


impatience  became  sensitive.  His  at- 
tention was  subsequently  turned  from 
its  own  proper  object  to  one  more  nearly 
connected  with  our  natural  selfishness. 
He  ceased  to  be  an  inquirer  and  be- 
came an  objector.  It  is  hard  to  stop 
here.  Opposition  succeeded  a  habit  of 
objecting.  An  apparent  bitterness  of 
prejudice  and  malevolence  of  expres- 
sion, were  observable  whenever  he 
opened  his  lips  on  the  subject  of  reli- 
gion. Still  the  past  day  of  conviction 
was  a  memorable  time  to  him.  Five 
years  afterwards  he  was  again  roused 
to  a  sense  of  his  danger.  And  with  the 
alarm  came  the  frightful  recollection  of 
his  former  conduct.  Language  which 
he  had  uttered — and  which  appeared 
nearly  allied  to  blasphemy — returned 
fresh  to  his  memory.  He  accused  him- 
self of  having  committed  the  unpardon- 
able sin.  All  efforts  to  persuade  him 
to  the  contrary  were  unavailing.  The 
impression  was  daily  deepening.  His 
mind  lost  its  elasticity  ;  and  a  moody 
temperament  succeeded.  His  friends 
were  alarmed.  A  suspicion  was  started 
among  them,  that  his  conclusions  might 
be  just.  This  he  marked,  and  labored 
to  confirm  it.  He  seemed  to  take  a  ne- 
gative satisfaction  in  stating  the  despe- 
ration of  his  case  ;  and  in  watching  the 
fallen  countenance  of  sympathy. 

Many  months  had  transpired,  during 
which  he  was  the  subject  of  religious 
gossip  v/ith  some,  of  a  kind  of  supersti- 
tious dread  with  others,  and  of  fervent 
prayer  with  a  few  of  the  remainder  ; — 
when  the  case  was  stated  to  a  judicious 
minister,  whom  Divine  Providence  had 
called  into  the  neighborhood.  He  waited 
on  Mr.  L.,  who,  far  from  being  averse 
to  any  conversation  relative  to  his  own 
state,  seemed  rather  to  court  it.  He 
was  fluent  in  all  his  details  of  time  and 
circumstance ;  and  always  ended  his 
narrative  with  a  declaration  that  he  had 
ceased  for  ever  to  pray.  After  a  pre- 
paratory interchange  of  remarks,  he 
was  asked,  "  You  believe  yourself 
guilty  of  the  unpardonable  sin  ?" 

"I  am  sure  of  it." 

"  In  what  did  the  crime  consist  ?" 

"  I  opposed  the  work  of  God." 

"  So  did  Saul." 

"  I  denied  Jesus  Christ." 
795 


407 


SLANDER. 


"  So  did  a  disciple  afterwards  honor- 
ed by  his  master." 

"  1  doubted  the  power  of  Jesus  Christ 
after  strong  evidence  in  his  favor." 

«  So  did  Thomas." 

"  What  ?  are  you  attempting  to  prove 
by  such  examples  that  I  am  a  Chris- 
tian ?" 

"  Not  at  all :  T  am  only  inquiring  in- 
to the  nature  of  your  guilt ;  and  thus 
far  I  see  no  reason  for  despair." 

"  I  have  hated  God,"  rejoined  the 
self-condemned,  "  and  openly  avowed 
my  enmity  in  sight  of  his  Divine  ope- 
rations." 

"  Thus  far  your  case  is  lamentable 
indeed;  but  not  hopeless  still.  Our 
hearts  are  naturally  at  enmity  with 
God.  And  I  do  not  see  why  the  open 
avowal  of  this,  drawn  out  by  the  sight 
of  the  Law  into  visible  form,  must  ne- 
cessarily and  always  constitute  the 
guilt  of  which  you  accuse  yourself" 

"  I  feel  that  I  am  cut  off  from  salva- 
tion." 

"  It  is  difficult  to  reason  against  your 
feelings." 

"  But  are  they  no  proof  on  the  pre- 
sent subject  ?" 

"  Let  me  inquire  whether  you  desire 
the  pardon  of  your  sins  ?" 


"  Assuredly,  if  it  were  possible." 

*•  Do  you  regret  the  conduct  of  which 
you  accuse  yourself?" 

"  Certainly." 

"  Do  you  sincerely  desire  repent- 
ance ?" 

"  I  would  give  the  world  if  it  were 
mine  to  be  able  to  do  so." 

"  Then  it  is  not  possible  that  you 
have  been  guilty  to  an  unpardonable 
extent ;  for  these  are  characteristics  of 
a  state  of  mind  faithless,  but  far  from 
being  desperate.  And  they  come  with- 
in the  design  of  the  Gospel  invitations." 

There  was  something  simple  and 
touching  in  this  mode  of  ministering  to 
a  mind  diseased.  And  it  produced  an 
effect  which,  probably,  no  other  process 

would  have  accomplished.    Mr.  L 

did  not  long  survive  this  interview. 
But  his  living  and  dying  were  those  of 
a  favored  Christian.  Alas,  that  many 
persons  laboring  under  a  like  delusion 
respecting  the  sin  against  the  Holy 
Ghost,  should  not  be  enlightened  by  si- 
milar instruction  !  Doubtless  not  a  few 
who  never  committed  this  sin,  have 
lived  for  years,  and  then  died  under  the 
horrible  conviction,  that  they  had  thus 
sinned  away  the  day  of  grace. 


407.  SLANDER. 


{a)  WAY  TO  AVOID  CALUM- 
NY.— "  If  any  one  speaks  ill  of  thee," 
said  Epictetus,  "  consider  whether  he 
has  truth  on  his  side  ;  and,  if  so,  reform 
thyself,  that  his  censures  may  not  affect 
thee."  When  Anaximander  was  told 
that  the  very  boys  laughed  at  his  singing, 
"  Ay,"  says  he  "  then  I  must  learn  to 
sing  better."  Plato  being  told  that  he 
had  many  enemies  who  spoke  ill  of  him. 
"  It  is  no  matter,"  said  he  ;  "I  will  live 
so  that  none  shall  believe  them."  Hear- 
ing  at  another  time  that  an  intimate 
friend  of  his  had  spoken  detractingly  of 
him,  "  I  am  sure  he  would  not  do  it," 
said  he,  "  if  he  had  not  some  reason  for 
it."  This  is  the  surest  as  well  as  the 
noblest  way  of  drawing  the  sting  out  of 
a  reproach,  and  the  true  method  of  pre- 
paring a  man  for  that  great  and  only  re- 
796 


lief  against  the  pains  of  calumny — a 
good  conscience. 

(h)  BOERHAAVE'S  ADVICE.— 
The  celebrated  Boerhaave,  who  had 
many  enemies,  used  to  say  that  he  never 
thought  it  necessary  to  repeat  their  cal- 
umnies. "  They  are  sparks,"  said  he, 
"  which,  if  you  do  not  blow  them,  will 
go  out  of  themselves.  The  surest  method 
against  scandal  is  to  live  it  down  by 
perseverance  in  well-doing,  and  by 
prayer  to  God,  that  he  would  cure  the 
distempered  minds  of  those  who  traduce 
and  injure  us." 

(c)XIMENES  AND  ADRIAN.— 
Adrian,  the  coadjutor  of  Ximenes  in  the 
government  of  Castile,  was  much  dis- 
turbed at  the  libels  which  flew  about 
against  them.  Ximenes  was  perfectly 
easy.     "  If,"    said  he,    "  we   take   the 


SLANDER. 


407 


liberty  to  act,  others  will  take  the  liber- 
ty to  talk  and  write  :  when  they  charge 
us  falsely,  we  may  laugh  ;  when  truly, 
we  must  amend." 

.  (d)  DR.  WAUGH'S  REBUKES. 
— Dr.  VVaugh,  of  London,  had  a  great 
dislike  to  every  thing  bordering  on  slan- 
der or  defamation.  The  following  is 
an  illustration  of  his  character  in  this 
point : — 

One  of  his  people  had  traveled  all 
the  way  from  Newton  to  his  father's 
house,  where  he  usually  resided,  to 
communicate  to  him  an  unfavorable 
report  concerning  another  member  of 
the  congregation.  Some  friends  being 
with  him,  this  person  was  requested  to 
stay  and  dine  with  them.  After  dinner, 
he  took  occasion,  in  a  jocular  manner, 
to  ask  each  person  in  his  turn,  how  far 
he  had  ever  known  a  man  travel  to  tell 
an  evil  report  of  his  neighbor  ;  when 
some  gave  one  reply,  and  some  another. 
He  at  last  came  to  this  individual,  but 
without  waiting  for  his  self-condemning 
reply,  or  unnecessarily  exposing  him, 
he  stated,  that  he  had  lately  met  with  a 
Christian  professor,  apparently  so  zeal- 
ous for  the  honor  of  the  church,  as  to 
walk  fourteen  miles  with  no  other  object 
than  that  of  making  known  to  his  minis- 
ter the  failings  of  a  brother  member. 
He  then  in  a  warm  and  impressive  man- 
ner enlarged  on  the  praise  of  that  chari- 
ty which  covers  a  multitude  of  sins ; 
which  "  rejoiceth  not  in  iniquity,  but 
rejoiceth  in  the  truth." 

The  same  excellent  man  being  in 
company  with  a  number  of  ministers, 
the  bad  conduct  of  a  brother  in  the  min- 
istry became  the  subject  of  conversation, 
and  every  gentleman  in  the  room  joined 
warmly  in  condemning  him.  Dr. 
Waugh  sat  for  a  time  silent.  At  last 
he  walked  up  to  his  companions,  and 
said,  "  My  dear  friends,  surely  we  are 
not  acting  in  accordance  with  our  pro- 
fession. The  person  you  speak  of  is 
one  of  ourselves,  and  we  ought  not  to 
blow  the  coal.  But  do  you  know  that 
he  is  as  bad  a  man  as  he  is  represented  ? 
and  if  he  is,  will  railing  against  him  do 
any  good  ?  It  is  cowardly  to  speak  ill  of  a 
man  behind  his  back ;  and  I  doubt  if 
any  of  us  would  have  sufficient  courage, 
if  our  poor  friend  were  to  appear  among 


us,  to  sit  down  and  kindly  tell  him  of 
his  faults.  If  there  be  one  here  who 
feels  himself  quite  pure,  and  free  from 
error,  let  him  throw  the  first  stone  ;  but 
if  not,  let  us  be  silent ;  and  I  confess 
that  I  feel  that  I  must  not  say  one  word." 
lie  resumed  his  seat,  and  the  company 
looked  at  each  other,  struck  silent  by  this 
rebuke  from  one  so  good  and  mild. 

(e)  HENRY  AND  THE  BRO- 
KEN STORY.— Mr.  Philip  Henry  used 
to  remind  those  who  spoke  evil  of  people 
behind  their  backs,  of  that  law, — "  Thou 
shalt  not  curse  the  deaf."  Those  that 
are  absent  are  deaf,  they  cannot  right 
themselves,  and  therefore  say  no  ill  of 
them.  A  friend  of  his,  inquiring  of  him 
concerning  a  matter  which  tended  to 
reflect  upon  some  people  ;  he  began  to 
give  him  an  account  of  the  story,  but 
immediately  broke  off,  and  checked  him- 
self with  these  words, — "  But  our  rule 
is  to  speak  evil  of  no  man,  and  would 
proceed  no  farther  in  the  story.  The 
week  before  he  died,  a  person  requested 
the  loan  of  a  particular  book  from  him. 
"  Truly,"  said  he,  "  I  would  lend  it  to 
you,  but  that  it  takes  in  the  faults  of 
some,  which  should  rather  be  covered 
with  a  mantle  of  love." 

(/)  EFFECTS  OF  SLANDER. 
— The  famous  Boerhaave  was  one  not 
easily  moved  by  detraction.  He  used 
to  say,  "  The  sparks  of  calumny  will  be 
presently  extinct  of  themselves  unless 
you  blow  them."  It  was  a  good  remark 
of  another,  that "  the  malice  of  ill  tongues 
cast  upon  a  good  man  is  only  like  a 
mouthful  of  smoke  blown  upon  a  dia- 
mond, which,  though  it  clouds  its  beauty 
for  the  present,  yet  it  is  easily  rubbed 
off,  and  the  gem  restored,  with  little 
trouble  to  its  owner." 

(g)  WHY  BOERHAAVE  BE- 
CAME  A  PHYSICIAN.— The  affecting 
story  oil  Boerhaave,  so  distinguished  in  the 
medical  profession,  is  well  known.  With 
piety,  and  learning,  and  gifts,  and  an 
ardent  zeal  to  glorify  his  divine  Master, 
his  heart  was  fixed  upon  consecrating 
his  life  to  the  sacred  ministry.  The 
preliminary  steps  had  been  so  far  taken, 
that  he  had  gone  to  Leyden  to  obtain 
his  license  to  preach — when  to  his  utter 
astonishment  he  found  the  way  complete- 
ly hedged  up.  An  insinuation  was  dis- 
797 


407 


SLANDER. 


persed  through  the  University  that  made 
him  suspected  of  error  no  less  shocking 
than  Atheism  itself.  It  was  in  vain 
that  his  friends  pleaded  his  published 
sentiments,  which  contained  unanswer- 
able confutations  of  the  very  heresies 
with  which  he  was  charged  ;  the  torrent 
of  popular  prejudice  was  irresistible  ; 
and  thus  this  pre-eminently  great  and 
good  man  was  utterly  frustrated  in  his 
pious  purpose  by  the  slander  of  an  insig- 
nificant person,  who  had  become  his  en- 
emy from  mortified  pride.  So  true  it  is, 
as  his  biographer  well  observes,  that  no 
merit,  however  exalted,  is  exempt  from 
being,  not  only  attacked,  but  wounded  by 
the  most  contemptible  whispers.  Those 
who  cannot  strike  with  force,  can  joozson 
tlieir  weapons,  and  weak  as  they  are, 
give  mortal  wounds,  and  bring  a  hero  to 
the  grave. 

{h)  THE  MONARCH'S  QUES- 
TION.— When  any  one  was  speaking 
ill  of  another  in  the  presence  of  Peter 
the  Great,  he  at  first  listened  to  him  at- 
tentively, and  then  interrupted  him. 
*'  Is  there  not,"  said  he,  "  a  fair  side 
also  to  the  character  of  the  person  of 
whom  you  are  speaking  ?  Come,  tell 
me  what  good  qualities  you  have  re- 
marked about  him."  One  would  think 
this  monarch  had  learned  that  precept, 
"Speak  not  evil  one  of  another." 

(i)  THE  WAY  TO  TREAT  A 
CALUMNIATOR.— A  clergyman  in 
New- York  state,  in  early  life,  had  en- 
gaged in  business  which  led  him  to  buy 
a  good  deal  of  coal ;  and  after  he  be- 
came a  minister  of  the  Gospel,  two  of 
his  members,  who  were  making  a  bar- 
gain respecting  a  load  of  coal,  agreed  to 
leave  it  to  their  minister  to  decide  how 
much  the  load  contained.  He  accord- 
ingly acceded  to  their  request,  and  told 
them  how  much  it  contained,  or  how  to 
find  out  the  amount  it  contained,  by  the 
law  of  the  state.  The  member  who 
wished  to  buy,  was  well  pleased  ;  the 
one  who  wished  to  sell,  was  quite  dis- 
satisfied. After  the  minister  left  them, 
the  former  came  to  see  him,  and  stated 
that  the  brother  who  sold  the  coal  had 
just  said — that  he  did  not  believe  what 
his  minister  had  stated  ;  that  if  he  was 
a  minister,  he  was  not  too  good  to  lie, 
&c.  The  Rev.  Mr.  S.,  in  the  first  place, 
708 


felt  deeply  wounded,  and  strongly  in- 
clined to  go  and  give  the  rash  and  unkind 
brother  a  severe  rebuke.  But  on  reflect- 
ing a  moment,  he  replied  to  his  inform- 
ant, "  I  presume  Brother does  not 

really  think  so  ;"  and  under  that  convic- 
tion he  determined  to  take  no  notice  of 
it,  and  treat  the  brother's  offence  with 
silence.  The  offender  came  afterwards 
to  see  his  pastor  ;  and  his  uneasy  and 
anxious  appearance  seemed  to  say — 
"  I  wish  you  would  call  me  to  account 
for  my  expressions  against  you  ;"  but  the 
pastor  studiously  avoided  all  reference 
to  them.  And  now,  as  if  to  appease  his 
own  conscience,  the  offender,  who  be- 
fore had  been  quite  indifferent  to  his 
minister,  began  to  load  him  with  his 
kindnesses,  and  became  one  of  his  warm- 
est friends. 

{j )  PHILIP  AND  THE  ATHE- 
NIAN  ORATORS.— Philip  of  Mace- 
don  was  wont  to  say  "  that  he  was  much 
beholden  to  the  Athenian  orators  ;  since 
by  the  slanderous  and  opprobrious  man- 
ner in  which  they  spoke  of  him,  [e.  g. 
that  he  was  a  barbarian,  an  usurper,  a 
cheat ;  perfidious,  perjured,  depraved ; 
a  companion  of  rascals,  mountebanks, 
&c.]  they  were  the  means  of  making 
him  a  better  man,  both  in  word  and  deed. 
For,"  added  he,  "  I,  every  day,  do  my 
best  endeavor,  as  well  as  my  sayings 
and  doings,  to  prove  them  liars." 

Let  Christians  be  benefited  in  a  sim- 
ilar way,  by  the  reproaches  of  the 
world. 

{k)     SLANDER     BOOK.— When 

in  the  town   of ,  I    was   struck 

with  the  above  words,  says  a  newspaper 
writer,  written  on  the  back  of  a  small 
blank  account  book.  I  found  on  exam- 
ining the  contents,  that  different  persons 
were  charged  with  so  much,  for  one  or 
two  slanders  as  the  case  might  be.  The 
accounts  were  very  neatly  and  correctly 
kept,  credits  entered,  &c.,  with  as  much 
precision  as  the  merchant  keeps  his 
books.  Upon  inquiry  I  was  informed, 
that  this  plan  (of  fining  people  for  slan- 
der,) originated  with  M ,  the  daugh- 
ter of  the  man  at  whose  house  the  book 
was  seen,  to  prevent  evil  speaking  and 
its  consequences.  She,  a  girl  of  twelve 
or  thirteen  years,  perceived  the  evil  of 
slander;  the  many  interruptions  pro- 


SOUL— SUBMISSION  TO  GOD'S  WILL. 


40S,  409 


duced  by  it  in  families  and  neighbor- 
hoods ;  obtained  a  blank  book,  and  de- 
termined to  fine  every  person  who  slan- 
dered or  spoke  evil  of  another  in  her 
presence — the  money  thus  collected  to 
be  applied  to  benevolent  purposes.  She 
gave  me  four  dollars,  a  donation  to  the 
Missionary  Society  of  the Con- 
ference, a  part  of  her  collections  only 
for  a  few  months.  It  is  very  desirable 
and  commendable,  that  every  family 
have  such  a  book,  and  enter  into  such  a 
compact ;  because — 


1.  The  money  thus  collected  is  to 
be  appropriated  to  a  most  noble  pur- 
pose. 

2.  It  would  make  people,  and  espe- 
cially the  members  of  every  family, 
more  circumspect,  and  watch  with  more 
diligence  and  care  over  that  little  mem- 
ber which  no  man  can  tame  ;  and  there- 
by prevent  much  slander  and  evil  speak- 
ing, which  is  the  cause,  no  doubt,  of 
half  of  the  broils  and  animosities  which 
occur  in  families  and  neiorhborhoods. 


408.  SOUL,  EXISTENCE  AND  VALUE  OF. 


(a)  A  JEW'S  REPLY.— A  con- 
verted Jew,  pleading  the  cause  of  the 
society  through  whose  instrumentality 
he  had  been  brought  to  a  knowledge  of 
Christianity,  was  opposed  by  a  learned 
gentleman,  who  spoke  very  lightly  of 
the  objects  of  the  society,  and  its  efforts, 
and  said,  "  He  did  not  suppose  they 
would  convert  more  than  a  hundred  all 
together."  "  Be  it  so,"  replied  the  Jew  ; 
you  are  a  skillful  calculator ;  take  your 


pen  now,  and  calculate  the  worth  of  one 
hundred  immortal  souls  !" 

(b)  DR.  SCOTT'S  REMARKS. 
— Dr.  Scott,  in  one  of  his  lectures  to 
young  clergymen,  says  :  "  I  must  own 
that  I  feel  in  my  best  moments,  that  I 
had  rather  be  the  author  of  the  "  Dis- 
course on  Repentance,"  than  of  Sir 
Isaac  Newton's  Principia  ;  for  the  salva- 
tion of  one  soul  gives  joy  in  heaven,  but 
we  read  not  that  angels  notice  philosophi- 
cal discoveries." 


409.  SUBMISSION  TO  GOD'S  WILL. 


(a)  THE  CHILDREN'S  AN- 
SWERS. — A  Sabbath  school  teacher, 
instructing  his  class  on  that  petition 
of  the  Lord's  Prayer,  "Thy  will  be 
done  on  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven,"  said 
to  them,  "  You  have  told  me,  my  dear 
children,  what  is  to  be  done — the  ivill  of 
God  :  and  where  it  is  to  he  done — on  earth  ; 
and  how  it  is  to  be  done — as  it  is  done 
in  heaven.  How  do  you  think  the  an- 
gels and  the  happy  spirits  do  the  will  of 
God  in  heaven,  as  they  are  to  be  our 
pattern  ?"  The  first  child  replied,  "They 
do  it  immediately  :"  the  second,  "  They 
do  it  diligently  :"  the  third,  "  They  do 
it  always  ;"  the  fourth,  "  They  do  it 
with  all  their  hearts  ;"  the  fifth,  "  They 
do  it  all  together. ^^  Here  a  pause  ensued, 
and  no  other  children  appeared  to  have 
any  answer  ;  but,  after  some  time,  a  lit- 
tle girl  arose,  and  said,  "  Why,  sir, 
they  do  it  without  asking  any  questions. ^^ 


Happy  world  !  Our  Father  who  art  in 
heaven,  whose  will  is  always  wise  and 
always  good,  thy  will  be  thus  done  on 
earth  as  it  is  done  in  heaven  ! 

{h)  GOD'S  DEMANDS  AN- 
SWERED.— "  I  see  God  will  have  all 
my  heart,  and  he  shall  have  it,"  was  a 
fine  reflection  made  by  a  lady  when 
news  was  brought  of  two  children  drown- 
ed, whom  she  loved  very  much. 

(c)  THE  INFIDEL  AND  HIS 
WIFE. — When  I  was  in  the  United 
States  (says  a  Christian  writer),  I  heard 
of  the  conversion  of  a  complete  man  of 
the  world ;  which,  as  far  as  means 
were  concerned,  owed  its  existence  to 
the  following  circumstance  : — God  laid 
his  hand  on  a  lovely,  and,  I  think,  an 
only  daughter ;  and  the  affliction  ter- 
minated in  death.  When  the  terrible 
moment  arrived  in  which  the  idol  of  his 
affections  must  die,  he  stood  at  the  head 
799 


409 


SUBMISSION  TO  GOD'S  WILL. 


of  her  bed,  almost  frantic  with  grief; 
and,  having  no  consolation  above  what 
nature  and  education  supplied,  as  is 
freqently  the  case,  his  grief  terminated 
in  rage  ;  he  was  almost  ready  to  curse 
the  God  who,  as  he  thought,  could  be  so 
cruel  as  to  deprive  him  of  so  dear  a 
child.  His  wife,  an  amiable  and  sen- 
sible woman,  at  the  same  time  stood  at 
the  foot  of  the  bed.  Her  eyes  were 
suffused  with  tears,  her  hands  lifted  to 
heaven  :  and,  while  every  feature  spoke 
the  feelings  of  her  soul,  she  exclaimed, 
"  The  will  of  the  Lord  be  done  !  The 
will  of  the  Lord  be  done !  The  will  of 
the  Lord  be  done  !  "  These  exclama- 
tions very  naturally  called  the  attention 
of  her  frantic  husband  from  their  dying 
daughter  to  herself;  and,  as  he  after- 
wards confessed,  he  was  on  the  point  of 
wreaking  his  vengeance  on,  what  he 
then  considered,  an  unfeeling  wife,  and 
an  unnathral  hard-hearted  mother.  Af- 
ter a  while,  however,  the  storm  of  pas- 
sion gave  place  to  reflection.  He  was 
a  man  of  eminence  at  the  bar,  a  colonel 
in  the  army  ;  he  prided  himself  on  be- 
ing a  philosopher ;  and  was  therefore 
led  to  examine  how  his  courage  and 
philosophy  had  supported  him  in  the 
day  of  trial.  Here  he  saw  reason  to 
reflect  on  his  conduct  with  shame  ;  the 
more  so,  as  he  contrasted  it  with  the 
conduct  of  his  amiable  and  pious  part- 
ner. "  How  is  this  ?"  he  could  not  but 
exclaim :  "  I  am  a  man  and  a  soldier. 
I  boast  of  my  courage,  and  pride  my- 
self in  philosophy,  in  which  I  am  versed, 
as  being  equal  to  the  support  of  man  in 
every  emergency.  But  in  the  hour  of 
trial  I  acted  an  unworthy  part.  My 
wife,  a  delicate  female,  and,  notwith- 
standing my  suspicions  to  the  contrary, 
one  of  the  most  affectionate  of  mothers, 
was  alone  the  magnanimous  sufferer  on 
this  trying  occasion.  What,  under  cir- 
cumstances so  directly  opposite,  could 
lead  to  such  contrary  results  ?"  "  She 
is  a  Christian,"  said  a  still  small  voice ; 
"  and  I  am  not :  surely  the  secret  is 
here !"  This  train  of  thought  led  to 
the  most  pleasing  consequences.  He 
concluded  that  there  must  be  a  reality 
in  that  religion  which  he  had  hitherto 
despised  ;  and  if  so,  that  was  the  one 
He  conferred  not  with 
800 


thing  needful 


flesh  and  blood  ;  but  immediately  began 
to  seek  the  consolations  of  true  religion, 
and,  ere  long,  found 

"  What  nothing  earthly  gives,  or  can  destroy, 
The  soul's  calm  sunshine,  and  the  heartfelt  joy." 

(d)  DUMB  BOYS'  EXAMINA- 
TION. — A  clergyman  once  paid  a  visit 
to  a  deaf  and  dumb  asylum  in  London, 
for  the  express  purpose  of  examining 
the  children  in  the  knowledge  they  pos- 
sessed of  Divine  truth.  A  little  boy,  on 
this  occasion,  was  asked  in  writing, 
"  Who  made  the  world  ?"  He  took  up 
the  chalk,  and  wrote  underneath  the 
question,  "  in  the  beginning  God  created 
the  heaven  and  the  earth."  The  clergy- 
man then  inquired  in  a  similar  manner, 
"  Why  did  Jesus  Christ  come  into  the 
world?"  A  smile  of  delight  and  grati- 
tude rested  on  the  countenance  of  the 
little  fellow,  as  he  wrote,  "  This  is  a 
faithful  saying,  and  worthy  of  all  ac- 
ceptation, That  Jesus  Christ  came  into 
the  world  to  save  sinners."  A  third 
question  was  then  proposed,  eminently 
adapted  to  call  his  most  powerful  feel- 
ings into  exercise :  "  Why  were  you 
born  deaf  and  dumb,  while  I  can  hear 
and  speak  ?"  "  Never,"  said  an  eye- 
witness, "  shall  I  forget  the  look  of  holy 
resignation  and  chastened  sorrow  which 
sat  on  his  countenance  as  he  took  up 
the  chalk  and  wrote,  '  Even  so.  Father, 
for  so  it  seemed  good  in  thy  sight.'  " 

(e)  NONE  BETTER  FITTED 
FOR  TROUBLE.  —  An  aged  and 
pious  lady,  who  lost  the  use  of  her  arm 
by  a  fall  in  winter,  said  to  a  friend, 
smiling,  that  she  had  just  been  con- 
sidering the  circumstances  of  all  her 
acquaintances,  but  had  not  been  able  to 
fix  upon  one  who  could  with  less  incon- 
venience sustain  such  a  loss  than  she 
could.  She,  therefore,  admired  the 
Divine  wisdom  and  goodness  in  appoint- 
ing her  to  bear  that  affliction  rather 
than  any  other  person. 

(/)  PICKING  STRAWS  FOR 
LIFE. — Mr.  Hey,  an  eminent  surgeon, 
early  in  the  year  1778,  received  a  stroke 
upon  his  thigh,  which  threatened  the 
complete  suspension  of  his  professional 
labors.  The  remedies  applied  under 
liis  own  directions,  and  those  of  his  me- 
dical friends,  proved  altogether  unser- 


SUBMISSION,  WANT  OF. 


409,  410 


viceable  ;  and  it  appeared  in  the  highest 
degree  probable  to  himself  and  them, 
that  he  would  never  regain  the  power 
of  walkino;.  He  was  the  father  of  a 
large  family,  and  was  «oon  to  be  the 
parent  of  the  eleventh  child.  He  was 
in  full  business,  and  had  the  most  rea- 
sonable prospect  of  distinction  and  emo- 
lument, as  creditable  to  himself  as 
advantageous  to  his  family.  Mr.  Hey 
felt  this  afflictive  dispensation  of  Divine 
Providence  as  every  considerate  man  in 
similar  circumstances  would  feel  it — he 
was  deeply  affected  by  it ;  but  his  lan- 
guage and  conduct  were  constantly  ex- 
pressive of  the  most  humble  submission, 
and  meek  acquiescence  in  the  Divine 
will.  To  an  intimate  friend,  who  was 
lamenting  the  apparent  consequences  of 
a  disorder  which  extinguished  all  his 
prospects  of  future  usefulness,  he  re- 
plied, "  If  it  be  the  will  of  God  that  f 
should  be  confined  to  my  sofa,  and  he 
command  me  to  pick  straws  during  the 
remainder  of  my  life,  I  hope  I  should 
feel  no  repugnance  to  his  good  plea- 
sure." 

ig)  FENELON  AND  HIS  PUPIL. 
— A  most  remarkable  instance  of  Chris- 
tian resignation  was  discovered  on  one 
particular  occasion,  in  the  conduct  of 
Archbishop  Fenelon.  When  his  illus- 
trious and  hopeful  pupil,  the  Duke  of 
Burgundy,  lay  dead  in  his  coffin,  and 
the  nobles  of  his  court,  in  all  the  pomp 
of  silent  sadness,  stood  round,  the  arch- 
bishop came  into  the  apartment,  and 
having  fixed  his  eyes  for  some  time  on 
the  corpse,  broke  out  at  length  in  words 
to  this  effect :  "  There  lies  my  beloved 
prince,  for  whom  my  affections  were 
equal  to  the  tenderest  regard  of  the 
tenderest  parents.  Nor  were  my  affec- 
tions lost ;  he  loved  me  in  return  with 
all  the  ardor  of  a  son.  There  he  lies  ; 
and  all  my  worldly  happiness  lies  dead 
with  him.  But  if  the  turning  of  a  straw 
would  call  him  back  to  life,  I  would  not 
for  ten  thousand  worlds  be  the  turner  of 
that  straw  in  opposition  to  the  will  of 
God." 

{h)  THE  WISEST  PREFER- 
ENCE.— There  was  a  good  woman, 
who,  when  she  was  ill,  being  asked, 
whether  she  was  willing  to  live  or  die, 
answered,  "  Which  God  pleaseth." 
51 


"  But,"  said  one  standing  by,  "  if 
God  should  refer  it  to  you,  whether 
would  you  choose  ?" 

"  Truly,"  said  she,  "if  God  should 
refer  it  to  me,  I  would  even  refer  it  to 
him  again." 

(i)  INSTANCE  OF  JOHN 
BROWN.— "No  doubt,"  said  the  late 
Mr.  Brown  of  Haddington,  "  I  have 
met  with  trials  as  well  as  others ;  yet 
so  kind  has  God  been  to  me,  that,  I 
think,  if  God  were  to  give  me  as  many 
years  as  I  have  aleady  lived  in  the 
world,  I  would  not  desire  one  single 
circumstance  in  my  lot  changed,  ex- 
cept that  I  wish  I  had  less  sin.  It 
might  be  written  on  my  coffin,  Here 
lies  one  of  the  cares  of  Providence, 
who  early  wanted  both  father  and  mo- 
ther, and  yet  never  missed  them." 

0)  ALL  WITH  CHRIST,  OR 
IN  CHRIST.— "I  have  had  six  chil- 
dren," said  Mr.  Elliot,  "  and  I  bless 
God  for  his  free  grace  they  are  all  with 
Christ,  or  in  Christ ;  and  my  mind  is 
now  at  rdst  concerning  them.  My  de- 
sire wa-*?,  that  they  should  have  served 
Chris-c  on  earth  ;  but  if  God  will  choose 
to  have  them  rather  serve  him  in 
heaven,  I  have  nothing  to  object  to  it. 
His  will  be  done." 

{k)  THE  BEREAVED  ^OFFICER. 
— During  the  siege  of  Barcelona,  in 
1705,  Captain  Carleton  witnessed  the 
following  affecting  fact,  which  he  tells 
us  in  his  memoirs : — "  I  saw  an  old 
officer,  having  his  only  son  with  him, 
a  fine  man  about  twenty  years  of  age, 
going  into  their  tent  to  dine.  Whilst 
they  were  at  dinner,  a  shot  took  ofT  the 
head  of  the  son.  The  father  immedi- 
ately rose  up,  and  first  looking  down 
upon  his  headless  child,  and  then  lifting 
up  his  eyes  to  heaven,  while  the  tears 
ran  down  his  cheeks,  only  said,  '  Thy 
will  be  done.'  " 


410.  Submission,  Want  of. 
(a)  "  HE    SHA'N'T  DIE."- 


•In  a 


parish  in  the  county  of  Gloucester,  the 
widow  of  a  gentleman  resided  with  her 
only  son,  a  lad  about  twelve  years   of 

age.     Mrs. had    unhappily    taken 

great    prejudice    against  the    doctrines 

preached  by  her  pastor,  which  carried 

her  so  far,  as  not  only  to  induce  her  to 

601 


411 


THEATRES. 


break  off  all  communications  with  him, 
but  even  to  absent  herself  from  his  mi- 
nistry. The  clergyman  adopted  every 
method  of  lawful  conciliation,  but  in 
vain  ;  and  he  was  left  to  regret  what  he 
could  not  remedy.  About  this  period, 
the  boy  wUs  taken  seriously  ill,  and  the 
clergyman  thinking  that  the  mother's 
mind  might  be  softened  by  the  affliction, 
called  to  inquire  after  the  sufferer,  and 
offer  his  ministerial  services.  The  lady 
admitted  him  to  the  house,  and  after  he 
had  endeavored  to  point  her  to  the 
great  Controller  of  all  events,  and  the 
object  of  his  fatherly  chastisements,  he 
proposed  that  they  should  kneel  down  to 
prayer.  The  mother  acquiesced  in  the 
proposition,  but  the  feeling  with  which 
she  did  so  will  be  seen  by  the  sequel. 


The  worthy  minister  prayed  that,  if 
it  was  the  Lord's  will,  the  child  might 
be  restored  ;  but,  if  otherwise,  that  God's 
will  and  not  theirs  might  be  done.  As 
he  uttered  the  petition,  the  unhappy 
mother  rose  from  her  knees,  and  ex- 
claimed in  the  agony  of  despair — "  He 
sha'n't  die !"  All  efforts  to  compose  her 
were  unavailing,  and  the  clergyman  was 
compelled  to  take  his  departure.  But 
the  fearful  issue  of  the  narrative  yet  re- 
mains. From  that  hour  the  boy  began 
to  improve  in  health,  and,  in  the  course 
of  time,  he  entirely  recovered.  But, 
alas  !  the  life  of  this  lad,  on  which  the 
mother  was  thus  intent,  was  not  a  bless- 
ing to  her  or  the  world  ;  for,  thirteen 
years  afterwards,  he  suffered  death  for 
forgery. 


411.  THEATRES. 


(a)  THE  CURATE  AND  THE 
TRAGEDY.— When  Racine  composed 
the  tragedy  of  Esther,  to  please  Madame 
Maintenon,  she  very  strongly  recom- 
mended it  at  court,  and  every  one  was 
charmed  with  the  performance,  except 
one  honest  curate,  who  refused  to  see  it. 
Being  very  urgently  pressed  for  his  rea- 
sons, he  told  Madame  M.  that  she  knew 
he  was  in  the  habit  of  publicly  repro- 
bating the  stage  from  the  pulpit,  and, 
that  though  the  tragedy  of  Esther  was 
far  different  from  the  generality  of  plays, 
yet  it  was  still  known  to  be  a  play  :  add- 
ing that  were  he  to  yield  to  the  request, 
his  hearers  would  compare  his  conduct 
with  his  sermons,  and,  in  their  practice, 
would  pursue  the  course  most  suited  to 
their  sinful  inclinations. 

(b)  THE  WAY  TO  THE  PIT. 
— A  young  man,  on  reaching  the  door 
of  a  theatre,  overheard  one  of  the  door- 
keepers calling  out,  "  This  is  the  way 
to  the  pit."  Having  had  some  instruc- 
tion in  the  word  of  God,  in  early  life, 
what  the  man  said  reminded  him  that  the 
employments  of  the  theatre  led  to  hell. 
The  thought  haunted  him,  and  made 
him  cease  frequenting  such  amusements : 
he  became  attentive  to  the  concerns  of 
his  soul,  and  afterwards  was  a  minister 
of  the  gospel. 

802 


(c)  PLEASURES  OF  THE 
THEATRE.— While  traveling,  Mr. 
Hervey  met  with  a  lady  who  largely 
expatiated  on  the  amusements  of  the 
stage,  as  being,  in  her  opinion,  superior 
to  all  other  pleasures.  She  remarked 
that  there  was  the  pleasure  of  thinking 
OR  the  play  before  she  went,  the  pleasure 
she  enjoyed  while  there,  and  the  pleasure 
of  reflecting  on  it  on  her  bed  at  night. 
Mr.  Hervey,  who  had  heard  her  remarks 
without  interruptionj  now  said,  with  his 
usual  mildness,  that  there  was  one 
pleasure  more,  which  she  had  forgotten. 
"  What  can  that  be  ?"  she  eagerly  ask- 
ed ;  for  she  thought  she  must  have  in- 
cluded them  all.  With  a  grave  look, 
and  striking  manner,  Mr.  H.  replied, 
"  Madam,  the  pleasure  it  will  give  you 
on  a  death-bed."  A  clap  of  thunder, 
or  a  flash  of  lightning,  could  not  have 
more  surprised  her;  the  remark  went 
to  her  heart.  She  had  no  reply  to  make  ; 
the  rest  of  the  journey  was  occupied  in 
deep  thought ;  she  abandoned  the  thea- 
tre, and  heartily  pursued  those  pleasures 
which  can  afford  satisfaction  even  on  a 

(d)    UNHEARD    OF    PRAYER. 

— "  He  that  is  not  satisfied,"  says  Bishop 
Wilson,  "  that  plays  are  an  unlawful 
diversion,  let  him,  if  he  dare,  offer  ujp 


THEATRES. 


411 


this  prayer  to  God  hefore  he  goes,  *  Lord, 
lead  me  not  into  temptation,  and  bless 
me  in  what  I  am  now  to  be  employed." 
There  are  many  other  occupations  and 
amusements,  in  which  the  same  advice 
is  worth  attending  to. 

(e)  A  YOUNG  MAN'S  CA- 
REER.— A  young  man,  says  a  corres- 
pondent of  the  Journal  of  Commerce,  of 
about  twenty-two,  called  on  the  writer 
in  the  fall  of  1831,  for  employment.  He 
was  a  journeyman  printer,  was  recently 
fj'om  Kentucky,  and  owing  to  his  want 
of  employment,  as  he  said,  was  entirely 
destitute  of  not  only  the  comforts,  but  the 
necessaries  of  life.  I  immediately  pro- 
cured him  a  respectable  boarding-house, 
p-ave  him  employment,  and  rendered  his 
situation  as  comfortable  as  my  limited 
means  would  permit.  He  had  not  been 
with  me  long  before  he  expressed  a  wish 
to  go  to  the  theatre.  Some  great  actor 
was  to  perform  on  a  certain  night ;  and 
he  was  very  anxious  to  see  him.  I 
warned  him  of  the  consequences — told 
him  my  own  experience  and  observation 
had  convinced  me  that  it  was  a  very 
dangerous  place  for  young  men  to  visit. 
But  my  warning  did  him  no  good.  He 
neglected  his  business,  and  went.  I 
reproved  him  gently,  but  retained  him 
in  my  employment.  He  continued  to 
go,  notwithstanding  all  my  remonstran- 
ces to  the  contrary.  At  length  my  busi- 
ness  suffered  so  much  from  his  neglect- 
ing to  attend  to  it  as  he  ought,  that  1 
was  under  the  necessity  of  discharging 
him  in  self-defence.  He  got  temporary 
employment  in  different  offices  in  the 
city,  where  the  same  fault  was  found 
with  him.  Immediately  after  he  accept- 
ed a  situation  of  bar-keeper  in  a  porter 

house   or   tavern    attached  to  the 

Theatre.  His  situation  he  did  not  long 
hold — from  what  cause  I  know  not.  He 
again  applied  to  me  for  work  ;  but  as 
his  habits  were  not  reformed,  I  did  not 
think  it  prudent  to  employ  him,  although 
I  said  or  did  nothing  to  injure  him  in 
the  estimation  of  others.  Disappointed 
in  procuring  employment  in  a  business 
to  which  he  had  served  a  regular  ap- 
prenticeship,— being  penniless,  and  see- 
ing no  bright  prospect  for  the  future,  he 
enlisted  as  a  common  soldier  in  the  U. 
States'  service.    He  had  not  been  in  his 


new  vocation  long  before  he  was  called 
upon,  with  other  troops  to  defend  our 
citizens  from  the  attacks  of  the  Indians. 
But  when  the  troops  had  nearly  reached 
the  place  of  destination,  that  "  invisible 
scourge,"  the  Asiatic  Cholera,  made  its 
appearance  among  them.  Desertion 
was  the  consequence,  and  among  others 
who  fled,  was  the  subject  of  this  article. 
He  returned  to  New  York — made  appli- 
cation, at  several  different  offices,  for 
employment,  without  success.  In  a  few 
days  the  dreadful  news  came  that  he 
had  been  detected  in  pilfering  goods 
from  the  house  of  his  landlord.  A  war- 
rant  was  immediately  issued  for  him — 
he  was  seized — taken  to  the  police  office, 
convicted,  and  sentenced  to  six  months' 
hard  labor  in  the  Penitentiary.  His 
name  being  published  in  the  newspapers, 
in  connection  with  those  of  other  convicts 
— was  immediately  recognized  by  the 
officer  under  whom  he  had  enlisted. 
This  officer  proceeds  to  the  city — claims 
the  prisoner — and  it  is  at  length  agreed 
that  he  shall  return  to  the  United  States 
service,  where  he  shall,  for  the  first  six 
months,  be  compelled  to  roll  sand  as  a 
punishment  for  desertion,  serve  out  the 
five  years  for  which  he  had  enlisted, 
and  then  be  given  up  to  the  City  author- 
ities, to  suffer  for  the  crime  of  pilfering. 

Night  after  night  has  the  writer  of 
this  attended  the  theatre ;  and  night 
after  night  has  he  witnessed  the  attend- 
ance of  those  v/ho  were  in  the  want  of 
the  common  necessaries  of  life.  He  has 
frequently  seen,  among  the  theatre-going 
public,  men  who  called  themselves  ^en- 
tlemen,  who  were  in  the  habit  of  associa- 
ting with  the  "  vilest  of  the  vile,"  and 
whose  actions,  could  they  but  be  known 
to  the  reflecting  part  of  the  community, 
would  cover  them  with  infamy  and  dis- 
grace. But  these  facts,  to  many,  will 
appear  like  a  thrice-told  tale.  The 
simple  narrative  related  above  may  be 
relied  on  as  correct.  Names  and  dates 
can  be  given  if  required. 

(/)  WORDS  OF  PLATO.— 
Plays  raise  the  passions,  and  pervert  the 
use  of  them  ;  and  of  consequence  are 
dangerous  to  morality. 

(g)  WORDS  OF  ARISTOTLE. 
— The  seeing  of  Comedies  ought  to  be 
forbidden  to  young  people ;  until  age 
803 


411 


THEATRES. 


and  discipline  have  made  them  proof 
against  debauchery. 

{h)  WORDS  OF  TACITUS.— 
The  German  women  are  guarded  against 
danger,  and  preserve  their  purity  by 
having  no  play-houses  among  them. 

(0  OPINION  OF  OVID.— Ovid, 
in  a  grave  work  addressed  to  Augustus, 
advises  the  suppression  of  theatrical 
amusements  as  a  great  source  of  corrup- 
tion. 

0)  OPINION  OF  ROUSSEAU. 
— The  infidel  philosopher  Rousseau  de- 
clared himself  to  be  of  the  opinion,  that 
the  theatre  is  in  all  cases  a  school  of  vice. 
Though  he  has  himself  written  for  the 
stage,  yet,  when  it  was  proposed  to  es- 
tablish a  theatre  in  the  city  of  Geneva, 
he  wrote  against  the  project,  with  zeal 
and  great  force,  and  expressed  the  opin- 
ion, that  every  friend  of  pure  morals 
ought  to  oppose  it !  Alas  !  that  which 
infidelity  has  condemned  as  a  fruitful 
source  of  corruption  and  shame,  is  pub- 
licly advocated  and  patronized  in  our 
midst — yea,  more  :  vindicated  and  pat- 
ronized by  some  professing  godliness. 

"  It  is  impossible,  says  Rousseau, 
"  that  an  establishment  [the  Theatre  at 
Geneva]  so  contrary  to  our  ancient 
manners,  can  be  generally  applauded. 
How  many  generous  citizens  will  see, 
with  indignation,  this  monument  of  lux- 
ury and  effeminacy  raise  itself  upon  the 
ruins  of  our  ancient  simplicity  !  Where 
would  be  the  imprudent  mother  who 
would  dare  to  carry  her  daughter  to  this 
dangerous  school  ?  And  what  respect- 
able woman  would  not  think  herself 
dishonored  in  going  there  ?  In  all 
countries  the  profession  of  a  player  is 
dishonorable,  and  those  who  exercise  it 
are  every  where  contemned." 

(k)  DR.  RUSH'S  OPINION.— 
Dr.  Rush  was  a  great  enemy  to  theatri- 
cal amusements.  He  was  once  in  con- 
versation with  a  lady,  a  professor  of  re- 
ligion, who  was  speaking  of  the  pleasure 
she  anticipated  at  the  theatre,  in  the 
evening.  "  What,  madam,"  said  he, 
"  do  you  go  to  the  theatre  ?"  "  Yes," 
was  the  reply  :  "  and  don't  you  go,  doc- 
tor ?"  <'  No,  madam,"  said  he,  "  I  nev- 
er  go  to  such  places."  "  Why,  sir,  do 
you  not  go  ?  Do  you  think  it  sinful  ?" 
said  she.  He  replied,  "  I  never  will 
804 


publish  to  the  world  that  I  think  Jesus 
Christ  a  hard  master,  and  religion  an 
unsatisfying  portion,  which  I  should  do 
if  I  went  on  to  the  devil's  ground  in 
quest  of  happiness."  This  argument 
was  short,  but  conclusive.  The  lady 
determined  not  to  go. 

(I)  THE  COMEDIAN'S  CON- 
FESSION. — A  celebrated  comic  per- 
former on  the  English  stage,  retiring 
from  London  for  a  short  time  on  account 
of  ill-health,  and  meeting  with  a  pious 
friend  whom  he  had  once  intimately 
known,  said,  "  I  have  been  acting  Sir 
John  Falstaff  so  often,  that  I  thought  I 
should  have  died  ;  and  had  I  died,  it 
would  have  been  in  the  service  of  the 
devil."  The  testimony  of  a  player 
against  himself 

(m)  RESOLUTION  OF  CON- 
GRESS. —  The  American  Congress, 
soon  after  the  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence, passed  the  following  motion  : 

"  Whereas,  true  religion  and  good 
morals  are  the  only  foundation  of  public 
liberty  and  happiness. 

Resolved,  that  it  be,  and  hereby  is, 
earnestly  recommended  to  the  several 
states,  to  take  the  most  effectual  mea- 
sures for  the  encouragement  thereof, 
and  for  the  suppression  of  theatrical 
entertainments,  horse-racing,  gaming, 
and  such  other  diversions  as  are  produc- 
tive of  idleness,  dissipation,  and  a  gen- 
eral depravity  of  principles  and  man- 
ners. 

(n)  PRYNNE'S  COLLECTION 
OF  TESTIMONY.— William  Prynne, 
a  satirical  and  pungent  writer,  who  suf- 
fered many  cruelties  for  his  admirable 
productions  in  the  time  of  Charles  I, 
has  made  a  catalogue  of  authorities 
against  the  stage,  which  contains  every 
name  of  eminence  in  the  heathen  and 
Christian  world  :  it  comprehends  the  uni- 
ted testimony  of  the  Jewish  and  Christian 
Churches;  the  deliberate  acts  of  fifty- 
four  ancient  and  modern,  general,  nation- 
al, and  provincial  councils  and  synods, 
both  of  the  Western  and  Eastern  church- 
es, thecondemnatoiy  sentence  of  seventy. 
one  ancient  Fathers,  and  one  hundred 
and  fifty  modern  popish  and  Protestant 
authors  ;  the  hostile  endeavors  of  philos- 
ophers and  even  poets  ;  with  the  legisla- 
tive  enactments  of  a  great  number  of 


TOBACCO. 


411,412 


pagan    and 

magistrates,  emperors  and  princes, 

(o)  ADVOCATE  OF  THEA- 
TRES.— There  was  a  poor  gentleman 
in  Paris,  who  used  to  go  powdered  and 
decorated  with  ruffles  and  ribbons.  He 
happened  to  be  in  a  company  where 
were  even  some  of  morals  so  stern  that 
they  questioned  the  utility  of  the  thea- 
tres with  which  Paris  abounds.  At  that 
time,  they  had  twenty-one  in  that  city, 
and  they  were  opened  every  evening, 
not  excepting  the  Sabbath.  This  ruffled 
gentleman,  in  a  long  harangue,  under- 
took  to  show  that  the  theatres  were  a 
great  public  benefit.  And  he  used  argu- 
ments often  urged  by  advocates  of  simi- 
lar public  nuisances.  There  were  the 
thousands  of  actors,  scene-makers,  can- 
dle-lighters, hack-drivers,  footmen,  print- 
ers, &c.  &c.,  whose  mouths  were  daily 
supplied  with  bread  by  these  establish- 
ments. He  grew  warm,  and,  in  a  man- 
ner, eloquent.  He  could  not  deny  but 
thousands  had  their  morals  corrupted, 
their  hopes  crushed,  their  property  lost, 
and  their  hearts  broken,  in  consequence 
of  these  sinks  of  vice.  Still,  he  pleaded 
in  their  behalf  as  if  for  life.  After  he 
had  withdrawn,  and  the  company  were 
musing  on  his  arguments  and  vehemence, 
a  gentleman  remarked  that  their  elo- 
quent friend  had  good  reason  for  his 
opinions — for  he  spent  all  his  small 
pension  in  going  to  the  play,  but  staid 
every  night  till  the  play-house  was  clear- 
ed, and  then  went  round  in  the  ladies' 
boxes,  and  picked  up  pins  enough  to  buy 
Jus  food  till  the  next  play  .'" 


(rt  GOOD  TEST  FOR  AMUSE- 
MENTS. — Two  professors  of  religion 
were  standing  at  the  door  of  a  theatre  in 
the  city  of  New- York,  when  one  of  them 
proposed  to  go  in  and  see  the  play,  and 
desired  his  friend  to  accompany  him. 
The  other  declined  the  invitation ;  and 
after  being  repeatedly  solicited  to  enter, 
gave  this  excellent  reason  for  his  refusal : 
"  If  I  should  go  in,  and  while  there  be 
called  into  eternity,  and  should  be  asked 
at  the  door  of  heaven  where  I  had  come 
from,  I  should  be  ashamed  to  answer." 

This  incident  furnishes  a  rule  for 
general  observance  :  Never  go  to  a  place 
where  you  would  be  ashamed  to  die.'' 

(q)  THEATRES  IN  THE 
FRENCH  REVOLUTION.— 
During  the  progress  of  the  most  ferocious 
revolution  which  ever  shocked  the  face 
of  heaven,  theatres,  in  Paris  alone,  mul- 
tiplied from  six  to  twenty -five.  Now, 
one  of  two  conclusions  follows  from  this  : 
either  the  spirit  of  the  times  produced 
the  institutions,  or  the  institutions  cher- 
ished the  spirit  of  the  times,  and  this 
would  certainly  go  to  prove,  that  they 
are  either  the  parents  of  vice,  or  the 
offspring  of  it. 

(r)  THE  MUSICIAN'S  REPLY. 
— An  accomplished  musician,  who  had 
been  engaged  for  many  years  perform- 
ing at  theatres,  assemblies,  and  other 
places  of  amusement,  on  being  asked 
why  he  relinquished  his  employment, 
answered,  "  Because  I  cannot  look  to 
heaven  for  a  blessing  upon  it." 


412.  TOBACCO. 


{a)  REFORMED  MAN'S  TES- 
TIMONY.— A  correspondent  of  the 
New-York  Evangelist  says :  "  I  had 
chewed  this  poison  more  than  fifteen 
years.  I  had  often  doubted  the  ^itllity 
of  this  practice  before  I  relinquished  it. 
I  found  that  one  argument  which  I  had 
employed  against  the  use  of  ardent  spirits 
applied  with  as  much  propriety  to  the 
use  of  tobacco.  The  argument  is,  that 
it  must  be  unfriendly  to  true  piety,  for 
the  Christian,  while  in  health,  to  be  un- 


der the  continued  influence  of  poison. 
This  produces  a  morbid  excitement,  di- 
rectly opposed  to  that  excitement  which 
the  Holy  Spirit  is  producing.  Thus  I  rea- 
soned in  reference  to  the  use  of  ardent 
spirits,  and  was  persuaded  that  the  ar- 
gument applied  also  to  the  use  of  to- 
bacco. In  this  state  of  mind  I  read 
several  articles  in  the  New- York  Evan- 
gelist, in  opposition  to  this  practice.  I 
was  in  this  way  brought  to  the  deter- 
mination  that  I  would  suspend  the  use 
805 


413 


TOBACCO. 


of  tobacco,  and  see  whether  I  could  do 
without  it.  I  had  been  moderate  in  the 
use  of  this  poison,  if  there  can  be  any 
moderation  in  using  it,  and  supposed 
that  it  was  exerting  very  little  influence 
over  me.  In  less  than  two  days  after  I 
had  commenced  this  self-discipline,  I 
experienced  such  a  tormenting  restless- 
ness, such  a  prostration  of  strength,  as 
fully  convinced  me  that  tobacco  was 
exerting  a  very  powerful  influence  upon 
my  system.  When  1  perceived  its  in- 
fluence, I  was  determined  to  break  up 
this  bad  habit ;  and  then  resolved  fully 
to  renounce  the  use  of  tobaoco,  as  a 
powerful  and  hurtful  stimulus  for  the 
human  system.  For  a  few  days  I  suf- 
fered much  from  an  almost  insupport- 
able uneasiness  in  the  whole  system, 
which  was  calling  loudly  for  its  accus- 
tomed stimulus.  But  this  only  served 
to  strengthen  my  resolution,  and  to  con- 
vince me  more  and  more  of  the  im- 
portance of  conquering  this  habit.  I 
have  persevered  for  more  than  six 
months,  and  have  enjoyed  during  this 
period,  much  better  health  than  while  T 
used  it.  It  is  now  hateful  to  me,  and  I 
have  no  desire  again  to  resume  its  use. 
I  would,  from  my  own  experience,  call 
on  my  friends,  and  all  others  who  are 
in  bondage  to  this  hateful  weed,  to  fol- 
low my  example.  I  mean  to  persevere, 
and  am  persuaded  that  I  shall." 

(b)  GOOD  RULE  FOR  THE 
LORD'S  STEWARDS.— Says  a  cor- 
respondent of  the  Ohio  Observer  : — 
"  When  the  use  of  tobacco  was  fashion- 
able even  among  the  genteel,  in  walk- 
ing  through  a  village,  I  passed  a  store 
where  I  knew  there  were  some  very 
fine  cigars.  I  was  immediately  seized 
with  the  hankerin^c  so  well  known  to 
habitual  smokers.  The  determination 
arose  to  lay  cut  a  few  shillings  in  pur- 
chasing some.  As  I  had  been  endea- 
voring to  accustom  myself  to  regard  my 
money  as  the  Lord's,  and  myself  as  the 
steward,  I  tried  the  rule  in  that  case. 
I  found  myself  unwilling  to  charge  such 
an  item  on  my  account  book.  A  faith- 
ful steward  would  make  no  such  ex- 
penditure, thought  L  The  money 
which  had  been  taken  out  was  dropped 
again  into  my  pocket,  and  I  passed  on. 
I  have  ever  found  it  difficult  to  smoke  [ 
806 


cigars  since  that  time.  The  cure  which 
I  propose  is,  to  ask  the  lies  sing  of  God 
on  all  expenditures,  and  to  try  to  he  faith- 
ful, stewards  of  the  Lord''s  vianey." 

(c)  THE  MINISTER'S  REPENT- 
ANCE. — A  country  minister  being  in- 
vited to  preach  the  weekly  lecture  to  a 
congregation  in  the  City  of  New- York, 
after  dismissing  the  people,  took  out  his 
tobacco,  and  began  to  chew  the  filthy 
weed.  A  member  of  the  church  re- 
monstrated with  him  on  the  sinfulness 
of  the  practice,  and  stated  that  he  could 
not  expect  that  impenitent  sinners  under 
his  instructions,  would  give  up  their 
sins  while  he  indulged  in  a  sin  him- 
self. "  I  know  it  is  wrong,"  said 
the  minister.  "  I  have  often  resolved 
to  give  up  the  habit,  but  I  have  not 
resolution  enough  to  persevere." 

"  Why,"  said  the  other,  "  that  is  the 
very  excuse  the  impenitent  give  for  not 
repenting  and  foi"saking  their  sins." 

"  Well,  I'll  think  it  over  as  I  go 
home,"  observed  the  minister,  '•  and 
perhaps  I  will  give  it  up." 

"  That  will  not  do,"  replied  the 
church  member,  "  for  we  never  allow 
this,  if  we  can  help  it ;  we  exhort  the 
impenitent  to  repent  on  the  spot ;  we 
never  tell  them  to  go  home  and  repent, 
nor  do  we  pray  that  they  may  repent 
when  they  reach  home." 

"  I  see,"  said  the  minister,  "  I  cannot 
get  away  so — therefore  I  will  try  to 
give  up  chewing." 

"  But,"  remarked  the  other,  "  that 
will  not  do  either.  We  never  urge 
sinners  to  try  to  give  up  their  sins — do 
you  ?" 

"  Why,  no ;  I  think  it  wrong  to  inti- 
mate that  they  cannot  do  it  at  once." 

"  Will  you  act  then  as  you  preach, 
or  let  your  conduct  give  the  lie  to  your 
preaching  ?" 

"  With  the  help  of  God,"  said  the 
rninister,  "  I  will  leave  off  the  practice 
from  this  moment." 

A  rfiember  of  the  church  where  this 
conversation  took  place,  who  was  in  the 
practice  of  chewing  tobacco,  was  so 
impressed  with  what  had  taken  place, 
that  he  too  solemnly  promised  to  abjure 
the  filthy  habit  without  delay. 

(d)  PRAYING  OVER  TOBACCO. 
— A  pious  sea  captain  had  been  in  the 


TOBACCO. 


41J 


habit  of  using  tobacco,  for  upwards  of 
twenty  years,  and  had  made  many  and 
strenuous  efforts  to  abandon  its  use,  but 
without  success.  He  was  a  nervous 
man,  and  loved  strong  tea  and  coffee  as 
well  as  tobacco,  for  the  stimulus  it 
afforded  him.  He  loved  tobacco,  as  the 
drunkard  loves  alcohol.  The  force  of 
the  habit  may  be  seen  in  the  following 
circumstance  : — 

He  had  given  up  its  use,  as  he 
thought,  without  mental  reservation, 
and  congratulated  himself  on  the  vic- 
tory he  had  obtained,  after  months  of 
total   abstinence.     One  ^day,  being  on 

charge  in  the  city  of  N (he  was 

a  ship  mate  at  the  time),  and  convers- 
ing with  a  brother  shipmate,  he  found 
tobacco  ill  his  mouth  without  knowing 
how  it  came  there.  He  expressed  his 
surprise  at  the  fact  to  his  companion, 
who  answered  with  a  boisterous  laugh, 
^'  I  took  out  my  tobacco  box  and  handed 
it  to  you,  and  you  deliberately  helped 
yourself"  He  had  acted  under  the  in- 
fluence of  an  old  inveterate  habit,  and 
was  not  conscious  of  having  done  so, 
until  he  had  tasted  the  tobacco.  Such 
was  the  strength  of  the  habit.  Finding 
at  length  that  it  clung  to  him  like  a  dis- 
ease, and  defied  all  his  efforts,  and 
being  persuaded  that  the  conflict  of 
mind  to  which  he  was  subject,  by  rea- 
son of  its  use,  was  actually  impairing 
his  usefulness  as  a  man  and  a  Christian, 
he  decided  upon  making  one  more  ef- 
fort. He  was  persuaded  that  Divine 
assistance  alone  could  make  that  effort 
successful,  and  acted  accordingly.  He 
took  the  tobacco  from  his  pocket,  placed 
it  in  a  chair,  knelt  before  it,  and  so- 
lemnly pledged  himself  to  God,  that  he 
would  use  it  no  longer,  even  as  a  medi- 
cine, though  prescribed  by  a  physician. 
He  then  implored  the  Divine  blessing 
upon  the  attempt,  arose  from  his  knees, 
threw  the  tobacco  into  the  street, 
and  went  about  his  business.  He  has 
not,  he  states,  had  a  particle  of  a  desire 
for  its  use  from  that  time  to  the  time  of 
this  narration,  a  period  of  more  than 
two  years. 

(e)  THE  CULPRIT'S  RULING 
PASSION.— The  Editor  of  the  Che- 
nango Telegraph,  in  giving  an  account 
of  the  execution  of  George  Denison,  who 


suffered  at  Norwich,  New- York,  says, 
that  while  standing  upon  the  fatal  drop, 
and  during  the  exhortation  of  the  cler- 
gyman, the  prisoner  asked  in  a  whisper, 
for  the  tobacco  box  of  the  deputy  sheriff, 
from  which  he  coolly  took  a  quid,  de- 
posited it  in  his  mouth,  and  returned 
the  box.  In  ten  minutes,  he  was 
launched  into  eternity  !  On  the  morn- 
ing of  the  day  that  Hamilton,  who  shot 
Major  Birdsall,  was  to  be  executed, 
the  clergy  passed  two  hours  in  solemn 
exercises  with  him.  After  they  left  the 
cell,  Hamilton  gave  some  directions 
about  his  gallows  wardrobe.  As  the 
keeper  was  leaving  to  execute  his  com- 
mission, he  asked  Hamilton  if  he 
wanted  any  thing  else.  He  replied, 
"  You  may  gel  me  a  paper  of  tobacco.'" 
After  a  moment's  reflection,  he  added, 
"  Stop,  perhaps  I  have  enough" — and, 
rising  on  his  elbow,  drew  a  part  of  a 
paper  from  under  the  pillow  of  his 
pallet,  and  measuring  in  his  mind  the 
quantity  of  tobacco  Jby  the  few  hours 
he  had  to  live,  calmly  remarked,  "  This 
will  last  me." 

if)  MONEY  FOR  MISSIONS.— 
A  minister  in  England, had  been  plead- 
ing with  his  congregation  the  claims  of 
the  poor  heathen  on  Christian  benevo- 
lence, and  strongly  urging  on  them  the 
duty  of  contributing  to  the  support  of 
missionary  exertions.  His  friends  rea- 
dily contributed  according  to  their  se- 
veral abilities.  The  next  year,  when 
the  missionary  collection  was  about  to 
be  made,  the  minister  received  a  one- 
pound  note  from  a  poor  laboring  man, 
with  a  statement  to  the  following  effect : 
— "  Sir,  when  you  preached  the  mis- 
sionary sermon  last  year,  1  was  grieved 
that  I  had  it  not  in  my  power  to  give 
what  I  wished.  I  thought  and  thought, 
and  consulted  my  wife  whether  there 
was  any  thing  which  we  could  spare 
without  stinting  the  poor  children  ;  but 
it  seemed  that  we  lived  as  near  as  pos- 
sible in  every  respect,  and  had  nothing 
but  what  was  absolutely  necessary.  At 
last  it  came  into  my  mind,  '  Is  that 
fourpence  which  goes  every  week  for 
an  ounce  of  tobacco  absolutely  neces- 
sary V  1  had  been  used  to  it  so  long, 
that  I  scarcely  thought  it  possible  to  do 
without  it ;  however,  I  resolved  to  try  ; 
807 


412 


TOBACCO. 


so,  instead  of  spending  the  fourpence,  I 
dropped  it  into  a  box.  The  first  week 
I  felt  it  sorely  ;  but  the  second  week  it 
was  easier ;  and,  in  the  course  of  a 
few  weeks,  it  was  little  or  no  sacrifice 
at  all ;  at  least  I  can  say,  that  the 
pleasure  far  outweighed  the  sacrifice. 
When  my  children  found  what  I  was 
doing,  they  wished  to  contribute  also ; 
and,  if  ever  they  got  a  penny  or  a  half- 
penny given  them  for  their  own  plea- 
sure, it  was  sure  to  find  its  way  into  the 
box  instead  of  the  cake  shop.  On 
opening  the  box,  I  have  the  pleasure  to 
.find  that  our  collected  pence  amount  to 
one  pound,  which  I  now  inclose,  and 
pray  that  the  Lord  may  give  his  bless- 
ing with  it.  I  am  thankful  for  having 
thus  broken  off*  a  dirty  and  expensive 
habit,  and  1  have  enjoyed  more  health 
and  cheerfulness  since  I  left  off  that 
which  I  once  thought  it  was  impossible 
for  me  to  do  without." 

(g)  BATTLE  WITH  APPE- 
TITE.— A  gentleman  (he  is  such  now,) 
who  used  to  be  a  tremendous  rum-drink- 
er,  tobacco-chewer  and  smoker  ;  but  for 
several  years  past  has  been  a  reformed 
man,  writes  to  a  friend  in  the  city  of  N. 
York,  in  the  following  terms  : 

"  I  have  seen  the  time  that  my  desire 
for  tobacco  has  been  vastly  stronger  than 
it  ever  has  been  for  food.  Once  I  was  on  a 
lee-shore  ;  the  wind  blew,  the  sea  was 
tremendous.  The  last  time  I  saw  the 
rocky  shore,  it  was  three  miles  to  the 
leeward.  It  was  late  in  the  afternoon  ; 
I  felt  certain  we  should  be  on  the  rocks 
before  morning,  if  the  wind  continued. 
I  felt  in  my  pocket  for  some  tobacco, 
but  could  find  none.  I  examined  every 
part  of  the  vessel  where  I  thought  it 
possible  to  find  any.  I  inquired  of  the 
crew  but  there  was  none  on  board. 
At  that  time  I  would  have  given  fifty 
dollars  for  one  quid.  The  gale  ceased, 
we  soon  found  a  harbor,  and  the  first 
thing  I  inquired  for  was  tobacco. 

I  chewed  about  twenty-one  years, 
and  smoked  about  eighteen.  For  a  long 
time  before  I  quit  the  use  of  tobacco,  I 
believed  it  was  injurious  to  me,  but  I 
felt  it  was  almost  impossible  to  leave  it 
off.  Eventually  I  was  awakened,  and 
felt  that  such  practices  were  sinful.  I 
then  thought  I  would  try  to  leave  them 
808 


off*.  When  I  quit  smoking,  I  felt  com- 
paratively that  I  had  lost  all  my  friends. 
I  could  not  eat  or  sleep  as  usual ;  1  felt 
restless,  and  for  some  weeks  thought  it 
uncertain  whether  I  should  be  able  to 
conquer  a  habit  that  had  become  so 
strong.  But  at  last  it  was  overcome, 
I  then  thought  I  would  quit  chewing — 
then  came  the  struggle.  To  quit  smok- 
ing was  but  a  trifle  in  comparison.  Af- 
ter I  had  determined  to  try  to  quit  chew- 
ing, I  always  kept  a  piece  of  tobacco  in 
my  pocket.  I  was  doubtful  whether  I 
should  be  able  to  leave  it  off.  Many 
times,  before  I  was  aware  of  it  I  found 
I  had  had  a  piece  in  my  mouth  a  long 
time.  As  soon  as  I  perceived  it,  I  would 
take  it  out,  but  often  before  it  was  dis- 
charged, 1  would  give  it  one  solid  grind. 
There  is  nothing  in  the  world  so  exquis- 
itely sweet  as  tobacco.  In  a  few  months 
the  habit  was  overcome,  but  it  was  al- 
most like  plucking  out  my  right  eye,  or 
cutting  oft' my  right  arm.  When  I  had 
entirely  ceased  from  using  it — I  had  a 
better  appetite — my  sleep  was  sweeter, 
my  mind  more  composed — my  nerves 
were  more  firm — I  grew  more  fleshy  ; 
and  now  I  enjoy  perfect  health,  and  can 
endure  double  the  fatigue  that  I  could 
for  a  long  time  before  I  quit  the  use  of 
tobacco." 

(A)  TOBACCO  AND  PROFANI- 
TY. — A  pious  man  moved  into  a  little 
village  where  there  was  much  swearing^. 
One  of  his  little  boys,  two  years  old, 
caught  the  contagion.  The  father  and 
family  labored  with  their  neighbors  un- 
til a  thorough  reformation  was  effected 
in  that  part  of  the  town  where  they  lived ; 
except  the  little  prattler,  who  swore  on 
with  increased  malignity  ;  often  cursing 
his  mother's  soul  to  hell  ;  yet  always 
avoiding  his  father's  presence.  From 
this  circumstance,  it  was  concluded  that 
he  was  conscious  of  guilt ;  and,  there- 
fore, ought  to  be  whipped.  The  father, 
as  his  manner  was,  waited  until  he 
caught  him  in  the  very  act  of  swearing. 
Then  he  tried  to  show  the  heinousness 
of  the  crime,  and  the  disagreeable  ne- 
cessity that  he  was  under  to  use  coer- 
cive measures  ;  after  which  he  lynched 
him  well.  To  convince  the  child  that 
it  was  a  principle  of  love  that  compelled 
him  to  use   this   correction,,  he   said   it 


TOLERATION. 


412,  413 


was  better  to  whip  and  break  him  from 
swearing  ;  for,  if  he  did  not  quit  it,  God 
would  cast  him  into  hell,  there  to  burn 
forever.  And  in  the  vehemence  of  his 
desire  to  awaken  conviction,  offered  up 
a  short  prayer  to  God,  to  change  his 
wicked  heart ;  and  then  inquired  : 

"  Why  do  you  swear,  my  son  ?" 

The  child  sobbed  out,  "  Father,  be- 
cause I  have  such  a  wicked  heart." 

Father  —  Well,  my  son,  you  must 
pray  to  God  to  give  you  a  good  heart." 

Child — Father,  you  must  pray. 

Father  —  I  do  pray,  and  whatever 
you  see  me  do,  you  must  do. 

The  father  turned  within  himself 
and  said,  Have  1  done  every  thing  I 
ought  to  do,  and  been  every  thing  I 
ought  to  be,  before  my  children  ?  Con- 
science awakened,  and  forced  the  mind 
on  the  BACK  track,  marking  out  every 
deviation  from  the  path  of  rectitude. 
Nature  had  been  in  the  habit,  for  twenty 
years,  of  leaning  on  the  narcotic  stimu- 
lant of  tobacco,  while  it  answered  to 
blunt  the  conscience  a  little.  The 
hands,  ever  faithful  to  the  calls  of  nature, 
through  nervous  sympathy,  had  already 
extracted  from  the  deposit,  the  plug  and 
the  knife.  Just  at  this  instant  a  new 
and  pleasing  thought  shot  across  the 
little  swearer's  mind  ;  that  there  was 
one  duty  he  had  never  complied  with  ; 
and,  by  sd  doing,  he  would  please  his 
father  and  his  God  ;  for,  surely,  my 
praying,   good   father,    by   this   act,  is 


pleasing  God.  With  eyes  beaming  with 
joy,  through  tears  that  yet  trembled  on 
their  surface,  he  determined  now  to  quit 
the  detestable  practice  of  swearing,  and 
take  his  father's  godly  example.  En- 
raptured at  the  thought  of  having  so 
easy  an  opportunity  of  convincing  his 
father  of  the  great  change  that  had  taken 
place  in  his  mind,  and  with  a  voice  as 
sweet  as  infant  lips  could  speak,  he  said, 
"  Father,  give  me  a  chew  of  tobacco  !" 

I  will  not  attempt  to  describe  the 
father's  feelings ;  I  will  leave  that  to 
the  reader.  But  what  did  the  father  do  ? 
what  could  he  do  ?  Could  he  contra- 
dict himself?  Could  he  convince  the 
child  that  it  was  right  for  the  father  to 
do  a  thing,  and  wrong  for  the  son  ?  No, 
no.  With  a  conscience  already  awak- 
ened,  by  previous  light,  and  having  half- 
heartedly attempted  to  abandon  the  evil 
before — with  a  conscience  now  driving 
lashes  inconceivably  severe,  the  tobacco 
was  tossed  into  the  street,  with  this  can- 
did confession  : 

"  My  son,  I  have  done  wrong ;  I 
will  now  ask  God  to  help  me  that  I  may 
do  so  no  more.  Will  you  ask  God  to 
help  you  that  you  may  swear  no  more  ?" 

The  child  looked  disappointed,  and 
sobbed  out,  "  Well." 

The  father  then  took  him  in  his  arms, 
and  retired  into  the  garden  to  pray,  a 
great  deal  worse  whipped  than  the 
cliild. 


413.  TOLERATION. 


(a)  BURNING  A  HERETIC— 
A  popish  princess  was  entreated  by  some 
Romish  ecclesiastics  to  concur  with  them 
in  bringing  a  supposed  heretic  to  the 
flames.  "  Is  it  not  true,"  asked  she, 
"that  heretics  burn  forever  in  hell-fire?" 
"  Without  doubt  was  the  reply  of  the 
priests.  "  Then,"  added  she,  "  it  would 
be  too  severe  to  burn  them  in  both 
worlds.  Since  they  are  devoted  to  end- 
less misery  hereafter,  it  is  but  justice  to 
let  them  live  unmolested  here." 

(b)  REPLY  OF  A  POLISH 
KING. — When  certain  persons  attempt- 
ed  to  persuade  Stephen,  king  of  Poland, 


to  constrain  some  of  his  subjects,  who 
were  of  a  different  religion,  to  embrace 
his,  he  said  to  them,  "  I  am  king  of  men, 
and  not  of  consciences.  The  dominion 
of  consciences  belongs  exclusively  to 
God." 

(c)  HENRY  VIII  AND  HIS 
BUFFOON.— Henry  VIII  kingof  Eng- 
land,  wrote  a  silly  book  against  Martin 
Luther,  for  which  the  Pope  conferred 
on  him  the  title  "  Defender  of  the  Faiih.'^ 
As  that  tyrant  appeared  to  be  overjoyed 
at  the  acquisition,  the  Jester  of  the  court 
asked  the  reason  ;  and  being  told  that  it 
was  because  the  Pope  had  given  him 
809 


«14 


TRACTS,  RELIGIOUS. 


that  new  title,  the  shrewd  fool  replied — 
"  My  good  Harry,  let  thee  and  me  de- 
fend  each  other,  and  let  iiie  faith  alone  to 
defend  itself!''     That  pretended  buffoon 


must  have  been  the  wisest  man  of  his 
day  ;  for  at  that  period  no  party  had 
learned  the  wisdom  of  leaving  truth  to 
support  itself  by  its  own  vigor. 


TRACTS,  RELIGIOUS. 


HAPPY  EFFECTS  OF  TRACTS. 

414.  Morality  Promoted. 

(a)    THE    PROFANE    CREW.— 

The  Evangelical  Magazine,  for  1823, 
gives  an  account  of  a  gentleman  at  Liv- 
erpool furnishing  the  steward  of  a  mer- 
chant vessel,  which  was  about  to  leave 
that  port  to  trade  in  the  Mediterranean, 
with  a  parcel  of  tracts.  The  following 
is  the  account  of  the  effects  they  pro- 
duced : 

You  recollect,  on  my  taking  leave 
of  you,  you  placed  in  my  hand  a  small 
parcel  of  tracts,  and  I  promised  to  read 
them ;  this  I  have  done.  On  leaving 
this  port,  we  had  a  favorable  wind 
through  the  Channel  ;  the  wind  then 
chopped  round  direct  in  our  teeth.  We 
had  to  contend  with  light  contrary  winds 
till  we  entered  the  Gut  of  Gibraltar. 
During  this  part  of  our  voyage  I  had  lit- 
tle or  no  opportunity  to  read  the  tracts : 
I  did,  on  the  first  Sabbath,  turn  them 
over,  and  put  a  few  in  my  pocket ;  and 
occasionally  taking  one  out,  gave  it  a 
sneering  glance,  and  then  handed  it  to 
one  of  the  boys  or  men  with  a  smile  of 
ridicule.  On  passing  the  Gut,  we  had 
a  tedious  though  pleasant  voyage  to 
Smyrna.  Having  much  time  upon  my 
hands,  I  now  and  then  looked  at  a  tract 
to  pass  it  away.  One  evening  I  was 
looking  over  the  ship's  side,  viewing  the 
calm  and  peaceful  close  of  another  day. 
.This  brought  to  my  recollection  the 
scenery  and  calmness  of  the  evening 
when  I  took  my  last  farewell  of  my 
friends  at  home.  It  was  at  sunset,  on  a 
lovely  evening  in  July.  Musing  thus 
of  home,  T  just  then  put  my  hand  in  my 
jacket  pocket,  and  feeling  a  paper,  took 
it  out,  and  it  proved  to  be  a  tract,  "  The 
Swearer's  Prayer."  t  read  it  aloud, 
in  the  hearing  of  the  whole  crew,  and, 
I  suppose,  much  of  my  feelings  was 
810 


mixed  with  my  tone  of  voice.  When  I 
had  read  it,  a  curious  kind  of  silence 
ensued  ;  not  one  of  us  felt  inclined  to 
raise  his  eyes  from  what  they  were  fixed 
on,  fearing  to  meet  the  look  of  another, 
and  knowing  that,  to  a  man,  we  were  all 
shockingly  guilty  of  swearing.  At 
length  we  looked  at  each  other  in  a 
sidelong  kind  of  way,  and  one  man  said, 
"  Mr.  William,  I  never  heard  or  thought 
of  this  before  ;  this  kind  of  reading  has 
made  me  feel  very  strange  ;  I'm  all  over 
trembling.  I  don't  think  I  shall  like  to 
swear  again :  shall  you,  Jack  ?"  turn- 
ing short  to  a  seaman  alongside  of  him, 
who  looked  him  full  in  the  face,  and 
burst  into  tears.  The  shedding  of  tears 
ran  like  a  contagion  through  the  whole 
of  us,  even  to  the  boy  across  the  gun. 
After  weeping  in  silence,  with  our  faces 
hid  with  our  hands,  one  man  said,  "  Jack, 
suppose  we  hand  up  a  prayer  to  God 
for  forgiveness.  Mr.  William,  you  have 
had  more  learning  than  we,  you  can 
make  a  prayer."  Alas  !  I  had  never 
prayed  ;  I  could  only  sigh  ;  I  really 
thought  my  heart  would  burst.  Oh, 
how  dreadful  did  sin  appear  !  One  of 
the  men  then  broke  the  silence  of  grief ; 
with  his  arms  across  his  breast,  and  the 
tears  of  penitential  sorrow  rolling  down 
his  flicp,  he  cried  out,  "  O  God,  who 
made  our  souls,  have  mercy,  and  pardon 
the  miserable  and  damned  crew  on  this 
deck."  Not  a  heart  but  what  respond- 
ed, "  Lord,  hear  this  prayer,  and  for- 
give."  But  not  to  enter  too  long  into 
detail,  a  change  took  place  in  the  whole 
ship's  company.  One  circumstance  I 
must  not  forget  to  mention.  The  cap- 
tain, a  drunken,  swearing  character, 
thought  his  men  bewitched.  On  the 
following  morning  he  came  on  deck,  and, 
as  usual,  was  giving  his  orders,  mixed 
with  fearful  oaths,  when  one  of  the  men, 
in  a  most  respectful  manner,  begged  he 
would  not  swear  at  therri ;  they  would 


HAPPY  EFFECTS  OF  TRACTS. 


41i 


obey  his  orders  with  more  comfort  to 
themselves  without  it.  Indeed,  the  cap- 
tain remarked  to  a  person  on  his  return, 
that  he  was  himself  obliged  to  refrain 
from  swearing,  it  began  to  appear  so 
singular  on  board. 

(6)  THE  TORN  TRACT.  —  In 
the  summer  of  1825  (says  a  gentle- 
man) I  left  the  tract  entitled  "  The 
Swearers  Prmjer^''^  in  a  place  where  it 
would  be  found  by  a  companion  who 
was  notoriously  wicked  and  profane. 
A  few  weeks  afterwards,  I  went  to  the 
place  where  I  had  left  it,  and  found  it 
with  a  few  lines  written  on  the  margin 
with  a  pencil,  of  which  I  do  not  recol- 
lect the  precise  words ;  but  the  amount 
was  as  follows  :  "  The  writer  has  erred 
in  thinking  that  a  pack  of  lies  is  a  pro- 
per means  of  breaking  a  bad  habit ; 
and  it  would  be  better  for  him  who  has 
left  this  here  not  to  repeat  such  an  in- 
sult." 1  wrote  at  the  bottom,  "  Reprove 
a  wise  man,  and  he  will  love  thee;" 
and  left  the  tract  in  the  same  place. 
At  my  next  visit  I  found  it  torn  into  a 
number  of  small  pieces.  1  was  imme- 
diately reminded  of  a  fact  recorded  in 
ancient  history,  of  a  certain  king,  who, 
on  receiving  a  petition  from  a  poor  per- 
son, hastily  glanced  at  it,  and  returned 
it  unanswered.  The  petition  was  pre- 
sented the  next  day,  and  treated  in  the 
same  manner.  The  petitioner  repeat- 
edly presented  it  with  the  same  ill 
success,  until,  at  last,  the  king  being 
exasperated  with  her  importunity,  tore 
it  to  atoms.  These  were  carefully  ga- 
thered up,  stitched  together,  and  again 
presented.  The  king,  struck  with  her 
perseverance,  read  the  petition,  and  im- 
mediately returned  a  favorable  answer. 
This  circumstance  being  brought  to  my 
mind,  I  determined  to  try  a  similar  ex- 
pei'iment.  The  fragments  were  put 
together  in  their  proper  order,  and  re- 
placed in  the  drawer  in  which  the  tract 
had  before  been  laid.  Soon  after,  the 
tract  disappeared,  and  I  heard  nothing 
more  of  it  until  eight  months  afterwards, 
when  I  had  a  conversation  with  the 
person  for  whom  it  was  intended,  and 
he  said,  that  he  had  determined,  by  the 
grace  of  God,  to  leave  off  the  practice 
of    swearing.     He  had  treated  "  The 


Swearer's  Prayer  "  with  contempt  when 
he  first  saw  it ;  but,  when  he  found  the 
fragments  re-united,  he  believed  that  I 
was  in  earnest.  He  took  the  tract 
home,  read  it  carefully,  and  resolved  to 
swear  no  more.  He  had  determined 
not  to  part  with  the  tract  as  long  as  he 
lived.  A  great  reformation  in  his  con- 
duct has  taken  place,  and  1  cannot  but 
hope  that  a  work  of  Divine  grace  has 
been  begun  in  his  heart.  ^- 

(c)  BREAD  CAST  ON  THE 
WATERS.— A  sailor,  though  he  had 
become  so  wicked  that  few  would  em- 
ploy him,  was  engaged  for  an  eighteen- 
months'  voyage.  Just  before  sailing, 
he  walked  out  one  evening  with  a  num- 
ber of  his  companions,  and  passing  the 
Bethel  Flag,  concluded  to  stop.  After 
sermon,  the  preacher  gave  them  some 
tracts,  which  they  took  without  thinking 
or  caring  what  they  contained.  They 
carried  them  to  the  ship,  and  soon  after 
set  sail. 

After  having  been  some  months  at 
sea,  this  man,  feeling  somewhat  melan- 
choly, concluded  he  would  look  at  the 
tracts  which  had  been  given  to  him. 
He  did  so,  and  conviction  seized  his 
mind.  He  knew  not  what  was  the 
matter.  He  had  never  felt  so  before. 
He  could  not  rest ;  and  in  this  state  he 
continued  waiting  for  the  end  of  his 
voyage,  that  he  might  return  home  and 
find  some  one  to  tell  him  what  lie  must 
do  to  be  saved.  He  broke  off  his  habit 
of  profaneness  and  open  impiety,  and 
thus  remained  till  he  arrived  at  port ; 
soon  after  whicli,  he  trusts,  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  took  possession  of  his  soul. 
H^>  has  since  made  one  voyage,  during 
which  he  established  a  prayer  meeting 
on  board,  and  won  over  a  number  to 
attend  it,  two  of  whom  hopefally  expe- 
rienced religion;  and  all  disorder  was 
banished  from  the  ship.  Speaking  of 
some  seasons  he  had  enjoyed  since  he 
experienced  a  change,  he  mentioned 
one  in  particular  which  he  had  during 
his  last  voyage,  while  reading  the  tract 
"  Memoir  of  Harriet  Newell."  He 
said,  it  appeared  to  him  his  soul  loas 
wrapped  up  in  Christ. 

(d)  TRACT  PICKED  UP  ON 
THE  WHARF.— The  Seventh  Report 

811 


414 


TRACTS,  RELIGIOUS. 


of  the  American  Tract  Society  contains 
the  following  letter  from  a  mechanic  in 
New-York  city : — 

"  I  was  at  work  on  the  wharf — saw  a 
man  pick  up  a  little  book,  look  at  it, 
and  then  throw  it  down.  I  ran  and  got 
it.  I  saw  it  was  called,  '  The  Watch- 
maker.' I  read  it ;  I  shed  tears.  1 
read  it  for  five  days,  and  became  so 
deeply  distressed  for  my  sins,  that  I  was 
determined  to  drink  no  more.  I  told 
my  wife,  who  was  once  a  member  of 
the  church,  but  I  had  been  the  cause  of 
her  leaving  it.  We  had  not  for  many 
years  ever  been  inside  a  church.  I 
used  to  swear,  and  curse  at  religion, 
and  was  an  awful  deist  and  drunkard. 
My  family  was  in  a  destitute  condition, 
and  often  distressed  on  my  account. 
But,  glory  to  God  !  all  is  changed  now. 
My  wife  and  I  went  to  a  prayer-meet- 
ing, and  it  pleased  God  to  bless  her 
also ;  and  so  we  are  both  happy  now. 
Our  little  children  are  altered.  Our 
house  and  all  are  altered.  I  am  laugh- 
ed at  by  my  shopmates,  and  those  who 
used  to  drink  with  me,  and  curse  and 
swear  at  religion.  But  I  don't  mind 
them  now.  I  thank  the  Lord  that  he 
stooped  so  low  as  to  have  mercy  on  one 
of  the  wickedest  of  sinners.  I  can 
never  thank  him  enough." 

(e)  HITTING  THE  RIGHT 
NAIL. — At  the  annual  meeting  of  the 
Religious  Tract  Society,  in  1832,  John 
Fyson,  Esq.,  of  Thetford,  stated  among 
others,  the  following  pleasing  facts  : — 

A  tract  distributer,  in  passing  through 
a  village  a  few  miles  from  where  he 
lived,  met  a  man,  whom  he  asked  if  he 
could  read ;  and,  on  being  answered  in 
the  affirmative,  he  gave  him  a  tract  on 
drunkenness.  The  man  went  to  a  wo- 
man who  stood  at  her  door,  and  said, 
"  You  have  been  telling  that  man  I'm  a 
drunkard."  The  woman  of  course  de- 
nied it.  The  man  said,  "  You  know 
that  I  am  the  greatest  drunkard  in  the 
village,  and  you  told  him  so,  or  he 
would  not  have  given  me  this  book." 
The  woman  again  said  she  had  not,  and 
added,  "  But  he  has  hit  the  right  nail 
on  the  head." — The  tract  proved  the 
means  of  converting  this  man.  As  the 
first  fruits  of  this  reformation,  he  went 
to  his  aged  father,  whom  he  had  fre- 

8ia 


quently  beaten,  fell  on  his  knees,  and 
begged  his  pardon.  After  this  he  was 
engaged  at  harvest,  at  which,  according 
to  custom,  the  farmer  gave  a  feast.  He 
saw  an  old  companion  there  ;  and,  call- 
ing him  out,  told  him,  that  unless  he 
left  off  drunkenness,  and  became  sober, 
he  could  not  associate  with  him  any 
more.  The  man  burst  into  tears,  and 
told  him  he  had  left  it  off,  and  that,  in 
fact,  he  had  also  been  reformed,  through 
the  instrumentality  of  a  tract.  He, 
Mr.  Fyson,  had  been  told,  by  the  mas- 
ter of  the  man  himself,  that  he  was 
astonished  at  the  change  in  him,  it  was 
so  great.  A  clergyman  called  upon 
him,  Mr.  Fyson,  and  expressed  his 
great  joy  at  what  had  taken  place  in  his 
parish,  which  had  originated  from  some 
young  men  whom  he  had  sent  to  distri- 
bute tracts ;  the  people  had  become 
regular  in  their  attendance  at  the  parish 
church,  and  the  congregation  was  tre- 
bled. 

(/)  THE  HUNTER  AND  THE 
TRACT. — Mr.  H.  was  one  day  passing 
through  a  small  piece  of  wood,  near 
York,  UpperCanada,  to  a  Sunday  school. 
Seeing  a  hunter  about  to  cross  the  path, 
he  asked  him  if  he  was  on  the  direct 
road  to  such  a  place.  The  hunter  told 
him  he  was  not ;  that  he  must  return 
nearly  to  York,  and  take  a  different 
road.  Mr.  H.  thanked  him  kindly,  and 
taking  a  tract  from  his  pocket,  said,  "  I 
myself  have  read  this  little  book  with 
pleasure.  If  it  be  as  useful  to  you,  as 
it  has  been  to  me,  you  will  never  regret 
it."  "What  is  it?"  said  the  hunter. 
"  It  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to  you, 
my  friend,"  said  Mr.  H. ;  "  take  it : 
read  it,  and  then  read  it  again,  and  then 
read  it  to  your  family."  The  hunter 
thanked  him.  Mr.  H.  went  on  his  way. 
After  the  lapse  of  a  few  months,  Mr. 
H.  attended  a  prayer  meeting  in  that 
neighborhood.  At  the  close  of  the  ex- 
ercises, a  man  came  to  him,  and,  after 
the  usual  salutation,  told  him  that  he 
was  the  hunter  to  whom  he  had,  some 
months  before,  on  a  Sabbath  moniing, 
given  a  little  book ;  and  then  added,  "That 
tract  brought  me  to  the  prayer  meeting 
this  morning:  I  feel  thankful  to  you  for 
it.  My  mind  has  been  troubled.  I  have 
read  the  Bible.     Since  you  have  been 


HAPPY  EFFECTS  OF  TRACTS. 


414 


90  kind  to  me,  I  may  as  well  tell  you 
the  history  of  my  life.  I  used  to  be 
a  mere  devil  at  home,  and  was  not 
much  better  abroad.  Liquor  was  my 
ruin.  Whisky,  whisky,  was  my  ruin. 
I  have  read  the  little  book  several  times : 
1  have  read  it  to  my  family,  as  they 
were  unable  to  read  it  themselves.  But 
every  time  I  read  it,  and  my  Bible,  I 
feel  worse.  Sometimes  I  think  there  is 
no  mercy  for  me.  My  wife  told  me  I 
had  better  look  for  the  man  who  gave  it 
to  me."  Mr.  H.  gave  him  the  best  in- 
struction in  his  power,  from  the  Scrip- 
tures, and  left  him.  In  a  few  weeks  he 
was  in  the  same  neighborhood,  and  again 
saw  the  hunter.  The  hunter  was  then 
indulging  a  trembling  hope  in  the  Lord 
Jesus.  "  I  have  reason,"  said  he,  "  to 
bless  God  for  the  little  book.  I  have 
not  spent  my  money  in  the  usual  way, 
nor  abused  my  family,  since  I  received 
it."  "Sbarch  the  Scriptures,"  was 
the  title  of  the  tract. 

(g)  THE  TRACT  IN  THE  JUG 
HANDLE.— A  writer  in  the  "Chris- 
tian Index,"  Georgia,  states  that  a  bro- 
ther, calling  at  a  blacksmith's  shop, 
discovered  a  jug  containing  ardent  spi- 
rits, and  put  a  tract  in  the  handle.  The 
blacksmith  returned,  resorted  to  the 
jug,  commenced  reading — dashed  the 
tract  upon  the  ground  and  trampled  on 
it — conscience  awoke — he  took  it  up — 
read,  wept,  and  read  again — and  now 
the  despised  family  is  respected ;  the 
disconsolate  wife  is  filled  with  joy;  and 
peace,  love,  and  happiness  reign  where 
sorrow  made  her  home.  What  has 
done  this  ?  A  tract  that  cost  one- fourth 
of  a  cent. 

(h)  THE  LORD'S  PRAYER  IN 
A  BROTHEL. — A  gentleman  was  re- 
quested to  distribute  tracts  among  some 
houses  of  the  worst  description  in  Liver- 
pool. He  replied,  "  1  should  be  willing 
to  go,  but  it  would  aiFect  my  character 
to  visit  those  places  alone  ;  if  any  body 
will  accompany  me,  I  will  cheerfully 
go."  A  pious  friend,  advanced  in  life, 
went  with  him.  They  entered  a  cellar, 
and  the  tracts  were  received  with 
thankfulness  by  its  inmates.  They  en- 
tered another  place,  in  which  they  found 
six  sailors  carousing,  in  company  with 


six  unhappy  females.  When  the  dis- 
tributers entered,  one  of  the  sailors  said, 
"  Messmates,  what  are  you  come 
about '?"  "  We  have  something  to  give 
you."  "  That's  right,  hand  it  over." 
"I  will  read  some  of  it,  if  you  please." 
The  gentleman  began  to  read  a  tract. 
The  seaman  presently  said,  "  Avast 
there,  master,  I  think  I  can  read  that 
myself."  He  took  it,  and  read  about  a 
page  and  a  half;  it  was  the  tract  "On 
THE  Lord's  Prayer;"  and  then  he 
said,  "  I  tell  you  what,  master,  this 
won't  do.  God  bless  you,  sir,  that  ever 
you  should  think  of  us  poor  creatures." 
"  Come,  master,"  said  another,  "  hand 
it  over  to  me."  He  took  the  tract  and 
went  on  reading  it,  but  soon  burst  into 
tears,  and  said,  "  Ah,  master,  we  are 
all  wrong."  The  gentleman  then  him- 
self addressed  them,  and  gave  each  of 
them  a  tract.  They  all  thanked  him 
in  a  grateful  manner,  and  said,  "  God 
bless  you,  sir,  that  any  of  us  sailors 
should  be  thought  of."  The  distribu- 
ters had  not  gone  far  before  they  were 
overtaken  by  one  of  the  young  women, 
who  said  to  one  of  them,  "  Sir,  I  have 
long  seen  the  error  of  my  ways,  and 
am  most  completely  miserable."  The 
gentleman  appointed  her  to  come  to  his 
house  the  following  evening.  She  ac- 
cordingly came,  and  he  brought  her  to 
his  wife,  and  a  friend  who  was  then 
staying  with  them.  The  young  woman 
related  her  tale  ;  it  was  truly  "  a  tale 
of  woe."  At  its  recital,  the  gentleman 
and  his  wife,  and  their  friend,  all  wept. 
But  joy  was  mixed  with  their  sorrow, 
hoping  that  the  prodigal  might  be  re- 
stored to  her  father's  house.  Her  father 
was  a  respectable  person,  living  in 
London  ;  they  wrote  to  him,  and  took 
the  young  woman  under  their  care. 
By  the  return  of  post  they  received  a 
letter,  which  satisfied  them  that  the 
statement  she  made  was  correct.  They 
gave  her  money  sufficient  to  buy  her 
clothes,  and  paid  for  her  journey  home. 
A  letter  of  thanks  was  afterwards  re- 
ceived from  her  father ;  and  also  one 
from  the  young  woman,  expressing  her 
gratitude  to  them  as  the  means  of  re- 
storing her  to  the  paths  of  virtue,  and 
the  society  of  her  friends. 
813 


414 


TRACTS,  RELIGIOUS. 


(i)  SHOEMAKER  AND  COL- 
PORTEUll. — As  I  was  passing  from 
house  to  house,  on  the  second  week  in 
January,  (says  one)  hiviting  all  to  at- 
tend public  worship,  then  held  every 
evening,  a  shoemaker,  about  middle  age, 
replied,  "  No  ;  I  can't  attend.  We  are 
on  the  point  of  starvation,  and  it  takes 
me  morning,  noon  and  night  to  get  some- 
thing  to  live  on.  I  used  to  go  ;  but  I 
have  been  a  hard  character  these  last 
nine  years,  and  we  now  see  the  conse- 
quences of  it."  Who  can  tell,  thought 
1,  but  here  is  an  immortal  spirit  that 
may  yet  be  a  star  in  the  Redeemer's 
crown  ;  and  does  not  his  providence 
beckon  me  here  to  concentrate  humble 
prayer  and  efforts  ?  I  called  the  next 
day,  and  found  he  was  the  son  of  a 
Methodist  preacher  in  Ireland.  That 
for  about  nine  years  he  had  frequented 
the  grog-shop,  and  often  reveled  in  gross 
intoxication,  which  led  to  quarrels,  abuse 
of  his  family,  and  want  of  bread  to  sat- 
isfy their  hunger.  His  Sabbaths  were 
whiled  away  among  intemperate  com- 
panions ;  he  had  become  an  advocate  of 
infidelity,  and  for  about  three  years  had 
not  entered  the  sanctuary.  After  a 
miserable  fight,  a  few  days  before  I  saw 
him,  from  which  he  reached  home  at 
three  in  the  morning,  no  unusual  hour, 
he  was  about  to  take  fhe  law  of  his  an- 
tagonist, when  he  said  to  himself; 
"  What  a  fool  I  am.  I  am  reduced  to 
poverty  and  misery  ;  my  wife  and  chil- 
dren are  wretched,  and  it  is  all  from 
strong  drink  and  my  ungodly  associates. 
Henceforward,  God  helping  me,  not 
another  drop,  and  no  more  of  such  com- 
pany." 

When  I  manifested  an  interest  in 
his  moral  and  spiritual  welfare,  he 
grasped  me,  as  if  I  had  been  a  deliverer 
sent  from  heaven.  He  felt  that  the  re- 
sistless temptation  lay  in  his  companions, 
and  that  he  must  get  a  new  train  of  so- 
cial influences,  or  he  was  lost.  I  preach- 
ed to  him  "  Christ  crucified" — sin,  and 
salvation  from  sin  through  atoning  blood ; 
and  as  I  saw  him  almost  daily,  for 
many  weeks,  I  found,  all  the  way,  that 
his  sorrow  for  sin,  discernment  of  the 
plan  of  salvation,  love  of  the  Bible  and 
of  the  people  and  sanctuary  of  God, 
went  forward  of  my  anticipations,  so 
814 


that  I  seemed  rather  to  be  watching  how 
the  Spirit  taught  him,  than  teaching  him 
myself. 

His  clothes,  and  his  wife's  clothes, 
which  had  been  pawned,  were  early 
redeemed,  with  other  aid,  that  they 
might  go  to  the  house  of  God  ;  and  he 
was  helped  to  resume  his  business  with 
more  energy  and  advantage.  He  early 
gave  his  name  to  the  total  abstinence 
pledge  ;  read  me  letters  received  in  the 
days  of  his  folly  from  his  father,  which 
rebuked  him  terribly,  especially  for 
abuse  of  his  amiable  wife ;  and  again 
and  again  he  poured  out  the  full  sorrows 
of  his  heart  over  his  heaven-daring  sins. 
At  one  time,  raising  his  right  hand 
clenched,  "  There,"  said  he,  "  are  five 
bones  which  have  been  put  out  of  joint 
in  fighting  in  my  revels.  I  have  been 
a  great  sinner,  and  it  is  a  wonder  I  have 
not  been  cut  off  and  sent  to  hell.  I 
have  been  guilty  of  every  sin  but  mur- 
der— yes,  and  of  that,  too,  a  thousand 
times — I  murdered  Him  who  was  mur- 
dered for  me." 

Speaking  of  the  anguish  caused  by 
his  sins,  I  said,  "  Yes,  but  confessing 
them  to  God,  there  's  a  pleasure  in  the 
pain."  "  Yes,"  said  he  seriously,  in  a 
meditating  mood,  "  there  is — it  is  so— 
I  know  it— I  feel  it." 

Soon  he  began  to  see  more  clearly 
the  sins  of  his  heart,  and  even  when 
hoping  in  Christ,  declared  that  the  sin 
and  short-coming  of  every  day  appeared 
to  him,  and  were,  probably,  in  the  sight 
of  the  heart-searching  God  more  heinous 
than  were  his  outbreaking  sins,  which 
were  against  less  light  and  mercy.  All 
the  earth,  it  would  seem,  would  not 
shake  his  purpose  to  trust  evermore 
wholly  and  alone  in  Christ,  and  join 
himself  irrevocably  to  his  cause  and 
people. 

But  he  did  not  come  alone.  His 
wife  would  sit  in  silence,  listening  to  all 
that  was  said.  I  knew  she  rejoiced  in 
her  husband's  temperance  ;  but  feared 
that  our  religious  conversation  would 
pall  upon  her  ear.  Sometimes  I  said : 
"  I  want  you  to  take  each  other  by  the 
hand,  and  come  together — place  your 
feet  on  the  Rock  of  Ages,  and  devote 
yourselves  to  the  service  of  Christ ; 
train  up  your  children  for  him ;  be   a 


HAPPY  EFFECTS  OF  TRACTS. 


414 


family  for  God,  and  nothing  will  turn 
you  aside."  To  my  surprise  I  soon 
found  that  her  heart  had  syrripathized  in 
all  she  had  heard  ;  and  she  seemed  as 
steadfastly  determined  to  serve  the  Lord 
as  was  her  husband  ;  and  at  length  she 
told  me  that  the  last  three  days  had  been 
the  happiest  of  her  life.  The  care  of 
her  little  ones,  and  a  want  of  clothing 
which  for  some  time  I  did  not  ascertain, 
had  detained  her  from  the  house  of  God  ; 
but  when,  after  about  ten  weeks,  her 
husband  proposed  to  join  the  church, 
she  felt  that  she  also  must  claim  to  eat 
of  "  the  children's  bread."  The  evi- 
dence of  their  saving  conversion  was 
deemed  satisfactory,  and  we,  last  Sab- 
bath, sat  down  together  at  the  table  of 
our  common  Lord. 

The  bonds  that  bound  them  to  their  old 
associates  are  broken,  and  their  friends 
are  the  friends  of  Zion.  They  cheer- 
fully bear  their  privations ;  erected,  some 
weeks  since,  the  family  altar  ;  their 
children  were  in  the  Sabbath  school ; 
and  now  the  first  sound  that  strikes  the 
ear  of  the  father,  as  he  wakes  at  peace 
with  God,  is  often  their  morning  hymn 
of  praise.  The  Bible  and  the  place  of 
prayer  are  loved  ;  and  not  unfrequently 
he,  who  once  scoffed,  points  me  to  pas- 
sages, especially  in  Paul's  epistles,  so 
rich  in  the  fullness  and  glory  of  th^  gos- 
pel and  of  the  cross,  that  I  must  b*ieve 
he  will  have  a  harp  to  strike  to  his  Re- 
deemer's praise  for  ever  and  ever. 

My  own  soul  has  been  richly  blessed 
in  these  interviews.  I  thank  and  praise 
God  for  them  and  for  what  he  has  done. 
Give  me  the  joy  of  such  labors,  and  it 
is  enough,  till  I  join  the  song  of,  1  trust, 
these  and  all  redeemed  spirits  before  the 
throne. 

(k)  THE   STRIKING   PICTURE. 

■In  a  large  manufacturing  town  in  the 
West  Riding  of  Yorkshire,  some  pious 
persons  were  in  the  habit  of  leaving 
tracts  at  the  different  dwellings  of  the 
poor.  This  was  done  every  Sunday 
morning,  and  the  same  tract  was  depos- 
ited at  each  habitation.  On  one  occa- 
sion, the  tract  which  came  in  course  for 
circulation,  was  the  narrative  of  "  Wil- 
liam Kelly."  There  was  a  cut  on  the 
frontispiece   to  this  tract   representing 


the  subject  of  the  story  sneaking  bare- 
headed from  the  presence  of  the  storm- 
ing hostess,  who  had  seized  his  hat  as  a 
security  for  a  public-house  score.  Such 
a  circumstance  actually  did  take  place, 
and  proved  the  turning  point  in  his  life 
who  was  afterwards  appropriately  desig- 
nated "  The  Happy  Christian.'''  The 
disgrace  of  the  incident  induced  sober 
reflection,  sober  reflection  issued  in  re- 
pentance, and  repentance  in  one  of  the 
most  pleasing  specimens  of  lowly  piety 
that  modern  days  can  furnish. 

This  tract,  thus  embellished,  was 
left  at  the  house  of  one  of  the  most  prof- 
ligate drunkards  in  the  place  ;  and  to 
him,  strange  to  say,  a  circumstance  pre- 
cisely similar  to  that  which  arrested 
Kelly  in  his  career,  had  occurred  the 
evening  before.  His  hat  being  detained 
for  debt  by  the  landlady  of  a  neighbor- 
ing alehouse,  he  had  hastened  homeward, 
bareheaded,  incensed  and  ashamed,  and 
retired  to  rest  raging  like  a  she-bear 
robbed  of  her  young.  Sunday  morning 
found  him  sullen  and  perturbed ;  he 
hurried  down  stairs  half  dressed,  and 
flung  himself  into  a  chair  which  stood 
beside  the  breakfast  table  ;  when  lo  ! 
the  first  object  that  caught  his  attention 
was  the  frontispiece  of  the  tract  which 
we  have  been  describing,  placed  we  will 
not  say  accidentally,  full  in  his  view. 
Glancing  at  it  with  an  eye  of  fierceness, 
he  seized  it,  and  striking  the  table  with 
his  fist,  at  the  same  time  uttering  a  fear- 
ful imprecation,  exclaimed,  "  Those 
villainous  Methodists  ! — if  they  haven't 
got  me  already  painted  up  to  be  the 
laughing-stock  of  the  town  ;  here  I  am 
without  a  hat.  I'll  be  even  with  them." 
Thus  he  raved  till  the  tempest  of  his 
anger  had  somewhat  exhausted  itself  in 
oaths  and  menaces  ;  then,  prompted  by 
curiosity,  he  thought  he  would  ascertain 
what  was  said  concerning  him.  A  near 
inspection  of  the  object  of  his  wrath  im- 
mediately corrected  liis  preposterous  er- 
ror ;  but  his  curiosity  having  been 
excited,  he  read  the  little  narrative,  and 
the  perusal  was  productive  of  the  happi- 
est effects.  He  resolved,  in  the  strength 
of  God,  that  he  would  reform  ;  he  re- 
paired to  a  place  of  worship,  began  to 
search  the  Scriptures,  and  exhibited  ev- 
815 


415 


TRACTS,  RELIGIOUS. 


ery  symptom  of  real  repentance.  From 
being  a  disgrace  to  society,  a  curse  to 
the  neighborhood,  and  a  scourge  to  his 
family,  he  became  one  of  the  kindest  of 
neighbors,  most  faithful  of  servants,  best 
of  fathers,  and  most  sober  of  men. 

The  lessons  to  be  gathered  from  this 
interesting  incident  are  sufficiently  ob- 
vious. It  needs  no  comment.  There 
is,  however,  one  particular  which  de- 
serves to  be  appended,  because  it  strik- 
ingly illustrates  the  principal  inference 
which  ought  to  be  deduced  from  the  fact ; 
even  the  perfection  of  that  Providence 
which  orders  the  minutest  circumstances 
in  wisdom.  I  well  remember  that  the 
venerable  author  was  not  a  little  cha- 
grined, when  he  first  saw  the  cut  with 
which  his  production  was  decorated : 
he  deemed  it  unfair  to  give  such  promi- 
nence to  the  most  disgraceful  feature  in 
the  history  of  his  friend.  Yet  this  very 
picture,  insignificant  as  it  might  seem, 
was  destined  to  conduce  to  an  event 
which,  contemplated  in  its  bearings  on 
eternity,  is  of  a  magnitude  too  mighty 
for  a  man  to  grasp. 


41§.   Suicide  Prevented. 

(a)  TRACT  IN  THE  BARBER'S 
SHOP. — At  the  annual  meeting  of  the 
Religious  Tract  Society,  in  1824,  the 
Rev.  S.  Curwen  related,  that  a  poor 
man  was  reduced  to  profligacy,  and  de- 
termined to  rush,  unbidden,  into  eternity. 
He  went  into  a  barber's  shop,  intending 
to  use  one  of  the  razors  for  his  horrid 
purpose.  The  boy  had  a  broad  sheet 
in  his  hand,  containing,  "  The  Swear- 
er's Prayer  :"  it  had  been  left  there  to 
be  affixed  to  the  wall.  It  engaged  the 
attention  of  this  wretched  man.  It 
struck  him  to  the  soul ;  he  forgot  his 
purpose,  but  he  could  not  forget  what 
he  had  just  read  ;  ii  brought  him  event- 
ually to  sit  at  the  feet  of  our  Savior,  "  in 
his  right  mind." 

(b)  THE  TRACT  AND  THE 
HALTER.— Tl\e  following  interesting 
fact  was  communicated  to  the  Board  of 
the  American  Tract  Society : 

A  gentleman  of  respectable    family 
and  genteel  appearance,  while  traveling  j 
816 


on  Long  Island,  indulged  repeatedly  in 
drinking  ardent  spirits,  contrary,  it 
would  seem,  to  his  usual  practice  ;  and, 
before  he  was  aware,  he  became  intoxi- 
cated. Deeply  mortified  at  finding  him- 
self in  this  situation,  he  resolved,  in  a 
rash  moment,  to  destroy  himself,  and 
for  this  purpose  retired  to  the  woods. 
After  finding  a  suitable  place,  he  took 
frcim  his  hat  the  handkerchief  with  which 
he  intended  to  execute  his  dreadful  pur- 
pose ;  but,  providentially,  with  the  hand- 
kerchief he  drew  out  from  his  hat  a 
little  tract,  which  arrested  his  attention. 
It  had  on  the  title-page,  "  A  Word  in 
Season."  He  perused  it ;  it  struck  con- 
viction to  his  heart ;  he  instantly  fell  on 
his  knees,  cried  to  God  to  have  mercy  on 
him,  and  after  continuing  some  time  in 
earnest  prayer,  arose,  and  made  his  way 
to  a  neighboring  house,  where,  happily, 
a  pious  Christian  dwelt.  Here  he  gave 
no  sleep  to  his  eyes,  but  spent  the  whole 
night,  like  Jacob,  wrestling  with  God. 
In  the  morning  he  returned  to  the  city, 
thanking  God  for  the  deliverance  he  had 
effected,  through  the  instrumentality  of 
the  "  Word  in  Season." 

(c)  SUICIDE  PREVENTED.— 
The  Rev.  Basil  Wood  once  related  in  a 
sermon,  that  a  person  belonging  to  his 
congregation,  who  had  for  some  time  been 
confin|d  by  sickness,  derived  great  ben- 
efit from  reading  a  certain  tract.  While 
thus  confined,  he  was  visited  by  an  ac- 
quaintance who  appeared  to  be  laboring 
under  great  depression  of  spirits.  His 
sick  friend,  observing  his  dejected  frame 
of  mind,  pointed  to  the  tract  lying  on  the 
table,  and  requested  him  to  sit  down 
and  read  it  to  him.  He  assented,  and 
had  not  proceeded  far  in  his  task  before 
his  whole  attention  became  absorbed  in 
the  contents  of  the  tract.  As  he  read 
on,  his  heart  became  more  and  more 
affected,  till  at  length,  unable  to  control 
his  feelings,  he  burst  into  tears,  and 
pulling  a  weapon  of  destruction  from  his 
pocket,  threw  it  upon  the  floor,  exclaim- 
ing, "  There,  with  that  weapon  I  was : 
just  going  to  take  away  my  own  life,  but 
thought  I  would  first  look  in  to  see  yoi 
once  more  before  I  committed  the  hor- 
rid deed.  What  I  have  now  been  read<»J 
ing  has  saved  me." 


HAPPY  EFFECTS  OF  TRACTS. 


416 


416.  Conversion  of  the  Heathen. 

(a)  FIRST  ORIYA  CONVERT.— 

*'  The  conversion,"  says  a  quarterly 
missionary  paper,  "  of  Gunga  Dhor, 
the  first  Oriya  convert,  a  Brahmin  of 
high  caste,  and  of  great  respectability 
and  influence  among  his  own  people  of 
every  class,  was  an  event  of  no  ordi- 
nary importance.  It  may,  in  truth,  be 
said,  that,  when  Gunga  Dhor  threw  off 
his  poita,  the  badge  of  his  divinity,  and 
assumed  a  Christian  profession  by  pub- 
lie  baptism,  the  temple  of  Juggernaut 
received  a  severe  shock.  Then,  that 
progress  of  ruin  commenced,  which 
will  work  till  one  stone  shall  not  be 
left  upon  another,  which  shall  not  be 
thrown  down.  When  he  delivered  his 
first  Christian  address,  the  Brahmins 
gnashed  their  teeth  upon  him  and  ut- 
tered their  curses  and  imprecations, 
wishing  that  he  might  die. 

"  The  first  Christian  light,  which  en- 
tered Gunga  Dhor's  mind,  was  from  a 
small  tract,  (written  by  Rev.  Mr. 
Ward),  entitled  '  Jugernatha  Ruth  na 
chullebar  a  kottha,'  or  '  The  account 
of  the  not  proceeding  of  Juggernaut's 
car.'  The  tract  induced  in  his  mind 
a  supreme  contempt  for  that  idol ;  then 
he  found  other  tracts  and  single  Gos- 
pels ;  these  led  him  to  the  houss  of  the 
missionary  at  Cuttack,  whom  he  woke 
from  his  bed  very  early  in  the  mor- 
ning of  January  1,  1828,  begging  an 
explanation  of  his  books.  Mr.  Sutton 
was  immediately  sent  for  ;  and  '  great 
was  the  day,  the  joy  was  great,'  when 
the  missionaries  met  the  first  Christian 
inquirer  at  Orissa.  Ho  accompanied 
Mr.  Lacey  on  a  tour  to  Calcutta  ;  saw 
Dr.  Carey ;  returned  to  Orissa ;  part- 
ed with  kindred,  friends,  and  every 
thing  for  Christ;  was  baptized,  and 
became  a  laborious  and  faithful  native 
Christian  evangelist." 

(b)  RENOUNCING  MOHAM- 
MEDANISM.—"  On  a  late  visit  to 
Soerabaya,  Java,"  says  Mr.  Medhurst, 
in  1841,  "  I  was  informed  of  a  spirit  of 
inquiry  which  had  broken  out  among 
the  natives  of  a  village  about  eight 
miles  from  that  town,  forty  of  whom 
had  resolved  to  renounce  Mohammed- 

52 


an  customs,  and  to  adopt  the  profession 
of  Christianity. 

On  inquiry,  it  appeared  that  one  of 
them  formerly  obtained  a  tract,  at  the 
annual  fair  held  at  Soerabaya,  from 
which,  he  learned,  that  he  was  a  sinner, 
and  in  danger  of  perdition,  while  the  on- 
ly Savior  to  whom  he  could  look  for  help, 
was  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God. 
He  communicated  his  views  to  some 
of  his  fellaw-villagers,  who  shared  with 
him  in  a  desire  to  know  more  of  this 
new  way.  They  accordingly  proceed- 
ed further  into  the  interior,  to  the 
house  of  a  Dutchman,  who  was  in  the 
habit  of  instructing  his  tenants  in  the 
outlines  of  Christianity ;  and  having 
been  taught  by  him  to  a  certain  extent, 
they  were  directed  to  go  back  to  Soer- 
abaya, and  inquire  further  after  Chris- 
tians there.  This,  they  accordingly 
did,  and  have  continued  to  this  time 
coming  and  going  weekly  for  instruc- 
tion. 

They  abstain  from  work  on  the  Sab- 
bath day ;  when  they  meet  together, 
they  read  the  New  Testament,  sing  the 
tracts  for  hymns,  and  offer  up  such 
prayers  as  they  find  therein  contained. 
They  have  committed  to  memory  a 
short  catechism,  printed  in  Javanese, 
and  know  a  great  portion  of  the  con- 
tents of  the  tracts  by  heart. 

Their  knowledge  of  Christianity  is 
of  course  circumscribed,  but  they  stick 
fast  to  the  great  truth  of  trusting  in 
Jesus  Christ  alone  for  salvation.  I 
gave  them  what  instruction  I  could, 
during  my  stay,  and  put  means  in  ope- 
ration for  having  them  regularly  visited 
in  their  own  village,  for  the  purpose  of 
maintaining  Christian  worship  among 
them. 

(c)  WHAT  TWO  CENTS  CAN 
DO.— The  Rev.  Dr.  Scudder,  1842, 
says,  "  A  young  man  belonging  to 
Panditeripo  received  from  Rev.  Mr. 
Poor,  the  tract,  '  Heavenly  Way  J  On 
reading  it,  he  came  to  converse  with 
me  on  the  subject  of  the  Christian  re- 
ligion ;  placed  himself  under  the  in- 
struction of  the  sanctuary  ;  dedicated 
himself  to  Jesus  in  a  covenant  never  to 
be  broken  ;  and  in  due  time  was  receiv- 
ed into  the  communion  of  the  church. 
817 


416 


TRACTS,  RELIGIQUS. 


This  young  man  became  a  valuable 
helper  in  making  known  the  Gospel  of 
Christ,  and  is,  so  far  as  I  know,  at  this 
day  devoting  his  energies  to  the  same 
momentous  work. 

His  conversion  was  followed  by  a 
younger  brother  of  his  being  brought 
under  religious  instruction.  He  attend- 
ed a  meeting  which  I  held  for  candi- 
dates for  the  church,  for  nearly,  or 
quite,  a  year,  when  he  was  suddenly 
taken  off  by  the  cholera.  When  near 
to  death,  his  mother  told  him  that  she 
must  make  offerings  to  her  god,  that  he 
might  be  induced  to  restore  him.  The 
little  boy  replied,  '  I  do  not  worship 
idols  ;  I  worship  Christ  the  Lord,  and 
if  he  is  pleased  to  spare  me  a  little 
longer  in  this  world,  it  will  be  well ;  if 
not,  he  will  take  me  to  himself.'  Not 
long  after,  he  lifted  up  his  dying  voice 
and  uttered,  '  I  am  going  to  Christ  the 
Lord,'  and  I  trust  slept  in  Jesus. 

After  the  death  of  the  little  boy,  the 
hoary-headed  father  came  forward  ^\>A 
publicly  professed  his  faith  in  the  Lora 
Jesus. 

As  the  young  man  after  his  conver- 
sion could  not  marry  a  heathen,  he 
chose  a  young  female  among  his  rela- 
tions, whom  he  wished  to  marry,  and 
had  her  sent  to  the  Oodoovill  boarding- 
school.  There  she-  remained  a  heathen 
three  years ;  but  in  the  ever  to  be 
remembered  season,  in  which  God  vis- 
ited the  school  at  that  place,  in  1833, 
she,  with  nearly  twenty  others,  was 
humbled  at  the  foot  of  the  cross,  and 
publicly  professed  her  faith  in  Christ. 
They  have  long  since  been  united  in 
marriage,  and  T  hope  are  training  up  a 
Christian  family  in  that  land  of  dark- 
ness. Such  is  the  history  of  a  tract, 
which  cost  about  two  cents,  and  how 
much  more  good  in  ages  to  come  it 
may  do,  will  best  be  known  in  that  day 
when  the  affairs  of  the  world  are  to 
come  to  a  close. 

{d)  PERSECUTED  HINDOO.— A 
Hindoo  met  a  missionary  in  India  one 
day,  and  had  ten  minutes'  conversation 
with  him.  It  was  a  rule  with  the  mis- 
sionary, not  to  leave  any  one  without 
giving  him  a  copy  of  the  Scriptures,  or 
a  tract.  He  gave  the  man  some  tracts 
and  a  copy  of  the  New  Testament, 
818 


and  heard  no  more  of  him.  He  al- 
most forgot  him.  But  the  man  did  not 
forget  the  missionary.  He  read  the 
books,  and  as  he  read  them,  he  began 
to  feel  that  he  was  a  sinner,  and  need- 
ed some  better  Savior  than  a  dumb 
idol.  Gradually  he  left  off  worshiping 
idols,  and  no  longer  paid  any  thing  to- 
wards the  support  of  the  temple.  Soon, 
he  said,  "  I  want  to  go  and  see  the 
missionary  again."  He  had  several 
grown  up  children,  and  they  exclaimed, 
"  No,  you  shall  not  go ;  for  you  will 
only  receive  more  tracts,  and  you  will 
disgrace  us  among  our  people."  At 
the  same  time  they  brought  fetters,  and 
bound  him  hand  and  foot,  so  that  the 
poor  man  could  not  stir.  No  Christian 
was  near  to  encourage  him  or  to  in- 
struct him ;  but  Christ  was  near,  and 
he  prayed  for  the  man,  that  his  faith 
might  not  fail.  It  did  not  fail.  He 
still  resolved  that  as  soon  as  his  fetters 
were  unloosed,  he  would  find  his  way 
to  the  Christian  teacher.  For  thirteen 
years  he  was  kept  in  chains !  But  the 
Hindoo  man  had  read  his  New  Testa- 
ment too  well  to  forget  it ;  and  had 
learned  too  much  of  his  Savior's  love 
to  give  it  up. 

How  do  you  think  he  gained  his 
release  at  last?  A  wedding  was 
about  to  take  place  in  the  family,  and 
his  children  were  anxious  that  he 
should  go  to  it ;  so  they  unchained  him. 
He  took  good  care  to  put  the  tracts  and 
the  Testament  in  his  cloth  under  his 
arm,  without  the  knowledge  of  his 
friends.  He  went  to  the  place  where 
the  marriage  ceremony  was  to  be  per- 
formed, and  when  they  were  all  busy 
and  excited  in  the  festival,  he  gave 
them  the  slip,  and  made  the  best  of  his 
way  to  the  missionary's  house,  which 
was  twenty-five  miles  off.  When  he 
arrived  there,  the  missionary  did  not 
remember  him.  He  looked  at  him 
from  head  to  foot,  but  could  not  recall 
him.  No  wonder!  it  was  fourteen 
years  since  he  had  seen  him,  and  then 
only  for  ten  minutes.  The  man  said 
to  him,  "I  wish  to  be  a  Christian." 
He  replied,  "  What  do  you  know  about 
Christianity  ?"  He  said,  "  Ask  me 
some  questions,  and  I  will  tell  you 
what  I  know."     The  missionary  asked 


HAPPY  EFFECTS  OF  TRACTS. 


417 


him  some  questions,  and  he  answered 
them  all  very  correctly.  Of  course, 
the  missionary  was  very  much  surpris- 
ed, and  he  inquired  of  the  man,  how 
he  had  gained  his  knowledge  of  Jesus. 
He  replied,  "  Did  you  not,  when  you 
passed  by  my  village,  fourteen  years 
ago,  give  me  some  tracts  ?  They 
taught  me  that  Christ  is  the  only  Sav- 
ior, and  I  was  unhappy  as  long  as  I 
was  a  heathen.  I  have  for  some  time 
left  oft'  idol  worship ;  and  I  should 
have  come  to  you  before  now  to  tell 
you  that  I  believed  in  Jesus,  but  I  have 
been  chained  to  my  house."  He  then 
showed  the  wounds  which  the  fetters 
had  made  on  his  hands  and  his  feet.  The 
missionary  was  glad,  and  after  some 
further  conversation  with  him,  in  the 
course  of  a  few  weeks,  baptized  him  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus. 


417.  Conversion  of  Infidels. 

(a)  CHANGING  BOOKS.— A  pastor 
in ,  related  in  substance  the  follow- 
ing fact :  An  infidel  in  Western  New- 
York  wished  him  a  few  years  since  when 
residing  there,  to  read  one  of  his  books. 
He  consented  to  do  it  on  one  condition, 


viz.,  that  the  infidel  would  read  one  of 
his  in  turn,  which  was  "  Leslie's  Short 
Method  with  Deists. '^  It  was  the  means, 
under  God,  of  his  hopeful  conversion  ; 
and  of  the  many  whose  minds  he  had 
before  polluted,  he  was  the  instrument 
of  bringing  back  ten  or  twelve  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  truth. 

(b)  DESTROYING  OxNE'S  OWN 
WORKS. — A  young  man,  says  a  tract 
distributer,  who  has  aided  me  zealously 
for  a  week  in  the  distribution  of  vol- 
umes, informs  me  that  a  few  months 
ago  he  was  the  ringleader  of  about  fifty 

infidels  in .    He  was  their  preacher; 

and  that  he  might  make  the  Bible  ridi- 
culous, he  says  he  has  taken  it,  and  in 
reading  it  publicly,  put  in  words  and 
taken  out  others,  to  show  his  hearers  that 
U  contradicts  itself!  The  Tract,  "  The 
Sinner  Condemned  Already,'^  was  the 
means  of  his  conversion,  and  he  enter- 
tains a  lively  feeling  of  gatitude  to  the 
American  Tract  Society  as  the  means 
of  his  salvation.     He  is  now  anxious 


to  prepare  to  preach  the  Gospel,  that  he 
may  build  up  the  faith  he  has  labored 
so  hard  to  destroy.  He  has  assembled 
his  infidel  friends,  renounced  his  infi- 
delity, and  preached  Christ  to  them, 
which  he  intends  to  do  day  by  day. 

(c)  THE  INFIDEL'S  PRINCI- 
PLES SHAKEN— I  was  requested, 
writes  a  Christian  minister  at  Godalming, 
in  Surrey,  (England,)  to  visit  a  poor 
man  who  was  ill.  Upon  inquiring  as 
to  his  previous  character,  I  found  that 
he  had  been  the  leader  of  a  band  of 
infidels,  who  assembled  weekly  to  con- 
temn the  Bible.  I  went ;  he  confessed 
what  he  had  been,  and  expressed  a  de- 
sire for  spiritual  instruction.  The  third 
chapter  of  J^hn  was  the  one  I  chose  for 
reading,  after  which  I  prayed  with  him, 
and  left.  The  following  week  I  heard 
he  was  very  desirous  to  see  me.  I 
went,  found  him  anxious  to  know  "  how 
he  could  be  born  again."  He  was 
much  worse  in  body,  and  too  ill  to  walk 
across  the  room  ;  but  while  I  was  en- 
gaged in  prayer,  he  got  out  of  bed,  and 
knelt  by  my  side.  When  leaving,  I 
offered  him  a  small  donation,  when  he 
replied,  "  I  don't  want  your  money,  but 
your  instructions  and  your  prayers.  Do 
come  again."  I  visited  him  many  times, 
and  have  reason  to  believe  he  was  a 
sincere  penitent. 

A  short  time  before  he  died  he  said, 
"  There  is  one  thing  which  I  am  anxious 
to  know.  Soon  after  I  was  afflicted,  a 
person  brought  me  a  small  packet,  but 
v/as  not  to  give  it  to  me  unless  I  should 
engage  to  ask  no  questions.  I  promised, 
and  found  a  tract  and  half-a-crown. 
The  tract  must  have  been  sent  by  some 
one  who  knew  my  character  and  prin- 
ciples, and  before  I  die  I  should  like  to 
know  the  person."  I  knew  the  history, 
and  satisfied  him ;  but  asked,  "  What 
effect  had  the  tract  upon  you."  He 
replied,  "  it  shook  my  principles,  and 
set  me  thinking."  He  had  forgotten  its 
title,  but  said  it  commenced  with,  "  How 
do  you  use  your  reason  ?"  T  said,  "  I 
regard  you  now  as  a  dying  man,  and  I 
ask  upon  what  are  you  placing  your 
hope  of  mercy  ?"  He  replied,  "  Only 
upon  Christ."  I  said,  "  What !  upon 
Him  whom  you  have  openly  blasphem- 
ed ?"  "  Yes ;  wretch  that  I  have  been !" 
819 


41§,  419 


TRACTS,  RELIGIOUS. 


Shortly  after  he  died,  and,  I  trust,  en- 
tered into  peace. 

418.  Converts  Distinguished  for  Usefulness. 

(a)  BECOMING  A  MAN-OF- 
WAR'S-MAN.— I  know  a  man,  said 
Rev.  Mr.  Lord,  seaman's  chaplain  at  Bos- 
ton, who  is  now  a  member  of  the  church, 
and  was  hopefully  converted  four  years 
ago  by  reading  "  Little  Henry  and  his 
Bearer  J^  He  went  home ;  but  on  re- 
flection, made  up  his  mind  to  go  on 
board  a  man-of-war,  for  the  purpose  of 
doing  good.  He  shipped  at  Charlestown, 
furnishing  himself  with  tracts.  Bibles, 
and  the  Society's  volumes.  The  crew 
were  so  wicked,  that  at  thfe  end  of  nine 
months,  the  chaplain  was  compelled  to 
leave  the  ship.  But  this  man  and  one 
or  two  other  pious  men  remained.  At 
last  God  blessed  him.  One  of  the  men 
was  sent  up  to  the  fore-top-sail  as  a 
punishment.  He  asked  this  man  to  lend 
him  a  book,  which  he  did.  He  was  a 
wicked  man,  and  had  been  accustomed 
to  read  Tom  Paine  and  similar  works. 
But  now  he  came  down  serious,  and 
inquired  what  he  should  do  to  be  saved. 
God  opened  the  windows  of  heaven, 
and  in  three  weeks  there  were  between 
twenty  and  thirty  inquirers,  and  fifteen 
or  twenty  entertaining  hope.  There  was 
great  and  continued  opposition  from  the 
officers.  But  at  the  end  of  three  years 
and  a  half  the  vessel  arrived,  and  eleven 
men  who  had  endured  this  fiery  perse- 
cution all  this  time,  sat  down  to  comme- 
morate the  dying  love  of  Jesus. 

(5)  THE  PHYSICIAN'S  EARLY 
IMPRESSIONS.— A  pious  young  phy- 
sician called  on  a  gentleman  one  day, 
after  friendly  salutations  and  expres- 
sions, of  Christian  affection,  said,  "  Do 
you  know,  sir,  how  much  I  am  indebted 
to  you,  for  giving  me  a  tract  many  years 
ago  ?"  His  friend  told  him  he  had  no 
knowledge  of  ever  presenting  him  with 
one  ;  but  recollecting  that  the  father  of 
this  young  physician  formerly  kept  a 
turnpike-gate,  and  that  often,  when  he 
stopped  to  pay  his  toll,  he  used  to  give 
tracts  to  the  children  who  were  playing 
about  the  door,  it  occurred  to  him  a  spos- 
sible,  that  he  might  have  given  him  one 
on  some  of  these  occasions.  "  When 
830 


I  was  a  boy,"  said  the  physician,  "  you 
gave  me  a  tract,  as  you  were  riding  by 
my  father's  house,  and  the  first  words 
that  caught  my  eye  were,  '  Stop,  poor 
sinner !  stop,  and  think.'  I  was  much 
affected  with  the  whole  hymn  beginning 
with  these  words,  and  committed  it  to 
memory.  Five  years  ago,  while  a 
member  of  an  university,  in  a  time  of 
universal  attention  to  religion,  I  was 
present  at  a  meeting  for  prayer  and 
other  devotional  exercises,  when  they 
commenced  singing  the  hymn,  '  Stop, 
poor  sinner !  stop,  and  think.'  My  early 
impressions  were  all  instantly  revived  : 
I  saw  that  I  was  ruined  by  sin  ;  that 
an  eternity  of  woe  was  before  me ;  and 
I  found  no  peace  till  I  looked  to  the 
Savior  who  was  crucified  for  me ;  and, 
as  I  hope,  by  true  repentance  and  faith 
in  his  blood,  gave  myself  to  him,  to  be 
his  for  ever."  This  student  became  an 
active,  pious,  praying  physician. 

419.  Converts  becoming  Ministers. 

(a)  DR.  COKE  AND  HIS  HOS- 
TESS'  FAMILY.— In  attempting  to 
cross  a  river  in  America,  Dr.  Coke 
missed  the  ford,  and  got  into  deep  water ; 
he  and  his  horse  were  carried  down  the 
stream,  and  were  in  considerable  din- 
ger ;  he  caught  hold  of  a  bough,  and 
with  some  difficulty  got  upon  dry  land  ; 
his  horse  was  carried  down  the  stream. 
After  drying  his  clothes  in  the  sun,  he 
set  out  on  foot,  and  at  length  met  a  man, 
who  directed  him  to  the  nearest  village, 

telling  him  to  inquire  for  a  Mrs. , 

from  whom,  he  had  no  doubt,  he  would 
receive  the  kindest  treatment.  Dr. 
Coke  found  the  good  lady's  house,  and 
received  all  the  kindness  and  attention 
she  could  show  him  ;  messengers  were 
sent  after  his  horse,  which  was  recover- 
ed, and  brought  back.  The  next  morn- 
ing he  took  leave  of  his  kind  hostess, 
and  proceeded  on  his  journey.  After  a 
lapse  of  five  years.  Dr.  Coke  happened 
to  be  in  America  again.  As  he  was  on 
his  way  to  one«of  the  provincial  confer- 
ences, in  company  with  about  thirty 
other  persons,  a  young  man  requested 
the  favor  of  being  allowed  to  converse 
with  him ;  he  assented  with  Christian 
politeness.     The  young  man  asked  him 


HAPPY  EFFECTS  OF  TRACTS. 


419 


if  he  recollected  being  n  such  a  part 
of  America  about  five  years  ago ;  he 
replied  in  the  affirmative.  "  And  do 
you  recollect,  sir,  in  attempting  to  cross 
the  river,  being  nearly  drowned  ?"  "  I 
remember  it  quite  well."  "  And  do 
you  recollect  going  to  the  house  of  a 
widow  lady,  in  such  a  village  ?"  "  I 
remember  it  well,"  said  the  doctor; 
"  and  never  shall  I  forget  the  kindness 
which  she  showed  me."  "  And  do  you 
remember^  when  you  departed,  leaving 
a  tract  at  that  lady's  house  ?"  "  I  do 
not  recollect  that,"  said  he  ;  "  but  it  is 
very  possible  I  might  do  so."  "  Yes, 
sir,"  said  the  young  man,  "  you  did 
leave  there  a  tract,  which  that  lady  read, 
and  the  Lord  blessed  the  reading  of  it 
to  the  conversion  of  her  soul ;  it  was 
also  the  means  of  the  conversion  of 
several  of  her  children  and  neighbors ; 
and  there  is  now,  in  that  village,  a  little 
flourishing  society."  The  tears  of  Dr. 
Coke  showed  something  of  the  feelings 
of  his  heart.  The  young  man  resumed, 
"  I  have  not,  sir,  quite  told  you  all.  I 
am  one  of  that  lady's  children,  and  owe 
my  conversion  to  God,  to  the  gracious 
influence  with  which  he  accompanied 
the  reading  of  that  tract  to  my  mind, 
and  I  am  now.  Dr.  Coke,  on  my  way  to 
conference,  to  be  proposed  as  a  preach- 
er." 

(b)  THE  CAPTAIN'S  CLERK.— 
The  Rev.  J.  C.  Smith  gives  the  inter- 
esting history  of  a  young  man  who  was 
a  friend  of  the  captain  of  the  United 
States  ship  Hornet ;  and  had  engaged 
to  sail  with  him,  from  the  Navy  Yard, 
Brooklyn,  as  clerk  on  the  voyage  in 
which  the  Hornet  was  lost — probably 
in  a  hurricane  in  the  West  Indies.  At 
the  hour  of  sailing  Providence  prevented 
his  embarking — but  he  had  already, 
when  alone  in  the  cabin,  discovered  in 
the  sideboard  drawer  a  tract,  (Fleaven 
Lost,  by  Baxter,)  having  on  the  title- 
page  a  cut,  with  the  words,  "  [f  thou 
art  lost  say  not  that  thou  hast  not  been 
faithfully  warned."  "  I  was  amazed," 
he  says ;  "  I  trembled  ;  I  opened  the 
book  and  read  its  few  but  powerful  pages. 
The  life,  the  energy,  the  reality  I  found 
in  every  paragraph  are  fresh  in  my 
memory.  I  began  to  pray,  I  searched 
the  Scriptures.     I  had  received  a  wound 


which  nothing  could  heal  but  atoning 
blood."  It  was  while  in  this  state  of 
mind  that  the  cruise  was  abandoned. 
On  his  way  home  to  Maryland,  he  found 
in  a  steamboat,  and  read  with  profit, 
another  tract — on  the  authenticity  of 
the  Scriptures.  The  insignia  of  the 
navy  were  laid  aside.  A  desire  to  make 
known  the  love  of  God  to  sinners  was 
awakened  in  his  heart ;  he  began  to 
prepare  for,  and  in  due  time  entered  the 
ministry.  God  has  owned  his  labors 
and  blessed  many  souls  through  his  in- 
strumentality ;  and  few  ministers  have 
a  stronger  hold  on  the  affections  of  their 

people    than    Rev.    A.    W ,    "  the 

captain's  clerk." 

(c)  THE   SOCINIAN   AND  THE_ 
TRACT. — x\t  one  of  the  anniversaries  '] 
in  Paris,  a  clergyman  rose,  and  related    i 
the   case_  of_a  Socinian  minister,  who  i 
had  read   many  books  of  controversy  I 
respecting   the  Divinity  of  Christ,  and  i 
the  kindred  evangelical  doctrines,  but  /  ^■ 
still   remained  a  champion  of  Socinian-  /  (^ 
ism,  living  himself  in  darkness  and  sin.    "~^ 
While  in  this  frame  of  mind,  he  was 
presented    with    a   little   tract,  entitled 
'^The  Best  Friend,"  which  simply  told 
of  J estiC  "There  was  not  one  word  of 
controversy  in  it.     But  he  felt  that  this 
was  just   the  friend   he   needed.     He 
laid    the  tract  on  the  table,  fell  on  his 
knees,  and    yielded    up    his    heart   to 
Jesus.     "  And  now,"  says  the  clergy- 
man, "  I   am  that  man."     He   is  now 


ministers  in    i 


one   of  the   most  devoted 
France. 

(d)  HOUSE-BREAKER  AND 
THE  TRACT.— Hon.  Mr.  Wilson, 
agent  in  Vermont,  writes  that  a  respec- 
table clergyman,  while  residing  at  the 
West,  became  acquainted  with  a  very 
devoted  minister  who  was  converted 
under  the  following  circumstances. 

He  was  long  a  most  abandoned,  dis- 
sipated character.  One  night  he  was 
found  trying  to  get  into  a  neighbor's 
house  at  a  late  hour.  The  family 
were  aroused  by  the  noise,  got  up,  help- 
ed him  in  and  made  him  comfortable 
till  morning,  and  then  put  a  small  tract 
in  the  crown  of  his  hat,  and  sent  him 
home. 

When    he    discovered  the   tract,  he 
wondered    how  it   should    have  come 
821 


420 


TRACTS,  RELIGIOUS. 


there-  He  read  it  again  and  again, 
still  wondering  where  such  a  message 
should  have  come  from.  He  was  final- 
ly brought  under  deep  conviction  for 
sin,  and  fled  to  the  Savior  ;  was  drawn 
to  the  ministry,  and  is  now  a  very  suc- 
cessful preacher' of  the  gospel. 

420.  Revivals  and  Numerous  Conversions. 

(a)  THE  NORWEGIAN  FARMER. 

— Many  years  ago,  a  Norwegian  farmer 
was,  at  the  age  of  twenty-five,  in  the 
habit  of  making  excursions  from  his 
father's  dwelling,  for  the  purpose  of  dis- 
trib  ting  religious  tracts,  which  he  had 
caused  to  be  printed  at  his  own  expense, 
and  which  he  sold  or  gave  away.  The 
effects  of  his  labors  were  perfectly 
astonishing ;  not  less  than  50,000 
peasants  dating  the  period  of  their  con- 
version to  sound  and  vital  Christianity, 
at  the  time  when  they  first  became 
known  to  that  remarkable  individual. 
To  the  sufferings  which  he  had  under- 
gone, it  is  most  distressing  to  advert ;  he 
endured  eleven  several  imprisonments, 
one  of  which  lasted  for  a  period  of  ten 
years.  There  is  a  passage  towards  the 
close  of  his  journal,  dated  in  the  year 
1814,  from  which  it  appears,  that  a  fine 
of  a  thousand  rix-doUars  was  imposed 
upon  him,  and  that  all  which  he  pos- 
sessed on  earth  was  sold  for  the  liquida- 
tion of  that  debt :  he  might  have  escaped 
it,  could  behave  prevailed  on  himself  to 
petition  the  king,  saying  that  he  was 
unable  to  pay  the  amount ;  but  such  was 
his  love  of  truth,  that  no  consideration 
under  heaven  could  induce  him  to  de- 
clare a  falsehood  ;  and,  in  consequence, 
he  suffered  himself  to  be  reduced  to  the 
lowest  degree  of  poverty :  he  allowed 
every  thing  which  he  possessed,  down 
to  the  meanest  utensil,  to  be  sold,  rather 
than  declare  that  which  he  knew  to  be 

{b)  THE  CADET  AND  GREGO- 
RY'S LETTERS.— Bishop  M'llvaine, 
in  an  address  delivered  at  the  anniver- 
sary of  the  Naval  and  Military  Bible 
Society  in  London,  in  May,  1830,  gave 
the  following  pleasing  statement : — 

I  was  appointed  chaplain  to  a  military 
academy  in  my  native  country.  I  was 
forewarned  of  the  rugged  soil  which  I 
822 


was  destined  to  cultivate ;  and  was  re- 
commended to  relinquish  all  idea  of 
making  any  progress  in  the  work  of  the 
Lord,  under  such  circumstances  as  those 
by  which  I  was  then  surrounded. 
Shortly  after  my  arrival,  I  received  a 
communication  from  an  officer  in  the  de- 
pot, stating  that  he  should  feel  himself 
accessory  to  a  falsehood,  did  he  not  dis- 
tinctly convey  to  me  a  faithful  account 
of  the  position  in  which  I  was  placed. 
However  I  might  believe  and  rejoice  in 
the  doctrines  which  it  was  my  duty  to 
inculcate,  there  were  those  among  my 
congregation  who  believed  not  a  word  of 
them  ;  and  he  reckoned  himself  among 
the  number  of  the  unbelievers.  He  had 
to  state  further,  that  he  believed  there 
was  not  a  person  in  the  neighborhood 
who  put  the  slightest  faith  in  my  doc- 
trines. 1  have  reason  to  believe  that  the 
I  individual  from  whom  I  received  that 
communication,  professed  opinions  little 
different  from  those  of  an  atheist. 

One  day,  soon  after  my  appointment, 
a  cadet  came  to  my  apartments,  and  told 
me  that  his  father  had  recently  die'd, 
and  that  he  had  enjoined  him  to  come 
and  seek  my  acquaintance.  I  gave  the  ' 
young  man  a  tract ;  it  might  not  produce 
its  effect  at  the  moment,  but  it  was  like 
throwing  bread  upon  the  waters :  there 
was  little  doubt  that  it  would  be  found 
after  many  days.  In  two  weeks  from 
that  period,  a  young  man,  one  of  the 
finest  in  the  academy,  came  to  me,  at- 
tired in  his  full  uniform :  his  eyes  were 
filled  with  tears ;  his  utterance  was 
nearly  choked  with  emotion.  At  first, 
it  appeared  to  me  that  he  had  been  the 
victim  of  some  sad  disaster ;  at  length, 
he  articulated  the  words,  "  Gregory's 
Letters  !"  He  stated  that  he  had  been 
brought  up  without  religion  ;  that  he  had 
lived  unacquainted  with  God  ;  that  his 
mind  was  disposed  towards  skepticism. 
"  Gregory's  Letters"  had  fallen  into  his 
hands ;  and  such  was  the  effect  which 
they  produced  upon  his  heart  and  mind, 
that,  when  reading  them,  he  could  not 
refrain  from  laying  his  hand  upon  the 
table,  and  saying,  "  This  must  be  true." 
He  told  me  that  he  had  found  a  tract  in 
his  room,  but  was  ignorant  hov/  it  came 
there.  I  explained  to  him  how  that 
tract   had   been   given  away  by  me; 


TRAFFIC  IN  ARDENT  SPIRITS. 


420,  421 


and  how  it  had  found  its  way  to  the 
man  by  whom  it  was  needed.  When 
the  young  man  to  whom  I  had  given 
the  tract  was  on  guard,  this  officer  had 
put  the  very  tract  which  he  had  found 
into  his  friend's  hand,  for  the  purpose 
of  ascertaining  how  he  felt  on  the  sub- 
ject of  religion.  The  effect  vvas  such, 
that  in  a  short  time  both  were  on  their 
knees ;  soon  after,  they  came  to  my 
apartments,  and  one  of  them,  throwing 
his  arms  round  my  neck,  inquired  what 
he  should  do  to  be  saved.  It  soon  came 
to  be  whispered  abroad  that  many  per- 
sons were  inclined  to  attend  public  wor- 
ship ;  and  it  was  not  long  before  there 
were  many  professing,  steady,  zealous, 
practical  Christians.     Nor  was  it  long 


before  our  prayer  meetings  were  joined 
by  the  professors  of  military  and  civil 
engineering,  the  professors  of  miner- 
alogy and  chemistry,  and  the  instructor 
of  artillery,  and  as  many  as  seventeen 
cadets. 

(c)  "THE  GREAT  QUESTION 
ANSWERED."— It  is  related  by  Dr. 
Henderson,  that  during  his  travels  in 
Northern  Europe,  he  was  detained  for 
a  time  in  Copenhagen.  While  there, 
he  states  that  he  employed  himself  iu 
translating  the  tract  entitled,  "  The 
Great  Question  Answered,"  and  that 
the  circulation  of  this  tract  had  been 
traced  as  the  source  of  all  the  Bible 
Societies  in  Russia,  Sweden,  and  the 
neifrhborins  countries. 


TRAFFIC  IN  ARDENT  SPIRITS. 


421.  Injurious  to  Customers,  their  Friends, 
and  the  Community. 

(a)  THE   TWO   RED  CENTS.— 

A  grocer  in  Clinton  County,  New- York, 
sold  a  drunkard  a  pint  of  new  rum  ac- 
cording to  law,  and  made  two  red  cents 
clear  projit.  The  drunkard  shot  his 
son-in-law  while  intoxicated  ;  and  his 
apprehension,  confinement  in  jail-,  exe- 
cution, &c.,  cost  the  county  more  than 
one  thousand  dollars,  which  temperate 
men  had  to  earn  by  the  sweat  of  their 
brows  !  What  say  you,  tax-payers,  are 
you  willing  to  pay  a  thousand  dollars 
to  enable  the  grog-seller  to  make  two 
red  cents  ? 

{h)  THE  TWO  RED  CENTS 
AGAIN.— About,  the  1st  of  July,  1843, 
an  Indian,  one  of  those  half-civilized, 
rum-loving  creatures  who  abound  in 
the  West,  stepped  out  of  Cataraugus 
County  into  the  State  of  Pennsylvania, 
where,  it  seems,  men  are  sold  indul- 
gences to  sin,  as  well  as  in  the  Empire 
State  ;  and  then  filled  his  pocket- bottle 
with  real  "red-eye,"  and  the  seller  of 
the  poison  made  two  red  cents  clear 
profit.  While  under  its  maddening  in- 
fluence, he  went  into  a  farmer's  house 
near  by,  with  whom  he  was  totally  un- 
acquainted, and  murdered  a  mother 
and  five  children — all  that   comprised 


the  little  family,  except  the  husband 
and  father,  who  was  from  home. 
When  he  returned  to  his  little  interest- 
ing family  what  a  sight  met  his  eyes  ! 
— enough,  it  would  seem,  to  curdle  his 
blood,  and  change  the  man  to  stone. 
There  lay  the  mother  and  her  five  little 
ones — from  ten  years  of  age  down 
to  infancy — stretched  upon  the  floor, 
swimming  in  blood,  and  all  dead! 
Oh  !  what  desolation  was  there  ! 

(c)  "  WHAT  HAVE  I  DONE  THAT 
I  SHOULD  BE  USED  SO  ?"— 
said  a  forlorn  woman,  whose  appear- 
ance gave  every  assurance  of  poverty 
and  suffering,  while  she  covered  her 
eyes,  no  longer  capable  of  shedding 
tears.     The  fountain  was  dried  up. 

"Used  how?"  I  asked.  "He," 
pointing  to  a  rum-seller  living  on  Ches- 
nut-street,  "he  took  my  husband,  as 
faithful  a  man  as  ever  wedded  woman, 
got  all  his  money,  burnt  up  his  heart, 
ruined  his  body,  palsied  his  tongue, 
and  sent  him  home  to  inflict  on  me  all 
the  curses  which  overhung  his  own 
guilty  head,  and  on  his  family,  shame, 
that  neither  toil  nor  tears  can  wipe 
away  ;  and  now  that  husband  is  in  the 
grave,  with  no  one  to  weep  for  him,  or 
console  his  wife  ajnd  children. 

My  son  caught  the  spirit  and  follow- 
ed the  example  of  his  father ;  was  en- 
823 


422,  423 


TRAFFIC  IN  ARDENT  SPIRITS. 


ticed  by  the  same  rum-seller,  and 
drained  of  all  that  he  could  earn  or 
supply,  till  he  came  back  upon  me,  not 
a  son,  but  a  useless  carcass,  quickened 
with  the  spirit  of  a  fiend,  and  has  end- 
ed his  career,  not  in  death,  but  crime, 
at  the  thought  of  which  I  cannot  hold 
up  my  head ;  widowed,  childless,  and 
old.  Oh  God  I  what  have  I  done  that 
I  should  be  used  so  ?" 

Our  heart  melted  over  this  picture 
of  wo,  as  we  exclaimed,  "  God  will  not 
allow  the  cry  of  the  widow  to  go  un- 
heard, or  her  cause  unavenged." 

Alas  for  the  man  whose  business 
calls  him  to  such  responsibility  ! 

422.  Injurious  to  Traffickers  and  their 
Families. 

(a)  FARMER  TURNING  RUM- 
SELLER. — D.  B.  was  an  industrious 
farmer,  and  by  great  prudence  and 
economy,  had  accumulated  a  capital 
of  near  $5000. — Hitherto,  industry  and 
frugality  had  been  the  only  means  of 
his  advancement,  but  now  more  am- 
bitious thoughts  took  possession  of  his 
mind.  He  resolved  to  live  more  at  ease, 
and  become  a  merchant  in  the  village' 

of .     He  procured    a  license   for 

selling  liquors  to  be  drank  on  the  premi- 
ses. Gradually,  he  became  intemper- 
ate ;  at  the  end  of  three  years,  his  wife 
was  a  widow,  his  children  fatherless! 
The  amount  found  due  the  estate  rather 
exceeded  the  capital  he  had  three  years 
before  embarked  in  the  business :  but 
of  all  these  debts,  less  than  $500  could 
be  collected.  The  remainder  passed 
through  the  hands  of  several  intemper- 
ate customers,  and  the  family  is  left  ut- 
terly destitute. 

425.  Immoral  in  its  Character. 

(a)  THE  PETITIONER  FOR  LI- 
CENSE.— Some  twenty  years  ago,  a 
carpenter,  who  was  tired  of  making  an 
honest  living,  came  to  a  friend  of  mine 
in  Philadelphia,  with  a  petition  for  a 
tavern  license,  which  he  requested  him 
to  sign.  My  friend  looked  at  him,  and 
asked  him  why  he  did  not  stick  to  his 
plane  and  bench  ?  The  answer  was, 
"  Tavern  keeping  is  a  more  lucrative 
trade  ;  I  want  to  get  richer."  "  Well, 
824 


but  do  you  not  think  you  will  be  afford- 
ing additional  facilities  to  drunkards  to 
destroy  themselves  ?"  "  Perhaps  I 
shall."  "Do  you  not  believe  that  at 
least  five  men  every  year  will  die  drunk- 
ards, if  you  succeed  in  getting  a  li- 
cense ?"  "  Why,  I  never  thought  of 
that  before ;  but  1  suppose  it  would  be 
so."  "  Then  if  the  Lord  lets  you  keep 
tavern  ten  years,  fifty  men  will  have 
died  through  your  agency — now  what 
becomes  of  the  drunkard  ?  Does  he 
go  to  heaven  ?"  "  I  suppose  not."  '^l 
am  sure  he  does  not,  for  no  drunkard 
shall  inherit  the  kingdom  of  heaven ; 
what  becomes  of  him  then  ?"  "  Why^ 
he  must  go  to  hell."  "  Well,  do  you- 
not  think  it  will  be  just  if  the  Lord,  at 
the  end  of  ten  years,  sends  you  down  to 
hell  too,  to  look  after  those  fifty  drunk- 
ards ?" — The  man  threw  down  his  pe- 
tition, went  back  to  his  honest  occupa- 
tion, and  was  never  tempted  to  desire  a 
license  again. 

{l)  A  RUMSELLER  NO  GOOD 
CITIZEN.— The  Rev.  John  Chambers, 
of  Philadelphia,  in  a  speech  before  the 
American  tFnion,  said  : — 

"  A  dealer  in  liquor  was  tried  for 
some  crime,  convicted,  and  sentenced 
by  Judge  Parsons.  The  next  day  a 
laywer  waited  upon  the  judge  and  told 
him  he  could  show  a  defect  in  the  pro- 
ceedings wherefore  the  man  should  be 
released.  '  O,'  said  the  judge,  '  that 
matter's  settled.'  '  But,'  said  the  law- 
yer, '  he  is  a  worthy  man.'  '  A  worthy 
man  !'  said  the  judge, '  and  make  drunk- 
ards V  *  But,'  said  the  lawyer,  '  he  i» 
a  good  citizen.'  '  A  good  citizen,'  said 
the  judge,  '  and  fill  up  our  jails  and 
almshouses  and  cause  men  to  commit 
murder  and  arson,  and  every  iniquity  .? 
That  question's  settled,  sir,  and  the  man 
must  abide  by  the  law.'  The  name  of 
that  judge  was  Parsons,  and  may  God 
send  us  more  such  parsons  as  these  !" 

(c)  THE  MYSTERIOUS  WOMAN. 
— At  a  certain  town  meeting,  the  ques- 
tion came  up  whether  any  person  should 
be  licensed  to  sell  rum.  The  clergy. 
man,  the  deacon,  and  physician,  strange 
as  it  may  now  appear,  all  favored.  One 
man  spoke  against,  because  of  the  mis- 
chief it  did.  The  question  was  about 
to  be  put,  when  all  at  once  there  arose 


IMMORAL  IN  ITS  CHARACTER. 


433 


from  one  corner  of  the  room,  a  miser- 
able female.  She  was  thinly  clad,  and 
her  appearance  indicated  the  utmost 
wretchedness,  and  that  her  mortal  career 
was  almost  closed.  After  a  moment  of 
silence,  and  all  eyes  being  fixed  upon 
her,  she  stretched  her  attenuated  body 
to  its  utmost  height,  and  then  her  long 
arms  to  their  greatest  length,  and  rais- 
ing her  voice  to  a  shrill  pitch,  she  called 
upon  all  to  look  upon  her.  "  Yes !"  she 
said,  "  look  upon  me,  and  then  hear  me. 
All  that  the  last  speaker  has  said  rela- 
tive to  temperate  drinking,  as  being  the 
father  of  drunkenness,  is  true.  All 
practice,  all  experience,  declares  its 
truth.  All  drinking  of  alcoholic  poison, 
as  a  beverage  in  health,  is  excess.  Look 
upon  me.  You  all  know  me,  or  once 
did.  You  all  know  I  was  once  the  mis- 
tress of  the  best  farm  in  the  town. 
You  all  know,  too,  I  had  one  of  the  best 
— the  most  devoted  of  husbands.  You 
all  know  I  had  fine,  noble-hearted,  indus- 
trious boys.  Where  are  they  now  ? 
Doctor,  where  are  they  now  ? — You  all 
know.  You  all  know  they  lie  in  a  row, 
side  by  side  in  yonder  church-yard  ;  all 
— every  one  of  them  filling  the  drunk- 
ard's grave  !  They  were  all  taught  to 
believe  that  temperate  drinking  was 
safe, — excess  alone  ought  to  be  avoided  ; 
and  they  never  acknowledged  excess. 
They  quoted  you,  and  you^  and  you,'' 
pointing  with  her  shred  of  a  finger  to 
the  priest,  deacon  and  doctor,  as  authori- 
ty. "They  thought  themselves  safe 
under  such  tender  teachers.  But  1  saw 
the  gradual  change  coming  over  my 
family  and  prospects,  with  dismay  and 
horror ;  I  felt  we  were  all  to  be  over- 
whelmed in  one  common  ruin  ;  I  tried 
to  ward  off  the  blow  ;  [  tried  to  break 
the  spell,  the  delusive  spell — in  which 
the  idea  of  the  benefits  of  temperate 
drinking  had  involved  my  husband  and 
sons  ;  i  begged,  I  prayed  ;  but  the  odds 
were  greatly  against  me. 

"  The  priest  said  the  poison  that  was 
destroying  my  husband  and  boys  was  a 
good  creature  of  God  ;  the  deacon  (who 
sits  under  the  pulpit  there,  and  took  our 
farm  to  pay  his  rum  bills,)  sold  them 
the  poison  ;  the  physician  said  that  a 
little  was  good,  and  excess  ought  to  be 
avoided.      My  poor   husband  and  my 


dear  boys  fell  into  the  snare,  and  they 
could  not  escape,  (there  were  no  Wash- 
ingtonians  then,)  and  one  after  another 
was  conveyed  to  the  dishonored  grave 
of  the  drunkard.  Now  look  at  me 
again,  you  probably  see  me  for  the  last 
time— my  sand  has  almost  run.  I  have 
dragged  my  exhausted  frame  from  my 
present  abode  —  your  poor-house  —  to 
warn  you  all — to  warn  you,  deacon ! — 
to  warn  you,  false  teacher  of  God's 
word ;"  and  with  her  arms  high  flung, 
and  her  tall  form  stretched  to  its  utmost, 
and  her  voice  raised  to  an  unearthly 
pitch,  she  exclaimed — "  1  shall  soon 
stand  before  the  judgment  seat  of  God — 
I  shall  meet  you  there,  you  false  guides, 
and  be  a  witness  against  you  all."  The 
miserable  female  vanished — a  dead 
silence  pervaded  the  assembly — the 
priest,  deacon  and  physician  hung  their 
heads — the  President  of  the  meeting 
put  the  question — Shall  we  have  any 
more  licenses  to  sell  alcoholic  poisons, 
to  be  sold  as  beverage  ?  The  response 
was  unanimous.  No ! 

(d)  A  RUMSELLER  CAUGHT.— 
One  of  the  speakers  at  a  meeting  in 
Northern  Liberties  Temperance  Hall, 
related  the  following  striking  incident : 
He  had  been'  lecturing  at  a  meeting  in 
Jersey,  and  dwelling  quite  plainly  on 
the  course  of  the  rumseller,  when  a 
man  rose  and  said,  "  Sir,  I  am  one  of 
the  trustees  of  this  church,  and  you  call 
me  a  murderer. — You  can't  have  this 
church  to  lecture  in  any  more.  I  ap- 
peal to  those  around  me  to  say  if  I  am 
a  murderer."  A  woman  instantly  rose 
and  cried  out,  "  Yes,  you  are  a  murderer, 
you  murdered  my  husband  by  giving  him 
rum."  Another  woman  exclaimed, 
"Yes,  and  you  murdered  mine  alsof 
This  was  plain  dealing,  and  the  rum- 
seller  and  trustee  must  have  felt  his 
casks  of  liquid  fire  pressing  with  heavy 
weight  on  his  soul  about  that  time. 

(e)  THE  PORTUGUESE  TRAP- 
PICKERS  REPORMED.— Says  the 
Maryland  Temperance  Herald,  a  man 
who  was  in  the  habit  of  selling  a  con- 
siderable quantity  of  liquor,  a  Portu- 
guese by  birth,  who  had  settled  on  the 
eastern  shore  of  Maryland,  related  the 
following  account  of  his  own  experience : 

I  went  to  a  temperance  meeting ;  the 
825 


423 


TRAFFIC  IN  ARDENT  SPIRITS. 


speaker  said  a  good  many  things  which 
hurt  me  very  much.  I  felt  angry  with 
him,  and  would  not  go  any  more  for 
some  time  ;  but  a  short  time  after,  while 
I  was  absent  from  home,  one  of  my 
neighbors  sold  a  man  a  gallon  of  rum, 
he  got  drunk  upon  it,  went  home  and 
killed  his  wife.  When  1  returned,  I 
said  to  myself,  what  if  I  had  sold  this 
man  the  rum  ?  No,  but  1  did  not  sell 
it.  But  something  said,  but  if  you  had 
been  at  home  you  might  have  sold  it  to 
him.  I  said  to  myself,  I  will  sell  off 
what  I  have  very  cheap,  and  then  I  will 
sell  no  more.  But  something  said,  you 
may  sell  to  some  other  man,  and  he  may 
kill  somebody, — that  won't  do.  Then  I 
will  send  it  back  to  Baltimore  to  the 
merchant  I  bought  it  of;  but  something 
said,  that  won't  do.  He  may  sell  it  to 
somebody  who  may  get  drunk  and  kill 
somebody  also;  that  won't  do.  I  heard 
soon  after  of  a  temperance  meeting  ;  I 
went  there ;  I  almost  ran,  I  jumped 
over  the  heads  of  the  people ;  1  said, 
put  my  name  down.     Somebody  said, 

Mr. ,  what  will  you  do  with  your 

liquor  ?  Oh !  I  said,  that  is  settled. 
So  early  the  next  morning  I  turned  all 
my  liquors  out,  and  pulled  out  the  spigot. 
and  said,  from  the  earth  you  came  and 
to  the  earth  you  must  go  back. 

(/)  THE  ELDER'S  TWELVE 
PRAYERS.— Elder  S was  a  dis- 
tiller, carried  on  the  business  largely, 
and  supplied  his  neighbors  with  the  good 
creature.  At  length  one  and  another, 
and  another,  became  drunkards,  squan- 
dered away  their  property,  and  reduced 
their  families  to  beggary  and  wretched- 
ness. Nevertheless,  the  Elder  continu- 
ed to  supply  them,  "  for  the  public  good," 
and  being  a  sober  man,  did  it  very 
regularly.  By  and  by  one  of  his  cus- 
tomers came  to  settle  with  him,  and  on 
settlement  owed  him  twenty  dollars ; 
and  yet  had  nothing  to  pay,  and  nothing 
with  which  to  supply  his  family  with  a 
rag  of  clothing  or  a  morsel  of  bread. 
He  and  they  were  literally  destitute. 
And  the  Elder  inquired  of  himself, 
"  What  has  made  this  man  a  drunkard, 
and  brought  his  family  to  poverty  and 
wretchedness  ?"  Conscience  answered, 
"  Your  whisky."  "  And  who  must 
826 


answer  in  the  day  of  judgment  ?"  said 
the  Elder.  Conscience  replied,  "  You  ;" 
and  spoke  with  a  voice  which  the  Elder 
could  not  but  hear.  He  went  away 
heavy-hearted ;  and  sorely  pressed,  as 
conscience  continued  to  echo,  "  You 
must  answer  at  the  day  of  judgment  for 
making  that  man  a  drunkard."  He 
retired  to  bed,  but  not  to  rest,  or  to  sleep. 
He  got  up,  kneeled  down  and  prayed, 
and  went  again  to  bed,  but  obtained  no 
relief.  He  got  up,  and  kneeled  down 
and  prayed  again,  and  retired,  and  so 
again  and  again,  till  he  got  up,  prayed, 
confessed  his  sins,  implored  mercy, 
prayed  for  the  man  and  his  family 
whom  he  had  ruined,  and  laid  down  no 
less  than  eleven  times.  And  his  distress 
grew  greater  and  greater.  Not  only 
this  man,  but  one,  and  another,  and 
another,  great  numbers  whom  he  had 
made  drunkards,  and  for  whose  ruin  he 
must  answer  at  the  day  of  judgment,  rose 
up  to  his  view,  and  he  was  well  nigh  over- 
whelmed with  the  conviction  of  his  guilt. 
He  rose  and  kneeled  down  the  twelfth 
time  before  God,  and  not  only  confessed 
his  sins,  but  now,  for  the  first  time,  re- 
solved without  delay  to  forsake  them.  He 
promised,  before  the  Lord,  that  no  por- 
tion of  his  time,  or  property,  should  ever 
again  be  employed  in  making  that  which 
tends  to  destroy  the  bodies  and  souls  of 
men.  And  he  meant  what  he  said. 
He  then  laid  down  and  slept  till  morn- 
ing Next  morning  he  rose,  cleared 
out  his  distillery,  and  said  that  no  whis- 
ky should  ever  be  made  there  again. 
He  made  known  his  determination  to 
his  children  and  his  neighbors.  One 
of  them  thought  he  had  become  too  su- 
perstitious, and  offered  them  for  the  use 
of  his  distillery  five  hundred  dollars  a 
year.  But  he  utterly  refused,  saying 
that  none  of  his  property  should  ever 
again  be  employed  by  any  body  in  that 
way.  He  held  to  his  resolution  till  his 
death,  and  tried  to  induce  all  to  follow 
his  example.  With  his  children  he  was 
successful,  and  numbers  of  them  before 
his  death  were  hopefully  made  partakers 
of  divine  grace  and  heirs  of  the  king- 
dom of  God.  The  Elder  appeared  to 
live  the  life  and  die  the  death  of  a  peni- 
tent, and  went  to  give  up  his  account 


UNIVERSALISxM. 


424 


to  the  Judge  of  the  quick  and  dead. 
There  he  expected  to  meet  with  many 
whom  his  business  had  ruined,  but  as, 
during  the  time  of  divine  forbearance, 


he  trusted  that  he  had  confessed  his 
sins,  he  died,  hoping  for  pardon,  through 
the  boundless  mercy  of  God  in  the 
Redeemer. 


UNIVERSALISM. 


424.  Moral  Tendency  of  Universalism. 

(a)  END  OF  THE  SQUIRE'S 
UNIVERSALISM.— Some  three  or 
four  years  since,  (says  the  New- York 
Evangelist  of  1832)  the  Universalists 

of  B ,  Allegany   Co.,   New- York, 

met  for  the  purpose  of  forming  them- 
selves into  a  religious  society;  and 
certain  of  them  supposing  prayer  to  be- 
long to  a  transaction  of  this  kind,  the 
inquiry  was  made  for  some  one  of  the 
"  brethren "  to  open  the  meeting  by 
prayer.  But  in  vain.  Not  one  among 
them  ail  could  be  found  to  open  or  close 
the   meeting   in   this    appropriate    and 

solemn  way  !    One  of  them,  Mr.  H , 

a  justice,  perceiving  this,  and  having 
an  idea  that  religion  was  a  serious, 
prayerful  concern,  "  took  the  hint,"  and 
left  them !  He  thought  it  unsafe  to 
embark  his  religious  and  eternal  in- 
terests with  a  prayerless,  not  to  say 
wicked  people.  Hence  the  beginning 
and  ending  of  the  squire's  Universalism. 

(b)  THE  JUDGE  AND  THE 
PREACHER.— In  one  of  the  Middle 
States,  a  Universalist  preacher  made 
great  efforts  to  establish  a  society  of  his 
own  faith.  A  few  persons,  of  little 
character  and  influence,  were  deeply 
anxious  that  such  a  society  should  be 
formed  amongst  them,  but  knew  not 
how  to  effect  their  object  and  build  a 
house.  It  was  finally  agreed,  that  the 
preacher  and  one  of  his  followers  should 
wait  on  a  distinguished  judge  who  re- 
sided in  tiie  village,  and  solicit  his 
patronage.  The  judge  heard  the  lo- 
quacious preacher  with  great  patience 
for  almost  half  an  hour,  when  he  closed 
by  asking  the  judge's  aid  in  establish- 
ing the  society. 

"  No,"  says  the  judge  :  "  I  shall  not 
be  disposed,  sir,  to  lend  you  any  assist- 
ance in  forming  such  a  society.  For 
in  the  the  first  place,  it  seems  to  me 


that  your  system  of  faith  is  not  support- 
ed by  the  holy  Scriptures.  1  confess  I 
am  not  so  thoroughly  versed  in  those 
writings  as  I  ought  to  be ;  yet  I  should 
hardly  know  how  to  express  the  eternity 
of  future  punishment  more  clearly  than 
I  often  see  it  there  described.  But  this, 
sir,  I  do  believe,  (let  the  Scriptures  say 
what  they  may,)  that  were  all  clergy- 
men to  preach  this  doctrine  which  you 
preach,  there  would  soon  be  a  hell  in 
this  world,  if  not  in  the  next."  The 
judge  then  added  with  seriousness,  that, 
if  all  who  profess  to  preach  the  gospel 
were  to  adopt  and  inculcate  such  senti- 
ments, he  did  not  believe  it  would  be 
possible  to  hold  civil  society  together. 
Human  laws  would  be  trampled  under 
foot,  and  their  penalties,  if  not  backed 
by  Divine  threaten ings,  would  be  but  a 
subject  of  mockery.  With  these  views, 
he  must  be  excused  from  making  any 
efibrts  to  establish  a  Universalist  society 
in  that  place  or  any  other. 

(c)  1  BELIEVE  IT,  BUT  DON'T 
PREACH  IT.— After  Mr.  Haynes 
was  dismissed  from  his  charge  in  Rut- 
land, which  he  had  held  more  than 
twenty  years,  he  was  employed  about 
two  years  as  a  stated  supply  to  the 
Congregational  church  in  Manchester. 
In  this  town  was  a  Universalist  society, 
which  was  supplied  with  only  occasional 
preaching ;  but,  as  in  most  other  cases, 
its  adherents  were  very  fond  of  discuss- 
ing their  sentiments  with  other  denomi- 
nations. One  of  these  took  frequent 
occasion  to  dispute  with  Mr.  Haynes : 
and  though  he  generally,  not  to  say 
always,  came  off  second  best,  he  seemed 
determined  to  renew  the  controversy 
on  every  convenient  occasion. 

At  the  close  of  one  of  these  inter- 
views, apparently  under  the  full  con- 
viction of  his  own  inferiority,  he  said  : 
"  Mr.  Haynes,  you  are  a  learned  man, 
and  I  cannot  argue  with  you ;  but  I 
827 


424 


UNIVERSALISM. 


expect  one  of  our  ministers  here  before 
long,  and  1  intend  to  bring  hinn  to  see 
you ;  he  will  be  able  to  defend  our 
doctrine."  Mr.  Haynes  replied,  in  his 
usual  good-natured  way:  "  O,  well  : 
bring  him  along ;  I  shall  be  pleased  to 
talk  with  him." 

Some  weeks  afterwards,  the  Univer- 
salist  minister  arrived  ;  and  the  parish- 
ioner embraced  the  first  leisure  hour  to 
take  him  up  to  the  village  to  see  Mr. 
Haynes.  On  their  way,  they  were  met 
by  one  of  the  brethren  of  their  own 
faith,  who,  after  learning  whither  they 
were  bound,  advised  them  to  turn  back  ; 
"  for,"  said  he,  "  he  is  an  old  fox,  and 
,  you  can't  get  to  the  windward  of  him." 
They,  however,  persisted  in  their  pur- 
pose, and  soon  arrived  at  the  parson- 
age. 

Mr.  Haynes  was  called  from  his 
study,  to  receive  the  visitors,  without 
knowing  or  receiving  the  least  intima- 
tion who  they  were.  As  he  entered 
the  room,  the  parishioner,  after  ex- 
changing    compliments,    said  :    "  Mr. 

Haynes,  this  is  Mr.  ,  my  minister, 

whom  I  promised  to  bring  to  see  you." 
"How  d'  do,  how  d'  do?"  said  Mr. 
Haynes,  taking  the  minister  familiarly 
by  the  hand ;  *'  well,  you  are  the  man, 
then,  who  preaches  that  men  may 
swear,  and  lie,  and  get  drunk,  and 
commit  adultery,  and  all  other  abomina- 
tions, and  yet  go  to  heaven  after  all  :- 


am  t    you 


No,    no,"    said     the 


Universalist  minister,  "  I  don't  preach 
any  such  thing."  "  Well,"  said  Father 
Haynes,  '•  you  believe  so,  don't  you  ?" 

This  was  a  blow  that  completely 
annihilated  all  desire  for  theological 
discussion,  and  well  nigh  took  away 
the  power  of  utterance  from  both  the 
minister  and  layman.  After  a  few  re- 
marks on  the  state  of  the  weather,  and 
the  pleasant  situation  of  the  village,  the 
minister  said  to  his  attendant :  "  Is  it 
not  time  for  us  to  be  going  ?"  and 
both  withdrew,  apparently  satisfied  to 
dispense  with  all  further  intercourse. 

(d)  LEWIS  C.  TODD'S  TESTI- 
MONY.—Mr.  Lewis  C.  Todd,  who  was 
once  a  Universalist  editor  and  preacher, 
and  subsequently  a  Methodist,  in  a 
work  of  his  published  since  his  change, 
says: 

828 


"  I  became  a  preacher  of  universal 

salvation,  and  was  ordained  as  such  in 
Fairfield,  Herkimer  county,  New-York, 
some  eight  years  ago.  I  believed  the 
doctrine  true,  and  thought  that  in  pro- 
portion as  it  was  propagated,  mankind 
would  become  good  and  happy.  I 
preached  in  difFerenl  parts,  far  and  near, 
and  itinerated  over  an  extensive  region 
of  country,  suffering  the  excesses  of 
heat  and  cold,  and  the  pitiless  peltings 
of  stormy  skies  and  muddy  roads.  No 
danger  or  effort  did  I  consider  too  great 
that  was  possible  ;  for  I  believe,  for  a 
number  of  years,  I  should  often  have 
rejoiced  in  the  martyr's  privilege  of 
attesting  my  faith.  Some  years  since, 
however,  I  occasionally  reflected,  that 
although  the  doctrine  had  spread  much 
further  than  I  anticipated,  it  did  not 
seem  to  produce  the  effects  I  had  ex- 
pected. This  gradually  cooled  my 
ardor  and  diminished  my  zeal,  so  that 
for  some  years  I  cared  but  little  whether 
I  preached  or  not.  In  this  state  of  mind, 
believing  Universalism  to  be  the  true 
sense  of  the  Bible  when  rightly  con- 
strued,  and  being  unable  to  see  any 
considerable  good  resulting  from  the 
system,  I  was  much  inclined  to  doubt 
Divine  revelation.  I  could  not  go 
entirely  into  infidelity,  nor  feel  much 
confidence  in  revelation. 

"  1  had  seen  the  blessed  influences 
of  the  doctrine  spread  out  often  upon 
paper,  but  I  could  not  see  them  any 
where  else !  No — God  knows  I  am 
honest  in  this  assertion.  I  do  not  feel 
to  abuse  the  denomination ;  but  it  is 
true  I  could  not  for  my  life  see  any 
good  resulting  to  society  from  the  senti- 
ment. This  conviction  rolled  in  upon 
my  mind  with  tremendous  effect.  Alas  ! 
thought  I,  have  I  been  spending  my 
'  labor  for  that  which  satisfieth  not  V 
Are  all  my  efforts  useless,  and  only 
tending  to  make  looser  the  restraints 
of  religion  and  virtue  ? 

"  I  know  individuals  among  them  of 
the  most  amiable  dispositions  and  char- 
acters,  that  would  honor  any  profession. 
But  I  do  not  think  that  their  doctrines 
ever  made  them  so.  I  candidly  aver, 
in  the  fear  of  God,  that  I  do  not  believe 
the  doctrine  ever  made  a  single  soul 
any    better  than   he   otherwise    would 


MORAL  TENDENCY  OF  UNIVERSALISM. 


434 


have  been,  while  it  has  been  the  means 
of  removing  necessary  restraints,  and 
giving  latitude  to  thousands  whose  pro- 
pensities and  passions  needed  restraint, 
whereby  they  have  indulged  in  criminal 
pursuits  and  gone  to  perdition. 

"  When  I  learn  of  a  single  drunkard, 
or  gambler,  or  debauchee,  or  knave, 
being  reformed  in  consequence  of  the 
Universal ist  doctrine,  I  shall  think  bet- 
ter of  its  influence  than  I  do  now ;  for 
it  is  my  solemn  opinion  that  such  an 
instance  never  occurred.  And  I  would 
gladly  hold  up  this  truth  to  all  the 
friends  of  the  doctrine,  and  make  it 
speak  out  in  thunder  to  their  con- 
sciences; and  then  ask  them  if  they 
will  still  teach  this  doctrine  to  their 
children. — Millennial  Harbinger,  Vol. 
II.,  p.  492. 

"  I  am  personally  acquainted,"  says 
the  editor  of  the  above-named  periodical, 
"  with  some  four  or  five  Universalian 
preachers,  who  have  joined  the  church 
of  Christ  of  which  I  am  a  member,  who 
all  say  that  Mr.  Todd  speaks  their 
experience,  or  who  all  concur  with  him 
in  opinion." 

{g)  A  CHILD'S  INFERENCE.— 
Some  time  since,  a  gentleman  was  at 

the    house   of   the    widow   W ,  in 

T ,  and  in  the  evening  engaged  in 

vindicating  the  doctrine  of  Universal- 
ism  with  zeal.  The  next  morning,  a 
child  seven  or  eight  years  of  age,  who 
overheard  the  conversation  the  preced- 
ing evening,  said  to  her  mother,  we  may 
now  steal,  lie,  and  do  other  wipked 
things;  for  there  is  no  punishment  for 
us  when  we  die. 

(e)  UNIVERSALIST'S  AT- 
TEMPTS AT  SUICIDE.— The  editor 
of  the  Western  Recorder,  published  at 
Utica,  N.  Y.,  says : — We  recollect  to 
have  been  present  at  the  examination  of 
a  candidate,  who  during  his  relation, 
stated  in  substance  the  following  details  : 
Educated  very  young  in  the  orthodox 
creed,  he  afterwards  lived  among  the 
Universalists,  fully  imbibed  their  senti- 
ments, and  gave  himself  up  to  various 
indulgences,  with  a  view  of  enjoying  a 
heaven  both  here  and  hereafter.  In 
process  of  time  he  became  tired  of  his 
earthly  heaven,  and  thought  it  advisable 
to  die  and  try  the  other.     An  enormous 


dose  of  laudanum  taken  for  this  purpose, 
proved  ineffectual ;  and  a  little  time 
afterwards,  he  removed  into  our  section 
of  the  country.  Once  more  he  thought 
it  advisable  to  exchange  the  present 
heaven  for  a  better  one.  Not  doubting 
of  the  issue  or  fearing  death,  he  settled 
up  his  accounts,  procured  two  new 
pistols,  and  fitted  them  with  cool  delibera- 
tion, till  he  found  they  would  not  miss 
fire.  Having  next  loaded  them,  and 
laid   them  aside  for  future  use,  he  sent 

for  Mr. and  Mr. ,  two  Uni- 

versalist  preachers,  to  stand  by  him,  and 
bear  witness  to  the  world,  that  he  died 
in  the  full  faith  of  that  creed,  and  with 
entire  self-possession.  The  preachers, 
however,  advised  him  to  desist.  He 
gave  his  reasons  for  dying,  and  going 
where  he  should  for  ever  be  free  from 
trouble.  But  they  finally  told  him,  that 
there  was,  after  all,  too  much  reason  to 
fear  that  there  might  be  a  hell.  "  Why 
tlien  do  you  not  preach  so  and  tell  us 
of  it  ?"  said  he.  "  It  will  not  do,"  they 
replied,  "  it  will  make  the  people  crazy." 
Amid  the  conversation  he  stepped  into 
the  hall ;  and,  as  he  believes,  with  entire 
self-possession,  aimed  the  two  pistols  at 
his  head,  and  snapped  them ;  when,  to 
his  great  astonishment,  they  both  missed 
fire,  and  were  afterwards  taken  from 
him.  The  strange  results  of  such  ef- 
forts led  him  to  salutary  reflection.  He 
saw  in  it  the  hand  of  Providence — 
thought  upon  his  past  conduct — began 
to  fear  there  might  be  a  hell,  and  that  at 
least  there  ought  to  be  a  place  of  eter- 
nal punishment  for  one  so  vile  as  he  had 
been.  He  sought  forgiveness  through 
the  blood  of  Jesus ;  determined  to  yield 
unconditionally  to  his  disposal,  and  to 
serve  him  whatever  might  be  the  result. 
(/)  WHO  THAT  BELIEVES  HIS 
DOCTRINE  COULD  BLAME  HIM  ? 
— A  young  man   by  the  name  of  John 

S ,  (whom  the  editor  of  this  work 

knew,)  a  confirmed  Universalist,  resided 

in   the   town  of  R ,    N.   Y.     For 

several  years  he  had  been  subject  to  a 
painful  disease.  One  Sabbath  while 
alone,  and  engaged  in  shaving  himself, 
he  turned  his  razor's  edge  to  his  neck 
and  cut  his  throat.  His  friends,  hear- 
ing,  likely,  some  disturbance,  came  in, 
and  found  him  bleeding  to  death.  They 
829 


424 


UNIVERSALISM. 


rushed  up  to  him  endeavoring  to  stanch 
the  blood,  and  with  agony  and  horror 
besought  the  dying  man  to  tell  them 
why  he  had  committed  so  horrible  an 
act  as  self-murder.  He  was  just  able 
to  tell  them,  that  he  had  suffered  a  great 
deal  from  his  long  illness,  that  he  could 
not  expect  to  recover,  that  he  was  tired 
of  living ;  and  that  being  a  firm  be- 
liever in  the  doctrine  of  Universal  Sal- 
vation, he  had  no  doubt  that  all  would 
be  well  with  him,  and  he  had  taken  this 
step  to  rid  himself  of  his  miseries  and 
go  home  to  heaven  !  This  was  the  sub- 
stance pf  his  explanation.  It  was  found 
impossible  to  save  his  life,  and  in  a  few 
moments  he  expired.  If  all  men  are  to 
be  immediately  happy  at  death,  why  did 
not  John  S.  act  consistently  ?  Probably 
if  those  who  profess  to  believe  the  same 
doctrine,  were  as  confident  of  its  truth 
as  he  was,  very  many  of  them  would 
"  go  and  do  likewise  " — cutting  their 
way  to  heaven  through  their  own  throats, 
or  swinging  thither  in  a  halter  like  Ju- 
das Iscariot. 

(g)  THE  SWEARER  ENCOUR- 
AGED. — Some  time  since,  (says  the 
N.  Y.  Evangelist  of  1832,)  in  the  town 

of ,  in  New- York,  a  number  of  little 

boys,  from  eight  to  ten  years  old,  were 
engaged  in  play  together ;  and  during 
their  sport,  two  boys  of  a  professed 
Universalist  used  much  profane  lan- 
guage, for  which  they  were  reproved 
and  reminded  of  the  awful  consequences, 
by  a  boy  whose  parents  are  pious. 

One  of  them  promised  that  he  never 
would  swear  again,  but  the  other  re- 
plied, "  I  shall  go  to  heaven  if  I  swear 
as  soon  as  those  that  don't  swear. ^^ 

(h)  AFFINITY  OF  UNIVERSAL. 
ISM  FOR  INFIDELITY.— Universal- 
ism  and  modern  infidelity  are  twin  sisters, 
They  mutually  support  each  other. 
We  ventured  the  remark,  says  the  Edi- 
tor of  the  New-York  Evangelist,  a  short 
time  since,  before  a  large  company  of 
infidels,  that  they  had  a  strong  affinity 
for  the  Universal ists — that  they  were 
quite  contented  with  any  kind  of  preach- 
ing that  denied  a  future  retribution, — 
and  that  the  fact  that  the  Bible  taught 
this  doctrine,  was  their  chief  reason  for 
casting  it  away.  We  were  acquainted 
with  the  fact,  that  the  infidels  in  our 
830 


neighborhood  often  frequented  and  pa- 
tronized the  preaching  of  Universalist 
ministers.  One  of  the  chief  speakers 
at  Tammany  Hall  being  present  at  the 
close  of  our  discourse,  in  personal  con- 
versation,  remarked,  that  what  we  had 
said  of  Universalism  was  all  true.  He 
added,  "  They  often  find  fault  with  us 
for  being  infidels.  But  why,  I  tell  them, 
find  fault  with  us  ?  You  have  no  hell 
to  put  us  in  ?" 

(z)  THE  SUICIDE  AND  THE 
DRUNKARD.— Says  the  editor  of  the 
Southern  Religious  Telegraph,  "  We 
have  known  Universalists  from  our 
childhood,  but  we  have  never  known 
one  who  appeared  to  embrace  the  creed 
from  an  honest  conviction  that  it  was 
the  truth  as  taught  by  Jesus  Christ. 
One,  within  the  circle  of  our  acquaint- 
ance, who  was  in  other  respects  a  man 
of  good  moral  character,  and  a  respected 
citizen,  and  who  appeared  to  be  more 
honest  in  his  religious  opinions  than  his 
brethren,  committed  suicide  !  Another 
of  his  fraternity,  who  was  so  religious 
as  to  pray  with  his  family,  and  was 
equally  distinguished  as  a  profane 
swearer  and  a  lover  of  strong  drink, 
died  in  a  drunken  jit,  in  the  street  !  His 
death  corresponded  with  his  life. 

(j)  GETTING  UP  A  UNIVER- 
SALIST  PRAYER-MEETING.— An 
interesting  and  intelligent  young  man 
in  Canada,  gave  decisive  evidence  of 
a  change  of  heart,  and  made  a  pro- 
fession of  religion.  The  church  had 
strong  hopes  of  his  usefulness,  and  the 
firm'est  confidence  in  his  piety ;  but,  for 
some  time  they  were  much  tried,  in 
consequence  of  his  leaning  to  the  doc- 
trine of  universal  salvation.  For  years 
the  church  was  without  any  commu- 
nion or  regular  preaching.  He  wan- 
dered away  from  God  and  his  brethren ; 
and,  for  a  time,  even  the  most  sanguine 
had  almost  given  him  up.  He  had  not, 
however,  utterly  lost  a  sense  of  divine 
things  and  his  own  duty.  And  the  sin- 
gular proposal  which  he  made  to  his 
Universalist  friends,  and  the  result, 
brought  him  to  doubt,  more  than  ever, 
the  practical  tendency  of  their  senti- 
ments. As  some  of  them  worked  in  the 
same  shop,  he  one  day  asked  them, 
"  Why  don't  you  pray — why  don't  you 


ABSURDITY  AND  FOLLY  OF  UNIVERSALISM. 


425 


have  a  prayer  meeting  ?  If  I  am  going 
to  be  a  Universalist,  I  am  going  to  have 
a  prayer  meeting.""  They  found  he 
was  m  good  earnest.  A  Universalist 
prayer  meeting !  How  and  by  whom 
should  it  be  conducted  ?  The  proposal 
was  not  seconded.  He  did  not  succeed. 
Reflection,  and  the  merciful  interposi- 
tion of  God,  seemed  to  humble  him,  and 
brought  him  back  to  the  prayer  meet- 
ing and  the  communion  of  the  church. 

THEORY  REDUCED  TO  PRAC- 
TICE.—A  young  man  in  A.,  N.  Y., 
had  been  visited  by  a  sad  misfortune, 
and  life  had  now  but  few  attractions  for 
him.  In  this  state  of  mind  he  paid  a 
visit  to  a  Universalist  minister,  and  con- 
cealing his  purpose,  questioned  him  very 
pointedly  about  his  belief  respecting  the 
future  destiny  of  different  classes  of  evil- 
doers. "  Do  you  sincerely  believe  that 
the  drunkard  will  be  saved  ?  Will  the 
robber  ?  Will  the  murderer  ?  Will 
THE  Suicide  ?"  To  all  these  questions 
the  minister  promptly  replied  in  the 
affirmative  ;  it  was  his  firm  conviction 
that,  according  to  reason  and  Scripture, 
all  men,  in  whatever  manner  they  lived 
or  died,  would  be  happy  after  death. 
After  hearing  his  views  on  this  subject, 
the  young  man  went  back  to  the  store 
in  which  he  was  clerk,  and  committed 
suicide  in  a  manner  too  shocking  to  de- 
tail. The  next  morning  he  was  found 
dead  in  his  room,  having  literally  cut 
himself  to  pieces.  The  facts  occurred 
at  A.  in  1844,  and  caused  a  great  ex- 
citement at  the  time. 

425.  Absurdity  and  Folly  of  Universalisin. 

(a)  THE  REJECTED  PILLS.— 
In  a  town  in  the  interior  of  America, 
the  board  of  selectmen  who  governed 
its  local  affairs  was  composed  of  four 
universalists,  (or  men  who  contended 
for  the  final  happiness  of  all  mankind, 
whether  believers  or  not,)  and  a  pious 
physician.  They  acted  through  the 
year  in  great  harmony  as  to  the  busi- 
ness of  the  town,  but  at  their  last  meet- 
ing it  was  determined  to  attack  the  doc- 
tor. After  they  had  finished  their  trans- 
actions, one  of  them  said,  "  Doctor,  we 
have  been  very  happy  in  being  associ- 
ated with  you  the  year  past,  and  that 


the  business  of  the  town  has  been  con- 
ducted in  harmony,  and  to  the  satisfac- 
tion of  our  constituents.  We  have  found 
you  to  be  a  man  of  good  sense,  exten- 
sive information,  unbending  integrity, 
and  of  the  purest  benevolence.  It  is 
astonishing  to  us,  that  a  man  of  your 
amiable  character  should  believe  the 
doctrine  of  future  punishment."  The 
doctor  replied,  "  Gentlemen,  I  should 
regret  very  much  the  forfeiture  of  the 
good  opinion  which  your  partiality  has 
led  you  to  entertain  of  me.  Will  you 
have  the  goodness  to  answer  candidly  a 
few  questions  ?  Do  you  believe  in  a 
future  state  V  They  replied,  "  We 
do."  "  You  believe  that  death  will  in- 
troduce all  men  to  a  state  of  perfect 
happiness  ?"  "  Of  this  we  have  no 
doubt."  "  Are  you  now  happy  ?" 
"  We  are  not ;  we  are  far  from  it." 
"  How  do  men  act  when  they  are  un- 
happy, and  know  that  happiness  is  with- 
in their  reach  ?"  "  They  endeavor  to 
I  attain  that  happiness."  "Do  you  be- 
lieve that  I  understand  the  nature  and 
operation  of  medicine  ?"  "  We  have 
no  doubt,  doctor,  of  your  skill  in  your 
profession  ;  but  what  has  that  to  do  with 
the  subject  ?"  "  In  this  box,"  said  the 
doctor,  taking  a  tin  box  in  his  hand, 
"  are  pills,  which,  if  you  swallow  each 
of  you  one,  will,  without  pain,  carry 
you,  within  one  hour,  out  of  this  world 
of  trouble  ;  and,  if  your  doctrine  be 
true,  place  you  in  a  world  of  perfect 
felicity.  Will  you  accept  one  of  them  ?" 
"  No,  sir."  "  Will  you  .?"  "  No,  sir." 
When  they  had  all  refused,  the  doctor 
said,  "  You  must  excuse  me,  gentle- 
men, from  embracing  your  doctrine, 
until  I  have  better  evidence  tliat  you 
believe  it  yourselves."  This  closed  the 
debate. 

(h)    NOT    NEEDED    OR    J^OT 
WANTED.— Mr.  W.,   a  Universalist, 

preaching  at  the  village  of  M ,  where 

a  large  congregation  had  come  out  to 
hear  something  new,  endeavored  to  con- 
vince his  hearers  that  there  is  no  pun- 
ishment after  death.  At  the  close  of 
his  sermon,  he  informed  the  people,  that 
if  they  wished,  he  would  preach  there 
again  in  four  weeks ;  when  Mr.  C,  a 
respectable  merchant,  rose,  and  replied, 
"  Sir,  if  your  doctrine  is  true,  we  do  not 
831 


425 


UNIVERSALISM. 


need  you  ;  and  if  it  is  false,  we  do  not 
want  you." 

(c)  A  UNIVERSALIST  BIBLE.— 
There  once  lived  in  England  a  man 
who  professed  to  believe  in  the  final  sal- 
vation of  all  men.  To  sustain  this  doc- 
trine, whenever  he  came  to  a  passage 
in  the  Bible  which  seemed  favorable  to 
his  creed  he  turned  down  a  leaf.  In 
this  way  he  converted  his  Bible  into  a 
kind  of  Universalist  Text  Book  for  the 
indoctrination  of  his  family.  He  had  a 
son,  who  imbibed  the  sentiments  of  his 
father.  At  the  death  of  the  father,  the 
son  inherited  the  Bible  referred  to,  and 
in  accordance  with  paternal  example, 
he  used  to  read  where  the  leaves  were 
turned  down,  and  comfort  himself  in  the 
belief  that  the  way  of  sin  is  not  death. 
After  a  few  years  the  young  man  re- 
moved to  the  West.  He  went  to  hear 
a  Universalist  minister  preach.  The 
sermon  being  rather  a  lame  perform- 
ance, the  man,  so  far  from  being  con- 
firmed by  it,  was  rather  shaken  in  his 
confidence.  He  thought,  however,  that 
he  could  make  a  stronger  argument 
himself.  He  went  home  and  sat  down 
to  the  task.  But  the  Bible  with  the 
leaves  turned  down  was  away  in  Eng- 
land, and  he  had  forgotten  where  to 
look  for  the  detached  portions  upon 
which  he  rested  his  faith,  and  thus  was 
forced  to  read  his  Bible  in  its  legitimate 
connexions  and  dependencies.  So  he 
read  on,  chapter  after  chapter,  looking 
all  the  while  for  his  favorite  doctrine. 
But  he  did  not  find  it.  Nay,  he  was 
soon  convinced  that  in  order  to  salva- 
tion he  must  be  born  again.  He  sought 
and  soon  found  peace  in  believing. 

(d)  THE  UNIVERSALIST  CON- 
FOUNDED.—Dr.  Harris,  of  Dunbar- 
ton,  walking  out  one  day  in  one  of  the 
large  villages  of  a  neighboring  State,  he 
met  one  of  the  champions  of  Universal- 
ism.     It  was  Gen.   P ,  the  leader 

and  main  supporter  of  the  large  Uni- 
versalist society,  which  had  for  many 
years  existed  in  that  place.  He  was  a 
high-minded  man,  quite  wealthy,  and 
very  influential — having  a  good  deal  of 
general  information,  and  considerable 
skill  in  argument — which  last  he  did 
not  hesitate  to  use  whenever  and  wher- 
ever opportunities  were  presented.     He 

832 


I  and  Dr.  H.  were  personally  strangers  ; 

!  but  knowing  something  of  each  other 

by  reputation,  they  readily   introduced 

themselves.     The    General   very   soon 

lifted  up  his  standard,  and  began  his 

war  of  words — not  doubting  that,  though 

he  might  fail  to  convince  his  opponent, 

he  should  at  least  show  him  that  he  was 

no  ordinary  combatant :  but  knew  well 

,  on  what  ground  he  stood   and  how  to 

i  wield  the  sword  of  sectarian  warfare  to 

I  good    advantage.     The    Doctor    heard 

I  him   through  :  then   calmly    turned   to 

him,  and  said — "  General  P it  is  of 

no  use  for  us  to  contend.     We  shall 

probably  not  convince  each  other,  by 

i  arguments   ever   so    protracted.      But 

there   is  one  thing   in  relation  to  this 

matter   which   deserves    consideration. 

It  is  this.   I  can  treat  your  religion  just 

i  as  I  please,  I  can  turn  from  it,  as  an 

I  utter   abomination  ;    I   can   despise  it ; 

I  I  can  spit  on  it,  and  trample  it  under 

j  my  feet — and  yet  after  all  I  shall  be 

I  SAVED— sha'nH  I,  Gen.  P .?"    The 

I  General,  of  course,  was  obliged  to  as- 
i  sent,  or  give  up  the  doctrine.  There 
'  was  no  room  for  evasion.  "  But,"  add- 
ed the  Doctor,  while  the  General  was 
writhing  at  the  contempt  thus  thrown 
upon  his  gods,  "  it  will  not  do  for  you 
to  treat  my  religion  so.  If  you  do,  you 
ARE  A  LOST  MAN  !"  This  was  enough — 
nothing  more  was  said. 

(e)  THE  INFIDEL'S  CHARGE. 
— An  infidel  in  the  town  of  C,  Allegany 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  meeting  one  day  with  a 
Universalist,  addressed  him  in  a  strain 
like  the  following.  "  You  Universalists 
are  the  most  inconsistent  theorists  in  the 
world.  You  say  there  is  no  future  pun- 
ishment, and  yet  you  profess  to  believe 
the  Bible,  and,  what  is  more  absurd, 
attempt  to  prove  your  doctrine yrow  the 
Bible !  You  stretch  out  one  passage 
interminably,  and  cut  another  short  off; 
you  pull  connected  sentences  apart,  and 
put  disconnected  sentences  together ; 
and  you  set  prophets  at  war  with  pro- 
phets, apostles  at  war  with  apostles,  and 
each  one  at  war  with  himself.  As  sure 
as  your  Bible  is  true,  so  surely  there  is 
a  hell.  For  my  own  part,  I  do  not  be- 
lieve there  is  a  hell  any  more  than 
yourself;  but,  more  consistent,  I  throw 
the  doctrine  of  future  punishment  out  of 


DEATH  OF  UNIVERSALISTS. 


425,  426 


my  creed,  by  first  throwing  out  the  Bi- 
ble itself.  And  there  is  no  other  way 
to  appear  consistent.  Get  clear  of  that 
old  book,  and  then  you  can  easily  get 
rid  of  the  rest." 

(g)  THE  DEVIL  ONLY  AN  EVIL 
CONSCIENCE.— It  happened  in  a  town 
with  which  1  am  somewhat  acquainted, 
says  a  gentleman  in  England,  that  three 
gentlemen  met  together  in  an  omnibus, 
which  was  going  a  few  miles  out  of  the 
town.  One  of  these  three  gentlemen 
was  a  grave  and  venerable  divine,  the 
others  were  Universalists ;  there  were 
several  other  persons  in  the  carriage. 

First  Universalist.  (Addressing  his 
friend,)  Well,  sir,  was  you  at  the  Hall 
last  evening  to  hear  our  friend  Rushey  ? 

Second  Universalist.     No,  I  was  not. 

F.  U.  That  was  a  pity,  for  Rushey 
did  the  business  most  manfully ;  you 
know  the  subject  was  whether  there  is 
any  evidence  of  the  being  and  personality 
of'  the  devil.  1  assure  you  he  gave  the 
most  solid  and  positive  proofs  that  there 
is  no  devil.  And,  indeed,  there  cannot 
be  found,  now-a-days,  any  man  of  com- 
mon sense  who  believes  in  the  existence 
of  the  devil,  or  who  will  attempt  to  prove 
such  a  doctrine ;  I  say,  (looking  our 
divine  full  in  the  face,)  I  say,  no  man 
of  common  sense  can  believe  in  such  an 
absurdity. 

Divine.  Sir.  [  lay  claim  to  common 
sense,  without  pretending  to  any  thing 
more,  and  I  believe  that  there  is  a  devil. 

F.  U.  Ah !  do  you,  sir  ?  do  you, 
indeed  ?  I  am  astonished  !  I  am  aston- 
ished !  Believe  there  is  a  devil !  be- 
lieve there  is  a  devil !  after  what  Mr. 
Rushey  has  said,  and  many  others  be- 
side, who  have  with  equal  clearness 
proved  the  contrary  ?  O,  no  sir,  there 
is  no  devil ;  it  is  only  a  trick  of  the 
priests:  there  is  no  devil. 

D.  I  suppose,  sir,  you  believe  in  the 
Scriptures. 

F.  U.  O  yes,  sir,  to  be  sure  I  do : 
it  was  from  the  Scriptures  that  Mr. 
Rushey  gathered  his  proofs. 

D.  Well,  then,  do  we  not  read  again 
and  again  of  the  devil  in  the  Scriptures  ? 

F.  U.  Truly,  sir,  truly !  but  devil 
means  only  an  evil  conscience  ! 

D.  Ah,  indeed !  an  evil  conscience ; 
an  evil  conscience ;  let  us  try  it :  "  Now 
53 


there  was  a  day  when  the  sons  of  God 
came  to  present  themselves  before  the 
Lord,  and  Satan  came  also  among 
them" — an  evil  conscience  came  also 
among  them !  "  and  the  Lord  said  unto 
Satan" — and  the  Lord  said  unto  an  evil 
conscience. 

F.  U.  O,  sir,  you  need  not  go  any 
farther  there — to  be  sure,  it  does  not 
mean  an  evil  conscience  there. 

D.  Well,  sir,  we  will  try  it  in  an- 
other case :  "  Then  was  Jesus  led  up 
of  the  Spirit  into  the  wilderness,  to  be 
.tempted  of  the  devil " — to  be  tempted  of 
an  evil  conscience. 

F.  U.  (A  little  mortified,)  Why, 
yes,  it  does  not  seem  to  hold  good  there 
neither. 

D.  Let  us  try  it  once  more  :  "  And 
there  was  a  good  way  off  an  herd  of 
swine  feeding.  So  the  devils" — the 
evil  conscience — "  besought  him,  saying, 
If  thou  cast  us  out,  suffer  us  to  go  away 
into  the  herd  of  swine ;  and  he  said 
unto  them.  Go;  and  when  they" — the 
evil  conscience — "  were  come  out,  they" 
— the  evil  conscience — "  went  into  the 
herd  of  swine." 

I  have  only  to  add,  that  the  quotation 
was  arrested  here,  and  that  the  evil 
conscience  of  the  Universalist  was  so 
provoked,  that  you  would  have  supposed 
him  possessed,  rather  than  the  swine ! 

(h)  "GO  WHERE  YOU  HAVE 
A  MIND  TO."— About  the  year  1823, 
a  celebrated  Universalist  preached  in 
the  court-house  at  New-Haven,  Ct.,  and 
at  the  close  of  his  sermon  had  some  dis- 
putation with  a  clergyman  of  the  city. 
After  hearing  the  debate  awhile,  one  of 
the  audience  took  the  liberty  to  ask  the 
following  questions  : — "  Reverend  sir,  is 
it  our  duty  to  believe  in  the  salvation  of 
all  men  ?"  "  Yes,"  answered  the  preach- 
er. Said  the  other,  "  Where  shall  we  go 
when  we  die  if  we  do  not  believe  it  ?" 
"  Go  where  you  have  a  mind  to  !"  said 
the  preacher.  This  powerfully  affected 
the  risible  feelings  of  the  audience,  and 
broke  up  the  meeting. 

4S6.  Death  of  Universalists. 

(a)   A  DELUSION   EXPLODED. 
— Some  time  in  the  month  of  November, 
1828,  Capt.  O.  T.,  of  N.,  when  lying 
833 


426 


UNIVERSALISM. 


on  his  death-bed  and  a  few  hours  before 
the  close  of  his  life,  in  the  full  possession 
of  his  reason,  became  alarmed,  and  sent 
for  the  Rev.  Mr.  VV.,  of  U.  On  his  ar- 
rival, Capt.  T.  stretched  out  his  hand, 
and  thus  addressed  him  :  "  I  am  a  dying 
man ;  I  shall  soon  be  in  eternity.  My 
views  and  feelings  are  essentially  al- 
tered. For  several  years  past,  I  have 
followed  Wood  and  Bailou,  Universalist 
preachers,  and  believed  as  they  did. 
But  I  find  it  now  all  a  delusion.  Such 
sentiments  will  do  to  lull  the  conscience 
to  sleep  while  living,  but  will  not  stand 
the  test  in  a  dying  hour.  Tell  my  old 
acquaintance  and  friends  not  to  trust  in 
such  refuges  of  lies,  but  to  repent  and 
be  converted." 

This  is  but  one  instance  of  a  thousand, 
which  might  be  adduced,  of  the  dying 
confessions  of  Universalists,  relative  to 
the  fallacy  and  wretchedness  of  their 
scheme. 

Query.  Did  you  ever  know  a  person 
on  a  death-bed  become  a  Universalist, 
who  had  previously  lived  in  the  belief 
of  orthodox  sentiments  ? 

{!))  RECANTATION  AND  DE- 
SPAIR.— David  W.  Bell,  a  zealous 
defender  of  the  doctrine  of  Universal- 
ism,  some  of  whose  writings  may  be 
found  in  the  Gospel  Advocate,  a  noted 
mouthpiece  of  that  pernicious  system, 
was  called,  in  1827,  by  the  sudden 
death  of  his  two  youngest  brothers,  to 
visit  his  afflicted  parents,  residing  in 
Windham,  Greene  Co.,  N.  Y.  Here  he 
was  seized  with  the  typhus  fever,  and 
was  soon  brought  to  view  the  time  as 
not  far  distant,  when  he  himself  must 
exchange  worlds,  and  appear  before  his 
Omniscient  Judge.  Now  it  was  with 
him  an  honest  hour,  and  his  presump- 
tuous heart,  that  could  boldly  challenge 
the  injustice  of  God,  now  yielded  to  the 
conviction  of  truth. 

He  exclaimed  one  day  to  his  fjither, 
"  Father,  I  find  eternal  punishment, 
which  I  have  so  long  disputed,  now  to 
be  an  awful  reality." 

At  another  time  he  says,  "  As  soon 
as  1  am  dead,  write  to  brother  E.,  in 
M.,  and  to  Z.  T.  and  S.  T.,  that  the 
doctrine  we  have  tried  to  propagate  is 
an  awful  delusion — that  it  forsook  me 
on  a  death-bed." 

834 


His  conviction  of  the  nature  of  sin 
was  clear  and  pungent.  Sometimes  he 
would  cry  aloud  to  God  for  mercy — 
again  entreat  his  Maker  to  annihilate 
him  ;  sometimes  he  would  call  on  others 
to  pray — again  would  beg  them  not  to 
pray  for  him,  for  he  had  already  sealed 
iiis  own  damnation.  "  Oh !"  said  he,  "  it 
can  alone  be  for  the  glory  of  God  and  the 
good  of  others,  for  me  to  be  damned ! 
1  must  be  damned !  I  am  damned ! — 
damned  to  all  eternity  ! !  I  cannot  live 
in  peace — 1  cannot  die  in  peace,  without 
an  assurance  that  my  renunciation  of 
that  delusive  and  dangerous  heresy,  the 
doctrine  of  Universalism,  shall  be  made 
as  public  as  my  defence  of  it  was.  Oh, 
could  I  speak  once  to  those  deluded  Uni- 
versalists !"     He  died  Sept.  29th,  1827. 

"  The  above  recantation,"  says  Da- 
vid Bell,  his  father,  "  was  made  by  my 
son  when  in  the  full  exercise  of  reason. 
Of  this  there  are  many  witnesses.  Nei- 
ther was  it  extorted  from  him,  or  occa- 
sioned by  a  sudden  fright,  as  some  may 
pretend.  It  was  from  a  deliberate  and 
settled  conviction  for  weeks." 

(c)  DEATH  OF  A  YOUNG  LADY. 
— The  subject  of  this  notice  was  the 
daughter  of  Universalist  parents,  and 
had  herself,  together  with  others  of  the 
family,  become  attached  to  the  doctrine 
of  universal  salvation.  This  furnished 
a  quiet  to  her  fears,  whenever  her  con- 
science was  oppressed  with  the  guilt  of 
living  in  sin  and  rejecting  the  gospel. 
The  village  where  she  lived  was  blessed 
with  a  revival  of  religion.  While  many 
were  made  subjects  of  the  kingdom  of 
God,  by  being  born  again,  the  delusive 
dream  of  Universalism  led  her  to  be- 
lieve that  there  was  no  necessity  of 
being  born  of  the  Spirit,  in  the  present 
life.  Suddenly,  sickness  visited  her, 
and  recovery  was  impossible  ;  she  must 
die.  But  ah  !  where  were  her  hopes 
of  heaven  ?  The  refuge  under  which 
she  had  taken  concealment  was  swept 
away,  and  the  wrath  of  God  was  re- 
vealed from  heaven  against  her  un- 
righteousness. She  lost  forever  all 
hope  of  being  reconciled  to  God.  The 
offers  of  mercy  she  could  not  appro- 
priate to  herself.  Her  last  hour  was  at 
hand.  A  minister  of  Christ  stood  by, 
and  prayed  for  her  departing  soul.    She 


DEATH  OF  UNIVERSALISTS. 


426 


could  not  ejaculate,  "  Lord  Jesus  !  re- 
ceive my  spirit;'"'  but  with  the  giving 
up  of  the  ghost  uttered  a  shriek  that 
will  never  cease  to  ring  in  the  ears  of 
those  who  heard  it. 

A  death  so  full  of  horror,  made  such 
an  impression  on  the  minds  of  the 
parents  of  the  wretched  girl,  that  they 
abandoned  a  doctrine  so  treacherous, 
and  by  ihe  converting  grace  of  God, 
became  hopeful  subjects  of  the  revival, 
together  with  one  or  two  others  of  the 
family. 

How  many  parents  are  there  in  our 
country,  who  by  their  countenancing  a 
doctrine  which  they  do  not  themselves 
more  than  half  believe,  occasion  their 
children  to  adopt  it,  and  thus  inevitably, 
here  or  hereafter,  bring  distress  and 
anguish  on  their  souls. 

{d)  THE  DIE  IS  CAST.— Rev. 
Mr.  S.,  once  pastor  of  the  Baptist 
church  in  H.,  Mass.,  gives  the  following 
account  of  an  interview  which  he  had* 
with  a  Universalist  on  his  death-bed,  in 
1837.  During  Mr.  L.'s  illness  Mr.  S. 
had  called  on  the  family  once  before ; 
but  when  the  nurse  informed  her  charge 
that  Mr.  S.  would  like  to  converse  with 
him,  the  sick  man  sent  back  word  : 
"  Tell  him  when  I  want  to  see  him  I 
will  send  for  him." 

The  next  and  last  time  Mr.  S.  called, 
which  was  two  weeks  afterwards,  he 
came  at  the  especial  request  of  Mr.  L., 
who  said  he  could  not  die  until  he  saw 
him. 

As  Mr.  S.  came  to  his  bed-side,  the 
sick  man  opened  his  dying  eyes  and 
said  with  much  anxiety  to  his  nurse, 
"  Do  you  think  that  man  will  pray  for 
me  ?"  The  preacher  approached,  and 
as  he  took  hold  of  Mr.  L.'s  hand,  the 
latter  turned  up  his  eyes  and  exclaimed, 
"  It  is  too  late !"  In  detailing  his 
history,  he  stated  that  his  mind  was 
susceptible,  and  his  conscience  tender ; 
but  being  led  into  the  snares  of  Univer- 
salism,  his  feelings  of  guilt  and  his 
tenderness  of  conscience  left  him,  till  he 
had  scarcely  any  more  religious  sen- 
sibility than  a  brute.  Mr.  S.  directed 
him  to  Christ  as  an  all  sufficient  Savior. 
"  Ah  !"  said  he,  as  at  first,  "  it  is  too 
late."  He  knelt  by  his  bed-side,  and 
tried   to   pray    for    him.      Soon    after 


prayer  Mr.  S.  felt  called  upon  to  return. 
As  he  took  the  sick  man's  cold  and 
motionless  hand  in  his,  to  bid  him  adieu, 
he  said,  in  a  loud,  full  voice,  "  Do  pray 
for  me  when  you  get  home.  But  I  don't 
expect  God  will  hear ;  it  is  too  late  ;  the 
die  is  cast ;   my  damnation  is  sealed." 

He  died  a  few  hours  after,  in  awful 
and  utter  despair.  ' 

(e)  THE  WAY  TO  GET  FREE 
FROM  UNIVERSALISM.— The  nar- 
rator  of  this  fact  called  at  the  house  of 
an  intelligent  member  of  the  church  in 
the  State  of  New- York,  and  in  the 
course  of  conversation  learned,  to  his 
surprise,  that  this  individual  had  been 
formerly  a  warm  advocate  of  the  doc- 
trine of  universal,  unconditional  salva- 
tion. His  narrative  was  briefly  as 
follows:  "I  was  first  led  to  embrace 
the  creed  of  Universalists  by  hearing 

a  sermon    from  the   Rev.  Mr.  P . 

The  argument  by  which  he  convinced 
me,  was  that  he  had  formerly  been  a 
minister  of  the  Baptist  persuasion,  and 
had  been  converted  from  that  to  his 
present  faith.  I  subscribed  for  a  pe- 
riodical in  wliich  these  doctrines  are 
advocated,  and  read  nothing  else.  I 
looked  occasionally  into  the  Bible,  but 
it  was  only  to  select  the  passages 
commented  on  by  Universalists,  with 
a  view  of  convincing  myself  of  the 
correctness  of  the  interpretation ;  and 
as  it  was  my  wish  to  regard  these 
passages  in  the  light  in  which  they 
were  represented,  I  became  daily  more 
established  in  the  faith  which  I  had 
embraced.  My  wife  was  very  much 
opposed  to  these  sentiments.  She  mani- 
fested her  opposition  in  the  most  gentle, 
inoffensive,  and  Christian  manner ;  it 
was  simply  by  attending  religious  meet- 
ings, and  that  frequently,  where  doc- 
trines opposed  to  my  own  were  advo- 
cated. She  was  particularly  fond  of 
attending  prayer  meetings.  I  manifested 
my  disapprobation  ;  I  treated  her  harsh- 
ly ;  but  she  still  resisted  my  efforts  to 
keep  her  at  home,  with  the  same  meek, 
Christian  spirit.  After  awhile,  I  was  sub- 
dued  by  this  unwavering  forbearance  and 
gentleness,  and  one  day,  when  my  wife 
had  gone  to  tiie  prayer  meeting,  I  went 
into  my  barn,  fell  down  upon  my  knees, 
and  prayed  sincerely  if  she  was  right 
835 


4av 


UNITARIANISM. 


and  I  was  wrong,  God  would  enlighten 
me  and  lead  me  into  the  right  path.  I 
felt  willing  to  be  led.  I  had  no  desire 
to  cherish  prejudices,  if  I  before  enter- 
tained them,  against  the  truth.  After 
pouring  out  my  soul  before  God,  I 
returned  to  the  house,  opened  the  Bible, 


and  read  it  as  I  never  read  it  before. 
A  flood  of  light  poured  in  upon  me ; 
my  mind  was  open  to  conviction ;  I 
found  no  difficulty  in  discovering  the 
truth,  because  I  earnestly  sought,  and 
from  that  day  abandoned  the  destructive 
sentiments  of  Universalism. 


427.  UNITARIANISM. 


(a)  DR.  PRIESTLEY'S  AVOW- 
AL  TO  DR.  MILLER.— The  Rev. 
Dr.  Miller,  of  Princeton,  N.  J.,  in  a 
note  to  his  sermon  preached  at  the  ordi- 
nation of  Rev.  Mr.  Nevins,  in  Balti- 
more, speaking  of  the  dreadful  and 
soul-destroying  errors  of  Arius  and  So- 
cinius,  remarks,  that  in  conformity  with 
this  view  of  the  subject,  the  author  can- 
not forbear  to  notice  and  record  a  decla- 
ration made  to  himself  by  the  late  Dr. 
Priestley,  two  or  three  years  before  the 
decease  of  that  distinguished  Unitarian. 
The  conversation  was  a  f^ree  and  ami- 
cable one,  on  some  of  the  fundamental 
doctrines  of  religion.  In  reply  to  a  di- 
rect avowal  on  the  part  of  the  author 
that  he  was  a  Trinitarian  and  a  Calvin- 
ist,  Dr.  Priestley  said,  "  I  do  not  won- 
der that  you  Calvinists  entertain  and 
express  a  strongly  unfavorable  opinion 
of  us  Unitarians.  The  truth  is,  there 
neither  can,  nor  ought  to  be,  any  com- 
promise between  us.     If  you  are  right, 

WE    ARE    NOT   CHRISTIANS  AT    ALL  j    and 

l/  if  M)e  are  right,  you  are'  gross  idola- 
ters."   These  were,  as  nearly  as  can  be 
recollected,  the  words,  and,  most  accu- 
rately, the   substance  of  his   remark. 
And  nothing  certainly  can  be  more  just. 
Between  those  who  believe  in  the  Di- 
(  vimty  and  Atonement  of  the  Son  of 
1  God,  and  those  who  entirely  reject  both, 
\^  there  is  a  great  gulf  fixed,"   which 
precliides  all  ecclesiastical  intercourse. 
{I)  AFFINITY  OF  UNITARIAN- 
ISM FOR  INFIDELITY— DR.  JEW- 
ETT'S  TESTIMONY.— Dr.  Thomas 
Jewett,  of  Rindge,  N.  H.,  who  was  for 
some  time  an  avowed  infidel,  was  hope- 
fully converted  in  1833,  and  received 
on  the  last  Sabbath  in  August,  of  the 
same  year,  into  the   church.     At   his 
request,  a  communication  from  his  pen 
836 


was  read  on  that  day  from  the  pulpit. 
From  this  we  quote  the  following  sig- 
nificant passage. 

"  Led  astray  first  by  the  plausible 
but  fallacious  arguments  of  Elkanah 
Winchester,  H  adopted  his  sentiments 
fully ;  and  from  his  doctrine  of  tempo- 
rary future  punishment  the  transition  to 
Universalism,  or  the  disbelief  of  any 
future  punishment,  was  very  natural 
and  easy.  This  latter  scheme,  so  per- 
fectly agreeable  to  the  doer  of  evil,  I 
readily  adopted,  and  warmly  advocated 
for  several  years. 

"  At  thirty  years  of  age  1  tried  to  be- 
come an  Atheist,  but  though  I  never 
was  left  to  deny  or  disbelieve  the  exist- 
ence of  God,  yet  I  adopted  the  system 
of  Deism ;  utterly  rejecting  the  Bible, 
as  the  "work  of  man  and  an  imposition 
upon  the  world.  My  course  of  conduct 
in  relation  to  evangelical  ministers  and 
Christians  was  such  as  might  be  ex- 
pected from  one  who  cherished  such 
sentiments.  I  have  it  in  painful  remem- 
brance that  I  opposed  them,  and  made 
them  and  the  cause  the  subject  of  ridi- 
cule and  contempt. 

"  But  the  names  of  Infidel  and  Uni- 
versalist,  I  was  aware.  Were  not  popu- 
lar. For  a  few  years  past  I  have  as- 
sumed the  name  of  Unitarian,  for  two 
reasons  ;  one  was,  that  it  exposed  me  to 
less  odium ;  the  other,  I  found  that  I 
could  be  reckoned  in  that  class  without 
any  material  change  in  my  religious 
opinions.  And  here  I  honestly  and  so- 
berly  declare  that  these  several  names 
were  assumed  at  different  times  as  a 
mere  disguise,  as  convenience  or  inter- 
est might  require.  And  I  now  regard 
these  several  schemes  as  essentially  the 
same.  I  have  been  intimate  with  men 
in   all    ranks  of  society   belonging   to 


USEFULNESS,  CHRISTIAN. 


4L27,  428 


these  religious  persuasions,  and  I  have 
found  none  of  them,  so  far  as  I  could 
discover,  receiving  the  Bible  as  decisive 
authority  in  religious  faith.  This,  I 
need  not  say,  is  denying  its  inspiration.'' 
(c)  A  DEIST'S  OPINION  OF 
UNIVERSALISTS  AND  SOCINI- 
ANS. — A  writer  in  the  Western  Intel- 
ligencer says  :  In  conversation  with  one 
of  the  most  open  and  virulent  Deists  I 
ever  saw,  after  venting  his  spite  against 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  and  his  ministers,  or 
"  ilie  supposed  Jesus,''  as  he  would  have 
it,  and  condemning  the  Bible,  he  said,' 
•'  Within  fifty  years,  the  religion  of  Je- 
sus will  be  banished  from  the  world ; 
and  I  am  determined  to  do  all  I  can  to 
destroy  it."  I  remarked  to  him  he  had 
undertaken  a  work  of  too  great  magni- 
tude for  one  man,  or  any  body  of  men, 
to  accomplish ;  and  that  I  believed  a 
Universalist  or  a  Socinian,  or  in  other 
words  Unitarian,  would  make  many 
Deists  to  his  one.  To  which  he  replied, 
"  Sir,  we  consider  Universalists  and 
SoclhTahTm'^fhe  same  light  in  regard  to 
our  doctriiie,"that  your  people  do  John 
the  Baptist  v/ith  regard  to  yours — they 

ARE  MERELY  FORERUNNERS !  !" 

{d)  THE  DEIST'S  OPINION— 
A  friend  of  ours,  says  a  writer  in  the 
Columbian  Star,  called  some  days  since 
at  the  house  of  an  intelligent  Deist,  who 
has  long  been  known  as  a  determined 


and  envenomed  opposer  of  the  Christian 
religion,  and  found  him  reading  Dr. 
Channing's  discourse  preached  at  a 
dedication  in  the  city  of  New- York. 
The  conversation  turned  upon  the  mer- 
its of  the  sermon,  and  the  distinguished 
ability  of  the  author,  when  our  friend 
inquired  of  the  gentleman  how  he  liked 
the  production.  •'  I  like  it  much,"  said 
he,  with  particular  animation.  "  It 
strikes  a  broad  blow  at  the  Christian 
system,  and  will  prove  a  decisive .  tri- 
umph for  the  Religion  of  Nature.  Dr. 
Channing  differs  from  me  in  a  very  few 
points,  an  in  five  years  I  am  satisfied 
he  will  preach  the  doctrine  which  I  be- 
lieve." 

(e)  THE  SOCINIAN'S  JUDGE. 
— A  physician,  who  had  imbibed  Socini- 
an principles,  made  it  his  chief  concern, 
in  matters  of  religion,  to  degrade  the 
character  and  dignity  of  Christ.  Such 
was  his  contempt  for  him,  that  he  sel- 
dom spoke  of  him  in  conversation  under 
any  other  name  than  the  carpenter's 
son.  At  length  he  was  seized  with  af- 
fliction, which  terminated  in  his  death. 
A  while  before  his  departure,  the  ser- 
vant who  attended  him,  on  entering  his 
room,  found  him  in  great  agitation.  On 
inquiring  the  cause,  he  answered,  "I 
am  a  dying  man,  and  that  which  most 
of  all  affects  me  is,  that  I  must  be 
by  THE  carpenter's  son  !" 


428.  USEFULNESS,  CHRISTIAN. 


(a)  A  COLPORTEUR  IN  NOR- 
WAY.— When  there  was  great  spirit- 
ual darkness  on  the  continent  of  Eu- 
rope, and  every  thing  seemed  to  threat- 
en that  the  light  of  the  gospel  would  be 
■completely  removed  from  Norway,  God, 
in  his  providence,  raised  up  a  poor  pea- 
sant,  who  lived  near  Indenckihill,  on 
the  confines  of  Sweden,  He  had  re- 
ceived nothing  but  a  common  educa- 
tion, but  the  Lord  made  him  acquaint- 
ed  with  the  truth,  and  filled  him  with 
zeal  to  communicate  that  truth  to  his 
countrymen,  who  were  perishing  for 
lack  of  knowledge.  This  good  man, 
with  his  knapsack  on  his  back,  set  out 
on  the  road,  went  through  the  length 


and  breadth  of  Norway,  proclaiming 
the  gospel  in  that  wild  and  romantic 
country,  to  thousands  and  tens  of  thou- 
sands ;  and  the  Lord  gave  testimony  to 
the  word  spoken  in  a  most  remarkable 
manner  ;  for  hundreds  were  in  a  short 
time,  by  his  instrumentality,  made  to 
see  and  embrace  the  truth.  It  may  be 
easily  conceived,  that  he  was  not  allow- 
ed to  go  on  in  peace  :  the  unenlighten- 
ed clergy  would  not  endure  him  ;  they 
stirred  up  the  magistrates  against  him, 
and  he  was  cast  into  prison  ;  as  soon, 
however,  as  he  got  out,  he  was  again  at 
his  work ;  but,  at  length,  having  come 
to  Christiana,  the  capital,  a  most  bigot- 
ed place  in  regard  to  religion,  he  was 
837 


42S 


USEFULNESS,  CHRISTIAN. 


apprehended,  and  cast  into  a  dungeon, 
and  kept  eleven  years,  from  1800  to 
1811.  But  he  was  not  idle  there  ;  for, 
like  Bunyan,  he  was  writing  treatises, 
and  sending  them  forth  into  every  part 
of  the  country  ;  contriving,  in  the  space 
of  a  very  short  time,  to  have  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-two  tracts  published  at 
Cassel.  The  effect  of  this  peasant's  la- 
bors is,  that  at  this  day  there  are  not 
fewer  than  ten  thousand  followers  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  in  that  country. 

[b)  "  I  HAVE  HANDS,  AND  I 
CAN  WORK."— A  man  in  W.,  who 
depended  for  support  entirely  on  his 
own  exertions,  subscribed  five  dollars 
annually  in  support  of  the  Bombay 
schools.  His  friends  inquired,  "  Why 
he  gave  so  much,  and  how  he  could 
afford  it?"  He  replied,  "1  have  for 
sometime  been  wishinij  to  dosomethin<^ 
for  Christ's  cause,  but  I  cannot  preach, 
neither  can  I  pray  in  public,  to  any 
one's  edification,  nor  can  I  talk  to  peo- 
pie,  but  I  have  hands,  and  I  can  work." 

(c)  THREE  ACTIVE  YEARS 
PREFERRED  TO  SIX  IDLE  ONES. 
— Cardinal  Gonsalvi  was  suffering  un- 
der  a  chronic  disease,  and  consulted 
three  physicians,  who  declared  on  being 
questioned  by  the  sick  man,  that  this 
disease  would  be  followed  by  death  in 
a  shorter  or  longer  time,  according  to 
the  manner  in  which  he  lived  ;  but  they 
advised  him  unanimously  to  give  up  his 
office  because,  in  his  situation,  mental 
agitation  would  be  fatal  to  him.  "  If," 
inquired  the  Cardinal,  "  I  give  myself 
up  to  repose,  how  long,  gentlemen,  will 
you  guarantee  my  life  ?"  "  Six  years," 
answered  the  doctors.  "  And  if  I  con- 
tinue in  office  ?"  "  Three  years  at 
most."  "  Your  servant,  gentlemen,  re- 
plied the  Cardinal,  "  I  should  prefer  liv- 
ing two  or  three  years  in  doing  some 
good,  to  living  six  in  idleness." 

^  {d)  A  YOUNG  LADY'S  DAY'S 
LABOR. — A  young  lady  commenced 
a  tour  of  active  duty  in  a  street  in  Bos- 
ton, with  a -view  to  do  something  for  the 
cause  of  the  Redeemer.  She  devoted 
a  whole  day  to  visiting  the  poor,  and 
the  following,  statistics  show  the  result 
of  the  day's  labor.  Visited  forty  fami- 
lies ;  found  fifteen  children  who  did  not 
attend  any  Sabbath  school,  and  who 
838 


engaged  to  go;  seven  families  that 
would  be  pleased  to  receive  visits  from 
her  minister  ;  and  twelve  families  hav- 
ing no  regular  place  for  public  worship, 
who  promised  to  attend.  Reader  !  the 
field  of  usefulness  in  the  city  and  coun- 
try is  extensive  ;  the  laborers  are  few  ; 
by  active  and  judicious  efforts  you  can 
do  much  to  enlighten  and  save  dying 
sinners ;  then  "  go  thou  and  do  like- 
wise." 

(e)  THE  RESOLUTE    SOLICIT- 
OR. — A  lady  in  Bristol,  (Eng.)  deeply 
'impressed  with   the  importance  of  the 
Bible  Society,  determined  to  make  per- 
sonal application  in  its  behalf  to- an  eld- 
erly   gentleman    of  her    acquaintance, 
who  possessed  great  wealth,  but  never 
contributed  to  objects  of  this  nature. 
She  was  told  by  her  friends  it  would  be 
in  vain,  but  this  did  not  shake  her  reso- 
lution.    She  called  and   presented  the 
case,  exhibiting  all  the  documents  cal- 
culated to  promote   her  object.     They 
produced  no  impression.     She  then  nea- 
soned  with  him,  but  without  effect.     At 
length    she    asked    him    the    question, 
"Have  you  a    Bible,  sir?"      "Yes." 
"  What  would  induce  you  to  part  with 
it  ?"     "I  would  not  part  with  it  on  any 
consideration."        "Sir,"      said     she, 
"  there  are  thousands  in  this  land  who 
are  destitute  of  that  which  you  profess 
to  prize  so  highly.     A  trifling  portion 
of  your  property  would  supply  a  fellow 
creature  with  the  book  which  you  would 
not  part    wiiii   on    any  consideration." 
This  appeal  produced  the  desired  effect. 
The  gentleman,  however,  concealed  his 
feelings,  and  simply  asked,  with  an  air 
of  indifference,  "  What  do  you  think  I 
ought   to  give  ?"      Supposing  that    he 
was  balancing    between  a  small    sum 
and    an    absolute  refusal,  she   replied, 
"  We    receive  any  sum,  sir,    however 
small."     He  then  went  to  his  bureau, 
took  a  bag  of  guineas,  and  began  very 
deliberately  to  count  them  upon  the  ta- 
ble— one,  two,  three,  four,  and  so  on. 
After  he  had  proceeded  some  time  in 
this  way,  the  lady  presuming  he  had 
forgotten  the  subject  on  which  she  came, 
and  was  engaged  in  his  other  business, 
ventured  to  interrupt  him  with  the  re- 
mark that  her  time  was  precious,  and 
that  if  he  did  not  intend  to  give,  she 


USEFULNESS,  CHRISTIAN. 


42§ 


begged  to  be  informed,  that  she  might  I 
solicit  elsewhere.  "  Have  patience  for  \ 
a  few  minutes,"  he  replied,  and  pro-  i 
ceeded  until  he  had  counted  73  guineas.  | 
"There,  madam,"  said  hfe,  ''there  is  ; 
one  guinea  for  every  year  I  have  lived ;  | 
take  that  for  the  Bible  Society." 

(/)  THE  INEBRIATE'S  WIFE,  i 
— In  a  publication  of  the  Massachusetts  ; 
Sabbath  School  Society,  which  abounds  i 
with  excellent  sentiments,  entitled  "  A  | 
Practical  Directory  for  Young  Christian  j 
Females,"  is  the  following  narrative:      ; 

The  amazing  influence  of  one  Chris-  j 
tian,  who  shows  in  her  life  the  spirit  of  \ 
Christ,  is  illustrated  in  a  striking  man- 
ner, in  the  life  of  a  lady  who  died  not 
long  since,  in  one  of  the  principal  cities 
of  the  United  States.     I  am  not  permit- 
ted to  give  her  name,  nor  all  the  par- 
ticulars of  her  life.     But  what  I  relate 
may  be  relied   upon,  not  only  as  facts, 
but  as  far  below  the  ivhoie  truth.     She 
had  been  for  a  long  time  afflicted  with 
a   drunken   husband.      At    length    the 
sheriff  came,  and  swept  off  all  her  pro-  j 
perty,  not  excepting  her  household  fur-  j 
niture,  to  discharge  his  grog  bills.     At 
this  distressing  crisis,  she  retired  to  an  I 
upper   room,   laid    her   babe   upon  the  j 
bare  floor,  kneeled  down  over  it,  and  ; 
offered  up  the   following  petition  :  "  O  | 
Lord,  if  thou  wilt  in  any  way  remove  | 
from  me  this  affliction,  I  will  serve  thee  ■ 
upon  bread  and  icater,  all  the  days  of 
my  life."     The  Lord  took  her  at  her  j 
word.      Her    besotted    husband   imme-  | 
diately    disappeared,     and    was    never  | 
heard  of  again  till  after  her  death.    The  ; 
church    would   now   have    maintained ! 
her,  but  she  would  not  consent  to  be- 1 
come  a  charge  to  others.     Although  in 
feeble    health,    and    afflicted    with    the  \ 
sick    headache,    she    opened    a   small  I 
school,  from  which  she  obtained  a  bare  \ 
subsistence ;    though    it   was   often    no 
more  than  v/hat  was  contained  in  the  j 
condition  of  her  prayer — literally  bread  j 
and  water.     She  was  a  lady  of  pleasing 
address,  and  of  a  mild  and  gentle  dis- 
position.    "  In  her  lips  was  the  law  of 
kindness."  Yet  she  possessed  an  energy 
of   character    and    a    spirit    of    perse- 
verance, which  the  power  of  faith  alone 
can  impart.     When  she  undertook  any 
Christian  enterprise,   she  was  discour- 


aged by  no  obstacles,  and  appalled  by 
no  difficulties.  She  resided  in  the  most 
wicked  and  abandoned  part  of  the  city, 
which  afforded  a  great  field  of  labor. 
Her  benevolent  heart  was  pained  at 
seeing  the  grogshops  open  upon  the  holy 
Sabbath.  She  undertook  the  difficult 
and  almost  hopeless  task  of  closing 
these  sinks  of  moral  pollution  upon  the 
Lord's  day,  and  succeeded.  This  was 
accomplished  by  the  mild  influence  of 
persuasion,  flowing  from  the  lips  of 
kindness,  and  clothed  with  that  power 
which  always  accompanies  the  true 
spirit  of  the  gospel.  But  she  was  not 
satisfied  with  seeing  the  front  doors  and 
windows  of  these  houses  closed.  She 
would,  therefore,  upon  the  morning  of 
the  Sabbath,  pass  round,  and  enter  these 
shops  through  the  dwellings  occupied 
by  the  families  of  the  keepers,  where 
she  often  found  them  engaged  secretly 
in  this  wickedness.  She  would  then  re- 
monstrate with  them,  until  she  persuad- 
ed them  to  abandon  it,  and  attend  public 
worship.  In  this  manner,  she  abolished, 
almost  entirely,  the  sale  of  liquors  upon 
the  Sabbath,  in  the  worst  part  of  the  city. 
She  also  looked  after  the  poor,  that 
the  gospel  might  be  preached  to  them. 
She  carried  with  her  the  number  of 
those  pews  in  the  church  which  were 
unoccupied.  And  upon  Sabbath  morn- 
ings, she  made  it  her  business  to  go  out 
into  the  streets  and  lanes  of  the  city, 
and  persuade  the  poor  to  come  in  and 
fill  up  these  vacant  seats.  By  her  per- 
severance and  energy,  she  would  re- 
move every  objection,  until  she  had 
brought  them  to  the  house  of  God.  She 
was  incessant  and  untiring  in  every 
effort  for  doing  good.  She  would  estab- 
lish a  Sabbath  school,  and  superintend 
it  until  she  saw  it  flourishing,  and  then 
deliver  it  into  the  hands  of  some  suitable 
person,  and  go  and  establish  another. 
She  collected  together  a  Bible  class  of 
apprentices,  which  she  taught  herself. 
Her  pastor  one  day  visited  it,  and  found 
half  of  them  in  tears,  under  deep  con- 
viction.  She  was  faithful  to  the  church 
and  to  impenitent  sinners.  It  was  her 
habitual  practice  to  reprove  sin,  and  to 
warn  sinners  wherever  she  found  them. 
At  the  time  of  her  death,  she  had  under 
her  care  a  number  of  pious  young  men 
839 


^ 


42§ 


USEFULNESS,  CHRISTIAN. 


preparing  for  the  ministry.  These  she  j 
had  looked  after,  and  brought  out  of  , 
obscurity.  As  soon  as  their  piety  had  | 
been  sufficiently  proved,  she  would 
bring  them  to  the  notice  of  her  Christian 
friends.  She  persuaded  pious  teachers 
to  give  them  gratuitous  instruction, 
and  pious  booksellers  to  supply  them 
with  books.  In  the  same  way,  she 
procured  their  board,  in  the  families 
of  wealthy  Christians.  And  she  formed 
little  societies  of  ladies,  to  supply  them 
with  clothing.  There  was  probably  no 
person  in  the  city  whose  death  would 
have  occasioned  the  shedding  of  more 
tears,  or  called  forth  more  sincere  and 
heartfelt  grief.  Her  memory  is  still 
deeply  cherished  in  the  heart  of  her 
pastor.  He  has  been  heard  to  say,  that 
he  should  not  have  felt  so  severely  the 
loss  of  six  of  the  most  devoted  men  in 
his  church. 

(g)  THE  PIOUS  SCHOOL-BOY'S 
EXERTIONS.— A  little  lad,  in  one  of 
the  villages  of  Connecticut  was  con- 
verted to  God.  He  attended  school  at 
this  time ;  and  he  began  to  study  how 
he  might  benefit  his  playmates,  and  win 
their  hearts  to  Christ.  He  was  not 
satisfied  with  merely  living  like  a 
Christian  before  them,  watching  care- 
fully over  his  words  and  actions,  and 
bearing  with  patience  all  their  persecu- 
tions and  ridicule  on  account  of  his 
piety ;  but  he  determined  to  use  some 
active  means  for  their  salvation.  With 
this  in  view,  he  gave  notice  that  there 
would  be  a  prayer  meeting  in  the  school- 
house  during  the  intermission. 

Drawn  by  curiosity,  and  to  enjoy 
the  sport  they  wickedly  expected,  the 
scholars  assembled.  But  who  was  to 
conduct  the  meeting  ?  Our  little  friend, 
strengthened  by  the  Savior,  gives  out 
his  hymn,  sings  and  prays,  and  then 
simply,  atfectionately,  and  faithfully, 
exhorts  his  companions.  Some  during 
the  exercises  behave  with  propriety, 
others  jeer,  laugh,  and  attempt  to  break 
up  the  little  service. 

Unmoved  by  these  persecutions,  and 
his  apparent  ill  success,  the  little  hero  | 
continues  the   meeting   on  succeeding  | 
days.  I 

The  master  attended,  to  see  if  every  \ 
thing  was  properly  conducted,  and  was 
840 


astonished  undoubtedly,  (for  he  was  an 
unconverted  man,)  at  the  confidence 
and  calmness  of  the  lad.  He  severely 
reprimanded  those  who  were  only  pre- 
sent to  disturb  the  devotions,  and  saved 
the  young  Christian  from  further  perse- 
cution. Soon  some  of  the  lads  became 
anxious,  patient,  and  were  hopefully 
converted.  Their  parents  witnessing 
the  change,  were  induced  to  come  with 
them  at  their  hour  of  devotion,  and  ere 
long  several  of  these  were  seeking  for 
mercy  among  the  little  flock  of  pious, 
praying  lambs.  The  ministers  of  the 
place,  hearing  this  wonderful  intelli- 
gence, were  aroused,  and  eventually 
came  in  and  took  charge  of  the  services. 
Other  meetings  were  appointed,  and  the 
result  was,  that  about  sixty  obtained 
the  salvation  of  their  souls.  The  whole 
work,  the  importance  and  value  of 
which  eternity  alone  can  show,  originat- 
ed, and  was  in  a  large  sense,  carried  on 
by  this  pious,  faithful,  and  courageous 
little  lad !  O !  how  much  good  young 
Christians  may  accomplish ! 

(h)  A  YOUNG  LADY'S  EF- 
FORTS.—Rev.  Joel  H.  Linsley,  in  a 
letter  to  Mr.  E.  C.  Delavan,  says : 

A  female  member  of  one  of  the 
churches  in  the  vicinity  of  Marietta, 
Ohio,  (supplied  with  preaching  by  one 
of  the  professors  in  college,)  took  a 
school  in  one  of  our  most  destitute  coun- 
ties. There  was  there  only  occasional 
Methodist  preaching,  and  the  people  had 
barely  heard  of  cold  water  societies. 
This  single-handed  female  got  up  a 
meeting,  presented  a  constitution,  signed 
it  herself,  and  secured  four  or  five  more 
signers.  At  a  second  meeting  a  few 
more  were  added.  At  a  third  meeting 
she  got  her  brother  (a  farmer),  member 
of  the  same  church  with  herself,  ta 
write  and  send  for  an  address,  which 
she  was  obliged  to  read  at  the  meeting, 
(as  none  present  could  readily  read,) 
and  the  issue  was  a  large  addition  of 
members — if  I  mistake  not  about  thirty, 
and  that  society  now  numbers  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy,  or  one  hundred  and 
eighty  members.  The  reformation  was 
immediately  followed  by  a  great  revival 
of  religion,  where  one  had  never  been 
known  before.  Three  distilleries  were 
shut  up,  and  the  whole  face  of  things  inv 


w 


VANITY  OF  THE  WORLD. 


429 


that  community  is  changed  almost  be- 
yond the  power  of  language  to  describe. 
1  heard  this  but  a  few  weeks  since,  with 
some  other  striking  facts  connected  with 
it,  and  could  hardly  credit  it,  but  I  went 
out  a  week  since  to  preach  in  that  little 
church,  and  conversed  with  the  lady 
myself  (a  very  modest,  intelligent,  and 


devoted  female),  and  found  every  fact 
had  been  correctly  reported  to  me.  O, 
sir,  what  cannot  the  gospel  do  to  gird 
weakness  with  strength,  and  make  even 
the  gentleness  of  a  modest,  retiring  wo- 
man  resolute  to  act  for  God.  How  such 
efforts  shame  timid,  time-serving  disci- 
ples among  our  own  sex. 


429.  VANITY  OF  THE  WORLD. 


(a)  DYING  WORDS  OF  SEVE- 
RUS. — When  Severus,  Emperor  of 
Rome,  found  his  end  approaching,  he 
cried  out,  "  I  have  been  every  thing, 
and  every  thing  is  nothing  ;"  then  or- 
dering the  urn  to  be  brouglit  to  him  in 
which  his  ashes  were  to  be  inclosed,  on 
his  body  being  burned,  according  to  the 
custom  of  the  Romans,  he  said,  "  Little 
urn,  thou  shalt  contain  one  for  whom 
the  world  was  too  little." 

{b)  PITT  LYING  IN  SOLITUDE. 
— Pitt  died  at  a  solitary  house  on  Wim- 
bledon Common.  Not  far  off,  by  the 
roadside,  stood  a  small  country  inn, 
where  the  various  parties  interested  in 
the  great  statesman's  life  were  accus- 
tomed to  apply  for  information,  and 
leave  their  horses  and  carriages.  On 
the  morning  of  the  23d  of  January,  1806, 
an  individual  having  called  at  the  inn, 
and  not  being  able  to  obtain  a  satisfac- 
tory reply  to  his  inquiries,  proceeded  to 
the  hquse  of  Pitt.  He  knocked,  but  no 
servant  appeared — he  opened  the  door 
and  entered — he  found  no  one  in  attend- 
ance— he  proceeded  from  room  to  room, 
and  at  length  entered  the  sick  chamber, 
where,  on  a  bed,  in  silence  and  in  per- 
fect solitude,  he  found  to  his  unspeak- 
able surprise,  the  dead  body  of  that 
great  statesman  who  had  so  lately 
wielded  the  power  of  England,  and  in- 
fluenced, if  he  did  not  control,  the  desti- 
nies of  the  world.  We  doubt  whether 
any  much  more  awful  example  of  the 
lot  of  mortality  has  ever  been  wit- 
nessed. 

(c)  CONSTANTINE  AND  THE 
MISER. — Constantine  the  Great,  in  or- 
der to  reclaim  a  miser,  took  a  lance  and 
marked  out  a  space  of  ground  of  the 
size  of  the  human  body,  and  told  him, 


"  Add  heap  to  heap,  accumulate  riches 
upon  riches,  extend  the  bounds  of  your 
possessions,  conquer  the  whole  world, 
and  in  a  few  days  such  a  spot  as  this 
will  be  all  j^ou  will  have." 

{d)  INSTABILITY  OF  GREAT- 
NESS. — Xerxes  crowned  his  footmen 
in  the  morning,  and  beheaded  them  in 
the  evening  of  the  same  day  ;  and  An- 
dromachus,  the  Greek  emperor,  crowned 
his  admiral  in  the  morning,  and  then 
took  off  his  head  in  the  afternoon.  Rof- 
fensis  had  a  cardinal's  hat  sent  to  him, 
but  his  head  was  cut  off  before  it  came 
to  hand  !  Most  say  of  their  crowns,  as 
a  certain  king  said  of  his,  "  Oh  crown, 
more  noble  than  happy  !" 

(e)  DIOGENES'  REPLY  TO 
ALEXANDER. — Diogenes  was  not  in 
the  wrong,  who,  when  the  great  Alex- 
ander, finding  him  in  the  charnel-house, 
asked  him  what  he  was  seeking  for,  an- 
wered,  "1  am  seeking  for  your  father's 
bones  and  those  of  my  slave  ;  but  I  can- 
not find  them,  because  there  is  no  differ- 
ence between  them." 

(/)  NEWTON  AND  MARLBO- 
ROUGH.— It  is  truly  humbling  to  the 
pride  of  man  to  see  to  what  a  state  of 
mental  and  physical  ruin  he  is  brought 
by  the  lapse  of  time.  Sir  Isaac  New- 
ton, that  wonderful  scholar,  of  whom  it 
is  said,  that  he  "  surpassed  the  whole 
human  race  in  genius,"  and  who,  if  any 
one  can  be  properly  styled  great  and  il- 
lustrious, is  surely  entitled  to  these  epi- 
thets, when  in  his  declining  years  he 
was  requested  to  explain  some  passage 
on  his  chief  mathematical  work,  could 
only,  as  it  is  reported,  say,  that  he 
knew  it  was  true  once.  A  circum- 
stance in  some  degree  similar  is  related 
of  that  celebrated  military  commander^ 
841 


429 


VANITY  OF  THE  WORLD. 


the  first  Duke  of  Marlborough,  who 
flourished  about  the  same  period.  When 
the  history  of  iiis  own  campaigns  was 
read  to  him,  to  beguile  the  tedious  hours 
in  the  evening  of  life,  we  are  told,  so 
far  were  his  intellectual  faculties  im- 
paired, tiiat  he  was  unconscious  of  what 
he  had  done,  and  asked  in  admiration, 
from  time  to  time,  "  wlio  commanded  ?" 
Here,  then,  not  to  cite  more  examples, 
we  have  fresh  proofs  that  "  all  the  glory 
of  man,"  even  in  what  he  is  most  espe- 
cially  apt  to  value  himself,  is  but  "  as 
the  flower  of  grass." 

(g)  LORD  CHESTERFIELD'S 
CONFESSION.— The  Earl  of  Chester- 
field  was  a  nobleman  for  whom  nature 
had  done  much,  and  birth  and  educa- 
tion more.  He  was  in  his  day  univer- 
sally allowed  to  be  the  most  elegant  and 
accomplished  man  in  Europe  ;  and  he 
was  no  less  conspicuous  in  the  political 
than  in  the  fashionable  world.  No  man 
ever  possessed  greater  advantages  for 
the  attainment  of  and  the  enjoyment  of 
worldly  pleasures  ;  and  no  man  ever 
drank  deeper  of  the  sweet,  but  poison- 
ous draught.  Let  us  hear  him  at  a 
time  when  disease  and  age  hung  heavy 
upon  him,  and  rendered  him  incapable 
of  further  enjoyment.  "  I  have  seen," 
says  he,  "  the  silly  rounds  of  business 
and  of  pleasure,  and  have  done  with 
them  all.  I  have  enjoyed  all  the  plea- 
sures of  the  world,  and  consequently 
know  their  futility,  and  do  not  regret 
their  loss.  I  appraise  them  at  their 
real  value,  which  is,  in  truth,  very  low. 
Whereas  those  that  have  not  expe- 
rienced, always  overrate  them.  They 
only  see  the  gay  outside,  and  are  daz- 
zled at  the  glare.  But  1  have  been 
behind  the  scenes.  I  have  seen  all  the 
coarse  pullies  and  dirty  ropes  which 
exiiibit  and  move  the  gaudy  machines ; 
and  I  have  seen  and  smelt  the  tallow 
candles  which  illuminated  the  whole 
decoration,  to  the  astonishment  of  the 
ignorant  audience.  When  I  reflect  on 
what  I  have  seen,  what  I  have  heard, 
and  what  I  have  done,  I  can  hardly 


persuade  myself  that  all  that  frivolous 
hurry  of  bustle  and  pleasure  of  the 
world  had  any  reality  ;  but  I  look  upon 
all  that  is  past  as  one  of  those  romantic 
dreams,  which  opium  comnjonly  occa- 
sions ;  and  I  do  by  no  means  desire  to 
repeat  the  nauseous  dose,  for  the  sake 
of  the  fugitive  dream.  Shall  I  tell  you 
that  I  bear  this  melancholy  situation 
with  that  meritorious  constancy  and 
resignation,  which  most  people  boast 
of?  No,  for  I  really  cannot  help  it.  I 
bear  it,  because  I  must  bear  it,  whether 
I  will  or  no  !  I  think  of  nothing  but 
killing  time  the  best  v/ay  I  can,  now 
that  he  has  become  my  enemy.  It  is 
my  resolution  to  sleep  in  the  carriage 
during  the  remainder  of  my  journey." 

(h)  DUKE  OF  ATHOL.— The  es- 
tate  of  the  present  Duke  of  Athol,  Mr. 
Colton  informs  us,  "  is  immense,  running 
in  one  direction  more  than  seventy 
miles.  On  his  estate  there  are  thirty- 
six  miles  of  private  road  for  a  carriage, 
and  more  than  sixty  miles  of  well  made 
walks  which  are  being  extended  every 
year.  These  roads  and  paths  being 
made  for  pleasure,  are  laid  through  the 
most  picturesque  and  romantic  scenery; 
along  the  river's  bank,  up  the  glen,  cut 
in  the  steep  sides  of  the  mountains  and 
over  their  tops,  and  along  the  margin  of 
the  precipitous  cliffs — now  into  the  for- 
est gloom,  now  opening  on  a  boundless 
prospect,  or  some  sweet  vale,  now  burst- 
ing on  a  waterfall,  and  next  along  the 
side  of  a  murmuring  brook.  The  father 
of  the  present  duke  began  in  his  life- 
time, one  of  the  most  magnificent  pal- 
aces in  the  kingdom.  It  is  said  that  in 
the  estimate  of  the  cost  of  the  edifice, 
the  single  item  of  raising  the  walls  and 
putting  on  the  roof,  together  with  the 
materials,  would  have  been  one  hundred 
thousand  pounds,  about  five  hundred 
thousand  dollars." 

Do  you  envy  the  possessor  of  all  this 
^vealth  ? 

jPo?'  7nore  than  thirty  years  he  has  been 
in  a  lunatic  asylum  of  London. 


842 


r 


VERACITY. 


430 


430.  VERACITY. 


(a)  MAGNANIMOUS  INDIAN.— 

A  pledge  is  considered  very  sacred 
and  binding  among  the  North  American 
Indians.  The  following  is  an  instance. 
During  the  Winnebago  war  of  1827, 
Dekkerre,  a  celebrated  chief  of  that 
nation,  with  four  other  Indians  of  his 
tribe  was  taken  prisoner  at  Prairie  du 
Chien.  Colonel  Snelling,  who  then 
commanded  that  garrison,  dispatched  a 
young  Indian  into  the  nation  with  orders 
to  inform  the  chiefs  of  Dekkerre's  band 
that  unless  the  Indians  who  were  per- 
petrators of  the  horrid  murders  of  some 
of  our  citizens  were  brought  to  the  fort 
and  given  up  within  ten  days,  Dekkerre 
and  the  other  four  Indians  who  were 
retained  as  hostages,  would  be  shot  at 
the  end  of  that  time.  The  awful  sen- 
tence was  proclaimed  in  the  presence 
of  Dekkerre,  who,  though  proclaiming 
his  own  innocence  of  the  outrages  that 
had  been  committed  by  others  of  his 
nation,  exclaimed,  that  he  feared  not 
death,  notwithstanding  it  would  be 
fraught  with  serious  consequences  to  his 
large  and  dependent  family  of  little 
children ;  but  if  necessary,  he  was 
willing  to  die  for  the  honor  of  his  nation. 
The  young  Indian  had  been  gone  several 
days,  and  no  intelligence  was  yet  re- 
ceived from  the  murderers.  The  dread- 
ful day  being  near  at  hand,  and  Dekker- 
re being  in  a  bad  state  of  health,  asked 
permission  of  the  Colonel  to  go  to  the 
river  and  indulge  in  his  long  accustomed 
habit  of  bathing ;  in  order  to  improve 
his  health.  Upon  which  Colonel  S.  told 
him  that,  if  he  would  promise,  on  the 
honor  of  a  chief,  that  he  would  not  leave 
the  town,  he  might  have  his  liberty  and 
enjoy  all  his  privileges  until  the  day  of 
the  appointed  execution.  Accordingly 
he  first  gave  his  hand  to  the  Colonel, 
thanked  him  for  his  friendly  offer,  then 
raised  both  his  hands  aloft,  and  in  the 
most  solemn  adjuration,  promised  that 
he  would  not  leave  the  bounds  pre- 
scribed, and  said,  if  he  had  a  hundred 
lives,  he  would  sooner  lose  them  all 
than  forfeit   his  word,  or  deduct  from 


his  proud  nation  one  particle  of  its 
boasted  honor.  He  was  then  set  at  lib- 
erty. He  was  advised  to  fly  to  the 
wilderness  and  make  his  escape.  "  But, 
no,"  said  he,  "  do  you  think  I  prize  life 
above  honor ;  or  that  I  would  betray  a 
confidence  reposed  in  me  for  the  sake 
of  saving  my  life  ?"  Nine  days  of  the 
ten  elapsed  and  his  nation  was  not  heard 
from,  but  Dekkerre  remained  firm, 
his  fidelity  unshaken,  his  countenance 
unmoved.  It  so  happened  that  on  that 
day  Gen.  Atkinson  arrived ;  the  order 
for  the  execution  was  countermanded, 
and  the  Indians  were  permitted  to  repair 
to  their  homes. 

(b)  KING  JOHN  AND  HIS  HOST- 
AGE. — John,  king  of  France,  left  ia 
England  two  of  his  sons  as  hostages  for 
the  payment  of  his  ransom.  One  of 
them,  the  Duke  of  Anjou,  tired  of  his 
confinement  in  the  tower  of  London, 
escaped  to  France.  His  father,  more 
generous,  proposed  instantly  to  take  his 
place  ;  and,  when  the  principal  officers 
of  his  court  remonstrated  against  his 
taking  that  honorable  but  dangerous 
measure,  he  told  them,  "  Why,  1  my- 
self was  permitted  to  come  out  of  the 
same  prison  in  which  my  son  was,  in 
consequence  of  the  treaty  of  Bretagne, 
which  he  has  violated  by  his  flight.  I 
hold  myself  not  a  free  man  at  present. 
I  fly  to  my  prison.  I  am  engaged  to  do 
it  by  my  word ;  and  if  honor  were 
banished  from  all  the  world,  it  should 
have  an  asylum  in  the  breast  of  kings." 
The  magnanimous  monarch  accordingly 
proceeded  to  England,  and  became  the 
second  time  a  prisoner  in  the  tower  of 
London,  where  he  died  in  1384. 

(c)  THE  HONEST  REBEL  AND 
THE  KING.— In  Calamy's  Memoirs, 
there  is  an  account  of  a  man  named 
Story,  who  was  condemned  for  being  in 
Monmouth's  rebellion,  but  was  reprieved 
by  the  interest  of  a  friend  with  Judge 
Jeffries,  and  subsequently  removed  to 
Newgate.  He  was  soon  afterwards 
ordered  to  be  brought  before  the  Privy 
Council,  in  the  same  plight  in  which  he 

843 


430 


VERACITY. 


then  was,  which  was  truly  miserable. 
The  keeper  advised  him,  in  case  the 
king  was  present,  that  the  wisest  way 
for  him  would  be  to  answer  the  ques- 
tions put  to  him  in  a  plain  and  direct 
manner,  without  concealing  any  thing — 
advice  which  he  strictly  followed. 

When  he  was  brought  into  the 
Council  Chamber,  he  made  so  sad  and 
sorrowful  a  figure,  that  all  present  were 
surprised  and  frightened  ;  and  he  had  so 
strong  a  smell,  by  being,  so  long  con- 
fined, that  it  was  very  offensive. 

When  the  king  first  cast  his  eyes  up- 
on him,  he  cried  out,  "  Is  that  a  man, 
or  what  else  is  it  ?" 

Chancelor  Jeffries  told  his  Majesty, 
that  that  was  the  Story  of  whom  he 
had  given  his  Majesty  so  distinct  an 
account. 

"  Oh,  Story,"  says  the  king,  "  I  re- 
member him.  That  is  a  rare  fellow  in- 
deed !"  Then,  turning  towards  him, 
he  talked  to  him  very  freely  and  fa- 
miliarly. "  Pray,  Mr.  Story,"  said  he, 
*'  you  were  in  Monmouth's  army  in  the 
west,  were  you  not  ?" 

He,  according  to  the  advice  given 
him,  made  answer  presently,  "Yes,  an't 
please  your  Majesty." 

"  And  you,"  said  he,  "  was  a  com- 
missary there,  were  you  not  ?" 

And  he  again  replied,  "Yes,  an't 
please  your  Majesty." 

"  And  you,"  said  he,  "  made  a  speech 
before  great  crowds  of  people,  did  you 
not  ?" 

He  again  very  readily  answered, 
"  Yes,  an't  please  your  Majesty." 

"  Pray,"  says  the  king  to  him,  "  if 
you  hav'nt  forgot  what  you  said,  let  us 
have  some  taste  of  your  fine  florid 
speech  ;  let  us  have  a  specimen  of  some 
flowers  of  your  rhetoric,  and  a  few  of 
the  main  things  on  which  you  insisted." 

Whereupon,  Mr.  Story  told  us  that 
he  readily  made  answer,  "  I  told  them, 
an't  please  your  Majesty,  that  it  was 
you  that  fired  the  city  of  London." 

"  A  rare  rogue,  upon  my  word,"  said 
the  king.  "  And  pray  what  else  did 
you  tell  them  ?" 

"  I  told  them,"  said  he,"an't  please  your 
Majesty,that  you  poisoned  your  brother." 

"  Impudence  in  the  utmost  height  of 
it,"  said  the  king ;  "  pray  let  us  hear 
844 


something  further,  if  your  memory 
serves  you." 

"  I  further  told  them,"  said  Mr.  Story, 
"  that  your  Majesty  appeared  to  be  fully 
determined  to  make  the  nation  both 
Papists  and  slaves." 

By  this  time,  the  king  seemed  to  have 
heard  enough  of  the  prisoner's  speech ; 
and,  therefore,  crying  out,  "  A  rogue 
with  a  witness;"  and  cutting  off  short, 
he  said,  "  to  all  this,  I  doubt  not  but  a 
thousand  other  villanous  things  were 
added.  But  what  would  you  say.  Sto- 
ry, if,  after  all  this,  I  should  grant  yoU 
your  life?" 

To  which  he,  without  any  demur, 
made  answer,  that  he  should  pray  hearti- 
ly for  his  Majesty  as  long  as  he  lived. 

"  Why,  then,"  said  the  king,  "  I  free- 
ly pardon  the  past ;  and  hope  you  will 
not,  for  the  future,  represent  your  king 
as  inexorable." 

(d)  DYING  PREFERRED  TO 
LYING. — The  minister  of  the  semi- 
nary at  Clermont  having  been  seized 
at  Autun  by  the  populace,  the  mayor, 
who  wished  to  save  him,  advised  him 
not  to  take  the  oath,  but  to  allow  him  to 
tell  the  people  that  he  had  taken  it.  "  I 
would  myself  make  known  your  false- 
hood to  the  people,"  replied  the  clergy- 
man ;  "  it  is  not  permitted  me  to  ransom 
my  life  by  a  lie.  The  God  who  pro- 
hibits my  taking  this  oath,  will  not  al- 
low me  to  make  it  believed  that  I  have 
taken  it."  The  mayor  was  silent,  and 
the  minister  was  martyred. 

(e)  HEGIAGE  AND  THE  PRIS- 
ONERS.— Flegiage  was  a  celebrated 
Arabian  warrior,  but  ferocious  and 
cruel.  Among  a  number  of  prisoners 
whom  he  had  condemned  to  death,  was 
one  who,  having  obtained  a  moment's 
audience,  said,  "You  ought,  sir,  to  par- 
don me,  because  when  Abdarrahman 
was  cursing  you,  I  represented  to  him 
that  he  was  wrong  ;  and  ever  since  that 
time  I  have  lost  his  friendship."  Hegi- 
age  asked  him  if  he  had  any  witness  of 
his  having  done  this ;  and  the  soldier 
mentioned  another  prisoner  who  was 
likewise  about  to  suffer  death.  The 
prisoner  was  called  and  interrogated, 
and  having  confirmed  the  fact,  Hegiage 
granted  the  first  his  pardon.  He  then 
asked  the  witness,  if  he  had  likewise 


r 


WAR. 


431 


taken  his  part  against  Abdarrahman. 
But  he,  still  respecting  trutJi,  answered, 
that  he  had  liot,  because  he  believed  it 
was  not  his  duty  to  do  so.  Hegiage, 
notwithstanding  his  ferocity,  was  struck 
with  the  prisoner's  greatness  of  spirit. 
"  Well,"  said  he^  after  a  moment's 
pause,  "  suppose  1  were  to  grant  you 
your  life  and  liberty,  should  you  be  still 
my  enemy  ?"  "  No,"  said  the  prison- 
er. "  That's  enough,"  said  Hegiage  ; 
"  your  bare  word  is  sufficient ;  you 
have  given  undoubted  proof  of  your 
love  for  truth.     Go,  preserve  the  life 


that  is  less  dear  to  you  than  honor  and 
sincerity ;  your  liberty  is  the  just  re- 
ward of  your  virtue." 

Here  we  see,  that  truth  serves  us  best 
at  the  very  crisis  when  we  are  apt  to 
be  most  afraid  that  it  will  injure  us. 
Would,  it  not  have  been  supposed  that 
the  truth  and  integrity  of  the  witness 
above  mentioned  would  have  redoubled 
the  fury  of  a  man  so  imperious  and  san- 
guinary ?  Yet  the  fact  is,  that,  instead 
of  irritating,  it  softened  and  disarmed 
the  tyrant. 


WAR. 


4il.  Battles,  Battle-Fields. 


(a)  BATTLE    OF    SOL  DIN.— 

We  take  the  following  account  of 
scenes  after  the  battle  of  Soldin,  from 
the  pen  of  a  clergyman.  "  At  one 
o'clock  the  cannonading  ceased  ;  and  I 
went  out  on  foot  as  far  as  Soldin,  to 
learn  to  whose  advantage  the  battle 
had  turned.  Towards  evening,  seven 
hundred  Russian  fugitives  came  to  Sol- 
din, a  most  pitiful  sight !  some  holding 
up  their  hands,  cursing  and  swearing ; 
others  praying,  and  praising  the  King 
of  Prussia ;  without  hats,  without 
clothes ;  some  on  foot,  others,  two  on  a 
horse,  with  their  heads  and  arms  tied 
up ;  some  dragging  along  by  the  stir- 
rups, and  others  by  the  tails  of  the 
horses.  When  the  battle  was  decided 
in  favor  of  the  Prussians,  I  ventured  to 
the  place  where  the  cannonading  had 
been.  After  walking  some  way,  a 
Cossack's  horse  came  running  full 
speed  towards  me.  I  mounted  him ; 
and  on  my  way  for  seven  miles  and  a 
half  on  this  side  the  field  of  battle,  I 
found  the  dead  and  wounded  lying  on 
the  ground,  sadly  cut  in  pieces.  The 
further  I  advanced,  the  more  these  poor 
creatures  lay  heaped  one  upon  another. 
That  scene  I  shall  never  forget.  The 
Cossacks,  as  soon  as  they  saw  me,  cried 
out,  '  Dear  sir,  water,  water,  water  !' 
Righteous  God  !  what  a  sight !  Men, 
women  and  children,  Russians  and 
Prussians,  carriages   and  horses,  oxen, 


chests  and  baggage,  all  lying  one  upon 
another  to  the  height  of  a  man !  and 
seven  villages  around  me  in  flames,  and 
the  inhabitants  either  massacred,  or 
thrown  into  the  fire !  Nor  were  the 
embers  of  mutual  rage  yet  extinguish- 
ed in  the  hearts  of  the  combatants ;  for 
the  poor  wounded  were  still  firing  at 
each  other  in  the  greatest  exaspera- 
tion !  The  field  of  battle  was  a  plain 
two  miles  and  a  half  long,  and  so  en- 
tirely covered  with  dead  and  wounded, 
that  there  was  not  even  room  to  set  my 
foot  without  treading  on  some  of  them ! 
Several  brooks  were  so  filled  up  with 
Russians,  that  they  lay  heaped  one 
upon  another  as  high  as  two  men,  and 
appeared  like  hills  to  the  even  ground  ! 
I  could  hardly  recover  myself  from  the 
fright  occasioned  by  the  miserable  out- 
cries of  the  wounded.  A  noble  Prus- 
sian officer,  who  had  lost  both  his  legs, 
cried  out  to  me,  '  Sir,  you  are  a  priest, 
and  preach  mercy ;  pray,  show  me 
some  compassion,  and  despatch  me  at 
once.' " 

(b)  NUMBERS    SLAIN    IN  DIF- 
FERENT BATTLiiS— At  Durham, 
1346,  there  fell  15,000;  at  Halidonhill 
and  Agincourt,  20,000  each ;  at  Baut- 
zen   and    Lepanto,  25,000    each ;     at 
Austerlitz,  Jena    and    Lutzen,  30.000 
each  ;  at  Eylau,  60,000  ;  at   Waterloo 
and    Quatre    Bras,    one    engagement, 
I  70,000  ;  at  Borodino,  80,000 ;  at  Fon- 
I  tenoy,  100,000  ;  at  Yarmouth,  150,000  ; 
I  at    Chalons,  no    less  than   300,000  of 
845 


432 


WAR. 


Attila's  army  alone !  The  Moors  in 
Spain,  about  the  year  800,  lost  in  one 
battle  70,000 ;  in  another,  four  centu- 
ries later,  180,000,  besides  50,000  pris- 
oners, and  in  a  third,  even  200,000. 
Still  greater  was  the  carnage  in  ancient 
times.  At  Cannse,  70,000  fell.  The 
Ronrians  alone,  in  an  engagennent  with 
the  Cimbri  and  Teutones,  lost  80,000. 
The  Carthaginians  attacked  Hymera  in 
Sicily  with  an  army  of  300,000  men, 
and  a  fleet  of  2000  ships,  and  3000 
transports ;  but  not  a  ship  nor  a  trans- 
port escaped  destruction,  and  of  the 
troops,  only  a  few  in  a  small  boat 
reached  Carthage  with  the  melancholy 
tidings.  Marius  slew,  in  one  battle, 
140,000  Gauls,  and  in  another,  290,000. 
In  the  battle  of  Issus,  between  Alexan- 
der and  Darius,  110,000  were  slain, 
in  that  of  Arbela,  300,000.  Julius 
and  Csesar  once  annihilated  an  army  of 
363,000  Helvetians;  in  a  battle  with 
the  Usipetes,  he  slew  400,000  ;  and  on 
another  occasion,  he  massacred  more 
than  430,000  Germans,  who  "had 
crossed  the  Rhine,  with  their  herds,  and 
flocks,  and  little  ones,  in  quest  of  new 
settlements." 

4SI.  Sieges. 

(a)  SIEGE  OF  GENOA.— In  1800, 

Genoa,  occupied  by  24,000  French 
troops,  was  besieged  at  once  by  a  Brit- 
ish fleet  and  a  powerful  Austrian  army. 
We  will  not  detail  the  horrors  attendant 
on  the  sallies  and  assaults ;  but  let  us 
look  at  the  condition  of  the  soldiers  and 
citizens  within.  The  former,  worn 
down  by  fatigue,  and  wasted  by  famine, 
had  consumed  all  the  horses  in  the  city, 
and  were  at  length  reduced  to  the  ne- 
cessity of  feeding  on  dogs,  cats,  and 
vermin,  which  were  eagerly  hunted  out 
in  the  cellars  and  common  sewers. 
Soon,  however,  jtven  these  wretched 
resources  failed  ;  and  they  were  brought 
to  the  pittance  of  four  or  five  ounces  a 
day  of  black  bread  made  of  cocoa,  rye, 
and  other  substances  ransacked  from 
the  shops  of  the  city. 

The  inhabitants,  also,  were  a  prey  to 

the  most  unparalleled  sufferings.     The 

price  of  provisions  had  from  the  first 

been  extravagantly  high,  and  at  length 

846 


no  kind  of  grain  could  be  had  at  any 
cost.  Even  before  the  city  was  reduced 
to  the  last  extremities,  a  pound  of  rice 
was  sold  for  more  than  a  dollar,  and  a 
pound  of  flour  for  nearly  two  dollars. 
Afterwards  beans  were  sold  for  two 
cents  each,  and  a  biscuit  of  three  ounces 
weight,  when  procurable  at  all,  for  up- 
wards of  two  dollars.  A  little  cheese, 
and  a  few  vegetables,  were  the  only 
nourishment  given  even  to  the  sick  and 
wounded  in  the  hospitals. 

The  horrors  of  this  prolonged  famine 
in  a  city  containing  above  100,000  souls, 
cannot  be  adequately  described.  All 
day  the  cries  of  the  miserable  victims 
were  heard  in  the  streets,  while  the 
neighboring  rocks  within  the  walls  were 
covered  with  a  famished  crowd  seeking 
in  the  vilest  animals,  and  the  smallest 
traces  of  vegetation,  the  means  of  as- 
suaging the  intolerable  pangs  of  hunger. 
Men  and  women,  in  the  last  agonies  of 
despair,  filled  the  air  with  their  groans 
and  shrieks ;  and  sometimes,  while  ut- 
tering these  dreadful  cries,  they  strove 
with  furious  hands  to  tear  out  their 
ravening  entrails,  and  fell  dead  in  the 
streets !  At  night  the  lamentations  of 
the  people  were  still  more  dreadful ; 
too  agitated  to  sleep,  and  unable  to 
endure  the  agonies  around  them,  they 
prayed  aloud  for  death  to  relieve  them 
from  their  sufferings. 

Dreadful  was  the  efl^ect  of  these 
protracted  calamities  in  hardening  the 
heart,  and  rendering  men  insensible  to 
any  thing  but  their  own  disasters.  Chil- 
dren, left  by  the  death  of  their  parents 
in  utter  destitution,  implored  in  vain  the 
passing  stranger  with  tears,  with  mourn- 
ful gestures,  and  heart-broken  accents, 
to  give  them  succor  and  relief.  Infants, 
deserted  in  the  streets  by  their  own  pa- 
rents, and  women,  who  had  sunk  down 
from  exhaustion  on  the  public  thorough- 
fares, were  abandoned  to  their  fate; 
and,  crawling  to  the  sewers,  and  other 
receptacles  of  filth,  they  sought  there, 
with  dying  hands,  for  the  means  of  pro- 
longing their  miserable  existence  for  a 
few  hours.  In  the  desperation  produced 
by  such  long-continued  torments,  the 
more  ardent  and  impetuous  rushed  out 
of  the  gates,  and  threw  themselves  into 
the  harbor,  where  they  perished  without 


SIEGES. 


433 


assistance  or  commiseration.  To  such 
straits  were  they  reduced,  that  not  only- 
leather  arid  skins  of  every  kind  were 
devoured,  but  the  horror  at  human  flesh 
was  so  much  abated,  that  numbers  were 
supported  on  the  dead  bodies  of  their 
fellow-citizens ! 

Still  more  cruel,  horrible  beyond  all 
description,  was  the  spectacle  presented 
by  the  Austrian  prisoners  of  war  con- 
fined on  board  certain  old  vessels  in  the 
port ;  for  such  was  the  dire  necessity  at 
last,  that  they  were  left  for  some  days 
without  nutriment  of  any  kind  !  They 
ate  their  shoes,  they  devoured  the  leath- 
er of  their  pouches,  and,  scowling  dark- 
ly at  each  other,  their  sinister  glances 
betrayed  the  horrid  fear  of  their  being 
driven  to  prey  upon  one  another.  Their 
French  guards  were  at  length  removed, 
under  the  apprehension  that  they  might 
be  made  a  saorifice  to  ravening  hunger  ; 
and  so  great  did  their  desperation  finally 
become,  that  they  endeavored  to  scuttle 
their  floating  prisons  in  order  to  sink 
them,  preferring  to  perish  thus  rather 
than  endure  any  longer  the  tortures  of 
famine. 

Pestilence,  as  usual,  came  in  the  rear 
of  such  calamities ;  and  contagious  fe- 
vers swept  off  multitudes,  whom  the 
strength  of  the  survivors  was  unable  to 
inter.  Death  in  every  form  awaited 
the  crowds  whom  common  suffering  had 
blended  together  in  the  hospitals ;  and 
the  multitude  of  unburied  corpses  which 
encumbered  the  streets,  threatened  the 
city  with  depopulation  almost  as  cer- 
tainly as  the  grim  hand  of  famine  under 
which  they  were  melting  away.  When 
the  evacuation  took  place,  the  extent  of 
the  suffering  which  the  besieged  had 
undergone  appeared  painfully  conspicu- 
ous. "  On  entering  the  town,"  says 
Thiebault,  "  all  the  figures  we  met 
bore  the  appearance  of  profound  grief, 
or  sombre  despair  ;  the  streets  resound- 
ed with  the  most  heart-rending  cries  ; 
on  all  sides  death  was  reaping  its  har- 
vest of  victims,  and  the  rival  furies  of 
famine  and  pestilence  were  multiplying 
their  devastations.  In  a  word,  both  the 
army  and  the  inhabitants  seemed  fixst 
approaching  their  dissolution." 

(b)  BOMBARDMENT  OF  ST. 
JEAN  D'ACRE.— The  bombardment 


of  St.  Jean  d'Acre,  in  Syria,  English 
newspapers  of  the  day  called  "  a  most 
brilliant  exploit ;"  but  let  us  see  what 
it  was.  "  At  half  past  four  in  the  morn- 
ing," says  an  eye-witness,  "  ail  firing 
ceased,  as  if  by  one  consent,  when — 
heavens  !  what  a  sight ! — the  whole 
town  seemed  to  be  thrown  into  the  air  ! 
We  saw  nothing  but  one  dense  cloud 
extending  thousands  of  yards  into  the 
air  on  all  sides  ;  and  then  we  felt  an 
awful  shock,  which  gave  the  line-of- 
battle  ships  a  keel  of  two  degrees.  It 
was  the  explosion  caused  by  one  of  our 
shells  bursting  in  their  main  magazine 
of  powder,  by  which,  to  speak  within 
bounds,  two  thousand  souls,  besides 
beasts  of  burden  of  every  description, 
were  blown  to  atoms  !  The  entire  loss 
of  the  Egyptians  is  computed  at  three 
thousand.  At  daylight,  what  a  sight 
was  exposed  to  our  view  !  The  stupen- 
dous fortification,  that  only  twelve  hours 
before  was  among  the  strongest  in  the 
world,  was  so  riddled  that  we  could  not 
find  a  square  foot  which  had  not  a  shot. 
I  went  ashore  to  witness  the  devasta- 
tion ;  the  sight  beggared  all  descrip- 
tion !  The  bastions  were  strewed  with 
the  dead,  the  guns  dismounted,  and  all 
sorts  of  havoc.  The  spot  of  the  explo- 
sion was  far  worse — a  space  of  two 
acres  laid  quite  bare,  and  hollowed  out 
as  if  a  quarry  had  been  worked  there 
for  years  !  Heavens  !  what  a  sight  was 
there  before  me  !  Mangled  human  bod- 
ies, of  botii  sexes,  strewed  in  all  direc- 
tions, women  searching  for  their  hus- 
bands and  other  relatives,  tearing  their 
hair,  beating  their  breasts,  and  howling 
and  crying  most  pitoously  !"  AH  this 
was  done  by  England  herself  in  1840  ! ! 
(c)  SIEGE  OF  MAGDEBURG.— 
In  the  siege  of  Magdeburg,  in  1833,  the 
resistance  was  long  and  obstinate  ;  but 
at  length  two  gates  were  forced  open 
by  the  besiegers,  aiyl  Tilly,  marching 
a  part  of  his  infantry  into  the  town, 
immediately  occupied  the  principal 
streets,  and  with  pointed  cannon  drove 
the  citizens  into  their  dwellings,  there 
to  await  their  destiny.  Nor  were  they 
held  long  in  suspense ;  a  word  from 
Tilly  decided  the  fate  of  Magdeburg. 
Even  a  more  humane  general  would 
have  attempted  in  vain  to  restrain  such 
847 


433 


WAR. 


soldiers;  but  Tilly  never  once  made 
the  attempt.  The  silence  of  their 
general  left  the  soldiers  masters  of  the 
citizens ;  and  they  broke  without  re- 
straint into  the  houses  to  gratify  every 
brutal  appetite.  The  prayers  of  inno- 
cence excited  some  compassion  in  the 
hearts  of  the  Germans,  but  none  in 
the  rude  breasts  of  Pappenheim's  Wal- 
loons. Scarcely  had  the  massacre 
commenced,  when  the  other  gates  were 
thrown  open,  and  the  cavalry,  with  the 
fearful  hordes  of  Croats,  poured  in  upon 
the  devoted  town. 

Now  began  a  scene  of  massacre  and 
outrage,  which  history  has  no  language, 
poetry  no  pencil  to  portray.  Neither 
the  innocence  of  childhood,  nor  the 
helplessness  of  old  age,  neither  youth 
nor  sex,  neither  rank  noi:  beauty,  could 
disarm  the  fury  of  the  conquerors. 
Wives  were  dishonored  in  the  very 
arms  of  their  husbands,  daughters  at 
the  feet  of  their  parents,  and  the  de- 
fenceless sex  exposed  to  the  double  loss 
of  virtue  and  life.  No  condition,  how- 
ever obscure,  or  however  sacred,  could 
afford  protection  against  the  cruelty  or 
rapacity  of  the  enemy.  Fifty-three 
women  were  found  in  a  single  church 
with  their  heads  cut  off!  The  Croats 
amused  themselves  with  throwing  chil- 
dren into  the  flames,  and  Pappenheim's 
Walloons  with  stabbing  infants  at  their 
mothers'  breasts  !  Some  officers  of  the 
League,  horror-struck  at  scenes  so 
dreadful,  ventured  to  remind  Tilly,  that 
he  had  it  in  his  power  to  slop  the  car- 
nage. "  Return  in  an  hour,"  was  his 
answer,  "  and  I  will  see  what  is  to  be 
done ;  the  soldier  must  have  some  re- 
compense for  his  dangers  and  toils !" 

No  orders  came  from  the  general  to 
check  these  horrors,  which  continued 
without  abatement  till  the  smoke  and 
flames  at  last  stopped  the  course  of  the 
plunderers.  To  increase  the  confusion, 
and  break  the  resistance  of  the  inhabit- 
ants, the  invaders  had,  in  the  com- 
mencement of  the  assault,  fired  the 
town  in  several  places ;  and  a  tempest 
now  arose,  and  spread  the  flames  with 
frightful  rapidity,  till  the  blaze  became 
universal,  and  forced  the  victors  to 
pause  awhile  in  their  work  of  rapine 
and  carnage.  The  confusion  was  deep- 
848 


ened  by  the  clouds  of  smoke,  the  clash 
of  swords,  the  heaps  of  dead  bodies 
strewing  the  ground,  the  crash  of  falling 
ruins,  and  the  streams  of  blood  which 
ran  along  the  streets.  The  atmosphere 
glowed  ;  and  the  intolerable  heat  finally 
compelled  even  the  murderers  to  take 
refuge  in  their  camp.  In  less  than 
twelve  hours,  this  strong,  populous,  and 
flourishing  city,  one  of  the  finest  in  all 
Germany,  was  a  heap  of  ashes,  with 
the  exception  of  only  two  churches,  and 
a  few  houses. 

Scarcely  had  the  flames  abated,  when 
the  soldiers  returned  to  satiate  anew 
their  rage  for  plunder,  amid  the  ruins 
and  ashes  of  the  town.  Multitudes 
were  suffocated  by  the  smoke ;  but 
many  found  rich  booty  in  the  cellars 
where  the  citizens  had  concealed  their 
valuable  effects.  At  length  Tilly  him- 
self appeared  in  the  town,  after  the 
streets  had  been  cleared  of  ashes  and 
corpses.  Horrible  and  revolting  to 
humanity  was  the  scene  that  presented 
itself!  the  few  survivors  crawling  from 
under  the  dead  ;  little  children  wander- 
ing about,  with  heart-rending  cries,  in 
quest  of  their  parents  now  no  more ; 
and  infants  still  sucking  the  dead  bodies 
of  their  mothers  !  More  than  five  thou- 
sand bodies  were  thrown  into  the  Elbe 
just  to  clear  the  streets ;  a  far  greater 
number  had  been  consumed  by  the 
flames ;  the  entire  amount  of  the 
slaughter  was  estimated  at  thirty  thou- 
sand ;  and  in  gratitude  to  the  God  of 
peace  for  such  horrid  success  in  the 
butchery  of  his  children,  for  this  tri- 
umph of  Christian  over  Christian  in 
blood,  and  fire,  and  rapine,  and  brutal 
lust,  a  solemn  mass  was  performed,  and 
Te  Deum  sung  amid  the  discharge  of 
artillery ! ! 

{d)  SIEGE  OF  ZARAGOSSA.— 
The  French  fought  their  way  into  the 
entrance  of  the  ill-fated  city,  by  mining 
and  exploding  one  house  after  another, 
while  the  inhabitants  were  confined  to 
that  quarter  of  the  city  still  in  possession 
of  the  Spaniards,  who  were  crowded, 
men,  women  and  children,  into  the 
cellars,  to  avoid  the  cannon  balls  and 
bombs.  Pestilence  broke  out  as  a 
matter  of  course  ;  and  when  once  begun, 
it  was  impossible  to  check  its  progress, 


V 


MILITARY  HOSPITALS. 


433 


or  confine  it  to  one  quarter  of  the  city. 
It  was  not  long  before  more  tlian  thiriy 
hospitals  were  established.  As  soon  as 
one  was  destroyed  by  the  bombardment, 
the  patients  were  removed  to  some 
other  building,  which  was  in  a  state  to 
afford  them  temporary  shelter,  and  thus 
the  infection  was  carried  into  every 
part  of  Zaragossa.  The  average  of 
daily  deaths  from  this  cause  was,  at 
this  time,  not  less  than  three  hundred 
and  fifty.  Men  stretched  upon  straw, 
in  helpless  misery,  lay  breathing  their 
last,  and  with  their  dying  breath  spread- 
ing the  mortal  taint  of  their  own  disease, 
without  medicines,  food,  or  attendance ; 
for  the  ministers  of  charity  themselves 
became  the  victims  of  the  disease.  The 
slightest  wound  produced  gangrene  and 
death  in  bodies  so  prepared  for  dissolu- 
tion by  distress  of  mind,  agitation,  and 
want  of  proper  aliment  and  of  sleep; 
for  there  was  no  respite,  either  by  day 
or  night,  for  this  devoted  city.  By  day, 
it  was  involved  in  a  red  sulphuric  at- 
mosphere of  smoke  and  dust,  which  hid 
the  face  of  heaven ;  by  night,  the  fire 
of  cannon  and  mortars,  and  the  flames 
of  burning  houses,  kept  it  in  a  state  of 
y  horrible  illumination.  The  cemeteries 
^  could  no  longer  afford  room  for  the  dead. 
Large  pits  were  dug  to  receive  them  in 
the  streets,  and  in  the  courts  of  the 
public  buildings,  till  hands  were  wanted 
for  the  labor;  they  were  laid  before 
the  churches,  heaped  upon  one  another, 
and  covered  with  sheets ;  and  not  un- 
frequently  these  piles  of  mortality  were 
struck  by  a  shell,  and  the  shattered 
bodies  scattered  in  all  directions.  When 
the  French  entered  the  city,  six  thousand 
bodies  were  lying  in  the  streets  and 
trenches,  or  piled  up  in  heaps  before 
the  churches. 

431.  Military  Hospitals. 

(a)   HOSPITAL  IN  PORTUGAL. 

— The  following  sketch  from  a  British 
officer  in  Portugal  will  help  us  further 
to  conceive  the  horrors  of  a  hospital. 
"  I  entered  the  town  of  Mirando  Cervo 
about  dusk.  It  had  been  a  black,  grim, 
gloomy  sort  of  day.  Huge  masses  of 
clouds  lay  motionless  on  the  sky ;  and 
then  they  would  break  up  suddenly  as 
54 


with  a  whirlwind,  and  roll  off  in  the  red 
and  bloody  distance.  I  felt  myself  in 
a  strange  sort  of  excitement ;  my 
imagination  got  the  better  of  all  my 
other  faculties ;  and,  while  walking  out 
in  the  principal  street,  I  met  a  woman, 
an  old  haggard-looking  wretch,  who  had 
in  her  hollow  eyes  an  unaccountable 
expression  of  cruelty,  a  glance  like  that 
of  madness ;  but  her  deportment  was 
quiet  and  rational,  and,  though  clad  in 
squallidness,  she  was  evidently  of  the 
middle  rank  in  society.  Without  being 
questioned,  she  told  me  in  broken  Eng- 
lish, I  should  find  comfortable  accom- 
modations in  an  old  convent  at  some 
distance  in  a  grove  of  cork-trees,  point- 
ing to  them  with  her  long,  shriveled 
hand  and  arm,  and  giving  a  sort  of  hy- 
sterical laugh. 

"  I  followed  her  advice,  anticipating 
no  danger  or  adventure ;  yet  the  wild 
eyes,  and  the  still  wilder  voice  of  the 
old  crone  so  powerfully  affected  me, 
that  I  walked,  in  a  sort  of  muse,  up  a 
pretty  long  flight  of  steps,  and  found 
myself  standing  at  the  entrance  to  the 
cloisters  of  the  convent.  A  strange 
sight  now  burst  upon  my  view  !  Before 
me  lay  and  sat  more  than  a  hundred  dead 
bodies,  all  of  them  apparently  in  the 
very  attitude  or  posture  in  which  they 
had  died.  I  gazed  at  them  a  minute 
or  more  before  I  knew  that  they  were 
all  corpses ;  and  a  desperate  courage 
then  enabled  me  to  look  steadfastly  at 
the  scene  before  me.  The  bodies  were 
mostly  clothed  in  mats,  and  rags,  and 
tattered  great  coats  ;  some  of  them  were 
merely  wrapt  round  about  with  girdles 
composed  of  straw ;  and  two  or  three 
were  perfectly  naked.  Every  face  had 
a  different  expression,  but  all  painful, 
horrid,  agonized,  bloodless.  Many- 
glazed  eyes  were  wide  open ;  and  per- 
haps this  was  the  most  shocking  thing 
in  the  whole  spectacle — so  many  eyes 
that  saw  not,  all  seemingly  fixed  upon 
different  objects  ;  some  cast  up  to  hea- 
ven, some  looking  straight  forward,  and 
others  with  the  white  orbs  turned  round, 
and  deep  sunk  in  their  sockets.  It  was 
a  sort  of  hospital ;  and  these  wretched 
beings,  nearly  all  desperately  wounded,, 
had  been  stripped  by  their  comradeSj 
and  left  there  either  dead,  or  to  die, 
849 


\ 


434 


WAR. 


"  This  gliustly  sight  I  had  begun  to 
view  with  some  composure,  when  1  saw, 
at  the  remotest  part  of  the  hospital,  a 
gigantic  figure  sitting,  all  covered  with 
blood,  and  almost  naked,  upon  a  rude 
bedstead,  with  his  back  leaning  against 
the  wall,  and  his  eyes  fixed  directly  on 
mine.  I  first  thought  him  alive,  and 
shuddered ;  but  he  was  stone  dead ! 
In  his  last  agonies  he  had  bitten  his 
under  lip  almost  entirely  off,  and  his 
long  black  beard  was  drenched  in  clotted 
gore,  that  likewise  lay  in  large  blots 
upon  his  shaggy  bosom.  One  of  his 
hands  had  convulsively  grasped  the 
wood-work  of  the  bedstead,  and  crushed 
it  in  the  grasp.  I  recognized  the  corpse. 
He  was  a  sergeant  in  a  grenadier  regi- 
ment, and  had,  during  the  retreat,  been 
distinguished  for  acts  of  savage  valor. 
One  day  he  killed  with  his  own  hand 
Harry  Warburton,  the  right-hand  man 
of  my  own  company,  perhaps  the  most 
powerful  man  in  the  British  army. 
There  sat  the  giant  frozen  to  death.  I 
went  up  to  him,  and  raised  his  brawny 
arm,  it  fell  down  again  with  a  hollow 
sound  against  the  bloody  side  of  the 
corpse. 

"  My  eyes  unconsciously  wandered 
along  the  walls.  They  were  covered 
with  grotesque  figures  and  caricatures 
of  the  English,  absolutely  drawn  in 
blood !  Horrid  blasphemies,  and  the 
most  shocking  obscenities  in  the  shape 
of  songs,  were  in  like  manner  written 
there.  I  observed  two  books  lying  on 
the  floor,  and  picked  them  up.  One 
was  full  of  the  most  hideous  obscenity ; 
the  other  was  the  Bible  !  It  is  impos- 
sible to  tell  the  horror  produced  in  me 
by  this  circumstance.  The  books  dropt 
from  my  hand,  and  fell  on  the  breast 
of  one  of  the  bodies — it  was  a  woman's 
breast !  Yes,  a  woman  had  lived  and 
died  in  such  a  place  as  this !  What 
had  been  in  that  now  still,  death-cold 
heart,  perhaps  only  a  few  hours  before, 
I  knew  not — possibly  love  strong  as 
death,  love,  guilty,  abandoned,  linked 
by  vice  unto  misery,  but  still  love  that 
perished  only  with  the  last  throb,  and 
yearned  in  its  last  convulsion  towards 
some  one  of  these  grim  dead  bodies. 

"  Near  this  corpse  lay  that  of  a  per- 
fect boy  not  more  than  seventeen  years 
850 


of  age.  Round  his  neck  was  suspended, 
by  a  chain  of  hair,  a  little  copper  figure 
of  the  Virgin  Mary,  and  in  his  hand 
was  a  letter  in  French.  I  glanced  at 
it,  and  read  enough  to  know  it  was 
from  a  mother — My  dear  Sen,  &;c.  It 
was  a  terrible  place  to  think  of  mother 
— of  home — of  any  social,  any  human 
ties.  What !  have  these  ghastly  things 
parents,  brothers,  sisters,  lovers  ?  Were 
they  once  all  happy  in  peaceful  homes  ? 
Did  these  convulsed,  bloody,  mangled 
bodies,  ever  lie  in  undisturbed  beds? 
Did  these  clutched  hands  once  press  in 
infancy  a  mother's  breast  ?  Now,  alas, 
how  loathsome,  terrible,  ghostlike !  Will 
such  creatures,  thought  *[,  ever  live 
again  ?  Robbers,  ravishers,  incendiaries, 
murderers,  suicides — a  dragoon  there 
had  obviously  blown  out  his  own  ^brains 
— here  is  a  very  pandemonium  of  guilt 
and  horror!" 

iU.  Punishment  of  Soldiers. 

(a)    THE    GAUNTLET.— "One 

day,"  says  a  military  man,  "  I  was  on 
parade  when  preparation  was  making 
for  a  kind  of  punishnrent  called  the 
gauntlet.  All  the  soldiers  of  the  regi- 
ment were  placed  in  two  ranks  facing 
each  other,  and  about  five  feet  apart. 
To  each  soldier  was  given  a  stick  three 
feet  long,  or  more.  I  could  not  bear  to 
stay  and  witness  the  execution ;  but  I 
was  afterwards  informed  that  the  cul- 
prit, stripped  naked  to  his  waist,  and 
his  hands  tied  before  him,  was  marched 
between  the  ranks,  preceded  by  a  sol- 
dier walking  backwards  with  a  bayonet 
at  the  sufferer's  breast,  to  keep  him 
from  going  too  fast.  In  this  way  he 
was  struck  once  by  every  soldier,  offi- 
cers going  down  on  the  outside  of  the 
ranks  to  see  that  each  man  did  his  du- 
ty !  and,  if  any  one  was  merely  suspect- 
ed of  not  laying  on  hard  enough,  he  re- 
ceived over  his  own  head  a  blow  from 
the  officer's  cane.  Sometimes  the  crim- 
inal has  to  retrace  his  steps ;  and,  as  a 
regiment  consists  of  six  hundred  or  a 
thousand  men,  and  some  German  regi- 
ments of  two  thousand,  he  must  receive 
from  twelve  hundred  to  two  or  even  four 
thousand  blows  !  The  punishment  of- 
ten proves  fatal ;  and  to  such  a  pitch  of 
despair  were  those  soldiers  carried  by 


w 


PUNISHMENT  OF  SOLDIERS, 


434 


their  sufferings,  that  many  of  them 
committed  suicide  ;  and  one  poor  fellow 
shot  himself  near  my  lodgings." 

(6)  PUNISHMENT  OF  A  SOL- 
DIER.— "  One  wintry  morn,"  says  an 
eye-witness,  "  when  the  bleak  wind 
whistled  along  the  ranks  of  a  regiment 
paraded  to  see  corporal  punishment  in- 
flicted, every  eye  was  turned  in  pity 
towards  the  delinquent" — his  offence 
was  drunkenness — "  until  the  command- 
ing officer,  with  stentorian  lungs,  cried 
out,  '  Strip,  sir.'  The  morning  was  so 
bitterly  cold,  that  a  mere  exposure  of  a 
man's  naked  body  was  itself  a  severe 
punishment.  When  the  offender  was 
tied,  or  rather  hung,  up  by  the  hands, 
his  back,  from  intense  cold  and  previous 
flogging,  exhibited  a  complete  black- 
and-blue  appearance.  On  the  first  lash, 
the  blood  spirted  out  several  yards  ;  and, 
after  he  had  received  fifty,  his  back, 
from  the  neck  to  the  waist,  was  one 
continued  stream  of  blood.  When  tak- 
en down,  he  staggered,  and  fell  to  the 
ground.  The  poor  man  never  looked 
up  again ;  his  prospects  as  a  soldier 
were  utterly  destroyed  ;  and  so  keenly 
did  his  degradation  prey  upon  his  spirits, 
that  he  at  length  shot  himself  in  the 
barrack-room." 

(c)  THE  DESERTER'S  EXECU- 
TION.— A  surgeon,  stationed  during 
the  war  of  1812-14  at  Greenbush,  N. 
Y.,  says,  "  One  morning  several  prison- 
ers, confined  in  the  provost  guard-house, 
were  brought  out  to  hear  their  sentences. 
Some  wore  the  marks  of  long  con^e- 
ment,  and  upon  all  had  the  severity  of 
the  prison-house  stamped  its  impression. 
They  looked  dejected  at  this  public  ex- 
posure, and  anxious  to  learn  their  fate. 
I  had  never  seen  the  face  of  any  of 
them  before,  and  only  knew  that  a  sin- 
gle one  had  been  adjudged  to  death. 
Soon  as  their  names  were  called,  and 
their  sentences  announced,  I  discerned, 
by  his  agony  and  gestures,  the  misera- 
ble man  on  whom  that  sentence  was  to 
fall — a  man  in  the  bloom  of  youth,  and 
the  fullness  of  health  and  vigor. 

"  Prompted  by  feelings  of  sympathy, 
I  called  next  morning  to  see  him  in 
his  prison.  There,  chained  by  his  leg 
to  the  beam  of  the  guard-house,  he  was 
reading   the   Bible,   trying  to  prepare 


himself,  he  said,  for  the  fatal  hour.  I 
learned  from  him  the  circumstances  of 
his  case.  He  was  the  father  of  a  fami- 
ly, having  a  wife  and  three  young  chil- 
dren, thirty  or  forty  miles  distant  from 
the  camp.  His  crime  was  desertion  ; 
and  his  only  object,  he  declared,  was  to 
visit  his  wife  and  children.  Having 
seen  that  all  was  well  with  them,  it  was 
his  intention  to  return.  But,  whatever 
his  intention,  he  was  a  deserter,  and,  as 
such,  taken  and  brought  into  the  camp, 
manacled.  The  time  between  the  sen- 
tence and  its  execution  was  brief;  the 
authority  in  whom  alone  was  vested  the 
power  of  reprieve  or  pardon,  distant. 
Thus  he  had  no  hope,  and  requested 
only  the  attendance  of  a  minister  of  the 
gospel,  and  permission  to  see  his  wife 
and  children.  The  first  part  of  the  re- 
quest was  granted  ;  but  whether  he  was 
permitted  or  not  to  see  his  family,  I  do 
not  now  remember. 

"  Dreading  the  hour  of  his  execution, 
I  resolved,  if  possible,  to  avoid  being 
present  at  the  scene.  But  the  com- 
mander sent  me  an  express  order  to  at- 
tend, that  I  might,  in  my  official  capa- 
city of  surgeon,  see  the  sentence  fully 
executed.  The  poor  fellow  was  taken 
from  the  guard-house,  to  be  escorted  to 
the  fatal  spot.  Before  him  was  his  cof- 
fin— a  box  of  rough  pine  boards — borne 
on  the  shoulders  of  two  men.  The 
prisoner  stood,  with  his  arms  pinioned, 
between  two  clergymen.  A  white  cot- 
ton gown,  or  winding  sheet,  reached  to 
his  feet.  It  was  trimmed  with  black, 
and  had  attached  to  it,  over  his  heart, 
the  black  image  of  a  heart — the  mark 
at  which  the  executioners  were  to  aim. 
On  his  head  was  a  cap  of  white,  also 
trimmed  with  black.  His  countenance 
was  blanched  to  the  hue  of  his  winding 
sheet,  and  his  frame  trembled  with  ag- 
ony. Our  procession  formed,  we 
moved  forward  with  slow  and  measured 
steps  to  the  tune  of  a  death  march, 
(Roslin  Castle,)  played  with  muffled 
drums,  and  mourning  fifes.  The  scene 
was  solemn  beyond  the  power  of  des- 
cription ;  a  man  in  the  vigor  of  life 
walking  to  his  grave — to  the  tune  of  his 
own  death  march — clothed  in  his  burial 
robes — surrounded,  not  by  friends  as- 
sembled to  perform  the  last  sad  offices 
851 


435 


WAR. 


of  affection,  and  to  weep  over  him  in 
the  last  sad  hour,  but  by  soldiers  with 
bristling  bayonets  and  loaded  muskets, 
urged  by  stern  command  to  do  the  vio- 
lence of  death  to  a  fellow  soldier.  Amid 
reflections  like  these,  we  arrived  at  the 
place  of  execution,  a  large  open  field, 
in  whose  centre  a  heap  of  earth,  freshly 
thrown  up,  marked  the  spot  of  the  de- 
serter's grave.  On  this  field  the  whole 
force  then  at  the  cantonment  was  drawn 
up  in  the  form  of  a  hollow  square,  with 
the  side  beyond  the  grave  vacant.  The 
executioners,  eight  in  number,  had  been 
drawn  by  lot.  No  soldier  would  vol- 
unteer for  such  a  duty.  Their  muskets 
had  been  charged  by  the  officer  of  the 
day,  seven  of  them  with  ball,  the 
eighth  with  powder  alone.  Thus  each 
may  believe  that  he  has  the  blank  car- 
tridge, and  therefore  has  no  hand  in  the 
death  of  his  brother  soldier — striking 
indications  of  the  nature  of  the  service. 
"  The  coffin  was  placed  parallel  with 
the  grave  ;  and  about  two  feet  distant. 
In  the  intervening  space,  the  prisoner 
was  directed  to  stand.  He  desired  per- 
mission to  say  a  word  to  his  fellow-sol- 
diers ;  and  thus  standing  between  his 
coffin  and  his  grave,  he  warned  them 
against  desertion,  continuing  to  speak 
until  the  officer  on  duty,  with  his  watch 
in  his  hand,  announced  to  him  in  a  low 
voice,  '  Two  o'clock,  your  last  moment 
is  at  hand — you  must  kneel  on  your  cof- 
fin.' This  done,  the  officer  drew  down 
the  white  cap,  so  as  to  cover  the  eyes 
and  most  of  the  face  of  the  prisoner. 
The  kneeling  was  the  signal  for  the  ex- 
ecutioners to  advance.  They  had  be- 
fore, to  avoid  being  distinguished  by 
the  prisoner,  stood  intermingled  with 
the  soldiers  who  formed  the  line.  They 
now  came  forward,  marching  abreast, 
and  took  their  stand  a  little  to  the  left, 
about  two  rods  distant  from  their  living 
mark.  The  officer  raised  his  sword. 
At  this  signal,  the  executioners  took 
aim.  He  then  gave  a  blow  on  a  drum 
which  was  at  hand  ;  the  executioners  all 
fired  at  the  same  instant.  The  misera- 
ble man,  with  a  horrid  scream,  leaped 
from  the  earth,  and  fell  between  his 
coffin  and  his  grave.  The  sergeant  of 
the  guard,  a  moment  after,  shot  him 
through  the  head,  holding  the  muzzle 
852 


so  near  that  his  cap  took  fire  ;  and 
there  the  body  lay  upon  the  face,  the 
head  emitting  the  mingled  fumes  of 
burning  cotton  and  burning  hair.  The 
whole  line  then  marched  by  the  body, 
as  it  lay  upon  the  earth,  the  head  still 
smoking,  that  every  man  might  behold 
for  himself  the  fate  of  a  deserter. 

"  We  then  started  on  our  return. 
The  whole  band  struck  up,  with  un- 
common  animation,  our  national  air, 
(Yankee  Doodle,)  and  to  its  lively  mea- 
sures we  were  hurried  back  to  our  pa- 
rade ground  !  Having  been  dismissed^ 
the  commander  of  the  post  sent  an  invi- 
tation to  all  the  officers  to  meet  at  his 
quarters,  whither  we  repaired,  and 
were  treated  to  a  glass  of  gin  and  wa- 
ter !  I" 

Uk  Punishment  of  Marines. 

(a)  STEALING  A  HANDKER- 
CHIEF.— Mark  the  severity  visited 
upon  the  slightest  offences.  "  A  mid- 
shipman named  Gale,  a  most  rascally, 
unprincipled  fellow,  found  his  pocket 
handkerchief  in  possession  of  one  of  the 
crew.  He  charged  the  man  with  steal- 
ing it.  It  was  in  vain  that  the  poor 
wretch  asserted  that  he  found  it  under 
his  hammock.  He  was  reported  as  a 
thief;  a  court-martial  sat  upon  him,  and 
returned  the  shamefully  disproportion- 
ate sentence  of  three  hundred  lashes 
through  the  fleet,  and  one  year's  im- 
prisonment !  Nor  was  that  sentence  a 
dead  letter ;  the  unhappy  man  endured 
it  m  the  letter.  Fifty  were  laid  or* 
alongside  the  Macedonian,  in  conformity 
with  the  common  practice  of  inflicting 
the  most  strokes  at  the  first  ship,  in  order 
that  the  gory  back  of  the  criminal  may 
strike  the  more  terror  into  the  crews  of 
the  other  ships.  This  poor  tortured 
man  bore  two  hundred  and  twenty,  and 
was  pronounced  by  the  attending  sur- 
geon unfit  to  receive  the  rest.  Galled, 
bruised,  and  agonized  as  he  was,  he 
besought  them  to  suffer  the  infliction  of 
the  remaining  eighty,  that  he  might  not 
be  called  to  pass  through  the  degrading 
scene  again ;  but  this  prayer  was  de- 
nied !  He  was  brought  on  board,  and 
when  his  wounds  were  healed,  the  cap- 
tain, Shylock-like,  determined  to  have 


WAR  AND  THE  DOMESTIC  TIES. 


435,  436 


the  whole  pound  of  flesh,  ordered  him 
to  receive  the  remainder ! 

(b)  PUNISHMENT  WITH  THE 
COLT. — During  the  three  years'  cruise 
of  the  Fairfield,  says  Mr.  McNally,  I 
do  not  believe  a  single  day  elapsed  that 
punishment  by  flogging  did  not  take 
place.  At  that  time  there  was  a  cus- 
tom in  the  service,  directly  contrary  to 
law,  whereby  any  officer  of  the  deck 
could  inflict  punishment.  This  was  not 
with  the  cat,  as  the  law  directs,  but  with 
what  is  termed  a  colt,  a  piece  of  eigh- 
teen-thread  ratline,  or  one-inch  rope, 
which  generally  has  one  or  two  hard 
twine  whippings  upon  each  end.  Twelve 
lashes  with  this,  over  a  thin  frock  or 
shirt,  gave  greater  pain,  and  bruised 
the  flesh  more  than  the  cat  would  have 
done ;  and  it  was  with  this  instrument 
that  the  deck  officers  of  the  Fairfield 
punished  the  men,  and  there  was  no 
limit  to  the  number  of  lashes,  but  just 
as  many  as  it  might  please  the  officer  to 
order — sometimes  one  dozen,  and  at 
other  times  three.  Such  punishment 
frequently  brought  the  blood  through 
the  shirt,  and  often  left  the  flesh  black 
for  two  or  three  weeks,  and  then  yellow 
for  as  many  more,  before  it  healed  per- 
fectly. 

Never  let  citizens  in  the  Northern 
States  rail  at  slavery,  or  the  punish- 
ment inflicted  on  slaves,  or  say  that  it 
is  wrong,  so  long  as  their  own  sons, 
their  own  flesh  and  blood,  their  own  sea- 
men, their  own  free  citizens,  and  the 
men  to  whom  they  look  for  protection 
in  case  of  war,  are  daily  subject  to  the 
same  treatment  as  the  southern  slaves. 
The  late  John  Randolph  openly  declar- 
ed in  the  legislative  halls  of  Congress, 
that  he  had  witnessed,  in  a  few  months, 
more  flogging  on  board  the  man-of-war 
that  carried  him  to  Russia,  than  had 
taken  place  during  ten  years  on  his 
plantation,  where  there  were  five  hun- 
dred slaves. 

435.    AVar  and  the  Domestic  Ties. 

(a)  HORRORS  OF  WAR  IN  CHI- 
NA.— The  late  English  war  in  China 
furnishes  some  revolting  instances  of 
the  domestic  desolation  consequent  on 
this  trade  of  blood.  "  In  almost  every 
house   the   children    had    been   madly 


murdered .  The  bodies  of  most  of  these 
victims  were  found  lying  usually  in  the 
chambers  of  the  women,  as  if  each  fa- 
ther had  assembled  his  whole  family 
before  the  massacre  ;  in  some  instances 
these. poor  little  sufferers  were  the  next 
day  still  breathing  and  writhing  in  the 
agony  of  a  broken  spine  ;  the  way  in 
which  they  were  usually  put  to  death. 
In  one  house  were  found  in  a  single 
room  the  bodies  of  seven  dead  and  dy- 
ing persons.  It  was  evidently  the 
abode  of  a  man  of  some  consideration  ; 
and  the  delicate  forms  and  features  of 
the  sufferers  indicated  the  high  elevation 
of  their  rank.  On  the  floor,  essaying . 
in  vain  to  put  food  into  the  mouths  of 
two  young  children  that  were  writhing 
in  the  agonies  of  death  from  dislocated 
spines,  sat  a  decrepit  old  man,  weeping 
bitterly  at  the  piteous  moans  and  con- 
vulsive breathings  of  the  poor  infants. 
On  a  bed  near  these  children,  lay  a 
beautiful  young  woman  apparently 
asleep;  but  she  was  cold,  and  had  long 
been  dead.  One  arm  clasped  her  neck, 
over  which  a  silk  scarf  was  thrown  to 
conceal  the  gash  in  her  throat  which 
had  destroyed  life.  Near  her  was  the 
corpse  of  a  woman  somewhat  older,  her 
features  distorted  as  if  she  had  died  by 
strangulation ;  not  far  from  her  lay  a 
dead  child  stabbed  through  the  neck  ; 
and  in  a  narrow  verandah  adjoining, 
were  the  corpses  of  two  more  women 
suspended  by  their  necks  from  the  raft- 
ers. They  were  both  young,  one  quite 
a  girl ;  and  her  features,  in  spite  of 
their  hideous  distortion,  from  the  mode 
of  her  death,  still  retained  traces  of 
their  original  beauty." 

(h)  A  WIFE  AFTER  BATTLE. 
— The  battle-field  makes  terrible  hav- 
oc of  domestic  sympathies  and  hopes. 
I  once  read  of  a  devoted  wife  who  left 
her  babes,  and  walked  some  forty  miles 
to  see  her  husband  in  the  army.  She 
arrived  the  night  before  a  battle,  and 
contrived,  by  a  dextrous  appeal  to  the 
sentinel's  heart,  to  gain  admission  to  her 
husband's  tent.  The  hours  sped  swiftly 
away,  and  the  dawn  heard  the  signal 
for  battle.  She  hurried  from  his  fond 
embrace  with  many  a  tender  kiss  for 
his  babes,  but  lingered  near  the  scene, 
and  watched  from  a  neighboring  hill 
853 


436 


WAR. 


every  movement  of  the  two  armies, 
until  the  combat  ceased,  and  all  was  quiet 
once  more.  The  shades  of  night  now 
hang  in  gloonfl  over  that  battle-ground, 
and  forbid  all  search  for  the  wounded, 
the  dying  or  the  dead.  Morn  ap- 
proaches; and  with  its  earliest  dawn 
this  faithful  wife,  with  a  throbbing 
heart,  wanders  over  that  field  of  slaugh- 
ter to  see  if  the  father  of  her  babes  has 
fallen.  Alas,  it  is  too  true  !  There  he 
is,  all  cov'ered  with  gore.  She  sinks 
on  his  bosom  in  a  swoon,  and  rises 
no  more ! 

(c)  THE  MOTHER  AND  HER 
BABE. — Glance  at  one  scene  in  the 
campaign  of  1794-5.  "  We  could  not," 
says  an  eye-witness,  "  proceed  a  hun- 
dred yards  without  perceiving  the  dead 
bodies  of  men,  women  and  children. 
One  scene  made  an  impression  which 
time  can  never  efface.  Near  a  cart  we 
saw  a  stout  looking  man,  and  a  beauti- 
ful young  woman  with  an  infant  about 
seven  months  old  at  the  breast,  all  three 
frozen  and  dead  !  The  mother  must 
have  expired  in  the  act  of  suckling  her 
child,  as  she  lay  on  the  drifted  snow 
with  one  breast  exposed,  and  the  milk 
apparently  drawn  in  a  stream  from  the 
nipple  by  the  babe,  and  instantly  con- 
gealed. The  iilfant  seemed  as  if  its 
lips  had  but  just  been  disengaged,  and 
its  little  head  reposed  on  its  mother's 
bosom  with  an  overflow  of  milk  frozen 
as  it  trickled  from  the  mouth." 

{d)  COL.  HAYNE  AND  HIS 
SON. — Col.  Hayne,  of  South  Carolina, 
a  man  of  high  character,  endeared  to 
all  that  knew  his  worth,  and  bound  fast 
to  life  by  six  small  children,  and  a 
wife  tenderly  beloved,  was  taken  priso- 
ner by  the  British,  and  sentenced  to  be 
hung  !  His  wife,  falling  a  victim  to 
disease  and  grief  combined,  did  not  live 
to  plead  for  her  husband;  but  great 
and  generous  efforts  were  made  for  his 
rescue.  A  large  number,  both  Ameri- 
cans and  Englishmen,  interceded  in  his 
behalf;  the  ladies  of  Charleston  signed 
a  petition  for  his  release ;  and  his  six 
motherless  children  were  presented  on 
their  knees  as  humble  suitors  for  the 
life  of  their  father.  It  was  all  in  vain  ; 
for  war  has  no  heart  but  of  iron.  His 
eldest  son,  a  lad  about  thirteen  years 
854 


old,  was  permitted,  as  a  special  favor, 
to  stay  with  him  awhile  in  prison.  On 
seeing  his  father  loaded  with  irons,  and 
condemned  to  die  on  the  gallows,  the 
poor  boy  was  overwhelmed  with  con- 
sternation and  grief.  The  wretched 
father  tried  to  console  him  by  various 
considerations,  and  added,  "  to-morrow, 
my  son,  I  set  out  for  immortality  ;  you 
will  follow  me  to  the  place  of  my  exe- 
cution, and,  when  I  am  dead,  take  my 
body,  and  bury  it  by  the  side  of  your 
dear  mother."  Overcome  by  this  ap- 
peal, the  boy  threw  his  arms  around  his 
father's  neck,  crying,  "  O  my  father,  I'll 
die  with  you  !  I  will  die  with  you, 
father !"  The  wretched  father,  still 
loaded  down  with  irons,  was  unable  to 
return  his  son's  embrace,  and  merely 
said  in  reply,  "  No,  my  son,  never ! 
Live  to  honor  God  by  a  good  life  ;  live 
to  serve  your  country,  and  to  take  care 
of  your  brother  and  little  sisters." 

The  next  morning,  Col.  Hayne  was 
led  forth  to  execution.  That  fond  and 
faithful  boy  accompanied  him ;  and, 
when  they  came  in  sight  of  the  gallows, 
the  father  turned  to  him,  and  said, 
"  Now,  my  son,  show  yourself  a  man. 
That  tree  is  the  boundary  of  my  life, 
and  all  its  sorrows.  Beyond  that,  the 
wicked  cease  from  troubling,  and  the 
weary  are  forever  at  rest.  Don't,  my 
son,  lay  our  separation  too  much  at 
heart ;  it  will  be  short  at  longest.  It 
was  but  the  other  day  your  dear  mother 
died  ;  to-day  I  die  ;  and  you,  my  son, 
though  young,  must  follow  us  shortly." 
"  Yes,  my  father,"  replied  the  broken- 
hearted boy,  "  I  sJiall  follow  you  short- 
ly ;  for  I  feel  indeed  that  I  can't,  can't 
live  long."  And  so  it  was  ;  for,  on  see- 
ing his  much-loved  father  first  in  the 
hands  of  the  executioner,  and  then 
struggling  in  the  halter  from  the  gal- 
lows, he  stood  transfixed  with  horror. 
Till  then  he  had  all  along  wept  profuse- 
ly as  some  relief  to  his  agonized  feel- 
ings ;  but  that  sight ! — it  dried  up  the 
fountain  of  his  tears  ; — he  never  wept 
again.  His  reason  reeled  on  the  spot ; 
he  became  an  incurable  maniac ;  and 
in  his  last  moments,  he  called  out,  and 
kept  calling  out  for  his  father  in  tones 
that  drew  tears  from  the  hardest  hearts. 


pr 


TESTIMONIES  AGAINST  WAR. 


436,  43Y 


(e)  SCENE  NEAR  MARSEIL- 
LES.— "  We  were  some  ten  miles  from 
Marseilles,"  says  an  officer,  "  when  we 
saw  a  small  vessel  anchored  in  a  nar- 
row bay  ;  and,  fierce  for  prize-money, 
we  manned  a  boat,  and  pushed  forward 
till  we  came  within  pistol-shot  of  the 
craft,  without  seeing  any  one  except  an 
old  woman  seated  in  the  door  of  a  cot- 
tage at  some  distance.  Just  then  a 
musket-shot  from  behind  a  rock  laid 
our  bowman  a  corpse,  another  disabled 
our  marine,  a  third  tore  his  cravat  from 
the  lieutenant's  neck,  and  a  fourth  crip- 
pled the  coxswain's  arm.  Still  we  saw 
no  one  ;  and,  exasperated  by  these  dis- 
charges, we  gave  three  cheers,  and, 
pulling  for  the  place  whence  they  seem- 
ed to  come,  saw  at  length  a  man  and  a 
boy  running  from  us.  We  interchang- 
ed several  shots  in  vain,  until  the  lieu- 
tenant, resting  his  musket  on  a  rock, 
shot  the  child  while  in  the  act  of  hand- 
inor  a  cartridoje  to  the  man.  The  fa- 
ther  instantly  threw  down  his  musket, 
and  fell  by  the  side  of  his  son.  We 
seized  his  musket ;  but  he  paid  no  at- 
tention to  us.  When  we  bade  him  fol- 
low us,  he  heeded  us  not ;  but,  with 
the  child's  head  in  his  lap,  he  kept  wip- 
ing away  the  blood  that  oozed  from  the 
wound  in  his  forehead,  and  neither  wept 
nor  spoke,  but  watched  the  last  chilling 
shiver  of  his  boy  with  an  eye  of  inex- 
pressible sadness.  Then  he  jumped 
from  the  ground  with  a  frantic  air ;  the 
marine  brought  his  bayonet  to  the 
charge,  and  the  miserable  father  tried 
to  run  upon  its  point ;  but  the  marine, 
dropping  his  musket,  encircled  him  in 
his  arms.  We  desired  him  to  lead  us 
to  the  cottage.  The  marine  carried  the 
corpse,  and  the  father  walked  by  its 
side  in  silence,  till  we  suddenly  came 
upon  the  rear  of  the  cottage.  The  old 
woman  was  still  at  her  wheel,  and,  on 
discoveriftg  her  son  a  prisoner,  gave  a 
shriek  which  announced  to  a  lovely  fe- 
male in  the  hut  that  something  painful 
had  occurred.  She  rushed  to  assist  her 
mother — her  eye  fell  first  upon  her 
dead  son  in  the  arms  of  an  enemy ; 
and,  seizing  the  boy,  she  tore  him  from 
the  marine,  kissed  him  more  like  a 
maniac  than  a  mother,  and,  giving  one 
deep,  piercing  sigh,  fell  at  her  mother's 


feet.  We  could  stand  it  no  longer,  and 
hastened  away  ;  but  that  scene  I  can 
never  blot  from  my  memory." 

(/)  GENERAL  WASHING- 
TON'S CONFESSION.— Perhaps  few 
facts  would  more  forcibly  illustrate  the 
views,  which  even  reflecting  military 
men  take  of  the  nature  of  war,  than  the 
following : — 

Thomas  Mullet,  Esq.,  an  English 
gentleman,  being  in  America,  called  on 
General  Washington,  at  his  residence 
at  Mount  Vernon,  soon  after  the  close 
of  the  contest  between  that  country  and 
Great  Britain.  Washington  asked  him, 
in  the  course  of  conversation  in  his 
library,  if  he  had  met  with  an  individu- 
al in  that  country,  who  could  write  the 
history  of  the  recent  contest.  Mr.  M. 
replied  that  he  knew  of  one,  and  only 
one,  competent  to  the  task.  The  gene- 
ral eagerly  asked,  "  Who,  sir,  can  he 
be?"  Mr.  M.  replied,  "Sir,  Cesar 
wrote  his  own  Commentaries."  The 
general  bowed,  and  replied,  "  Cesar 
could  write  his  Commentaries  ;  but,  sir, 
I  know  the  atrocities  committed  on  both 
sides  have  been  so  great  and  many, 
that  they  cannot  be  faithfully  recorded, 
and  had  better  be  buried  in  oblivion  !" 


in.  Testimonies  against  War. 

(a)  CICERO  AND  SENECA  ON 
WAR. — We  could  not  expect  the  hea- 
then to  denounce  a  custom  so  emphati- 
cally their  own  ;  yet  we  find  the  wisest 
and  best  of  them  reprobating  it  in  the 
strongest  terms.  Cicero  speaks  of  war, 
"contention  by  violence,  as  belonging 
to  the  brutes,"  and  complains  bitterly 
of  its  effects  on  liberal  arts  and  peaceful 
pursuits.  "  All  our  noble  studies,  all 
our  reputation  at  the  bar,  all  our  profes- 
sional assiduities,  are  stricken  from  our 
hands  as  soon  as  the  alarm  of  war  is 
sounded.  Wisdom  itself,  the  mistress  of 
affairs,  is  driven  from  the  field.  Force 
bears  sway.  The  statesman  is  despised  ; 
the  grim  soldier  alone  is  caressed.  Legal 
proceedings  cease.  Claims  are  asserted 
and  prosecuted,  not  according  to  law, 
but  by  force  of  arms." 

Seneca,  the  great  moralist  of  antiqui- 
ty, is  still  more  strong  in  his  condemna- 
tion of  war.  "  How  are  we  to  treat  our 
855 


437 


WAR. 


fellow-creatures  ?  Shall  we  not  spare 
the  effusion  of  blood  ?  How  small  a 
matter  not  to  hurt  him  to  whom  we  are 
bound  by  every  obligation  to  do  all  the 
good  in  our  power ! — Some  deeds,  which 
are  considered  as  villanous  while  capa- 
ble of  being  prevented,  become  honora- 
ble and  glorious  when  they  rise  above 
the  control  of  law.  The  very  things 
which,  if  men  had  done  them  in  their 
private  capacity,  they  would  expiate 
with  their  lives,  we  extol  when  perpe- 
trated in  regimentals  at  the  bidding  of  a 
general.  We  punish  murders  and  mas- 
sacres committed  among  private  per- 
sons ;  but  what  do  we  with  wars,  the 
glorious  crime  of  murdering  whole  na- 
tions ?  Here  avarice  and  cruelty  know 
no  bounds  ;  enormities  forbidden  in  pri- 
vate  persons,  are  actually  enjoined  by 
legislatures,  and  every  species  of  bar- 
barity authorized  by  decrees  of  the  sen- 
ate, and  votes  of  the  people." 

{b)  DECISION  OF  A  PRIMITIVE 
CHRISTIAN.  —  Maximilian  having 
been  brought  before  the  tribunal  to  be 
enrolled  as  a  soldier,  Dion,  the  procon- 
sul, asked  him  his  name.  Maximilian, 
turning  to  him,  replied,  "  Why  wouldst 
thou  know  my  name  ?  I  am  a  Chris- 
tian, and  cannot  jiglii.^^  Then  Dion  or- 
dered him  to  be  enrolled,  and  bade  the 
officer  mark  him  ;  but  Maximilian  re- 
fused to  be  marked,  still  asserting  that 
he  was  a  Christian ;  upon  which  Dion 
instantly  replied,  "  Bear  arms,  or  thou 
shalt  die."  To  this  Maximilian  an- 
swered, "  I  cannot  fight,  if  I  die ;  I  am 
not  a  soldier  of  this  world,  but  a  soldier 
of  God."  He  refused  the  expostulations 
of  Dion,  and  was  accordingly  executed. 

(c)  EARLY  CHRISTIANS  AND 
WAR. — The  absolute  inconsistency  of 
war  with  the  gospel  was  the  prevalent 
belief  of  the  early  Christians.  Justin 
Martyr,  A.  D.  140,  quoting  the  prophe- 
cy of  Isaiah  already  cited,  says,  "  That 
these  things  have  come  to  pass,  you 
may  be  readily  convinced  ;  for  we  who 
were  once  slayers  of  one  another,  do  not 
now  fight  against  our  enemies."  Ire- 
nseus,  bishop  of  Lyons,  167,  discusses 
the  same  prophecy,  and  proves  its  rela- 
tion to  our  Savior  by  the  fact,  that  the 
followers  of  Jesus  had  disused  the  weap- 
ons of  war,  and  no  longer  knew  how  to 
856 


fight.  Tertullian,  200,  indeed  alludes 
to  Christians  who  were  engaged  in  mili- 
tary pursuits,  but,  on  another  occasion, 
informs  us,  that  many  soldiers  quitted 
those  pursuits  in  consequence  of  their 
conversion  to  Christianity  ;  and  repeat- 
edly expresses  his  own  opinion,  that  any 
participation  in  war  is  unlawful  for  be- 
lievers in  Jesus,  not  only  because  of  the 
idolatrous  practices  in  the  Roman  ar- 
mies, but  because  Christ  has  forbidden 
the  use  of  the  sword,  and  the  revenge 
of  injuries.  Origen,  230,  in  his  work 
against  Celsus,  says,  "  We  no  longer 
take  up  the  sword  against  any  nation, 
nor  do  we  learn  any  more  to  make  war. 
We  have  become,  for  the  sake  of  Jesus, 
the  children  of  'peace.  By  our  prayers, 
we  fight  for  our  king  abundantly,  but 
take  no  part  in  his  wars,  even  though 
he  urge  us." 

{d)  OPINION  OF  ERASMUS.— 
Erasmus,  the  glory  of  his  age,  wrote 
against  war  with  unrivaled  beauty  and 
force.  "  What  infernal  being,  all-pow- 
erful in  mischief,  fills  the  bosom  of  man 
with  such  insatiable  rage  for  war  !  If 
familiarity  with  the  sight  had  not  de- 
stroyed all  surprise  at  it,  and  custom 
blunted  the  sense  of  its  evils,  who  could 
believe  that  those  wretched  beings  are 
possessed  of  rational  souls,  who  contend 
with  all  the  rage  of  furies  ?  Robbery, 
blood,  butchery,  desolation,  confound 
without  distinction  every  thing  sacred 
and  profane." 

(e)  WALTER  RALEIGH  ON 
WAR.— Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  a  scholar, 
a  statesman,  and  a  soldier,  declares 
"  there  is  no  profession  more  unpropitious 
than  that  of  warriors.  Besides  the  envy 
and  jealousy  of  men,  the  spoils,  rapes, 
famine,  slaughter  of  the  innocent,  devas- 
tations and  burnings,  with  a  world  of  mis- 
eries laid  on  the  laboring  man,  they  are 
so  hateful  to  God,  as  with  good  reason 
did  Monluc,  the  marshal  of  France,  con- 
fess, '  that,  were  not  the  mercies  of  God 
infinite,  it  were  in  vain  for  those  of  his 
profession  to  hope  for  any  portion  of 
them,  seeing  the  cruelties  by  "them  per- 
mitted and  perpetrated  are  also  infi- 
nite.' " 

(/)  LORD  CLARENDON'S  OPL 
NION. — Lord  Clarendon,  illustrious  in 
the  annals  of  England,  is  very  explicit 


TESTIMONIES  AGAINST  WAR. 


437 


in  his  denunciations  of  this  custom. 
"  Of  all  the  punishments  and  judgments 
which  the  provoked  anger  of  divine 
Providence  can  pour  out  upon  a  nation 
full  of  transgressions,  there  is  none  so 
terrible  and  destroying  as  war.  A 
whole  city  on  fire  is  a  spectacle  replete 
with  horror ;  but  a  whole  kingdom  on 
fire  must  be  a  prospect  much  more  ter- 
rible. And  such  is  every  kingdom  in 
war,  where  nothing  flourishes  but  rap- 
ine, blood,  and  murder.  We  cannot 
make  a  more  lively  representation  and 
emblem  to  ourselves  of  hell,  than  by  the 
view  of  a  kingdom  in  war." 

ig)  NEVER  A  GOOD  WAR  OR 
A  BAD  PEACE.— Franklin  was  a 
stanch  opposer  of  the  war-system.  "  If 
statesmen,"  says  he,  "  were  more  ac- 
customed to  calculation,  wars  would  be 
much  less  frequent.  Canada  might 
have  been  purchased  from  France  for  a 
tenth  part  of  the  money  England  spent 
in  the  conquest  of  it ;  and  if,  instead  of 
fighting  us  for  the  power  to  tax  us,  she 
had  kept  us  in  good  humor  by  allowing 
us  to  dispose  of  our  own  money,  and 
giving  us  now  and  then  a  little  of  her 
own  by  way  of  donation  to  colleges  or 
hospitals,  for  cutting  canals,  or  fortify- 
ing ports,  she  might  easily  have  drawn 
from  us  much  more  by  occasional  vol- 
untary grants  and  contributions,  than 
ever  she  could  by  taxes.  Sensible  peo- 
ple will  give  a  bucket  or  two  of  water 
to  a  dry  pump,  in  order  to  get  from  it 
afterwards  all  they  want." 

"  After  much  occasion  to  consider  the 
folly  and  mischiefs  of  a  state  of  warfare, 
and  the  little  or  no  advantage  obtained 
even  by  those  nations  which  have  con- 
ducted it  with  the  most  success,  I  have 
been  apt  to  think  there  has  never  been, 
nor  ever  will  he,  any  such  thing  as  a 
good  war,  or  a  bad  peace.  All  wars  are 
follies,  very  expensive  and  very  mis- 
chievous ones.  When  will  mankind 
be  convinced  of  this,  and  agree  to  settle 
their  difficulties  by  arbitration  ?  Were 
they  to  do  it  even  by  the  cast  of  a  die, 
it  would  be  better  than  by  fighting  and 
destroying  each  other.  We  daily  make 
great  improvements  in  natural  philoso- 
phy ;  there  is  one  I  wish  to  see  in  mor- 
al— the  discovery  of  a  plan  that  would 
induce  and  oblige  nations  to  settle  their 


disputes  without  first  cutting  one  an- 
other's throats." 

(h)  WAR  MULTIPLIES  LOSSES. 
— Thomas  Jefferson  both  wrote  and 
acted  with  great  decision  in  favor  of 
peace.  "  I  stand  in  awe,"  he  says  in 
1798,  "  at  the  mighty  conflict  to  which 
two  great  nations  (France  and  England) 
are  advancing,  and  recoil  with  horror  at 
the  ferociousness  of  man.  Will  nations 
never  devise  a  more  rational  umpire  of 
differences  than  force  ?  Are  there  no 
means  of  coercing  injustice  more  grati- 
fying to  our  nature  than  a  waste  of  the 
blood  of  thousands,  and  of  the  labor  of 
millions  of  our  fellow-creatures  ?  Won- 
derful has  been  the  progress  of  human 
improvement  in  other  respects.  Let  us 
then  hope,  that  the  law  of  nature  will 
in  time  influence  the  proceedings  of  na- 
tions as  well  as  of  individuals,  and  that 
we  shall  at  length  be  sensible,  that  war 
is  an  instrument  entirely  inefficient  to- 
wards redressing  wrong,  and  multiplies 
instead  of  indemnifying  losses.  Had  the 
money  which  has  been  spent  in  the 
present  war  been  employed  in  making 
roads,  and  constructing  canals  of  navi- 
gation and  irrigation  through  the  coun- 
try, not  a  hovel  in  the  Highlands  of 
Scotland,  or  the  mountains  of  Auvergne, 
would  have  been  without  a  boat  at  its 
door,  a  rill  of  water  in  every  field,  and 
a  road  to  its  market-town.  Were  we  to 
go  to  war  for  redress  of  the  wrongs  we 
have  suffered,  we  should  only  plunge 
deeper  into  loss,  and  disqualify  ourselves 
for  half  a  century  more  for  attaining  the 
same  end.  These  truths  are  palpable, 
and  must  in  the  progress  of  time  have 
their  influence  on  the  minds  and  con- 
duct of  nations." 

(^■)  WAR  MAKES  VILLAINS.— 
Macchiavel  himself  denounces  war  as 
"  a  profession  by  which  men  cannot  live 
honorably ;  an  employment  by  which 
the  soldier,  if  he  would  reap  any  profit, 
is  obliged  to  be  false,  and  rapacious,  and 
cruel.  Nor  can  any  man,  who  makes 
war  his  profession,  be  otherwise  than 
vicious.  Have  you  not  a  proverb,  that 
war  makes  villains,  and  peace  brings 
them  to  the  gallows  .?" 

(j)    LOUIS    BONAPARTE     ON 
WAR. — "  I  have  been  as  enthusiastic 
and  joyful  as  any  one  after  victory ; 
857 


43*7,  43§ 


WAR. 


yet  I  confess  that  even  then  the  sight  of 
a  field  of  battle  not  only  struck  me  with 
horror,  but  even  turned  me  sick.  And 
now  that  I  am  advanced  in  life,  I  can- 
not understand  any  more  than  I  could 
at  fifteen  years  of  age,  how  beings  who 
call  themselves  reasonable,  and  who 
have  so  much  foresight,  can  employ  this 
short  existence,  not  in  loving  and  aiding 
each  other,  and  passing  through  it  as 
quietly  as  possible,  but  in  striving,  on 
the  contrary,  to  destroy  each  other,  as 
though  time  itself  did  not  do  this  with 
sufficient  rapidity.  What  I  thought  at 
fifteen  years  of  age,  1  still  think,  that 
war,  and  the  pain  of  death  which  society 
draws  upon  itself,  are  but  organized 
barbarisms,  an  inheritance  of  the  savage 
state." 

(k)  PRINCE  EUGENE  ON  WAR. 
— "  The  thirst  of  renown  sometimes  in- 
sinuates itself  into  our  councils,  under 
the  garb  of  national  honor.  It  dwells 
on  imaginary  insults ;  it  suggests  harsh 
and  abusive  language ;  the  people  go 
on  from  one  thing  to  another,  till  they 
put  an  end  to  the  lives  of  half  a  million 
of  men.  A  military  man  becomes  so 
sick  of  bloody  scenes  in  war,  that  in 
peace  he  is  averse  to  re-commence 
them.  I  wish  that  the  first  minister 
who  is  called  to  decide  on  peace  and 
war,  had  only  seen  actual  service. 
What  pains  would  he  not  take  to  seek, 
in  mediation  and  compromise,  the  means 
of  avoiding  the  effusion  of  so  much 
blood !" 

(Z)  LORD  BROUGHAM  ON  WAR. 
— "  My  principles — I  know  not  whether 
they  agree  with  yours :  they  may  be 
derided,  they  may  be  unfashionable ; 
but  I  hope  they  are  spreading  far  and 
wide — my  principles  are  contained  in 
the  words  which  that  great  man.  Lord 
Faulkland,  used  to  express  in  secret, 
and  which  I  now  express  in  public — 
Peace,  Peace,  PEACE.  I  abominate 
war  as  unchristian.  I  hold  it  the  great- 
est of  human  crimes.  I  deem  it  to  in- 
clude all  others — violence,  blood,  rap- 
ine, fraud,  every  thing  which  can  de- 
form the  character,  alter  the  nature, 
and  debase  the  name  of  man." 

{m)    COST   OF   WAR.— What   a 
boundless   spendthrift   is   war !      It   is 
estimated  that  every  gun  of  our  navy 
858 


costs  an  average  of  fifteen  thousand 
dollars  a  year;  enough  to  support 
twenty  or  thirty  missionaries  !  Forty 
millions  of  dollars  wasted  in  our  war 
with  a  handful  of  Indians  in  Florida ! 
fifty  millions  a  year  in  our  last  war 
with  England  !  hundreds  of  millions  in 
our  old  revolutionary  war !  Still  worse 
do  we  find  it  in  the  old  world.  Eng- 
land, as  stated  by  one  of  her  ablest  and 
best  men,  has  lavished  upon  Lord  Wel- 
lington alone,  eleven  millions  of  dollars  I 
As  much  upon  a  single  warrior  as  all 
Christendom  has  ever  given  in  five 
years  for  the  support  of  missionaries 
among  the  heathen  ! !  The  war  opera- 
tions of  England,  near  the  time  of  the 
battle  at  Waterloo,  are  said  to  have 
consumed  one  million  sterling  a  day ; 
about  twice  as  much  every  day  as  the 
whole  church  of  Christ  is  even  now 
contributing  annually  for  the  spread 
of  his  gospel !  It  has  been  estimated, 
that  the  late  wars  of  Europe,  in  little 
more  than  twenty  years,  wasted  in  one 
way  and  another  some  $40,000,000,000, 
the  bare  interest  of  which  would  be,  at 
six  per  cent,  82,400,000,000  a  year, 
and,  at  only  two  and  a  half  per  cent, 
no  less  than  $1,000,000,000  !  the  simple 
interest  at  this  low  rate,  enough  to  sup- 
port, at  $500  each,  two  millions  of  mis- 
sionaries, or  one  to  every  three  hundred 
souls  in  all  the  pagan  world ! ! 

M'^,  Miscellaneous. 

(a)  SUFFERINGS  OF  THE 
FRENCH.— "The  French  soldiers," 
says  an  eye-witness,  "  on  their  retreat 
from  Moscow,  would,  on  halting  at  night, 
throng  into  the  houses,  throw  themselves 
down  on  the  first  dirty  straw  they  could 
find,  and  there  perish,  in  large  numbers, 
with  hunger  and  fatigue.  From  such 
sufferings,  and  from  the  infection  of  the 
air  in  the  warmer  season  by  putrefied 
carcasses  of  men  and  horses  that  strewed 
the  road,  there  sprang  two  dreadful 
diseases,  the  dysentery  and  typhus 
fever,  before  which  they  melted  away 
like  dew  before  the  sun.  At  times 
they  were  so  overwhelmed  with  whirl- 
winds of  snow,  that  they  could  not  dis- 
tinguish the  road  from  the  ditches,  and 
often  found  their  grave  in  the  latter. 


MISCELLANEOUS. 


438 


The  roads,  league  after  league,  were 
checkered  with  dead  bodies  covered 
with  snow,  and  forming  undulations  or 
hillocks  like  those  in  a  grave-yard. 
Many  of  the  survivors  scarce  retained 
the  human  form.  Some  had  lost  their 
hearing,  others  their  speech  ;  and  many, 
by  excessive  cold  and  hunger,  were 
reduced  to  a  state  of  such  stupid 
frenzy,  that  they  roasted  the  dead 
bodies  of  their  companions,  and  even 
gnawed  their  own  hands  and  arms. 
"  No  grenade  or  grape,"  says  an  eye- 
witness, "  could  have  so  disfigured  those 
victims  of  the  cold.  One  of  them  had 
lost  the  upper  joints  of  all  his  ten  fin- 
gers ;  and  he  showed  us  the  stumps. 
Another  wanted  both  ears  and  nose. 
More  horrible  still  was  the  look  of  the 
third,  whose  eyes  had  been  frozen ;  the 
eyelids  hung  down  rotting,  the  globes 
of  the  eyes  were  burst,  and  protruded 
from  their  sockets.  It  was  awfully 
hideous ;  but  a  spectacle  yet  more 
dreadful  was  to  present  itself.  Out  of 
the  straw  in  a  car  that  brought  them,  1 
now  beheld  a  figure  creep  painfully, 
which  one  could  scarcely  believe  to  be 
a  human  being,  so  wild  and  distorted 
were  the  features.  The  lips  were  rotted 
away,  the  teeth  stood  exposed  ;  he  pulled 
the  cloth  from  before  his  mouth,  and 
grinned  on  us  like  a  death's-head  !" 

{i)  EXPENSE  OF  MILITIA 
DRILLS. — In  a  small  town  of  New 
Enorland,  there  were  formed  even  in 
1842,  no  less  than  three  military  com- 
panies with  some  aid  from  an  adjoining 
town,  and  one  company  of  juvenile 
volunteers.  Of  the  latter,  a  shrewd, 
economical  man  said,  "  I  wish  this 
training  fever  were  over;  for  it  has 
cost  me  eight  or  ten  dollars  to  fit  up  my 
boys,  and  lost  me  a  great  deal  of  their 
time  during  the  best  season  of  the  year." 
If  there  were  only  forty  boys  in  the 
company,  and  their  equipments  cost 
four  dollars  each,  and  their  time  was 
worth  only  twenty-five  cents  a  day,  the 
sum  total  for  these  items  alone,  would 
have  been  $340.  If  we  suppose  the 
whole  number  from  that  town  in  the 
adult  companies  to  have  been  only  one 
hundred,  the  time  spent  through  the 
season,  a  single  week  at  merely  half  a 
dollar  a  day,  their  incidental  expenses 


at  barely  twenty-five  cents  more,  and 
their  equipments  of  every  kind  eight 
dollars  each,  the  aggregate,  though 
most  of  these  estimates  are  too  low  by 
half,  would  amount  to  no  less  than 
$125.0,  in  all,  for  boys  and  men,  $1590 ; 
and,  should  we  reckon  the  loss  of  time 
and  money  to  the  spectators,  and  the 
general  suspension  or  derangement  of 
business,  the  sum  total  would  probably 
reach  $3000  or  more.  Put  it,  however, 
at  only  $2000  for  a  population  of  one 
thousand ;  and,  even  at  this  rate,  you 
would  make  our  militia  drills  now 
(1845)  a  tax  upon  the  country  of  some 
$40,000,000  a  year! 

(c)  LADD'S  DIALOGUE  WITH 
CHILDREN.— "A  distinguished  in- 
structor  of  youth,"  says  the  late  Wil- 
liam Ladd,  "  told  me  his  sons  were  so 
taken  up  with  military  notions,  that  he 
could  not  reason  with  them  ;  and  he 
asked  me  to  talk  to  them.  I  took  the 
oldest  boy,  aged  about  seven  years, 
between  my  knees,  and  something  like 
the  following  conversation  ensued  : — 
'  Do  you  love  to  see  the  soldiers  V  '  Yes, 
I  love  to  see  the  rub-a-dubs.'  '  Would 
you  like  to  be  one  yourself  ?'  '  O,  yes !' 
'  Well,  but  do  you  know  what  these 
soldiers  are  for  V  '  No.'  '  Why,  they 
are  learning  to  kill  people.  Those 
bright  guns  are  made  to  kill  people  with, 
and  those  bright  bayonets  to  stab  them 
with.'  The  boy  turned  pale ;  such  a 
thought  never  before  entered  his  head. 
•  Do  you  know  who  killed  the  little 
babes  in  Bethlehem,  because  a  wicked 
man  told  them  to  V  '  No.'  '  They 
were  soldiers.  Do  you  know  who  cru- 
cified our  Lord,  and  drove  the  spikes 
through  his  hands  and  feet  V  The  boy 
was  silent.  '  They  were  soldiers,  and 
soldiers  would  burn  your  house,  and 
cut  down  your  fruit-trees,  and  kill  your 
pa,  if  they  were  told  to.'  Both  the 
boys  were  astonished  ;  tears  stood  in 
their  eyes.  '  Do  you  want  to  be  a  sol- 
dier?' 'No.'  'Do  you  want  to  see 
the  rub-a-dubs  V  '  No.'  "  How  easy 
for  a  mother  or  teacher  to  impress  such 
artless,  susceptible  minds  with  the 
horrors  of  war,  and  cast  their  views  and 
feelings  in  the  mould  of  peace  ! 

(d)    TEN    THOUSAND    LIVES 
EOR  A  BUCKET.— About  seven  hun- 
859 


438 


WAR. 


dred  years  ago,  there  was  a  country  in 
Europe  called  Modena,  and  another 
country  lying  beside  it  called  Bologna. 
Some  soldiers  belonging  to  the  state  of 
Modena  took  a  bucket  from  a  well  in 
the  state  of  Bologna,  and  carried  it 
away.  The  old  bucket  was  of  no  value, 
and  might  have  been  replaced  by  a  few 
cents ;  and  it  is  said  the  soldiers  carried 
it  away  in  mere  fun  and  frolic.  But 
the  people  of  Bblogna  took  it  as  a  great 
insult.  They  declared  war  against 
Modena,  and  had  a  long  and  bloody 
conflict  about  it.  More  than  ten  thou- 
sand human  beings  were  butchered 
because  of  the  old  bucket ! 

(e)  THE  THIEF'S  REPARTEE. 
— A  soldier  of  Marshal  Saxe's  army, 
being  discovered  in  theft,  was  con- 
demned to  be  hung.  What  he  had 
stolen  might  be  worth  five  shillings. 
The  Marshal  meeting  him,  as  he  was 


led  to  execution,  said  to  hii 


What 


a  miserable  fool  you  were  to  risk  your 
life  for  five  shillings."  "  General," 
replied  the  soldier,  "  I  have  risked  it 
every  day  for  five  pence."  This  re- 
partee saved  his  life. 

(/)  SOLDIERS'  BONES  FOR 
MANURE.— In  the  year  1830,  it  is  es- 
timated that  more  than  a  million  bushels 
of  "  human  and  inhuman  bones  "  were 
imported  from  the  continent  of  Europe 
into  the  port  of  Hull,  England.  The 
neighborhood  of  Leipsic,  Austerlitz, 
Waterloo,  &c.,  where  the  principal 
battles  were  fought  some  fifteen  or 
twenty  years  before,  were  swept  alike 
of  the  bones  of  the  hero,  and  the  horse 
which  he  rode.  Thus  collected  from 
every  quarter,  they  were  shipped  to 
Hull,  and  thence  forwarded  to  the  York- 
shire bone-grinders,  who  by  steam  en- 
gines and  powerful  machinery,  reduced 
them  to  a  granulary  state.  In  this 
condition  they  were  sent  chiefly  to  Don- 
caster,  one  of  the  largest  agricultural 
markets  of  the  country,  and  were  there 
sold  to  the  farmers  to  manure  their 
lands.  The  oily  substance  gradually 
evolving  as  the  bone  calcines,  makes 
better  manure  than  almost  any  other 
substance — particularly  human  bones,  i 
Some  of  the  good  farmers  of  Yorkshire,  j 
were  thus  perhaps  indebted  to  the  very  ! 
bones  of  their  children  for  their  daily 
860 


bread  !  What  a  commentary  on  war 
and  military  glory  does  such  a  fact 
furnish  us.  The  soldiers  of  England 
going  forth  to  fight  her  battles  on  the 
Continent,  their  blood  fattening  the  fields 
of  her  allies,  and  their  bones  brought 
back  to  fatten  the  soil  of  their  fathers ! 

{g)  CONQUEROR  GOING  TO 
JUDGMENT.— William  the  Conquer, 
or,  extremely  alarmed  on  his  death- bed, 
entreated  the  clergy  to  intercede  for 
him.  "  Laden  with  many  and  grievous 
sins,"  he  exclaimed,  "  I  tremble ;  and, 
being  ready  to  be  taken  soon  into  the 
terrible  examination  of  God,  I  am  ig- 
norant what  I  should  do.  I  have  been 
brought  up  in  feats  of  arms  from  my 
childhood  ;  I  am  greatly  polluted  with 
the  effusion  of  much  blood  ;  I  can  by 
no  means  number  the  evils  I  have  done 
these  sixty-four  years,  for  which  I  am 
now  constrained  without  stay  to  render 
an  account  to  the  just  Judge." 

{h)  THE  REWARD  OF  WAR.— 
The  Duke  of  Marlborough  observing  a 
soldier  leaning  pensively  on  the  butt- 
end  of  his  musket,  just  after  victory 
had  declared  itself  in  favor  of  the  British 
arms  at  the  battle  of  Blenheim,  accosted 
him  thus  :  "  Why  so  pensive,  my  friend, 
after  so  glorious  a  victory  ?"  "  It  may 
be  glorious,"  replied  the  brave  fellow, 
"  but  I  am  thinking  that  all  the  human 
blood  I  have  spilled  this  day  lias  only 
earned  mefourpence.^' 

(^)  SCENE  WORTH  CONSIDER. 
ING.— The  New-York  Journal  of  Com- 
merce  has  the  following  article,  depict, 
ing  the  happiness  which  the  news  of 
peace  spread  in  New- York  : — 

Years  ago,  the  office  of  the  old  Gazette 
was  in  Hanover  Square,  near  the  cor- 
ner of  Pearl-street.  It  was  a  place  of 
resort  for  news  and  conversation,  espe- 
cially in  the  evening.  The  evening  of 
February  15th,  1815,  was  cold,  and  at 
a  late  hour  only  Alderman  Cebi'a  and 
another  gentleman  were  left  with  father 
Lang,  the  genius  of  the  place.  The 
office  was  about  being  closed,  when  a 
pilot  rushed  in  and  stood  for  a  moment 
so  entirely  exhausted  as  to  be  unable  to 
speak.  "  He  has  great  news !"  ex. 
claimed  Mr.  Lang.  Presently  the  pilot, 
gasping  for  breath,  whispered  intel- 
ligibly, "  Peace  /  peace .'"    The  gentle- 


WORSHIP,  PUBLIC. 


439 


men  lost  their  breath  as  fast  as  the 
pilot  gained  his.  Directly  the  pilot  was 
able  to  say,  "  An  English  sloop-of-war 
is  below  with  the  news  of  a  treaty  of 
peace."  They  say  that  Mr.  Lang  ex- 
claimed in  greater  words  than  he  ever 
used  before  or  after.  All  hands  rushed 
into  Hanover  Square,  crying,  "  Peace  ! 
yeace  !  peace  !''  The  windows  flew  up, 
for  families  lived  there  then.  No  sooner 
were  the  inmates  sure  of  the  sweet 
sound  of  peace,  than  the  windows  began 
to  glow  with  brilliant  illuminations. 
The  cry  of  "  Peace  !  peace  !  peace  !" 
spread  through  the  city  at  the  top  of  all 
voices.  No  one  stopped  to  inquire 
about  "free  trade  and  sailor's  risrhts." 


No  one  inquired  whether  even  the  na- 
tional honor  had  been  preserved.  The 
matters  by  which  politicians  had  irri- 
tated the  nation  into  the  war,  had  lost  all 
their  importance.  It  was  enough  that 
the  ruinous  war  was  over.  An  old  man 
in  Broadway,  attracted  by  the  noise  to 
his  door,  was  seen  to  pull  down  a  pla- 
card, "  To  let,"  which  had  been  long 
posted  up.  Never  was  there  such  joy 
in  the  city.  A  few  evenings  after,  there 
was  a  general  illumination,  and  although 
the  snow  was  a  foot  deep  and  soaked 
with  rain,  yet  the  streets  were  crowded 
with  men  and  women,  eager  to  see  and 
partake  of  every  thing  which  had  in  it 
the  sight  or  taste  of  peace. 


439.  WORSHIP,  PUBLIC. 


{a)  MR.  DOOLITTLE  AND  HIS 
UNEASY  HEARER.  — The  Rev. 
Thomas  Doolittle,  at  one  time,  having 
finished  prayer,  looked  round  upon  the 
congregation,  and  observing  a  young 
man,  who  had  just  been  put  into  one  of 
the  pews,  very  uneasy  in  his  situation, 
adopted  the  following  singular  expe- 
dient to  detain  him.  Turning  to  one 
of  the  members  of  his  church,  who  sat 
in  the  gallery,  he  asked  this  question 
aloud,  "  Brother,  do  you  repent  of  com- 
ing to  Christ  V  "  No,  sir,"  he  replied, 
"  I  never  was  happy  till  1  came  ;  I  only 
repent  that  I  did  not  come  to  him  soon- 
er." The  minister  then  turned  to  the 
opposite  gallery,  and  addressed  himself 
to  an  aged  member  in  the  same  manner, 
"  Brother,  do  you  repent  of  coming  to 
Christ  ?"  "  No,  sir,"  said  he,  "  I  have 
known  the  Lord  from  my  youth  up- 
wards." He  then  looked  down  upon 
the  young  man,  whose  attention  was 
fully  engaged,  and,  fixing  his  eyes  upon 
him,  said,  "  Young  man,  are  you  willing 
to  come  to  Christ  ?"  This  unexpected 
address  from  the  pulpit,  exciting  the 
observation  of  all  the  people,  so  greatly 
affected  him,  that  he  sat  down  and  con- 
cealed his  face.  The  person  who  sat 
next  to  him  encouraged  him  to  rise  and 
answer  the  question.  The  minister  re- 
peated   "  Young  man,  are  you  willing 


to  come  to  Christ  ?"  With  a  tremulous 
voice  he  replied,  "  Yes,  sir."  "  But 
when,  sir?"  added  the  minister  in  a 
solemn  and  loud  tone.  He  mildly  an- 
swered, "  Now,  sir."  "  Then  stay," 
said  he,  "  and  learn  the  word  of  God, 
which  you  will  find  in  2  Cor.  vi.  2 : 
'  Behold,  now  is  the  accepted  time  ;  be- 
hold, now  is  the  day  of  salvation.'  " 
By  this  sermon  he  was  greatly  affected, 
and  came  into  the  vestry,  after  the  ser- 
vice, bathed  in  tears.  The  reluctance  to 
stay,  which  he  had  discovered,  was  oc- 
casioned by  the  strict  injunctions  of  his 
father,  who  threatened,  that  if  he  went 
to  hear  such  preachers,  he  would  turn 
him  out  of  doors.  Having  now  heard 
the  gospel,  and  being  unable  to  conceal 
the  feelings  of  his  mind,  he  was  afraid 
to  meet  his  father.  The  minister  sat 
down,  and  wrote  an  affectionate  letter 
to  him,  which  had  so  good  an  effect, 
that  both  father  and  mother  came  to 
hear  for  themselves.  They  were  both 
brought  to  a  knowledge  of  the  truth ; 
and,  together  with  their  son,  were  joy- 
fully received  into  Christian  commu- 
nion. 

ih)  THE  EARLY  HEARER.— A 
woman,  who  always  used  to  attend  pub- 
lic worship  with  great  punctuality,  and 
took  care  to  be  always  in  time,  was 
asked  how  it  was  she  could  always 
861 


439—441 


WRATH  OF  MAN— ZEAL  IN  DOING  GOOD. 


come  so  early.  She  answered,  very 
wisely,  "  It  is  a  part  of  my  religion  not 
to  disturb  the  religion  of  others." 

(c)  THE  COUNTESS'S  EXAM- 
PLE.—The  Countess  of  Burford,  for 
the  last  few  years  of  her  life,  had  to 
ride,  almost  constantly,  on  horseback, 
upwards  of  sixteen  miles,  to  and  from 
the  place  where  she  attended  to  hear 
the  gospel ;  yet  neither  frost,  snow,  rain, 
nor  bad  roads  were  sufficient  to  detain 
her  at  home,  nor  to  prevent  her  being 
there  before  the  worship  began. 

(d)  THE  DRUNKARD  REFORM- 
ED.— The  Rev.  W.  Ward,  of  Seram- 
pore,  once  preached  from  Eccles.  xi.  9  : 
"  Rejoice,  O  young  man,  in  thy  youth," 
dec.     A   notorious   drunkard    became, 


under  this  sermon,  very  seriously  con- 
vinced of  the  importance  of  religion ; 
and,  with  his  wife,  a  short  time  after- 
wards made  a  profession  of  faith  in 
Christ.  Previously  to  this,  his  master 
had  used  every  means  he  could  devise 
to  persuade  him  to  become  sober,  but  in 
vain.  After  this  change,  his  employer 
wished  to  prevail  on  him  not  to  attend 
the  chapel ;  but  he  replied,  "  You  know, 
sir,  what  a  drunkard  I  have  been,  and 
how  often  you  have  urged  me  in  vain  to 
leave  it  off;  yet  by  going  once  to  the 
chapel,  I  was  constrained  to  do  that 
which  none  of  your  remonstrances  were 
able  to  effect:  therefore  I  wish  to  go 


440.  WRATH  OF  MAN  PRAISING  GOD. 


(a)  DR.  KALLEY  SELLING  THE 
SCRIPTURES    IN    PRISON.  — Dr. 

Kalley,  who  was  so  long  imprisoned  at 
Madeira  for  distributing  the  Scriptures, 
and  speaking  to  the  people  of  the  things 
of  the  kingdom,  sold  more  copies  of  the 
Scriptures  weekly  during  his  imprison- 
ment, than  he  had  been  able  previously 
to  do  monthly ;  and  in  a  few  months  of 
the  same  period,  he  distributed  30,000 
religious  tracts,  besides  receiving  regu- 
lar visits  from  between  two  and  three 
hundred  natives,  to  obtain  religious  in- 
struction— all  of  whom  were  more  or 
less  under  gracious  influence,  and  some 


of  them  hopefully  converted  to  God. 
The  government  could  not  have  taken 
a  more  effectual  way  to  spread  what 
they  call  heresy,  than  to  imprison  this 
faithful  servant  of  God.  So  it  ever  has 
been,  and  ever  will  be.  All  opposition 
to  the  gospel  turns  out  to  its  furtherance. 
Were  men  as  wise  as  they  fancy  them- 
selves to  be,  they  would  let  it  alone,  for 
measures  of  violence  against  the  truth 
never  fail  to  recoil  on  the  heads  of  their 
authors.  "  The  righteous  flourish  like 
the  palm-tree."  Their  strength  and 
beauty  increase  in  proportion  to  the 
weight  of  oppression  laid  on  them. 


44L  ZEAL  IN  DOING  GOOD. 


(a)  PAINTING  WITH  THE 
MOUTH. — At  a  public  meeting,  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Henderson  related  the  follow- 
ing anecdote  respecting  a  female  in  one 
of  the  large  trading  towns  of  England. 
She  was  formerly  a  most  abandoned 
character — one  of  the  most  wicked  wo- 
men, perhaps,  that  ever  trod  on  the 
face  of  the  globe.  However,  by  the 
grace  of  God,  she  was  brought  to  a 
knowledge  of  the  truth,  and  was  sent  to 
a  penitentiary,  where  she  gave  the  most 
decided  evidence  of  a  saving  change  of 
862 


heart ;  but,  shortly  after  being  put  into 
that  situation,  she  was  deprived  of  the 
use  both  of  her  hands  and  her  feet. 
Her  heart,  however,  was  full  of  love  to 
the  Savior,  and  she  was  at  a  loss  to 
show  forth  the  praises  of  that  God  who 
had  called  her  out  of  darkness  into  his 
marvelous  light.  She  could  not  walk 
about  to  tell  what  God  had  done  for  her 
soul ;  she  could  not  employ  her  hands, 
but  she  learned  to  write  with  her  mouth, 
and  the  letters  thus  written  being  sold 
for    small  sums,   produced  something 


ZEAL  IN  DOING  GOOD. 


441 


considerable  to  the  funds  of  the  peniten- 
tiary. She  began  to  learn  the  art  of 
painting,  and  the  sale  of  those  paint- 
ings, which  she  accomplished  with  her 
mouth,  produced  last  year  $75  to  the 
funds  of  the  institution.  We  would  not 
say,  Go  and  do  likewise  ;  but  we  would 
say.  You  have  hands  and  you  have  feet, 
and  you  have  a  tongue  to  tell  the  won- 
ders of  Redemption:  go  and  do  what 
you  can. 

(b)  LE  PELLETIER  AND  THE 
MERCHANT.  —  I  was  traveling 
through  Orleans,  says  Diderot,  accom- 
panied by  an  officer.  Nothing  was 
talked  of  in  the  town  but  of  what  had 
lately  happened  to  an  inhabitant  of  the 
name  of  Le  Pelletier ;  a  man  who 
showed  the  deepest  commiseration  for 
the  poor ;  so  that,  after  having,  by  his 
great  liberality,  exhausted  a  considera- 
ble fortune,  he  was  reduced  to  a  state 
of  poverty  himself.  Though  he  had 
barely  sufficient  for  his  daily  wants,  he 
yet  persisted  in  the  benevolent  labors 
he  had  undertaken,  and  went  from  door 
to  door,  seeking,  from  the  superfluities 
of  others,  that  assistance  for  the  desti- 
tute which  it  was  no  longer  in  his  pow- 
er to  bestow. 

The  poor  and  well-informed  persons 
had  but  one  opinion  of  the  conduct  of 
this  individual;  but  many  rich  men, 
who  wasted  their  substance  in  riotous' 
feastings  and  journeys  to  Paris,  looked 
upon  him  as  a  madman,  and  his  near 
relations  treated  him  as  a  lunatic  who 
had  foolishly  spent  his  wealth. 

Whilst  refreshing  ourselves  at  the 
inn,  a  number  of  loiterers  had  assem- 
bled round  a  man  who  was  speaking,  a 
hairdresser,  and  were  earnestly  address- 
ing him,  "  You  were  present,  do  tell 
us  how  it  was." 

"  Willingly,  gentlemen,"  replied  he, 
and  appeared  as  impatient  to  relate  as 
they  were  to  hear,  the  following  narra- 
tive : — 

Monsieur  Aubertot,  one  of  my  custo- 
mers, whose  house  faces  the  church, 
was  standing  at  his  door,  when  Mons. 
le  Pelletier  accosted  him,  "  Monsieur, 
can  you  give  me  nothing  for  my 
friends?"  (thus  he  called  the  poor.) 

"  Not  to-day,  sir." 

Mons.  le  Pelletier  added,  "  Oh !    if 


you  but  knew  for  whom  I  ask  your 
charity  !  There  is  a  poor  woman !  a 
distressed  mother !  who  has  not  a  rag 
to  wrap  round  her  new-born  babe  ! — " 

"  I  cannot  to-day  !" 

"  There  is  a  daughter,  who,  though 
young,  has  for  a  long  while  maintained 
her  father  and  her  mother;  but  now 
she  wants  work,  and  starves." 

"  I  cannot,  Mons.  le  Pelletier  ;  I 
cannot  afford  it." 

"  There  is  a  poor  working  man,  who 
earns  his  bread  by  hard  labor ;  he  has 
just  broken  his  leg  by  a  fall  from  a 
scaffolding." 

"  But,  sir,  I  cannot  afford  it,  I  assure 
you." 

"  Pray,  pray,  Mons.  Aubertot,  allow 
yourself  to  be  moved ;  oh,  have  com- 
passion !" 

"  I  cannot  afford  it,  sir ;  1  cannot,  in- 
deed, afford  it." 

"  My  good,  good,  merciful  Mons. 
Aubertot — " 

"  Mons.  le  Pelletier,  I  beg  you  will 
leave  me :  when  I  wish  to  give,  you 
know  1  do  not  need  to  be  entreated." 

Saying  these  words,  he  turned  and 
passed  into  his  warehouse.  Mons.  le 
Pelletier  soon  followed  him  to  his  ware- 
house, to  his  back  shop,  and  then  into 
his  apartment.  Here  Mons.  Aubertot* 
exasperated  by  his  continued  and  press- 
ing entreaties,  lifted  his  hand,  and 
struck  him  !  The  blow  was  received. 
The  hero  of  Christian  charity  smiled, 
and  with  a  brio-ht  smilinfj  look  exclaim- 
ed,  "  Well,  that  for  me  ;  but  the  poor  ! 
what  for  the  poor  ?" 

[At  these  words  all  present  express- 
ed their  admiration  by  a  burst  of  ap- 
plause, and  the  feelings  of  some  pro- 
duced tears.] 

The  officer  with  whom  I  was,  had 
the  presumption  to  exclaim,  "  Mons.  le 
Pelletier  is  but  a  poltroon,  and  had  I 
been  there,  this  sabre  would  soon  have 
obtained  satisfaction  for  him.  A  blow, 
indeed  !  a  blow  !" 

The  hairdresser  replied,  "  I  perceive, 
sir,  you  would  not  have  allowed  the 
insolent  offender  time  to  acknowledge 
his  fault." 

«  No,  indeed !" 

"Well,  sir,  Mons.  Aubertot,  when 
he  saw  such  a  benevolent  spirit,  burst 
863 


441 


ZEAL  IN  DOING  GOOD. 


into  tears,  fell  at  the  feet  of  the  injured 
man,  offered  him  his  purse,  and  a  thou- 
sand times  asked  his  forgiveness." 

"  But,  what  of  that  ?"  said  the  officer, 
his  hand  upon  his  sabre,  and  his  coun- 
tenance inflamed  with  anger,  "  I  would 
have  cut  off  the  ears  of  Mons.  Auber- 
tot." 

I  then  answered  calmly,  "  You,  sir, 
are  a  soldier ;  Mons.  le  Pelletier  is  a 
Christian !" 

These  few  plain  words  had  a  wonder- 
ful effect.  The  street  resounded  with 
applause;  and  I  said  within  myself. 
How  much  more  dignified  are  we  with 
the  gospel  in  our  heart,  than  when 
we  would  maintain,  at  the  point  of 
the  sword,  that  imaginary  idol,  that 
vain  phantom,  which  the  world  calls 
honor ! 

(c)  MELVILLE  AND  HIS  BRE- 
THREN.—Mr.  Andrew  Melville,  pro- 
fessor of  divinity  at  St.  Andrews,  in  the 
reign  of  James  VI,  was  a  very  bold 
and  zealous  man  for  the  cause  of  God 
and  truth.  When  some  of  his  more 
moderate  brethren  blamed  him  for  being 
too  hot  and  fiery,  he  was  wont  to  reply, 
"  If  you  see  my  fire  go  downwards,  set 
your  foot  upon  it  and  put  it  out ;  but  if 
it  go  upward,  let  it  return  to  its  own 
place." 

(d)  HOWARD'S  LABORS.— The 
great  philanthropist,  John  Howard,  after 

864 


inspecting  the  receptacles  of  crime,  of 
poverty,  and  of  misery  throughout  Great 
Britain  and  Ireland,  left  his  native 
country,  relinquished  his  own  ease,  to 
visit  the  wretched  abodes  of  those  who 
were  in  want  and  bound  in  fetters  of 
iron  in  other  parts  of  the  world.  He 
traveled  three  times  through  France, 
four  through  Germany,  five  through 
Holland,  twice  through  Italy,  once 
through  Spain  and  Portugal,  and  also 
through  Denmark,  Sweden,  Russia, 
and  part  of  Turkey.  These  excursions 
occupied  (with  some  short  intervals  of 
rest  at  home)  the  period  of  twelve 
years. 

Never  before  was  such  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  life  of  man  applied  to  a 
more  benevolent  and  laudable  purpose. 
He  gave  up  his  own  comfort  that  he 
might  bestow  it  upon  others.  He  was 
often  immured  in  prison  that  others 
might  be  set  at  liberty.  He  exposed 
himself  to  danger  that  he  might  free 
others  from  it.  He  visited  the  gloomy 
cell  that  he  might  inspire  a  ray  of  hope 
and  joy  in  the  breasts  of  the  wretched: 
Yea,  he  not  only  lived,  but  died  in  the 
noble  cause  of  benevolence ;  for  ij^ 
visiting  a  young  lady,  who  lay  danger- 
ously ill  of  an  epidemic  fever,  in  order^ 
administer  relief,  he  caught  the  distetijt 
per,  and  fell  a  victim  to  his  humanity, 
January  20th,  1790. 


TOPICAL   INDEX. 


The  numbers  in  this  Index  refer  to  the  regular  topics,  which  may  be  found  in  the  book  at  the  top  of  the  pages ; 
and  when  letters  are  joined  to  the  figures  they  refer  to  particular  anecdotes,  which  are  designated  by  the  same  letters 
where  they  are  placed. 


Abney,  Sir  T.,  and  family  worship,  328g-. 
Absolution,  papal,  301,  302,  356c. 
Abstinence,  total,  &c. 

the  pecuniary  advantage,  &c.,  1. 

the  only  safe  ground,  2. 

influence  and  respect,  &c.,  3. 

illustrious  examples,  &c.,  4. 

lessons,  from  the  bmtes,  5. 
ibuse  in  prayer,  3266. 
Acases,  and  the  captives,  '203  d. 
Actors,  6. 

'■  ctress  converted,  352A. 
Adams,  John,  and  the  Sabbath,  382rf. 
A  dams,  John  Quincy,  and  the  Bible,  68d. 

dams.  Rev.  Z.,  eccentricity  of,  261m. 
/..drian,  character  of.  Hid. 

and  the  bishop,  142a. 

and  his  enemy,  158c. 

and  Ximenes,  407c. 
Adranus  and  the  martyrs,  IMk. 
.idu'tery — "  the  happy  rake,"  246ft. 
Affection,  conjugal,  7,  241,  436c. 

filial,  exemplified,  8,  436d. 

filial,  rew^arded,  9. 

fillial,  want  of,  273. 

fraternal,  10. 

maternal,  11,287. 

paternal,  12. 

parental,  want  of,  272. 
Afiliction,  benefits  of,  13,  348a,  b,  c. 

comforts  in,  50,  66,  190,  192. 

gratitude  for,  14. 
Afiicaner,  conversion  of,  278A. 
Age  of  Reason,  GQd,f,  225d.  ^^ 
Aged,  the,  conversion  of,  15, 125, 1266,  c,  224a. 

reverence  for,  16. 

temptations  of,  1786. 
Agents  of  benevolent  societies,  17. 
Agesilaus  and  his  children,  12a. 
Agrippa  and  Thaumastus,  2036. 
Ailmer,  Rev.  Dr.,  faith  of,  172a. 
Alarms  of  conscience,  groundless,  94. 
Alexander  the  Great  and  his  mother,  8a. 

and  Clitus,  20a. 

and  his  victories,  1606. 
865 


Alexander  and  the  humane  driver,  203a. 

and  his  influence,  225c. 

tears  of,  319c?. 

and  Diogenes,  429e. 
Alexander,  of  Russia,  and  the  peasant,  45g'. 

and  the  ninety-first  Pslam,  53n. 
Alexander,  Duke  of  Tuscany,  and  the  peasant, 

29d. 
Alfi-ed  the  Great  and  his  last  loaf,  47m. 

and  the  Psalter,  67d. 

and  his  alphabet,  287a. 
Alick,  Blind,  69a. 

Alienation  prevented  by  confession,  91. 
Alleine,  Rev.  J.,  reproof  from,  371A. 
Alphonsus,  clemency  of,  203c. 
Alterations  in  the  Bible,  67c. 
Ambert,  Eliza,  and  her  lover,  253/. 
Ambition,  18,  333. 
Ames,  Fisher,  and  the  Bible,  556. 
Amusements,  vain,  30,  32,  116a,  e,  350/,  411. 
Amurath,  wrath  of,  subdued  by  music,  289g-. 
Anatomy  proves  a  God,  185d,  e. 
Anaximander  and  his  enemies,  407a. 
Ancestry,  19. 

Anderson,  Rev.  Mr.,  and  the  merchant,  3466. 
Andromachus  and  his  admiral,  429d. 
Anger  indulged,  20. 

subdued,  21,  254. 
Animals  benefited  by  the  Sabbath,  378. 

life  preserved  from,  or  by,  343. 
Annihilation,  22. 
Anthony  and  revenge,  202i. 
Antigonus,  self-control  of,  40  Ig". 
Antinomianism,  23. 
Antiquity,  24. 
Antony  and  Aurelius,  45c. 
Anundo,  conversion  of,  54A:. 
Apologies,  25. 

Apostacy,  26, 13g,  h,j,  231e. 
Appetite,  slavery  of,  2,  230,  2466,  412rf,  e,  g. 
Applause,  27. 

Arethusus,  firmness  of,  1736, 
Arians  confounded,  816. 

miscellaneous,  427. 


TOPICAL  INDEX. 


Aristides,  as  a  judge,  239d. 

banishment  of,  2396. 
Aristippus  and  jEschines,  361a. 
Aristotle  and  theatres,  41  Ig. 
Armada,  the  Spanish,  34 1  A;. 
Arnold,  Benedict,  a   rumseller  and  drunkard, 

236a. 
Artaxerxes  and  the  favorite,  18/. 
Assurance  of  faith,  172,  240. 

of  hope,  200. 

of  love  to  Christ,  249. 
Asbury,  Bishop,  and  Punch,  I09e. 

and  his  good  works,  256g-. 
Atheism  and  atheists,  73a,  c,^,  185,  a — g,209c, 
213a,  216(Z,  219d,  e,  221a,  b,  222e,  223c. 
Athenagoras,  conversion  of,  2146. 
Athol,  Duke  of,  a  lunatic,  429h. 
Atonement,  28,  81,  240,  256. 
Attendance  on  Divine  worship,  193, 279^,  350c, 

388. 
Augustine,  conversion  of,  65a. 

fortnnate  mistake  of,  345e. 
Aurelius  and  Antony,  45c. 
Avarice,  29,  48,  267. 
Avery,  Rev.  Mr.,  and  the  promises,  171. 

Backsliders,  backsliding,  13g,  h,  26, 145c,  225c, 

231e. 
Backus,  Azel,  and  the  heathen,  242c. 
Bacon,  Lord,  and  atheism,  83g. 
Bacon,  Dr.,  and  ministerial  education,  151c. 
Baily,  Rev.  J.,  and  family  prayer,  328a. 
Bajazet  and  Tamerlane,  116c. 
Balls,  or  public  dances,  incompatible  with  pray- 
er, 30. 

deaden  natural  sensibility,  31. 

prevent  conversion  and  ruin  the  soul,  32. 
Bankruptcy,  33,  146c,  182a,  b,  c. 

and  Sabbath -breaking,  381k,  384c,  f. 
Baptism,  84a,  d,  e,f. 
Barclay,  and  the  robber,  2916. 
Barrow,  Dr.,  and  Rochester,  261q. 
Battles  and  battle-fields,  431. 
Bautain,  Mens.,  and  the  Bible,  55^. 
Baxter,  Rev.  Richard,  his  delay  and  loss,  42d. 

beneficence  of,  rewarded,  47^. 

labors  4f,  258g-. 
Bayard  and  his  hostess,  44a. 
Beatification  of  Romish  saints,  304o,  6. 
Beaufort,  Cardinal,  death  of,  120_;. 
Beauty,  34. 
Becket,  Thomas  a,  shrine  of,  304c. 

character  of,  33  7g". 
Bede's  translation  of  the  Bible,  53a. 
Bedell,  Rev.  Dr.,  sermon  of,  195d. 
Beecher,  Dr.,  sermon  of  to  one  hearer,  263i. 
Beecher,Rev.  Henry  Ward,  and  profanity,  356d. 
Beggars,  beggary,  35,  333c. 
Bell,  David  W.,  recantation  of,  4266. 
Beneficence,  in  hazarding  life,  36. 

in  dying  for  others,  37. 

self-denying,  shown  by  the  rich,  38. 

self-denying,  shown  by  the  poor,  39. 

with  rule  and  system,  40. 

with  industry  and  frugality,  41. 

with  promptitude,  42. 

to  debtors  and  robbers,  43. 


Beneficence,  miscellaneous  examples  of,  44,  71, 
184,  279a,  286,  31 7a— ^,  418,  420a. 
rewarded  by  its  own  exercise,  45. 
rewarded  by  gratitude  and  respect,  46, 203. 
rewarded  in  various  ways  by  Providence, 
47,  282. 
Benevolence,  want  of,  48,  29j. 
misdirected,  49. 
and  cruelty  combined,  117. 
Bennet,  Rev.  Mr.,  and  unsuccessful  preaching, 

256c. 
Bereavements — the    bereaved    comforted,    50, 
409c,g,j,k. 
the  bereaved  converted,  51,  3486. 
the  bereaved  rebuked,  52. 
Berridge  and  Hicks,  success  of,  2636. 
Bessus  and  the  birds,  94c. 
Beveridge,  Bishop,  at  death,  2006. 

and  music,  289i. 
Bible,  historical  facts,  53. 

inspiration  of,  54,  60a,  e,/,  i,  231d,  e,  g. 
testimonies  to  the  value  of  the — 

testimony  of  distinguished  persons,  55. 
testimony  of  infidels,  56. 
happy  effects  of  the — 

morality  promoted,  57. 
conversion  of  seamen,  58. 
conversion  of  the  profligate,  &c.,  59. 
conversion  of  infidels,  60. 
conversion  of  Papists,  61. 
conversion  of  soldiers,  62. 
conversion  of  the  learned,  &c.,  63. 
conversion  of  the  heathen,  64. 
miscellaneous  conversions,  65. 
benefits  to  Christians,  66 
love  for  the  Bible,  67. 
seaiching  the  Scriptures,  68. 
familiarity  with  the  Bible,  69. 
the  Bible  neglected,  &c.,  70,  299,  310c. 
zeal  in  circulating  the,  71. 
miscellaneous,  72,  183,  219a. 
Birth,  obscurity  of,  196,  c,  d. 
Bishop,  Mr.,  and  delirium  tremens,  2366. 
Blackstone,  punctuality  of,  3556. 
Blair,  Dr.,  and  virtue  embodied,  132Z. 
Blair,  Mr.,  and  evil  company,  87c. 
Blasphemy,  73,  304c,  358a,  3596. 
Blessings  at  meals,  329. 

on  enemies,  155. 
Blind,  the,  blindness,  146,  c,  69a,  1166,  153m, 

278^,  286e. 
Blount,  character  of,  215i. 
Boerhaave  and  slander,  4076,  /,  g. 
Boldness,  112,  260. 
Bolingbroke  and  Lady  Huntingdon,  321a. 

and  Christianity,  217d. 
Bonaparte,  Louis,  and  war,  431  j. 
Bonaparte,  Napoleon,  high  hopes  of,  18c. 
and  the  peasant,  I8d. 
and  the  church-clock,  18c. 
blasphemy  of,  73  i. 
and  the  Divinity  of  Christ,  81^. 
dying,  l22g. 
worshiped,  269a. 
delight  of,  in  massacre,  3586. 
Bonnell,  integrity  of,  228/. 
Bonner,  his  treatment  of  Cranmer,  298a. 


866 


TOPICAL  INDEX. 


Books,  religious,  usefulness  of,  in  effecting  con- 
versions, 74. 

in  promoting  revivals,  75. 
Borgia,  dying  confession  of,  1206. 
Bourdaloue  and  Louis  XIV,  260k. 

eloquence  of,  153e. 
Bourne,  Captain,  and  fishing  on  the  Sabbath, 

38U. 
Boyle,  Hon.  Robert,  benevolence  of,  71a. 

interest  of,  in  missions,  286o. 
Bowdler,  apt  saying  of,  I88e. 
Bradbury  and  the  assassin,  349a. 
Brainerd  and  the  Indians,  209a. 
Bribery,  2286,  g,  239c.  ' 

Bricconet,  apostacy  of,  225c. 
Brothers,  affectionate,  10. 
Brown,  Rev.  D.,  punctuality  of,  355e, 
Brown,  Rev.  J.,  tribute  to,  153/. 

and  his  enemies,  156;'. 

confession  of,  188a. 

and  the  opposer,  261  i. 

submission  of,  409i. 
Brougham  and  war,  43 7Z. 
Bruce,  Robert,  death  of,  119c. 
Bruen  and  his  enemy,  155c. 
Brutes,  lessons  from  the,  5,  231a,  235c. 
Buchanan,  Rev.  Claudius,  and  the  Highlanders, 
54h. 

and  the  Bible-reader,  67z. 

and  the  aged  Christian,  l07a. 

and  the  Syrian  Christians,  237c. 
Buckley's  misdirected  letter,  1346. 
Buller,  Judge,  and  evil  company,  87d. 
Bundy  and  the  prisoner,  2426. 
Bunyan,  Rev.  John,  zeal  of,  258/. 

and  the  jailer,  344c. 
Bumford,  Countess  of,  and  public  worship, 439c. 
Burnet,  Bishop,  benevolence  of,  45d. 
Burkitt,  Rev.  Wm.,  and  his  injurers,  157 d. 
Butler,  Bishop,  at  death,  1726. 

dinner  with,  251c. 
Butler,  Hon.  B.  F.,  a  Sunday  School  teacher, 

399/ 
Butterworth,  Rev.  J.,  experience  of,  169c. 
Byne,  Rev.  Mr.,  at  a  dance,  30c. 
Byrd,  Colonel,  and  the  chief,  179c. 
Byron,  confession  of,  83c. 

and  the  fortune-teller,  177a. 

Cadogan,  Rev.  B.  W.,  and  the  musician,  26U. 
Cassar,  Augustus,  and  idolatry,  268c. 
Caesar,  Julius,  at  Pharsalia,  202a. 

benevolence  of,  456. 

and  his  enemies,  1586. 
Calumny,  407. 
Calvary,  rock  of,  81/ 
Calvin,  disinterestedness  of,  1426. 

and  Eckius,  173i. 

labors  of,  2586. 
Cambyses  and  Caligula,  163c. 
Candor,  4076. 
Cannibalism,  274. 
Card-playing,  76. 
Carey,  Dr.,  humihty  of,  204m. 

labors  of,  286v. 

Marshman  and  Ward's  donationB,  2SSw. 
Carter,  Rev.  J.,  and  the  tanner,  243c. 
Caste,  77,  284a,  6. 

867 


Cathcart,  diary  of,  189c. 

Cato,  reward  of,  in  doing  good,  45a. 

and  Marius  Curius,  103a. 

the  model  and  the  monster,  318c.  ^ 

Cecil,  Rev.  R.,  and  the  bookseller,  13a. 

and  the  servant  girl,  47Z. 

in  illness,  66g. 

and  his  dying  mother,  1 18^. 

faithfulness  of,  145c. 

and  the  robbers,  198c. 

love  of,  for  study,  258Z. 

indebtedness  of,  to  his  mother,  287;?. 

obedience  of,  to  his  father,  296a. 

and  his  rich  hearer,  3746. 
Censure,  censoriousness,  78,  407. 
Chalmers,  Dr.,  and  the  nobleman,  111c. 

congregation  of,  193/ 

early  preaching  of,  256^'. 
Chandler,  Rev.  Dr.,  and  illness,  131. 
Character,  loss  of,  141c. 

Charity,  gospel,  36-47,  83a,  d,f,  106-110,  154- 
162,  175,   176,  202,  203,  277a,  c,  /, 
279c,/,  t,  285,  286,  291-294,  311,  313, 
317. 
Charles  V,  words  of,  319c. 

disappointed,  33 7i. 
Charles  IX  and  the  Prince  of  Conde,  173c. 

and  the  Catholic  governor,  2026 

and  MovilHers,  239g-. 
Charles,  Archduke,  humanity  of,  203/ 
Charles,  Rev.  Mr.,  humility  of,  204/ 

practice  of,  2626. 

escape  of,  345/ 
Charlotte,  Princess,  benevolence  of,  38d. 
Chastisement  of  children,  135-139. 
Chastity,  7g,  246a. 

Cherokee  Indians  and  the  Osages,  156c. 
Chesterfield  and  the  infidel,  836. 

and  the  vanity  of  the  world,  429g. 
Children,  moral  and  religious  influence  of,  79, 
328c,/  n,  388,  389,  39od,  396a,  397. 

happy  deaths  of  pious,  80. 

duty  to,  135-139. 
Chinese,  pretensions  of  the,  24. 

monarch  and  the  rebels,  iQOd. 

superstition  of  the,  268a. 

infanticide  of  the,  272a.. 

and  European  idolatry,  283c. 
Choirs  in  churches,  289c,  h. 
Christ,  divinity  of,  81. 

miscellaneous,  82. 

denial  of,  130. 

love  of,  186. 

character  of,  218. 

love  to,  248,  249. 

crucifixion  of,  261c?. 
Christian,  Rev.  Mr.,  death  of,  119j 
Christianity,  character  of,  217. 
Christians,  the  early,  1626,  c,  d,  4376,  c. 
Chronology  of  the  Chinese,  24. 
Chrysostom  in  exile,  1126. 

and  profanity,  339m. 
Church  discipline,  140. 

joining  the,  84. 
Churches,  difficulties  in,  134. 
Cicero,  retort  of,  19c. 
and  idolatry,  268c. 
and  war,  437a. 


TOPICAL  INDEX. 


Clarke,  Dr.  A.,  early  scruples  of,  98g-. 

and  the  dying  man,  373A. 
Clarke,  Mr.  A.,  and  his  workmen,  3396. 
Clarke,  Rev.  J.,  discouraged,  264e. 

a  peacemaker,  3616. 
Clarendon  and  war,  437/. 
Claude  and  the  prisoner,  175/. 
Clemency,  43,  154-162,  202,  203. 
Clement  XIV  and  his  ambassador,  113c. 
Clothmg,  gay,  146,  331  j,  k,  403a,  c. 
Cobb,  Nathaniel  R.,  covenant  of,  40c. 

dying  words  of,  194A. 

example  of,  224c. 
Cobbett  and  the  duelist,  148tf. 
Coke,  Dr.,  and  his  hostess,  419a. 
Cole,  Dr.,  commission  of,  345g-. 
Collins,  William,  and  the  Bible,  55/. 
Collins,  the  infidel,  and  Shaftsbury,  2156. 

and  the  countryman,  297tZ. 
Collins,  John  A.,  lectures  of,  223c. 
Colporteurs,  250fl,  414i. 
Colstone  and  his  missing  ship,  38/. 

and  his  vessel  saved  by  a  dolphin,  Aid 
Colt,  punishment  with  the,  4356. 
Combustion,  spontaneous,  234a. 
Commandment,  the  eleventh,  261c. 
Commandments,  the  ten,  54a,  836, 132A,  i,  211, 

366(Z. 
Commentaries,  85. 
Commerce  and  missions,  282g-. 
Coimnodus,  cruelty  of,  115a. 
Communion  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  86. 
Company,  evil,  87. 
Compassion,  36,  37,  154-162,  184. 
Concert,  monthly,  influence  of,  282i. 
Cond6  and  the  Bible,  54Z. 

firmness  of,  1 73  c. 
Conference  meetings,  88. 
Confession,  noble  examples  of,  89. 
Confession  of  sin,  happy  eff*ects   of — procures 
peace  of  mind,  90. 

prevents  alienation,  91. 

subdues  enmity  and  leads  to  conversion,  92. 

heals  divisions  and  promotes  revivals,  93. 
Confession  and  absolution,  302. 

miscellaneous,  57c,  95,  96. 
Confidence  in  God,  9o,  294,  353. 
Conscience,    power    of,    with   the   guilty — in 
groundless  suspicions  and  alarms,  94. 

in  confession  and  reparation  of  injuries,  95. 

in  confession  and  voluntary  submission  to 
punishment,  96. 

miscellaneous  examples,  97,  365. 
Conscientiousness,  examples  of,  123a,  228,  239, 
381a,  382,  389a,  d,  4056. 

want  of,  99. 
Consecration  to  God,  100. 
Consistency,  Christian,  101. 
Consideration,  102. 
Constancy  in  prayer,  323. 
Constantine  and  the  miser,  429c. 
Contentment,  103,  191. 
Controversy,  104. 

Conversation  between  Christians,  105. 
Conversation,  religious,  with  the  impenitent — 

way  for  humble  Christians  to  be  useful,  106. 

influence  of  earnestness,  &c.,  107. 

happy  results,  &c.,  109. 


Conversation,  religious,  with  the  impenitent — 
various  interesting  conversions,  110. 

the  duty  neglected.  111. 
Cooke,  the  infidel,  confession  of,  216a. 
Cooke,  Rev.  J.,  and  the  duelist,  1496. 

and  the  farmer,  26 1  k. 
Comet  and  the  judge,  1976. 
Corruption  of  the  heart  and  life  a  cause  of  infi- 
delity, 213. 
Cotton,  Rev.  J.,  sermon  of,  259e. 
Counterfeiters  reclaimed,  57d. 
Courage,  moral,  4d,  112,  173,  175/,  260,  279c, 

e,  284a,  285/,  7,331/ 
Courtesy,  113. 
Coventry  dole,  Aid. 
Covetousness,  29,  48,  10 Id,  267,  374. 
Cowper,  William,  experience  of,  28g". 

benevolence  of,  44/ 

his  view  of  death,  172^. 
Cowper,  Bishop,  and  his  wife,  175A. 
Cranmer  and  his  unworthy  hand,  26/. 

the  Bible  of,  53/ 

and  the  traitors,  1766. 

and  Bonner,  298a. 
Credulity,  114,  177,  306a,  c. 
Cressin,  defence  of,  2l0a. 
Croesus,  advice  of,  to  Cyrus,  2516. 
Cromwell  and  Rev.  J.  Howe,  45e. 

and  the  merchant,  4Ga. 
Crombie's  care  for  business,  4lg-. 
Crow,  Dr.,  and  the  legacy,  44/t. 
Crucifixion  of  Christ,  261<i. 
Cruden  and  the  gardener,  3866. 
Cruelty  exemplified,  115,  86. 

punished,  116,  316. 

and  benevolence  combined,  117. 

to  parents,  273. 
Cudjoe  and  Murray,  \19d. 
Cupido,  conversion  of,  278f. 
Cyprian  and  the  pestilence,  l62c?. 

and  the  captives,  247e. 
Cyrus,  epitaph  of,  122c. 

crown  of,  3 1 9a. 

Dairyman's  Daughter,  conversion  of,  263a, 
Damon  and  Pythias,  179a. 
Dancer,  Daniel,  the  miser,  2676. 
Dances,  pubUc,  30-32. 
Danger,  infidels  in,  221. 

preservation  from,  341-345. 
Darracott,  Rev.  R.,  ministry  of,  364/ 
Daughters,  affectionate,  Qd,  9a,  A;,  n. 
Da  vies.  Rev.  S.,  posthumous  influence  of,  224e. 
Davies,  Rev.  N.,  and  his  dissolute  son,  3526. 
Day,  Rev.  W.,  death-bed  of,  119c. 
Dawson,  Rev.  W.,  and  the  pedler,  260i, 
Death,  readiness  for,  118,  2406,  c. 

happy  deaths  of  Christians,  80, 119,280, 
395. 

unreadiness  for,  120,  219c,  237. 

miserable  deaths  of  the  impenitent,  121, 
222,  426,  427e. 

miscellaneous,  122. 

influence  after,  224,  225, 229e. 

in  the  act  of  sin,  6c,  d,  359. 

in  the  theatre,  41  Ip. 
Debates,  104,  214rf. 
De  Brez,  glorying  in  trials,  192/ 


TOPICAL  INDEX. 


Debts  on  meeting  houses,  123. 

Decalogue,  the,  54a,  836,  132A,f.  211,  366<Z. 

Decision,  Christian,  exemplified,  173,333n,  403. 

happy  effects  of,  382e. 
Decius,  death  of,  316c.  i 

Decrees,  divine,  124. 

Deering,  Rev.  Mr.,  and  the  swearer,  254a. 
Degradation  of  intemperance,  231. 
Dehme,  Rev.  L.  C,  narrow  escape  of,  285c. 
De  Lambert,  he  of,  2l5d. 
Delay  of  repentance  causes  regret,  &c.,  125. 

hardens  the  heart,  15c,  126,  196,  367. 

grieves  away  the  Holy  Spirit,  127,  365a, 
367. 

accompanied  by  sudden  death,  128. 

miscellaneous,  129. 
Delicacy,  false,  265A;. 
Delight  in  wickedness,  358. 
Delirium  tremens,  236&. 
Delusion,  moral,  402. 
Demetrius  and  the  Athenians,  184a. 
Denades  and  the  Athenians,  252d. 
Denial  of  Christ,  130. 
Dependence  on  God,  131. 
Depravity,  70,  73,  117,  132,  213,  288. 
De  Sallo  and  the  robber,  43c. 
Des  Barreaux,  poem  of,  2Sh. 
Deserter,  execution  of  a,  434c. 
Despair,  unfounded,  133,  4066. 
Despair  of  the  impenitent,  326,  e, /,  706,  d,f, 
876,  97c,  1206,  12 1 c-g-,  126a,  128(Z,  e, 
I29e,  196,  310a,  406c. 
Devil,  existence  and  agency  of,  400,  425/. 
Devizes,  inscription  at,  208  c. 
Devotees,  Hindoo,  286,  279c,/. 
Devotedness  of  ministers,  258. 
Dickinson,  Rev.  B.,  sudden  death  of,  122a. 
Diderot,  confession  of,  566. 

and  his  servant,  446. 
Difficulties  in  churches,  134. 
Dioclesian,  confession  of,  315a. 

death  of,  316c. 
Diogenes  and  pride  in  dress,  146<^, 

reply  of,  to  Alexander,  429e. 
Discipline,  family — disciphning  children  in  in- 
fancy, 135. 

discipline  accompanied  with  prayer,  136. 

rehgious  tendency  of  discipline,  137. 
^       discipline  withheld,  138. 

miscellaneous,  139. 
Discipline,  church,  140. 
Dishonesty  punished,  141. 

miscellaneous,  180-182, 252, 373, 373, 377. 
Disinterestedness,  142,  258^. 
Disobedience  to  parents,  143. 
Disquietude  and  misery  of  infidels,  219. 
Distillers,  144. 

Distinctions,  nice,  in  sermons,  261/ 
Divisions  in  churches,  93,  104/  134. 
Doctorates,  venal,  I99d. 
Dod,  Rev.  Mr.,  and  his  persecutors,  136. 

meekness  of,  254c. 

and  the  nobleman,  260g-. 

singular  visit  of,  344z. 
Doddridge,  Rev.  Dr.,  and  the  apostate,  26A. 

and  his  daughter,  46^ 

and  Rev.  Mr.  Hervey,  105d. 

righteousness  of,  llOd. 


Doddridge,  call  of,  to  the  ministry,  257a. 

and  the  Dutch  tiles,  2876. 
Dog,  anecdotes  of  the,  2dSd,  in,p,  343A,  k. 
Domitian,  death  of,  316c. 
Donne,  Dr.,  and  the  murderer,  288e. 
DooUttle,  Rev.  Thomas,  and  his  imeasy  hearer, 

439a. 
Doubts  and  fears  of  Christians,  145. 
Dover,  Robert,  an  extraordinaiy  lawyer,  244A. 
Dow,  Lorenzo,  and  the  thief,  94d. 
Dreams,  remarkable,  27,  288k. 

preserving  life,  343Z,  m. 

instrumental  in  conversion,  2386,  351. 
Dress,  146,  337;,  it,  403a,  c. 
Drew,  Mr.,  and  anonymous  letters,  264a. 
Drunkards,  reformed,  2c,  59a,  c,  79j,  k,  350h, 
352c,  4nd-g,  k. 

relapse  of,  26,  c,  229d. 
Drunkenness,  1-5,  229-236,  340^,  402a,  424t 
Drusus  and  his  house,  228a. 
Dueling,  guilt  of,  94c,  976,  147. 

folly  of,  148. 

avoided,  149. 

suppressed,  150. 
Duty  neglected,  84c,  88c,  111. 
Dwight,  Dr.,  and  idleness,  206c?. 
Dying  for  others,  37. 
Dyonisius,  the  tyrant,  envy  of,  163a. 

and  Pythias  and  Damon,  179a.' 

Eagle,  anecdotes  of  the,  343d,  j. 
Earnestness  in  conversing  with  the  impenitent, 
107. 

in  prayer,  322. 
Earthquake,  wonderful  escape  from  an,  3416. 
Economy,  1,  8h. 
Education  of  ministers,  151. 

Religious,  152,  286?. 
Edward,  the  Confessor,  reply  of,  202g^. 

Sixth  and  the  swords,  53Z. 
Edwards,  Rev.  J.,  experience  of,  250/ 
Effectual  calling,  249c. 
Effort,  prayer  without,  326a. 
Elliot,  Mr.,  submission  of,  409/. 
Elliott  and  his  brethren,  175c. 

and  his  labors,  256rf. 

zeal  of,  286n. 

prayer  of,  for  Foster,  331g'.  ^ 

Ellsworth,  Gov.,  a  S.  School  teacher,  399/. 
Eloquence,  sacred,  153.  %t 

Elwes,  the  miser,  267e.  *" 

and  his  friends,  967/. 
Enemies,  love  to — nature  of,  154,  175/  176a. 
exhibitions  of: 

blessing,  155. 

doing  good  to,  156,  1766. 

praying  for,  157,  175f,  176/  g. 

examples  of,  among  the  heathen,  158. 
motives  for: 

it  often  checks  and  reforms  them,  159. 

it  often  changes  them  into  friends,  160. 

it  often  leads  them  to  become  Christians, 
161. 

miscellaneous,  162. 
Enmity  to  God,  1326,  h,j,  I,  m. 
Enmity  subdued,  21,  92,  155-163. 
Envy,  163. 

Epaminondas,  not  to  be  bribed,  \91d. 
869 


TOPICAL  INDEX. 


Epictetas  and  slander,  407a. 
Epitaphs,  204m,  250/,  256c,  3416. 
Erasmus  and  war,  437d. 
Eretrius  and  his  father,  311/. 
Erskine,  Rev.  E.,  and  Ann  Meiglo,  13c 
in  death,  I19d. 
and  the  murderer,  228a. 
Erskine,  Rev.  R.,  and  the  criminal,  I32g. 
Erskine,  Rev.  H.,  deliverances  of,  346c. 
Erskine,  Mrs.,  release  of,  from  her  coffin,  345j. 
Eternity,  164. 
Eternity  of  God,  1856. 
Ethics,  aside  from  the  Bible,  362c,  d. 
Etiquette,  undue  regard  to,  165. 
Euclid,  example  of,  158d. 
Eudamides  and  Venocrates,  104a. 
Eugene,  Prince,  and  Wslt,  437k. 
Evans,  Rev.  W.,  on  the  rock,  170g-. 
Evidences  of  Christianity,  28,  54,  56,  60,  83, 

118-121,  1676,  168,  217-222, 237<Z,e,g-, 

362c,  d. 
Example,  Christian,  3e,  166,  4046,  d. 
Excuses  of  the  impenitent,  32,  126c,  I27b,c,d, 

128fl,  dj,  g,  h,j,  k,  129a,  6. 
Experience,  Christian,  effect  of  relating,  167. 

every  where  similar,  168. 
Eyre,  John,  and  "his  two  wills,  1416. 

Failures  in* business,  33, 38U,  384c. 
Faith,  nature  of,  169. 

necessity  of,  170. 

examples  of,  171,  132m,  133c,  294,  353. 

triumphs  of,  172,  240. 

praying  with,  320. 
Falsehood,  366a. 
Fanaticism  and  cruelty,  298. 
Fanshawe,  Sir  R.,  superseded,  199a. 
Farre,  Dr.,  and  the  Sabbath,  379e. 
Father,  the,  love  of,  in  sending  his  Son,  1866, 
Fathers,  unfaithful.  Hid,  e,  138. 
Fault-finding  hearers,  193d,  e. 
Faults  of  ministers,  265. 
Faustus  and  the  devil,  53e. 
Fear  of  death,  overcome  118,  119,  120e. 
Fears  and  doubts  of  Christians,  145. 
Felix,  Earl  of  Wurtemburg,  boast  of,  316c. 
Females,  treatment  of  among  heathen,  275. 
Fenelon  and  his  pupil,  409^. 
Fidelity  and  boldness  of  ministers,  260. 

^onjugal,  7. 
Finl^,  Dr.,  and  the  agent,  40/. 
Fires,  &c.,  preservation  from,  341. 
Firmness,  Christian,  173,  67c,  c,  175/,  283/,  i, 

4036,  d. 
Fishermen  and  the  Sabbath,  381  A,  i,j. 
Fitz-Stephen  and  his  son,  239i. 
Flattery,  174. 
Flavel,  Rev.  J.,  joy  of,  192a. 

influence  of,  after  death,  224a. 
Fletcher,  Rev.  J.,  gratitude  of,  45j. 

and  his  nephew,  112_;. 

appeal  of,  153n. 

choice  of,  258g. 
Forbearance,  175,  401,  407fl,  6,  c,  t,j. 
Forgiveness  of  injuries,  176. 

Divine,  187, 2406,  c. 
Fortune-telling,  177. 
Fothergill,  generosity  of,  3176. 
870 


Fox,  John,  benevolence  of,  39m. 
Francis  II  and  his  famishing  subjects,  366. 
Francke,  school  of,  at  Halle,  332f. 
Franklin,  Dr.,  and  the  Bible,  55c. 

and  his  paper,  228g-. 

proposal  of,  in  Congress,  330d. 

and  war,  437^. 
Fraud,  377,  180. 
Frederic  the  Great  and  his  page,  9/ 

and  his  servant,  96. 

and  the  apostate,  26g', 

and  the  duelist,  150c. 

and  the  miller,  239k. 
Freedom,  Christian,  2406. 
Frelinghuysen,  a  Sabbath  school  teacher,  399/. 
Fretfulness,  178,  139a. 
Friendship,  179. 
Fuller,  Rev.  A.,  and  his  church,  134a. 

and  his  sermon,  187c?. 

and  his  church  rewarded,  282c. 

and  the  passengers,  368c. 

severity  of,  372a. 
Fun  in  preaching,  265g-. 
Furrman,  Dr.,  and  the  negress,  113rf. 

Galen,  hymn  of,  185c. 

Gambling,  sustained  by  fraud,  180. 

destroys  natural  sensibility,  181, 

leads  to  bankruptcy  and  suicide,  182. 

miscellaneous,  183. 
Gardiner,  Colonel,  enjoyment  of,  86a. 

preparation  of,  86/. 

reply  of,  to  a  challenge,  1426. 

putting  down  profanity,  339e. 
Gardiner,  Bishop,  end  of,  3166. 
Gascoign  and  the  Prince  of  Wales,  239«. 
Gatimozin  and  the  nobleman,  311a. 
Gauntlet,  running  the,  434a. 
Gayety,  30-32,  146,  337j,  k. 
Generosity,  184,  36,  37,  202,203,  3l7a,b,d,g. 
Genius  and  intemperance,  231c. 
George  III  and  the  peerage,  19a. 

and  the  poor  mechanic,  44d. 

and  his  Bible,  686. 

and  his  sepulchre,  118i. 

prohibition  of,  1746. 

and  the  architect,  339». 
Gibbon  and  Christianity,  83». 

and  death,  222c. 

and  his  property,  223a. 
Gibbs,  the  pirate,  free  from  remorse,  3566. 

tribute  of,  to  Sabbath  schools,  392d. 
Glanville  and  his  brother,  184c. 
God,  existence  of,  185. 

dependence  on,  131. 

omniscience   and   omnipresence  of,  1326, 
297. 
Golding,  dying  words  of,  194i. 
Goldsmith,  Dr.,  and  novels,  2956. 

and  the  beggar,  496. 

and  his  patient,  317 g. 
Good  for  evil,  154-162,  279e. 
Goodwin,  Dr.,  death  of,  119^. 
Grace  and  mercy  of  God,  as  revealed  in  Jesus 
Christ,  186. 

as  seen  in  pardoning  the  guilty,  187,  414i, 
415a. 
Grace,  salvation  by,  256. 


TOPICAL  INDEX. 


Graham,  Mrs;,  beneficence  of,  406. 
Gratitude,  to  God,  188,  14a,  45i,j. 

to  man,  189,  46. 
Gregory  XII  and  the  massacre,  358a. 
Gregory's  Letters  and  the  cadet,  4206. 
Greshara  and  the  grasshopper,  343c. 
Grey,  Lady  Jane,  and  the  Bible,  67t. 

sarcasm  of,  306e. 
Grimshawe,  Rev.  Mr.,  zeal  of,  260c. 

success  of,  263c. 
Grosvenor,  Dr.,  and  his  bereavement,  506. 
Gustavus  and  the  peasant  girl,  9k. 

and  dueling,  150a. 
Gutzlaff  and  the  Chinese,  83/. 

Hackett,  Dr.,  and  the  soldiers,  260J. 
Hadrian,  death  of,  316c. 
Haldanes,  conversion  of  the,  352A;. 
Hale,  Sir  Matthew,  and  the  poor,  38c. 

and  his  enemy,  176c. 

testimony  of,  2326. 

and  the  peer,  239c. 

a  Sabbath-keeper,  382a. 
Hall,  Rev.  Robert,  as  an  agent,  176. 

and  the  Unitarian,  28c. 

bereaved,  192^". 

reproof  of,  to  a  mother,  252fl. 

his  opinion  of  a  sermon,  2Cle. 

first  efforts  of,  in  preaching,  264g". 

his  opinion  of  Mrs.  Edgeworth,  295J. 
Halleck,  his  reply  to  a  fi-iend,  360d. 
Halyburton,  Rev.  T.,  dying  vi'ords  of,  194g-. 
Hamilton,  General,  his  view  of  religion,  2  l2a. 
Hamlin,  Rev.  Mr.,  and  the  Armenian,  250g. 
Hands,  Rev.  W.,  and  the  Sabbath  school,  398<f. 
Happiness,  religious,  in  perils  and  dangers,  190. 

in  illness,  191. 

miscellaneous  examples,  192. 
Harris,  Dr.,  and  the  soldiers,  112A:. 
Harris,  Dr.,  and  the  Universalist,  425(Z. 
Harrison,  President,  a  Sabbath  school  teacher, 

399e.  ^ 

Hatred  against  God,  1326,  c,  d,  h,j,  I,  m. 
Haydn  and  cheerful  music,  289a. 
Hayne,  Colonel,  death  of,  436d. 
Haynes,  Rev.  Mr.,  and  the  scoffers,  26 IZ. 

and  the  Universalist,  424c. 
Hearers  of  the  Gospel,  193. 
Heart,  gift  of  the,  8/,  4096. 

hardening  the,  31,  32,  115,  117. 
Heathen,  condition  of  the,  268-276. 

conversion  of  the,  64,  277-281,  416. 

love  to  enemies,  shown  by,  158. 
Heaven,  views  and  foretastes  of,  194. 
Hegiage  and  the  prisoners,  430c. 
Heirs  and  inheritances,  245fl,  c. 
Henderson  and  his  opponent,  401<Z. 
Henriot,  the  infidel,  death  of,  222e. 
Henry  III  and  the  potter,  173/. 
Henry  the  Great  reproved,  112^-. 
Henry  IV  and  the  poor  citizen,  113a. 

and  the  siege,  202e. 
Henry  VIII  and  his  buffoon,  412c. 
Henry,  Patrick,  and  the  Bible,  55c. 
Henry,  Rev.  Philip,  prophecy  of,  143c. 

advice  of,  to  his  children,  253a. 

promise  of,  3246. 

practice  of,327c. 


Henrj',  Rev.  Philip,  comfort  of,  347d. 

and  the  broken  story,  407e. 
Henry,  Rev.  Matthew,  meekness  of,  254</. 
Heretics  and  the  Papists,  298. 
Herod,  violence  of,  206. 
Herod  the  Great,  end  of,  316a. 
Hermit  of  Livry,  298/ 
Herring,  Rev.  W.,  and  Dr.  Lamb,  157c. 
Hervey,  Rev.  James,  death  of,  119/ 
recantation  of,  240a. 
and  the  ploughman,  256/. 
and  the  theatre,  411c. 
Hervey,  Mrs.,  death  of,  119Z. 
Hey,  Surgeon,  submission  of,  409/ 
Hill,  Rev.  Rowland,  and  the  Antinomian,  236. 
and  his  failure,  33d. 
and  the  two  converts,  263rf. 
and  the  sea-captain,  339a. 
and  his  gardener,  344c. 
and  the  convert's  dream,  351d. 
Hindoo  boys,  pledge  of  the,  1596. 
Hinton,  James,  and  the  communicant,  ll2p. 
Hobbes  and  death,  219c. 
Holland,  Mr.,  death  of,  119«. 
Holy  Ghost,  sin  against,  406. 
Holy   Spirit,  the — agency  in  conviction  and 
,  conversion,  195,  333. 
grieved,  196,  127. 
Homei-'s  Iliad,  225e. 

Honesty,  examples  of,  197,  33,  98c,  /,  g,  \ 
392c. 
the  best  policy,  198,  430. 
tested,  83/  132a. 
Honor,  the  highest,  3156. 
Honors,  worldly,  vanity  of,  199,  194c. 
Plooker,  dying  words  of,  119^ 
Hooper  at  the  stake,  112g-. 
Hope,  power  of,  200,  118,  119. 
Hopper,  Isaac,  and  Cain,  242c. 
Horse-racing,  180c. 
Hospital,  the  first,  83a. 
Hospitality,  201,279a. 
Hospitals,  military,  433. 
Howard,  John,  and  his  trials,  192^. 
and  family  prayer,  328A. 
and  the  countess,  337a. 
his  opinion  of  swearers,  338c. 
and  the  highwayman,  345^. 
labors  of,  441c?. 
Howard,  Mrs.,  spending  money  of,  38g-. 
Howe,  Rev.  John,  and  Cromwell,  45e. 
long  sermons  and  prayers  of,  265/. 
and  the  magistrate,  532c. 
and  the  nobleman,  370/ 
and  the  profane,  370A. 
Hughes,  Rev.  J.,  and  the  scoffer,  17a. 
"  Hull,  Father,"  at  a  ball,  306. 
Human  sacrifices,  270. 
Humanity,  exemplified,  202,  317a,  g. 

rewarded,  203. 
Hume  against  infidelity,  2166,  c. 

and  his  mother's  death,  222<f. 
Humility,  204. 

aflfected,  337^^. 
Huntingdon,  Lady,  beneficence  of,  38a,  6. 
her  son's  tribute  to,  lOla. 
Prince  of  Wales'  tribute  to,  1016. 
and  the  laborer,  107c. 
871 


TOPICAL  INDEX. 


Huntingdon,  Lady,  and  Bolingbroke,  321a. 
Husbands,  affectionate,  7,  241a,  c. 
Huss,  John,  death  of,  172i. 
Hypocrisy,  205. 

Idleness,  206. 
Idolatry,  folly  of,  207. 
Papal,  300. 
ofthe  heathen,  269. 
Ignorance  of  the  heathen,  268,  276o. 
Ignorance  causes  infidelity,  212. 
Iliad  of  Homer,  225e. 
Immortahty  ofthe  soul,  194d. 
Importunity  in  prayer,  322,  399c. 
Imprecations  answered,  208,  252g-,  L 
Impressions,  early,  1526. 
Impulses,  210. 

Inconsistency  of  professed  Christians,  209. 
Inconsistencies  of  character,  117. 
Indians,  anecdotes  of  the.  If,  g,  lie,  39/,  46<Z, 
h,  i,  I,  98/,   153c,    158g,   179e,  imd, 
204A,  209a,  276rf,  277e,  278(Z,  284c, 
285c,  d,  e,  29 le,/,  h,  I,  m,  2936,  298/, 
331  A:,  343/  364c,  d,  371c,  430a. 
Industry,  210,  11a,  243,  258. 
Infancy,  discipline  in,  135. 
Infanticide,  272. 
Infidelity,  causes  of: 
ignorance,  212. 

corruption  of  the  heart  and  life,  213. 
moral  character  and  influence  of,  &c.,2l5. 
at  variance   with    the   reason    and   con- 
science, &c., 
shown  by  their  own  confessions  of  the 

moral  tendency,  &c.,  216. 
shown  by  their  confessions  in  favor  of 

Christianity,  217,  56. 
shown  by  their  confessions  in  favor  of  the 

moral  character  of  Christ,  218. 
shown  by  their  confessions  of  their  dis- 
quietude and  misery,  219. 
shown  by  their  advice,  &c.,  220. 
shown  by  their  conduct  in  danger,  221. 
shown  by  their  conduct  in  death,222,22. 
miscellaneous,  223,  262<Z. 
prevented,  72c,  301. 
and  Universalism,  424A,  425e,  4276,  c. 
and  Unltarianism,  4276,  c,  d. 
Infidels  converted,  60,  636,  75<^,  80c,  195n,  214, 
223c,  287p,  3286, 3336, 3486, 350^",  3546, 
373g-,  409c,  417. 
Influence  after  death,  beneficial,  224,  263/ 

injurious,  225. 
Ingenuity  and  wit,  clerical,  261. 
Ingratitude,  226. 

Innes,  Rev.  Mr.,  and  the  infidel,  28i. 
Inquisition,  303. 
Insanity,  fruitful  cause  of,  380d. 
Insolvency,  33. 
Inspiration  of  the  Bible,  54,  60a-/,  i,  237d,c,g, 

3626,  c,<7. 
Instability,  13g-,A,i,  26,  225c,  231e. 
Instrumentalities,  feeble,  227. 
Integrity,  228. 
Intemperance : 

way  to  intemperance,  229. 
Effects  of  intemperance : 
slavery  of  appetite,  230. 
872 


Effects  of  intemperance  : 

intellectual  and  moral  degradation,  231. 

vice  and  crime,  232. 

domestic  and  social  wretchedness,  233. 

fatal  accidents,  &c.,  234. 
Intemperate,  the,  reformed,  235,  59a,  c,  79/ A:, 

4l4d-g,  i,  k. 
Irenseus  and  war,  437c. 
Irish  rebellion,  Quakers  in,  291;. 
Irreverence  in  prayer,  326g^. 
Irritability,  178. 
Ives,  Rev.  Dr.,  and  the  criminal,  132e. 

Jackson,  Richard,  honesty  of,  198^. 
Jacob's  ladder,  new  use  for,  26 In. 
James  the  Less  and  the  Pharisees,  157a. 
James  I.  and  the  earl's  genealogy,  19/ 
Janarius,  St.,  and  the  horses,  3l0e. 
Janeway,  Rev.  J.,  and  conversation,  105a. 

and  the  judgment,  238c. 
Janeway,  Rev.  William,  death  of,  119A. 
Jay,  Rev.  William,  and  his  wife,  7h. 

and  the  angel,  261o. 
Jefferson  and  war,  431  h. 
Jenks,  Mr.,  death  of,  119r. 
Jerome,  death  of,  112c. 
Jewel,  Bishop,  recanting,  1306. 
Jews,  237. 

Joachim  and  the  Waldenses,  342a. 
John,  first  chapter  of,  195a. 
John,  King,  and  his  hostages,  4306. 
Johnson,  Dr.,  and  the  Bible,  55d. 

confession  of,  89  a. 

advice  of,  to  a  mother,  252A. 

and  his  mother,  287A. 

and  profanity,  369c. 
Johnson,  Rev.  Mr.,  and  his  visit  to  Wetherell, 

Mod. 
Joints,  structure  of  the,  546,  lS5d. 
Jones,  Sir  William,  and  the  Bible,  55a. 
Joseph,   emperor   of   Germany,   and   dueling, 

1506. 
Joy  in  heaven  over  repenting  simiers,  250g'. 
Joy  unspeakable,  192a,  6. 
Judaism,  237. 

Judgment  day,  238,  264c,  3516,  c. 
Judson,  Dr.,  sufferings  of,  2856. 
Judson,  Mrs.  Ann  H.,  experience  of,  170<Z. 
Julian,  the  apostate,  death  of,  3166. 
Julian,  Pope,  death  of,  298g-. 
Julius  II  and  St.  Peters,  301a. 
Justice  and  equity,  239. 
Justification  by  faith,  240. 

Kaimack,  first  Greenland  convert,  186a. 

Kalley,  Dr.,  in  prison,  440a. 

Kapiolani's  contempt  of  the  goddess,  I73d. 

Karkeet,  the  dying  coal-miner,  1  I9p. 

Kelly  and  the  drowning  boy,  36e. 

Ken,  Dr.,  firmness  of,  llSh. 

Kennicott,  Rev.  Dr.,  and  his  polyglot  Bible,  67m. 

Kent,  passengers  of  the,  1906. 

Kentish,  Rev.  Mr.,  sudden  death  of,  1226. 

Keys  of  the  church,  140a. 

Kilpin,  Rev.  S.,  and  his  church  members,  134c. 

example  of,  175e. 

and  the  sailor,  259a. 

and  his  theft  of  a  penny,  357a. 


TOPICAL  INDEX. 


Kilpin,  and  his  penitent  son,  3666. 
Kincaid,  Rev.  E.,  at  Ava,  285/. 
Kindness,  conjugal,  241. 

power  of,  242. 
King,  Rev.  Jonas,  and  his  teacher,  1516. 
Kircherer  and  the  assassin,  343A;. 
Kneeland's  follower,  3336. 
Knill,  Rev.  R.,  and  his  mother,  287/. 

and  his  fellow  students,  398/. 
Knollys,  Rev.  Hanserd,  deUverance  of,  346<f . 
Knox,  John,  before  the  queen,  112i 

reply  of,  to  the  prisoners,  202A. 

and  the  assassin,  344A. 
Kunnuk,  the  avenger,  154a. 

Labor,  dignity  of,  243. 
Lacedasmonians,  reasoning  of,  2436. 
Ladd,  William,  becoming  a  teetotaller,  36. 

and  his  neighbor  Pulsifer,  159/. 

conversing  with  children  on  war,  438c. 
Language,  simplicity  of,  259. 
Languet,  John  B.,  and  the  dearth,  38i. 
Las  Basas,  death  of,  222e. 
Las  Casas,  benevolence  of,  49d. 
Lathrop,  Dr.,  on  dress,  146e. 

humUity  of,  204Z. 
Latimer  going  to  London,  112A. 

labors  of,  258i. 

and  the  king,  260A. 

accused  before  Henry  VIII,  260n. 

reproof  from,  368«. 
Laughter  of  scoffers,  375. 
Lavater  and  the  pauper,  39Z. 

and  the  prefect,  112^. 
Law  of  God,  54a,  836,  132h,i. 
Lawrence,  advice  of,  1576. 
Lawsuits  and  lawyers,  244. 
Leaf,  lesson  from  a,  185c. 
Learned,  conversion  of  the,  63. 
Lee,  Rev.  Mr.,  and  the  general,  291d. 
Lee,  Edward,  secret  of  his  success,  S27g, 
Legacies,  245. 

Legare,  Mrs.,  death  of,  ll9k. 
Legunia,  confession  of,  218a. 
Leighton,  Archbishop,  and  the  liars,  2526. 

meekness  of,  254e. 

sermon  of,  2616. 
Lent,  Chinese  views  of,  283c. 
Lepelletier  and  the  merchant,  4416. 
Lepers,  missionaries  to  the,  2506. 
Levity  in  preaching,  265g. 
Liberality,  36-47,  247a. 
Licentiousness,  246,  414h. 
Links  and  the  murderer,  154c. 
Linnaeus  and  his  motto,  297a. 
Litigation,  244. 

Livia,  advice  of,  to  Augustus,  158/. 
Livmgston,  Dr.,  and  the  students,  168a. 
Locke,  John,  and  the  Bible,  55z. 

and  the  card-players,  16d. 

resignation  of,  239/ 
Loo  Choo  Islands,  20 1  z. 
Losses  from  religion,  188c. 
Lotteries,  1806,  182e. 
Louis  IX  and  the  kitchen  boy,  2046'. 
Louis  XIV  and  his  anecdote,  113e. 

and  the  ambassador,  202c. 

and  the  chancellor,  2'S9h. 


Love,  conjugal,  7. 

filial,  8,  9. 

fraternal,  10. 

maternal,  11. 

paternal,  12. 

of  God  in  sending  his  Son,  28d,  1866. 

to  enemies,  154-162. 

brotherly,  247. 

to  souls,  250. 

to  Christ,  248,  249. 

of  Christ,  261. 
Lunatics,  Pinel  and  the,  242a. 

restored,  242a,  332d. 

prayer  for,  33  le. 
Luther,  will  of,  14d. 

beneficence  of,  446. 

discovering  a  Bible,  53g. 

prayer  of,  1046. 

fortitude  of,  ll2d. 

summoned  to  Worms,  ll2e. 

on  Pilate's  staircase,  170a. 

industry  of,  258a. 

preaching  of,  2596. 

his  opinion  of  music,  289/ 
Luxury,  251. 

Lyford,  Rev.  Mr.,  glorious  position  of,  240c- 
Lying,  18/  1776,  208a,  c,  252,  366a. 

Machiavel  and  war,  43  7f. 

Macedo  and  his  preserver,  2266. 

M'Laren  and  Gustart,  256/. 

Madan,  Rev.  Mr.,  conversion  of,  350d. 

Magnanimity,  112,  175,  176,  184,  430. 

Mahommed,  escape  of,  354a. 

Mahommedanism — Mahommedans,  27Sj,  354a, 

4156. 
Manton,  Dr.,  semion  for,  265Z. 
Marines,  punishment  of,  435. 
Marlborough  in  his  dotage,  429/ 

and  the  soldier,  438A. 
Marriage,  253. 

Marshall,  Judge,  a  S.  School  teacher,  399a. 
Marshall,  Rev.  S  ,  dying,  172/ 
Mart,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  and  their  son,  3256. 
Martinet's  achievements,  36/ 
Martyn,  Henry,  reproof  from,  371d. 
Martyr,  Justin,  and  love  to  enemies,  1626. 

and  war,  437c. 
Martyrdom— martyrs,  676,  c,  119a,  122;,  130a, 
172z,/  1736, c,  I76d,  194/ A:, 2406, 279c, 
284a,  3156,  341/  403^. 
Marvell,  integrity  of,  2286. 
Mason,  Dr.,  criticism  of,  265a. 

reply  of,  to  the  scoffer,  217c. 

and  the  dying  Unitarian,  335a. 
Mason,  Sir  John,  example  of,  3276. 
Massillon,  eloquence  of,  1536?. 

and  the  vicar,  1796. 

and  the  thoughtless  assembly,  26 1^. 
Mather,  Cotton,  and  the  dying  man,  \32d. 

ambition  of,  156i. 

libels  on,  175z. 

retraction  of,  2046. 
Maurice,  Rev.  Mr.,  and  the  constable,  260/. 
Maximianus  Galerius,  end  of,  3 16c. 
Maximianus  Herculeus,  end  of,  316c. 
Maximilian  and  Dion,  4376. 
May,  Rev.  R  ,  and  the  S.  School,  398c. 
873 


TOPICAL  INDEX. 


Mazarin,  Cardinal,  death  of,  12  Ig-. 
Meals,  giving  thanks  at,  329. 
Meekness,  175,  176,  254,  401. 
Meeting-houses,  debts  on,  123. 
Meetings  for  prayer,  330,  33la,di,m. 
Meetings,  conference,  88. 
Meikle  and  his  patient,  370c. 
Melancholy,  66,  1336,145. 
Melancthon  and  his  mother,  104c. 

and  old  Adam,  132/. 

experience  of,  327a. 

Luther's  prayer  for,  331c. 

punctuality  of,  355/. 

servant  of,  404c. 
Melville  and  his  brethren,  441c. 
Memnon  and  the  soldier,  370^. 
Memory  and  piety,  255,  1936. 
Mends,  Rev.  H.,  dream  of,  2386. 
MenkikofF,  sketch  of,  319c,  342e. 
Mercy  shown  by  God,  186,  187,  414i.  — ^ 

shown  by  man,  176,  202,  203. 
Merit  of  good  works,  256. 
Merlin  preserved  by  a  hen,  3436. 
Metellus,  triumph  of,  203c. 
Midwood,  Abraham,  visit  to,  374g-. 
Militia  drills,  expense  of,  438e. 
Mill,  Rev.  P.,  rescue  of,  llOo. 
Millard  and  Louis  XI,  260fl. 
Milne,  Rev.  Dr.,  zeal  of,  204A;. 

and  his  early  closet,  327A. 
Ministers,  Christian — call  to  the  ministry,  257. 

industry,  energy,  &c.,  258. 

simplicity  of  language,  259. 

fidelity  and  boldness,  260. 

ingenuity  and  wit,  261. 

personal  intercourse,  &c.,  262. 

success  in  their  labors,  263. 

trials  of,  264. 

faults  of,  265,  2906. 

miscellaneous,  266,  882j,  287i,  419. 

education  of,  151. 
Miracles,  papal,  305. 
Mirza  Mahomed  Ali,  278;. 
Misers,  29c,  A.  41a,  267. 
Misfortunes  overruled  for  conversions,  348. 
Missions — need  of  missions  : 

ignorance  of  the  heathen,  268. 

idolatry,  269. 

human  sacrifices,  270. 

self-torture,  &c.,  271. 

infanticide,  272. 

cruelty  to  parents,  273. 

cannibalism,  274. 

treatment  of  females,  275. 

miscellaneous,  276. 
Benefits  of  missions : 

temporal  benefits,  98c,  277. 

spiritual  benefits :  remarkable  conversions, 
&c.,  278. 

striking  exhibitions  of  Christian  tempers, 
&c.,  279. 

happy  deaths  of  converts,  280. 

miscellaneous  illustrations,  281. 

reflex  benefits,  282. 
Hinderances  to  missions : 

bad  example,  &c.,  of  nominal  Christians, 
2094  283. 

prejudice  and  persecution,  &c.,  284. 
874 


Missions,  zeal  for,  3^d-k,  286. 

and  S.  Schools,  3896,  398. 

miscellaneous,  186fl,  6. 
Missionaries,    privations    and    perils    of,   285, 

345i. 
Montesquieu  at  Marseilles,  9d. 
Morahty,  reliance  on,  132m,  256,  4026. 

promoted,  57,  364,  414. 
More,  H.,  her  view  of  ingratitude,  226(2. 

her  view  of  fiction,  295e. 
Morrell,  Rev.  S.,  death  of,  119f. 
Morrison,  Dr  ,  and  the  S.  School,  3986. 
Morion,  Rev.  A.,  dejected,  2646. 
Mor\'illiers  and  Charles  IX,  239g. 
Mothers,  pious,  influence  of,  287. 

affectionate,  11. 

unfaithfiil,  1116. 
Mundy,  Rev,  Mr.,  and  the  S.  School,  398c. 
Munich,  Count,  and  Catherine  II,  228e. 
Munmoth  and  the  Papist,  155a. 
Murderers,  misery,  detection,  and  punishment 

of,  288. 
Murder,  miscellaneous,  20a,  c,  57c,  3356,  383g". 
Music,  289. 

Mutcham  and  the  murdered  boy,  288r. 
Mutius,  sadness  of,  1636. 

Nardin,  Rev.  J.,  and  his  enemies,  1565. 
Navigator  Islands,  change  in,  28  le. 
Neflf,  Rev.  Felix,  mistake  of,  262e. 
Neglect  of  the  Bible,  70. 

Negroes,  anecdotes  of,  9m,  lid,  14a,  28d,  376, 
396, c,c,  46/,;,  54e,  A,  66A,  1006,  101c, 
157e,/,g-,  173^,  l'I9d,  182c,  189d,  195/, 
201a,  263A,  285?,  286a,  6,/,  Z,  336a, 
3506,  3926. 
Nelson,  Dr.,  and  the  conversion  of  infidels,  2l4a, 
Neptune,  loss  of  the,  234c. 
Nero,  death  of,  3 16c. 

effect  of  power  on,  3186. 
Nettleton,  Dr.,  and  the  unfaithful  minister,  266o. 
Newton,  Sir  Isaac,  and  Dr.  Halley,  2126. 

and  his  dog,  401c. 

in  his  dotage,  429/ 
Newton,  Rev.  John,  reproof  from,  14c. 

his  advice  to  an  author,  104c. 

his  remark  to  his  daughter,  I22i 

saying  of,  131/ 

his  rule  for  dress,  1466. 

and  Mr.  Occam,  1686. 

and  his  view  of  heaven,  1945. 

his  soliloquy,  204a. 

mother  of,  2246. 

singular  memory  of,  2556,  c. 

his  unwillingness  to  stop  preaching,  258^;". 

habit  of,  3476. 

and  the  origin  of  sin,  405/ 
Nobility,  290. 
Non-resistance,  safety  and  other  benefits  of: 

prevents  and  disarms  aggression,  291. 

effects  the  reformation  of  aggressors,  292. 

transforms  aggressors  into  friends,  293. 

and  trust  in  God,  294. 

miscellaneous,  n5a,c-g,j,  176,  284c. 
Nott,  Kev.  Mr.,  and  the  South  Sea  Islander, 

1866. 
Novels,  295. 


TOPICAL  INDEX. 


Oaths,  false,  314.  • 

Obedience  to  parents,  296. 

Oberlin,  method  of,  with  beggars,  356. 

practice  of,  40a. 

in  the  French  Revolution,  46s. 

and  the  conspirators,  292a. 
Oglethorpe,  Gen.,  and  his  servant,  ]76c. 
Olds,  Rev.  J.,  sudden  death  of,  1226. 
Omission,  sins  of,  405c. 
Omnipresence  and  omniscience  of  God,  1326, 

297. 
Origen  and  his  enemies,  162c. 

and  war,  437c. 
Ostentation  in  prayer,  326d. 
Ousley,  Rev.  Mr.,  zeal  of,  258^?. 
Ovid  and  theatres,  41  If. 
Owen  on  forgiveness,  13/. 
Oxenstein  and  the  Bible,  55/«. 

Paine,  Thomas,  and  the  Bible,  545-. 

and  Christianity,  218c. 

advice  of,  to  a  traveler,  2206. 

last  days  of,  222/ 

the  elder's  visit  to,  222g. 

confession  of,  to  Mr.  Randall,  222/i. 

and  his  Age  of  Reason,  225d. 

and  his  perplexity,  362c. 
Palmer,  R^v.  H.,  and  the  governor's  appeal, 

286m. 
Panther  and  the  buffaloes,  escape  from,  343i. 
Papacy — fanaticism  and  craelty,  298,  3460?,  e,  h. 

hostility  to  the  Bible,  53b,  h,  299.. 

idolatry,  300. 

indulgencies,  301. 

confession  and  absolution,  302. 

inquisition,  303. 

praying  to  and  for  the  dead,  304. 

miracles,  305. 

transubstantiation,  306.  , 

purgatory,  307.  / 

relics,  308.  / 

moral  tendency,  309.  / 

miscellaneous,  53f-i,  2256,  3l0. 

papists  converted,  61,  79i. 
Parents,  affection  for,  8,  9,  143d. 

disobedience  to,  143. 
Paibeek,  Sarah,  patience  of,  311d. 
Park,  Mungo,  and  the  negress,  2Glflr. 
Parkhurst's  generosity,  1846. 
Parmenides  and  Plato,  276. 
Pascal,  saying  of,  192A. 
Patience,  311. 
Patriotism,  4e,  312. 
Paul  and  Plato,  227fl. 
Payson,  Dr.,  dying  words  of,  119«. 

happy  in  trials,  170/ 

love  of,  for  preaching,  258^-. 

and  the  lawyer,  262c. 
Peace,  277a,  29 1  -294,  438i. 
Peace-makers,  313,  389A.     -^ 
Peden,  Alexander,  prayer  of,  3317*. 
Pedro,  Don,  confession  of,  298c. 
Penn,  pacific  policy  of,  291/. 

punctuality  of,  355c. 
Perjury,  314. 

Persecution,  846,  d-f,  315,  349,  416rf. 
Persecution  overruled,  349,  440. 
Persecutors,  end  of,  316. 


Persecutors  and  enemies,  preservation  from, 342, 

3446,  e,  g,  3456,  e,j,  k,  3466,  3536. 
Pericles  and  the  railer,  1 58a. 
Perils  and  dangers,  happiness  in,  190. 
Perseverance,  79i,  235a,  4146,  428/ 

in  prayer,  323,  330a-c,  33.3/ 
Peter;  Bishop,  firmness  of,  1  l2o. 
Peter  the  Great  and  the  clergyman,  2106. 

industry  of,  243c. 

and  Menzikoff,  342e. 

confession  of,  40  le. 

and  slander,  407/t. 
Peterborough  and  Fenelon,  1666. 
Philip  of  Macedon  wrestling,  18a. 

and  the  Argive,  160c. 

and  the  ambassadors,  1 76a. 

and  the  poor  woman,  239Z. 

and  the  Athenian  orators,  407j. 
Philip,  Rev.  Dr.,  zeal  of,  286s. 

and  the  S.  School,  3985-. 
Philip,  Bishop  of  Heraclea,  boldness  of,  112a. 
Philip  III  of  Spain,  his  lament,  12 la. 
Phocion's  dying  counsel,  158/". 
Physicians,  41n,v,  1106,  185tZ,  c,  242/  317, 

374e,/,  385c. 
Pillsbury  and  the  giant  prisoner,  242(2. 
Pitt,  the  orator,  death  of,  4296. 
Pittacus,  law  of,  23 66?. 
Pius  V,  dying  words  of,  310a. 
Plato  and  Parmenides,  276. 

and  Paul,  227a. 

and  slander,  407a. 

and  the  theatre,  411/ 
Pliny,  double  character  of,  117c. 
Policy,  worldly,  2&g. 
Polycarp,  death  of,  1 19a. 
Polygamy,  275a. 

Pomphret,  Rev.  J.,  and  the  robber,  292c. 
Posthumous  influence,  224,  229c. 
Powell,  Rev.  V.,  and  the  oflicer,  159A. 

and  the  game  of  foot-ball,  348a. 
Pow^er,  arbitrary,  corrupting  influence  of,  318. 

vanity  of,  319. 
Prayer — Nature  of  prayer:  Scriptural  prayer: 

praying  with  faith,  320. 

praying  with  submission,  321. 

praying  with  importunity,  &c.,  322. 

praying  with  constancy,  &c.,  I13g,  323. 

miscellaneous,  324. 
Unscriptural  prayer :  ^ 

praying  without  submission,  325. 

various  examples,  101c?,  276c,  304,  326. 
Occasions  of  prayer :  — 

secret  prayer,  79rf,  327.    - 

family  prayer,  796,  e,  328.    - 

giving  thanks  at  meals,  329.    -     • 

social  and  public  prayer,  219g,  I,  330. 
Prayer  answered : 

by  God's  providential  control  of  material 
and  animal  agencies,  331,  346d,  349 g. 

by    God's   providential   control   of  men's 
minds,  332. 

by  the  agency  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  con- 
versions, 333. 

by  the  agency,  &c.,  in  revivals,  224d,  334. 

various  examples  of  the  power  of,   157g, 
162a,  193e,  217a,  287A:,  335,344d. 

miscellaneous  facts  respecting,  336. 
875 


TOPICAL  INDEX. 


Prayer,  inability  to  offer,  10d,f. 

and  family  discipline,  136. 

and  education,  152c. 

awful,  answered,  196c,  208. 

the  Lord's,  286d,  325a,  4Mh. 

to  and  for  the  dead,  304. 

and  the  theatre,  4lld,r. 

and  tobacco,  4126,  d. 

and  rumselling,  423/. 
Preparation  for  the  pulpit,  258^,  I. 
Pride,  337.       ' 

Privations  and  perils  of  missionaries,  285. 
Prize-fighter  converted,  175g". 
Procrastination,  125-128,  367. 
Profanity,  siniul,  338. 

rebuked,  suppressed,  abandoned,  79a,  86d, 
339,  368/,  414a. 

punishment  of,  73,  340. 
Profligate,  conversion  of  the,  59a. 
Providence — in  preserving  life  by  the  control  of 

material  and  animal  agencies : 
.  Preserving  from  fires,  &c.,  341. 

from  persecutors,  &c.,  342. 

fi-om  animals  or  by  means  of  them,  343. 
Preserving  life  by  the  control  of  mind : 

overruling  involuntary  affections,  &c.,  344. 

overruling  voluntary  acts,  &c.,  345. 
In  bestowing  various  blessings  : 

overruling  benevolence,  332a-c,  346. 

overruling  various  acts,  &c.,  347. 
In  conversions  ; 

overruling  misfortunes,  &c.,  348. 

overraling  persecution,  349. 

overruling  various   forms  of  wickedness, 
350,  4l9d. 

overruling  dreams,  &c.,  351. 

overrulmg  various  feelings,  &c.,  352. 
Providence,  trust  in  353. 
Prynne  and  the  theatre,  41  Iw. 
Publican,  prayer  of  the,  324a. 
Pummehannit,  prayer  of,  331^. 
Punctuality,  353,  4396. 
Punishment  of  the  wicked  not  in  this  life : 

because  their  remorse  is  not  commensurate 
with  their  guilt,  356. 

because  conscience  is  not  troublesome  when 
often  violated,  357. 

because  they  delight  in  wickedness,  358. 

because  they  often  die  in  the  very  act  of 
sin,  73,340d,c,359. 
Punishment,  future,  360. 
Purgatory,  307. 
Pye  and  the  inquisitors,  3036. 
Pyrrhus  and  the  philosopher,  186. 
Pythias  and  Damon,  179a. 

Quarrels,  20c-e,  361. 
Quintus  and  his  son,  8b. 

Raban,  Rev.  T.,  escape  of,  341c, 
Rabbi,  reason  of,  for  weeping,  120a. 
Raffles,  Lady,  and  her  nurse,  52a. 
Rain,  prayer  for,  331a. 

withheld  in  answer  to  prayer,  331d. 
Raleigh,  Sir  Walter,  and  war,  43  7e. 
Randolph,  John,  and  his  mother,  287Ar. 

dying  remorse  of,  365/ 
Raitea,  great  change  in,  277g. 
876 


Raritonga,  great  change  in,  28ld. 
Raymond  and  the  traveler,  291a. 
Ravencross  and  his  slave,  16lo. 
Reader,  Rev.  T.,  and  secret  prayer,  79d. 

and  the  child,  I09d. 
Reason,  insufficiency  of,  302. 

and  conscience  against  infidehty,  216-222. 
Reason,  Goddess  of,  her  last  days,  223d. 
Rechabites,  46. 

Recognition  of  friends  in  heaven,  248c. 
Reconciliation  to  God,  363. 
Rees,  Rev.  J.,  in  death,  172c. 
Reflex  influence  of  benevolence,  45-47,  1236, 

282. 
Reformation  of  inebriates,  235. 
Regeneration,  195. 
Rejection  of  the  Bible,  70. 
Relics,  papal,  304d,  305a,  308. 
Religion,  reforming  power  of,  57,  59,  364,  390, 

414. 
Remorse,  876,  94-97,  288a,  o,r,  365. 
Renwick,  joy  of,  194/ 
Reparation  of  injuries,  95,  373. 
Repentance,  1776,  366,  373. 

on  death-beds,  367. 
Reproof  of  sin — faithfulness  and  firmness,  &c., 
79i,  368. 

proper  spirit,  &c.,  19h,  369. 

skill  and  prudence,  &c.,  la,  52, 3296,  370. 

happy  effects,  &c.,  371. 

miscellaneous,  372. 
Restitution,  95,  2796,  373. 
Restorationist,  Dr.  Nott  and  a,  3606. 
Retraction  of  error,  89-93,  2046. 
Revelation  needed,  362. 
Revenge,  2i)2i. 
Revivals,  interesting,  75,  1076,  195h,p,  282t, 

287o,  330a-c,  334,  394. 
Reynolds  and  the  orphan,  204c. 
Riches,  29c,  120,  g,h,j,  I2la,d,g,  222a,  374. 
Richmond,  Rev.  Legh,  and  his  mother,  50a. 

and  his  son,  58/ 

forbearance  of,  1756. 

and  Satanic  agency,  4006. 
Riddle's  dying  testimony,  170c. 
Ridicule,  375. 

Ritchie  and  the  profane  swearer,  260e. 
Rivet,  Rev.  Mr.,  patience  of,  311c. 
Robbers— robbery,  43c, d,  98a,  376. 
Robespierre,  death  of,  222e. 
Rod,  use  of  the,  135-139. 
Rochester,  Lord,  and  Isaiah  liii,  60a. 

morals  of,  215(Z. 

confession  of,  23  7g'. 
Romaine,  Rev.  W.,  and  card-playing,  766. 

admonition  from,  76c. 

sermon  of,  259/ 

reproof  from,  338d. 
Romans,  chapter  first,  54c. 
Rose,  James,  the  Christian  in  hell,  1336. 
Rousseau,  confession  of,  2186. 

and  theatres,  411;. 
Ruggles*  escape  from  savages,  343g^. 
Rule,  the  golden,  377. 
Rum-sellers  and  rum-selling,  421-423. 
Rush,  Dr.,  and  theatres,  411  A;. 
Ryland,  Rev.  J.,  and  the  innkeeper's  family, 
328/ 


TOPICAL  INDEX. 


Sabat,  misery  of,  365c. 

Sabbath,  the  Christian,  benefits  of: 

physical  benefits  to  domestic  animals,  378. 

physical  benefits  to  man,  379. 

intellectual  benefits,  380. 

providential  benefits,  381. 

examples  of  the  conscientious  observance 
of  the,  &c.,  382,  279cZ,  317A. 
Sabbath-breaking,  evils  of:  vice  and  crime,383. 

various  evils,  384. 
'     unnecessary,  385. 
Sabbath-breakers  reproved,  386. 
Sabbath  schools,  various  salutary  Influences  of: 

in  promoting  religious  knowledge,   &c., 
387. 

in  promoting  attendance  on  worship,  388. 

in  promoting  benevolence  and  other  vir- 
tues, 389. 

in  reforming  neighborhoods,  390. 

in  counteracting  and  removing  infidelity, 
391. 

in    preventing    and    removing    vice    and 
crime,  392. 
Religious  influences  of,  on  pupils : 

conversions,  393. 

revivals,  394. 

happy  deaths,  395. 
Benefits  of,  to  parents  and  others : 

moral  benefits,  396. 

religious  benefits,  397. 

connection  of,  with  the  ministry  and  mis- 
sions, 398. 

miscellaneous,  399. 
Sacrifices,  human,  270. 

Sailors,  anecdotes  of,  44e,  51c,  58,  67/,  73^, 
79h,  16Ic,  1696,  282A,  327>,  339/,  345e, 
353d,  369a,  3Slf,j,  393j,  k,  418a. 
St.  Just,  the  infidel,  death  of,  222e. 
Salmasius,  dying  words  of,  70a. 
Salter's  benevolence,  317e. 
Satan,  agency  of,  400. 
Saunders,  David,  and  his  Bible,  666,  696. 

contentment  of,  103/ 
Saxe,  Marshal,  and  the  soldier,  438e. 
Schiller,  his  title  of  nobility,  290a. 
Schmidt,  Rev.  Mr.,  and  the  Jew,  3736. 
Schoolmen,  prayers  of  the,  256i 
Scofl^ers-scoflSng,  17fl,  73,  208,  350z. 
Scotch,  religious  education  of  the,  152c?. 
Scott,  Rev.  J.,  and  his  sword,  149c. 
Scott,  Rev.  Thomas,  and  cards,  76a. 

death  of,  119q. 

his  love  for  souls,  4086. 
Scriptures,  the  Holy,  53-72. 
Searching  the  Scriptures,  68. 
^     Sieges,  432. 

Selden,  comfort  of,  28e. 

Self-control,  401. 

Self-deception,  402. 

Self-denial,  403,  258?,  397A 

Selfishness  in  prayer,  326c. 

Self-righteousness,  256, 

Self-torture  and  self-murder,  271. 

Seneca  and  war,  437a. 

Sensibility  injured  or  destroyed,  31,  181. 

Sermon  on  the  Mount,  54A:,  83c. 

Servants,  37c,  d,  286m,  368e,  370p,  404. 


Serverus,  death  of,  316c. 

dying  words  of,  429a. 
Sewall,  Judge,  and  the  shoe-brushes,  282d. 
Shakers  and  the  Indians,  291  A. 
Shephard  and  preparation  to  preach,  258^. 
Short,  Luke,  the  centennarian  convert,  224a. 
Sidney,  Sir  P.,  and  the  soldier,  44c. 
Sigismund  and  his  enemies,  160c. 
Simplicity  of  language,  259. 
Simpson,  Dr.,  venturing  on  Christ,  172(Z. 
Sin,  405. 

Sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost,  406. 
Siva  and  her  temple,  281c. 
Skelton,  Rev.  P.,  and  his  books,  39i. 
Skill  and  prudence  with  the  impenitent,  108. 
Slander,  407. 

Slavery — slaves,  9m,   lid,  e,  14/,  49a,   101c, 
I56d,  I58h,  16 la,  b,  176c,  182c,  3l8d— 
/,  3326,  339h. 
Slavery  of  appetite,  2,  230,  2466,  4l2d,  e,  g. 
Smuggling,  98a. 
Smollet  and  the  beggar,  198/. 
Socrates,  reply  of,  to  Alcibiades,  126. 

to  Archelaus,  228g-. 

rebuke  of,  to  Alcibiades,  337/. 

and  Chericles,  239a. 

self-control  of,  401/ 
Soldiers,  anecdotes  of,  62, 6Sd,  13d,  327;,  364a, 

393i,  434. 
Sons,  affectionate,  8a — e,  h. 

unnatural,  l6o,  c. 
Soul,  value  of,  408,  29c,  Z,  326,  278a,  352/ 
South  Sea  Islands,  former  state  of,  2706,  2726, 
c,  273a,  2746. 

improved  state  of,  277/ 
Southey,  Robert,  and  the  black  boy,  156c. 
Spider,  Du  Moulin  and  the,  343a. 
Spencer,  Rev.  Mr.,  beneficence  of,  47*,  t. 
Spira,  death-bed  of,  26d. 
Spring,  Dr.,  welcome  visit  of,  262a. 
Staughton's  eloquence,  153c. 
Staupicius,  confession  of,  172e. 
Stephen,  King,  and  toleration,  4136. 
Stennett  and  his  enemies,  314c. 
Stilling,  incidents  in  the  life  of,  353c. 
Story,  the  honest  rebel,  4306. 
Straiton's  prayer  answered,  130a. 
Struense,  confession  of,  2l2c. 
Students,  175/  2l0d,  333m,  348e. 
Stuart,  Dr.,  and  the  Southron,  243/ 
Sturtevant,  Lydia,  death  of,  127c. 
Submission  to  God's  will,  409. 

praying  with,  320. 

want  of,  325, 410. 
Success  in  the  ministry,  263. 
Suicide  of  an  actor,  6rf. 

of  an  apostate,  26c. 

and  remorse,  876. 

and  gambling,  I82rf,  e,f. 

manuscript  of  a,  2176. 

of  a  drunkard's  child,  233c. 

of  a  libertine,  246c. 

among  the  Hindoos,  271a. 
•and  Univei-salism,  424e,/,  i,  k. 

prevented,  46p,  1876,  e.  345d,  350h,  415. 
Swartz,  Rev.  C.  F.,  at  Tanjore,  277<Z. 
Swearers'  prayers  answered,  208. 
877 


TOPICAL  INDEX. 


Swift,  Dean,  and  the  apologist,  25a. 

and  the  printer,  1465^. 
Swinging  on  hooks,  2716. 

Tacitus  and  idolatry,  268c. 

and  theatres,  411  A. 
Tahitians,  ancient,  2766. 
Taggart,  J.,  oath  of,  3146. 
Tedyuscung  and  the  golden  rule,  3776. 

his  censure  of  white  men,  132A:. 
Temperance,  1-5,  335. 
Temples,  heathen,  overthrown,  2816,  c. 
Tennent,  Wm  ,  happiness  of,  1926. 

and  his  harvest-day,  264d. 

and  the  dumb  sermon,  352d. 
Tenterden's  retort,  196. 
Tetzel  at  Leipsic,  3016. 
Thanks  at  meals,  329. 
Thanksgiving-day,  origin  of,  18Sd. 
Thatcher,  Judge,  and  the  challenge,  149^. 
Theatres,  411. 

Theft— thieves,  278e,  2796,  357a,  6. 
Themistocles,  project  of,  2396. 

advice  of,  253g. 
Theodosius,  character  of,  1176. 
Thornton  and  the  poor  clergyman,  42a. 
Thorpe,  Rev.  W.,  and  his  mother,  192e. 
Thorp,  Mrs.,  and  the  Sabbath,  38ld. 
Tiger  and  crocodile,  343/. 
Tigranes  conquered,  337c. 
Tiberius  II  and  his  treasure,  47a. 
Tide,  delay  of  the,  331m. 
Timoleon  and  his  brother,  lOa. 
Tindal  and  his  Bible,  53i. 
Tillotson  and  his  father,  8g. 
Titus  in  Rome — in  Judea,  117e. 
Tobacco,  412. 

Todd,  Rev.  J.,  conversion  of,  263^*. 
Todd,  L.  C,  and  Universalism,  424d. 
Toleration,  413. 

Toumay  becoming  idiotic,  337 h. 
Tracts,  religious — happy  effects  of: 

morality  promoted,  414. 

suicide  prevented,  415. 

conversion  of  heathen,  416. 

conversion  of  infidels,  417, 

converts  distinguished  for  usefulness,  418. 

converts  becoming  ministers,  419. 

revivals  and  numerous  conversions,  420. 
Traffic  in  ardent  spirits,  injurious  to  customers, 
&c  ,  421. 

injurious  to  traffickers,  &c.,  422. 

immoral,  &.C.,  423. 
Trajan,  inconsistencies  of,  117a. 
Transubstantiation,  306. 
Trials  of  Christians,  13,  14,  50,  190-192, 315a, 
342. 
f  ministers,  264, 
Trust  in  God,  9o,  294,  353. 
Truth,  telling  the,  430. 
Trowt,  Rev.  Mr.,  trial  of,  264/. 
Tuahine's  conversion,  278a. 
Twiss,  Dr.,  advice  of,  2446. 

Underhill  and  his  persecutor,  250<2. 
Unkindness,  16a,  6,  c,  115-117, 139a. 
Unbelief,  causes  of,  212,  213. 
tlie  way  to  remove,  214. 

878 


Unbelievers,  Christians  ma»rrying,  2536—/. 
Unitarianism,  427,  81a,  b,  c,  335a,  419c. 
Universalism,  moral  tendency  of,  424, 4276, c,rf. 

absurdity  and  folly  of,  425. 

death  of  Universalists,  426. 

miscellaneous,  74?,  75/,  209 d,  360. 
Uprightness,  98,  112,  173,  228,  239. 
Usefulness,  Christian,  428,  37—44,  71,  106— 
110, 142, 151,224,  286,  317,418,420a, 
U\d. 
Usher,  Archbishop,  and  the  king,  260o. 

and  the  11th  commandment,  261c. 

Vagrants,  35. 

Vandille,  the  miser,  267c. 

Vanity  of  ambition,  18. 

and  beauty,  174a. 

of  worldly  honors,  199. 

of  riches,  374, 

of  the  worid,  429. 
Venn,  Rev.  Mr.,  and  the  waiter,  74a. 

death  of,  11 9o. 

and  the  Socinian,  256n. 

visit  of,  to  Midwood,  374g^. 
Ventadour,  Duchess  of,  her  benevolence,  38«. 
Veracity,  430,  1396. 
Vince,  Professor,  and  dueling,  149a. 
Vincent  in  the  plague,  341a. 
Virtue  embodied,  \32l. 
Vitellius,  death  of,  ]20j. 
Volney  in  a  storm,  2216. 
Voltaire  a  liar,  2l5d. 

confession  of,  2l6d. 

melancholy  views  of,  219c. 

last  hours  of,  222a. 

press  of,  at  Ferney,  223a. 

prophecy  of,  2236. 

Waddel,  Dr.,  "  The  Blind  Preacher,"  153m. 
Waldenses  and  the  wheat,  341c. 

and  .Toachim,  342a. 
Waldo,  Peter,  becoming  a  preacher,  352^. 
Walker,  Dr.,  humanity  of,  3 1 7a. 
Walker,  Rev.  S.,  and  the  rector,  260m. 
Wall,  Dr.,  injuries  of,  175a, 
Walworth,  Chancelor,  a  Sabbath  school  teacher, 

399/ 
War— battles  and  battle-fields,  431. 

sieges,  432. 

military  hospitals,  433. 

punishment  of  soldiers,  434. 

punishment  of  marines,  435. 

war  and  the  domestic  ties,  436. 

testimonies  against  war,  437. 

miscellaneous,   438,   277a,   c,    291/— m, 
2946,  c,  d.  g 

Washington  and  the  tetotaller,  4a. 

filial  love  of,  9p. 

and  his  debtor,  436. 

confession  of,  to  Mr.  Payne,  896. 

and  his  friends,  31 2d. 

and  profanity,  339^. 

narrow  escape  of,  345c. 

punctuality  of,  355/ 

and  the  Sabbath,  3826. 

and  the  Revolution,  436/ 
Washington,  Judge,  a  Sabbath  school  teacher, 
399a. 


TOPICAL  INDEX. 


Watchfulness,  need  of,  252A. 
Watts,  Dr.,  at  death,  118;. 

and  the  promises,  172^. 

and  the  long  visit,  179c. 
Waugh,  Dr.,  reproofs  from,  370m. 

and  slanderers,  407c?. 
Wesley,  Rev.  J.,  and  the  preacher,  3/. 

and  his  plate,  39k. 

and  his  likeness,  43o. 

his  way  to  preserve  churches,  101c. 

dying  words  of,  1196. 

and  his  sister's  retort,  132^*. 

and  the  robber,  186c. 

Whitefield's  opinion  of,  247g'. 

labors  of,  258m. 

simplicity  of,  259c. 

and  his  missionary  zeal,  286z. 

esc.ipe  of,  from  fire,  341  Zt. 

and  the  scoffer,  350c. 

and  Madan,  350d. 

and  the  officer,  380e. 

happy  reproof  from,  370o. 
Wealth,  vanity  of,  29c,  n2a,d,g,  I20g,hj. 
Welles,  Rev.  S.,  confidence  of,  in  God,  353g^. 
West  and  Lyttleton  converted,  214c. 
Wharton,  character  of,  215d. 
Whately,  tithing  and  thriving,  47c. 
Whitefield,  Rev.  G.,  and  the  churl,  47Z. 

death  of,  122h. 

rejecting  an  estate,  142c. 

eloquence  of,  1536,  g--Z. 

brother  of,  187c. 

and  the  village  cursed,  225a. 

and  Wesley,  247g-. 

and  Rev.  W.  Tennent,  258<?. 

and  his  sermons,  258/?. 

and  his  voyage,  258o. 

and  Grimshawe,  260c. 

and  pointed  preaching,  260d. 

and  the  execution,  261rf. 

and  elections^  26lg'. 

and  the  opposer,  261p. 

praying  for  his  brother,  3236. 

persecutors  of,  3496. 

persecuted  at  Plymouth,  349c. 

and  the  trumpeter,  349c. 

and  the  fiddler,  349/. 

and  the  scoffer,  350c. 


WickUffe's  moral  courage,  112/. 

Wilberforce,  conversion  of,  63c. 
and  the  Sabbath,  380a. 

Will  of  God,  submission  to,  409. 

William  the  Conqueror  going  to  judgment,  438^^. 

Williams,  Admiral,  and  the  will,  245c. 

Williams,  Rev.  Mr.,  and  his  translation,  53m. 

Wilkes,  Rev.  Matthew,  and  the  American  min- 
ister, 258c. 
and  his  colleague,  28/ 

Wilmot,  Sir  E.,  humility  of,  204g-. 

Wilson,  Dr.,  and  the  clergyman,  42c. 
and  the  Sabbath,  3806. 

Wilson,  Rev.  W.,  and  the  soldier,  133c. 

Wilson,  Margaret,  the  martyr,  172ji. 

Wirt,  William,  reformed,  235c. 

Wishart  and  the  forgery,  344g. 
and  the  psalm,  345k. 

Wit  and  ingenuity,  2c,  196,  c,/,  25a,  ASd,  546, 
76b,d,e,8lb,c,83j,ll8h,  124,  I32j,l, 
Uld,  2041,  211  c,  261,  299/,  3386- d, 
339g,  370,  3866,  c,  400,  401d,f. 

Wives,  affectionate,  76,  d,  e,g,h,  2416,  d,  c,  2546. 

Wolf,  Rev.  J.,  and  the  Rechabites,  46. 

Wolsey,  dying  regrets  of,  \2\d. 

Works,  salvation  by,  256. 

World,  vanity  of,  \2Qg,h,j,  \2\d,  319,  3746, 
429. 

Worship,  public,  388,  439. 
family,  330. 

Wotton,  experience  of,  1996. 

Wrath  of  man  praising  God,  349, 350,  440. 

Wren  and  his  workmen,  339 A;. 

Wright,  Dr.,  practice  of,  40rf. 

Wright,  H.  C,  and  his  assailant,  2926. 

Xantippe  and  Socrates,  401/ 
Xavier,  example  of,  2\d. 
Xerxes  and  the  Hellespont,  381a, 

crowning  and  beheading  his  footmen,  429<2. 
Ximenes  and  Adrian,  407c. 

Young.  Dr.,  dying  words  of,  54<f. 
Young,  Rev.  R.,  and  the  planter,  278Z. 

Zeal  in  doing  good,  71, 258,  286,  441. 
Zinzendorf,  escape  of,  285d, 
879 


SCRIPTURAL    INDEX. 


In  this  Index,  the  correspondence  between  texts  and  anecdotes,  though  mostly  obvions  and  direct,  is  not  uniformly 
so.  Sometimes  only  a  single  clause  of  the  text  is  illustrated  by  the  anecdote  ;  and  sometimes  the  text  refers  only  to  a 
single  paragraph  or  sentiment  of  the  anecdote  and  what  is  merely  incidental  to  the  principal  subject.  Sometimes  the 
text  points  to  an  inference  to  be  drawn  from  the  anecdote,  or  the  anecdote  to  an  inference  to  be  drawn  from  the  text. 
Occasionally  the  passage  of  Scripture  is  illustrated  in  the  way  of  contrast  by  the  fact  referred  to,  and  sometimes  they 
are  here  joined  together,  simply  because  the  former  is  quoted  or  mentioned  in  the  latter. 

The  FIGURES  in  the  right  hand  columns  are  the  numbers  used  throughout  the  work  to  designate  the  various  sub- 
jects, which  will  readily  be  found  by  looking  for  similar  figures  at  the  top  of  the  foregoing  pages.  When  letters 
are  joined  to  the  figures,  the  reader  is  cited  to  particular  anecdotes  under  these  figures, — anecdotes  which  are  marked 
by  the  same  letters  where  they  stand  in  the  work. 


GENESIS. 

EXODUS. 

LEVITICUS.— Continued. 

Ch.v. 

Jinecdotes. 

Ch.  V. 

Anecdotes. 

Ch.  V. 

Jinecdotes. 

1.  14 

24 

3.  n 

86b 

19.  12 

73.  338-340 

2.  1-3 

378-385 

3.21 

346 

19.  13 

376 

2.  18 

253a 

5.  2 

54e,  215 

19.  14 

283 

2.  24 

7c,  f 

9.  16 

53i 

19.  16 

407d,  e,  k 

3.  6,  17 

405e 

9.  27 

95-97,  276d,  365 

19.  17 

la,    112k,     339,    352k, 

3.  16 

7b,  g 

15.  11 

119n 

368-371,  386 

4.  5 

20.  163 

17.  4 

226 

19.  .30 

317h,  378-385 

4.  7,8 

288 

18.  11 

53i 

19.  32 

16 

5.  5,  etc. 

195c 

18.  16 

134c,  239 

24.  10-16 

340 

5.  24 

50c 

20.  1-17 

54a 

25.  35 

44b 

6.  3 

32b,  33b,  121c,  e,  f,  196 

20.  3-5 

269,300 

26.  1 

207,  269,  300 

6.  11 

431-437 

20.  3-J7 

211 

26.  17,  36 

94 

8.  22 

24 

20.  4-13 

132i 

12.  8 

328 

20.7 

73,  326g,  338-340 

NUMBERS. 

14.  20 

40 

20.  8 

278 1,  279d 

15.  6 

240 

20.  8-11 

378-335 

11.  1 

178 

16.  13 

77 

20.  9 

206d,  210,  243 

11.  2 

331 

17.  7 

224b 

20.  10 

378 

11.  28,  29 

163 

18.  19 

224b,  229e 

20.  12 

8g,  9d-h,  16a.  c,  143 

12.  2 

163 

18.  27 

8fib,  204 

20.  13 

6a-d,  147,  288,  421-423 

14.  18 

187 

18.  32 

331 

20.  14 

72d 

16.  15 

228,239 

19.  24,  25 

359 

20.  15 

59b,  278e,  279b 

16.  32,  33 

359 

20.  5,6 

228 

20.  16 

2,52  314 

23.  10 

119,  250c.  280 

25.  28 

11 

20.  17 

29a,  122f,  132a,  145c 

32.  23 

288 

26.  14 

163 

20.  23 

207,  269,  300 

29.  18,  20 

7c 

22.  5 

373 

DEUTERONOMY. 

30.  1 

163 

22.  20 

207,  269.  300 

31.  1 

163 

23.  4,  5 

154c,  156 

1.  16 

134c,  239 

31.  6,  7 

226 

23.  8 

228b,  d,  g,  2.39c,  244i 

4.  .30,  31 

13d,  187 

32.  10 

86b,  204 

23.  24 

207,  269,  300 

4.  35,  39 

185a 

32.  24-26 

152c,  322,  399c 

32.  1-6 

26 

5.  7 

207,  300 

:«.  2.^ 

331 

32.  6 

30-32 

.5.  11 

73 

37.  3 

12 

32.  11 

331 

5.  14 

378-385 

37.  11 

163 

32.  32 

312 

5.  17 

288 

39.  9 

2871 

34.  6 

133a 

5.  20 

314 

39.  21 

346 

34.6,7 

186,  187 

6.  4 

185a 

40.  23 

226 

34.7 

256 

6.  5 

100 

42.  21 

95-97,  276d,  288a,  i.  o, 

34.  17 

207    QfiQ    aOft 

6.  6-9 

3a.]39d,197j,224b.287, 

r,  373 

35.  21,22,291234.0  ' 

351a,  387-399,  438c 

43.  26,  2S 

113 

6.  18 

377 

43.  29,  30 

44.  16 

10 

288 

LEVITICUS. 

7.  3,4 

8.  19 

253b-f 
207,  269,  300 

45.  3-5 

10 

5.  5 

90-93 

10.  12 

100 

46.  29 

8 

10.  1,2 

359 

11.  13 

100 

47.  12 

8 

19.  3 

143 

11.  18 

fi8,69 

49.  5 

298,  303 

19.  4 

269,300 

11.  18-21 

56b,    72e,    139d,    197f, 

49.  5,  6,  7 

115,  117,  431-437 

J  9.  11 

141,  252 

224b,  287,  299,  351*, 

49.  lb  ' 

237a 

19.  11,  13 

180-182 

387-399,  438c 

55 

881 

SCRIPTURAL  INDEX. 


DEUTERONOMY.-Continued. 

2  SAMUEL.-ConUnued. 

ESTHER. 

Ch.  V. 

./Jnecdotes. 

Ch.v. 

Anecdotes. 

CA.  V. 

Anecdotes. 

12.  6 

40 

7.  22 

laia 

3.5,6 

20,  337 

13.  1-3 

305 

8.  15 

228,  239,  244a 

5.  13 

20,  337 

]3.  3 

100 

9.  6,7 

189 

7.  9 

18b,  c,  f 

15.  10,  11 

44d,  h,  j 

12.  7 

260 

15.  11 

lOa-c 

12.  7-9 

26 

JOB. 

16.  10 

40 

12.  23 

80c 

1.  6,  7         425f 

1.  9             44b 

1.  18,19,21 13h,  50a,  c 

1.  21            13d,  h,  jn,  14a,  b,  c,  f, 

16.  19 

228b,  d,  g,  23f)c,  244i 

15.  6 

226 

16.  20 

17.  19 

18.  10,  11 

377 

55,  68,  69 

177 

16.  10,  11 
18.33 
19.  4 

154,  156,  158,  162 

12 

12 

19.  16-21 

314 

19.  32,  33 

46,  189 

1.22 
2.4 
5.  2 
5.  14 

5.  17,  18 

6.  14 

7.  16 
7.20 

8.  6 

8.  13,  15 
8.  22 

311 

I20g,h,j,  121d,g 

148b 

212 

13,  14a,  d,  e,  f,  g,  50, 

51a,  c,  80c,  170f 
16b 
194  1 
341-345 
198 
.367 
4d 

26.  7 
26.  16 

331 
100 

19.  34,  37 

22.  3 

103d,  e,  f 
131c 

27.  15 

269,  300 

22.  26 

203 

27.  16           16a,  c,  143 

28.  14           207,  269,  300 
28.  37,48-52, 

22.  28 

23.  3 
23.  17 

18b,  c,  f 
228,  239,  244i 
.36 

C2-66  237b,  c,  g 

28.  64,  65     54  1 

29.  29           56b,  72e,  299,  387-399 

30.  6             100 

30.  17,  18     207.  269.  300 

2.  4 

2.  7 

1  KINGS. 

100 
189 

30.  20 

100 

3.  26 

11 

31.  12,  13 

86n 

8.  23 

100 

^•2.3.3u, 

32.  4, 15,  31  llOg,  172c 
32.  18           131d,  e,  g 
32.  29           30h   f 

8.  27-29 

8.  27,  30 

9.  6,7 

197 

194a 

207,  269,  300 

31 
9.23 
10.  12 

341-345 

32.31 

216-220 

11.  4,5 

26 

11.  20 

12.  4 

12.  7 
12.25 

13.  15 

32b,  c,  367 

375 

5,  231a,  235c 

212 

169c 

32.  39 
32.  46 

185a 

139d,    197j,  224b,  287, 
351a,  387-399 

16.  3 

18.  17,  18 
18.  21 
18.  28 

229e 
260 

32c,  d,  e 
271 

JOSHUA. 

2L  20 

260 

13.  16 

14.  14 

205 
118 

1.  8 

7.  19 

08,69 
90-93 

2  KINGS. 

15.  4 
15.  6 

30 

216,  217,  220,  412h 

24.  14,  15 

32c,  d,  e 

4.  26 

80b 

15.  14 

256 

24.  15 

328 

5.  2,3 

79,  106b 

15.  34 

228b,  d-g,  239c,  244i 

5.  4 

134a 

18.  11 

222 

JUDGES. 

6.  22,23 

7.  4 

154a,  156,  184a 
170e 

19.  14-16 
19.  25 

226 
200 

5.  23 

225a 

8.  12,  13 

318 

20.  5 

205 

6.  15 

19b,  86b 

15.  28 

225 

20.  15 

29a 

10.  J3,  14 

207,  2(:9,  300 

16.  3 

270 

21.  11-15 

30-32 

17.  15 

70 

21.  14 

196 

RUTH. 

17.  17 

177 

21.  17,18,29, 

19.  15 

185a 

30 

4d 

1.  6 

.341 

20.  5-11 

331 

21.  19 

138 

1.  8 

^•*^'S 

23.  3 

100 

22.  17 

196 

1.  15 

26 

22.  21 

61e 

I-  1^  ^l 

247 

1  CHRONICLES. 

22.  29 

204 

S.  11,  12 

46,  47,  353 

23.  10 

13,  14a,  d,  e,  f,  g,  80c, 

2.  14-17 

38 

5.  20 

131a,  b,  c,  353 

84a                    ^' 

11.  19 

36 

26.  6 

132b,  297a,  b 

1  SAMUEL. 

17.  16 

19b,  c,  d 

27.  19,  20 

29c 

1.  6 
1.  24 

1.  27 

2.  25 

3.  13 
3.  18 

178 

86c 

1.36 

73c,  e,  j,  m 

229e    ■ 

52,  409 

28.  9 

121d 

27.  19-22 

120,  121,  222 

29.  14 

86b 

27.  20 

.32f 

29.  15           18a 

2  CHRONICLES. 
7.  14           373.  423f 

29.  11-13 
29.  12 
29.  16 

31.  4 

32.  21 
36.  8-10 
36.  18,  19 
40.  4 

46 

38a,  b,  d,  i 

9h 

132b,  297a,  b 

174 

13,  14a,  d,  e,  f,  g,  51 

120g,  h,  j 

86b 

7.  12 

8.  3 

8.  11-18 

26i,  131a 

228b,  d-g,  239c,  244i 

318         ^ 

13.  18 
1.5.  2 
16.  9 

131a,  b,  c 

121d 

132b 

8.  21,  22 

325 

19.  2 

132d,  h,  j,  1,  m 

12.3 

228b,  d-g,  239c,  373 

20.  21 

1191 

PSALMS 

12.  4 

228,239 

22.  9 

100 

*.  k7Xl.XJlrXK7« 

12.  18 

331 

28.  9 

26a,  d,  h 

1.  1 

87a,  d 

12.  20,  24 

100 

30.  10 

375 

1.  2 

68,69 

15.6 

46. 189 

33.  12,  13 

13,  51,  80c 

I.  4,6 

141 

15.  11 

26 

34.  31 

100 

2.  3 

215 

16.7 

297 

36.  16 

73 

2.  6 

277i 

18.  8 

163 

2.  12 

26i,  53n,  120a,  200b,  c 

20.  3 

120,128 

EZRA. 

4.  5 

53n.  294,  353 

23.  5,  12 

226 

2.  68,  69 

8.  22 

123a,  c 

13g,  26a,  d,  h,  121,331. 

5.  6 

208a.  c,  252b,  f,  g,  i 

24.  10 
24.  17 

154,  156,  158,  162 
226 

5.  9 
5.  11 

180-182 
107f 

25.  &-11,  21  226                                    1 

5.  12 

204g,  379-381 

26.21 

155,   156a,  c.    g,   157g, 
158h,  i.  159. 

NEHEMIAH.                    | 

7.  1 
7.  11 

9j,  ."iSn,  294,  353 

73,  116,  120a.  141,  143, 

2.  10 

163 

314,  340,  383,  384 

2  SAMUEL. 

2.  19,  20 

375 

8.2 

10r>b,93.'ia,  388,  391-394 

7.  70-72 

123a,  c 

396,  397 

1.  16 

216,  217,  219,  220 

9.  6 

185a 

9.  11 

86e 

1.  20 

179 

9.  30 

54,  55a,  s,  60a,  c,  f,  i 

9.  12 

247g 

2.  5,6 

189 

13.  5 

40 

10.  3 

29a 

2.  26 

32b,  c,  f 

13.  11.17,18386                                    1 

10.  4.11,13215 

6.20 

328 

13.  15-21 

378-385                             i 

10.  13 

424 

882 


SCRIPTURAL  INDEX. 


PSALMS;— Continued. 

CJi.  V.  .Anecdotes. 

10.  17  204,  247g 

12.  3,  4  337c,  h,  i 

14.  1  54e,  167a,  215 

14.  5  94,221 

14.  6  131c 

16.  6  103d,  e,  f 

16.  11  192a,  b,  194g-l 

17.  7  53n,  294,  353 
17.  14  29  1 

17.  15  118,  119c 

18.  6  331,  332,  423f 
18.  16  50a 

18.  25  203 

18.  27  18b,  c,  f,  337c,  h,  i 

19.  ]-3  24 

19.7  54h,i,j,  56,  61-65,  362 

19.  8  ]4g,  72a 

19.  10  66,  67 

22.  4,  5  131a,  b,  c 

22.  18  180-182 

22.  22  193c 

22.  24  13g,  h 

23.  4  118,  119,  200e,  280 
25.  2  131a,  b,  294,  353 
25.  6  l86,  187 

25.  7  125 

25.  9  254 

25.  13  229e 

26.  8  193c,  279g,  439 

26.  10  228b,  d-g,  239c,  241i 

27.  3  190,  194j.  k 
27.  4  193c,  279g.  439 
27.  5  170g,  172c 

27.  10  333n 

27.  12  314 

28.  1  ]70g,  172c 
28.  8  122j 

31.  1  131a,  b,  c,  294,  353 

31.  2,  3  170g,  172c 

31.  5  118e,  119,  250c 

31.  7  13g,  h,  190, 191,  ]92c-m, 

194j,  k 

31.  17,  18  4d 

31.  19  26i 

31.  19,  20  294,  353 

32.  5  90 

32.  10  53n,  294,  353 

32.  11  107f,  192 

33.  1  107f,  192 

34.  1  13,  14 
34.  4, 15, 17  50a 
34.  4, 17, 19  145a 
34.  4,  6,  10, 

15,  17  331,  332,  412d 

34.  13,  14  252 

34,  14  313 

34.  16,  21  141 

34.  18  133b 

34.  21  4d,  132d,  h,  m 
,34.  22  9j,  53n,  294,  353 
3.5.  11  314 

35.  13,  14  154,  1.58,  162 

35.  18  86e,  188,  192d,  193c 
3(5.  2  18g 

36.  4  180-182 

.36.  5,  6  341-345,  353 

37.  I  IBd,  e 
37.  1,  7,  8  178,  31 1 

37.  3  9j,  53n,  47  294,  346, 
353,  379-381,  428, 441 

37.  4  107f 

37.  7  321 
37.  10,12-15, 

34  4d 

37.  8  20 

37.  12-16  316 

.37.  16  103d,  e,  f,  374b,  e,  d,  f 

37.  18  198 

37.  24  }33b 

37.  25  46 
37,  25,26,28  229e 

37.  26  224b,  135-137 

37.  35,  36  319 

37.  37  1 18e,  119,133b.  250c,  280 

38.  4, 18  366 

39.  1  87f 

39.  5,  6  319,  429 

39.  8  4d 


PSA  LMS.— Continued. 
Ch.  V.  Jlnecdotes. 

39.  9      409 

39.  11     34b 

40.  1      321 

40.  2      18g,  170g,  172c 
40.  4      53n.  294,  353 

40.  16     107f 

41.  2      45 

42.  5     13b,  1,  200 
42.  5,  11  133b 

42.  5,  6,  11,  14.5b 

42.  9      170g,  172c 

43.  3  71,  72b 

43.  4      192a,  b,  194j-I 

43.  5  13b,  133b 

44.  21  297 

45.  3,  6  81 

45.  6  164a 

46.  1  131c 
46.  1-3,7,10, 

11  190, 191, 192c-m,  194j,  k 

48.  14  164a 

49.  6-8  29e,  256b,  301,  302 
49.  10  29e 

49.  10,12  1418a 

49.  12  ]94e 

49.  14  34b 

50.  13,  14   100 

50.  14  188,  192d 

50.  15  50a,  198c,  330a,  b,  331. 

412d 

50.  17  212,  213 

50.  21  276a 

51.  1  204m 

51.  3  90-93,  373 

51.  3,  14  147a 

51.  10  162a 

51.  12  192a,  b,  194g-I 

53.  1  167a,  213 

53.  5  87e,94 

55.  22  50b 

55.  23  208a,  c,  252  b,  f,  g,  i 

57.  1  131c 

58.  4  31 
.58.  4,  5  212 

58.  11  45,379-381,383,384 

59.  7  215 

59!  12  73,14l,208a,c,253b,f.g,i 

59.  16  131c 

62.  2,  6,  7  170g,  172c 

62.  8  294,  353 

62.  9  319 

62.  10  374a 

65.  2  330a,  b,  331-334 

65.  4  84a,  279g 

66.  9  341-345 
66.  16  167a 

66.  19,  20  50a,  330a,  b,  334,  412d 

68.  3  107f 

69.  12  4a 

69.  30  188,  ]92d 

71.  1  ]31a 

71.  3  170g,  172c 

71.  7  131c 

73.  9-11  215 

73.  24  250c 

73.  25  248b,  3741 

74.  10,  11  73 

74.  20  83b.  115,  116,  268,  270- 

275,  431-437 

76.  7  120a 

76.  8.  9  254 

76.  10  84b,  d,  e,  f,  53i,  237d,  e, 

349,  440 

77.  19  13 

78.  34  80c 

78.  34,  35  13c,  d,  348 

78.  35  200b,  c 

78.  37  32d,  e 

78.  58  207,  269,  300 

78.  71  19b,  c,  d 

78.  72  228,  2.39,  244i 

79.  4  375 
79.  8  125 
82.  5  212 

84.  1,2,  10  84a,  86e,  279g.  379-381 

86.  5  15a,  b,  187,  412d 

86.  15  355 

86.  26  170g,  172c 


PSALMS.— Continued. 
Ch.  V.  Anecdotes. 

89.  29     229e 

90.  2  ]H5b 
9U.  12     118 

91.  1  53n 

91.  1-10  2901,294,353 
91.  2,  9    131c 

91.  15  50a,  331,  332,  412d 

92.  12  379-331 

93.  2  185b 

94.  5-7  215 
94.  8  17a 
94.  9  297 

94!  12  13,  6Gf,  g,  80c.  170f 

94.  22  131c,  170g,  172c 

95.  1  170g,  172c 
95.  2  188, 192d 
95.  8  126 

98.  1  80e,281b-e 
100.  3     185d,  e 
100.  4      80e 
100.  4,  5    188,  192d 

100.  5     186,  187 

101.  5     18f,  407d,  e,  k 

102.  27     185b 

102.  28     ^4b 

103.  8  15 
103.  8-10   187 

103.  15,  16  18a,  122a,  b 

103.  17     229e 

103.  17, 18  135-137,  224ij 

106.  3-5    187c 

106.  15     .325,  410 

106.  23     .331 

106.  37,  38  270 

107.  8,  21,  31  IRH,  192d 
107.  32  86e,  193c 
109.  5     226 

111.  1  289a,  b,  c,  j 

112.  2,  4    198 
112.  4     37&-381 
112.  7,  8    9j 

115.  4-8    207,  269, 28  lb.  c,  300 

115.  9-11  294,  353 

116.  1  188.  192d 
116.  17     188,  192d 

118.  5  50a.  331,  332,  412d 

118.  8  294.  353 

119.  1,  2    ]4g 
119.  2, 10, 34  100 
119.  9  54g,  h 
119.  62  327 

119.  67,71,7513,14,51,80c 
119.  67,71,97  66f.g 
119.  68,69,145  100 

119.  72  66,  67 

119.  93  54h-k,  57-65 

119.  97-113  55,  66,  67 

119.  105  54f,  72d 
119.  119,127  55,67,68.  69 

119.  121  228.  239,  244i 

119.  130  362 

119.  136  250 
119.  1,59,  163, 

167  55,  67,  68,  69 

119.  165  53n 

122.  1  80c,  388a,  b 

122.  6-8  312 

129.  5  132d,  h,  m 

130.  3  256 
130.  4  13f 

133.  1,  2  10,  247 

134.  4,  17, 19  14.5d 

137.  1,  6  312 

138.  6  204,  337c,  h,  i 

138.  7  190,  192e-m,  194j,  k 

139.  1-12  77,  132b,  297 
139.  14  185d,  e 

1.39.  19  87a,  d 

141.  10  4d 

142.  4  2.50 

142.  5  131c 

143.  2  170d,  256 

144.  4  18a 

144.  14  178 

145.  18,  19  .50a,  331-334,  412d 

146.  3  26g 

147.  5  297 
147.  6  254 

883 


SCRIPTURAL  INDEX. 


PSALMS.— Continued. 

PROVERBS.— Continued 

PROVERBS.— Continued. 

Ch.  V. 

Jinecdotes. 

Ch.  V. 

Anecdotes. 

Ch.  V. 

Anecdotes, 

147.7 

289 

13.  7 

45,  46,  123b 

23.  21 

35 

147.  11 

261 

13.  15 

288,314. 37fia,b,  383,384 

23.  21,29,30  230-234 

148.  12,  13 

79 

13.  18 

339, 352lv 

23.  26 

100,  403 

149.  4 

254 

13.  20 

51b,  87a-d 

23.  31,32 

26a,    230-234,  402a,  c. 

150.  1 

86e,  193c,  431) 

13.  24 

138 

421 

14.  11 

198 

24.  1,2 

87a -d 

PROVERBS. 

14.  12,  21 
14.  13 

21 

6a,  b.  411c,  e,  1 

24.  9 
24.  16 

132a 
198 

1.  3 

228 

14.  14 

13g,  h,  26 

24.  17 

154,  158,  162 

1.  8 

8,  9,  143 

14.  15 

laTb.c 

24.  28 

18f,  407d,  e,  k 

1.  10,  15 

2a,   32b,    c,    d,  87a-d, 

14.  17 

148b 

24.  29 

154,  158,  162,  166,  291- 

127a,  197i.  2-29 

14.  29    " 

104e,  g 

294 

1.22,29,30  212 

14.  30 

18f,  163 

24.  30-34 

35 

1.  24-27 

32a,  b,  c,  d,  121c,  e,  f 

14.32 

32f,  1188,121,222, 

237f, 

2.5.  11,  12 

144,  368-372,  386 

1.  26,27 

2a,  70,  222 

250c,  426,  427e 

25.  18 

314 

1.  31.  32 

29c,  146c,  229-234,  422 

15.  1 

149,  155,  249f,  213 

25.  21,  22 

43c,  d,  156d,  g,  184a 

2.  7 

198 

15.  3 

13b,  77 

25.  22 

155.    156a,    c,  g,   157g, 

2.  10-12 

387 

15.  3,  11 

132b,  297 

158a.  c,  g,  241,  242 

3.  3 

202 

15.  6 

374b,  d,  e,  f 

26.3 

135,  136a,  137,  139c 

3.  3,  4,  35  33a 

15.  8,  29 

50a 

26.  4 

261e,  g,  1,  0,  q 

3.  5 

294,  353,  362 

15.  18 

21 

26.  12 

337e 

3.6 

76b 

15.  19 

206a,  b,  c 

26.  15 

206a,  b,  c 

3.9,10 

47,  123b 

15.  23 

144,  368-372 

26.  21 

148b 

3.  11,  12 

13,  14a-f,  80c.  170f 

15.  25 

18a,  b   f,  337c,  h,  i 

26.  28 

174,  252 

3.  13,  18 

387 

15.  31,32 

.368,  369,  371 

27    1 

42,  84,  126, 127,  128 

3.  16 

89 

15.  32 

212,  339,  352k 

27.  4 

18f,  163 

3.  32 

33b 

15.  33 

86b,  204 

27.  5,  6 

368-372 

3.  33 

141,  198 

16.  1,  9 

346-350 

27.  9,  10 

179 

3.  34 

204,247g 

16,  5,  18 

2e,  18b,  c,  f,  146c, 

337c, 

27.  24 

33,  374c-f 

3.  34,  35 

73 

h,i 

28.  1 

87e 

3.  35 

la 

16.  7 

17a 

28.  6 

228b,  e,  g 

4.  5-9 

387 

16.  9 

13m 

28.  7 

87a-d 

4.  13,20-22  68,  69,  83g 

16.  19 

86b,  204 

28.9 

33b,  127c,  138 

4.  14,  15 

2a,  b,  e,  f,  229 

10.  22 

I52b 

28.  10 

198 

4.  14-16 

32c,  d,  51b,  87a,  d 

16.  25 

356 

28.  13 

90 

4.  18 

198 

16.  28 

407 

28.  14 

31 

4.  19 

2e 

16.  32 

21,  174,  401 

28.  22 

267 

4.  23 

31 

16.  33 

354a 

28.  23 

174,  339,  352k,  386 

4.24 

252 

17.  3 

297 

28.  25 

294,  353 

5.  3-11,  21. 

17.  13 

SS6 

29.  1 

32a,  b,  c,  126,  127,  128 

22 

246c 

17.  14 

149,  361 

29.4 

239c,  244i 

5.  21 

132b,  297 

17.  17 

10a,  c,  179 

29.  15 

138,  368-371 

6.  1-5 

33d 

17.  18 

33d 

29.  17 

135-137,  139c 

6.  6-9 

206,  210 

17.  23 

228b,  d-g,  239c 

29.  20 

20 

6.  lft-19 

18f,  141, 252b,  f,g,i,  314 

18.  10 

26i,  294,  353 

29.  23 

18b,  c.  f,  86b,  204,  337c 

6.  20 

143,  296 

18.  11 

374h 

h,  i 

6.  20,  22 

9 

18.  12 

86b,  c,  f,  337c,  h,  i 

29.  25 

9j,  53m,  n,  294,  353 

6.  23 

368.  369.  371 

18.  14 

145d 

30.  5 

294,353 

6.  24,27,29246b,  c 

18.  15 

83g 

30.  8,  9 

29,  103d,  e,  f,  267,  374 

6.  27 

229 

18.  24 

10,  179.  200b,  c 

30.  12 

23a 

6.  32-34 

246b,  c 

19.  1 

228 

7.  7 

195d 

19.2 

212 

ECCT.ESIASTES. 

7.  26,27 
7.27 

8.  10 

231d 
246b,  c 
387 

19.3 
19.  5,  9 
19.  11 

178 

252b,  f,  g,  i,  314 

7a,  17a 

1.  2,  14 

2.  11 

199,  374,  429 
199,  374,  429 
120g,  h,  j 
357 
6c,  d 

42,84.il8,128,238a,243 
29c,  120,  iSSa,  b,  128 
226 
209 
288 

46,  65d,  72a,  74,  75, 109, 
282,  414-420 

8.  12 

89 

19.  15 

35,  206a,  b,  c 

8.  8 

8.  14 
9.3 

9.  10 
9.  12 

8.  13 

18b,  c,  f,  337c,  li,  i 

19.  17 

29i,  k,  45,  317f 

8.  17 
8.  18 
10.  6,  7,  9 

80 

89,166 

198 

19.  18 
19.  21 
19.  25 

135,  136a,  137,  139c 

13m,  348-350 

339,  352k,  368,  369,  371, 

10.  9 

381,383 

386 

9.  15 
10.  1 

10.  20 

11.  1,6 

10.  13 

135,  136a,  137,  139c 

19.  27 

51b,  87a-d,  152b 

10.  15 
10.  18 
10.  24 

374h 
18f 
222 

20.  I 
20.  4 

la,d,26a,229-236,402a, 

c,  421 
35 

10.  28 

367 

20.  7 

135,  137,  152a,  c,  d. 

197, 

11.  9 

12.  1 
12.  11 

411e 

15c,  126 

339,  352k,  368-372,  386 

10.  29 

11.  7 

33b,  379-381 

120,  121,  222,  237f 

20.  19 

224b 
174 

11.  8,  31 
11.  15 

la,  45-47,  203 
33d 

20.  20 
20.  24 

143 

13m,  346-350 

SONG  OF  S0L03I0N. 

11.  17,24,2545 

21.  1 

347 

1.  4,  7 

248 

11.  17,  31 

379-381 

21.  3 

33,  373-377 

2.  5 

248 

11.  21 

229e 

21.  7 

376a,  b 

3!  2 

248 

11.  24,  25 

29k,  46,  47,  282 

21.  21 

33a,  198,  203 

5    9-16 

248 

11.  30 

250 

21.  25 

35,  906a,  b,  c 

7;  10 
8.  6,7 

8.  7 

'4 

11.  31 

33a,  b,  141 

21.  28 

314 

12.  4 

7h 

21.  31 

131d,  e,g 

7 

12.  10 

203a,  378 

22.  1 

27b 

12.  16 

104e,  g 

22.  4 

3a,  86b,  197j,  204,  247g 

ISAIAH. 

12.  17 

314 

22.  6 

58,  86c,   135,  137, 

139, 

12.  19 

141,  252 

224b,  229e,  351a, 

438c 

1.  3 

5,  102,  231a 

12.  19,  22 

<W)8a,c 

22.  9 

45-47 

2.  18,  20 

64,  281b,  c 

12.21 

198.  252b,  f,  g,  i 

22.  15 

135,  136a,  137,  139c 

3.  10,  11 

la,  141,  198 

12.  24 

243a,  c,  d 

22.  17 

.387 

5.  11,  12 

229-236,  421 

13.  1 

143 

23.  4 

267 

5.  12 

30-32 

13.  5 

la,  141,  252 

23   7 

133b 

5.  18 

73 

13.  6,  21 

33a,  198,  379-381,  383, 

23.  12,  23 

83g,  387 
229,236 

5.  20 

356 

384 

23.  20,  35 

5.  24 

23b,  299 

884 

SCRIPTURAL  INDEX. 


ISAIAH.— Continued. 

ISAIAH.-Continued. 

EZEKIEL..— Continued. 

Ch.  V. 

^inecdotes. 

Ck.  V. 

Anecdotes. 

oi.  v: 

jlnecdotes. 

0.  3 

1191 

62.  6,  7 

320,  322,  399c 

16.  63 

125 

9.  6 

81 

63.  10 

32,  127,  196,  365a,  367 

18.  4,  20 

28h 

10.  5-7 

53i,  349,  440 

64.  6 

18a,  240,  256 

18.  5.  8,  9 

197,  198.  228,  239 

13.  3 

192a.  b 

64.  8 

347-352 

18.  30,  31 

366.  373 

13.  11 

18b,  c,  f,  146c,  337c,  h,  i 

65.5 

2e,  256 

20.  15,16,20, 

14.  9-15 

18a 

65.  14 

191b,  192a,. b 

21 

381k,  383,  384 

14.  21 

229e 

66.  24 

50a,  330a,  b,  331-334 

20.  26 

270 

14.  24,  27 

341-352 

20.  43 

366,  373 

17.  10 

131d,  e,  g 

JEREMIAH. 

21.  29 

177 

17.  14 

376a. b 

22.  12 

131d,   e,    g,  228b,  d-g, 
239e,  2441 

23.  9 

18a^f,  337c,  h,  i 

1.  7,  8,  17,                           <• 

25.  11 

146 

18 

112,260 

24.  13 

26h 

26.  4 

294,353 

2.  5 

146a,  f 

33.  7-9 

Ilia,  b,  c,  260 

26.  5 

18b,  c,  f,  337c,  h,  i 

2.  13 

85,  276c,  298-310,  424- 

33.  18 

26 

26.  7 

197,  198 

427 

33.  31 

101c,  132a,  205 

26.  9 

13,  14,  80c,  100,  348 

2.  19 

13h,  g,  26f,  g 

35.  11 

163 

27.  7,  9 

13,  14,  51,  80c,  348 

3.  13 

90-93 

36.  18 

207,  269,  300 

28.  9 

58e.  139d.  152, 224b,287, 

3.  21 

131d,  e,  s 

36.  31 

366,373 

351a,  c,  387-399,  438c 

3.  22 

26.J 

44.  24 

378-386 

23.  15,  17 

252b,  f,  g,  i,  314 

5.  3 

31,  126 

45.  9 

228,  239 

28.  22 

73 

5.  7 

207,  269 

46.  3 

193c,  317h,  439 

29.  15 

205 

6.  14 

301,  302,  424,  427 

29.  19 

192a,  b,  254 

6.  15 

99 

DANIEL. 

29.  20 

73 

7.  18 

207,  269 

29.  21 

148b 

8.  7 

5,  231c 

1.  12 

4f,  236a 

30.  9,  10 

212 

8.  9 

53b,  f,  h,  70,  299 

3.  16,  17 

67c,  e,  173,  285f,  i,  294, 

31.  7 

64b,  207d,  281b,  c 

9.  1 

250 

353 

32.  8 

40,  45,  46,  47,  123b 

9.  2-8 

252,  407 

4.  27 

45 

32.  20 

71,  74,  75 

9.  23.  24 

362,  374 

4.  30,31,37  18b,  c,f,  337c,  h,i 

33.  15,  16 

192c,  198,228,  239,  244i. 

10.  3-5 

207,  269 

4.  35 

341-345,  354a 

346 

10.  23 

341-345 

5.  6 

9s,  94.  365 

35.  1 

277-279 

10.  25 

328 

5.  20,23,30  18b,  c,  f,  337c,  h,  i 

35.  10 

192a,  b 

12.  1,  2 

358 

5.  27 

260i 

40.  6,  7 

18a,  194c 

13.  17 

146a 

6.  3.4 

163 

40.  27,  29 

13,  14,  294,  353 

13.23 

2f,  15c,  230 

6.  10 

23a,  188,  190 

41.  10 

294,  353 

14.  14 

177 

7.  25 

29&-303 

41.  11,  12 

316 

14.  22 

207.269 

9.  9 

187 

41.  16 

107f,  192a,  b 

16.  17 

132b,  297 

9.  20,  21 

90 

42.  16 

63a 

16.  19 

131c 

9.  24 

237a,  240 

43.  25 

301,  302 

17.  5 

304 

10.  12 

50a,  330a,  b,  331-334 

44.  16-20 

207,  269 

17.  7 

53n,  294,  353 

11.  35 

13,14 

44.  20 

212 

17.  9 

132a 

12.  3 

74,    75,    263,    277-281 

45.  7 

354a 

17.  23 

15c,  31,  212,  367 

387-399 

45.  9 

410 

18.  6 

341-345 

12.  13 

65c 

45.  19 

331-334,  412d 

18.  12 

121c,  e,  f,  132 

45.20 

207,  269 

18.  20 

226 

HOSEA. 

45.  22 

81a,  82,  186 

20.  9 

264e 

46.  6,  7 

207,  269,  281b,  c 

20.  11 

316 

3.4 

237b,  c,  g 

46.  9,  10 

341-352 

22.  10 

52 

4.  2 

252 

48.  5 

185 

22.  22 

la 

4.  6 

70,  138,  212,  229e 

48,  10 

13,  14,  51,  80c,  348 

22.  30 

229e 

5.  6 

32b 

48.  22 

6i; 

23.  14,  17 

211,  215,  424 

5.  15 

13,51,348 

49.  4 

146a,  f 

23.  23,  24 

132b,  297,  194a 

6.  4,5 

13h,  g.  26 

49.  15 

11,  13,  14,  51,  190-192, 

27.  9 

177 

9.  12 

32b.  127,  365a,  367 

294,  353 

29.  7 

157,  313 

14.8 

207d,  281b,  c 

50.  6 

291-294 

29.  8 

177 

50.  10 

294,  353 

32.  18 

229e 

JOEL. 

50.  11 

85 

32.  19 

132b,  297 

52.  7 

277i 

32.  33 

212 

2.  13 

187,  366,  373 

53.  — 

60a 

33.  3 

330a,  b,  331-334.  335a, 

2.  32 

50a,  333,  412d 

53.  5,  6,  10 

J 

b,  412d 

11 

28,  186,  240 

44.  2-4 

207,  269 

AMOS. 

53.  9 

218 

49.  16 

18b-e 

54.  4 

112,  260 

50.  38 

207,  269 

3.  3 

253b-f 

54.  5 

240a 

3.  6 

141,  143,  208,  383,  384 

54.  8 
54.  17 

133b 
316 

LAMENTATIONS. 

4.  4 

5.  12 

40 

228b,  d-g,  239c 

55.  2 

2,  61e 

3.  26 

118,  321 

6.  1. 

225a 

55.  6 

15c,  23a,  3.3,  127,  129e 

3.  30 

291-294 

6.3 

122f,  424 

55.  7 

373 

55.  10,  11 

57-66,  277-279 

EZEKIEL. 

OBADIAH. 

56.  1 

56.  2 

57.  5 

33, 197. 198,  228, 239,377 

379-381 

207,  269,  270,  272 

2.  3-7 
2.  4 

307,  368a,  c,  371a,  b,  d 

72e 

3,14 
10-15 

18a,  b,  c,  337c,  h,  i 
116,  316 

57.  10 
57.  13 

121c,  e,  f 
294,  353 

2.  6,7 
2.  7 

112,  260 
260 

JONAH. 

57.  15 

164a,  204,  247g 

3.  10,  11 

237d,e,260 

1.  5 

221.  222 

57.  17 

29a,  48a 

3.  18 

262d 

2.  7 

200b.  c,  333 

57.  21 

61e 

3.  20 

26a 

3.  8 

366,  373 

58.  1 

260 

5.  6 

70 

3.  9 

187e 

58.  6 

430a,  b,  c,  e 

8.  12 

215 

4.  2 

187 

.58.  10,  11 

45,  46,  47 

12.  24 

177 

58.  13 

379-381 

13.  7,  9 

177 

MICAH. 

59.  3,  4,  14 

252 

13.  10 

301,  424,  427 

59.  8 

61e 

13.  22 

301,  302,  424 

2.  2,3 

29a 

59.  12 

94-96,  288 

16.  2 

260 

3.2 

132d,h,j,I,m 

59.  16 

28 

16.  20 

270 

3.  7,  11 

177 

61.  2,  3,  7 

13,  50,  19Jb,  192a,  b 

16.  49 

206,  337 

3.  8 

112, 260 

SCRIPTURAL  INDEX. 


MICAH.— Continued. 

MATTHEW.-Continued. 

MATTHEW.— Continued. 

Ch.v. 

Anecdotes. 

Ch.  V. 

Anecdotes. 

Ch.  V. 

Anecdotes. 

4.  3 

277c,  278h 

6.  2,  5,  16  205 

23.  14-24 

356.  3.''>8 

6.  7 

270 

6.  6 

23a,  327 

23.  25 

132a,  205 

6.  8 

33,   202,   204,  22S 

229, 

6^9 

48c,  194a,  237k 

23.  37,  38 

237b,  c,  f,  s 

377 

6.  10 

286d,  321,  409 

24.  24 

305 

6.  12 

252 

6.  12 

82,  154,  187 

24.  44 

118,  238 

6.  13 

2a,  29b,  145a,  229,  40Id 

24.  4H-5I 

402a,  c 

NAHUM. 

6.  19,  20 

120g.  h,  j,  121d,  g,  122c 

25.  34-36 

188 

6.  19,  21 

29e 

25.  40 

248 

1.2,6 

70,73,116,208,316,38,1, 

6.  20 

267b,  e,  g,  b 

25.  46 

360 

384 

6.  26-30 

346 

26.  11 

8;ia 

1.7 

13,  14,  50,  66,  190, 

192 

6.  33  «^ 

127e,  129c,  130 

26.  24 

359 

1.  15 

250a,   b.  258,  259, 

260, 

7.2 

48a 

26.  26-29 

86 

262,  263,  277-281 

7,  3-5 

2c,  76a,  146e 

26.  39.  42 

.50a,  321,  409 

3.  19 

15c,  32,  70b,  d,  t\ 

87b, 

7.  7-11 

50a,  33flh,  331-334, 4 12d 

26.  41 

2a,  29b,  145a,  229 

120b.l21c->,',126, 

128d, 

7.  12 

16a,  c.  38-44,  142,  202, 

26.  50 

113 

e,  129e,  190 

286,377 

26.  59,  60 

314 

7.  15 

223c 

26.  71,72 

130a 

HABAKKUK. 

7.  16-20 

101,  166,  215  309,  424 

26.  75 

26f,  9.5-97 

7.  21 

101,  166,  193b 

27.  3-5 

6e,  d,  87b,  95-97,  359 

1.  12 

185b 

7.  22,  23 

402 

27.  19,24 

218 

2.2 

72d 

7.  24 

192e 

27.  22,  23 

132d,  h,  j,  1,  m 

2.  15 

2a.  b,  422,  423 

7.  29 

19.5a,  218 

27.  34-45 

26  Id 

2.  18 

207,  269,  300 

8.  8 

g6b,  204 

27.  35 

180-182 

8.  29 

218 

27.  54 

81,  218 

ZEPHANIAH. 

9.  6 

81a,  82 

27.  55-60 

248 

1   12 

20b,  424 

9.  24 

375 

28.  20 

260 

2.'  3 

254' 

10.  8 

38a,  b,  d-i,  71,  72b,  317 

10.  16 

17a,  21d,  108,  339a,  d,f,g 

MARK. 

263 

HAGGAI. 

10.  20,  26 
10.  28 

54,  55a,  g,  60a,  c,  f 
22,  2ee,  84d,  e,   f,  112 

1.  17 

1.  5,  7 

102 

119a.  147  b,  260 

1.  22 

195a,  218 

1.  6 

95a  96b  219  288 

10.  33 

127,  129e,  130 

1.  24 

218 

2.  5 

*'"**»    i7VJW,    ^±Of    ..lAJU 

112  195 

10.  34-36 

84d,  e,  f,  248e,  f 

1.  35 

327 

2.  8 

317f 

10.  37,  38 

403 

2.  7 

301,  302 

10.  39 

122d,  192  1 

2.  10 

81a,  82 

ZECHARIAH. 

11.  19 
11.  25 

251a 

28b,  194e,  f,  227 

2.  27 

3.  28,29 

379,  380 
73c,  e,  j,  ra 

4.  10 

5.  4 

398,  399 
314,  376 

11.  28 

62b,  81a 

3.  29 

164b,  c 

11.  28,29 

28b,  62b,  81a,  172b 

4.  8,  20 

74,  75.  414-420 

7.  9,  10 

197.  198.  228   9P^Q 

377 

11.  29 

%'^i     .      ... 

4.  19 

251a,  b 

7.  11,12,13 15c,    31,  32,   127, 

213, 

12.  31,  32 
12.  36 

73c,  e,  J,  n,  406a 
105a 

5.  12 

6.  12 

425f 
366,  373 

8.  19 

9.  9 

277a,  c!  291-294,  430 
254  277i 

12.  37 

13.  22 

216,  217,  219,  220 
29k,  1 

6.  20 
6.22 

197 
30-32 

10.  2 
13.  9 

177,  207,  269,  300 
13,  14a-g. 

13.  52 

14.  2 

151 
94 

6.  41 

7.  7-9 

329 
269,  300 

14.  6 

30-32 

7.  10 

143 

MALACHI. 

14.  19 
14.  23 

329 
327 

7.  21-23 

8.  6,7 

132a,  146d 
.329 

3.  5 

314  318 

14.  33 

427a 

8.34 

38a.  b,  256f,  403 

3'  10 

40  ' 

15.  4 

143 

8.  35 

122d,  192  1 

3.  10-12 
3.  15 

46.47 
358 

15.  13 
15.  14 

205,209 
209 

8.  36,  37 

18g,  120k,  h,j,  121d,  g, 
122c,  191a,  267,  278a, 

4.  2 

119u 

15.  27 

86b,  204,  247g 

374d,  e,  f,  408 

15.  36 

329 

8.  38 

127a 

MATTHEW. 

16.  18 
16.  19 

170g 

I4nl 

9.  43 
9.  4.3-45 

360 
412 

1.  23 

2.  18 

81 

16.  24 

256 

9.  50 

101c,  d,  111b,  6,209, 265i 

11 

16.  24,  25 

122d,  192  1,  403 

10.  13-16 

50d,  80,  86c,  387-399 

3*  1  2 

366,  373 

16.  26 

18g,  408 
86B,  204 

10.  24,  25 

374b,  6  f 

3!  7' 

350e 

18.4 

10.  29,  30 

248e,  250,  285 

3.  8 

373 

18.  7 

423 

11.24 

320,  331,  332 

3.  11 

366,  373 

18.  8,  9 

4c,  403,  412 

11.  25 

176 

3'  14 

204 

18.  11 

27b,  28,  81,  82,  187 

12.  30,  33 

100 

4*  1 

425f 

18.  15 

377 

12.  31 

377 

4   7   10 

66 

18.  16 

167b 

12.  37 

259 

4!  17 

366,  373 

18.  18 

140a 

12.  42,  44 

39,  389e 

5,6,7.  - 
5.  3 

54k,  83c 

18.  19,20 

333a,  e.j.m 

13.  33 

145a 

204,  247g 
13,  50,  170f 

18.  20 

193c,  297,  439 

14.  8 

71c 

5   4 

18.  31-35 

175c,  g,  176,  155-162 

14.  21 

359 

5'.  5 

5   7 

254 

19.  13,  14 

80 

14.  36 

321,  409 

203 

19.  18,  19 

54a,  143,  362c,  377 

14.  38 

29b,  f,  145a 

5.  8 

132a,  228,  239 

19.  23,  24 

29c 

14.  56 

314 

5.  9 

277a,  c,  291-294,  313 

19.  29 

83e,  192  1 

14.  70,  71 

130 

5.  12 

315b 

20.  6 

206,210 

15.  13,  14 

132d,  h,  j,  1,  m 

5.  13-16 

3d,  88c,  101c,  d,  f 

233c,  265i 
92,93 

89 

106, 

21.  15,  16 
21.  16 

79 

235a,  391,  393-397 

15.  25-33 

16.  16 

261d 

84a,  124,  169-172,  240 

5.23,24 
5.  25 

21.22 
22.  11,  12 

320,  331-344 

276d,  288a,  i,  0,  r,  365 

LUKE. 

5.  29,30 
5.  34,  37 
5.  38 
5.39 

5.  42 
5.44 

5.  45,  46 

6.  1-4 

235d,  412 

73,  338-340 

431-437 

149,  175,  241,  242 

294 
184 

154-162,  184:i 
162d 
9d,  43d 

291- 

22.  29           214,  299 

22.  37,  38     100,  188,  192d 

22.  39           4e,  36,  37,  142,  202,  2d0, 

262,  377 

23.  3             209 
23.  5,  25,  27 

23       205 
23.  12           2e.  18b,  c,  f,  146c,  337c, 
b,i 

1.6 
1    10 

1.  70 

2.  29,  30 
2.  38 

2.  51 
3.7,8 

7h 
330 
54,  55a,  g,  60a,  o-f,  i, 

237d, e 
119f,  237f,  287d 
188,  192d 
296 
366,  373 

886 

i 

SCRIPTURAL  INDEX. 


LUKE.— Continued. 

1       LUKE.— Continufcd. 

JOHN.— Continued. 

Ch.  V. 

Anecdotes. 

1  Ch.  V. 

Anecdotes. 

Ch.  V. 

Anecdotes. 

3.  11 

38,  317 

18.  16 

80 

15.  9 

248 

3.  14 

103d,  e,  f 

18.  30 

286z 

15.  11 

192a,  b,  194g,  j,  k 

3.  17 

360 

19.8 

95,  373 

15.  12 

84a,  247 

4.  18,  19 

50b,  277-281 

19.  10 

28a,  187c 

15.  13 

8b,  e,  37 

5.  8 

86b 

19.  22 

216,  217,  220,  412h 

15.  18,24,25  132d,  h,  j,  1,  m 

5.  16 

3i7 

19.  41 

312 

16.  2 

298.  303.  315.  316 

5,  17 

81 

19.42 

33b,  127,  365a,  367 

16.  7, 13, 14  54,  55a,  g,  60a,  c-f,  i 

5.  21,  24 

81a,  82 

20.  46 

27 

16.  8 

30,  132c,  195 

6.  12 

322.  327,  399c 

20.  47 

326d,  356 

16.  20,  22 

50b 

6.  22 

132d,  h,  m 

21.  2 

389e 

16.  20,22,24192a,  b,  194j,  k 

6.  23 

191b 

21.  19 

84a,  284e,  311 

16.  27 

248 

6.  24 

29c,  1 

21.  26 

120,  121,  221,  222 

17.  3 

185a 

6.  24,  25 

120g,  h,j,121d,  g,122c, 
374b,  d,  e,  f 

21.  34 

229 

17.  13 

192a,  b,  194j,  k 

22.  19,  20 

86 

17.  15 

336a 

6.  25 

32f 

22.  33 

279c 

17.  17, 19 

54g,  h,  i,  57-65 

6.  27,28,3543d.  154-162,  241,  242 

22.  40,  46 

229 

17.  20-22 

204d,  247 

6.29 

291-294 

22.  41,  42 

321,  408 

18.  11 

50a,  409 

6.  3i 

187c 

23.  28 

250e 

18.  25,  27 

130 

6.  37 

175c,  g,  176 

23.  34 

153m,  157 

18.  38 

277i 

6.  38 

46,  47,  48a,  123b 

23.  34-45 

261  d 

19.  15 

132d,  h,  j,  1,  m 

6.  39 

209,268 

23.  43 

250c 

19.  24 

180-182-' 

6.  41,  42 

2e,  76a,  146e 

23.  50,  51 

228,239 

19.  26 

8 

6.  46,  49 

101c,  d 

24.  30 

329 

20.  28 

81 

7.  30 

70 

24.  52 

427a 

21.  15-17 

195f,  248 

7.  34 

251a, b 

7.  41-46 

256 

JOHN. 

ACTS. 

7.  47 

243 

8.  8,  15 

57-65,  74,  75.  263,  277- 

1.  1-3 

81 

1.  2 

54,  60a,  c-f,  i 

281.  414-420 

1.  1-14 

195a 

1.  14 

330,  334 

8.  13 

26,  23  le 

L  12 

169,  170,  240 

1.  18 

.359 

8.  18,  21 

101,  165  193, 

1.29 

28,  167a 

1.  24 

297 

8.  28 

218 

1.  33 

195 

2.  23 

260,  349,  350 

9.  7 

94 

1.  36 

106-109,  262 

2.  33 

195 

9.  23 

3aa,  b,  256f,  403 

1.  45-49 

106-109,  262 

2.  37 

30b-e 

9.  24 

12->d,  192  1 

3.  1-3 

106-109,  262 

2.  38 

366,  373 

9.  25 

leg,  I20g,  h,  j,  12Id,  g, 
122c,  191a,  267,  278a, 

3.  3 

65d 

2.  42 

86 

3.  5,6 

195 

2.  46 

330 

374d,  e,  f,  408 

3.  11 

176b 

3.  1 

330 

9.  26 

127a 

3.  16,17,3628a,  i,  167,  168.  170. 

3.  19 

366,  373 

9.  60 

257,  258 

186b,  240 

3.  26 

281 

9.  62 

26,  32c,  d,  e 

3.  19-21 

83j,  212,  213 

4.  12 

28a,  b,  256 

10.  2 

257 

3.  36 

237f,  360 

4.  13 

lOlf 

10.  27 

100,  362c,  377 

4.  36 

263 

4.  13,18,19, 

10.  30-38 

l.'>6,  242e 

4.  34,  39 

106-109,  262 

29 

84b,  d,  6,  f,  112,  260 

11.  2 

48c 

4.  42 

28a,  i 

4.  32 

84a,  247 

11.  4 

2,  29b,  229 

5.  17,18,23427a 

4  36,  37 

38a,  b 

11.  5-8 

322,  399c 

5.  39 

55,  63,  68,  69,  214,  299, 

5.  3-5 

208a,  c,  252b,  f,g,i,  400 

11.  lft-13 

330a,  b,  c,  331-334 

362,  337-399 

406a 

11.  28 

193b,  101,  166 

5.43 

114 

5.  5 

357 

11.  43 

27 

5.  44 

54e,  213 

5.  8-10 

29,  208a,  c,  252b,  f,  g 

11.  52 

53b,  i,  k 

6.  11,23 

329 

i,  400,  406a 

12.  4,  5 

26e,  112,  119a,  147b,  260 

6.  27 

120|,  h,  j,  121d,  g,  122c, 

5.  29 

84b,  d,  e,  f,  112,  173 

12.  8 

84,88 

5.  32 

295 

12.  9 

127a 

6.  29 

169-172,  240 

5.  89 

147b 

12.  10 

73c,  e,  j,  m,  406a 

6.  37 

187 

5.  41 

119a 

12  15 

29a,  145c 

6.  63 

54f,k 

5.  42 

262 

12.  19 

122f 

6  66 

26 

6.  3 

197 

12.  20,  21 

29j.  120,  121,  194c 

6.  68 

83h 

6.  4 

262 

12.  31 

129c 

7.  24 

134c 

6.  10 

112 

12.  35-37 

118,  122a,  b,  238 

7.  46 

218 

6.  13 

314 

12.  45,  46 

120 

8.  9 

.30a,  d,  e,  276d,  288a,  i, 

7.  9,  10 

163,  346 

12.  49,51-53  84b,  d,  e,  f 

o,  r,  289d 

7.  51 

32a,  b,  33b,  127,  196, 

12.57 

94-97,  276d.  365,  377 

8.  12 

13g,  88c,  190-192 

365a,  367,  406d 

13.  3 

350c,  366,  373 

8.  21 

120,  121.  237f,  359 

7.  51-53 

112,  260 

14.  11 

86b,  204 

8.  34 

230,  235d 

7.  59,  60 

157,254 

14.  13 

38c 

8.  36 

240b.  c 

8.  1-4 

315a 

14.  18 

129a,  b 

8.  43 

51e,  212,  213 

8.  22 

366,  373 

14.  26,27,33  84b.  d,  e.  f,  284a.  b,  403d 

8.  44 

252,  400 

8.23 

230 

14.  34 

101c,  d,  209 

9.  31 

1.52c 

8.  27-33 

106-110,  262 

1.5.  7,  10 

250g 

9.  39 

153n,  212 

9.  29 

112,  260 

15.  IH,  19 

366,  373 

10.  9 

304 

9.  36,  39 

41 

16.  9 

38a,  b 

10.  33 

427 

10.  2,  4 

38a,  b,  328 

16.  13 

76c 

11.  25,  26 

169-172,  240 

10.  22 

197 

16.  19 

120j 

12.  12-15 

277i 

10.  31  . 

334 

16.  26 

307,  3G0 

12.  43 

27 

10.  34 

112b 

17.  1 

423 

12.  48 

368b 

10.  36 

81 

17.  2 

153n,  16Ic 

13.  2 

400 

10.  38 

.38-44,  317,  414-420,  441 

17.  3,  4 

13nb,  175c,  176,368-372, 

13.  7 

194d 

10.  42 

120a,  238,  427e 

386 

13.  14 

81,204 

10.43 

170,  240 

17.  10 

256,  25?g 

13.  15 

87f 

11.  24 

263 

18.  1-8 

15-2c.  322.  3'J9c 

13.  27 

245b 

11.29 

38-40 

18.  7,  8  50a.  3.30a.  b,  331,  .334,3.35a, 

13.  34 

261c 

12.  5,  7,  12  330,  331 

b,  412d 

13.  34,  35 

247 

12.  21-23 

18b,  316, 337c,  h,i 

18.9 

256k 

14.  1,18,27  66,172,240,294,353   | 

13.  3 

330 

18.  11 

23 

14.  6 

304 

13.  38,  39 

28a,  b,  81a,  169-172, 

18.  12 

256b 

14.  21,  23 

248 

186,  187,  240,  256 

18.  13 

1.53c.  256h,  324,  373 

14.  26 

54.  55a,  g,  60a,  c-f,  i 

13.  45 

163 

18.  14 

88,  l4Gc,  204 

15.  3 

54g,  h,  i,  57-65 

15.  9 

162a 

887 


SCRIPTURAL  INDEX. 


ACTS.— Continued. 

ROMANS.— Continued. 

1  CORINTHIANS.-Continned. 

C*.  V. 

Anecdotes. 

C74.  V. 

Anecdotes. 

Ch.  V. 

Anecdotes. 

J6.  16 

330 

8.  35,  37 

190,  191,  192c-m. 

194j, 

7.  10 

"'^ 

16.  29 

30b-e,  195,  333 

k,200 

7.  20 

l()3d,  e,  f 

16.  31 

170,  240 

8.  38,  39 

119 

7.  23 

195e 

17.  5 

163 

9.  1-3 

250,  312,  408 

7.  39 

253b-f 

17.  11 

54a,  55,  63c,  68,  69,  299 

9.  5 

81 

1    8.  4 

207,  269,  300 

17.  22 

114,117,305-308 

9.  11 

170d,  194h 

1    8.  13 

4e 

17.  26 

77,290b 

10.  1 

250,  312,  408 

9.  12 

283,284 

17.  28 

341-345 

10.  3 

61e,  256j,  k,  m 

9.  16 

258j 

17.30 

366,  373 

10.  4 

170,  240 

10.  4 

168,  170g,  172c 

17.  31 

238,  351b,  c 

10.  9-11 

169 

1  10.  10 

178 

18.  3 

210,  243 

10.  14 

268 

1  10.  12 

29f,  131d,  e,  g 

18.  9,  10 

112 

10.  15 

257 

10.  21 

87d.  112p 

18.  24 

153 

10.  17 

61 

10.  24 

38a,  b,  44b,  c,  f,  i,  250 

18.  25 

262 

11.  6 

240,256 

10.  31 

76b,  411r,  412b 

19.  8 

112,260 

11.  16 

185c,  d,  e 

11.  14 

5,  231a,  2.35c 

19.  19 

177b,  278b,  295a 

12.  1 

100 

IL  23-26 

86 

20.7 

86 

12.  3 

247g 

11.  27,29,30  8Cd,  I12|) 

20.  19 

86b,  204 

12.  6,  7 

257,258 

11.  28,31 

86f 

20.  20,21,26  144b,  262 

12.  10 

204d,  247 

11.  32 

].%  14 

20.  24 

248a,  e,  250a,  b,  c,  285 

12.  11 

206,  210,  258 

12.  2 

207,  2G9,  300 

20.  26,  27 

260 

12.  12 

30,  84a,   311,  322, 

323, 

12.  3 

195 

20.  31 

262 

327 

12.  4,  6 

]67b,  168 

20.  34 

41,  210,  243 

12.  13 

201 

12.  13 

39b,  167b,  108 

20.  35 

45,286 

12.  14 

155,  208 

13.  3 

256b 

20.  36 

330 

12.  15 

36-44 

13.  4-7 

8a,  43a,  b,  44b,  78,  163. 

21.  5 

330 

12.  16 

38,  204 

175,     176,    241,    242, 

21.  13 

248a,  279c,  e,  285 

12.  17,  19 

21,  175,  176,  291-294 

407d,  e,  i,  fc 

21.  14 

321 

12.  18 

313 

13.  12 

194d, e 

22.  4 

298,  303 

12.  20-21 

43c,  d.  154c,  156, 

158h, 

14.  12 

258,262 

22.  16 

84b,  d,  e,  f 

i,  184a,  241,  242 

14.  15 

289a,  b,  c,i 

23.  1 

33a,  c.  e.  f.  98.  228.  239 

13.  3 

150 

14.  IG 

330      ^■^ 

24.  2,3,10  113 

13.  5 

33a,   c,    f,  9.>-98, 

228, 

14.  19 

'259 

24.  16 

33a,  c,  e,  f,  98,  228,  239 

239,  382,  389a,  d 

15.  10 

204a 

24.25 

32c,  e,  f,  126.  127,  351b, 

13.  7,  a 

33,  197,  198,  228, 

239, 

15.  33 

51b.  87a,  b 

c,  238,  260h 

377 

15.  54-57 

118,  119,172,200,280 

26.  9-11 

298,  303 

13.  8,  9 

54,  211,  1321,  362c 

15.  58 

4a,  (17e,  173,  175f,  285f, 

26.  17,  18 

212 

13.  10 

4e 

i,  403b,  d 

26.  18 

366 

13.  13 

65a,  87b,  197,  228 

,239, 

16.  1 

40 

26.  29 

250 

251 

16.  13 

4a,  67e.  173,  175f,  285f, 

27.  3 

113 

14.  6 

188,  192d 

i,  403b,  d 

27.  35 

329 

14.  8 

122i 

16.  15-17 

41 

28.  4 

288 

14.  10,  12 

351b,  c 

16.22 

224a 

28.  7 

113 

14.  13,  21 

2a,  b,  3e,  88c,  209, 

233c, 

ROMANS. 

14.  17 

283,  423 
192a,  b,  194g-l 
277a,  313 

4e,  44b,  e,  f,  i,  250 
(18  68,  299 

2 

CORINTHIANS. 

1.  16 

.57-65,  186 

14.  19 
1.5.  1,  2 

1.  4,5 

13.  .Wb,  66f-g,  170f,  190, 

1.  17 

170a,  240 

15.  4 

191,  192c-m,  194j,  k 

1.  18-32 

54c 

15!  13,  32 

132a    h.  134<r-l 

2.  15,  16 

153n 

1.  19,  20 
1.  21,  22 

185c,  d,  e 
207 

15.  19,24,25  258 
15.  30           IM'' 

2.  17 

3.  12 

260 
259 

1.  21,  28 

213 

16.  6 

41 

3.  18 

194d 

1.  28,  32 

132k 

4.  2 

30a,    b,  c,    lOlf,    144i>, 

1.28-32 

83b,  358 

1  COB  TNT  HI  A  NS. 

153a,  260 

1.  29-31 

272-276b,  318f 

4.  3,  4 

32,  114,  213 

2.  4,5 

31,  126,  .367 

1.  7,8 

238 

4.  7 

227 

2.  7 

311 

1.  10 

134a 

4.  8 

13,  14,  190-192 

2.  12 

268 

1.  12 

193a,  e,  f 

4.  8-12 

284c,  285 

2.  14,  15 

30a-€,  276b.  288a,  i,  o,  r 

1.  17 

2.59 

4.  15 

188 

2.  16 

120a,  238,  351a-c 

1.21 

263 

5.  1 

118,  119,  172 

3.  1,2 

54,  60a,  c,  f,  i 

1.  23,  24 

81b,  186 

5.  7 

66f,  g,  170f,  «5nr        , 

3.  3,  5,  7 

349,350 

7.  25-29 

227 

5.  8 

118,  119,  122e 

3.  16 

180-182 

1.  27-29 

79,  388,  389,  391, 

393, 

5.  10 

2.38 

3.  19,  20 

170d,  256,  276d,  365 

396,  397 

5.  11 

17a,  153a,  360 

3.  25,  26 

4.  4,  5,  24 

240 

2.  1,  4,  13 

259 

5.  12 

204(1 

2.  2 

186 

5.  14,  15 

28,  38-47,  195e,  248,  219 

25 

172,  240 

2.  9 

194k 

5.  17 

223e 

4.  17 

227 

2.  12,  13 

54,  55a,  p,   60a,  c 

f-i, 

5.  18 

257 

4.  20,  21 

171.  172 

195a,  237d,  e 

5   18,  19 

28gh,  170,  240,  363 

5.  1,  2,  10  200.  240                             1 

2.  14 

]3-2g.  h,  j,  1,  m 
164b,  195,  3.33,  334 

5.  20 

153f 

5.  3,4 

13,  14,  66f,  g,  80c,  190, 

3.  6 

5.  21 

218,  240 

191,  192c-m 

3.  22,  23 

118,  119,  250c 

6.  2 

128,  439a 

5.  5 

194,  195,  200 

4.1,2 

144b,  258-260,  262 

6.  4 

311,  285 

5.  7 

37 

4.  7 

132e, g 

6.  10 

13,  50b,  c,  374i 

5.  8 

186 

4.  12,  13 

21d,   155,  175,  176, 

210, 

6   14 

253b-f 

5.  10 

28.363 

254,  401 

7.  4 

190, 191, 192c-m,  194j,  k 

5.  11 

192a,  b,  194g-l 

5.  7,8 

86f 

7.  9,  11 

366,  373 

6.  11 

100 

5.  11 

207,  229-236,  269, 

300, 

7.  11 

22.3e 

6.  12 

230-234,  251 

402a,  c 

8.  2 

39,  41ce,  286a-g,  k,  1,  m. 

6.  16 

230 

6.  1 

244a,  b,  c.  e,  f 

P.  q,  t,  y 

6.  21 

125 

6.  5 

134c 

8.  11 

42 

6.  23 

240 

6.  7 

291-294 

8.  21 

197,  198,  228 

7.  8 

132f 

6.  9,  10 

207,  229-236,  260, 

300, 

9.  6 

45-47,  123b,  282 

7.  23 

230 

402a,  c 

9.  7 

286 

8.  7 

132,  213,  424,  427e 

6.  11 

26a.  281,  162b,  240, 

277, 

9.  11,  12 

188 

8.  15 

221,  222.  240,  249 

278 

10.  4,  5 

30a-e,57-65,74,75,195, 

8.  17 

172j 

6.  20 

100,  195e 

263,  277-279 

8.  28 

I76f,  192e 

7.  3 

%  g,  241 

10.  10 

193a-f 

SCRIPTURAL  INDEX. 


CORINTHIANS.— Continued. 
.  V.  Aiiecdotes. 

•23-27      250a,  b,  28.) 

9  122],  190,  191 

10  13b,  14a,  b,  ()6f,  «,  170f, 

190,  191,192c-m,  194j, 

k,  315b 
142,  2.)8,  262 
108,  339a,  d,  f,  g 
100,  166,  197 
247,  213 

GALATIANS. 

19oe 

112,  2G0 

54,  55a,  g,  GOa.  c-f,  i, 
195a,  237d,  e 

170,  194h,  240,  256       * 

195e 

240 

170a,  c,  250 

28a,  195e 

185a 

l-20e 

207,  269,  300 

42,  262,  235,  286,  441 

112,  173,  175f,  285f,  i, 
403b,  d 

38,  39,  250,  286,  362e 

251 

18,20,27,29,31,32,79, 
87,  115,  132,  141,  147, 
163, 177, 180-182, 229- 
234,  246,  288,  309,  424 

13,  14,  71,  72b,  92,  93, 
154-162,169-172,192a, 
b,  194g-l,  235,  254 

146a,  b,  f 

254 

38-47,  71,  72b,  260,  262, 
282,  286,  387-399,414- 
420,  428,  441 


14,  15 
16 


4 
10 
11,  12 

16 

20 

6 

11 

13 

20 


18 

1 

14 
16 
19-21 


22-25 


6.  1 
6.  9,  10 


2 

6,7 

23 

1 

2 

3-5,8, 

13 

7 
12 


260, 


4.  1,2 


3 

4,5 

11-13 

16 

17-19 


18 

19 

20 

22  24 

25,'28,33 

1 

4 

5-9 
10,  13 

12 
14 


EPHESIANS. 

81 

28,240 

297 

195 

400 

132,    170d,    194h,    195, 

240.  256 
81a,  82,  240 
257 
112,  169-172,  240, 

279c,  e 
86b,  101,  166,  175,  176, 

204,  254,  401 
247 
168 
257 
249c 
83b,  212,  213,  268-276, 

356,  358 
139b,  141,  252 
21a,  b 

243,  278e,  279b 
32a,  b,  33b,  127,  196 
21,91,93,247f,407d,e,k, 
202,  241,  242 
247 
105a 

29a,  c,  e,  j,  1,  246,  374 
88c,  101,  166 
la,  112k,  260,  368-372, 

386 
239-2.36 


289a,  b,  c,  j 

188,  192c-f,  j-m 

241b,  d,  e 

7c,  f,  241a,  c 

296 

53e.  135-139,  197j,  224b, 

438c 
404b,  c,  d 
173,  260,  175f,  285f,  i, 

403b,  d 
400 
166,  197,  228,  239,  240, 

430 


EPHESIANS.— Continued. 
Ch.  V.  Anecdvtes. 

0.  16  169-172,  240 

6.  15  21,    149,    154-162,    175, 

176,  254,  291-294,  313, 

437b,  c 
6.  17     53  I,  57-65,  195a 
6.  18     136,  323,  324b,  399c 
6.  19     193e 
6.  24     248 

PHILIPPIANS. 

9      247,  248 

20  112, 260 

21  •  118,  119,  250c 
23  122e,  248e 
25  192a,  b,  194g-I,  240 
27,  28  105a,  173, 175f,  247,285f, 

i,  403b,  d 
1M7 

146a,  b,  f,  194b.  204 
87f- 


1  THESSALONIANS.-Contin'd. 


1,2 
3 
5 
2.  9, 10, 11  81,  427a 

2.  30  36 

3.  1  50c,  88c,  107f 
3.  7,  8  192  1 

3.  9  240,  256 

3.  17  101  166,  412h 

3.  18  111b,  e,  209 

3.  19  230,  251a,  b 

3.  20  87f,  105c.  d 

4.  1  173,  175f,  263,  403b,  d 
4.  4  50c,  88c,  107f,  190,  191, 

192c-in,  194j,  k 

4.  6  23a,  30,  76b,  \m,  411 

4.  7  66d,  119h 

4.  8  154-162,  197,  201,  202, 

228,  239 

4.  11,  12  103 

4.  14  38-47,  346 

COLOSSIANS. 

1.  5,  27  191m,  200 

1.  10  71,88,106-110,  142,441 

1.  11  175,  192a,  b,  194g-I,  311 

1.  13  277i 

1.  14  28,  240 

1.  20  170,  240 

1.  21  363 

1.  23  173,  17.5f,  285f,  i,  403b,  d 

2.  5-7  173, 175f,  285f,  i,  403b,  d 
2.  7  189 

2.  8  213,  299,  309,  424,  427 

2.  21  2a,  c,  229 

3.  2  120g,  h,  j,  122c,  199 

3.  5  4c,  21,  29,  48,   14(1,  147- 

149,  163,  246 

3.  9  139b,  252.  311 

3.  10  87f,  166,  404b,  d 

3.  12  86b,   154-162,  201,  202, 

204,241,242 

3.  13  8a,  90-93,  154-162,  175, 

176 

3.  14  247,  250 

3,  16  289a,  b,  c,  j 

3.  18,  19  7,  241 

3.  20  143,  296 

3.  22-24  404b,  c,  d 

3.25  116,  143,  145c,  182,  252 

4.  2  145a,  188,  323 
4.  5  14i;b 

4.  12,  13  262,  285,  286,  441 

5.  14,  15  247 

1  THESSALONIANS. 

1.  2  188,  331-334 

1.  6  192a,  b,  194g-l 

2.  3-5  174,  260 
2.  7  254,  372a 

2.  10  101,  166,228.239 

2.  13  54,    60a,   c-f,    i,    195a, 
237d,  e 


2.  19 

263 

3.  5 

229 

3.  9 

188,  279j 

3.  10 

323 

3.  12 

3fr-47,  247,  250,  286,  441 

4.  6 

141,  180-182,  278e,  279b 

Ch.  V. 
4.  8 
4.  9,  10 
4.  11 
4.  12 


5.  16 

5.  18 
5.  17 
5.  19 

5.  22 

5.  27 


Anecdotes. 

195 

84a,  247 

41.  210,  243 

197,  2-28,  239 

32a-d,  f,  121c,  e,  f,  406a 

131d,  e,  g 

169-172, 119m,  200,  247, 

248 
260,  311,  368-372,  386 
154-162,  175,  176,  241, 

242,  254,  291-294,  313 

13,  50c,  ll8e,  119,  192a, 
b,  194g-l 

14,  188 

23a,  58a,  136,  323,  324b 
32a,    b,  33b,   127,   196, 

365a,  367 
3.  76a,  146b,  229,  233c 
68,  299 


2  THESSALONIANS. 


1.  5 
1.  6 

1.  7,  8,  9 

2.  3,9 
2.  4 

2.  10-12 

3.  10-12 


1.  14 

1.  15 

1.  17 

1.  19 

2.  2 
2.  6 
2.  8 

2.  9 

3.  2,3 

3.  11 

4.  2 

4.  3,4 

4.  8 

4.  10 

4.  13 


6.  11 


6.  17,  18 
6.  20 


4 
5 

9 

10 

12 

13 

15 

12 

15 

16 

14,23 

22 

24 


2-5 


6,8 
15 

889 


194e 

316 

268,  360,  424 

305 

298 

213,  299-310,  358a,  402 

35,  206d,  e,  243 

1  TIMOTHY. 

248 

2He,  132c,  170d,  e,  194b 

164a,  185a,  b 

2o,  33a,  b,  98,  99,  228, 

239,  382,  389a,  d 
197 

28i,  81a 

30a-e,  320,  326b 
146,  248d,337j,k,  403a 
3f,  135a,  142,  201,  250, 

311 
7h 

99,  .309,  356,  358 
188 

83e,  h,  217d,  379-381 
2G4a 

151,  210d,  2581 
2.58,  262 
263 

3-22,  323,  327 
31,  358 
11a,  210,243 
258,  262 

101c.  2.57b,  421,  423 
404b,  c,  d 
104a,  b,  265b 
103,1921,378-381 
121d,  g,  194c,  429c,  e 
103a,  b,  c 

29,  48,  145c,  267,  374 
228,  239,  247,  248,  254, 

377,  401d 
38,  374h 
104,  105a,  264b 

5  TIMOTHY. 

192a,  b,  194g-l 

135, 136,  224b,  229e,  287 

61e,  186,  194h,  240,  256 

172d 

28f 

173, 175f,285f,i,  403b,  d 

26 

194e 

151.  258  1,  259,  260 

105a 

104a,  b,  0,  f,  265b 

3,  4,  235,  247,  250,  251a, 

155,  204,  259,  311,  372a, 

401d 
17a,  21  d,  2.54.  401d 
2.30.  235d,  400 
18,  29,  48,  73,  143,  205, 

218f,  2-26,  246,  251 
213,  309,  424 
51-65,  287,  299 


SCRIPTURAL  INDEX. 


2  TIMOTHY.-Cantinued. 

HEBREWS.— Continued. 

1  PETER.— Continued. 

Ch.  V. 

Anecdotes. 

Ch.  V. 

Anecdotes. 

Ch.  V. 

Anecdotes. 

3.  16,  17 

.54-09.726,  ]93a,:J87-n99 

12.  9 

135-137,  315,  316 

2.  19,20 

175,  176,  311 

4.  1 

23B,  ;^51b,  c 

12.  10,  11 

13,  14,  50,  66r,  g,  80c 

2.  21 

218 

4.2,5 

144b,  260, 2r)2, 2G3a,3'o8- 

12.  14 

175,  176,  254,  313 

2.  24 

81a 

372,  3,-^rt 

13.  1 

84a,  247 

3.  3 

146a,  f,  254,  337j,k,403a 

4.  3,4 

213,  2t)r!-310,  424-427 

13.  3 

38,  43a,  b,  62a 

3.  7 

7a,  h,  241a,  c 

4.  6-8 

11211, 118,200,2380,240, 

13.  4 

368a 

3.  8,9 

8a.    17a,   21.    113,    155, 

250c 

13.5 

29,  103d,  e,f,122j,  145c, 

1.56-175,  202,  247,  401 

4.  10 

374a 

192i,  346 

3.  10,  11 

45-47,  175, 178,  252. 313, 

13.  16 

47,  71,  72b,  74,  75,  286, 

379-381 

TITUS. 

317,  389b,  c,  e,   428, 

3.  12 

.5na,  331-334,  412d 

1.7-9 

2f,  21,76a,  191,201,228, 
239,  2.54 

13.  18 

441 
33a,   c,  e.   f,  98,   193b, 

3.  16 

33a,  c,e,f,  98,228,239. 
260ni,   382,    389a,    d, 

197,    228,    239,    382, 

407a,  b,  c.  j 
195e,  240a,  256f.  i 

1.  13 

260,  36S-.372 

389a,  d 

3.  18 

1.  15 

99,  356,  358 

13.  17 

262 

4.  3,4 

207,  230-232,  251,  269, 

2.  4 

7b,  d,  e,  g,  241b,  d,  e. 

300,  309 

311 

JAMES. 

•4.5 

238b,  351b,  c 

2.  8 
2.  9,  10 

lOle,  407a,  b,  c,  f,  j 
404b,  c,  d 

1.  2 

192c,  e-k,  1941,  k 

4.  7 
4.  8 
4.  9 
4.  11 
4.  13,  14 

118,  320-334 
247 
201 

54,  195a,  237d,  e,  260 
84b,  d,  e,  f,  192c,  e,  k, 
ra,  315b 

194b,  ^.56h,  1,  352i 
18b,  c,  146c,  204,  247g, 
337c,  h,  i 
67e,     173,    285f,    i,  400, 
403b,  d 

2.  12 

2.  13 
2.  14 

2,  3,  228,  235,  239,  251, 

377 
194,  238 
195e,  428,  441 

1.  3 
1.  4 
1.  5-7 
1.  8 

13,  14,  311 
311 

320,322 
32d 

2.  15 

3.  1 
3.  2 

368-372 

42,  428,  441 

134a,  254,  407d,  e,  k 

1.  9,  10 
1.  11 
1.  15 

204d 

120g-j,  374b 
132a 

4.  18 

5.  5 

3.  3 
3.  5 

20,  162b.  163,  402 

61e,  170d,  194h,  195,  256 

1.  18 
1.  19 

58-65 

21,  78,  175,  254 

5.  8,  9 

3.  6 

186 

1.  21 

85,  193a,  e,  f 

3.  9 

104a,  b,  c,  f,  265b 

1.  23,  24 

48b,  c,  264c 

1.  27 

391,  44j,  346a,  389g 

2  PETER. 

PHILEMON. 

2.5 

14d,  39,  41c,  e,  60a,  f,  h. 

1.  4 

66c,  172h 

4 

188,  323,  327 

2.8 

353 
239,  250,  362c,  286,  377 

1.  5 
1.  6 
1.  7 

68,  169-172 
2-4,  235,  311 

5 

169-172,  147-150 

2.  13 

116,  316 

36-47,  241,  242,  247 

11 

404 

2.  14,17,26  48,  105a,  llle,  209 

1.  12,  15 

200b,  c,  255 

la 

184 

2.  15-17 

48c,  d,  101c,   104a,  b,  f. 

1.  19-21 

54.  60.  237d.  e.  299 

HEBREWS. 

2.  18.21,2 

202d 
2 

2.  1             427 
2.  2, 14, 15  309 

1.  1 

54,  55a,  g,  60 

24 

"'lOla,  b,  166,  193b 

2.  4 

425f 

1.  2 

81,  237d,  e,  427a 

2.  19 

185a 

2.  18,  19 

215,  216,  230,  309,  424 

1.  8 

8]    164a 

2.  23 

240 

2.  20-22 

26a-e.  h,  225e,  4U6a 

2.  1 

68.  69 

3.  5 

148b,  407g 

3.  3,  4 

54e,  214.  215,  424 

2.  9 

28i 

3.  17 

3,  21,  36-47,   54g,    71, 

3.  7 

2;}8.  351b,  c 

2.  14,  15 

172,  118-121,  200 

83a-d,  f,  h,i,  j,  90-93, 

3.  11,  12 

105c,  d,   166,  228,  238. 

3.  4 

185c-e 

101,106-110,  142, 154- 

239b,  c,  351b,  c 

3.  12 

213 

162,  175, 176,201, 202, 

3.  16 

85,  104f,  42.5e 

3.  13 

15c,  31,  32,  127,  .%7 

228,239,241,242,250, 

3.  17 

51b,  173,  285f,  i,  403b,  d 

4.  12 

30a-e,  54 j,  57-65,   83c, 

254,286,291-294,364. 

87e,   183,  2601,   414- 
420 

4.  1 

428,  441 
431-437 

1  JOHN. 

4   13 

297 

4.  3,8 

50,  136,  320-324,  330a, 

1.  7 

28b,  h,  i,  169d,  186c,  d 

4.  16 

28i,    30a-e,    162a,    169- 

b,  331-334 

1.  9 

90-93 

172,  320,  331-334 

4.  4  132 

2.  1 

80d,  304 

5.  2 

43a,  b 

4.  6 

18b.  c,  146c,  204,  247g, 

2.  2 

28a,  g,  h 

5.  9 

164b,  c,  119q 

15c,  32.    126,   127,  196, 

337c,  h,  i 

2.  10 

247 

6.  4,6 

4.  7 

192k,  321,  409 

2.  15 

26,  29,  76c 

365a,  367.  406 

4.  11 

407d,  e,  k 

3.  2 

204i 

6.  8 

121,  222,  426 

4.  14 

18a,  128,  194c,  199,  319, 

3.  5 

28h,  i,  81a,  82 

6.  10,  11 

42 

429 

3.  7 

101,  193b,  209 

6.  12 

169-172,  311 

5,  5 

358 

3.  8 

400 

G.  18,  19 

66,  118,   119,  170,  194, 

5.  6 

254,  291-294,  316 

3.  11,12,14- 

200,238c 

5.  10,  11 

13,  14,  50,  66a,  b,  f,  g, 

19,  23  247 

7.  6 

40 

173,  285f,  i,  311 

3.  13 

132d,  h,  k,  m 

7,  25 

80d,  169, 186c,  187,242b, 

5.  12 

73,  338-340 

3.  15 

20,  132d,  288 

304 

5.  16 

30,  50a,  90-93,  136,  322, 

3.  17,  18 

48,  202d 

9.  22 

28a,  187c 

330a,  b,  331-334 

3.  20 

95,  96,  273,  297 

9.  27 

238,  351b,  0 

3.  22 

331 

10.  22 

320 

1  PETER. 

4.  7,  8,  11 

10.  23 

67e,173,175f,285f,403b, 

1.7 

13, 14,  50, 112,  173,  1941, 

20,  21  247 

d 

k,  311 

4.  8 

48,  132d 

10.  26,  27 

26a,c,  d,h,32,  33b,127, 

1.8 

50c,  53a,  86a,  118e,  119, 

4.  9,  10 

28d,  g,  186b,  240 

196,  406a 

192a,  b,  240 

4.  19 

186,  248,  249 

10.  31 

32,  120,  121,  222,  237f, 

1.  14 

268-276 

4.  21 

77,  247 

426,  427e 

1.  16-19 

405a 

5.  3 

23,  132 i 

10.36 

311 

I.  18,  19 

195e,  256 

5.  4 

172,  195,  240 

10.  38 

26b,  170a,  240 

1.  22 

84a,  247 

5.  13 

427 

11.  1-32 

169-172,  240 

1.  23 

58-65 

5.  16 

73c,  e,  j,  m,  196,  40Ca 

11.4 

224 

1.  24 

18a,  194e,  199,  429 

11.  6 

320 

2.  1,  12 

163,  252,  407d,  e,  k 

2  JOHN. 

11.  16   ' 

119u,  1941 

2.2 

68.299 

1,5 
2,6 
10 

247 

101,  166 
80d 

11.  23,  27 

112,  173,  175f,  260,  279c 

2.  7 

169-172,  240,  248 

11.  24 

403 

2.  8 

153n.  427e 

11.  25 

374g 

2.  9, 10, 15  10  le                                    1 

11.  27 

153f 

2.  11 

235,  2.51 

3  JOHN. 

11.  36-38 

298,  303,  310 

2.  12 

83f,  166 

12.  1 

284e,  311 

2.  17 

a4a,  247 

1.2 

247 

12.  2 

169-172;  405a 

890 

2.  18 

404b,  c,  d 

3 

101,  166 

SCRIPTURAL  INDEX. 


3  JOHN;.— Continued. 
Jinecdotes. 
201 
142 
337g 

JUDE. 


4 

3,)9 

424 

6,  7, 13 

238, 

360, 

425f 

7 

164b,  c 

11 

29a 

48. 

301 

16, 

18 

213, 

230-234, 

424 

25 

81, 

427a 

REVELATION. 

REVELATION.— Continued. 

Ch.  V. 

Anecdotes. 

Ch.  V. 

Jinecdotes. 

1.  3 

66,  63,  69,  299 

17.  14 

8(!d 

1.  8 

185b 

20.  6 

194e 

2.24 

400 

20.  10 

360 

3.  17 

29k,1, 120g-i.  12Jd,  g,267 

20.  12, 

13 

238 

4.  8 

1191 

21.  8 

26.  207,  246c,  252,  269, 

5.  9 

82,  195e,  240,  256 

2.S8,  300,  305 

5.  10 

194e 

21.  27 

1941 

7.  12 

188 

22.  4 

248e 

12.  11 

248a,    173a,  b,   c,   e,  g, 

22.  5 

194d,  e,  j 

175f,  285,  403b,  d 

22.  11 

360 

13.  15 

293,  303,  315,  316 

22.  15 

207,  246c,  252,  269,  288, 

14.  13 

118,  119,  280 

300.  305 

16.  14 

305 

22.  17 

406b 

17.  6 

298,303 

5S.  18, 

ID 

67c 

891 


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